11 - Climate change (part 2) Flashcards
Slides 4-13
Figures and such
Predicted changes to ecosystems
- increased pests and fires in boreal forests
- thawing of permafrost
- species extinctions, both in the prairies and boreal forests
- increased drought (water scarcity)
Predicted changes in humans bc of climate change
- inability for energy production to keep up with demand
- heat-related health problems
- decreased work productivity due to heat
- displacement and destructions due to extreme weather events
- violence over deterioration of resource-based livelihoods
Evidence of climate action by countries
- some countries have achieved a steady decrease in emissions consistent with limiting warming to 2C
- zero emissions targets have been adopted by at least 826 cities and 103 regions
Why is dealing with climate so difficult?
- global problem (international cooperation)
- long-term political issue (most ppl who will suffer serious harm have not been born yet)
- harmful and beneficial impacts of climate change not spread evenly worldwide
- proposed solutions can be controversial
- projected effects are uncertain
What is the IPCC? When was it created?
World’s top authority on climate science
Scientists lay out the “state of knowledge” on climate change by summarizing current and relevant findings in the field to help policymaking decisions
Created by the United Nations Environment Programme in 1988
What is the Paris Agreement? How many countries?
Legally binding international treaty that entered into force in 2016 (from the UN Climate Change in Paris)
192 countries plus the EU have joined
Goals to guide nations in Paris Agreement?
- reduce global GHG emissions to limit the global temp increase in this century to 2C
- additional efforts to limit increase even further to 1.5C
- review countries commitments every five years
- provide financing to developing countries to mitigate climate change
What should we target to make big changes to GHG emissions?
- industry
- electricity and heat production
- agriculture, forestry and other land uses
Solutions to prevent climate change? Clean up impacts?
Prevent:
- cut fossil fuel use (esp coal)
- coal -> natural gas
- improve E efficiency
- reduce deforestation
- shift to renewables
- sustainable agriculture and forestry
- price on GHG emissions
Clean up:
- sequester CO2 by planting trees, preserving forests and wetlands
- sequester CO2 in the deep ocean
- sequester CO2 deep underground
Solution to deal with industry? Why does this work?
Tax it
Industry will always find a way to reduce costs; if Co2 production is expensive they will reduce emissions
Two forms of carbon pricing? explain
- Carbon or energy taxes (taxing system)
- tax pollution while lowering taxes on payrolls and profits - Cap on total human-generated CO2 and CH4 emissions by a country or region (cap system)
- cap-and-trade
- for businesses, companies, industries
How does a tax system work? Objectives?
- government establishes a tax rate per unit of emissions
- tax is applied to entities that emit carbon
- those entities pay a fee based on the amount of emissions they produce
- tax generates revenue that is managed by government
Objectives:
- reducing emissions
- promotes innovation and investment in clean and low-C technologies
Advantages and disadvantages of carbon and energy taxes
Adv:
- simple to administer
- clear price on carbon
- covers all emitters
Disadv:
- tax laws can get complex
- loopholes
- does not guarantee lower emissions
- politically unpopular
Two carbon pricing mechanisms in Canada
- federal fuel charge (‘carbon tax’): works by applying a tax on the sale of fossil fuels, based on their carbon content
- federal baseline and credit system for industrial facilities: release of baseline amounts of emissions per unit of product produced (cap and trade)
