Mitigation strategies

Question 1

What is mitigation?

Answer 1

Reducing climate change by reducing the flow of GHG into the atmosphere by either reducing sources or increasing sinks.

Question 2

What strategies for energy efficiency in buildings are implemented in the UK?

Answer 2

Regulations to ensure that new homes and offices conform to minimum standards of heat insulation and limits ratio of window/door to floor space area. Energy performance certificates. Homes generating their own energy through solar power, heat exchanges. South facing windows.

Question 3

What is BedZED?

Answer 3

A development in Wallington, South London. It is eco-friendly, most materials were sourced within 50 miles, has nits own treatment plant and woodchip fuelled power plant.

Question 4

What has the pattern of energy consumption and types of energy created been in the UK in the last 30 years?

Answer 4

A steady decline since 2005, marked reduction in coal and oil since 1990. Coal consumption fallen to levels not seen since the 19th century. Have shifted to more renewables partly due to EU laws. Use of wind, solar, biofuels and nuclear. Wind and solar has been offered subsidies.

Question 5

What was the first nuclear power station to open in the UK for 25 years?

Answer 5

Hinkley Point C.

Question 6

How much of the UK’s energy is taken up by fossil fuels?

Answer 6

86%

Question 7

How many nuclear plants in the UK?

Answer 7

6 plants with 13 reactors.

Question 8

What happened to nuclear power in the UK between the late 90s and 2020?

Answer 8

In the late 90s it generated 25% of the UK’s energy and now it is 16%

Question 9

What is the future of nuclear energy in the UK?

Answer 9

By 2025 will be half of today and by 2050 will be one third.

Question 10

What was the ten point plan?

Answer 10

A plan for a green industrial revolution which listed offshore wind, nuclear power and hydrogen as key for decarbonising the countries energy.

Question 11

What are the disadvantages of nuclear energy?

Answer 11

The technology can produce weapons, toxic waste for thousands of years, accidents very dangerous, expensive, can cause mutations/cancers.

Question 12

What are the three stages in carbon capture and storage?

Answer 12

Carbon dioxide separated from power station emissions. Carbon dioxide compressed and transported by pipelines to ships or storage areas. Carbon dioxide injected into porous rocks deep underground.

Question 13

How much can corban capture reduce emissions by?

Answer 13

80-90%

Question 14

What are the limitations to carbon capture and storage?

Answer 14

It is very expensive. It uses a lot of energy-around 20% of power stations output would have redirected to separate and compress C02. Requires storage reservoirs with specific geological conditions.

Question 15

Outline the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

Answer 15

A binding agreement between many AC’s which agreed to a reduction in CO2 emissions with an aim to cut by 5%

Question 16

What limitations were there to the Kyoto protocol?

Answer 16

The US and Australia refused to sign, EDCs such as China and India were exempt. New agreement came into effect in 2005 with different countries having differing levels of compliance, expired in 2012.

Question 17

Outline the 2015 Paris agreement

Answer 17

Agreed to reduce carbon emissions below 60% of 2010 levels by 2050. Aimed to keep global warming below 2 degrees, rich countries would transfer significant funds and technology to assist poorer countries to achieve targets.

Question 18

How does the cap and trade system work?

Answer 18

A country or business is allowed to produce a certain amount of CO2 per year. If they are below the amount they gain carbon credits. These can be bought by countries/companies that went over in order to not have to pay fines. These amount of carbon that can be released falls year upon year.

Question 19

What are the drawbacks of a cap and trade system?

Answer 19

Country’s can set their own voluntary targets. These agreements are not legally binding. No timetable for implementation is agreed. China and India claim it is unfair as main problems were caused by ACs.

Question 20

What is a clean development mechanism.

Answer 20

A way for ACs to invest in emissions reducing EDC’s and LIDC’s projects. Investments are alternative to expansive emission reducing projects in AC’s.

Question 21

What are negatives to cap and trade when it comes to businesses?

Answer 21

Market is not regulated- hard to know if carbon has already been bought by people before you. Not legally binding. Some pay rather than find green alternatives. Unclear whether it will reduce emissions.

Question 22

What is geoengineering?

Answer 22

The deliberate large-scale manipulation of an environmental process that affects the earth’s climate, in an attempt to counteract the effects of global warming.

