Topic 13: Responses to Climate Change

Question 1

Explain the concept of committed warming

Answer 1

Emissions to a point of time will continue to exert temprature forcing over a period of future decades (usually assumed 40 yrs)

More clearly, it can be said that if at this moment, even we stop emitting carbon emissions into the atmosphere, the emissions add up to now still have effects for the next 40 years. So, any decisions now will have implications for at least 40 years into the future.

Question 2

Describe Giddens’ paradox

Answer 2

Because the effects of global warming are not tangible, immediate, or visible today, many people still choose to ignore. But, when we have already realized how serious it can be and start to take serious actions, it’s already too late.

Question 3

Describe the meaning of 1.5, 2 degrees Celcius, dangerous and runaway climate change

Answer 3

• 1.5 degrees Celcius is the guardrail limit to ensure effects of climate change can be averted and to protect against future of huge instability
• 2 degrees Celcius is the threshold below which we can still hold together the system and ensure stability, but this is the upper limit before dangerous climate change.
• Dangerous climate change: effects happening when we reach or go beyond the threshold of 2 degrees Celcius
• Runaway climate change: worst case scenario, Venus-like trapping of heat on Earth

Question 4

Why is the Paris Agreement not as great as it might seem to be?

Answer 4

First, the commitment each country brings to Paris, when aggregated, are not consistent with 2-degree pathway. Secondly, countries are not completing their commitment as they produce more than they pledged at Paris.

–> ABRUPT change is required now for better trajectory

Question 5

What are the decision-making tools available to connect science and economic together regarding climate change?

Answer 5

• Putting a price on carbon emissions/pricing emission:
  + Emissions Trading Scheme: Emitters receive quotas which can be sold or traded to ones with demand to emit more than being allocated.
  + Carbon tax: more simple, for every tonne of carbon emitted requires a price; not allow trading of permits
• Putting a price on avoided emission:
  + Reward social actors so as to prevent Business-As-Usual activities that may release emissions into the atmosphere
  + Amount being avoided is called additionality
  + Eg. REDD+ scheme developed as part of UNFCCC negotiations involves paying people to not cut down their forests.

Question 6

What is carbon credit?

Answer 6

Carbon credit is a tradeable permit which the holder can use to autheniticate it has acted to have a certain amount of CO2 removed from the atmosphere.

Question 7

How does renewables energy contribute to mitigating climate change and what are some limitations?

Answer 7

Renewables resources have been utilized at higher proportion in recent years as the prices have gone down a lot. However, the total energy consumption of fossil fuels continue to rise. So, in order for renewables to contribute more to the process of decarbonization, its use needs to go up much faster while fossil fuels use stabilizing and going down.
The question is will it be fast enough?