Unit 2 - Global Climate - Vulnerability and Resilience Flashcards
What does the atmosphere consist of and how big is it?
- mixture of solids, liquids and gases
- up to a height of around 80km
- consists of nitrogen, oxygen, argon and a variety of other trace gases such as carbon dioxide, helium and ozone - also water vapour and solids such as dust, ash and soot
How does temperature vary in the atmosphere?
- temperatures fall with height
What is the atmosphere?
- an open energy system receiving energy from both the Sun and Earth
What is insolation (atmosphere)?
- incoming solar radiation
What does solar energy drive?
- all weather systems and climate
What is radiation?
- the emission of short waves and long waves; as the Sun is a very hot body, most of its radiation is in the form of very short wavelengths such as ultraviolet and visible light
What is convection?
- the transfer of heat by the movement of a gas or liquid
What is conduction?
- the transfer of heat by contact
What happens to the solar energy?
- 46% is absorbed by the earth
- 22% drives the hydrological cycle
- 1% powers the winds and ocean currents
- 31% is reflected into space
What happens to the short-wave radiation (46 units) that reaches the ground?
- 14 are re-radiated as long-wave radiation to the atmosphere and to space
- 10 units pass to the atmosphere by conduction or the lower atmosphere only - since air is a poor conductor of heat
- 22 units are transferred by latent heat - the heat energy used by a substance change form but not temperature
From where is the atmosphere largely heated?
- from below
What is the greenhouse effect?
- most of the incoming short-wave radiation is let through the atmosphere, but CO2 traps the outgoing long-wave radiation, warming the atmosphere
What does the amount of insolation the Earth receives depend on?
- angle of the Sun (high - more solar radiation)
- type of cloud type (far from Earth and/or thin/no clouds - more solar radiation)
What does long-wave radiation refer to?
- the radiation of energy from the Earth into the atmosphere
What is the greenhouse effect?
- the process by which certain gases (greenhouse gases) allow short-wave, solar radiation to pass through the atmosphere but trap a proportion of outgoing long-wave radiation from the Earth
Why is the greenhouse effect a good thing?
- without it, there would be no life on Earth
How much have carbon dioxide levels risen from 1950 to 2015?
- have risen from 315ppm to 400pm
- are predicted to reach 600pm by 2050
What is the most common greenhouse gas?
- water vapour
- accounts for about 95% of greenhouse gases by volume and for about 50% of the natural greenhouse effect
What is the increase in carbon dioxide levels caused by?
- due to human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and land-use changes such as deforestation
How much does carbon dioxide account for in the greenhouse effect?
- 20%, but an increased proportion of the enhanced greenhouse effect
What is the second-largest contributor to global warming?
- Methane
- its presence in the atmosphere is increasing at a rate of 1% per annum
How much methane do cattle emit into the atmosphere per year?
- 100 million tonnes a year
- cattle convert up to 10% of the food they eat into methane
How much methane do paddy field emit into the atmosphere per year?
- 150 million tonnes a year
What are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)?
- man-made chemicals that destroy ozone as well as absorbing long-wave radiation
- increasing at a rate of 6% per annum
- up to 10,000 times more efficient at trapping heat than CO2
What is planetary albedo?
- reflection from the Earth’s surface
What is global dimming?
- the cooling of air temperature due to pollution
How does polluted air cause global dimming?
- polluted air has more sites for water to bind to
- the droplets formed tend to be smaller than natural droplets
- many small water droplets reflect more sunlight than fewer large droplets, so polluted clouds reflect far more light back into space
Where may the impacts of global warming be greatest?
- in tundra environments
What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?
- the impact of increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities
- more frequently called global warming
What does global climate change refer to?
- the changes in the global patterns of rainfall and temperature, and the incidence of droughts, floods and storms, resulting from changes in the Earth’s atmosphere, caused mainly by the enhanced greenhouse effect
What is the increase in greenhouse gases linked to?
- industrialisation
- trade
- globalisation
Which countries are the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions?
- HICs
- but LICs and NICs are actively industrialising
What are the predicted effects on global warming?