Question 23

What were traditionally the two main types of geoengineering and what is the main one focussed on now?

Answer 23

Sucking carbon dioxide out of the sky so that the atmosphere will trap less heat. Reflecting sunlight away from the planet so less heat is absorbed.

Question 24

Outline solar geoengineering.

Answer 24

Hypothetical technologies that could in theory counteract temperature rise by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth’s surface, do not aim to reduce amount of GHG in atmosphere.

Question 25

Outline an ocean mirror.

Answer 25

A method involving using a fleet of sea vessels to churn up microbubbles on the Earth’s surface in order to reflect sunlight.

Question 26

What are the limitations of the ocean mirror?

Answer 26

Would cost a lot of money and energy to generate enough microbubbles.

Question 27

Outline marine cloud brightening.

Answer 27

Involves using ships to spray saltwater into clouds above the sea. Salt particles facilitate the condensation of water vapour into liquid. This would make clouds appear larger and brighter, reflecting away more sunlight.

Question 28

What could be the downsides to marine cloud brightening?

Answer 28

Only confined to certain regions and can upset weather patterns, ocean circulation and local biology.

Question 29

Outline high albedo crops and buildings.

Answer 29

Making rooftops and walls brighter by painting them white as well as using lighter crops.

Question 30

What could be the limitations to high albedo crops and buildings?

Answer 30

Unlikely to make a difference to global temperatures. Could decrease crop yields.

Question 31

Outline a space sunshade.

Answer 31

A giant mirror in orbit reflecting sunlight away from the Earth, a 2% reduction in sunlight could offset warming

Question 32

What are the drawbacks of a space sunshade?

Answer 32

Would be a huge technological challenge and once introduced would have to be continually altered. Extremely expensive.

Question 33

Outline cloud thinning.

Answer 33

Removing cirrus clouds from the atmosphere which absorb large amounts of long-wave radiation.

Question 34

What could be the drawbacks to cloud thinning?

Answer 34

Could make some thicker and more resistant cirrus clouds. Also don’t know how they would affect other aspects such as atmospheric circulation.

Question 35

Outline aerosol injection.

Answer 35

Artificially introducing aerosols into the atmosphere to have a cooling effect.

Question 36

What are the downsides to aerosol injection?

Answer 36

Release in the northern hemisphere could lead to a decrease in rainfall and enhanced drought risk.

Question 37

Outline afforestation.

Answer 37

The planting if trees in deforested areas or areas that have never been forested before.

Question 38

What does the UN REDD programme do?

Answer 38

Supports nationally led REDD+ processes and promotes the informed and meaningful movement of all stakeholders, including indigenous people and other forest dependent communities.

Question 39

How does REDD+ aim to develop sustainably in developing countries?

Answer 39

Reducing carbon emissions from deforestation. Reducing carbon emissions from forest degradation. Conserving forest carbon, sustainable management of forests, enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

Question 40

What were the aims in the land of the Sururi people?

Answer 40

To protect primary rainforest on tribal lands from further deforestation and reforest areas degraded by illegal logging and deforestation.

Question 41

What is the plan for the Sururi people?

Answer 41

Plant seedlings in local nurseries in deforested areas. Use carefully selected plants for food and timber. Have a sustainable source of wood for logging and earning income.

Question 42

What % of emitters are covered by the EU cap and trade scheme?

Answer 42

50%

Question 43

What is the EU’s fine on every excess tonne of CO2 emitted?

Answer 43

100 euros.

Question 44

What are the drawbacks of cap and trade schemes?

Answer 44

Some companies may choose to pay the fines, could cause to relocation of industries overseas although little evidence of this, reduction in emissions is not dramatic.

Question 45

What reductions did Denmark make in CO2 emissions between 1990-2020 and what do they plan on reducing emissions by by 2050?

Answer 45

40% and 100%

Question 46

What adaptation strategies have Copenhagen developed?

Answer 46

Aims to create climate proof neighbourhoods, storm barriers, dykes and new buildings 1m above sea level have been developed.

Question 47

What did the Californian global warming solutions act in 2006 do?

Answer 47

Set absolute, state wise limits on GHG emissions and committed the state to the decarbonisation of the economy. Target to reduce emissions by 80% below 1990 levels in 2050.