Class 2 - Climate change Flashcards
What is climate change?
A change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and is in addition to natural climate variability
What is UNFCCC
UN framework convention on climate change. Internatial treaty adopted in 1992. A forum, no binding obligations
What is the objective of the UNFCCC?
To stabalize greenshouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system
What is the IPCC?
The intergovernmental panel on climate change. An international body of climate cgange scientists. They release assesment reports. 195 member states
What does the AR6 from the IPCC highligt?
Humans have warmed the atmosphere, the sea and land. The surface temp was 1.09 degrees higher in 2011-2020 than in 1850-1900. Each of the last four decades have been warmer than any decade before 1850. The temp is rising faster since 1970 than in any other 50 year period the past 2000 years
What is happening to ecosystem extent and condition?
Ecosystems have declined by 47%
What is happening to species extinction risk?
25% of species are already threatened with extinction
What is happening ecological communities?
The abundance of naturally-present species have declined by 23%
What is happening with biomass?
Biomass of wild mammals hs fallen by 82% since 1970
What do the IPCC predict will happen if we continue?
Increase in global temp between 1.2 and 5.7 degrees at the end of the century. Sea level rise between 28 to 101 cm. Change in rainfall patterns. Increased frequency of extreme rain events. Increased droughts. Increased heat waves.
Which parts of the world will recieve the most changed heat?
The poles
Which parts of the world will recieve the biggest change in rain?
Eqautor and the poles
What are the two things we can do?
Adaptation (adressing the impacts) or mitigation (Adressing the causes)
What are examples of mitigation?
Energy conservation, energy effeciency, renewable energy
What is energy conservation?
Any behaviour that results in the use of less energy
What is energy efficency?
Using less energy to provide the same service eg through design and technology
What is renewable energy?
Wind, solar, hydro, biogas, geothermal
What is Power to X?
Excess wind or solar energy is used to slip water into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen can be used as fuel to produce electricity or combined to make other fuels
What are nature-based solutions?
Actions to protect, manage, and erstore natural or modified ecosystems which benefits humans - for example to gain ES
Example of NbS and ES
Protection of forests and wetlands can reduce the impact of extreme rainfall and high temp
How can we protect costs from surges?
Mangroves and concrete structures
Examples of watershed management
Terracing, check dams, vegetation, infiltartion trenches, constructed wetland
How can we plan cities differently to avoid floods?
Avoid placing homes in flood risk areas, maintain infiltration and retention capacity, urban watershed management
What are sustainable drainage systems?
Adress infiltration, transportation, storage, delay, or evaporation of rainwater
Examples of sustainable drainage systems
Soak-aways, underground area which can store water. Water from roofs channeled to water gardens. Green roofs
What is loss and damage?
Climate related impacts and risks from sudden-onset extreme events and slow-onset events
What are losses
Irreversible
What are damages
Can be alleviated or repaired
What does the Paris agreement aim for?
Encompass all countries, have a bottom-up structure with individual and voluntary commitments. Hold global temps below 2 degrees, aim of 1.5
How did the COP27 decision in Egypt aim to mitigate loss and damage?
Establish new funding arrangements for assisting developing countries who are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Establish a transitional committee and make reccomendations
What are some tipping points
Amazon forest die, Gulf stream overturns circulation, coral reefs bleech and die
What is attribution science?
Simulating an extreme weather event without climate change and comparing it to see if it was caused by climate change
What is the human climate niche?
The historically highly conserved distribution of relative human population density with respect to mean annual temperature. We show that climate change has already put ~9% of people (>600 million) outside this niche. By end-of-century (2080–2100), current policies leading to around 2.7 °C global warming could leave one-third (22–39%) of people outside the niche
