The Carbon Cycle and Energy security - Set 3 Flashcards
1
Q
Forest loss
A
- disappearing globally at a rate of 0.08% annually
- Highest losses in sub-Sharan Africa where Nigeria lost 5% of forests from 2010-2015
- Biggest gains in parts of Asia with the Philippines gaining 3.3% between 2010 and 2015
2
Q
Kuznets Curve model
A
- Claims society is reaching a tipping point where exploitation changes to protection
- Suggests as a country develops, damage to the natural environment will first increase before decreasing
3
Q
Kuznets curve - examples
A
- Pre industrialised economies - Indonesia
- Industrialised economies - China = Weak laws and little enforcement
- Post-industrial economies - UK = Forest cover had dropped by 70% but has now risen by 50%
4
Q
Ecological threshold on the Kuznets curve
A
Whether a country can bounce back as resources are not used full potential
5
Q
Debt for nature swap
A
Instead of paying back debt, the country will use the money to fund protection of the environment
6
Q
How many people do the FAO estimate fishing supports
A
- 500 million
- 90% of which are in developing countries
- Fish provides 16% of annual protein consumption for 3 billion people
7
Q
Threats to ocean health - tourism
A
- 220,000 reliant on reefs which attract 1 million tourists in the Maldives
8
Q
Threats to ocean health - mangroves
A
- Globally, half of mangroves have been lost since 1950 - cleared for tourism and shrimp which accounted for 25% of this loss
9
Q
Effects of poor ocean health on fisheries
A
Lower fish stocks = pacific islands will see a 20% decline in fisheries by 2050 - fish will also eat more poisonous algae which means they cant be eaten by humans
10
Q
Why is the Arctic considered the barometer of the environmental impacts of climate change
A
Average artic temps rise twice as quick as the global average - the region is a net carbon sink -
11
Q
Human wellbeing
A
The state of being or feeling healthy, happy and secure
12
Q
Where will more extreme precipitation events occur
A
North America and Europe
13
Q
Positive feedback mechanisms
A
- AMPLIFIES responses to external factors that affect global climate
- e.g. increased permafrost melting due to climate warming - leads to release of methane gas which further increases warming
14
Q
Negative feedback mechanisms
A
- DAMPENS responses to external factors that affect global climate
- e.g. Increased climate warming leads to more evaporation, leading to more cloud cover, thus reducing amount of solar radiation reaching earth and therefore lowering temps
15
Q
What is a tipping point
A
When a system changes from one state to another irreversibly
16
Q
Feedback mechanisms - Peatlands
A
- Warming causes the peat to dry out - increasing rates of decomposition - warming of 4 degrees causes 40% loss of soil organic carbon from shallow peat
17
Q
Tipping points - Forest die back
A
- Lack of rainfall stops the recycling of moisture within rainforests, resulting in further die back
18
Q
Tipping points - Thermohaline circulation
A
- Melting ice sheets releases freshwater into the ocean which slows the conveyor belt movement - this could lead to decreased temps in the North and Increased temps in the south
19
Q
What is an adoption strategy
A
Adopting new ways of doing things in order to live with the likely outcomes of climate change - Includes any passive, reactive of or anticipatory action taken to adjust to changing climate conditions
20
Q
How can political factors influence the ability to adapt to a changing climate
A
- Most strategies need a strong gov to lead them
- Democratic nations may encounter more delays compared to authoritarian states such as China due to elections and power changes etc
- Most strategies rely on a partnership between players involved to make them work
21
Q
Adaption strategies - Water Conservation and Management
A
- Low-cost appropriate technologies such as water harvesting
– PROS – - Less resources used and less groundwater abstracted
– CONS – - Drier areas require expensive, large scale schemes
- Moving water may help one area but damage another
22
Q
Adaption strategies - Resilient agricultural systems
A
- Such as more indoor intensive farming
– PROS – - Drought tolerant species can help resistance to climate change
- Better practices generate healthier soils and may increase CO2 sequestration
– CONS – - Genetic modification is still debated
- Expensive tach unattainable for poor subsitence farmers
23
Q
Adaption strategies - Land use planning
A
– PROS –
- Keeps vulnerable infrastructure away from high risk areas
– CONS –
- Almost impossible to use this strategy in existing settlements
- Require strong local administration and wealth to be completed effectively
24
Q
Adaption strategies - Flood risk management
A
- Identifying areas with a flood risk and adapting structure within them e.g. raised buildings
– PROS – - Rivers and floodplains can be managed through afforestation or implementation of mangroves
