3.a

Question 1

history background of debate of climate change

Answer 1

key dates -
1824 - GHG effect was discovered as early as this by a French physicist Joseph Fourier
1862 - John Tyndall first suggested that certain gases (wv and C02) - Trapped heat escaping fro earths atmosphere and glacials were assai with periods of low atmosphere c02
1896 - Swedish Scientist - swedish scientist Svente Arrhenius observed that CO2 is an absorber of long wave radiation emitted by earth
1938 - until Guy Callender linked global warming to emissions of CO2 from burning fossil fuels
at time there was little interest in his assertion
as people believed excess CO2 would be absorbed by oceans
1957 -
this view changed dramatically = Hans Suess and Roger Revelle
discovered a complex chemical process which limited the capacity of oceans to absorb CO2
this mean that the residence time of CO2 in the atmosphere was much longer than previously thought
1958 - accurate measurements of global atmospheric CO2
database provided incontrivertible proof that CO2 conc in atmosphere is increasing
1970 - satellite imagery and computer modelling advanced, revealing that human activites were main cause

Question 2

role of supranational institution - UN

Answer 2

the UN is an international organisation set up in 1945 and made up of 193 member states with the key aim of promoting international cooperation
the UN has created a Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
initially this met in RIo de Janeiro in 1992 then Kyoto in 1997

Question 3

how is the kyoto protocol important?

Answer 3

the kyoto protocol is especially important as it set legally binding targets for countries to reduce their emissions
there were 92 initially party to the Kyoto protocol
although Australia and the USA didn’t ratify the treaty

Question 4

how is the EU a part of the climate change debate?

Answer 4

the EU is leading the way in tackling climate change and has put together a comprehensive package of measures to reduce GHG emissions
the most well known/successful is the Emissions Trading System (ETS)

Question 5

what is the ETS?

Answer 5

the Emissions Trading System (ETS) is a cap and trade scheme limiting emissions from 11,000 high polluting industries across 27 EU countries
which works by giving incentives for a reduction in carbon emissions and penalising heavy polluting industries and sectors
it covers 45% of total EU emissions including power stations and industries such as steel works
it is targeting a 21% reduction in emissions
member states also have targets for expanding the contribution of reneweables to national energy production and for improvements in energy efficiency

Question 6

what do National Emissions Reduction targets cover?

Answer 6

National Emissions Reduction targets cover the remaining 55% of GHG emissions after the ETS, mainly from agriculture, housing, waste and transport

Question 7

what are the 4 aspects of the UK govt climate change strategy?

Answer 7

set carbon budgets
low carbon technologies
carbon taxes
reduced demand for energy

Question 8

how are SETTING CARBON BUDGETS a part of the UK climate change strategy?

Answer 8

five year periods
as stepping stones towards the 2050 target
for ex, the reduction targets for the period 2013-2017 and 2018-22 are 29% and 35% respectively

Question 9

how are LOW CARBON TECHNOLOGIES a part of the UK climate change strategy?

Answer 9

investing in LCT such as carbon capture and storage
and encouraging the growth of renewables (e.g. wind, solar, biomass) by offering subsidies and reducing GHG emissions from power stations

Question 10

how are CARBON TAXES a part of the UK climate change strategy?

Answer 10

to switch electricity generation from coal to greener fuels
in 2014, there were just 10 coal fired power stations in the UK but they were responsible for 1/5 of UK carbon emissions
introduced in 2013, taxed carbon emissions started at £16/tonne, with a planned rise to £70/t in 2030
in 2015 the tax was frozen at £18/t amind concers about electricity cost to consumers
3 of the UK’s remaining coal fired stations closed 2015/16 due in part to carbon tax and low global energy prices
carbon taxes have been levied on vehicle CO2 emissions since 2002

Question 11

how is REDUCING DEMAND FOR ENERGY a part of the UK climate change strategy?

Answer 11

using domestic smart meters
promoting energy efficiency (e.g. insulation in buildings) and decreasing GHG emissions from transport to agriculutre

Question 12

why didn’t india ratify the Kyoto protocol?

Answer 12

like other EDCs/LIDCs, the indian govt argued that rich countries should shoulder the costs of decreasing carbon emissions
they said its per capita energy consumption (1.7tonnes) was well below global avg of 5 tonnes
prioritising alleviating poverty and expanding electricity access
current high concs. of CO2 in atmosphere were largely the result of economic growth and industrialisation in ACs over last 150yrs

Question 13

pressure groups agenda

Question 14

how did India not ratifying the Kyoto protocol impact on the success of it?

Answer 14

this view prevented the USA ( the world’s biggest emitter at the time) from supporting Kyoto
the US govt believed that w/o the participation of India and China the Kyoto protocol would be meaningless

Question 15

by how much are India’s GHG emissions predicted to rise from 2010-2030

Answer 15

given its current policies GHG emissions are expected to be in the range 4.0-7.3 bill tonnes by 2030
this compares w/ 2.43bill tonnes in 2010

Question 16

whilst india will not consider reducing its emissions for at least 30yrs, what are they doing to combat climate change?

Answer 16

has its own national action plan on climate change (NAPCC)
so far its only decided to decrease its GHG emissions as a ration of its GDP
using this measure it targets a 20-25% decrease in emissions (based on 2005 levels) by 2020
voluntary commitment. will do little to stem the country’s huge absolute rise in GHGs
aims to improve energy efficiency and develop renewables, esp solar.

