Core -Climate Change

Question 1

Explain two reasons why increased trade by emerging economies has led to increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Answer 1

Increased export of manufactured goods increased greenhouse gas
emissions from factories/industry producing these.
TNCs locating manufacturing plants in emerging economies local
regulations may be more lax in terms of emissions.
Increased trade results in increased greenhouse gas emissions from container
shipping/aircraft/road transport of goods.

Question 2

Explain how carbon offset schemes might lead to a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Answer 2

Carbon offset schemes are designed to reduce or offset carbon emissions by funding activities and projects such as tree planting or solar power which reduce emissions elsewhere.

Question 3

Explain how and carbon trading might lead to a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Answer 3

Carbon trading attempts to create a market in which emission permits
issues by governments can be traded. Companies that exceed their targets
have to buy from those that do not this market system attempts to limit
emissions.

Question 4

State two naturally occurring greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide

Answer 4

Methane, Nitrous oxide, Water vapour

Question 5

Explain two positive feedback loops that contribute to climate change.

Answer 5

Arctic ice melts reducing albedo less incoming solar radiation is reflected
and this increases further melting of Arctic ice.

Melting tundra releases methane. methane is a GHG and so temperature
rises and more tundra melts.

Question 6

State and explain one geopolitical attempt to reduce the challenges posed by global
climate change.

Answer 6

International agreements on emissions eg Kyoto 1997. This means that the signing nation states have agreed to cut GHG emissions this will reduce the enhanced GHE reducing global warming. OR COP 26 - wouldn’t increase pre indsutrial temps by more than 1.5 degrees. Promised aid to LICs. UK government investing in renewable energies. Risen from 7% in 2010 - 42% today.

Question 7

Briefly outline how the natural greenhouse effect operates.

Answer 7

Longwave/outgoing radiation is absorbed by greenhouse gases, heating
up the atmosphere.

Question 8

Explain how the global energy balance can be changed by:
(i) solar radiation variations;

Answer 8

Solar flaring / sunspot activity / solar cycles or increase/decrease in solar activity can change the amount of shortwave radiation entering the system.

Question 9

Explain how the global energy balance can be changed by: global dimming due to volcanic eruptions.

Answer 9

Increased aerosols / dust / particles in the atmosphere preventing the input of
shortwave radiation.

Question 10

Explain two reasons why sea-level change may result from global warming.

Answer 10

Thermal expansion of the oceans, as at higher temperatures water occupies a greater
space/sea level rise.
Melting of icecaps/glaciers results in a global change in hydrological storage as water moves from the cryosphere to the oceans / increases the amount of water in the oceans/sea level rise.

Question 11

Suggest two health hazards that may result from climate change.

Answer 11

Health hazards associated with extreme heat – cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. 2003 - 35,000 died in Europe.
Health hazards associated with changing (distribution of) climates – northward movement of tropical insects, increase in disease carrying organisms - mosquitoes. UK could have Zika by 2040. Climate change is expected to cause an expansion of the geographic range and
seasonality of ticks, which has led to an increase in Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases in parts of North America and Europe. Health hazards that result from changes in agricultural e.g. Sahel region & Horn of Africa.

Question 12

Explain how two methods of geo-engineering could mitigate climate change.

Answer 12

CO2 removal from the atmosphere by carbon filtering. Captured
carbon is then stored in rocks. Large-scale afforestation – removes atmospheric CO2. Carbon dioxide removal by artificial trees.Ocean fertilization – adding nutrients to oceans to encourage growth of CO2-eating
plankton.

Question 13

Outline how extreme warming can affect:
(i) the albedo of a region;

Answer 13

Extreme warming is going to melt ice in the polar regions and
therefore the surface will reflect less solar radiation and decrease albedo.

Question 14

Outline how extreme warming can affect: the operation of a feedback loop.

Answer 14

Melting of frozen ground ( Permafrost in Siberia) releases methane/greenhouse gas so there is more warming and more melting. OR Increase in temperature increases the amount of evaporation/trasnpiration & thus creates cloud cover, which decrease incoming
solar radiation and decrease warming.

Question 16

Explain two ways in which climate change impacts upon ocean transport routes.

Answer 16

New sea routes opening up as sea ice melts and allows passage through
areas previously ice bound for large parts of the year.
Climate change may result in sea level rise which leads to more frequent flooding of port
facilities. OR Warming may increase the occurrence of natural hazards, such as hurricanes/storms,
these would make some routes more dangerous and hazardous to navigation.

