International agreements and how green

Question 1

What does COP 21 commit the UK to

Answer 1

The COP21 commits the UK with the aim to lower global warming to 1.5C, but it is not binding

Question 2

What does COP 21 implies the Conservative’s greenness

Answer 2

The Conservative Party committed to some soft deal globally,rather than taking a leading role in reducing global warming.

Question 3

Individual pledges of COP 21

• Lacks credibility

Answer 3

Individual pledges to reduce carbon emission and the climate finance elements of the deal reflects the agreement lacks credibility
• US might be leaving!

Question 4

Why the Conservative can be considered green

• EU regulations

Answer 4

By committing the country to international agreements on top of all other EU regulations shows that the Conservative Party’s environmental policies could be considered as green

Question 5

What were the new sets of targets in 2014 from the EU

Answer 5

All 28 member states have accepted emission targets for 2030 at a similar level with the UK agreed to cut emission level by 40% compared with 1990 levels by 2030.

Question 6

Environmental downside of HS2

• Green belt land

Answer 6

HS2 will be built on 250 acres of green belt land

Question 7

Environmental downside of HS2

• Affecting natural beauty

Answer 7

a £500m tunnel will be built through the Chiltern Hills affecting an area of outstanding natural beauty, and about 60 properties on the proposed phrase 1 route are likely to experience levels of noise, which will qualify for noise insulation under the NOise Insulation Regulations.

Question 8

Positives green aspects of HS2

• Air and road trips

Answer 8

HS2 will remove millions of air and road trips onto rail. It will open up space on the existing rail network for freight, taking hundreds of HGBs per hour off the road

Question 9

Positives green aspects of HS2

• Planning trees

Answer 9

The Conservative Party promised to plan 2 million trees along the proposed route between London and the West Midland.

Question 10

Positives green aspects of HS2

• Cut carbon emission

Answer 10

It is estimated that £4.5 million air trips and 9 million road trips a year will ship onto rail, helping the government to cut carbon emission, and thus meeting the global target

Question 11

What is right wing reformist thinking?

Answer 11

Environmental degradation can be tackled without the need for major state intervention, and leave to market forces

Question 12

What is the left wing (e.g. Green) radical thinking?

• Global capitalism

Answer 12

They see global capitalism as the primary reason for environmental degradation.

Question 13

What is the left wing (e.g. Green) radical thinking?

• Economic growth

Answer 13

The sate purse the national interest of economic growth and importance of making money over environmental concern

Question 14

What does the EU 202020 do?

Answer 14

EU Climate Change 202020 package 2007 set new targets for 20% of energy to come from renewable sources and carbon emissions to be reduced by 20% by 2020

Question 15

How much does the ETS cost the UK?

Answer 15

In the UK, more than 700 UK based energy incentive installations participate in the EU ETS

Question 16

What does the EU Landfill Directive require?

Answer 16

It requires members to reduce landfill waste by 50% by 2013, and 65% by 2020

Question 17

EU New Targets in 201

• The 2030 agreement

Answer 17

The 2030 agreement allowed states to choose how to meet the targets therefore not binding them automatically to renewables

Question 18

Example of the Landfill Directive

• Worcestershire

Answer 18

Worcestershire County Council has been fined £6million, which was equivalent as four times of their subsidies for local bus services.

Question 19

Government spending on environment

• Cuts in development

Answer 19

Cuts to environment department equal 57% in real terms over course of two parliaments

Question 20

Government spending on environment

• Defra

Answer 20

Defra was hit by one of the largest cuts to its operating costs during the Coaliton

Question 21

UK’s response to the EU Landfill Directive

Answer 21

The Government’s Waste Strategy 2000 is the framework for improving the management of waste and responding to the EU Landfill Directive

Question 22

The nature of climate change

• Co-operation

Answer 22

Climate change is a global problem and requires co-operation between large numbers of countries

Question 23

What are the difficulties in meeting international agreement?
• Hard to balance

Answer 23

Ministers and local councils often find it hard to balance the situation when government tries to cut spending but being sanctioned by failing to meet the target at the same time

Question 24

Controversies of the EU Landfill tax

• Liverpool

Answer 24

Liverpool County Council is spending £20million a year on landfill tax while hundreds of residents have no recycling facilities

Question 25

Why is the Kyoto Treaty in 1997 controversial?

• Developing country

Answer 25

It did not require developing countries to commit to emission reductions, despite China and India being one of the biggest polluters

Question 26

Why is the Kyoto Treaty in 1997 controversial?

• greater responsibility

Answer 26

As a consequence, it placed greater responsibility for many wealthy and developed countries in the EU

Question 27

Why is the Kyoto Treaty in 1997 controversial?

• China

Answer 27

As a result of China’s economic boom, its emissions went up 286.6% from 2.5m metric tonnes to 9.7m metic tonnes, without being obliged to make any cuts

Question 28

Controversies of COP 21?

• ‘Soft compromise’

Answer 28

Many scientists criticise the aim to keep temperatures at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels was a ‘soft compromise’, and merely offers ‘false hope’ that could ultimately prove to be counterproductive in reducing global warming

Question 29

Significance of COP 21

• Binding

Answer 29

It is the first legally binding commitment on curbing carbon emissions by all 195 UN countries.

Question 30

Brexit: Dependence on the EU

according to Friends of the Earth

Answer 30

Up to 80% of our environment protections come from the EU. The EU has been important in saving bees, cleaning up air and stopping fracking.