geog book 3 chap 3

Question 1

what is climate action?

Answer 1

stepped up efforts to combat climate change and its impact

Question 2

what are mitigation strategies?

Answer 2

efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon sinks, involving changing how societies to produce and use energy and land

place and context specific and thus there is no one size fits all approach

effectiveness vary across places, and may be limited by country’s technological, social, economic and instituitional challenges

Question 3

what are adaptation strategies

Answer 3

efforts to adjust to climate change and its efforts in order to minimise harm to people properties and the environment

place and context specific and thus there is no one size fits all approach

effectiveness vary across places, and may be limited by country’s technological, social, economic and instituitional challenges

Question 4

what does climate action do?

Answer 4

helps build community resilience and achieve sustainable development
when implemented well, communities are better able to resist, absorb, adapt to and recover from the impacts of climate change

Question 5

what are the 4 mitigation strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

Answer 5

international agreements and cooperation

use of low carbon technologies

use of clean energy sources

changes in consumption patterns

Question 6

how effective are international agreements and cooperation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Answer 6

UNFCCC aims to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions, supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts globally, with developed countries leading and providing financial and technological assistance to developing countries.

Question 7

how may the effectiveness of international agreements and cooperation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions be limited

Answer 7

institutional limitations

implementation of the Convention is dependent on the commitment of the parties to act and countries have different priorities, thus varying commitment

contributions to reduce gge are not legally binding and thus any country that refuses to take action will not have legal action taken against them

Question 8

give an example of the effectiveness of international agreements and cooperation in reducing greenhouse gas emissiond may have institutional limitations

Answer 8

President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of USA from the Paris Agreement in 2017 as he believes that it will undermine USA’s economy

Question 9

how effective are use of low carbon technologies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Answer 9

low carbon technologies emit low levels of greenhouse gases

these are such as carbon capture and utilisation and storage of carbon

Question 10

what is carbon capture

Answer 10

process of separating and capturing CO2 from power plants and other industrial sources of emissions

Question 11

what is the utilisation and storage of carbon

Answer 11

after CO2 is captured it is stored for a long period of time to prevent it from reaching the atmosphere

it is stored in oceans

co2 is used as a raw material to produce useful materials
products created can be sold for profit
cement can be made from stored co2

Question 12

what are the limitations of using low carbon technologies

Answer 12

economic:
expensive and requires public funding and subsidies for private research and development

technological:
there are concerns that stored carbon may leak out overtime

Question 13

give an example od an economic limitation of using low carbon technologies

Answer 13

in 2020 the sg govt announced that $49m will be set aside to fund low carbon energy research and to test the effectiveness ot carbon capture and the utilisation and storage of carbon

Question 14

how effective is the use of clean energy sources in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Answer 14

clean energy sources come from renewable sources which dont emit greenhouse gases or pollute the atmosphere when used

examples
solar energy
hydroelectric power
geothermal energy
nuclear energy

Question 15

what is solar energy? and give an example of its usage

Answer 15

energy from the Sun converted into thermal and electrical energy

cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source available

by 2030 sg wants to increase its solar capacity to meet around 4% of its total electricity demand

Question 16

what is hydro-electric power?

Answer 16

hydropower plants capture the energy of moving water such as rivers to generate energy

Question 17

what is geothermal energy?

Answer 17

derived from heat in the earth’s crust
beneath the earth’s surface, hot rocks heat up groundwater forming steam used to generate electricity

Question 18

what is nuclear energy? and give an example of its usage

Answer 18

derived from the splitting up of radioactive atoms that generate heat

this produces steam harnessed to generate electricity

more stable in terms of its supply

Question 19

what are the limitations of using clean energy sources

Answer 19

economic
development and construction of renewable energy technologies are expensive
it depends heavily on government policies and financial support to make renewable energy cost competitive

Question 20

give an example of the economic limitations of the use of clean energy sources

Answer 20

in indonesia, installing a solar system may cost around USD900 to USD1300 per kW
and thus solar energy only accounts for 1.7% of the country’s total electricity in 2019

Question 21

how effective are changes in consumption patterns in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Answer 21

household consumption of good contributes to our carbon footprint as gge are released during production and transportation of these goods

food choices
food waste
use of plastics
production of fashion

Question 22

how do food choices increase greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce it