Question 17

Suggest two ways in which increased global temperatures can cause changes in
sea levels.

Answer 17

1. Melting of contiental glaciers - increases volume or ocean water.
2. Thermal expansion

Question 18

Explain two corporate strategies used to address global climate change.

Answer 18

1. The Lego company has established emission targets for manufacturing and distribution in partnership with the WWF . This will reduce the amount of greenhouse gas
   emissions which are responsible for climate change. 2. Inbev Leuven, aim 100% of their electricity from renewable energy by 2025.
   Reduce waste/cut down on consumption at meetings e.g. AB Inbev Leuven, aim to have 100% of their products in packaging that is returnable or made from recycled materials.
2. Carbon offsetting and trading.

Question 19

Outline what is meant by terrestrial albedo.

Answer 19

A measurement of the amount of sunlight reflected.
% of incoming solar radiation. White body 100% & black surface 0%.

Question 20

Suggest how climate change may cause spatial changes in:
(i)biomes

Answer 20

Increase in wildfires – may shrink the area covered by a particular biome egMediterranean
Coral bleaching – coral reef biomes are shrinking as sea temperaturesincrease /acidification takes place
Mangrove biome shrinking/ disappearing/changing position temperature increaseleads to melting ice which raises sea levels.

Question 21

Suggest how climate change may cause spatial changes in: Animal migration patterns

Answer 21

Climate change is driving some species to migrate to new locationsespecially if they prefer cold climates by moving to higher latitudes or higheraltitudes 150 miles further north - used to be rare to catch off Iceland, but now more common (eg Atlantic Mackerel). Canada Geese not need to fly as far south during winter. Currenlty 90,000 spend winter in UK, may not in future.

Question 22

Explain two ways in which higher temperatures could increase the incidence of healthhazards on people.

Answer 22

1. Heat waves causing increased mortality amongs tvulnerable populations such as the older generation due to heat stroke /cardiovasculardisease - 35,000 died 2003 in Europe. 2. Changes in agriculture could impact upon food availability – nutritional deficiencies. 3.
   Release of pathogens from melting ice – melting of permafrost release long dormantdiseases eg anthrax in Siberia
2. Dehydration from increased temperature – can lead to hypertension, cramps and mental issues.

Question 23

Suggest two human factors that can increase vulnerability to extreme weather events.

Answer 23

1. Due to poverty, large numbers of people live in locations/property which are/is moreat risk from extreme weather e.g. cyclones & Sundarbans. 2. Occupation of the population – farmers may be more vulnerable to weather as it is vital for their living - Sahel & Sundarbans. 3. In areas with lower education levels there may be less knowledge as to how toprevent / minimize the vulnerability to extreme weather events.

Question 24

Explain two government-led strategies to reduce the causes of global climate change.

Answer 24

1. Government investment in renewables – reduction of GHG emissions from fossilfuels - UK 7% in 2010 and now today 42%.
2. Government commitment to global conferences, such as Cop26 in Glasgow , can lead to specific government planned action to combat the source of GHGs - must state plan - US & China agreed to work together to limit rise to 1.5 degrees above pre industrial levels. US & EU ageed global pledge by 2030 to redcue methane emissions. Pledged $500bn to LICs by 2025.

Question 25

Outline what is meant by global dimming.

Answer 25

Reduction in the amount of solar energy/sunlight (reaching the Earth’s surface) because volcanic activity has put dust in the atmosphere /air pollution (sulphate aerosols)from industrialization leading to a decrease in global temperatures.

Question 26

Suggest two ways in which economic development leads to internationalvariations in greenhouse gas emissions.

Answer 26

1. Higher level of economic development means more people can afford cars therefore GHG emissions are higher in HICs. 2. More domestic appliances are used in HICs/results in greater use of electricity whichgives more GHG.
   3.Changed diet of middle classes in countries with a growing economy/result in more meatand methane emissions. 4. More manufacturing industry in HICs/results in higher emissions of GHG

Question 27

Explain two reasons why wealthy people are less vulnerable to climate change.

Answer 27

1. Wealthy people can afford to live in areas which have better sea defences so they are less vulnerable to sea level rise. 2. Wealthy people can afford insurance/reduces the level of loss of the individual. 3. Wealthy people are employed in jobs less affected by climate change/fewer are engagedin farming which is more vulnerable.
2. Wealthy people have access to education/provides awareness of the impacts of climatechange which can then be avoided/mitigated.

