Climate Change Flashcards
1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro
The Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro was unprecedented for a UN conference, in terms of both its size and the scope of its concerns. The UN sought to help Governments rethink economic development and find ways to halt the destruction of irreplaceable natural resources and pollution of the planet.
Hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life were drawn into the Rio process. They persuaded their leaders to go to Rio and join other nations in making the difficult decisions needed to ensure a healthy planet for generations to come.
The two-week Earth Summit was the climax of a process, begun in December 1989, of planning, education and negotiations among all Member States of the United Nations, leading to the adoption of Agenda 21, a wide-ranging blueprint for action to achieve sustainable development worldwide. At its close, Maurice Strong, the Conference Secretary-General, called the Summit a “historic moment for humanity”.
1997 Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted as the first addition to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1997. In force since 2005, the protocol called for reducing the emission of six greenhouse gases in 41 countries plus the European Union to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels during the “commitment period” 2008–12. It was widely hailed as the most significant environmental treaty ever negotiated, though some critics questioned its effectiveness.
2009 Copenhagen Green Climate Fund
The Copenhagen Accord, established during the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-15) in Copenhagen mentioned the “Copenhagen Green Climate Fund”.
The objective of the Green Climate Fund is to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change and “support projects, programmes, policies and other activities in developing country Parties using thematic funding windows”
2015 COP-21 Paris Climate Agreement
Parties to the UNFCCC reached a landmark agreement to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the agreement aims to increase the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change, and at making finance flows consistent with a low GHG emissions and climate-resilient pathway. To reach these ambitious goals, appropriate mobilization and provision of financial resources, a new technology framework and enhanced capacity-building is to be put in place, thus supporting action by developing countries and the most vulnerable countries, in line with their own national objectives.
800,000 years of climate evidence
Modern scientists and engineers have explored the temperature CO2 connection in intricate detail in recent decades, by drilling into the ice sheets that cover Antarctica and Greenland. Thousands of years of snow have compressed into thick slabs of ice. The resulting ice cores can be more than 3km long and extend back a staggering 800,000 years.
Adaptation
Adaptation means anticipating the adverse effects of climate change and taking appropriate action to prevent or minimise the damage they can cause, or taking advantage of opportunities that may arise. It has been shown that well planned, early adaptation action saves money and lives later.
Examples of adaptation measures include: using scarce water resources more efficiently; adapting building codes to future climate conditions and extreme weather events; building flood defences and raising the levels of dykes; developing drought-tolerant crops; choosing tree species and forestry practices less vulnerable to storms and fires; and setting aside land corridors to help species migrate.
Alan Eustace
In October 2014, Eustace made a jump from the stratosphere, breaking Felix Baumgartner’s 2012 world record.
Albedo
Refers to the amount of solar energy that gets reflected off of the Earth and lands back in space. Nearly all the ice on the planet is melting. As the white surfaces decrease in area, less energy is reflected into space, and the Earth will warm up even more. The loss of Arctic ice is of particular concern. The ice is disappearing quite fast; not only is albedo decreasing, but the loss triggers a positive feedback. By exposing the ocean surface to sunlight, the water warms up.
Anthropogenic climate change
Refers to the production of GHGs emitted by human activity. By examining the polar ice cores, scientists are convinced that human activity has increased the proportion of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which has skyrocketed over the past few hundred years.
The IPCC Fourth Report released in 2007 stated that multiple lines of evidence confirms that the post-industrial rise in greenhouse gases does not stem from natural mechanisms. In other words this is anthropogenic climate change, and the significant increases in the atmosphere of these potent greenhouse gases are a result of human activity.
Since 1750, it is estimated that about two thirds of anthropogenic climate change CO2 emissions have come from fossil fuel burning (coal and petroleum) and about one third from land use change (mainly deforestation and agricultural). About 45% of this CO2 has remained in the atmosphere, while about 30% has been taken up by the oceans and the remainder has been taken up by the trees and plants.