Question 17

how would left leaning newspapers report on climate change?

Answer 17

e.g. the guardian. political parties Labour/Green Party
usually more progressive in nature - look to the future and aim to support those who can’t support themselves
agenda to inform public of danger of human activity in regards to climate change
cares about society

Question 18

how would right leaning newspapers report on climate change?

Answer 18

e.g. the Times/Sunday Telegraph. Political parties Conservative/UKIP
value tradition and believe in economic freedom
right leaning newspapers are more likely to report sceptical opinions of climate change
this makes the climate change issue appear more open to question than it really is

Question 19

what is false balance?

Answer 19

by giving disproportionate coverage to contrarians and sceptics, they suggest that climate change is far more controversial than experts believe
instead of balance, climate experts argue that reporting should reflect the huge weight of scientific research in favour of climate change.
all of this has tended to confuse the public and add doubt to the credibility of climate change and its causes.

Question 20

who are pressure groups and what do they do?

Answer 20

groups that seek to influence govt. legislation and policies.
they don’t have candidates for elections, nor are they seeking to gain power for themselves; they merely seek to influence those in power
they challenge leaders and people to consider the problems they are addressing through protests, interviews, social media etc.
often emotive in language, as they are urging people to join
they are mainly run off donations, which limits them
they can be local, national, international and permanent/temporary

Question 21

what are the agenda’s of pressure groups?

Answer 21

seek to influence or change government legislation and policies
practical achievability, resources, relation to govt and public receptivity are factors in the success of a pressure group
utilise lobbying, influencing political parties, endorsement, electioneering to achieve their aims

Question 22

what is an example of a pressure group?

Answer 22

GREENPEACE
- one of the more successful pressure groups, they are more peaceful with their demonstrations and challenge perspectives, they are able to gather followers to further aid their cause
JUST STOP OIL
- more extremist, often using irritation techniques to become noticed by media and public figures, they have been ineffective and people are unwilling to back them due to their often illegal but also invasive style of pressure. it seems more about attention
- incredibly vague, scare tactics.

Question 23

what are some examples of Greenpeace’s agendas?

Answer 23

spearheading a global campaign to make polluting fossil fuel companies pay for the damage they cause
championing big climate solutions from home insulation to offshore wind, so the UK becomes a model for climate action globally

Question 24

how are pressure groups usually recieved?

Answer 24

pressure groups are often not recieved well because of their techniques, grassroots activies causing annoyances in order to get attention for their cause - probably hurts their effectiveness.

Question 25

what is the significance of pressure groups?

Answer 25

they have the potential to spark change at every level of the debate
however, they are reliant on donations, followers and being listened to in the first place
their demands often cause issues for TNCs and govt
they often provide demands but not solutions and so its more difficult for change to happen, esp since TNCs and govts are mainly focused on economic health

Question 26

who are governments?

Answer 26

a government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
governments usually consist of legislature, executive and judiciary

Question 27

what is the agenda of governments?

Answer 27

the stance of global climate change will differ between governments/countires
for example, the UK stance on reducing global climate change emissions will differ to that of CHina.
emergence of the secondary industry in China = driving the economy. China has pulled out of certain climate agreements e.g. Kyoto so they can maximise their industry w/o the need to keep under emission caps

Question 28

what is the climate change act?

Answer 28

the climate change act of 2008 commits the UK govt BY LAW to reducing GHG emissions by at least 100% of 1990 levels by 2050
the UK was the first country in the world to create a legally binding national commitment to cut GHG emissions
the act created a climate change committee which is responsible for putting forward carbon emissions budgets to the government

Question 29

how does the UK government shape the debate?

Answer 29

funding, regulating and directly providing public services
committed to reaching net zero by 2050.
this means that the total GHG emissions would be equal to the emissions removed from the atmosphere, with the aim of limiting global warming and resultant climate change

Question 30

how does the US government shape the debate?

Answer 30

after rejoining the Paris agreement, president biden created the national climate task force working on
reducing US GHG emissions by 50% below 2005 levels in 2030
reaching 100% carbon pollution free electricity by 2035
achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050
delivering 40% of the benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities

Question 31

evaluation of governments in shaping the climate change debate

Answer 31

the UK’s climate change act 2008 is legally binding, so its a good example of a country actually doing something
trump, OTOH, didnt sign the Paris agreement because he wanted to prioritise america’s economy.
SHORT TERMIST
goal of re-election. can divide the country based on their political opinions.

Question 32

what are supranational institutions?

Answer 32

multinational unions
where member states share in decision making on matters that will affect each country’s citizens

Question 33

what is the media’s agenda?

Answer 33

to get people to buy their newspapers
different news platforms have different agendas
the guardian = left wing, so cares about society and aims to inform public of danger of human activity
GB News = right wing - might prioritise economic factors.

Question 34

what is media?

Answer 34

social media
newspapers - the guardian, sun, BBC
TV news

Question 35

how significant is media in shaping the debate?

Answer 35

prime source of info for general public
public more inclined to listen to media rather than politicians (esp young gen)
influence public opinions, highlights diff perspectives
choice of language uses, and emphasis of certain aspects can impact how people percieve and understand climate change issues.
social media/short form content oversimplifies the sheer scale of it