UK Policy

Question 1

What is mitigation?

Answer 1

Doing something to actually change the climate situation e.g dealing with the extra carbon we’re putting in the atmosphere by reducing emissions, sequestering carbon etc.

Question 2

What is adaptation?

Answer 2

Modifying our lives and economy to cope better with the impacts of change.

Question 3

What are the three main areas of climate policy?

Answer 3

Impacts- Impacts policy focuses on measuring, modelling and predicting impacts (government and institutions). Identify what the problems are going to be in the future.

Adaptation- actions taken to address the consequences of climate change.

Mitigation- actions taken to minimise the causes of climate change.

Question 4

What does adaptation policy address?

Answer 4

Reducing vulnerability, building adaptive capacity, disaster risk management and creating social transformation.

Question 5

What does mitigation policy address?

Answer 5

i) Efficient use of energy
ii) Use of renewable energy
iii) Carbon sequestration through sinks
iv) Reduced sources of emissions through land use management

Question 6

Example of a meteorologically record breaking event and its impact/cost.

Answer 6

2003- Central Europe
Hottest summer in at least 500 years
Death toll exceeded 70,000

Question 7

What are the four key elements of adaptation?

Answer 7

1. Reduce vulnerability
2. Build adaptive capacity
3. Climate risk management
4. Build climate resilience

Question 8

Example of reducing vulnerability

Answer 8

Introduce air cooling into over heating elderly care homes

Question 9

Building adaptive capacity

Answer 9

Top down
Research and modelling
Teach about climate change, and how to adapt

Question 10

Example of climate risk management

Answer 10

Have flood risk plan for home, or buy flood insurance

Question 11

Example of building climate resilience

Answer 11

Replant coastal wetlands to reduce coastal flood risk

Question 12

Define resilience

Answer 12

Social and ecological systems that are able to absorb shocks and recover from them.

Question 13

Limits to adaptation

Answer 13

1. Social and individual characteristics (incooperation)
2. Limits may relate to the goal that are set
3. Loss of place and culture- experienced, but also subjective limits to adaptation.
4. Uncertainty about the future.

Question 14

UK Climate Impact Programme

Answer 14

Works with regional climate models and adaptation planning- communities, institutions, businesses through the generation, exchange and application of knowledge.

Question 15

What is the The Climate Change Act 2008?

Answer 15

An Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Act makes it the duty of the Secretary of State to ensure that the net UK carbon account for all six Kyoto greenhouse gases for the year 2050 is at least 80% lower than the 1990 baseline, toward avoiding dangerous climate change.

Question 16

Examples of UK mitigation policies

Support:

Answer 16

• Carbon trust (business and private sector)
• Energy savings trust (individuals) e.g. providing grants
  for cavity wall insulation

Question 17

Examples of UK mitigation policies

Transport:

Answer 17

• Bus lanes to facilitate public transport movement in
  cities
• Cycle lanes to encourage more cyclists

Question 18

Examples of UK mitigation policies

Technology:

Answer 18

• Trialling carbon capture and storage technologies

- Trialling cloud seeding (discontinued)

Question 19

Summary—UK mitigation

Answer 19

– UK is an early actor on impacts, mitigation and
adaptation and has led the way globally
Investments in science – through monitoring and
databases e.g. Hadley Centre, IPCC DDC, and research
e.g. Tyndall Centre (2000)
Political and financial resources committed, e.g. national
commitment to emissions reductions through policy and
Acts of Parliament, creation of UKCIP, Carbon Trust etc..
Local policy likely to be a mix of adaptation and mitigation

Question 20

Case study for the limits of adaptation depends on the goals of adaptation

Answer 20

Thames barrier 2100 is designed to be responsive to flood risk in London to 2100.
The goal changes depending on recent science, e.g to prepare for 50 cm SLR, then for 79cm…

Question 21

The ultimate objective of article 2 of the UNFCCC

Answer 21

Stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system…achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.”

Question 22

UK climate change programme (2000) (mitigation)

Answer 22

Boost renewables by providing incentives.
Housing and community grants
Business and public sector emissions reduction support (Carbon trust)
Nottingham declaration: emissions reduction plan for local authorities.