OLLI-ARCHIVE

OLLI COURSE ARCHIVES by Paul Belanger

2017 – for older, prior to 2017 – scroll down


MONDAYS: 2017 OLLI WEST – ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE: Extreme Weather Events, Worldwide Energy Revolution, and Geoengineering Options – Particularly BIOCHAR -Paul Belanger and Phil Nelson

week 1 March 27, 2017

Week 2: Extreme Weather: heat, drought, fires

week 3: Extreme Weather: water

week 4: Pricing Carbon & Intro to Energy Revolution

week 5: World-wide Energy Revolution: SOLAR AND WIND

week 6, May 1: Part A: Nuclear power (fission and fusion); Part B: Storage and Grid Options (large or small) Extras:

Week 7: NREL TOUR OF ENERGY SYSTEMS INTEGRATION LAB

  • Energy Systems Integration Lab
  • 1:30-3:00 p.m.; please aim to be there 12:45 p.m.
  • GOVERNMENT ID: CDL / passport

NREL Education Center: 15013 Denver West Parkway Golden, CO 80401; Google maps :google map link

Week 8: GEOENGINEERING SOLUTIONS – GUEST SPEAKER RON LARSON:


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THURSDAYS: 2017 OLLI SOUTH – EARTH’S CLIMATE: Past, Present and Future; Concerns and Solutions

Week 1 March 30, 2017

Week 2: Earth’s past climate history and what caused those changes: slides and other links

Week 3: Rates of change & Ocean Acidification

Week 4: The Anthropocene by Bob Raynolds

Week 5: April 27th: finish Ocean Acidification; modeling climate; proceed to Skepticism and Denial

Week 6: USGS-ICE CORE LAB TOUR Thursday May 4th, 2017 –Link: National Ice Core Laboratory

Week 7: Economics and Solutions – part A; What are the economics/What are the solutions?


  • class attachments and links: 
  • Richard Alley excerpt from Earth; a driver’s manual – to those that think problems are insurmountable: A terrible shower

  • Economic related reports and the discount rate: SEE LINKS IN SLIDES

Week 8: What are the economics/What are the solutions?

  • OUTLINE:  week 7 in red; week 8 in black
  • Economics
  • of doing nothing (solely adapting) vs. the economics of mitigation
  • Actual will likely be a combination
  • Capitalism, GDP/growth based economics vs. “Herman Daly” economics (no-growth/steady-state)
  • Solutions? Paradigm shift? From we can’t/too expensive to WE CAN
  • There is promise, but at what cost? (One might be surprised).
  • Energy
  • Mitigation – Agricultural revolution/biofuels: Biochar for Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
  • Geoengineering:
  • Solar Radiation Management (SRM) and
  • Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
  • Biochar vs. BECCS solutions SEE MY BIOCHAR LINK IN OTHER PAGES:https://denverclimatestudygroup.com/?page_id=28
  • Efficiency – the single quickest way to reduce:
  • What NREL is doing: Efficiency, Solar, wind, other
  • Other strategies:
  • CCL – carbon fee/dividend
  • Cap and trade?
  • Gloom and Doom? NO! IT’S A CHALLENGE, and humanity has always been challenged and we are an adaptable species that has met the challenge over and over again!

SLIDES -forthcoming 

David Weisberg slides: Energy – Nuclear Power


class attachments and links: 

  • Richard Alley excerpt from Earth; a driver’s manual – to those that think problems are insurmountable: A terrible shower

Economic related reports and the discount rate:

 

 Week 8: PART B


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APRIL 7TH – SPECIAL LECTUREOLLI WEST LECTURE SERIES Adapting to our Future

Our major problem is our own Apathy and Inertia / Lack of Political will

CLICK HERE FOR ABSTRACT


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  • OLDER – 2014-2016:
  • Archived: Earth’s climate: Past, present and future; concerns and solutions:
  • 2016 OLLI course: click here
  • 2015 OLLI course: click here
  • 2014 OLLI course: click here.