Climate Change (Energy, Coasts and Water) Flashcards
Who are the four major energy player?
- consumers
- national governments
- Energy TNCs
- OPEC
What is OPEC?
a group of oil producing countries who determine prices and output of oil supplies
What is the role of consumer?
- they create demand
- They can sway government energy policy
- conusmers can make purchasing choices based on prices of petrol or based on subsides for things such as solar panels
What is NordPool?
an agreement between Norway, Sweeden and Germany which ensures energy security through transfer pathways
What is the role of national governments ?`
They can improve or reduce reliance on fossil fuels, use building codes, improve energy effiecency, invest in renewables, make climate change laws, set tax incentives and save energy in the public sector
What are all Danish political parties committed to?
a long term energy policy
What has the reduction in Denmarks greenhouse gas emissions been?
30% since 1990
What has the reduction in Denmarks greenhouse gas emissions been?
30% since 1990
How much oil does the Tar Sands of Canada have?
166 billion barrels
What is the theat to the Sea of Japan caused by climate change?
rising sea temperature
What are the impacts of rising sea temperature on the Sea of Japan?
- outbreaks of jellyfish becoming a yearly occurance
- these jellyfish wreak havoc on the Japanese fishing industry as the burst fish nets, capsize fishing boats and kill commercial fish
What is the threat to the Great Barrier reef cauesd by climate change?
rising ocean temperature
What are the impacts of the rising ocean temperature on the Great Barrier Reef?
- coral bleeching
- reef has suffered 8 mass coral bleeching events since 1979, triggered by unusually high water temperatures - lose of bio diversity, potential 95% decrease in species distribution
What is the threat to the Cape Floral region of South Africa?
rising air temperature and drying of climate
What are the potential impacts of rising air temperatures and drying of the climate on the Cape Floral Region of South Africa?
- distinctive land ecosystem could be wiped out
2. shrubs such as fynbos, which are only found in this region, could also be wiped out
What is the threat in the North Sea due to climate change?
disruption to ecosystem
What are the potential impacts of disruption to ecosystems in the North Sea?
- global warming affects plankton at the base of the food chain and hence can disrupt the overall ecosystem
- fishing is an important industry
What is the threat to New Bedford MA due to climate change?
rising ocean temperatures
What are the potential impacts on New Bedford MA due to rising ocean temperatues?
- rising temperatures push cod populations into colder waters, creating uncertainty in the local fishing industry
What is the threat to Lima Peru caused by climate change?
shrinking glaciers
What are the potential impacts of shrinking glaciers on Lima, Peru?
- water supplies for hydroelectric power are threatened in the long run due to reduced water flow
What are the mitigation strategies for climate change?
- carbon taxation
- renewable enrgy switching
- energy efficency
- carbon capture and storage
- afforestation
What is mitigation?
delay, reduce or prevent climate changes caused by global warming
What is adaptation?
learning to cope with the effects of climate change by reduce the exisiting impacts of global warming
What are the adaptation strategies for climate change?
- solar radiation managment
- resilient agriculture systems
- land use planning
- flood risk managment
description of solar radiation
put aerosols in the stratosphere, climate will cool as sunlight is deflected. This can be done by sending a satilite, plane or balloon
descriprion the strategy of resilliant agriculture systems?
- use technology in farmind such as drip irrigation to conserve water in drought prone areas
- investement in drought tolerant genetically modified plants
- make crop rotation compulsory to help maintain healthier soils
description of land use planning as a way of adapting to climate change?
introduce building regulations in areas vulnerable to flooding, only allow parks and farming to take place their
description of flood risk management as a way of adapting to climate change?
- use permeable tarmacs to increase inflitration
2. plant forests upstream to increase interception and infiltration to prevent flooding
Explain carbon taxation
government tax on businesses can set a minimum price on how much companies have to pay to emit CO2
When was the UKs carbon taxation policy scrapped?
2015 as the conservative party argued that it was bad for business
How much is the congestion charge in London?
£11.50
What are the costs of carbon taxation?
- not every popular
- local scale
- only applicable in developed or developing countries
- depends on government
What has the UK pledged to due with regards to renewable energy switching?
pledged to use 15% of renewables for total energy consumption by 2020, however the climate change levy which sent money to this scheme was scrapped in 2015
What was the UKs Green Deal?
A scheme in which the UK government gave subsides for energy saving methods in the home such as energy effiecent boilers, loft insulation. this scheme was scrapped in 2015
What are the benefits of carbon capture and storage?
- effective at removing carbon from atmosphere
- long term
- global scale
Explain afforestation as mitigation strategy?
forests are an important carbon store and planting more trees will absorb more CO2
What does the REDD scheme do?
pay countries not to deforest trees
What are the costs of afforestation?
There is ongoing deforestation in tropical rainforest areas mean that this scheme may be ineffective
What is the only large carbon capture scheme?
Canada’s Boundary Dam
What are the three options manage the potential for environmental refugees?
- increase international aid to pay for adaptation strategies
- revise the 1951 UN convention on refugees to formerly recognise climate change migrants as refugees
- invite countries at risk to buy land in safer countries
what are the disadvantages of increasing international aid?
- can build sea walls/ storm surge barriers to protect land
What are the disadvantages of increasing internation aid?
- OECD countries will not commit to giving aid
What arre the advantages of revising 1951 UN convention on refugees?
- allow people to apply for offical aslyum
2. countries obliged to take care of people
What are the disadvantages of revising 1951 UN convention of refugees?
- many countries refuse refugees that exist already
2. anti-globalisation people
What has the Kiribati government bought and what does it intent to do?
23km^2 on Fiji’s Vanua Levu Island and it intends to use it in the immediate future for farming projects
Why is it more difficult for the Maldives to relocate its people than Kiribati?
The Maldives has a population of 400,000 compared to Kiribati’s 90,000
Why is coastal flooding in Kiribati likely to increase?
Climate change leading to rise in sea level
What is thermal expansion?
When water heats, it expands and takes up more space which causes sea levels to rise
When will Kiribati be uninhabitable?
In 50 years due to large portions of the islands being lost to the sea
What are the 4 biggest oil and gas TNCs
Grazprom, ExeonMobil, Petrochina and Royal Dutch Shell
