Responding to the Climate Crisis Flashcards
Section IV of the USAD Social Science Resource Guide terms and definitions
When was the United Nations (UN) established?
1946 (in the aftermath of WWII)
Charter of the UN
An international treaty that emphasizes the chief aim of the UN is to prevent the use of force in international relations
Sputnik
The first artificial Earth satellite
When did the Soviet Union launch Sputnik?
1957
When was NASA founded?
1958
When did the first man successfully land on the moon?
1969
When was the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) established?
1979
When was the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) established?
1987
When was the International Council for Science (ICSU) established?
1931
Why is the International Council for Science also referred to as the ICSU?
After its former name, the International Council of Scientific Unions
Lloyd Berkner
American physicist and engineer who suggested that ICSU embark on a study of global geophysical activities over a set period in 1952
When did the International GeoPhysical Year (IGY) occur?
July 1957 to December 1958
International GeoPhysical Year (IGY)
A period of time that was selected to correspond with a high point in the 11-year cycle of sunspot activity
What was the International GeoPhysical Year (IGY) foundational for?
The launch of NASA
Charles David Keeling
He initiated a systematic measurement of atmospheric carbon dioxide at a base on Mauna Loa
Bert Bolin
He traveled to Washington, D.C. to alert the National Academy of Sciences that increasing carbon dioxide levels could have serious consequences
When did Bert Bolin travel to Washington, D.C.?
1959
Keeling Curve
A graph showing the ever-increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Who was the first chair of the ICSU’s new committee on atmospheric sciences in 1964?
Bert Bolin
In 1967, the ICSU and the World Meteorological Association jointly founded the …?
Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP)
Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP)
This organization was at the center of advances in knowledge of the weather and climate in the 1970s and 1980s
Where was the International Workshop on Climate Issues hosted in 1978?
Austria
Which organizations hosted the International Workshop on Climate Issues in 1978?
The ICSU, WMO, and UNEP
Which organization succeeded GARP as the new center for the study of climate change?
The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
Complemented the WCRP after a push to create a new scientific program that could contextualize climate change more broadly was realized
Where did the ICSU, WMO, and UNEP organize a major conference at in 1985?
Villach, Austria
What topic was the Villach, Austria conference organized by the ICSU, WMO, and UNEP centered around?
“Assessment of the Role of Carbon Dioxide and of Other Greenhouse Gases in Climate Variations and Associated Impacts”
The Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) is a committee of what organization?
ICSU
“The greenhouse effect, climatic change and ecosystems”
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”
Advisory Group on Greenhouse Gases
Formed by scientists to create an avenue for sustained communication of scientific knowledge to policy makers and the public
“The Changing Atmosphere: Implications for Global Security”
A major conference hosted in Toronto by the WMO in 1988
James E. Hansen
NASA scientist who testified before the United States Senate that the human-induced greenhouse effect, not natural fluctuations, was the cause of climate change
When did James E. Hansen testify before the US Senate?
1988
When was the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) founded?
1988
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The most authoritative source of information about the science of climate change that independently assesses the science produced out of the WCRP and IGBP
Who were instrumental to the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?
Paul J. Crutzen and Bert Bolin
Who served as the first chair of the IPCC?
Bert Bolin
For what years did Bolin serve as the first chair of the IPCC?
1988 to 1998
Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming
Book that helps explain why so many Americans do not believe in climate science by documenting an episode in the early 1990s
Who wrote Merchants of Doubt?
Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway
When was Merchants of Doubt published?
2010
William Nierenberg
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
Marshall Institute
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
When did the Berlin Wall fall?
1989
In 1989, the Marshall Institute presented an unpublished paper arguing that …?
Variability in solar energy, not greenhouse gases, was causing global warming
Kyoto Protocol
An international treaty in which nations committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions
When was the Kyoto Protocol adopted?
1997
The US Senate agreed not to sign the Kyoto Protocol by a vote of …?
95-0
When did the US Senate agree not to sign the Kyoto Protocol?
July 25, 1997
Why did the US choose not to sign the Kyoto Protocol?
No new limits were presented to Developing Country Parties, and it was believed there would be damage to the US economy
Why did the United States sign the Kyoto Protocol in 1988?
As a gesture of support from President Bill Clinton, but with the understanding that it would not be ratified by the US Senate
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?
Gore’s support for the Kyoto Protocol and Bush’s opposition to it
Why did Al Gore lose the 2000 election?
Despite receiving more popular votes than Bush, a legal battle in Florida regarding vote counts reversed the outcome
Exxon Mobil
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
What was the most profitable year for the biggest Western oil companies?
2022
How much did six oil companies earn in total in 2022?
$219 billion
How much of the $219 billion earned by six companies in 2022 was paid out to its investors?
$110 billion
Which company is responsible for creating the concept of the “carbon footprint”?
