"Greenhouse Gases and Delaware" *Presentation by Morgan Ellis, Delaware Division of Energy and Climate Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) The Delaware Sea Grant College Program hosted “Focus on the Delaware Coast: Mitigating Climate Change at the Local Level” on December 4, 2014. The half-day seminar was part of a series designed to spotlight coastal resource issues and to provide science-based information relevant to local decision-making in Delaware. It was co-hosted with Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s (DNREC) Division of Energy and Climate. Scientific evidence suggests that a changing global climate poses significant threats to earth ecosystems. Delaware is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise related to the warming climate due to its low elevation. Seminar speakers highlighted: Current strategies to reduce the effects of climate change in Delaware; New initiatives and local funding opportunities; and Local case studies in electric generation, transportation and conservation. Solving or mitigating global climate effects requires international cooperation, but individual and community conservation and sustainability efforts are equally important to reducing the carbon footprint. “Delaware communities and businesses are taking important steps to conserve energy and use renewable energy, while UD researchers help to answer important questions and develop technologies to support renewable energy use and conservation,” said Joe Farrell, Delaware Sea Grant resource management specialist and a seminar coordinator. Learn more at www.deseagrant.org.

1. Morgan Ellis
Delaware Division of Energy and Climate
Delaware Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental Control (DNREC)
December 4, 2014
De-incorp.com
Greenhouse Gases and
Delaware

2. Definitions
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation:
• A human intervention to curb, reduce or
eliminate greenhouse gases (heat trapping gases)
or enhance sinks of greenhouse gases.
Adaptation:
• Adjustment in natural or human systems to a new
or changing environment that seizes beneficial
opportunities or moderates negative effects.
Natural Hazards Mitigation:
• A sustained action(s) taken to reduce or eliminate
the long-term risk to life and property from
hazard events.

3. What are greenhouse gases?
• Water Vapor
• Carbon Dioxide
• Methane
• Nitrous Oxide
• Fluorinated gases
– Hydro-fluorocarbons
– Sulfur hexafluoride

5. Where do greenhouse gases come
from?
Combustion of fossil fuels for:
• Electricity production
• Transportation
• Heating (residential, commercial, etc.)
• Industrial emissions
• Agriculture

6. Why should greenhouse gases be
considered?
- Greenhouse gas mitigation efforts reduce
future climate change.
- Lower emissions mean less severe impacts.
- Carbon dioxide is removed from the
atmosphere through natural processes; but only
at half the rate at which humans are emitting it.
- Mitigation and adaptation go hand-in-hand.

7. Greenhouse Gases in Delaware
2.
Waste
1%
Agriculture
4% Residential
8%
Commerical
6%
Industrial
16%
Transportation
34%
Electric Power
Generation
31%
Source: Delaware Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Division of Air Quality, 2014
Totals 12,480,000
metric tons of carbon
dioxide equivalent.

8. All emission estimates from the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2012.
Year
United States Carbon Dioxide Emissions from
1990-2012
Approx. 5,400
MmtCO2e
Approx. 5,000
MmtCO2e

9. -
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
MmtCO2e
Year
Delaware’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions from
1990 to 2010
12.48
MmtCO2e
19.78
MmtCO2e

10. Delaware’s Climate Change
Impact Assessment
Jennifer de Mooy
Delaware Division of Energy and Climate
Delaware Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental Control (DNREC)
December 4, 2014

11. Overview
• Delaware Climate Change Impact Assessment
• Future climate projections
• High and low scenarios
• Climate mitigation and adaptation
• Global challenge – local action

12. Why did we develop the Delaware Climate
Change Impact Assessment?
To understand and communicate the current
and future impacts and risks from a changing
climate.
To summarize the best available science on
climate change and the potential impacts for
Delaware.
To help Delaware’s
government, citizens,
communities and businesses
prepare for and adapt to
climate change.

