UK Climate Change Policy Flashcards
UN convention on climate change 1992
Stabilisation of greenhouse gases concentration to prevent dangerous human-induced interference with the climate system
Kyoto Protocol 1997
EU to cut emission to 8% less than 1990 levels from 2008-2012 (aims for only the developed world)
Copenhagen 2009
Contract and convergence- general agreement on principle to set targets more meant to set the next set of targets but failed due to political reasons
Paris 2015
Keep the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 degrees above the pre-industrial level
Each country set their own reduction level, applied to all countries including developing and developed
Contraction and convergence
Global Commons Institute
Reduce overall emissions of greenhouse gases to safe level (contraction)
Every country brings emissions per capita to a level which is equal for all counties (convergence)
U.K. Climate Change Act 2008
First country to have legally binding long-term framework to cut carbon emissions
U.K. Wide Climate change risk assessment that must take place every 5 years
National adaptation programme which must be put in place and reviewed every 5 years to address the most pressing climate change risks to England
Gov has power to require “bodies with functions of a public nature” and “statutory undertakers” (companies like water and energy utilities) to report on how they have assessed the risks of climate change to their work, and what they are doing to address these risks
Independent committee on climate change (CCC) to provide expert advice and scrutiny on govs climate change work , focussing on the transition to a low-carbon economy
Adaptation sub-committee (ASC) of the CCC to focus on issues concerning adaptations to climate change
Global targets
Global average temp to 2 degrees and probability of 4 degree increase at very low 1%
Global emission reduction of 50%
20-24 GtCO2e emissions in 2050
8-10 GtCO2e in 2100
UK targets
50% global reduction
Burden share- alternative mythologies (contact and convergence)
Equal per Capita emissions- 20-24 GtCO2 total at global level in 2050, implied 2.1-2.6 tCO2 per capita
This gives U.K. A reduction of at least 80% in 2050
Aviation and shipping included
Try to get it down to 2 tonnes of CO2 per person
(1 tonne CO2 - 3001 miles in a car, 10,321 miles by train, 5,399 miles in an airplane (one way London to Sydney produces 2 tonnes), 5,791 by bus)
Large scale challenge
Can we achieve this?
2009 consumption
total electricity generation = 18kWh/d/p coal and natural gas dominant
Total energy usage 125 kW/d/p
Renewables 1 kWh/d/p
A jumbo jet uses 214,000 litres of fuel for 416 passenger for about 14000km. Fuel stores 10KWh per litre, hence 1 trip = 33kWH/day .
Per km, a full plane typically is better then a lone occupant car, but worse than a full car - but we typically travel further by plane
Similarly, a car averaging 50km/day (18,000 miles per year) with 33mpg = 40kWh/day
How can we reduce energy consumption?
On shore wind farms current wind farms produce 2 W/m2 if we cover 10% of land area we get 20 kWh/day Solar thermal total solar energy = 110 W/m2 all roofs covered at 50% efficient then 13 kWh/day Solar photovoltaics Pv panels are only 10-20% efficient Hence solar PV = 5kWh/day But could generate more- if covered 5% of UK 50kWh/day Biofuels = 24 kWh/day Hydro = 1.5 kWh/day Offshore wind = 48 kWh/day Wave 4kWh/day (still experimental) Tidal = 11 kWh/day
Geoengineering
The intentional large scale manipulation of the environment, particularly manipulation that is intended to reduce undesired anthropogenic climate change
Solar Radiation Management
Put more sulphate (aerosols) in the atmosphere (stratosphere) - reflect sunlight, cool climate (evidence- volcanic eruption leads to cooling climate) Building space station reflector to reflect sunlight to reflect solar radiation- they would weigh a gram each, approx 15 trillion within a 100,000 km long cloud it seems feasible that it could be developed and deployed in 25 years at a cost of a few trillion dollars" - Angel, PNAS 2006 Genetically engineering crops to be brighter and more reflective (crop albedo- = reflectiveness-Geoengineering) Paint roofs white Increase clouds (cloud seeding- generate more clouds, more reflective surface, machines have been developed to form more clouds- cloud condensation nuclei)
Carbon Dioxide Removal
iron fertilisation- photosynthesis is limited by amount of iron (limiting nutrient)- add iron, increase productivity- e.g =. In ocean, creatures use CO2 to create their shell, if you increase their productivity then this will reduce the CO2 levels, only effective when there is a limited amount of iron
Biochar- grow forrests and burn them in low oxygen environments/turn them into charcoal and then bury them- lock CO2 in the ground.
Space-based reflector
First proposed in 2000
When you decrease the strength of the sun- higher forcing in equatorial regions than in poles
Overshoot in poles- tropics cooler but poles much warmer
Sun shade world
still significant sea level rise as poles still warm so ice sheets would still melt
Would we save the Greenland ice sheet?
Depends on strength of the sun shade- would need to be very strong to counter ice melt
Trying to bring global average tempt to preindustrial models BUT- Different effects in different parts of the world
Regional issues- in tropical regions, less strength of sun shade because sun shade will overshoot, it will take us to a world which is too cold, different countries would what different strengths- geopolitical tension
