Global Warming

Question 1

What is climate?

What is the different between climate variability and climate change?

Answer 1

Climate
- mean state and other statistics of the climate system over a 30-year period (or longer)

Climate Variability

• variations on all spatial and temporal scales beyond those of individual weather events
• caused by internal variability (natural processes) or external variability (natural forcing from solar, volcanic, tectonic)

Climate Change

• changes that persist for decades
• attributed direct or indirectly to human activity that changes mean global temperature
• occurs beyond natural climate variability

Question 2

What is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?

Answer 2

• formed in 1988
• scientific body under the UN that reviews scientific information relevant to climate change
• does NOT conduct research or monitor climate
• produces a report every 6 years

Question 3

What is the Kyoto Protocol adopted in 1997?

** UNFCCC - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Answer 3

• committed to reduce GHG by 18% below 1990 levels between 2013 to 2020
• common but differentiated responsibility, with developed nations bearing a heavier burden
• Annex 1 countries are internationally binded for GHG emissions (not SG)
• SG joined Kyoto Protocol in July 2006

Question 4

What was the goal of the Paris 2015 Agreement?

Answer 4

• holding increase in global temperature to 2°C above pre-industrial levels
• aim to limit temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels
• will replace the Kyoto Protocol after 2020

Question 5

What are Singapore’s responsibilities to reduce emissions?

Answer 5

• in 2009, pledged to reduce GHG emissions by 7-11% below business-as-usual levels in 2020 (possible increase to 16%)
• in 2016, committed to reduct GHG emission intensity by 36% from 2005 levels by 2030
• National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) established in 2010 to implement climate change policies
• Center for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS) established in 2013 to perform research

Question 6

What are the Annex 1 nations?

Answer 6

1. United States
2. China
3. UK
4. Japan
5. Russia
6. Germany
7. Canada

Question 7

What is radiative forcing?

Answer 7

• the change in upward radiative power emitted per unit area at the tropopause at equilibrium

Question 8

What are the order of greenhouse gases from the largest to the smallest in terms of radiative forcing?

Answer 8

1. Carbon Dioxide
2. Methane
3. Nitrous Oxide

Question 9

Where are the regions with surface temperature increase from 1901-2012?

Where are the regions with surface temperature decrease from 1901-2012?

Answer 9

Increase

• North Africa
• South America
• North America & Canada

Decrease
- North Atlantic (melting glaciers make ocean cooler)