Responding to climate change Details

Question 1

Factors associated with vulnerability

Answer 1

-Exposure
-Sensitivity
-Adaptive capacity

Question 2

Population groups that are more vulnerable to climate change

Answer 2

-Children
-The elderly
-People with disabilities
-The poor
-Minority groups
-Refugees
-Indigenous people

Question 3

Locations at greater risk due to climate change

Answer 3

-Low-lying islands
-River mouths and valleys
-Coastal areas
-Regions that derive their water supplies from mountain glaciers

Question 4

Problems faced by low-lying islands

Answer 4

-Increased coastal erosion
-Saline intrusion into groundwater supplies
-Deterioration of coral reefs
-Out-migration of people
-Loss of income(as a result of a decline in economic activities and infrastructure)

Question 5

Reasons why indigenous people are vulnerable to climate change

Answer 5

-Often live in extreme environments
-May have limited access to resources(e.g. income, water, etc.)
-Greater reliance on the environment(since they are very adapted to it)

Question 6

Individual ways of coping with climate change

Answer 6

-DIversifying income sources
-Selling assets
-Saving money
-Evacuating vulnerable members to safer places
-Preserving food and fuel
-Building dykes(with sandbags)

Question 7

Ways the government can adapt to climate change

Answer 7

-Strengthening public health-care delivery
-Strengthening social security support systems
-Education about the causes/effects of climate change
-Promoting sustainable agriculture(to reduce degradation)

Question 8

Organisations addressing mitigation and adaptation strategies for climate change

Answer 8

-Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)
-National Adaptation Programmes of Action(NAPAs)
-United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC)

Question 9

When and where id the world’s governments adopt the UN Framework Conveniton on Climate Change(UNFCC)?

Answer 9

1992, at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit

Question 10

Main objective of the UNFCC

Answer 10

achieve, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention, stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system(Article 2)

Basically, to prevent “dangerous” human interference with the climate system

Question 11

When did the UNFCC come into effect?

Answer 11

1994

Question 12

THe UNFCCC went into effect in 1994 but failed to slow down greenhouse gas emissions(T/F)

Answer 12

True

Question 13

Reasons why the UNFCCC encouraged high-income countries to lead the way in climate change mitigation

Answer 13

-They have the technology required
-They have caused a disproportionate amount of historic CO₂
-They are better able to bear the costs of low-energy carbon developments
-Low-income countries need time to develop their economies

Question 14

When and where did countries first sign up to the Kyoto Protocol

Answer 14

in 1997, at the third Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC(COP 3), Kyoto, Japan

Question 15

Aim of the Kyoto Protocol

Answer 15

Its aim was for countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent of their 1990 levels by 2012

Question 16

When did the Kyoto Protocol come into force?

Answer 16

2005

Question 17

When did the Kyoto Protocol expire?

Answer 17

2015(it was set to expire in 2012 but was extended)

Question 18

How carbon trading within countries works(in relation to the Kyoto Protocol)

Answer 18

-Within the Kyoto Protocol, countries were allocated amounts of carbon dioxide they were allowed to emit
-These permitted levels were divided into units
-Countries with emission units to spare are allowed to sell them to countries that have gone or would otherwise go over their permitted allowance

Question 19

The Kyoto Protocol did not oblige low-income countries to meet specific targets(T/F)

Answer 19

True

Question 20

Coordinating body of the Kyoto Protocol

Answer 20

the Conference of Parties(it meets every year to discuss progress in dealing with climate change9

Question 21

Factors which determine the success of international solutions to climate change

Answer 21

-the extent to which governments wish to sign up to international agreements
-whether governments are preventive or reactive

Question 22

Number of countries that signed up to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997

Answer 22

183

Question 23

When and where was the Paris Agreement made?

Answer 23

In 2015, at the UN Climate Change Conference, Paris, Francce

Question 24

Number of countries that signed up to the Paris Agreement in 2015

Answer 24

174

Question 25

Objectives of the Paris Agreement

Answer 25

-Limit global warming to 2°C compared with pre-industrial levels(key objective)
-Achieving zero net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions between 2050 and 2100

Question 26

Examples of mitigation strategies to reduce GHGs(in general)

Answer 26

-Reducing energy consumption
-Reducing emissions of nitrous oxides and methane from agriculture(by using fewer chemical fertilizers and reducing the use of intensive livestock farming)
-Using alternatives to fossil fuels
-Geo-engineering

Question 27

Examples of mitigation strategies for carbon dioxide removal(CDR)

