4.b. The global implications of water and carbon management.

Question 1

what are the global management strategies to protect carbon cycles?

Answer 1

afforestation, wetland restoration, improving agricultural practices and reducing emissions (including carbon trading + international agreements)

Question 2

what is afforestation? why do we need trees? why do we need afforestation + why is it good?

Answer 2

• planting trees in deforested areas or areas that have been forested before
• trees are carbon sinks = helps decrease the co2 levels in the atmosphere + in the long term combat climate change
• trees decrease flood risk + soil erosion + increase biodiversity
• protecting tropical rainforests from loggers, farmer, miners = inexpensive way of curbing greenhouse gases

Question 3

what is the REDD scheme (afforestation)?

Answer 3

REDD scheme gives a monetary value to forest conservation as an incentive for EDC’s/LIDC’s to conserve their forests
china - a mass government sponsored afforestation project began in 1978 - to afforest an area the size of spain by 2050 t0 combat the desertification of the Gobi desert.

Question 4

why is wetland restoration important? what is it? how much wetlands cover earth’s surface?

Answer 4

salt marsh, peatlands, mangroves –> wherever water is close to the surface and the ground is permanently saturated.
- wetlands cover 6.9% of the earth’s surface and contain 35% of the terrestrial carbon pool
- pop increase, economic development + urbanisation have placed pressure on wetlands –> as result huge transfer of previously stored carbon into atmosphere

Question 5

wetland restoration what is RAMSAR? what has the UK been doing?

Answer 5

• international protection of wetlands is coordinated by RAMSAR
• in the UK 400 hectares of grade 1 farmland in east cambridgeshire is being converted to wetland
• UK has set target to restore 500 hectares by 2020 by increasing water tables to recreate waterlogged conditions, reconnecting floodplains to river, removing flood embankments, breeching see defences + blocking drainage ditches

Question 6

why does agricultural practices need to be improved? + what are they doing?

Answer 6

• growing crops without ploughing the soil to conserve the soil’s organic content, reduce oxidation and reduce erosion by the wind and rain
• growing crops amongst the trees to protect the soil from erosion
• leaving crop reside on the fields after harvest to put nutrients back into the soil via decomposition
• avoiding the use of heavy machinery on wet soil - to reduce compaction which increases surface runoff
• contour ploughing and terracing to reduce runoff and erosion
• introduce new strains of rice that grow in drier conditions and as such produce less methane
• improve the quality of livestock feed to reduce methane eg. garlic compound
• store manure in anaerobic containers, capture the methane produced and use it as renewable energy

Question 7

Why have reducing emissions been difficult?

Answer 7

• international cooperation = difficult due to economic + political reasons –> some of the biggest emitters choose to follow a path of narrow self-interest
• eg. trump - ‘the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing less competitive”

Question 7

what is the Kyoto protocol?

Answer 7

kyoto protocol 1997 - developed countries were set targets to reduce their emissions BUT variable success - the UK has met its target
- the USA refused to sign as didn’t want a negative impact on their economy
- china / india not set targets as at the time they were not seen as developed enough - the became two of biggest emitters
- this expired in 2012

Question 8

what is the paris climate change agreement?

Answer 8

paris climate change agreement reached 2015 to be implemented in 2020 - aim to reduce global co2 emissions below 60% of 2010 levels by 2050 and keep warming below 2 degrees.
- countries set their own targets
- rich countries are to transfer money and technology to poor countries to help achieve this
- china / india argued that reducing emissions is the responsibikity of the richest countries as they are reliant on fossil fuels to increase living standards in their own countries.
- trump pulled USA out of agreement - ‘i represent pitsburgh, not paris’ –> biden re-joined the agreement when he was elected

Question 9

what is the carbon trading scheme (reducing emissions)?

Answer 9

• every business has a set amount of emissions space
• if they need extra emission space this can be traded (paid for) from other businesses.
• a cap is set so the total amount of emissions is controlled
• this capped value is reduced over time to reduce emissions produced
• however the ETS (european trading scheme) has been running for decade and remains precious little sign that it has brought about reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
• there is perceive risk that caps on EU emissions could price business out of Europe and into less regulated markets.