Arctic ice retreat and feedback mechanisms
It’s predicted that the Arctic could become “ice-free” by 2050 if not sooner, although the trend will be a bumpy ride. When global warming melts more sea ice in the summer than usual this results in a darker sea surface overall than normal, which reflects less solar energy (lower albedo), raises local temperatures, and leads to yet more sea ice loss - this is a positive feedback loop. Temperatures around the Arctic are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth and Arctic temperatures now higher than they have been for the past 2000 years. This may also contribute to more unpredictable weather in regions bordering the Arctic.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is comprised of layers based on temperature. These layers are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere.
Atmospheric energy budget
Accounting for all the energy that enters and leaves the Earth system helps us understand why the planet is warming. This accounting of energy is known as Earth’s radiation budget. Less than half of the incoming sunlight heats the ground. The rest is reflected away by bright white clouds or ice or gets absorbed by the atmosphere. The sunlight that makes it to the ground warms the Earth’s surface. The warm ground and oceans give off infrared (IR) radiation, which we feel as heat. That IR radiation or heat moves back up through the atmosphere. Most of it is trapped by greenhouse gases, preventing them from leaving as fast as them arrived. After a while, the IR radiation leaks back out into space.
For the most part, the energy coming to Earth as sunlight equals the energy leaving as IR. If it doesn’t, Earth heats up or cools down. Recently the energy budget has not been balanced. As we add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, they trap more heat close to the planet and Earth warms.
Bangladesh 4Ps analysis
PLACE: a South Asian country to the east of India on the Bay of Bengal, 166.8 million inhabitants, most elevations are less than 10 metres (33 ft) above sea level; elevations decrease in the coastal south, where the terrain is generally at sea level, lies at the bottom of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna (GBM) river system
PROCESSES:
Social - Coupled with the high level of widespread poverty (almost 1/2 the population) and increasing population density, limited adaptive capacity, and poorly funded, ineffective local governance have made the region one of the most adversely affected on the planet
Economic - the economy of Bangladesh is based on agriculture mainly, with two thirds of the population engaged (directly or indirectly) on agricultural activities, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced to 50 percent by 2020
Environmental - (flash)floods (almost 80% of the total area of the country is prone to flooding), cyclones and storm surges, salinity intrusion, extreme temperature and drought
Political - The government has undertaken measures to adapt to climate change. It has developed an effective early warning system to alert coastal rural areas of impending cyclones; built a network of 2,100 cyclone shelters, which can accommodate more than a million people; and financed 4,000 miles of coastal embankment projects. It is even planting trees on chars in an effort to create islands that are more durable. However, despite its economic progress, Bangladesh remains a poor country with limited resources.
POWER: Bangladesh’s contribution to Global Climate Change is negligible, yet the negative impacts of many aspects of the changes impact this country more than most. It is difficult to get their voice heard when Global leaders meet.
Biosphere
The worldwide sum of all ecosystems - the global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.
Brandalism
Brandalism is an anti-advertising movement founded in July 2012 in London. Twenty-six British artists ran a “subvertising” campaign, whereby they covered billboard adverts in five English cities with art pieces.
In their own words: “Brandalism is a revolt against the corporate control of culture and space. We are an international collective of artists that challenge corporate power, greed and corruption around the world. Intervening into ad spaces that usually celebrate consumption, Brandalism use ‘subvertising’ as a lens through which we can view the intersectional social & environmental justice issues that capitalism creates. Our interventions, exhibitions and workshops aim to agitate, educate and facilitate those who want to challenge corporate power.”
Cap and Trade
The cap on greenhouse gas emissions that drive global warming is a firm limit on pollution. The cap gets stricter over time.
The trade part is a market for companies to buy and sell allowances that let them emit only a certain amount, as supply and demand set the price. Trading gives companies a strong incentive to save money by cutting emissions in the most cost-effective ways.
Carbon offsetting
Carbon offsets are a form of trade. When you buy an offset, you fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The projects might restore forests, update power plants and factories or increase the energy efficiency of buildings and transportation. Carbon offsets let you pay to reduce the global GHG total instead of making radical or impossible reductions of your own.
Carbon offsets are voluntary. People and businesses buy them to reduce their carbon footprints or build up their green image. Carbon offsets can counteract specific activities like air travel and driving or events like weddings and conferences.
