2. The Grand Experiment Flashcards
What are erractics?
Marks left in the ground by boulders carried by slow moving glaciers
Shows that past climate determines the planet we see today
Therefore, our climate will define our future
Describe ice age cycles
Earth’s climate runs in cycles
Multiple ice ages and warming periods
Causes of ice ags not known
Describe the work of William Stanley Jevon
In the 19thC, stated increased populations would increase coal consumption, as it necessary for civillisation
Concern that coal would run out
Belief a lack of coal would stop development of society
What are the origins of climate change theory?
1824, Fourier - atmoshpere keeps Earth warm
1861, Tyndall - invisible gases absorb and emit heat, which controls the climate
1894, Hogbom - humans are adding CO2 to the atmoshphere as quick as it can be removed
1896, Arrhenius - CO2 release will prevent another ice age
1901, Ekholm - CO2 could allow climate regulation, and coal burning should not be stopped
1905, Arrenhius - % of CO2 could increase due to human activties
Early 1900 - growing idea that this could be harmful
What did Callender believe about CO2 release?
Guy Stewart Callender, and engineer, believed burning carbon was beneficial (1938)
What is ‘The Grand Experiement’?
1950s, intl monitoring of CO2 levels began, influenced by cold war
ATST, in the USA driving became more common and people moved away from cities, which sustainted the oil indutry
This made CO2 release a political problem
Capitalism is the problem!!!!!!
1956, Plass - idea that CO2 and temp. connected
1957, Revelle and Suess - humans are experimenting on Earth, outcome unknown, showing neutrality
Descrive the International Geophysical Year (IGY)
End of lack of communication between East and West on science
66 countries
Big science needs the kind of the money, personnel etc this event allowed
Climate modelling research eventually led to idea climate may be controlled (Cold War context) and understanding of climate change….war spurs science!
What is Mauna Loa?
Observatory est. in Hawaii to monitor CO2 trends
Keeling, gradstudent, used an instrument to measure and found CO2 inceased, and more than predicted
Why did climate policy stagnate for a long time?
No clear temp increase so uncertainty
Most research based on practical short term forecasts for eg. agriculture
Climatology largley based on natural changes in climate
Lack of funding
Optimism about geoengineering
Energy policy
Describe how the environmentalism of the 1960s that encouraged climate change action
Similar to conservation movement
Concerns over many issues incl nuclear fallout, pesticides and pollution grew, rather than purely economic concerns
Concern of cost of non-recyclable materials - is it all about money?
Development of left-wing identity
Began in upstate NY - dislike of industrialisation
Many people also conerned about more immediate issues eg, famine, overpopulation
How did climate become a security issue?
1974 - CIA released report detailing the security threats climate change brings
Important for intelligence
Changes to be made in future to prevent food shortages
Describe different 20th/c attitudes to cimate change
Attitues should be reconsidered
Climate change worse than present problems
Will affect everyone
Climate events not unusual
Humans vulnerable despite technological advances
Noted by global actors eg. WMO and ISCU
No calls for policy change
What climate change developments were there in the 1980s?
Climate change meetings, ‘Villach Meetings’, held in Villach, Austria, up until 1985
At last meetings, first recommendation of policy changes
Industrial lobbyists in USA fought against emission
Other agencies had diverse views on climate change
How did the AGGG become the IPCC?
Advisory Group on Greenhouse Gases initiated a global convention (1986-1990)
Made temp and sea level recommendations
Some have sugested these were arbitrary…but aren’t all targets?
Recommended intergovernmental mechanism to address disagreements
EPA willing to be regulated
AGGG recommendations were practically impossible as not able to control national policy
IG mechanism would be slow to set up due to lack of concern and uncertainty
IPCC set up with mandate on science, impacts and response in 1988
What is the IPCC?
Its formation was a political process
Compromise between earlier groups and interests
Relies on scientific expertise - all members volunteer scientists
Strengthens credibility
Reviews existing work
Provides reports for governments
