Climate Change Essay Flashcards
Name the Key player in securitising climate change?
The UN as its primary concern is security
Give the period in which there was key growth in environmentalism
1960s and 1970s
What conference occurred in 1972?
The UN Conference on Environmental Security
Name the conference that occurred in 1992
UN Convention on Climate Change
Since the beginning of the 20thC how many times over has the world’s population increased by?
4
Since the beginning of the 20thC how many times over has the world’s urban population increased by?
13
Since the beginning of the 20thC how many times over has the World’s energy consumption increased by?
13
Since the beginning of the 20thC how many times over has the World’s CO2 emissions increased by?
17
Since the beginning of the 20thC how many times over has the World’s water consumption increased by?
9
Since the beginning of the 20thC how many times over has fishing increased by?
35 fold
Between 1995 and 2006 how many years were the hottest since records began?
11
Name the 9th hottest year on record
2012
By what % does the IPCC estimate that the yield for rain feed crops in some African countries could decrease by, by 2020?
50%
What proportion of economies in Africa are reliant on horticulture?
1/4
What was the cost of the NZ drought in 2007-2008 to the economy?
$2.8 billion
How many environmental refugees does the UN estimate already exist?
25-30 million
How many environmental refugees does the UN expect there to be by the end of the century?
over 200 million
What % of the World’s population does the OECD believe will be living in areas of high water stress by 2030?
47%
By what % has the number of Hurricanes increased by?
50%
6 Day War of 1967
Sharon said on record that securing Israel’s water supply was the key reason for going to war as they needed it for agriculture. Israel gained control of the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula which allowed them access to a mountain aquifer and the sea of Galilei which today provide them with 60% of their fresh water.
Euraphates river
Iraq and Syria have an upstream/downstream issue as runs through Syria before Iraq. This has caused many disputes. Hostilities peaked in the early 1970s when Syria filled Lake Assad, which reduced the flow to Iraq to a trickle
Carkoglu and Eder argument
-“Resolution of conflicts over the sharing of water in the Middle East has emerged over the past decade as one of the fundamental issues for peace and stability in the region.” (2001)
Name the single biggest oil consuming organisation in the World.
US Military
What portion of everything the US military transports is fuel?
1/2
How many gallons of fuel does a military tank use per second?
1
Gulf War
Iraqi forces set fire to 600 of Kuwait’s oil wells as partof their scorched earth policy while retreating. It cost $1.5 billion and took 10 months to extinguish them. The Environmental effects of this included a change in weather patterns in the region as well as unburnt oil covering 5% of Kuwait’s Territory
How does Climate change provide a security threat?
- Loss of biodiversity through extinction
- Threatens the most basic things humans require for survival
Tuvalu
Tuvalu’s highest point is 4.5 meters above sea level. The sea has already risen 20cm since 1870. This also increases the salinization of the soil and reduces the supply of fresh water from the ground
Unequal consumption of resources as a cause of conflict:
This has created tensions international especially between the West and the rest as well as domestically. e.g. Syria, Iraq and the Euraphates