This paper investigates the number of Formula One races it would take to raise the Earth’s global temperature by one degree Celsius. This was done by calculating the carbon dioxide emissions of a Formula One Grand Prix and then comparing it to carbon dioxide ppm levels and corresponding global temperatures. It was calculated that 6.54x10¹⁰ races would need to take place to raise the temperature of the Earth by 1°C, which is the equivalent of 3,100,000,000 years

DAVIES, Eleanor

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University of Leicester Open Journals

Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Topics  How many Formula One races would it take to raise the temperature of the Earth by 1°C?  Eleanor Davies The Centre for Interdisciplinary Science, University of Leicester  26/03/2018  Abstract This paper investigates the number of Formula One races it would take to raise the Earth’s global temperature by one degree Celsius. This was done by calculating the carbon dioxide emissions of a Formula One Grand Prix and then comparing it to carbon dioxide ppm levels and corresponding global temperatures. It was calculated that 6.54×10¹⁰ races would need to take place to raise the temperature of the Earth by 1°C, which is the equivalent of 3,100,000,000 years.    Introduction  Formula One (F1) is the highest standard of motor racing, in which its seasons consist of grand prix. Each grand prix is set in a different location world-wide and spans an entire weekend, with the main event happening on the Sunday. The race weekend also involves free practice sessions and qualifying laps which determine the starting place of each driver in the final race [1].  F1 cars run on petrol [1] which consists of a mixture of hydrocarbons. Most cars, including F1 cars, have an internal combustion engine where the petrol is ignited and combusted, to ultimately power the vehicle [2]. The equation for the combustion of octane, a component in petrol, is:  2𝐶𝐶8𝐻𝐻18 + 25𝑂𝑂2 → 18𝐻𝐻2𝑂𝑂 + 16𝐶𝐶𝑂𝑂2 (1)  The carbon dioxide (CO₂) released in this combustion adds to the CO₂ in the atmosphere which in turns enhances the greenhouse effect [3]. The greenhouse effect is the process of keeping the earth warm due to greenhouse gases trapping UV radiation. This mechanism occurs because the Earth radiates wavelengths longer than those absorbed, causing the atmosphere to radiate some of the heat back to Earth [3].  Theory Water vapour and clouds account for 75% of the greenhouse effect, however it is the 25%, primarily made up of CO₂ that sustains this effect [4]. From 1960 to 2010, the Earth’s temperature has risen by 0.5 °C and CO₂ levels have risen by 75 parts per million (ppm), (using figure 1) [5]. Therefore, an increase of 1 °C is caused by 2 × 75 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 =150 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝.   Figure 1 – Graphs showing the increase in carbon dioxide concentration and increase in temperature since 1960 [5]. The increase of other greenhouse gases contribute to global warming, however for the purpose of this How many Formula One races to raise the temperature of the Earth by 1°C? March 26th 2018  paper, carbon dioxide is assumed to be the sole factor.   For the 2018 season, there are 21 Grand Prix [6] with 10 teams competing in every race [1]. Each team enters two drivers and so two cars, totalling 20 cars. The most recent data available is for a 2007 naturally aspirated 2.4 litre V8 spec F1 car which emits 1.5 kg of CO₂ per 1 km [7]. Each race is a minimum of 305 km long, therefore this value will be used for this paper [8]. For the race weekend, each car will take part in qualifying and practice sessions as well as the grand prix itself. This distance covered over the weekend is likely to amount to a minimum of two race distances (305 km), therefore the total distance for each car per grand prix weekend will be approximately 610 km.   The total CO₂ emissions for a grand prix will be equal to the CO₂ emitted per kilometre multiplied by the distance travelled, multiplied by the number of cars. This equals 1.5 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 𝑘𝑘𝑝𝑝¯1 × 610 𝑘𝑘𝑝𝑝 × 20 =18300 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 . To convert 18300kg of CO₂ into number of moles, equation 2 is used:  𝑝𝑝𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 (𝑝𝑝𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚) = 𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀(𝑔𝑔)𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀 𝑚𝑚𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀 (𝑔𝑔𝑚𝑚𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀−1)  (2)  Taking the molecular mass as 44.01 g mol¯¹ for CO₂, the number of moles is 18300 44.01⁄ =415814.6 𝑝𝑝𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚. Then to convert this number to molecules, it is multiplied by Avogadro’s number which gives 2.5×10²⁹ molecules.   