1.12. Carbon Budget And Mitigation Flashcards
Climate change
When the average weather changes in a place over time
Mitigation
Manages the cause of climate change by reducing or preventing greenhouse gases that cause climate change
COP
For nearly 3 decades, the UN has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits
Carbon capture
Capturing co2 particles, turning them into a liquid and injecting underground
Carbon sink
Something that absorbs more carbon than it releases
Offset
To counteract or cancel out
Alternative energy
A resource that won’t run out
Afforestation
The planting of trees
The carbon budget
A budget that takes into account what goes into a system and what goes out.
In terms of a carbon budget, this would include how much carbon is emitted by various processes compared to what can be absorbed by nature or captured by people
Carbon capture and sequestration description
A technology that can capture up to 90% of Co2 emissions produced from use of fossil fuels in electricity generation and industrial processes
How does carbon capture and sequestration mitigate climate change?
- Captured Co2 could be stored in oceans
- This causes ocean acidification leading to further problems
- Co2 can be injected under pressure to underground reservoirs to extract buried oil and gas reserves- produce more fossil fuels
Evidence of carbon capture and sequestration
The Boundary Dam Power Station in Canada burns enough coal to produce enough power for 100,000 homes and uses carbon capture to remove 90% of carbon emissions
Modifying deforestation description/ how it mitigates climate change
- Consumers encouraged to buy wood certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council- sustainably grown timber products
- Countries and organisations make carbon to offset their carbon emissions
- e.g. paying for existing forests to be protected, developing renewable energy or afforestation
- Selective management system- only selected trees are felled and replacements are planted soon after
- As people become more educated they choose what to buy- forces other companies to be sustainable
- Companies don’t buy what people don’t want
Evidence of modifying deforestation
By 2030, the Great Green Wall aims to restore 100 million hectares of land and sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon
The Paris Agreement/ Cop description
The global climate deal signed by 195 countries in Paris in December 2015
How does the Paris Agreement mitigate climate change?
- Proposes to limit global temp increase to 1.5 degrees celcius above pre 1750 levels
- To meet every 5 yrs to set more ambitious targets
- To publicly report methods countries use to reduce emissions
- Developed countries actively support developing nations in reducing emissions
Evidence for COP
COP26 stressed the urgent need for urgent action with countries agreeing to try and limit the warning to 1.5 degrees celcius
Brazil government policy description
Land owners are punished by large fines or imprisonment if they don’t preserve 80% of remaining virgin forests on land
How does the Brazil government policy mitigate climate change?
- Grants for business development are refused if deforestation is taking place and government have set up protection in the Amazon
- Rates are down 70% and Brazil has reduced its carbon emissions more than any other country
Evidence for Brazil government policy
Policy to cut deforestation rates by 80%
Protecting mangroves description
- Mangroves absorb more Co2 than any other forest
- Then they fix it into the soil where it’s stored for 100s of yrs
How does protecting mangroves mitigate climate change?
-Costing £2.2 million over 5 yrs, it will protect 21,000 acres of mangrove forest and see a further of 9600 acres replanted.
Evidence for mangrove protection
- Sri Lanka’s decision to protect all its mangrove forests in 2015
- Having lost 76% during the 20th century, the government decided to take action
Changing rural land use description
- Grasslands offer a global greenhouse gas mitigation potential of 810 million tonnes of Co2
- Croplands
- Forested land and tree crops