– CONS – - Costs may be very high and people may have too move
- Predicting floods is uncertain
25
Adaption strategies - Solar radiation management
- Reducing the amount of heat energy reaching earths surface
-- PROS --
- e.g. use of orbiting satellites to reflect radiation
- Can cool the earth quickly and be relatively cheap
-- CONS --
- Most of the geoengineering is expensive and involves unproven tech which relies on international agreements
26
Difference between hard and soft climate change adaption strategies
- Hard strategies require technology whereas soft strategies involve legislation such as land use zoning
27
What is climate change mitigation
Involves the reduction or prevention of greenhouse gas emissions by new tech and low carbon engines , becoming more efficient or changing attitudes and behaviours
28
Mitigation strategies - Carbon Taxation
- Govs impose taxes on carbon emissions - encourages businesses to change to low carbon alternatives
-- PROS --
- Kyoto protocol and Paris climate agreement brought widespread international action to reduce global emissions
-- CONS --
- Debateable effect on emissions so the scheme was frozen in 2015
- Unpopular with both industry and environmental groups
29
Mitigation strategies - Renewable switching
- Moving from fossil fuels to renewables
-- PROS --
- Renewable tech is more widespread but still not widely available in developing countries
-- CONS --
- The climate change levy, designed in 2001 to encourage renewable energy investment and use, was cut in 2015
- Renewables provide more intermittent electricity whereas fossil fuels provide continuous energy
30
Mitigation strategies - Carbon capture and storage
-- PROS --
- power stations and large factories made to capture and store emissions by laws and regulations
-- CONS --
- Few geologic CCS projects exist globally
- Reduces the profits of companies as the tech is very expensive
31
Mitigation strategies - Energy efficiency
-- PROS --
- Green deal scheme encouraged energy saving improvements in home, such as energy efficient boilers
32
Mitigation strategies - Afforestation
-- CONS --
- In boreal forests, the forest gain is only small due to the forest industry
- It is difficulty to get international agreements because forests resources are economically important
33
Kyoto protocol 1997
First international effort to encourage climate change mitigation - wanted to cut emissions by 5% from 1990 to 2012
34
Successes of the Kyoto protocol
- Clean development mechanism supports 75 developing countries in developing less polluting tech
- Paved the way for new legislation such as he UK's 2008 climate change act
- by 2012 emissions were 22.6% lower than 1990
35
Failures of the Kyoto protocol
- Top emitters - USA and China were left out of the agreement - equal only developed countries asked to sign
- Slow ratification - UK was first but others withdrew fearing economic impacts
36
Tar sands
AKA oil sands - Drilling takes place from ocean rigs - Underway off Gulf of Mexico etc
37
Oil Shale
Oil and gas that is found well offshore - Fracking used to mine them - Canada has 73% of the global stock
38
Shale gas
Natural gas that is trapped in sedimentary rock - Proposed sites identified in the NW of the UK
39
Deepwater oil
Oil bearing rocks that are permeable enough to allow for oil to be pumped out directly - USA has 77% of known global reserves
40
Unconventional fossil fuels
Energy resources that are not easily accessibleB
41
Pros of Unconventional fossil fuels
- Can replace conventional fossil fuels when they run out
- Large reserves
- Provide jobs and money etc
42
Cons of unconventional fossil fuels
- High costs for new tech which is needed for the extraction process
- Many of the resources are in fragile environments e.g. the Arctic
- Uncertainties about the safety for people and the environment
43
Development of unconventional fossil fuels - Brazilian deep-water oil
-- CONS --
- Deforestation on the coast destroying scenic coast between Rio and Sao Paulo
-- PROS --
- Produce 500,000 Barrell's of oil daily
44
Development of unconventional fossil fuels - USA fracking
-- CONS --
- No tax laws in some states so the profits don't contribute to society e.g. infrastructure improvements - Energy companies exploit these no tax zones
-- PROS --
- Produces 50% less carbon than coal
- provides $118 bn to the US economy by 2015
45
Development of unconventional fossil fuels - Canadian tar sands
-- CONS --
- Loss of 470km squared of forest = decline i the caribou pop
- Housing crisis for workers in the industry
-- PROS --
- Economy was boosted
46
Energy pathways
Route taken by any form of energy from it's source to it's point of consumption - involves different form of transport such as tanker ships
47
How can geopolitics effect energy security
- Nord stream 2 = more Russian gas into Europe
- EU gets 40% of it's gas from Russia already
- USA threatens sanctions on EU countries involved in the Nord stream 2
