Climate change - mitigation and adaption Flashcards
What is mitigation?
It involves the reduction and/or stabilisation of greenhouse gas emissions and their removal from the atmosphere.
What is adaption?
The adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate stimuli or their effects which moderates harm.
Why do people take the ‘do nothing’ approach?
They don’t believe that global warming is a problem for human activity and development. They don’t want to forfeit economic development.
What is the problem with ‘wait and see’ strategy?
It takes a long time for actions to have results and so it is possible we will reach the tipping point when our actions have little consequences.
How can precautionary measures be divided into three categories?
International commitments
National actions
Personal lifestyle changes
What are the three mitigation strategies?
Stabilise or reduce GHGs
Remove CO2 from the atmosphere
Geoengineering
What are the three ways to stabilise or reduce GHGs?
reduction of energy consumption
reduction of emissions of nitrogen oxides and methane from agriculture
use of alternative fossil fuels
If mitigation strategies drastically decrease future emissions, does that mean the effects of climate change will immediately stop?
No as past emissions will continue to have an effect for some time as the gases are still circulating in the atmosphere.
What is the difference between stabilising GHG emissions and stabilisation GHG concentration?
Stabilising emissions would mean CO2 concentrations still continue to rise as we are emitting them at a rate faster than natural processes can remove them.
Strategies to reduce energy consumption:
Reduce energy waste by using it more efficiently
Reduce over all demand for energy and electricity by being more efficient and using less
Adopt carbon taxes and remove fossil fuel subsidy
Set national limits on GHG production and a carbon credit system
Personal carbon credits than can be traded
Improve efficiency of energy production
Strategies to reduce emissions of nitrous oxides and methane from agriculture
Reduce methane production, e.g. change cows diets
Capture more methane produced from landfill sites
Sustainable agriculture
Strategies to use alternatives to fossil fuels
Replace high GHG emission energy sources with a low GHG emission ones.
What are the three ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?
Increase amount of photosynthesis
Carbon capture and storage
Use more biomass as a source of fuel
How can you increase the amount of photosynthesis?
Reforestation and decreases deforestation
Geo-engineering ideas
Scatter iron, nitrates or phosphates on oceans to increase algal blooms which take up more carbon and act as a carbon sink.
Release sulphur dioxide from airplanes to increase global dimming
Send mirror into space between the earth and sun to deflect solar radiation
Build with light coloured roots to increase albedo and reflect more sunlight