Answer 22

food choices are responsible for more than 25% of all gge
types of food you can eat emit different amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and have varied environmental impacts

eating less meat and increasing vegetables as shitfing to plant based diet will reduce agricultural emissions
buying local produce uses less transportatiom reducing carbon emissions

Question 23

how does food waste increase gge and how to reduce it

Answer 23

when food waste enters the landfills and rots it produces methane contributing to climate change

buying only what we need to avoid overbuying and repurposing food waste are ways to reduce food waste and gge

Question 24

how does the usage of plastics increase gge and how to reduce it

Answer 24

Here’s a simplified version:

Plastics from fossil fuels release greenhouse gases

Refusing single-use plastics, using reusable products

and recycling correctly can reduce plastic waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Question 25

how does the production of fashion increase gge and how to reduce it

Answer 25

The production of clothing contributes to gge due to high energy and water consumption - Buying sustainable clothing - Upcycling old clothes - Donating unused clothes - Buying only what's needed - Opting for second-hand clothing These actions can minimize the environmental impact of the fashion industry

Question 26

what are the limitations of changing consumption patterns

Answer 26

social takes a long time to change ppls mindset and consumption patterns economic companies may be reluctant to change consumption patterns as it will reduce profits

Question 27

give an example of limitations of changing consumption patterns

Answer 27

despite the availability of drinkable tap water in singapore, singaporeans consumed more than 467 millions of bottled water in 2018 as people thought tap water was unclean and bottled water is more convenient

Question 28

why are carbon sinks important?

Answer 28

more than 50% of emitted carbon is reabsorbed by forests and oceans decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere forests absorb co2 through photosynthesis oceans reabsorb co2 through planktons, coral, fish and algae

Question 29

why is land use change important to protect environments?

Answer 29

land use change accounts for around 1% of global emissions co2 is emitted during deforestation ch4 is emitted by rearing livestocj and cultivating rice

Question 30

how is reducing deforestation effective in protecting environments through managing land use change?

Answer 30

deforestation increases the concentration of greenhouse gases as lesser trees absorb co2 deforestation causes soil erosion as soil particles are no longer anchored by roots of trees when soil enter rivers and oceans, it covers and suffocates corals and aquatic plants reducing deforestation ensures the natural system's capacity in absorbing co2 is not reduced

Question 31

how can deforestation be reduced?

Answer 31

encouraging consumers to only buy wood that is certified as sustainable banning illegal deforestation through stricter laws

Question 32

how effective are restoring mangroves in protecting environments through land use change

Answer 32

mangroves are important to coastal ecosystems as they are able to absorb and store greenhouse gas emissions in their soils up to 4 times as much as other tropical forests filter pollutants in rivers and prevent them from reaching the oceans and harming corals and aquatic species

Question 33

what are some methods to restore mangroves

Answer 33

planting mangrove seedlings along coastal areas creating the optimal conditions for mangroves to grow correcting the problems that caused mangrove loss

Question 34

what are the limitations of restoring mangroves

Answer 34

economic difficult to reduce deforestation in growing economies as there is competing land use for industries, agriculture and urban spaces

Question 35

give an example of an economic limitation of mangrove restoration

Answer 35

in indonesia there is more than 100,000 hectares of forest cover in 2020 despite tightening government regulations, forests are still being cleared for resources without deforestation, 3 million jobs are taken away

Question 36

how effective is protection of forests through forest regeneration effective in enhancing carbon sinks

Answer 36

when trees grow, they absorb and store co2 afforestation and reforestation should be encouraged as it allows for different species to be grown effectively on a piece of land

Question 37

what is afforestation and deforesation

Answer 37

afforesation: planting trees in a new area which previously did not have trees reforestation: re-planting trees in an area that had trees in the past

Question 38

what are the limitations of the protection of forests through fotest regeneration

Answer 38

social: large-scale afforestation creates competition for land limited land supply for agriculture will increase food prices and threaten food security technological a large-scale tree planting programme could take 50-100 years to have its full effect of removing 20 bil tonnes of co2 from the atmosphere

Question 39

what is a sea wall

Answer 39

a wall constructed along the coast to prevent the sea from advancing onto the land hence it protects people, properties and the environment from coastal floods

Question 40

give an example of a sea wall

Answer 40

there is a sea wall at east coast park, singapore which protect the coastline from sea level rise

Question 41

what are polders

Answer 41

low-lying land surrounded and protected by dykes excess water is pumped out from the polder hence this protects people, properties and environment from coastal floods and increasing sea level

Question 42

give an example of a polder

Answer 42

the netherlands have been constructing polders since the 12th century this helped protect communities from river and sea flooding

Question 43

what are water storage tanks?