There are approximately 1.09×10⁴⁴ molecules of gas in the atmosphere [9], so to convert 150 ppm of CO₂ to number of molecules, the following equation is used:  𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀 𝑀𝑀𝑜𝑜 𝑔𝑔𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑀𝑀𝑎𝑎𝑚𝑚1 𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑖𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑖𝑖𝑀𝑀𝑖𝑖 × 𝐶𝐶𝑂𝑂2 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 (3)  This is equivalent to 1.635×10⁴⁰ molecules of CO₂. In order to raise the Earth’s temperature by 1 °C, 1.635 × 1040 2.5 × 1029⁄ = 6.54 × 1010 F1 races must take place. If there are 21 races a year, then it would take 3.1×10⁹ years. However, there are other factors that contribute to the overall emissions, such as:   • Manufacture of the car and spare parts- teams will bring enough parts to replace any that are heavily worn.    • Manufacture of the tyres – rules allow 12 sets of tyres per weekend. These will almost certainly all be used as fresh tyres result in faster lap times.   • Transportation of the cars, team members and spectators – the different location of each grand prix means that teams of around 30 people travel around the globe. The popular sport attracts people from various countries which also contributes to travel emissions.   Conclusion Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is emitted by car engines. The 2007 specification F1 cars release 1.5 kg of CO₂ per km which totals 18300 kg of CO₂ for all cars in a grand prix. 1.635×10⁴⁰ molecules of CO₂ are needed to be released in order to raise the temperature of the Earth by 1 °C. This is equal to 6.54×10¹⁰ F1 grand prix. If the emissions from the manufacture and transportation of race equipment as well as the travel of people were accounted for, then the number of races is likely to be significantly less. References [1]  Formula One World Championship Limited (2018a) Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. Available at: https://www.formula1.com/ [Accessed 21 February 2018].  [2]  Energy.gov (2013). Internal Combustion Engine Basics. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Available at: https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/internal-combustion-engine-basics  [Accessed 5 March 2018].  [3]  US EPA (2017). Overview of Greenhouse Gases | US EPA. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases  [Accessed 5 March 2018].  How many Formula One races to raise the temperature of the Earth by 1°C? March 26th 2018  [4]  Hansen, K. (2010). NASA - Carbon Dioxide Controls Earth's Temperature. Nasa.gov. Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/co2-temperature.html [Accessed 21 February 2018].  [5]  Earthobservatory.nasa.gov. (2018). The Carbon Cycle: Feature Articles | Effects of Changing the Carbon Cycle. Available at: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/CarbonCycle/page5.php [Accessed 21 February 2018].  [6]  BBC Sport (2018). 2018 Formula 1 calendar. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/race-calendar [Accessed 21 February 2018].  [7]  Ornstein, D. (2007). Formula One: Earth car will emit over 50 tonnes of CO2. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/mar/02/formulaone.sport [Accessed 21 February 2018].   [8]  Formula One World Championship Limited (2018b) Points, classification and race distance. Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. Available at: https://www.formula1.com/en/championship/inside-f1/rules-regs/Classification_Race_distance_and_Points.html [Accessed 21 February 2018].  [9]  Haby, J. (n.d.). How many molecules of air are in the atmosphere? Theweatherprediction.com. Available at: http://www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints3/976/ [Accessed 21 February 2018]. 

How many Formula One races would it take to raise the temperature of the Earth by 1°C?

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How many Formula One races would it take to raise the temperature of the Earth by 1°C?

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