Answer 27

-Protecting and enhancing carbon sinks through land management
-Using biomass as a fuel source
-Using carbon capture and storage(CCS)
-Enhancing carbon dioxide absorption by the oceans(either by fertilizing oceans with nitrogen, phosphorus and iron or by increasing upwellings to release nutrients to the surface)

Question 28

National and international methods to prevent further increases in mean global temperature

Answer 28

-Controlling the amount of atmospheric pollution
-Stopping forest clearance
-Increasing forest cover
-Developing alternative renewable energy sources
-Improving public transport
-Setting national limits on carbon emissions
-Developing carbon dioxide capture
-Recycling

Question 29

Percentage of carbon dioxide in greenhouse gases

Answer 29

76%

Question 30

Key steps of deep decarbonization

Answer 30

-Increasing energy efficiency(e.g. by saving energy in heating, cooling or ventilating buildings)

-Reducing the emissions of CO₂ per MWh of electricity(by increasing the amount of electricity generated by zero-emissions energy, such as wind and solar)

-Fuel shift from direct use of fossil fuels to electricity based on clean primary energy sources

Question 31

Features of the Desertec Project

Answer 31

-No longer active(at least, not as it was originally intended)
-Designed to link North Africa, the Middle East and Europe into a single grid
-Takes advantage of the strong solar and wind potential of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula
-Aimed to supply energy for North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and export the surplus to Europe

Question 32

Examples of geo-engineering

Answer 32

-Carbon capture and storage(CCS)
-Afforestation
-Ocean fertilization
-Pumping sulfate aerosol particles into the air to dim the incoming sunlight and thereby cool the planet(just an idea)
-Placing giant mirrors in space to deflect some of the incoming solar radiation(also just an idea)

Question 33

When does UN-REDD stand for?

Answer 33

United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation

Question 34

When was the UN-REDD programme launched?

Answer 34

2008

Question 35

Aim of the UN-REDD programme

Answer 35

to stress the role of conservation in low-income countries, as well as the sustainable management of forests and the increase in forest carbon stocks

Question 36

Main forms of carbon capture and sequestration(CCS)

Answer 36

-Capture the CO₂ at the site where it is produced(the power plant) and then store it underground in a geological deposit(e.g. an abandoned oil reservoir)

-“Direct air capture of CO₂”: Allow the CO₂ to enter the atmosphere but then remove it using specially designed removal processes(e.g. collecting the CO₂ with special chemical sorbents that absorb the CO₂)

Question 37

How carbon offset schemes work

Answer 37

-Offset companies buy carbon credits from projects that plant trees or encourage a switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy
-They then sell credits to individuals and companies that want to go “carbon neutral”

Question 38

Disadvantage of carbon offset schemes

Answer 38

-Dissuade people from changing their behaviour

Question 39

Examples of adaptation strategies

Answer 39

-Flood defences
-Vaccination programmes
-Desalination plants
-Planting of crops in previously unsuitable climates

Question 40

Examples of civil societies

Answer 40

-The World WIde Fund for Nature(WWF)
-Greenpeace
-The Climate Action Network

Question 41

How the World Wide Fund For Nature(WWF) is attempting to tackle climate change

Answer 41

-pressurizing major economies and emerging economies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
-calling on governments to sign up to international agreements to reduce the use of fossil fuels and work towards 100% renewable energy by 2050
-trying to encourage people to use new technologies, have greener lifestyles, and call for climate-smart legislation

Question 42

Features of the One in Five Challenge(by the WWF)

Answer 42

-Lasted from 2010 to 2015
-Challenges companies to cut one flight out of five and gives public recognition for the achievement

Question 43

Ethical issues with geo-engineering

Answer 43

Geo-engineering might:
-create conflicts
-create greater/other natural biological problems
-could cause harm to people(chemicals)
-increase inequality(potential divide between countries which can afford geo-engineering and those who can’t)
-Other countries may be affected by one country’s geo-engineering practices
-Green washing
-Change weather patterns

Question 44

Technical solutions to climate change(both mitigation and adaptations)

Answer 44

-Internet-of-Things(IoT) can reduce electricity usage
-Smart grids(manage and reduce electricity usage)
-Soil moisture sensors and smart irrigation systems(optimize crop production and minimizing water usage and reducing costs)
-Genetic modifications of crops/livestock(to enhance the usage of production and yield)
-Using alternative energy-sources(non-fossil fuels)
-Alternative greener transportation systems

Question 45

Examples of non-fossil fuel energy sources

Answer 45

-Wind power
-Solar energy
-Geo-thermal energy
-Tidal energy
-Hydro-electric power
-Nuclear power
-Biomass
-Fusion power