Lecture xii - Role of States in response to Climate Change Flashcards
Define state
self-govning political entity regulate law, society within defined territory
state’s govnance essentially reflect work of govt
Name 3 responses by a state to climate change
- enforce international agreemt, national policy, regulat n aimed at reduce ghg emis n
- employ adaptative strategies to manage CC effects
- transit n to & invest in clean tech, renewable energy scs
Explain enforcing international agreement, national policy, regulation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- under Paris Agreemt, each country determine, plan, regular report contribut n to mitigate CC, set target by specific date
- emphasise consensus-building, allow voluntary, nationally determined targets
- focus on shared responsibility, politically encouraged rather than legally bound
- enforced in 2016
- govt oso can impose regulat n, standard on industries to limit emis n, promote energy eff
Benefit:
- recognise CC is shared problem, encourage all countries eg Japan, China, EU set carbon neutrality goal, embrace net zero target (unlike Kyoto protocol)
- bring all nation to common cause, undertake ambitious efforts combat CC, adapt, w enhanced support assist LDCs do so
- actively promote all EU member state join
Failures:
- cnt force country reduce emis n
- many expert criticise countries’ pledge, not ambitious enough, will not b enacted quickly to limit global temp rise to 1.5 deg C (Earth not on track stay below goal of 2 deg C increase)
- In SG
- committed b carbon neutral by 2050, aimed to invest heavily in renew rcs eg solar pwr to pwr 10% of energy need (mitigate CC)
- oso invest heavily in land reclamat n & coastal defence & desalinat n plant to adapt to effect of CC (eg sea lvl rise, extreme weather condit n)
=> state hv power impose tax on C emis n, phase out fossil fuel, provide direct n for firm to reduce ghg emis n
- responsible oso for influence consumer mindset, seek educate public to b more environ conscious
Explain employing adaptation strategies to manage effects of climate change
- govt need invest in measure to cope, adjust to CC impact (esp vulnerable area eg low-lying, etc. eg Dubai flood 16 April 2024, heaviest in 75 yr destroy many infra)
- can use soil-free cultivat n eg in Dal Lake, Kashmir, Inle Lake Myanmar
eg
Adaptative strategies in Bangladesh (low-lying) - most vulnerable to CC impact
- traditional agri system eg rice paddies no longer reliable bcos easily damaged by weather, prone to saltwater intrus n)
- According to World Bank, by 2050 rise sea lvl, coastal eros n cld displace 20 million ppl while submerge substantial amt land, wipe out large share food product n, affect Bangladesh food security (so adapt n vv needed esp bcos abt half workforce in agri)
- govt attempted popularise floating gardens/bed agri
(rely on traditional form hydroponic garden recognised as climate-resilient, nature-based sol n keep country flood-hit farmers afloat)
Benefit:
- low cost establish garden
- allow farm fish, prawn, crab (mixed crop farming)
- can b rebuilt quickly after damage fr cyclone
- btr econ initiative for rural farmer. In Barisal, Bangladesh, age-old cultivat n float garden can bring up to 70 000 taka (658 SGD) a month during peak harvest season (btr than initiatives undertaken by previous NGOs)
- success of such floating garden can b extended to abt 2 mill hectare land, ensure food secure, econ revenue for rural farmer
- to date 25,000 farmers in 24 districts have received training seats, pesticides and logistical support all provided by the government
Limit n
- farmers must take out high-interest loan to adopt agri practice, cld pose as financial deterrent
- gardens can b susceptible to pest
Explain investing in clean technologies and renewable energy sources in general
- many govt oso invest in R&D, deploy clean energy tech (battery store, C capture, storage, advance nuclear pwr, etc.)
eg ARPA-E - fund high risk high reward research project
- support dvlopmt high energy density lithium ion batteries EVs, advance wind turbine design, for offshore wind farms, innovative materials for next generation solar cell and novel methods for capturing and using carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes
oso,
- govt invest in alternative renew energy scs eg solar, wind, hydroe-
- implement policies promote adopt n (subsidy, tax incentive)
eg in 2020,
solar, wind pwr break records in clean energy gen n, tgt w other key renew tech eg hydropwr, bioenergy, geothermal (world closer to achieve net zero carbon goal)
- China transit n to use solar, wind, etc.
- strong growth in Europe, US, India, Latin America, where govt support + lower price for solar PV, wind continue drive installat n in more place
- US growth spurred by extension of federal tax credits
-HOWEVER, total decarbon n efforts still fall far short of what is needed to achieve net-zero pathway
Explain investing in clean technologies and renewable energy sources, using China as example
- inter-govt agreemt btw China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
- since 2018, China invest in solar, wind pwr project in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan reduce environ impact of FF (highly dependent on)
- energy shortage in both countries threaten energy security, force prioritise renewable source
- Kazakhstan face gap btw gas process capacity, pop n growth, Uzbekistan face energy deficit amid decline gas product n
- Moscow increase Pa on two countries import more gas fr Russia since start full-scale invas n of Ukraine 2022
- intergovt framework agreemt signed btw 2 Kazakhstan & China in 2015 aimed strengthen coop in industrial n, investmt, lead to no. of joint project eg renewable energy
- in 2022, Uzbekistan establish strategic partnership w China focus on green energy
- dvlopmt of regulatory framework play critical role in attract China to participate in renewable energy project in both countries
- open alternative avenue participat n for Chinese companies, bid, apply for projects in diff capacities
- oso improve profitability of implement renew energy project in both countries as offer various incentives for such project, eg tax exempt n, subsidies
- China emphasised environ consider n, shift fr large-scale FF, infra efforts to smaller, more sustainable project include scalable solar, wind energy
Eg Kazakhstan has set clear targets for renewable energy resources development, aiming to generate 15% of its electricity from renewables by 2030 and 50% by 2050
Explain importance of partnerships between firms, NGOs and governments in response to climate change
- leverage diverse rcs, capacity build, knowledge share
- firms may offer finalcial rcs, tech innovat n, biz acumen (skill), to NGOs, govt agencies
-NGOs bring grassroots knowledge eg offer insight into local context, community needs & influence community thru connect n
- Govt share data, policy insight for informed decision-make, provie regulatory framework, institutional support promote effectiveness of climate programmes/strategies
=> this mutual share rcs, learning process can strengthen capacity of all parties, foster continuous improvemt, long-term sustain proposed adaptive, mitigative measure of CC. By pool rcs, hv holistic understand of issues w integrated diverse viewpt, skills, enable dvlopmt of more robust strategies more effective address both immediate needs, underlying cause of problems - Enhance impact & scale
- collaborative efforts btw 3 entities hv more potential reach out more intended vulnerable communities, aid them adapt to CC vs individual initiative
- coord activites, share best practices amplify collective influence, scale up successful climatic mitigative intervent n
=> by work tgt in collaborative, coord manenr, 3 entities can maximise impact, aid community at large, better adapt to CC, for esp vulnerable grp/countries, achieve SD in long term for global pop n, future gen thru mitigative measure