Question 28

Outline one way in which patterns of animal migration are affected by climate change.

Answer 28

Candian Geese - not needing to fly as far south in future/ not migrating as far in winter due to warmer temperatures or Atlantic Mackeral migrating further north to cooler waters.

Question 29

Suggest two ways in which social differences may lead to increasedvulnerability to climate change.

Answer 29

1. As people get older they are more physically vulnerable and therefore more at risk of heat stroke / dehydration. 2.occupational difference - poorer peopel tend to rely on the land more (farmers) and thus are more vulnerable to the effects of CC as livelihhods impacted. 3. Poorer people don’t tend have insurance - health/housing and may lack access to food & water. 4. Education - not aware.

Question 30

Explain two ways in which corporate strategies can help address climate change issues.

Answer 30

1. Sustainable packaging/ reducing waste & recycling & renewable energies 100% 2025 - Inbev, Leuven.
2. Organizations such as ExxonMobil can support climate change technologies such as “carbon capture”, which reduces the amount of CO2in the atmosphere.
3. The Lego company has established emission targets for manufacturing and distribution in partnership with the WWF . This will reduce the amount of greenhouse gas
   emissions which are responsible for climate change.

Question 31

Explain the spatial variation in greenhouse gas emissions.

Answer 31

The highest producer of greenhouse gas emissions is China. China has heavily industrialized and
manufactures much of the world’s goods on the back of older technology and coal powered energy.
Other Asian economies have industrialized and contribute to Asia’s carbon emissions. Developed
regions such as the EU and North America with unsustainable consumer cultures and high energy
demand are huge sources of emissions. USA is second behind China. With their low industrial base and smaller consumer markets most Africa and South American countries produce far lower amounts.

Question 32

Explain how human activity has changed two different feedback loops relating to the
global energy balance.

Answer 32

1. Fossil Fuels - industrialisation - enhanced GHE & more LW radiation trapped by greater concentration of GHGs = permafrost melting = release of methane and reduction in albedo = warming & positive feedback loop.
2. Deforestation in Amazon = more C02 in atmosphere = more warming.

Question 33

Describe two ways the atmosphere intercepts incoming solar radiation.

Answer 33

Water vapor and clouds absorb and reflect incoming solar radiation. By absorbing it, a small amount is stored in the atmosphere. By reflecting it, some insolation returns back to space.
Dust particles, for example pollen, scatters incoming solar radiation in all directions. Some is scattered to the Earth’s surface but some is scattered back into space and so doesn’t reach the Earth’s surface.

Question 34

Explain the natural greenhouse effect.

Answer 34

The greenhouse effect is a natural occurring process in the atmosphere caused by green house gases
such as CO2 and methane reflecting back outgoing long wave radiation. This process helps the
atmosphere retain heat.

Question 35

Explain the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Answer 35

The enhanced greenhouse effect refers to the atmospheric warming that results from the proportion of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by modern human activity. These man-made gases such as CO2 accelerate the warming beyond the natural warming caused that is part of the atmospheric
system.

Question 36

Explain two ways that climate change is a threat to agriculture.

Answer 36

Climate change threatens many agricultural communities in low-lying countries, such as the
Kiribati islands in the Pacific or the Sundarbans. Sea level rise threatens agricultural yields due saline intrusion in the water table. As sea levels rise the salt water boundary creeps further inland. Salt levels creep upwards into the soil and reduce crop yields and kill local vegetation cover. These communities face the prospect of
having to abandon the islands. 2. Climate change threatens millions of farmers at the global scale. Agriculture, especially in
semi-arid regions such as the Sahel region continue to suffer from physical water security challenges. In these climates, the rains have become unreliable and some years don’t come at all. Soils dry out and this impacts crop yields. For example, Egypt expects a 15% fall in wheat yields if temperatures increase by 2%. The Sahel region expects huge falls in yields.

Question 37

Explain two ways that people and places are likely to benefit from the effects of climate
change.

Answer 37

1. Cod & Mackeral migrating further North means nations such as Iceland & Norway will benefit form being able to catch and sell these fish. 2. Greenland - limited what could grow - warmer grew broccholi 1st time & southern England - vine yards.

Question 38

Explain two impacts of climate change on the carbon cycle.

