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Down With Dobie > Responding to the Climate Crisis > Flashcards

Responding to the Climate Crisis Flashcards

Section IV of the USAD Social Science Resource Guide terms and definitions

1
Q

When was the United Nations (UN) established?

A

1946 (in the aftermath of WWII)

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2
Q

Charter of the UN

A

An international treaty that emphasizes the chief aim of the UN is to prevent the use of force in international relations

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3
Q

Sputnik

A

The first artificial Earth satellite

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4
Q

When did the Soviet Union launch Sputnik?

A

1957

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5
Q

When was NASA founded?

A

1958

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6
Q

When did the first man successfully land on the moon?

A

1969

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7
Q

When was the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) established?

A

1979

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8
Q

When was the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) established?

A

1987

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9
Q

When was the International Council for Science (ICSU) established?

A

1931

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10
Q

Why is the International Council for Science also referred to as the ICSU?

A

After its former name, the International Council of Scientific Unions

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11
Q

Lloyd Berkner

A

American physicist and engineer who suggested that ICSU embark on a study of global geophysical activities over a set period in 1952

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12
Q

When did the International GeoPhysical Year (IGY) occur?

A

July 1957 to December 1958

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13
Q

International GeoPhysical Year (IGY)

A

A period of time that was selected to correspond with a high point in the 11-year cycle of sunspot activity

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14
Q

What was the International GeoPhysical Year (IGY) foundational for?

A

The launch of NASA

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15
Q

Charles David Keeling

A

He initiated a systematic measurement of atmospheric carbon dioxide at a base on Mauna Loa

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16
Q

Bert Bolin

A

He traveled to Washington, D.C. to alert the National Academy of Sciences that increasing carbon dioxide levels could have serious consequences

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17
Q

When did Bert Bolin travel to Washington, D.C.?

A

1959

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18
Q

Keeling Curve

A

A graph showing the ever-increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

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19
Q

Who was the first chair of the ICSU’s new committee on atmospheric sciences in 1964?

A

Bert Bolin

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20
Q

In 1967, the ICSU and the World Meteorological Association jointly founded the …?

A

Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP)

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21
Q

Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP)

A

This organization was at the center of advances in knowledge of the weather and climate in the 1970s and 1980s

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22
Q

Where was the International Workshop on Climate Issues hosted in 1978?

A

Austria

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23
Q

Which organizations hosted the International Workshop on Climate Issues in 1978?

A

The ICSU, WMO, and UNEP

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24
Q

Which organization succeeded GARP as the new center for the study of climate change?

A

The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)

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25
Q

International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme

A

Complemented the WCRP after a push to create a new scientific program that could contextualize climate change more broadly was realized

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26
Q

Where did the ICSU, WMO, and UNEP organize a major conference at in 1985?

A

Villach, Austria

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27
Q

What topic was the Villach, Austria conference organized by the ICSU, WMO, and UNEP centered around?

A

“Assessment of the Role of Carbon Dioxide and of Other Greenhouse Gases in Climate Variations and Associated Impacts”

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28
Q

The Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) is a committee of what organization?

A

ICSU

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29
Q

“The greenhouse effect, climatic change and ecosystems”

A

A report issued by SCOPE following the Villach, Austria conference that warned of the possibility of “substantial warming” as a result of carbon dioxide emissions that were “attributable to human activities”

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30
Q

Advisory Group on Greenhouse Gases

A

Formed by scientists to create an avenue for sustained communication of scientific knowledge to policy makers and the public

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31
Q

“The Changing Atmosphere: Implications for Global Security”

A

A major conference hosted in Toronto by the WMO in 1988

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32
Q

James E. Hansen

A

NASA scientist who testified before the United States Senate that the human-induced greenhouse effect, not natural fluctuations, was the cause of climate change

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33
Q

When did James E. Hansen testify before the US Senate?

A

1988

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34
Q

When was the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) founded?

A

1988

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35
Q

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

A

The most authoritative source of information about the science of climate change that independently assesses the science produced out of the WCRP and IGBP

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36
Q

Who were instrumental to the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?

A

Paul J. Crutzen and Bert Bolin

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37
Q

Who served as the first chair of the IPCC?

A

Bert Bolin

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38
Q

For what years did Bolin serve as the first chair of the IPCC?