- sea levels will rise, causing flooding in low-lying areas
- storm activity will increase
- agricultural patterns will change
- less rainfall over the USA, southern Europe and the CIS member states
- up to 40% of wildlife species will become extinct
What is the potential impact of temperature on ice and snow (environmental feature)?
- melting of polar ice caps and glaciers
What is the potential impact of temperature on coastlines (environmental feature)?
- increase in sea level causing coastal flooding
What is the potential impact of temperature on water cycle (environmental feature)?
- increased flooding; more rapid circulation
What is the potential impact of temperature on ecosystems (environmental feature)?
- change in biome distribution and species composition
What is the potential impact of temperature on water resources (societal feature)?
- severe water shortages and possible wars over supply
What is the potential impact of temperature on agriculture (societal feature)?
- may shift towards poles (away from drought areas(
What is the potential impact of temperature on coastal residential locations (societal feature)?
- relocation due to flooding and storms
What is the potential impact of temperature on human health (societal feature)?
- increased disease
What is permafrost?
- permanently frozen soil
What is currently happening with permafrost?
- thawing
- contains large deposits of carbon - the slow rate of decomposition has allowed the large accumulation of carbon to develop, in the form of dead organic matter (DOM)
What will warming of periglacial environments lead to?
- increased methane emissions
What does decreased snow lead to?
- decreased reflectivity of the surface, hence increased absorption of solar radiation
What does increased carbon in the atmosphere do?
- warms the Earth
- increased carbon in the oceans acidifies the water
How many people will be at risk of being driven from their homes by flood or drought by 2050?
- 200 million people
How many people will be affected by water shortages by 2050?
- up to 4 billion people
What could the rise of 2°C lead to?
- the extinction of up to 40% of wildlife species
How will global warming affecting animal migration?
- rising temperatures are forcing some plants and animals outside of their normal/preferred temperature range - they will need to move to higher elevation or polewards
How will global warming affecting soil erosion?
- could lead to an increase in soil erosion, degradation, desertification and salinisation
What kind of social problems will global warming cause?
- hunger
- conflict
Why will LICs be less able to respond to the effects of climate change?
- weak infrastructure, communications and emergency services
Why will the incidence of malaria increase due to global warming?
- mosquitos will be able to breed in areas previously to cool for them
What are some reasons human migration will increase due to global warming?
- coastal flooding (countries with much land under sea level)
What is vulnerability to global climate change?
- the degree to which people are susceptible to, or unable to cope with, the negative impacts of climate change
What are the three main factors related with vulnerability to global climate change?
- the degree to which people are exposed to climate change
- the degree to which they could be harmed by exposure to climate change
- the degree to which they could mitigate the potential harm by taking action to reduce their exposure or sensitivity to climate change
Which population groups are more vulnerable to climate change?
- women
- very young
- elderly
- those with disabilities
- people with mobility problems
- the poor
- minority groups
- refugees
- indigenous people
Which locations are more vulnerable to climate change?
- low-lying islands
- river mouths
- coastal areas
- regions that derive their water supplies from mountain glaciers
What are the problems low-lying areas face due to climate change?
- increased coastal erosion
- salt-water intrusion into groundwater
- damage to coral reefs
- out-migration of people
- a decline in economic activities and infrastructure
Why are indigenous people vulnerable to climate change?
- have adapted their lifestyles to their environment, therefore vulnerable to any changes in the environment
- low income and limited access to resources
Why are mothers and babies vulnerable to climate change?
- outcomes such as low birth weight and preterm birth have been linked to extreme heat events, airborne particulate matter, and floods
Why are infants and toddlers vulnerable to climate change?
- biological sensitivity places them at greater risk from asthma, diarrhoea illness, and heat-related illness
Why are school age and older children vulnerable to climate change?
- behaviours and activities increase their risk of exposure to heat-related illness, vector-borne and waterborne disease, and respiratory effects from air pollution and allergens
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
- in 1997, 183 countries signed up to an agreement that called for the stabilisation of greenhouse gas emissions at safe levels that would avoid serious climate change
- agreement aimed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5% of their 1990 levels by 2012
- came into force in 2005 and was extended to 2015
What is the Paris Agreement, 2015?