13. What’s in the Delaware Climate Change
Impact Assessment ?
Impacts to Delaware’s
resources:
o Water resources
o Agriculture
o Public Health
o Ecosystems and Wildlife
o Infrastructure
Climate Trends and Projections:
o Increasing temperatures
o Changes in precipitation
o Extreme weather events
o Sea level rise

14. Scientific Sources
• Peer-review studies
• Scientific assessments
o Regional
o National
o Global
• Expert scientists and practitioners
o Steering Committee
• Delaware climate analyses
o Dr. Daniel J. Leathers (University of Delaware)
o Dr. Katharine Hayhoe (Texas Tech University)

15. Understanding Trends and Projections
• Observed trends - Past
o Historic data analysis of
Delaware’s climate over past 100
years
• Climate projections - Future
o Delaware climate projections
reflect high and low greenhouse
gas emissions scenarios to 2100.
o Annual and seasonal averages
and extremes are projected for
temperature and precipitation.
Data from Delaware weather
Stations was used for analysis

16. Understanding Scenarios
Future scenarios depend
on many factors
IPCC: 2010 Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP)

17. Understanding Scenarios
Future scenarios depend
on many factors
• The lower scenario
represents a future in which
people shift to clean energy
sources in the coming
decades, reducing
emissions of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse
gases.
IPCC: 2010 Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP)

18. Understanding Scenarios
Future scenarios depend
on many factors
• The lower scenario
represents a future in which
people shift to clean energy
sources in the coming
decades, reducing
emissions of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse
gases.
• The higher scenario
represents a future in which
people continue to depend
of fossil fuels, and emissions
of greenhouse gases
continues to grow.
IPCC: 2010 Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP)

19. Climate projections for Delaware:
Average annual and seasonal temperatures are
projected to increase, particularly in summer
Source: Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, et al

20. Climate Projections for Delaware:
Very hot days expected to increase
Source: Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, et al

21. Climate Projections for Delaware: Temperature
Annual and seasonal
temperatures are projected to
increase, with slightly greater
increases in summer as compared
to winter.
Extreme heat days and heat waves
are becoming more frequent;
extreme cold, less frequent.
Number of Hot Days per Year
Number of Cold Nights per Year

22. Climate Projections for Delaware:
Days of heavy precipitation projected to increase
Source: Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, et al

23. Climate Projections for Delaware: Precipitation
Annual precipitation
projected to increase,
mostly due to changes in
winter and fall
More rainfall is
projected to occur in
heavy downpours
Source: Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, et al

24. Climate Choices
Future scenarios depend on
many factors, including how
human societies and
economies will develop and
what technologies and
energy sources will be used.
• The lower scenario –
climate conditions we
must prepare for and
adapt to
• The higher scenario –
climate conditions we
want to avoid

25. Climate Choices
Future climate
Climate
Adaptation
Climate
mitigation
“Avoiding the unmanageable, and managing the unavoidable”

26. What does this mean at the local level?
Climate change is a global challenge…
Climate change impacts us locally…
Climate mitigation is a choice…
o Reduce energy use
o Drive less
o Choose energy efficiency
o Support renewable sources
o Your homes
o Your families
o Your businesses
o Your community

27. Morgan Ellis
Delaware Division of Energy and Climate
Delaware Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental Control (DNREC)
December 4, 2014
Where do we go from here?

28. How do we begin to reduce
greenhouse gases?
• Understand the issue and the impacts.
• Take steps to save energy and reduce
emissions in your business and residence.
• Encourage others to implement steps to
encourage energy efficiency.
• Investigate and apply for funding.

29. Simple Steps
• Lighting
– Switch to LEDs or CLFs
• Weatherization
– Air seal
– Insulate
• Look for EnergyStar Appliances
• Recycle
• Investigate less fossil intensive
energy sources

30. Delaware’s efforts to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions
• The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
• Fuel Switching (coal to natural gas)
• Energy Efficiency Investment Fund
• The Green Energy Fund
• The Sustainable Energy Utility
• Weatherization Assistance
Program

31. Funding Opportunities
• The Energy Efficiency Investment Fund
– Commercial and industrial facilities
– Lighting, heating and cooling and other measures
• State Energy Program Revolving Loan Fund
– Commercial and industrial facilities
– Energy efficiency measures
• Delaware Green Energy Fund
– Delmarva Power customers
– Installation of renewable energy systems
• The Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility
– Residential, commercial and industrial

32. Thank You!
For more information, contact:
Morgan Ellis – Climate Policy Analyst
Morgan.Ellis@state.de.us
Jennifer de Mooy – Climate Adaptation Project Manager
Jennifer.deMooy@state.de.us