2.3 Flashcards
what is the max temp increase we can afford to have if we want to avoid highly damaging impacts
up to +1.5 degrees above preindustrial levels
why arent we doing more to stop climate change
disparity in vulnerability of people affects their perception of risk + many countries who have most to lose from climate change have the least resources to do smth about it
disparities (all related to vulnerability):
1) location
2) wealth, education (citizens of HICs are likely to be more informed, but may believe they can adapt)
3) age (younger people safeguard their future)
4) risk perception (what does the government say?)
resilience
capacity of individuals/societies to recover after a system shock
climate justice
concerned w setting fairness and framing climate change as an ethical and legal issue
adaptation limits
points beyond which a community cant be protected from risks by trying to adapt
3 government responses to climate change
1) nothing
2) mitigation – any action to reduce GHG emissions
3) adaptation – any action to protect people from negative impacts of climate change, but not actually tackling the underlying problem of increasing GHGs
mitigation
actions to reduce the intensity of climate change by reducing GHG emissions, which is aimed at ultimately stopping climate change
adaptation
adjusting to changes in the environment rather than trying to stop climate change
differences between adaptation and mitigation that affect decision making
mitigation – humans need to spend money now
adaptation – future economic costs on coping measures
net zero
balance between amount of GHGs produced and amount removed from the atmosphere
adaptation strategies
1) changing livestock to suit climatic conditions
2) more management of water supplies
3) drought resistant crops
4) increasing water supply through desalinisation
5) sea walls
6) restoring the forest
what does the choice between mitigation and adaptation depend on
the countrys economic and geographic position
mitigation strategies
1) carbon emissions trading schemes (ETS) – cap and trade
2) ending funding of all fossil fuel projects abroad (controversial)
3) carbon offsetting
4) geo engineering (CCS, SRM)
ETS
emissions trading system
what does the emissions trading system do
harness the market power of businesses/consumers to prevent direct government intervention.
they use a cap and trade system
cap and trade system
policy that calculates and allocates emission limits to companies. these co2 allowances can later be bought and sold by companies
disadvantage of cap and trade system
can lead to carbon leakage
carbon leakage
polluters moving to countries with less harsh environmental regulations
why is ending funding of all fossil fuel projects abroad controversial
bcs many of these countries are HICs (most of whom are still developing their own new gas projects/now have the money for renewable energy), and this way theyre limiting the development of LICs – environmental racism
environmental racism
policies that (sometimes unintentionally) put communities at a disadvantage based on race
carbon offsetting + example
an action that compensates for the emissions of ghgs into the atmosphere by funding an equivalent co2 saving elsewhere (eg buying smth and then investing money into forestry)
disadvantages of carbon offsetting
lacks regulation, not efficient enough on a global scale
geo engineering
large scale interventions w earths climate system to prevent climate change
examples of geo engineering strategies
1) ccs – carbon capture and storage
2) srm – sunlight reflection methods
ccs
carbon capture and storage –capturing co2 released from burning fossil fuels and storing them underground
srm
sunlight reflection methods – technologies readjust the global energy balance by reducing insolation (giant mirrors to send sunlight back into space, aerosols to increase cloud reflectivity)
disadvantages of geo engineering strategies
too expensive + can create the impression that no action needs to be taken
temperate region
not too hot, not too cold
anthropocene
our new current geological age, where human activity is the dominant force
how are we certain that some level of warming will continue beyond 2100
bcs even if we stopped all ghg emissions rn, up to 40% of anthropogenic carbon stock would still remain for 1000+ years
where is freshwater stored
majority of cryosphere (portions of earths surface where water is in solid form – land ice, glaciers, permafrost, sea ice, ice sheets) AND a relatively small amount in groundwater, lakes, soil, rivers, atmosphere
implications of loss of ice stores for us
1 sea level rise
2 loss of water supply in heavily populated regions
what are alpine glaciers
thick masses of ice found in deep valleys or upland hollows
ccs evaluation
will be expensive bcs the technology is complex and still being developed
uncertainty over how successful it will be bcs for it to work no co2 can leak from the ground
srm evaluation
costs and safety risks will likely be very high for the mirror stuff
geopolitical tensions if one country using this tech disrupts the weather of another country
