Climate change

Question 1

What is Climate change and how is it identified?

Answer 1

the large scale, long term shifts in the planet’s weather patterns. identified by changes in temperature, precipitation, winds and other indicators

Question 2

What is believed to be the largest attributer to this increasing shifts in temperature?

Answer 2

it is believed to be caused by the the immense amounts of gases produced from the combustion of carbon-containing substances

Question 3

Why is Climate change one of the greatest threats facing the planet?

Answer 3

because it threatens necessities of life such as access to food and access to water

Question 4

What is meant by Global Warming?

Answer 4

this is the rise of average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere and oceans. This atmospheric temperature and its changes control the air currents around the globe that are responsible for the annual and seasonal weather patterns

Question 5

What are the possible long term impacts of global warming?

Answer 5

• Increased desertification as water sources dry up in areas that were once fertile
• Melting glaciers & polar ice caps that cause a general rise in sea levels and the disappearance of low lying islands
• Changes in the nature of crops that can be cultivated in different parts of the world
• increased severity of storms and extreme weather fluctuations

Question 6

What are the 2 explanations of global warming? Give a brief explanation.

Answer 6

It is human induced - The Greenhouse effect
- that human beings have been artificially adding immense levels of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere causing increased temperatures and global warming

Global warming is a natural event
- the earths climate has always changed throughout history and that any extreme variations in climate behavior is a natural part of the glacial advance and retreat cycle

Question 7

Explain the Greenhouse effect on global warming

Answer 7

Natural greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere help to trap heat in the atmosphere keeping the earth warm and effectively habitable. As solar energy from the sun shines on the earth is is absorbed and then converted into a different form know as infrared radiation. as greenhouse gasses are artificially increased more heat is inadvertently trapped and make the planet warmer leading to global warming

Question 8

What factors help explain the natural changes in the Earth’s climate?

Answer 8

• changes in the earth’s orbit spanning thousands of years
• solar flares and incoming radiation
• changes in greenhouse gases
• volcanic eruptions

Question 9

What evidence is used to measure climate change & its effect?

Answer 9

Ice cores - ice samples from beneath ice sheets in greenland and antarctica are tested to determine the amount of CO2 gasses in the atmosphere at specific times
Tree Rings - Tree’s that live for hundreds of years contain information in their rings about what years were wet vs. the duration and intensity of droughts
Fossils - tell sea level & temperature

Question 10

Projected impacts of Climate Change as temperatures continue to rise?

Answer 10

• falling crop yields
• rising sea levels
• decrease in water availability
• increase intensity of storms, droughts and heat waves

Question 11

What is the relevance of the Kyoto Protocol of 1972?

Answer 11

• 38 nations attempted to reduce emissions of 6 greenhouse gasses
• provisions that were legally binding on 192 ratifying nations

Question 12

What is the relevance of the Paris Accord of 2015?

Answer 12

• to keep warming well below 2 degrees Celsius
• developed nations encouraged to enhance efforts
• emissions to be reduced to manageable levels

Question 13

What have we achieved from these climate summits?

Answer 13

out of the 6 climate summits held since Kyoto in 1972 all have been ultimately fruitless, whether because of lax enforcement or major emitters withdrawing

Question 14

What is meant by Food Security?

Answer 14

Food security is the uninterrupted, availability and affordability of safe and nutritious foods that meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active life

Question 15

What are the components of food security?

Answer 15

• availability: reliable and consistent supply
• access: sufficient resources to produce and/or purchase food
• utilization: people have the knowledge and basic conditions to prepare and distribute food for good nutrition
• Stability: access to quality food remains stable and sustained over time

Question 16

What are threats to food security in the Caribbean?

Answer 16

• dependency on foreign import of foodstuff continues to rise along with costs
• damage to crops from the extremes of climate and weather can cut our supply
• efficient land and technology use
• quality of imported food and the pesticides used

Question 17

What is meant by Water Security?

Answer 17

the uninterrupted, availability & affordability of access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being and socio-economic development

Question 18

What are the components of Water security?

Answer 18

• adequacy: availability to satisfy competing demands
• accessibility: available when and where it is needed in such a way that is not an undue burden
• assurance: the ability to secure water in response to potential shocks such as natural disasters, security threats or contamination
• affordability: of water management and services

Question 19

What is the main threat to water security in the region?

Answer 19

though the quantity of water may not be of immediate concern in the caribbean the quality should be as pollution of rivers and streams continues to increase

Question 20

What is meant by energy security?

Answer 20

the uninterrupted, availability and affordability of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations

Question 21

What are the components of Energy security?

Answer 21

• affordable & competitive supply
• accessible & available supply
• Reliable & uninterrupted supply

Question 22

What are the energy security concerns faced by the region?

Answer 22

• eventual oil and fossil fuel depletion
• reliance and foreign sources of energy
• renewable/alternative energy & their opportunity costs