Session 1 Flashcards
Define mitigation
Human intervention to either reduce sources or enhance sinks of GHG emission
aka adresses the causes
Give an example where mitigation & adaptation go hand in hand
Insulation of homes
what are the 5 components that need to be integrated to then ultimately estimate the remaining carbon budget ?
- zero emission commitment : additional warming once we stop all our CO2 emissions.
- feedbacks
- warming bc of past human-induced emissions -> long-term average warming trend caused by humans
- non co2 contribution -> estimated warming from non CO2
- target temperature limit
list Long lived & short lived gasses
Long lived greenhouse gases and short lived greenhouse gases. The long lived are Co. 2 nitrous oxide, and cf. 4. The short lived. The most important one is methane.
What is the difference between fossil fuel based methane and biogenic methane
if the methane is fossil-based, it adds new CO₂ to the atmosphere,
if the methane is biogenic. It’s not an additional molecule, but it’s just a circular, a reuse of the molecule that was initially taken from the atmosphere.
What is the global warming potential ? (GWP)
What is the global temperature potential ? (GTP)
GWP = the default GHG metric used in the UNFCCC, particularly the GWP-100
GWP100 = the fraction of integrated radiative forcing over 100 years
eg. Emitting 1 ton of methane has the same integrated radiative forcing effect over 100 years as emitting 30 tons of CO2 emissions.
GTP = Global temperature potential
GTP is a measure of the temperature change at the end of that time period (again, relative to CO2).
What is direct emission ?
What is indirect emission ?
Direct emissions: Emissions from fuel combustion during the activity itself (onsite) (e.g.Gas boilers or heaters burning natural gas to provide space or water heating
Diesel generators for backup electricity).
Indirect emissions: Emissions from electricity, hydrogen, or heat production used by the sector (but the emissions occur elsewhere) eg. Electricity used for: Lighting, Air conditioning, Elevators
What is the UNFCCC and what is its goal ?
United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change
Body reporting where all things climate are discussed under the UN
Goal = stabilization of GHG at level that prevents danger for humans & climate system
What happens if we keep CO2 emissions constant ? (emissions, concentration, temperature)
Emissions : constant over time
Concentration : keep rising - higher concentration
Temperatre : continuous warming for centuries.
stabilizing emissions doesnt mean stabilizing temperature
What happens if we stop suddendly emitting CO2 emissions ? (emissions, concentration, temperature)
Emissions : rise then drop to 0
Concentration : rise then slowly decline (due to ocean & land absorption) & stabilize at lower level
temperature : stabilizes
this is true for different levels of cumulative emissions
What happens to methane under sustained emissions ?
CH₄ (Methane – short-lived gas):
* Emissions: Constant at ~4 Mt/year.
* Concentration: Rises quickly and then stabilizes (CH₄ breaks down quickly in the atmosphere).
* Forcing: methane’s warming effect plateaus.
Warming: Increases quickly at first, then gradually flattens.
What happens to methane when emissions suddendly stop ?
- Concentration: drops quickly
- Forcing: peak then drop fast
Warming: peak then decline
What’s the formula that converts the emissions of a short-lived climate forcer (SLCF) (like methane) into the CO₂-warming equivalent ? to compare warming effects ?
“Now minus then, times GWP”
“Now” → Multiply current SLCF emissions by 4
“Then” → Multiply 20-years-ago SLCF emissions by 3.75
Subtract the two
Multiply by GWP₁₀₀
Memory Trick: “4 now – 3.75 then, times the warming weight.”
What are equity and fairness considerations to have when translating remaining global carbon budget into a national budget ?
- Historical responsibility
- Development state
- Capacity to reduce
- Per capita emissions today already
-…etc
What are method considerations to have when translating remaining global carbon budget into a national budget ?
- Do you include international offsetting ?
- Do you include international transport ? aviation ? maritim ?