A

1988 to 1998

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39
Q

Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming

A

Book that helps explain why so many Americans do not believe in climate science by documenting an episode in the early 1990s

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40
Q

Who wrote Merchants of Doubt?

A

Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway

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41
Q

When was Merchants of Doubt published?

A

2010

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42
Q

William Nierenberg

A

He retired as the Director of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in 1984 and joined the Board of Directors of the George C. Marshall Institute

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43
Q

Marshall Institute

A

A think tank in Washington, D.C. that defended the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) and other Cold War policies set forth by President Ronald Reagan

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44
Q

When did the Berlin Wall fall?

A

1989

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45
Q

In 1989, the Marshall Institute presented an unpublished paper arguing that …?

A

Variability in solar energy, not greenhouse gases, was causing global warming

46
Q

Kyoto Protocol

A

An international treaty in which nations committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions

47
Q

When was the Kyoto Protocol adopted?

A

1997

48
Q

The US Senate agreed not to sign the Kyoto Protocol by a vote of …?

A

95-0

49
Q

When did the US Senate agree not to sign the Kyoto Protocol?

A

July 25, 1997

50
Q

Why did the US choose not to sign the Kyoto Protocol?

A

No new limits were presented to Developing Country Parties, and it was believed there would be damage to the US economy

51
Q

Why did the United States sign the Kyoto Protocol in 1988?

A

As a gesture of support from President Bill Clinton, but with the understanding that it would not be ratified by the US Senate

52
Q

What was the leading issue distinguishing George W. Bush and Al Gore in the 2000 election according to a New York Times articles from November 3, 2000?

A

Gore’s support for the Kyoto Protocol and Bush’s opposition to it

53
Q

Why did Al Gore lose the 2000 election?

A

Despite receiving more popular votes than Bush, a legal battle in Florida regarding vote counts reversed the outcome

54
Q

Exxon Mobil

A

This company participated in a scientific study of climate change in the 1970s and 1980s, but later began funding organizations that opposed business regulations and promoted skepticism

55
Q

What was the most profitable year for the biggest Western oil companies?

A

2022

56
Q

How much did six oil companies earn in total in 2022?

A

$219 billion

57
Q

How much of the $219 billion earned by six companies in 2022 was paid out to its investors?

A

$110 billion

58
Q

Which company is responsible for creating the concept of the “carbon footprint”?

A

British Petroleum

59
Q

When did the United States Chamber of Commerce acknowledge that humans contribute to climate change?

A

2019

60
Q

Out of 39 climate policies that the US Chamber of Commerce took a stance on in 2022, how many did the Chamber oppose?

A

25

61
Q

What percentage of Democrats supported addressing climate change according to a 2023 poll?

A

80%

62
Q

What percentage of Republicans supported prioritizing economic growth according to a 2023 poll?

A

72%

63
Q

What percentage of Democrats agree that human activity is causing climate change compared to Republicans?

A

93% of Democrats compared to 55% of Republicans

64
Q

What did Donald Trump state about the 2015 Paris Agreement?

A

It would put the US at a “very big economic disadvantage”

65
Q

2015 Paris Agreement

A

An international agreement that aimed to combat climate change

66
Q

Jair Bolsonaro

A

Brazilian president who has overseen a rapid increase in the deforestation of the Amazon

67
Q

What fraction of British broadcasters cast doubt on climate science in 2022?

A

One-third

68
Q

Laura Ingraham

A

Fox News host who gave airtime to known supporters of the oil industry who denied scientific consensus on the dangers of smoke while Canadian forest fires raged in the summer of 2023

69
Q

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

A

Founded by the UN at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janiero and catalyst for the Kyoto Protocol

70
Q

What does the UNFCCC mark?

A

A major milestone in the coordination between scientific organizations and governmental organizations

71
Q

What is the UNFCCC also known as?

A

UN Climate Change

72
Q

How many nations agreed to the Kyoto Protocol?

A

37

73
Q

When was the Kyoto Protocol put into effect?

A

2005

74
Q

Compared to 1990 levels, what was the target percentage of total emission reductions in the Kyoto Protocol?