British Petroleum
When did the United States Chamber of Commerce acknowledge that humans contribute to climate change?
2019
Out of 39 climate policies that the US Chamber of Commerce took a stance on in 2022, how many did the Chamber oppose?
25
What percentage of Democrats supported addressing climate change according to a 2023 poll?
80%
What percentage of Republicans supported prioritizing economic growth according to a 2023 poll?
72%
What percentage of Democrats agree that human activity is causing climate change compared to Republicans?
93% of Democrats compared to 55% of Republicans
What did Donald Trump state about the 2015 Paris Agreement?
It would put the US at a “very big economic disadvantage”
2015 Paris Agreement
An international agreement that aimed to combat climate change
Jair Bolsonaro
Brazilian president who has overseen a rapid increase in the deforestation of the Amazon
What fraction of British broadcasters cast doubt on climate science in 2022?
One-third
Laura Ingraham
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
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Founded by the UN at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janiero and catalyst for the Kyoto Protocol
What does the UNFCCC mark?
A major milestone in the coordination between scientific organizations and governmental organizations
What is the UNFCCC also known as?
UN Climate Change
How many nations agreed to the Kyoto Protocol?
37
When was the Kyoto Protocol put into effect?
2005
Compared to 1990 levels, what was the target percentage of total emission reductions in the Kyoto Protocol?
5% reductions from 2008 to 2012
What procedures did the Kyoto Protocol include for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions
Registry systems, reporting of annual emission inventories, and a compliance system
What did countries receive if they did not meet the targeted emission reductions under the Kyoto Protocol?
provisions to help reduce emissions internationally
How many parties adopted the Paris Agreement?
196
What is the goal set by the Paris Agreement to limit the increase in global average temperatures?
Below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels
1.5 C
Global leaders have emphasized the importance of limiting the increase to this number by the end of the century
When was the goal to peak in greenhouse emissions set?
Before 2025
What goal was set to be reached by 2030?
A 43% decline in greenhouse gas emissions
Who championed legislation for the Green New Deal?
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey
Green New Deal
Its key idea was that financial investment in clean energy could actually boost new and existing industries and the economy as a whole
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
Signed into law by Joe Biden and has since provided the largest source of government funding for climate-related issues in US history
How much does the IRA provide in climate funding?
$369 billion
Geoengineering
Involves manipulating the Earth’s environment in ways that counteract the current trends of climate change
When was the IRA signed into law?
August 16, 2022
Carbon sequestration
One of the leading directions in geoengineering, which involves capturing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and storing it
What is carbon sequestration also known as?
Carbon capture
Solar radiation management
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
What percentage of global energy did wind and solar generate in 2022?
12%
Olufemi O. Taiwo
Philosopher who warned that the Green New Deal could problematically bolster “climate colonialism”
Climate colonialism
Practices of extracting resources or producing clean energy in less-powerful countries and utilizing the benefits in wealthier nations
Justice40Initiative
This initiative sets the goal that 40% of overall benefits from Federal investment in certain categories should flow to underserved communities
Which categories of investment does the Justice40Intiative apply to?
Climate change, clean energy, clean transit, sustainable housing, workforce development, reduction of legacy pollution, and wastewater infrastructure
Katherine Hayhoe
Climate scientist who has contributed to IPCC reports and communicates climate change to Evangelical Christians
How many views has Hayhoe’s TED Talk on climate change received?
Over 4 million
What was Hayhoe’s response on how to fight climate change?
“Just talk about it”
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Led protests in North Dakota in 2016 and 2017
Dakota Access Pipeline
A portion of the Keystone Pipeline System that transports oil from Alberta, Canada to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas
Which location did the Dakota Access Pipeline pass under?
The Missouri River
Alessandra Korap Munduruku
A member of the Munduruku Indigenous group of Sawre Muybu who publicly demanded that Anglo American withdraw from her land
Anglo American
British company that planned to expand mining operations in Munduruku regions of the Amazon rainforest
How many Anglo American mining applications were withdrawn in response to the Munduruku protests?
27
When was the Brazilian government formally notified of Anglo American’s withdrawal?
May 2021
Sawre Muybu Indigenous Territory
Over 400,000 acres of its rainforest was protected by Korap Munduruku’s victory
Fridays for Future
A youth movement that has claimed 14 million participants in 7,500 cities across all continents since it began in 2018
Greta Thunberg
Sat for weeks in front of Swedish Parliament to protest her government’s inaction on climate when she was 15
What did Thunberg state at her 2019 speech in Vienna?
“For too long the people in power have gotten away with basically not doing anything to stop climate and ecological breakdown.”
Luisa Neubauer
German climate activist who preached a sermon at the Berlin Cathedral that one should not store up treasures on Earth
Vanessa Nakate
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