Carbon storage
Also known as carbon sequestration, carbon storage is a complex method of capturing carbon dioxide emissions and storing them in coal seams, aquifers, depleted oil and gas reservoirs and other spaces deep under the surface of the Earth. Theoretically, this would prevent those gases from having an effect on climate. Carbon dioxide gases are captured either at the source of production, such as a power plant, or directly from the air.
CFC’s
CFCs, or chlorofluorocarbons, are normally stable molecules, but when UV rays strike them, they are broken down. The chlorine atom released from a CFC wreaks havoc on ozone molecules.
Climate Change Deniers
A colorful cast of characters has made a living out of denying the science of climate change. These so-called “experts” often start out their statements with “I’m not a climate scientist, but…” before launching into a series of carefully rehearsed talking points meant to confuse the public on the climate change issue. Many of them are well-paid operatives of organizations like The Heartland Institute, CFACT, and Americans for Prosperity, which take contributions from fossil fuel corporations — including ExxonMobil,the Koch Brothersand their company Koch Industries — who seek to delay or block any substantial government policy initiatives meant to curb fossil fuel emissions or hasten the rapid growth of cheaper, cleaner sources of energy like wind and solar power.
Climate migrants
Climate change will transform more than 143 million people into “climate migrants” escaping crop failure, water scarcity, and sea-level rise, a new World Bank report concludes. Most of this population shift will take place in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America—three “hot spots” that represent 55 percent of the developing world’s populations. This worst-case scenario is part of a ground-breaking study focused on the impacts of slow-onset climate, as opposed to more visibly dramatic events such as extreme storms and flooding. Sea-level rise is already prompting the migration of people from Pacific and Oceania island chains and low-lying coastal areas that flood regularly, and areas suffering extreme drought has sent others in search of sustainable farmland. Much of the coming migration will shift populations of people over the next three decades from rural areas to urban areas.
CO2
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. In 2016, CO2 accounted for about 81.6% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. Carbon dioxide is naturally present in the atmosphere as part of the Earth’s carbon cycle (the natural circulation of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, soil, plants, and animals). Human activities are altering the carbon cycle–both by adding more CO2 to the atmosphere and by influencing the ability of natural sinks, like forests, to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. While CO2 emissions come from a variety of natural sources, human-related emissions are responsible for the increase that has occurred in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution. The main human activity that emits CO2 is the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) for energy and transportation, although certain industrial processes and land-use changes also emit CO2.
Coral bleaching and loss
When corals are stressed by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they expel the symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality. In 2005, the U.S. lost half of its coral reefs in the Caribbean in one year due to a massive bleaching event. The warm waters centered around the northern Antilles near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico expanded southward. Comparison of satellite data from the previous 20 years confirmed that thermal stress from the 2005 event was greater than the previous 20 years combined.
Crop Yields
Climate change will have a negative effect on key crops such as wheat, rice, and maize. Climate change may actually benefit some plants by lengthening growing seasons and increasing carbon dioxide.
Cryosphere
The cryosphere is the frozen water part of the Earth system.
Desertification
The process by which natural or human causes reduce the biological productivity of drylands (arid and semiarid lands). Declines in productivity may be the result of climate change, deforestation, overgrazing, poverty, political instability, unsustainable irrigation practices, or combinations of these factors. The concept does not refer to the physical expansion of existing deserts but rather to the various processes that threaten all dryland ecosystems, including deserts as well as grasslands and scrublands.
Donald Trump
The current president of the U.S, who pulled out of the COP21 agreement and is a climate change denier
EPICA Core
The European Project for Ice Coring in Antartica. It is a multinational European for deep ice core drilling in Antartica. Its main goal is to obtain full documentation <span>climatic and atmospheric record archived in Antarctic ice by drilling and analyzing two ice cores and comparing these with their Greenland counterparts</span>
Extreme weather
Climate change is has resulted in temperatures rising and, many scientists believe, in an increased severity of floods, droughts, fires, storms/hurricanes/tornadoes… This is often labelled as extreme weather. Although scientists cannot be 100% sure that these occurrences are linked and that this isn’t just a natural change in the weather pattern, they deem the correlations they are seeing enough to convince them.
20 by 2020
The EU has pledged to cut it’s emissions by 20% by 2020 compared to the emissions in 1990