Answer 43

storage for excess stormwater during periods of excessive rainfall to slow the water from rushing into canals and drains hence it prevents flooding in the canals and drains

Question 44

give an example of a water storage tank

Answer 44

stamford detention tank in singapore allows excess water to flow into tank temporarily when sensors detect that water levels in drains have fallen -> water in tank is released back into the drains

Question 45

what is the economic limitation of adaptation strategies involving structural approaches in building community resilience?

Answer 45

it is costly to build structures strong enough to protect communities from flooding and sea level rise especially for developing countries must be monitored and enhanced regularly to protect communities from rising flood levels as climate change worsens

Question 46

give an example of the economic limitation of adaptation strategies involving structural approaches in building community resilience?

Answer 46

sea walls are still costly to build in Fiji even when local materials are used together with materials supplied by the government it requires a lot of manpower which adds to the cost of building sea wallw

Question 47

what is the social limitation of adaptation strategies involving structural approaches in building community resilience?

Answer 47

construction of these structures may involve the eviction of informal communities they may resist against their eviction as they may not have anywhere to go

Question 48

give an example of the social limitation of adaptation strategies involving structural approaches in building community resilience?

Answer 48

in cities such as Jakarta and Bangkok, informal communities have been evicted/ displaced to make room for construction of flood structures large communities may not have suitable places to move to

Question 49

how effective are adaptation strategies involving technological approaches in building community resilience to climate change?

Answer 49

technological adaptation strategies to produce food can help communities to remain food secure despite changing climactic conditions, increasing food security and community resilience

Question 50

give and explain an example of adaptation strategy to produce food

Answer 50

Singapore's 30 by 30 plan aims to produce 30% of residents' nutritional needs locally by 2030. • 90% of Singapore's food is imported. • Less than 1% of land is available for farming. To address this, Singapore has adopted innovative methods: 1. High-tech vegetable farms with remote monitoring. 2. Automated egg farms for faster production. 3. High-tech fish farms with water quality monitoring. These methods enable efficient, high-quality food production, increasing food security.

Question 51

what are the limitations of adaptation strategies involving technological approaches in building community resilience to climate change

Answer 51

economic these strategies are very costly, may not be possible to implement in countries with limitee funding

Question 52

how effective are adaptation strategies involving social approaches in building community resilience to climate change

Answer 52

these strategies include raising awareness and educating communities on how to respond to impacts of climate change this allows communities to be aware of the warning signs of possible climate hazards and take appropriate steps to protect themselves

Question 53

what are the limitations of social adaptation strategies to build community resilience to climate change and give an example

Answer 53

social people may not he willing to change their behaviour for example in nepal, to cope with prolonged drought, communities are taught that they can plant more drought-resistant crops some communities prefee to stick to their traditional ways of adapting such as temporary migration to find alternative employment during periods of droughts

Question 54

what are the aims of institutional adaptation strategies?

Answer 54

organise strategies on a national/regional scale which may otherwise he impossible if communities acted on their own due to lack of resources, expertise, and funding

Question 55

give an example of a national policy organised

Answer 55

singapore has established organisations and agencies to coordinate climate action the ministry of sustainability and the environment sees how singapore can be more climate resilient centre for climate research conducts research in climate science aims to develop understanding of the changing climate in singapore which is used to support resilience planning

Question 56

give an example of a regional policy organised

Answer 56

ASEAN cooperation on Environment was set up to safeguard the interests of Southeast Asia various regional strategies have been made such as the ASEAN climate outlook forum it enables countries to collaboratively develop climate outlooks for the region using these outlooks, countries can make decisions to manage and adapt to climate risks

Question 57

what are the limitations of institutional adaptation strategies

Answer 57

institutional/economic countries have competing regional priorities and may not have the capacity to draw on their national budget to finance adaptation projects