Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies Flashcards
Two main causes of anthropogenic greenhouse gases are…
- burning fossil fuels for energy and
- changes society has made to land use
Agriculture produces greenhouse gases in a variety of ways…
→ use of fertilisers
→ ruminant animals
→ land clearing
→ Tilling/ ploughing
The following reduces the amount of fossil fuels burnt…
- reducing use of electrical appliances
- public transport instead of cars (less petrol usage) 🚌
- use energy efficient appliances
- heat/ cool less
- buy local product (fruit and veg grown in AUS) 🥕 🥝
- eat less meat → meat industry produces methane �
What are Mitigation strategies?
strategies intended to prevent or reduce greenhouse gas emissions
(proactive)
What are Adaption strategies?
strategies intended to reduce the impact of climate change due to
greenhouse gas emissions (reactive)
What are some Urban design mitigation strategies:
Use of high efficiency LED lights for street lighting 💡
- Convenient and effective public transport to encourage its
usage over cars 🚏🚌
- Green buildings with plants that insulate… reduce energy
usage (eg, One Central Park) 🪴
- Double glazing (insulates) → effective as it reduces heat loss
by 30% when compared to single glaze
- Use of renewable energy (eg, solar)
- Buildings that face north (maximum exposure to sun during
winter, shading during summer)
What are some Urban design adaptation strategies
- Planning so that emergency services can access areas and residents can leave
efficiently 🚒 - Planting trees to provide moisture and shade during heat waves
- Attention to drainage (reduce impact of increasing flash floods, etc)
- Appropriate use of thermal mass (ability of a material to absorb and store heat) = energy
savings (eg, concrete and bricks absorb heat during day and release at night) - Light surfaces, eg, roofs and roads (reflect sun’s energy) 🛣 → effective as it reduces
albedo effect by 0.8%, noticeable by residents, reduced LA’s energy bills by $100 million
per year
What does Geo-engineering mean?
Geo engineering describes large-scale projects that seek to modify Earth’s natural systems.
What is Geosequestration?
The process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2)
from major stationary sources (such as power
stations), transporting that CO2
(usually by a pipeline) and then injecting it into a suitable geological formation.
How is Geo-Engineering effective?
- Reduce carbon emissions in
atmosphere - However, it is very expensive to implement and difficult to make a profit from
Solar radiation management (SRM) aims to reduce the amount of light entering Earth’s atmosphere by injecting
large numbers of reflective particles into the upper
atmosphere/ stratosphere.
How is Geo-Engineering NOT effective?
- Benefits are outweighed by negatives
- Would produce substantial ozone depletion
→ flow
on effect on ecosystems - May cause droughts in Africa and Asia
- Widespread droughts or floods
What is Ocean Iron Fertilisation?
Is the intentional introduction of
iron to iron-poor areas of the ocean surface to stimulate phytoplankton production → enhance
biological productivity and/or accelerate carbon dioxide sequestration from the atmosphere
The most popular renewable energy sources currently include:
- Solar energy
- Wind energy
- Hydro energy
What is Solar energy?
Is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of
ever-evolving technologies.
Pros of SOLAR ENERGY?
- Reduces carbon footprint as they use
sustainable energy rather than burning
fossil fuels - Lower electricity bills
- Requires very little maintenance
- Excess power can be sold back into the
grid (investment)
Cons of SOLAR ENERGY?
- Expensive to install 💵
- Susceptible to weather / climate
- Less production on overcast or
short days - Lower efficiency than fossil fuel energy
- Solar panels typically have an
efficiency rate between 15-20%,
whereas coal has efficiency of up to
40% - Become less efficient with time
- solar panels and batteries will
deteriorate over time - requires rare earth minerals which are
non-renewable - Does not work for every roof type
What is Wind energy?
is a process by which wind is used to generate electricity.
- It is a form of solar energy as wind is caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere
by the sun, variations in the earth’s surface, and rotation of the earth
PROS of WIND ENERGY (wind turbines)
- Renewable & clean source of energy:
- Doesn’t require burning fossil fuels to
operate. - Completely renewable & will never
run out. - More energy efficient than most power
stations that burn fossil fuels. - Low operating costs (turbines don’t require
much maintenance) - Efficient use of land space
CONS of WIND ENERGY (wind turbines)
- Intermittent (not consistently available):
- reliant on weather and isn’t capable
of generating electricity 24/7. - Wind energy isn’t always available in
times of peak electricity demand. - In order to use wind energy
exclusively, wind turbines need to be
paired with some sort of energy
storage technology (requires mining of unsustainable minerals). - Expensive to install 💵
- Negative environmental impacts:
- Wind turbine blades can harm and
kill species, such as birds and bats,
that fly into them. - Construction of wind farms can
disrupt natural habitats of local
species if not conducted correctly. - Noise and visual pollution
What is Hydro energy?
Uses the force of moving water to create electricity.
PROS of HYDROENERGY?
- Renewable + sustainable energy source
- High efficiency
- Very reliable → can meet peak electricity
demand - Safe
- Low maintenance cost
CONS of HYDRO ENERGY?
-Some adverse environmental impact.
- Lack of available reservoirs
- Expensive upfront �
What is Agriculture?
Practice of cultivating plants and livestock
What is Mosaic burning ?
Involves lighting low fires in small areas on foot to maintain and protect the health of the surrounding country.
- Fires are closely monitored, ensuring that only the underbrush is burnt.
- Provides right temperature for native seeds to
open (conventional hazard reduction burning is too hot → destroys seeds and nutrients in the soil) - Burning small areas allows animals to move to different sections and come back to new
growth
What is Insect Diet?
Eating insects over other sources of meat → sustainable dietary practice as it reduces carbon
footprint
- Higher in protein: larvae (54% protein) VS beef (27% protein)
- Bogong moth = pest of crops in Australia + highly nutritious food source eaten by
Aboriginal people
