6. Climate Change

Question 1

What is the greenhouse effect? Explain the process and name the Greenhouse Gases.

Answer 1

The greenhouse effect is a natural effect that occurs in the Earth’s atmosphere. Life on earth would not be possible without any greenhouse effect. by the presence of GHG:
water vapor, carbon dioxide Co2, methane CH4, Nitrous oxide (N2O), Ozone (O3), Aerosols and Halocarbons (a group of gases containing fluorine, chlorine and bromine).
The Process:
1- The earth receives radiant energy from the sun
2- Some is reflected back into space and Some is absorbed by the atmosphere and the surface of
the planet
3- At night the surface radiates energy back into space
4- Certain gases and aerosols in the atmosphere absorb part of this energy that increases
atmospheric temperatures
5- The difference between absorbed energy to re-radiated energy is called “radiative forcing”

Question 2

What are the Impacts of the greenhouse effect?

Answer 2

Change in:
1- surface temperature Over land masses and Over the oceans 2- tropospheric temperature
3- ocean water temperature
4- air humidity
5- sea levels/ sea currents
6- Arctic sea ice coverage
7- Northern Hemisphere snow coverage
8- glacier mass balance 9) ocean chemistry

Question 3

What does (Burden Sharing) mean?

Answer 3

Burden sharing means that industrialized countries reduce their GHG emissions to an extent that allows developing countries to slow down their emissions but still grow.

Question 4

Explain Kyoto Protocol, Implementation Mechanisms and The criticism of the Kyoto Protocol

Answer 4

1- Industrialized countries should decrease GHG emissions between 2008 – 2012 by 5% below the level of 1990
2- There are no restrictions for China, India and for developing countries
3- Installed three implementation mechanisms
4- Installed implementation monitoring
• Three implementation mechanisms
1- Joint implementation (JI)
Common investment of two or more developed countries can give emission reduction units to
both the investing country and the implementing country
2- Clean development mechanism (CDM)
A developed country can implement CO2 reduction activities in a developing country.
3- Emissions trading

Countries that over-fulfil their emission targets can “sell” negative emissions to countries that
are not fast enough in their implementation
• The criticism of the Kyoto Protocol
1- Reduction targets are not sufficient to mitigate climate change effects
2- No binding implementation strategy
3- There are no sanctions for violations of reduction targets
4- Nine countries fulfilled their goals only by the means of emission trading
5- Without the world economic crisis, few countries would have fulfilled their goals 6- “Carbon leakage” was not quantified

Question 5

Ways to decrease GHG emissions from transportation sector

Answer 5

By 3 Elements: 1- Carbon pricing 2- Technology policies 3- Behavioral changes For Transportation:
1- Reducing the amount of greenhouse-gas emissions per unit of transport activity
a) De-carbonization of vehicles, fuel economy regulations b) Smoother traffic flow
2- Reduce the vehicle kilometers travelled
a) Land use planning b) Modal shift towards sustainable modes