02 climate and weather (responses) Flashcards
successes of kyoto protocol
countries such as finland, greece and ireland have met and/or exceeded their set targets. the clean development mechanism (CDM) gives certified emission reduction (CER) credits to countries that carry out emission-reduction projects in LDCs. each credit, an equivalent to a tonne of carbon dioxide allows DCs to offset emissions and encourages sustainable development when emission-reducing projects are taken on in LDCs.
limitation of kyoto protocol
some countries such as denmark, spain and austria did not meet their targets. it is also not compulsory for countries with low emissions to help other countries. hence, low emissions countries are not obligated to provide high-emission countries with energy-saving technology, making it difficult for high-emission countries to hit their target. countries such as china and india which now contribute significant amount of emissions were not included in the protocol as they were not as urbanised.
success of singapore green plan 2012
79% of singapore’s electricity was generated by natural gas, a cleaner fossil fuel by 2010, way ahead of schedule.
limitation of singapore green plan 2012
natural gas has to be processed in complex treatment plants and to be transported by pipelines which result in high maintenance cost as it is laid underground and requires regular checks. it is also costly.
successes of green mark scheme
buildings such as standard chartered at changi and national library board have savings of around 15-35%. this reduces greenhouse gas emissions as the use of fossil fuels for energy generation is lowered.
limitations of green mark scheme
construction companies and developers are conservative about new ideas and materials in order to build greener buildings. processes are environmentally-friendly, more efficient but is also costly as materials used are more expensive.
