ThermECO ThermECO Endeka Ceramics

Reduced Environmental Impact


Climate Change

"The IPCC report has served a useful purpose in removing the last grounds from under the climate-change skeptics’ feet, leaving them looking marooned & ridiculous."

Global Temperatures So wrote the editorial in the highly-respected journal, Nature (Vol 445, Issue 7128, 8th Feb 2007). The report it refers to - the 7th report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - was compiled by 174 lead authors and is based on the work of 2,500 scientists investigating 29,000 separate data sets. The final draft was agreed, word-for-word, by all governments which take part.

For a well-respected journal such as Nature to make such an un-ambiguous statement, underlines the certainty with which the scientific community now view anthropogenic (man-made) climate change.

If climate change is to go unchecked, the consequences for the planet are far-reaching and serious: the changes to our climate are taking place rapidly and, unless we act now, our planet will be unrecognisable within a generation.

  • As the planet warms, glaciers melt and sea level rises:
    • The IPCC assume a rise of just 18cm – 59cm by 2100 (versus 1980–1900 average) will displace billions of people
      • Greenland ice shelf: 23 feet
      • West Antarctic ice shelf: 19 feet
      • East Antarctic ice shelf: 170 feet
      • Arctic: zero – it floats!
    • In Svalbaad in Norway the ice sheet is melting 3 times quicker than the models predict.
    • Early models predicted the arctic would be free of summer ice by 2100: the latest models say this will happen by 2015.
  • Positive feedback: as global warming progresses, the changing climate creates natural changes that further accelerate global warming.
    • Clathrates (ice-methane compounds) trapped in deep see sediments are released as the water rises (methane is a greenhouse gas 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide).
    • Ice at the poles reflects solar energy preventing it warming the planet in a process known as the Albedo effect. As temperatures rise and the ice caps melt, the water left behind absorbs solar energy.
    • As Siberian permafrost melts, it releases methane.
    • As the planet warms, the Amazon rainforest is expected to die back releasing massive amounts of CO2.
  • Tropical storms will increase in frequency and intensity.
    • In the 40 years to 2001 an average of 5 major hurricanes hit US mainland per decade.
    • Between 2001 and 2006, 7 hit.
  • As ocean temperature increases, they dissolve less O2 and more CO2 (perhaps limiting the warming), but also acidifying the ocean and dissolving coral and killing fish.
  • If current trends continue, 2000 of Indonesia's 17,500 islands will disappear by 2050.
    The Indonesia government are so convinced that climate change is real that they published plan in November 2007 detailing how they will adapt to a world changed by global warming.
  • North Atlantic circulation system slowing (it may shut down) due to warming & desalination (resulting from melting ice sheets) will lead to a colder Europe.
  • Diseases are spreading and the malaria belt is widening.
    The incidence of dengue fever has doubled over the last four years in Papua New Guinea – a change widely attributed to global warming.

Whilst some believe that climate change is too far advanced to be avoidable and are looking for ways to adapt to a world changed by global warming, at Endeka Ceramics, we believe there is still time to act, and that it is the moral duty of every person on the planet to work to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. This belief has motivated us to develop our ThermECO range of products: a range that is continually growing as we push to reduce firing temperature further with year-on-year temperature reductions across all our products.

By using ThermECO products in your manufacturing process, you too are showing a commitment to future generations. Working together with our customers, Endeka Ceramics aim to make the manufacture of ceramic products, such as tableware & sanitaryware, as environmentally-responsible as possible.


Scientific Evidence

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels The science of climate change is beyond the scope of this web site, and there are many excellent resources on the web which explain climate change & global warming in detail. However, a brief review of the history and predicted impacts of climate change is useful.

  • Ice core data shows recent massive increases in CO2 levels: CO2 levels are now nearing twice what they have been at any time over the last 400,000 years.
  • There are clear trends in global temperatures that can be linked to increases in CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
  • The latest models clearly demonstrate a link between global warming and human activity.
  • The models predict temperature increase of between 3°C and 7°C within a generation.

For further information on the science of climate change, the following links can be recommended:


The Political Landscape

Governments around the world are beginning to act to limit emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2.

The United Kingdom & Europe
Many believe that Europe leads the world in its response to climate change with schemes such as:
  • Climate Change Levy from April 2001
  • Climate Change Agreements
  • European Union Emission Trading Scheme from 2008
  • Carbon Reduction Commitments
In the UK, 80% reductions in CO2 emissions by 2050 are a statutory duty

USA


Economics

The Stern report estimated the cost of saving the world from the worst effects of climate change as 1% of Global economic output by 2050: €492 billion.

Opportunities for low carbon technologies by 2050 are estimated at: €378 billion.

As the world begins to attach the true cost of carbon to the products it consumes, we will be likely to see an increase in local manufacture using high-quality products.

  • 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 from shipping: more than twice the emissions of all air travel.
  • A quarter of China’s CO2 emissions result from the production of goods for export.

The need to address climate change, coupled with the current, global economic downturn, has led many to believe that only a green revolution can revitalise the global economy.


The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)

  • 1988: IPCC established
  • 1990: First IPCC report published
  • 1992: The Earth Summit (Rio de Janeiro) established the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
  • 1997: Kyoto conference (runs until 2012)
  • 2001: 3rd IPCC report published
  • 2007: 7th IPCC report published
  • 2009: Copenhagen – to establish successor to Kyoto
  • Web Site

Business

There is a growing realisation among businesses that they must act to help reduce climate change. Furthermore, there are substantial benefits to be gained from marketing their businesses as environmentally-friendly.


ThermECO Energy Savings Calculator

To see how Endeka Ceramics' ThermECO products could help you meet your environmental objectives, please use our Energy Savings Calculator.


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