Water, carbon and climate change Flashcards
What is negative feedback loops?
A feedback which keeps a system in its original condition
What is an example of a negative feedback loop?
Increase in CO2 - increase in temperature - increased plant growth - increased uptake of CO2 - reduction in CO2
What is a positive feedback loop?
A feedback where there is a progressively greater change from the original condition of the system
What is an example of a positive feedback loop?
Increase in temperature - increase in oceanic temperatures - dissolved CO2 released from warmer oceans - increase in CO2 - further atmospheric warming
What are the movements of carbon?
Human processes and geological components, biomass processes, oceanic carbon pumps, combustion,
What are the human processes which move carbon?
Burning of fossil fuels
What are the geo-logical processes which move carbon?
Volcanoes, rock cycle
What are the biomass processes which move carbon?
Respiration, photosynthesis, decomposition
What is a carbon sink?
Store which takes in more carbon than it releases
What is a carbon store?
Store which takes in less carbon than it releases
How does the rock cycle move carbon?
Through weathering, burial, subduction, volcanic activity
How does volcanic activity and subduction move carbon?
At plate boundaries, a tectonic plate will subduct into mantle and melt, during a volcanic eruption the mantle will come up where lava and CO2 is released
What are the main mitigations of climate change?
Improving the aviation industry
Changing rural land use
Urban design
Increased use of renewable energy
How can improving the aviation of industry mitigate climate change?
Shorten flight time by efficient air traffic control
Changes of routes to reduce contrail formation
Improved fuel efficiency
How can changing rural land use mitigate climate change?
Afforestation and reforestation silviculture
How can adapting urban design mitigate climate change?
Improve ventilation Green roofs Improved insulation Recycling Capture landfill gas Water management practices Sustainable urban transport systems
How can increasing the use of renewable energy mitigate climate change?
Wave and tidal power
Wind power
Solar energy
What is positive feedback example for the impact of water and carbon on climate change?
CO2 from human activity Global temperature rise Increased oceanic temperatures Warm water less able to dissolve CO2, so it releases it More CO2 in atmosphere
What is the Kyoto protocol?
An international agreement to cut CO2 emissions to help reduce global warming
When was the Kyoto protocol? and who made the argument made?
11th December in 1997 in Japan made by industrialized countries
How much greenhouse gas emissions needed to be reduced for the Kyoto protocol?
5% below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012
What did EU countries on a whole have as there targets in the Kyoto protocol?
8% reduction but individuelle countries had there own target
When did the Kyoto protocol treaty become legally binding?
in 2005 - when all the countries who were responsibly for 55% of the total emissions had signed
What country initial declined to sign the Kyoto protocol but eventually did in 2011?
USA after they got 191 signatories
Why did poor countries not have to reduce their emissions?
They could trade in their carbon credits instead - the amount of greenhouses gases they are allowed to emit
What could countries putting more pollution into the atmosphere do?
Buy carbon credits from a country below its agreed level
