4c-mitigation and adaptation Flashcards
what is mitigation
taking action to reduce how much climate change occurs- reducing output of GHG
name 5 mitigation strategies
energy efficiency and conservation in homes
fuel shifts
geoengineering
CCS
reforestation
how does energy efficiency work
use less energy to do the same thing, energy efficient homes use less energy to heat, cool and run appliances- a very cost-effective way to mitigate against climate change. E.G energy efficient light bulbs
Traditional energy sources using fossil fuels release GHG which causes the greenhouse effect, energy efficient homes are more equipped to switch to renewable energy
evaluation of energy efficiency
inexpensive and low-impact way to reduce pollution. Widespread use of efficient appliances and better insulation could cut 550million tons of C pollution by 2050
most developments are small scale, hard to implement in pre-existing houses
Mexico City has achieved significant electricity reductions - shows it can work in developing countries as there is lots of construction happening on a large scale
how do fuel shifts work
moving from non-sustainable energy to more sustainable ones like from coal to solar- in 2014 coal consumption fell to levels not seen since 19th century- less CO2 emissions so less anthropogenic greenhouse effect
UK target of 15% of electricity from renewables by 2020. In Drax, they have closed coal-powered stations and by 2018 3 of its units will burn biomass like wood pellets
evaluation of fuel shifts
not economically accessible for all countries. Countries like Iceland have access to geothermal energy, from which it gets 99% of its energy. In France nuclear power, which has a really low carbon footprint, provides energy for 75% of the country
The UK still relies on fossil fuels for 86% of its energy supply so long way from being decarbonised
EDC are more focused on economic development than climate change and coal is the effective fuel source
what is geoengineering
deliberate large scale intervention in the earth’s natural systems to counteract climate change.
Two types of strategies- Solar radiation management and greenhouse gas removal. SRM involves reflecting a portion of the suns radiation back into space e.g stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI). GGR involves removing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it either underground or deep in the ocean e.g ocean fertilisation, CCS
SAI is a theoretical technique which involves injecting lots of reflective particles into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight
Ocean fertilisation is trying to stimulate the growth of phytoplankton so there is more PS.
evaluation of geoengineering
lots of it is hypothetical with unknown impacts on the climate
tend to be very expensive so not seen as a viable option like the space mirrors
large scale
what is carbon capture and storage
trapping CO2 in a way that its unable to affect the atmosphere.
Shute creek gas processing plant captures 365mill cubic feet of CO2 a day which is like taking 1.5 mil cars off the road- was expanded in 2010 by ExxonMobil to equip the facility with the Controlled Freeze Zone which freezes out and then melts the CO2 whilst removing other components found in the gas
evaluation of carbon capture and storage
typically 90% efficient so 90% of co2 not making it to the atmosphere from a power plant
if invested into by governments and companies on a large scale could be really effective at mitigating climate change
CO2 could leak out from underground reservoirs and go into the atmosphere or get into water supplies
what is reforestation and forest conservation
reforesting is planting trees in areas that had been deforested and aiming to restore the ecosystem and take more CO2 out of the atmosphere by PS. e.g the Green Belt movement in Kenya which has planted over 50million trees
Forest conservation is protecting and managing forests to prevent their degradation or destruction - keeps PS occurring so carbon is still sequestered. E.G The Amazon Region Protected Areas Program (ARPA) is the largest tropical forest conservation program in the world has established over 100mil Ha of protected areas
evaluation of reforestation and forest conservation
reforestation can lead to loss of biodiversity and displacement of indigenous communities. Doesnt solve causes of deforestation like land use change. Takes a long time for trees to grown and impact the CO2 levels- primary forests can’t be fully regrown so can never sequester as much carbon as it used to be able to
forest conservation doesnt increase carbon sequestration and people may rely on the forest for their livelihoods. ARPA will limit economic growth in Brazil as areas of forest can’t be used.
Countries like Brazil want to develop but need to protect their rainforest so need to be supported by AC
Needs to be done on a large scale
what are the three ways in which adaptation can be done
retreat
accommodation
protection
examples of retreat adaptation strategies
managed realignment at the coastline in Porlock Bay where farmland was allowed to flood in order to create a salt marsh, grazing land was moved inland by about 500m
land use zoning in areas which are vulnerable to river flooding is used to put more important buildings further away from the coastline, the River Exe has a park and football pitches along its banks which are low risk but it reduces the availability of land for new housing
examples of accommodation adaptation strategies
in Bangladesh as the soil becomes more saline its harder to cultivate rice so halophytic rice crops are being developed and farming practices are changing- shrimp farming becoming more popular
because of drought in SE England there was a proposal to construct a new reservoir in Oxfordshire and are spending money to repair broken pipes throughout the region