A

5% reductions from 2008 to 2012

75
Q

What procedures did the Kyoto Protocol include for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions

A

Registry systems, reporting of annual emission inventories, and a compliance system

76
Q

What did countries receive if they did not meet the targeted emission reductions under the Kyoto Protocol?

A

provisions to help reduce emissions internationally

77
Q

How many parties adopted the Paris Agreement?

A

196

78
Q

What is the goal set by the Paris Agreement to limit the increase in global average temperatures?

A

Below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels

79
Q

1.5 C

A

Global leaders have emphasized the importance of limiting the increase to this number by the end of the century

80
Q

When was the goal to peak in greenhouse emissions set?

A

Before 2025

81
Q

What goal was set to be reached by 2030?

A

A 43% decline in greenhouse gas emissions

82
Q

Who championed legislation for the Green New Deal?

A

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey

83
Q

Green New Deal

A

Its key idea was that financial investment in clean energy could actually boost new and existing industries and the economy as a whole

84
Q

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

A

Signed into law by Joe Biden and has since provided the largest source of government funding for climate-related issues in US history

85
Q

How much does the IRA provide in climate funding?

A

$369 billion

86
Q

Geoengineering

A

Involves manipulating the Earth’s environment in ways that counteract the current trends of climate change

87
Q

When was the IRA signed into law?

A

August 16, 2022

88
Q

Carbon sequestration

A

One of the leading directions in geoengineering, which involves capturing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and storing it

89
Q

What is carbon sequestration also known as?

A

Carbon capture

90
Q

Solar radiation management

A

An approach that involves producing sources that act similarly to clouds and that could reflect solar energy away from the surface of the Earth or ocean surfaces

91
Q

What percentage of global energy did wind and solar generate in 2022?

A

12%

92
Q

Olufemi O. Taiwo

A

Philosopher who warned that the Green New Deal could problematically bolster “climate colonialism”

93
Q

Climate colonialism

A

Practices of extracting resources or producing clean energy in less-powerful countries and utilizing the benefits in wealthier nations

94
Q

Justice40Initiative

A

This initiative sets the goal that 40% of overall benefits from Federal investment in certain categories should flow to underserved communities

95
Q

Which categories of investment does the Justice40Intiative apply to?

A

Climate change, clean energy, clean transit, sustainable housing, workforce development, reduction of legacy pollution, and wastewater infrastructure

96
Q

Katherine Hayhoe

A

Climate scientist who has contributed to IPCC reports and communicates climate change to Evangelical Christians

97
Q

How many views has Hayhoe’s TED Talk on climate change received?

A

Over 4 million

98
Q

What was Hayhoe’s response on how to fight climate change?

A

“Just talk about it”

99
Q

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

A

Led protests in North Dakota in 2016 and 2017

100
Q

Dakota Access Pipeline

A

A portion of the Keystone Pipeline System that transports oil from Alberta, Canada to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas

101
Q

Which location did the Dakota Access Pipeline pass under?

A

The Missouri River

102
Q

Alessandra Korap Munduruku

A

A member of the Munduruku Indigenous group of Sawre Muybu who publicly demanded that Anglo American withdraw from her land

103
Q

Anglo American

A

British company that planned to expand mining operations in Munduruku regions of the Amazon rainforest

104
Q

How many Anglo American mining applications were withdrawn in response to the Munduruku protests?

A

27

105
Q

When was the Brazilian government formally notified of Anglo American’s withdrawal?

A

May 2021

106
Q

Sawre Muybu Indigenous Territory

A

Over 400,000 acres of its rainforest was protected by Korap Munduruku’s victory

107
Q

Fridays for Future

A

A youth movement that has claimed 14 million participants in 7,500 cities across all continents since it began in 2018

108
Q

Greta Thunberg

A

Sat for weeks in front of Swedish Parliament to protest her government’s inaction on climate when she was 15

109
Q

What did Thunberg state at her 2019 speech in Vienna?

A

“For too long the people in power have gotten away with basically not doing anything to stop climate and ecological breakdown.”

110
Q

Luisa Neubauer

A

German climate activist who preached a sermon at the Berlin Cathedral that one should not store up treasures on Earth

111
Q

Vanessa Nakate

A

Ugandan climate activist who has spread the international message that Africans are not only impacted by climate change, but are also engaged in finding solutions

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