- 174 countries signed the Paris Agreement on the Reduction of Climate Change
- key objective is to limit global warming to 2°C compared with pre-industrial levels
What are examples of adaptation strategies against climate change?
- flood defences
- vaccination programmes
- desalination plants
- planting of crops in previously unsuitable climates
What is mitigation (climate change)?
- the globally responsible thing to do
- actions that reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change
What is adaptation (climate change)?
- the locally responsible thing to do
- actions that minimise or prevent the negative impacts of climate change
What are examples of mitigation (climate change)?
- sustainable transportation
- energy conservation
- building code changes to improve energy efficiency
- renewable energy
- expand deep lake water cooling
- improve vehicle fuel efficiency
- capture and use landfill & digester gas
What are examples of adaptation (climate change)?
- infrastructure upgrades: sewers and culverts
- residential programs: sewer backflow and downspout disconnection
- health programs: West Nile Lyme disease, Shade Policy, cooling centres, smog alerts, Air Quality Health Index
- emergency and business continuity planning
- help for vulnerable people
What are examples of both mitigation and adaptation (climate change)?
- geothermal
- solar thermal
- district heating
- building design for natural ventilation
- tree planting and care
- local food production
- water conservation
- green roofs
What is the main difference between the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement?
- the Paris Agreement, unlike the Kyoto Protocol, has no country-specific goals or a detailed timetable for achieving the goals - countries are expected to reduce their carbon usage “as soon as possible”
What does mitigation involve?
- the reduction and/or stabilisation of greenhouse gas emissions and their removal from the atmosphere
What are some strategies to reduce green house gases mitigation involves?
- reducing energy consumption
- using alternative sources of energy to fossil fuels
- geo-engineering
What is carbon trading?
- an attempt to create a market in which permits issued by governments to emit carbon dioxide to be traded
Why are carbon offset schemes designed?
- designed to neutralise the effects of the carbon dioxide human activities produce by investing in projects that cut emissions elsewhere
What are geo-engineering schemes?
- large-scale engineering schemes that alter natural processed
What kind of particles could be used to dim the incoming sunlight and thereby cool the planet (fairly radical, expensive and perhaps unworkable idea)?
- sulphate aerosol particles
What is an idea to deflect some of the incoming solar radiation (fairly radical, expensive and perhaps unworkable idea)?
- placing giant mirrors in space
How can carbon dioxide absorption be increased in the ocean?
- by fertilising the ocean with compounds of iron, nitrogen and phosphorus - introduces nutrients to the upper oceans, increases marine food production and takes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (may trigger an algal bloom, which can trap carbon dioxide and sink to the ocean floor
What are the two main ways to capture the CO2 before it is released into the atmosphere?
- capture the CO2 at the site where it is produced and then store it underground in a geologic deposit
- allow the CO2 to enter the atmosphere but then remove it using specially designed removal processes
What is direct air capture of CO2
- allow the CO2 to enter the atmosphere but then remove it using specially designed removal processes
What are carbon taxes?
- taxes that would be imposed on producers to encourage them to reduce carbon emissions (could be imposed relative to the proportion of carbon burnt?
How is WWF attempting to tackle climate change?
- pressurising major economies and emerging economies to reduce greenhouse as emissions
- calling on governments to sign up to international agreements to reduce the use of fossil fuels and work towards 100% renewable energy by 2050
- trying to encourage people to use new technologies and have a greener lifestyle
What does the One in Five Challenge (WWF-UK’s scheme) aim to do?
- aims to encourage companies and government agencies to reduce the environmental impact of their business travel and other activities
How does the One in Five Challenge benefit the companies (as WWF claims)?
- financial savings
- time savings
- improvements in productivity
- improvements in family life
- higher staff retention
Because of the One in Five Challenge, how much did Vodafone invest in video-conferencing facilities?
- $600,000
In the first five months after Vodafone’s investment (video-conferencing facilities), how many hours did it spend on video-conferencing and how much less did it travel on business?
- 3,600 hours on video-conferencing
- 320,000 km less on business travel
How much did Vodafone save of its previous costs of air travel?
- about one third
