Session 22 (Global demography and economic growth.)

Question 1

Stage 1 of the demographic transition model

Answer 1

Total population is low and balanced due to high birth rates and high death rates ( eg. Afghanistan, Uganda)

Question 2

Stage 2 of the demographic transition model

Answer 2

Total Population rises as death rates fall due to improvements in health. (eg. Ghana, Guatemala)

Question 3

Stage 3 of the demographic transition model

Answer 3

The gap between the birth and death rate narrows due to availability of contraception and less need for child labor due to improving economic conditions. (India, Brazil)

Question 4

Stage 4 of the demographic transition model

Answer 4

Total population is high but balanced by low birth rate and low death rate. ( USA, UK)

Question 5

Stage 5 of the demographic transition model

Answer 5

Total population is high but slowly declining due to aging population. (eg. Japan, Germany)

Question 6

COP29: New collective quantified goal (NCQG)

Answer 6

The richest countries provide 100 billion and include emerging countries

Question 7

Externality

Answer 7

Cost or benefit to a third party who has no control over how the cost or benefit was created.

Question 8

Greenhouse Gas Externality

Answer 8

Effects falling on future generations and people living in developing countries.

Question 9

COP 27

Answer 9

pivoted around the question of cumulative emission and ‘fair share’.

Question 10

COP 28,29

Answer 10

Allegations of oil-and-gas influence and greenwashing

Question 11

Paris Climate conference

Answer 11

First ever legal binding global deal

Question 12

The Paris Climate Agreement

Answer 12

1) Keep warming below 2 degrees
2) 100 Billion from the riches countries ( to be updated in 2025)
3) Developed countries must take the lead in GHG reductions and Developing countries must enhance their efforts
4) Aim for GHG edmissions to peak as soon as possible, from 2050 radip reductions to achieve balance in edmissions.

Question 13

Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC/INDC)

Answer 13

Countries official submissions of climate actions they
intend or already take under the Paris agreement.

Question 14

3.4 C of warming will cause…

Answer 14

• Sea level rise by 1m this century
• 7.4% increase of land in drought
• Desertification of the Amazon
• Doubling wildfire damage
• 17 % reduction to access to fresh water
• Hurricanes increase
• 1-52% of plant and animal species committed to extinction

Question 15

Goal 1:

Answer 15

Fossil Fuel emissions
- Decrease 8%

Question 16

Goal 2:

Answer 16

Prevent deforestation and promote afforestation

Question 17

Goal 3

Answer 17

Climate finance (100 Billion per year)

Question 18

State of Climate Action Report 2023

Answer 18

• Only 1 of 42 indicators is on track to reach its 2030 target. That sector is electric vehicles.

Question 19

1.5 C - What do we need to do ?

Answer 19

1. kill fossil Fuels
2. A new Industrial Revolution
3. Agricultural revolution
4. Geoengineering

Question 20

1. Kill fossil Fuels

Answer 20

Global oil demand continues, however, oil and coal production peaked in 2023.

Question 21

2. A New Industrial Revolution

Answer 21

Decarbonising industrial processes by reducing cement

Question 22

Why does Cement emit more CO2?

Answer 22

Limestone (CaCO3) is “calcinated” at high temperatures in a cement
kiln to produce lime (CaO). CO2 is a byproduct

Question 23

3. Agricultural Revolution

Answer 23

Land can be a carbon sink or source, depending on its use.

Question 24

Reforestation casues a carbon

Answer 24

Sink

Question 25

Deforestation causes a carbon

Answer 25

Source

Question 26

4. Geoengineering

Answer 26

deliberate large-scale
intervention in the Earth’s natural
systems to counteract climate
change.

Question 27

Solar Radiation Management (SRM)

Answer 27

SRM techniques aim to reflect a
small proportion of the Sun’s
energy back into space by

Question 28

Solar Radiation Management (SRM) examples

Answer 28

Reflective leaves, buildings, cloud whining, sun shields.

Question 29

SRM - What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Answer 29

• It doesn’t help ocean acidification and doesn’t decrease CO2 levels.
• High maintenance
• Tampering with the earths system

Question 30

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)

Answer 30

Aim to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, directly countering the increased greenhouse effect and ocean acidification.

Question 31

CDR - What’s stopping us?

Answer 31

• More expensive compared to just reducing emissions

Question 32

2030 Emission gap

Answer 32

The emission gap between current pledges and what is needed for the 1.5C
Paris Agreement target remains large.

Question 33

Why is peaking CO2 emission not enough anymore? The Bath Tub
Analogy

Answer 33

The same amount of CO2 coming in will go out in net removals, keeping the CO2 level the same. Peaking or even reducing emissions slightly does not reduce concentrations, it only slows
the rate of increase.

Question 34

The Bath Tub Analogy (Increase in emissions)

Answer 34

More will enter the tub and less will leave, raising the CO2 level

Question 35

What happens to the water level if we then reduce the inflow back to its initial flow?

Answer 35

The bathtub will reach equilibrium

Question 36

How can you reduce the water level?

Answer 36

Increasing the size of removal ( geo-
engineering)

Question 37

Climate Inertia

Answer 37

Delay in resistance in response to changes in climate systems.

Question 38

Can you name and explain a few
tipping points in the climate
system?

Answer 38

Greenland ice sheet
- melting of ice lowers elevation and melts even more

AMOC
- Temperture and salinity changing due to ice melting causing disruptions in the AMOC

Arctic Sea Ice Loss
- Ice loss reduced albedo and ice will continue to melt.

Amazon Rainforest
- deforestation will turn the rainforest from a sink to a source

Permafrost Thaw
- Increase in temp will thaw permafrost releasing methane making the climate hotter resulting in more thawing

Boreal Forest
- Increase in temp will cause droughts and dieback reducing carbon storage and albedo

Question 39

Emergency Maths

Answer 39

E (Emergency) = R x U

R (risk) = p (probability) x D (Damage)
U (Urgency) = t (time needed to act) / T (time left to act)