5.A - Can an international response ever work? Flashcards
1
Q
what are the criticisms of COP meetings?
A
- greenwashing
- countries in the G20 account for 80% of emissions
- poorest 50% account for 1/10
- pledges don’t include aviation, import of goods etc. misleading.
- countries finding loopholes e.g. double counting reductions/moving emissions overseas.
- no sense of urgency from govts. decreasing emissions is not enough.
- govts and CEOs are ineffective and change should come from the people.
2
Q
what is the IPCC?
A
- the IPCC was created in 1988 by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
3
Q
what is the IPCC’s mission?
A
- objective, science based reports on climate change and its impacts
- understanding of possible risks associated w/ human-induced climate change.
- options for mitigation and adaptation
4
Q
what are the IPCC’s reports designed to do/what have they contributed to?
A
- the IPCC’s reports designed to inform policy makers are neutral with respect to policy
- since 1988 the IPCC has delivered 5 reports, the most recent in 2013
5
Q
what are the limitations to its success?
A
- china and India refused to limit their carbon emissions in Kyoto => no difference
- absence of any binding requirements for incorporating the full range of views
- complex and uncertain extreme changes and events more difficult to model
- haven’t actually done anything. can’t enforce anything, down to individual control. can advise but no sovereign decision making power
- 300-350 contributing to report, arrived by consensus = often watered down as all scientists have to agree = not as strong as it could be.
6
Q
what was the AR5?
A
- the fifth assessment report
- the most comprehensive synthesis to date; experts from more than 80 countries contributed
- serves as the basis to inform domestic and international climate policies
- led to the Paris Agreement = important. where they got the 2C limit from
- report found that human influence is extremely likely to have been the major cause of global increase in temps since mid-20th c
7
Q
how are the G20 greenwashing?
A
- the G20 account for 80% of emissions
- whereas the poorest 50% account for 1/10
- pledges don’t include aviation/import of goods etc. misleading
8
Q
what is carbon trading?
A
e.g. the EU’s Emissions Trading System
- Market based solution to climate change where polluters either cut emissions or incur extra costs
9
Q
what are carbon credits?
A
- participants are allocated a tradeable emissions allowance/credits.
- 1 credit = 1 tonne of CO2
- if emissions exceed yearly allowance then participants can purchase extra from those with unused credits
10
Q
do carbon credits/trading work?
A
- the number of credits issued decreases each year
- overall, has achieved real (though relatively small) decrease in carbon emissions.
- it has been criticised for issuing too many credits and in its early stages not imposing sanctions
- industries criticise the scheme because it imposes extra costs, giving non-EU competitors an unfair advantage
- also suggested that some energy-intensive industries might relocate overseas
- helped EU reach its Kyoto target
11
Q
what were the successes of Kyoto, 1997?
A
- first legally binding international agreement on limiting carbon emissions
- main drivers of Kyoto were EU
- set an avg target of 5% decrease in carbon emissions relative to 1990 levels by 2012
- many countries, particularly Europe, achieved their targets
12
Q
what were the successes of Copenhagen, 2009?
A
- 110 leaders present and a single issue on the agenda
- refined the debate between countries in terms of awareness of climate science
- green growth is now the prevailing economic model of our time
- countries from both developed and developing worlds have announced low carbon economic plans
13
Q
what were the successes of Paris, 2015?
A
- commits 195 countries to decreasing their emissions of GHGs so the future avg temp won’t exceed above 2C
- never have so many countries expressed a public commitment to act together to slow the rate of atmospheric warming.
- targets set and accurate records will be kept/made available
- wealthy countries will make affordable finance available and will share science/tech behind low GHG emissions routes
- April 2016 = legally binding
14
Q
what were the failures of Kyoto, 1997?
A
- although supported by many Acs, together they account for only 14% of CO2 emissions
- this is because the USA, Russia, Japan, Canada and developing countries are not part
- EDCs argued that Acs had a moral responsiblilyt to deal w/ a problem they caused
- China and India prioritised development
- many countries fell short and some even increased emissions substantially
15
Q
what were the failures of Copenhagen, 2009?
A
- not enough to overcome sovereignty concerns
- final decision reflects the fact that many countries only want to be answerable to themselves
- targets are yet to be announced and they may be at the low end of what was promised
- no verification of actions taken in the underdeveloped world unless they are paid for by developed.
- deal as it stands leaves world on a 3C increase path
