Final Flashcards
IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
WMO
World Meteorological Organization
ODC
Ozone Depleting Chemical
POP
Persistent Organic Pollutants
VOCs
Volatile Organic Compounds
NOx
Nitrogen Oxide
GHG
Green House Gases
GWP
Global Warming Potential
CCS
Carbon Capture and Storage
SRES
The Special Report on Emissions Scenario
RCP
Representative Concentrative Pathways
CDM
Clean Development Management
JI
Joint Impletmation (kyoto protocol)
LULUCF
Land use, Land use change, and forestry
ARD
Afforestation, Reforestation, Deforestation
CO2e
Carbon Dioxide Equivalent
PM2.5
Particulate Matter - has a diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometers
UNFCCC
The united nations framework convention on climate change is an international environmental treaty adopted may 9 1992. Focusing on limiting average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change.
Stockholm Convention
Focused on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Signed in 2001, aimed to eliminate or restrict the production and use of POPs
Vienna Convention
Contracts for the international sale of goods. concerning the law on treaties between states. Adopted may 23 1969
Montreal Protocol
Finalized in 1986, global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ODCs
Kyoto Protocol
The International treaty which extends the 1992 UNFCCC that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Paris Agreement
Climate Agreement with UNFCCC dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance starting in the year 2020.
Which GHG serves as the comparison standard for GWP?
CO2
Two problems with offsets that use biological sinks e.g. forests
- would have to repeat frequently
- eutrophication
What is additionality? why is it important?
proof that one’s renewable-energy project would not
happen without the capital generated by selling
carbon credits. To avoid giving credits to projects that would have happened anyway, specified rules ensure the additionality of the proposed project, that is, ensure the project reduces emissions more than would have occurred in the absence of the intervention. Kyoto Protocol
What is DOE and what are they supposed to do
Designated Operational Entities, to “validate” the promises of emission
reducers and then to “verify,” often years
later, that those reductions actually occurred.
What does the number in an RCP scenario represent?
e.g. RCP8.5
named after a possible range of radiative forcing values in the year 2100 relative to pre-industrial values
In what ways does cement manufacturing contribute directly to greenhouse gas emissions?
The limestone is oxidized and releases Co2, one tonne of CO2 per tonne of cement.
Why are some developing countries wanting to use DDT?
To control mosquito populations that transmit the microbe malaria
Difference between Teragrams and Megatonnes
They equal the same just measured in different units.
How much pollution is released when 1L of gasoline is fully combusted with oxygen?
Burning 1L of gasoline produces approx. 2.3 kg of CO2
What are two pollutants are the sources of acid rain?
Sulphur dioxide (SO2), & Nitrogen (NOx)
Why is the Canadian Sheild more susceptible to acid rain than areas further south?
Comes from the US Midwest, acidic snowmelt.
What does the Keeling curve measure
is a graph that plots the ongoing change in concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere since the 1950s
Whats the difference between CDM and JI in terms of the countries involved?
The CDM involves investment in emission reduction or removal enhancement projects in developing countries that contribute to their sustainable development, while JI enables developed countries to carry out emission reduction or removal enhancement projects in other developed countries
Is it ok to tax produce that’s coming into Canada based on milage under the WTO rules?
no, you cannot discriminate against countries based on geographical origin
What is the Columbian Exchange?
the exchange between new and old worlds. Exchange of plants, animals, technology, and diseases transformed
Why is it hard to remove Giant Hogweed
You develop a serious rash under the sunlight
What are Nurdles, and why are they a problem?
They are small plastic pellets. They are an issue because they are all over the ocean and many are being eaten up by species which then in turn go up the trophic level causing biomagnification.
Where can you find nurdles in victoria?
The largest concentration is at Willows Beach in Oak Bay
Where do microbeads and microfibers come from?
Microbeads come from exfoliants, and microfibers come from clothing fabrics, also small amounts come from plastic containers.
What is forecasting?
the most likely projection
what is backcasting?
working backward from the desired endpoint to determine how to achieve it
What is PM and why is it dangerous?
Particulate Matter, it can be inhaled and harmful to your health.
What are two reasons why global sea level are expected to rise, over the next few centuries?
First, as the oceans warm due to an increasing global temperature, seawater expands—taking up more space in the ocean basin and causing a rise in water level. The second mechanism is the melting of ice over land, which then adds water to the ocean.
What are LFEs, and how is it defined in British Columbia?
Large Final Emitters, over 100 kt CO2e/year, 350 in canada, 30 in BC
4 chemicals covered in Kyoto Protocol, other than Cabon Dioxide and Methane
Nitrous Oxide, Hydrofluorocarbons, PFCs, SF6
3 important differences between the greenhouse effect and ozone depletion
Location: GW - Troposphere, Ozone - Stratosphere
Energy Wave Length: GW - transparent to UV, absorbs longwave, Ozone - Transparent to longwave, absorbs UV
Chemicals: GW - CO2, CH4, N20, CFCs, Ozone - Cl atoms in CFCs
Black Swan
low probability (outlier), high impact events (Taleb)
what is the Khazzoom-Brookes Postulate?
Like Jevons Paradox, increased energy efficiency means increased energy consumption by three means.
e.g. fuel efficient cars -> more cars, more need for oil etc.
What are two different kinds of pollutants that aid in photochemical smog events in the summer time?
VOCs, and NOx
What is a joy plot?
data plots relating to climate change, each line is matched to the frequency stacked on top of each other creating pulses
What does Gifford mean by a “honeybee”
helps the environment without intending to do so, intends to serve their “hive” not serve human kind.
e.g. going vegetarian for their “health” not other reasons.
Three major controls of climate change?
Vulnerability, adaptive capacity, resilience (interrelated - overlap can can create feedbacks
In which decade was the nuclear winter theory developed?
1980s
whats the chemical process invented in Germany that converts atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia for fertilizer?
Haber-Bosch
What is bioconcentration?
the process by which a chemical concentration in an aquatic organism exceeds that in water as a result of exposure to a waterborne chemical
What is biomagnification?
the concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely disbursed
What is Grey water?
water that is polluted as a result of growing/producing crop
What is Blue water?
surface/ground water evaporated (irragation)
What is Green water?
natural precipitation (lost during evapotransporation)
What year has Canada promised to phase out coal power?
2030
What is Canada’s NDC for the Paris Agreement?
Canada is committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030.
What is the IPCC’s per capita global CO2 emission target for 2100, to achieve a 650 ppmv atmospheric concentration (RCP4.5)
1 tonne a day
Whats the minimum price per tonne of CO2 that the federal government’s promised to ensure is in place across Canada, for next year?
$10 per tonne, and $50 per tonne by 2022
What can increase society’s vulnerability to climate change?
unstable democracy, no food security, income inequality.
What is a “Nature Capricious” (Fatalist)
- good and bad things are random
- opportunistic
- management not possible (waste of time & money)
What is a “Nature Benign” (Individualist)
- nature is resilient, damage will repair itself
- optimistic, opportunistic
- “Laissez faire” attitude towards development
What is a “Nature Perverse/Tolerant” (Hierarchist)
- nature resilient up to a point
- possible to assess the safe limits
- precautionary principal
- emissions trading
