Coping with Climate Change Flashcards
what is mitigation toward climate change?
stopping climate change, reducing output of GHG and increasing size of carbon sinks
what are 4 general ways to mitigate against climate change?
- targets to reduce carbon
- switch to renewable energy
- upfront cost
- any action taken limits damage to natural systems
what is adaptation toward climate change?
changing our lifestyle to cope with a new environments, accepting climate change
what are ways to adapt to climate change?
- managed retreat of coastlines
- drought resistant crops
- spreading costs out over time
what are two downsides to adapting to climate change?
- poorer lack adaptive capacity to cope
- actions taken to adapt might condemn natural systems which can’t adapt (E.g. species extinction of insects that cannot feed off drought resistant crops)
what are the two most used way to mitigate?
- carbon neutral development: offsetting carbon emissions by afforesting
- carbon capture tech: implemented in power stations
what is a positive and negative outcome of carbon neutral development to mitigate against climate change?
pro: greatest impact on emissions
con: public oppose land use & lifestyle changes that afforestation brings
what is a pro and con of carbon capture tech to mitigate?
pro: removes problem at source
con: high cost, unsustainable
what are two examples of adapting to climate change?
- prevent development on floodplains/coasts
- drought tolerant crops and use waste water on crops
what is a pro and con to Land Use Planning to adapt?
pro: reduce vulnerability to extreme weather
con: oppose by existing residents on coasts and floodplains
what is a pro and con to Agricultural Technology to adapt?
pro: tech already exists, quickly implemented
con: expensive, can’t be implemented in developing world, africa
what is an example of a poorer place have little adaptive capacity?
tuvalu island, between hawaii and australia
how does Tuvalu economically and environmentally have low adaptive capacity to cope?
economy: relies on semi-susbsitence farming, fishing, foreign aid
environmentally: every island 5m above/below sea level, porous coral atolls flood, push salt water through ground, poisonous food crops
what are the four options for tuvalu?
- relocate
- change behaviour
- modify the threat
- prevent the loss
how are Tuvaluans going to relocate to adapt to climate change?
2001, NZ agreed to accept 75 Tuvaluans each year
how have Tuvaluans changed their behaviour to adapt to climate change?
2000 joined UN to bring their issues to world
how have Tuvaluans ‘modified the threat’ of sea-level rise to adapt to climate change
stopped beach mining to reduce erosion risk
how have Tuvaluans taken action to prevent crop yield loss to adapt to climate change?
salt-tolerant crops (halophyte’s)
why is the future not good for Tuvalu against climate change?
- low adaptive capacity to cope:
- small GDP $12 million (relies on foreign aid)
- high fertility rates
- bad environmental management, e.g. beach mining
what is some background information on the kyoto protocol agreement?
- kyoto, japan, 1997
- reduce carbon emissions by 20% of what they were in 90s
- 190 countries signed
why were negotiations in the kyoto protocol conference complex?
- for the treaty to start, 55 countries had to ratify
- had to have enough countries to join to account for 55% global carbon emissions
- country specific emissions target, EU = 8%
- effectiveness of protocol lessened due to USA withdrawal 2001, targets too expensive to reach
what were some of the deals made in the kyoto protocol conference?
- carbon credits allowed to be traded
- carbon sinks to offset allowed, but critics say these encourage countries to continue polluting
what were the 3 main reasons that led the kyoto protocol to be unsuccessful?
- reduction of carbon emission only 0.5% in 2012, when the aim was to reduce by 20%
- some countries better than others at meeting target (Uk = better, spain = worst)
- China’s emissions increased by 50% since 1990s
is there hope for the kyoto protocol ever being successful?
some hope - UN climate change convention produced Bali Roadmap, new emissions targets
what did the TNC, Shell, do to outrage the public? why are Shell against mitigating against climate change?
they funded Global Climate Coalition to fund research to counter-argue the effects of global warming, to save profits and jobs
why did Shells Global Climate Coalition fail?
companies began to leave it in 1992, so was stopped in 2002
why did businesses like Shell change their attitudes toward mitigation?
- public pressure for moral
- fears about energy supply
- mitigation provides new jobs for economic growth in new technology
- the benefits from climate change as a result of doing nothing are far smaller than eventual costs climate change will bring
- governments implementing new laws to tax CO2 emissions
what have businesses done to prove their attitude toward mitigation has changed?
- US Climate Action Partnership
- businesses working together to slow/reverse USA emissions whilst the economy still expands
- economic growth created by new jobs in mitigation
what national strategies have the UK taken to reduce carbon emissions by 60% by 2050?
- 10% energy renewable by 2010
- 20% renewable energy by 2020
- car taxing based on CO2 emissions, large car = more expensive
- wind farms
how successful will the national strategies of wind power in the UK be?
- wind unreliable
- wind farm placement heavily impacted by public protest
what targets and national strategies have Norway put into place to reduce carbon emissions?
aim: cut 1990 emission levels by 30% by 2020
strategy: capture 1.5 million tonnes CO2, store under ground
will the national strategies implemented by Norway be effective?
- untested large scale
- high cost, short-term solution
what international scheme has the EU implemented to combat global warming?
the ETS (Emissions Trading System), cap + trade system
how does the ETS work?
- limit set on how much a pollutant can be emitted (caps criticised to be too lenient)
- companies within limits set allowed to sell credits to companies who need to pollute more
what alternative did the EU allow companies to do besides cap + trade system?
EU countries can buy CER’s, by investing in environmentally projects in LICs
what city has taken local action against climate change and how?
London, Mayor launched ‘Action Today to Protect Tomorrow’, reduce CO2 emissions by 30% in next 10 yrs
what are some initiatives London has implemented to locally reduce carbon emissions?
- 8000 London buses converted diesel/electric hybrids
- solar panels on schools
- raised to £25 congestion charge
- Green Homes Programme = free insulation in homes, energy efficient
- cycle paths & Barclays bikes
what are some of the ways we can individually reduce our carbon footprints?
- walk/cycle/bus
- buy local food
- renewable energy
- energy efficient light bulbs
why would reducing our carbon footprint as individuals be an unfair approach to take globally?
- some people consume far less + produce less carbon than average (developing world)
- rich countries reduce carbon whilst poor increase emissions, ‘contraction + convergence’ model
- China + India still allowed to produce emissions even though MICs
how are Coldplay, ‘climate crusaders’ ?
offsetted carbon emitted when making/selling their 2002 CD by buying 10,000 mango trees for villagers in India
how is Walmart a ‘climate crusader’?
- Sustainability 360 Programme, to cut CO2 emissions in stores by 20%
- reduce packing of produce by 5% by 2013