Answer 38

Impact 1: One consequence of climate change on carbon cycles concerns coral reefs. With warmer oceans, C02 increases in oceans leading to greater acidity. This acidity causes coral bleaching which in
turn kills the zooxanthellae algae that takes in C02 from the atmosphere
Impact 2: Climate change is also threatening many forest biomes, including tropical rainforest and taiga forests. As temperatures rise and water cycles change forest health degrades. Forests are a vital sequester of CO2 and so more CO2 builds up in the atmosphere.

Question 39

Explain two impacts of climate change on the global hydrological cycle.

Answer 39

Impact 1: With climate change and increased global temperatures, less water is stored within the
cryosphere. Melting glaciers and ice sheets are increasing ocean level storage, which is in turn is
warming and leading to greater rates of evaporation and extreme rainfall events in tropical as well as temperate regions.
Impact 2: Ocean systems such as El Nino appear to be occurring more frequently. This ocean currents lead to severe changes global weather patterns with East Asia experiencing unusually drier years and West Pacific becoming wetter. El Nino is known to have a major impact on global climate patterns.

Question 40

Evaluate the actions of non-governmental stakeholders on one country in their
response to climate change.

Answer 40

One organization is the Bangladesh Climate Change and Development forum who work on
raising awareness of climate change within government and private organizations. In 2008
government awareness of the problems of climate change, especially at the local level was low.
However though organized forums and conferences that included raising awareness of the
experiences of rural communities that directly face the impacts of climate change nearly all
stakeholders in Bangladesh have been made aware of the risks of climate change.
UN women with the help of an NGO called BRAC have also worked in Bangladesh focused on
13 different rural communities. They help provides training and access to grants to women to
help them with more diverse and sustainable employment. One example of support came after
the cyclone Aila in 2009. They provided grants and credit as well training in skills such as rice
processing, crab fishing and net weaving. In total more than 19000 women were successfully
supported and have increased their resilience to future threats through more diverse and
sustainable incomes.

Question 41

Explain two ways location can determine the level of risk to climate change.

Answer 41

1. People living in low lying regions such as the Kiribati Islands, in the Pacific and Bangladesh are
   more exposed to the threat of sea level rise. These countries are exposed to the risk of floods, storm surges and salt intrusion, with risks to health, shelters and food production. 2. At the global scale people living in the global south in less developed countries are more exposed to the risks of climate change. It is regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa that will be
   exposed to extreme droughts, increasing water and food stress.

Question 42

Explain government-led adaptation strategies to climate change

Answer 42

The Government of the Netherlands has embarked on an ambitious adaptation
scheme to combat flooding, based on 4 rivers, including the Rhine, at a cost of €2.2 billion. It
includes 40 separate projects, including placing and moving dykes, depoldering, creating and
increasing the depth of the flood channels and creating a ‘Green River’ that will serve as a flood
bypass at times of flood level discharge.

Question 43

Explain two reasons for the spatial variation in net radiation.

Answer 43

1. The angle of incident is highest at the equator & with a high angle of incident solar radiation is more concentrated over the Tropics and with a shorter distance to travel through the atmosphere it provides more insolation compared to the higher latitudes. 2. More ocean in S. hemisphere - Ocean has a higher specific heat and lower albedo compared to icy land surface and so it retains insolation better. The northern hemisphere will have higher albedo and reflect more radiation.

Question 44

Briefly explain two natural causes of changes to the global energy balance.

Answer 44

1. Volcanoes release huge amounts of ash and sulfur dioxide which when combined with water vapour absorbs reflects a lot of insolation back into space contains changing the energy balance. 2. Changes occur due to natural solar cycles, one such cycle includes changes in the procession of the earth around the sun. Its orbit changes over time becoming more olyptical impacting the amount and location of incoming insolation.

Question 45

State one atmospheric element that reflects incoming solar radiation

Answer 45

nitrogen, oxygen, ozone, water vapor , dust particles, pollen.

Question 46

State one carbon storage and explain how it is impacted by climate change.

Answer 46

As temperatures warm ocean temperatures increase, this may lead to a slowing down in its ability to sink and store carbon from the atmosphere. In addition current levels of sinked carbon has led to acidification of the ocean causing loss of marine life such as coral health . This in turn reduce the the ability of oceans to absorb more carbon.

Question 47

2 causes of methane emissions.

Answer 47

1. Melting permafrost in Siberia, release methane stored in the ice.
2. Decomposition of waste in landfills. 20 % emissions.
3. Agriculture - cattle - 1 cow per year produces 120kg of methane + paddy fields ( rice) 40% emissions.
4. Energy - flaring and leaking from energy sector.