Lecture 1

Question 1

What are 4 things we can do to manage dangerous emissions

Answer 1

1. Calculate cumulative CO2 emissions for each nation according to consumption of goods (rather than production)
2. Define a safe CO2 limit to avoid dangerous climate breakdown (350ppm)
3. Calculate a “fair share” of CO2 emissions for each nation to reach that limit
4. Attribute responsibility according to emissions overshoot for each country beyond its fair share

Question 2

What % are western nations responsible for beyond the safe limit

Answer 2

92%

Question 3

Explain climate justice in relation to industrialisation

Answer 3

UK peaked in fossil energy use, direct emissions have fallen 50% since 1990 -> suffer fewer consequences of climate change
India, per capita of emissions much lower - haven’t reached peak energy use yet in trajectory of industrialisation -> suffer more consequences of climate change

Question 4

How do ecosystems interact with the climate

Answer 4

Carbon cycle

Question 5

What % of CO2 emitted from fossil fuel combustion is absorbed by ecosystem sinks

Answer 5

56%

Question 6

How can we reach a net zero greenhouse gas emissions

Answer 6

Reverse net deforestation

Question 7

What are the causes of deforestation (5)

Answer 7

1. Extraction of timber
2. Agriculture
3. Pasture creation
4. Cash crops e.g soy beans
5. Palm oil

Question 8

How can we offset carbon

Answer 8

Tree planting

Question 9

What is BECCS

Answer 9

Bio energy with carbon capture and storage -> grow crops, chop down and put in power station that used to burn fuel bud fitted with carbon capture - capture and liquefy CO2 and pump into old oil field in the sea

Question 10

Why is tree planting necessary

Answer 10

Needed for offsetting carbon to deal with residual greenhouse gas emissions - from planes and concrete

Question 11

What contributions do tropical forests provide in sink activity and deforestation

Answer 11

Important research in how forests in the global south may amplify/mitigate climate change caused by western countries
Well funded by western funding agencies - led by western scientists

Question 12

Is there a systematic problem with international science

Answer 12

There is a general power dynamic in international science which has uncomfortable parallels with historical colonial relations

Question 13

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 13

Unit comprising communities of organisms and their environment

Question 14

What focus on studying ecosystems

Answer 14

Abiotic and biotic interactions in natural or managed ecosystems

Question 15

What two components are important for understanding the rate of change

Answer 15

Biosphere and atmosphere

Question 16

Define ecosystem structure

Answer 16

Defined by the physical features of the ecosystem, including species present and their characteristics e.g biodiversity, plant life forms, biomass, carbon stocks, leaf area, specific adaptations to the environment

Question 17

Define ecosystem function

Answer 17

This describes what processes operate and how they are controlled e.g biotic interactions , carbon exchanges between plants and the atmosphere, soil and plant nutrient cycles, the hydrological cycle and energy exchange

Question 18

What are 3 abiotic factors important for controlling ecosystem structure and function

Answer 18

1. Climate factors e.g temp and precipitation and their seasonality - limit processes like primary production (function) and species characteristics (structure)
2. Solar radiation - varies with latitude e.g tropics = high + little seasonal variation, high latitudes = lower + strong seasonal variation
3. Fire frequency and intensity big role in fire-prone ecosystems - modify ecosystem structure directly (burning veg) and indirectly (filtering species present and their adaptations - releasing nutrients stored in plant bio masses and creating open, sunlit conditions
4. Soil properties e.g pH and nutrient availability (controls on structure) and function (e.g productivity) of terrestrial ecosystems

Question 19

What are 3 biotic factors important in controlling the ecosystem structure and function

Answer 19

1. Herbivory - controlling energy flow to higher trophic levels and cycling of nutrients (function) but directly limits the plant species that can persist and their biomass (structure)
2. Predation (presence or absence) and parasitism (indirectly influences e function and structure)
3. Animal-mediated seed dispersal and pollination (e function) may place important limits on plant distributions (e structure)
4. Soil microbes including mycorrhizal fungi and rhizosphere bacteria important for nutrient cycling (e function) and carbon storage (e structure)