booklet 7- 3.1.1.4- Water, carbon , climate life on earth Flashcards
(14 cards)
key points on carbon
- all living things contain carbon —> it’s one of most important elements in humans (assists respiration etc) (makes up 18% of human body)
- trees store carbon in leaves and woodg matter (50% of biomass)
- humans increase CO2= enhanced greenhouse effect = additional greenhouse gases reflect more energy back to earth then in natural greenhouse effect = temps increase = global warming
key points in water
all living things need water for irrigation, source of power and energy, drinking etc
key points on water and carbon
- carbon absorbed in water cycle= chemical weathering
—> acid rain causes carbonation = dissolved carbon carried to rivers etc = where it’s used for shell growth / buried in limestone or some returns to atmosphere - photosynthesis uses energy from sun and converts CO2 and water to biomass and passes this up food chain = it’s used for breathing , growing , reproducing etc and CO2 is returned to atmosphere (respiration, decomposition etc )
- water and carbon absorb and transfer CO2
- water vapour and CO2 in armoire cause natural greenhouse effect = prevents early escaping (absorbs long wave radiation) into space and reflects in back to earth= stops earth from being frozen and inhabitable
- amount of CO2 in atmosphere affects global temps and amount of evan and precipitation
- massive changes in size of stones = mass and global impacts
climate change and feedback loops - water cycle
- ice reflect radiation from sun= less heat absorbed by surface —> less Arctic ice = exposing more water + less reflection and more absorption of heat from sun = warms water and further melts ice coverage affecting magnitude of water stores / transfers between oceans and land —> impacts water availability due to less precipitation and no Arctic sea ice affects trade routes
- water celebrated = energy taken from surrounding = cools environment and warms environment when it condenses = influences local climate
- dark ocean absorbs more heat and increases evaporation etc
- atmosphere can retain more moisture in high temps
climate change and feedback loops- carbon cycle
- warm temps in Arctic
—> increase plant growth season= more absorption of carbon from atmosphere BUT plants also need water to grow which is reduced due to rising temps
—> melt permafrost e.g. in Siberia = organic matter (plant roots etc) trapped in frozen ground = carbon store so upon melting = organic matter decomposes = produce CO2 and methane to atmosphere -> if this keeps happening in arctic ut will become a net carbon source (rather than store)
climate change and feedback loops- water and carbon cycle
- phytoplankton= use CO2 dissolved in water and suns energy to photosynthesises etc and sustain food webs/store carbon
- marine phytoplankton release DMS which promotes condensation of her oceans so the population of then increases and could lead to more clouds and global cooling as less solar radiation reaches earths surface BUT cooling effect could kill phytoplankton = complex feedback loop
- warmer climates = trees roots grow faster and deeper = enables acidic water to cause carbonation—> sequestering CO2 from atmosphere = lowers global stems and decrease rate of vegetation growth= maintains global temps balance and climate stable
climate change expected impacts?
- patterns of precip expected to change —> wetter areas expected to get more wet and drier areas more dry —> water shortages in some areas and future conflicts
- extreme weather events more frequent = LDCs will be worst affected and less able to deal with impacts
- agriculture productivity decrease = food shortages etc
- sea levels rise = flood coastal low lying areas
- geographical range of species change and arrival of new species may damage some ecosystems = extinction of some species
- plankton numbers decline = affects marine food chains
do humans influence carbon cycle?
yes e.g. by extracting and burning fossil fuels etc
- 40% more CO2 in atmosphere than in 1750
- intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) set up by UN= suggests countries need to reduce carbon to stop further temps rising —> mitigation needed
mitigation examples
- switch to reversible sources of energy nationals scale and move away from fossil fuels e.g. Norway using hydropower, UK 30% electricity renewable, wind turbines in ocean etc BUT can be more expensive
- target to GHG globally
- reduce industrial emissions and deforestation (afforestation —> restores natural habitats etc)
- plant based diets = less meat consumption = less methane
- lower food waste as landfills release methane if rotting food (1/3 of food wasted)
- electric vehicles, walking, public transport
- govt investment in clean transport solutions and implement policies to reduce fossil fuel dependence
- 100 companies responsible for 71% of global industrial emission 1998
- sustainable food practices (eat local and seasonal foods , grow own food etc)
- grasslands can sequester lots of carbon so they need to be maintained (stop overgrazing, reduce ploughing, add organic material rather than artificial fertilisers , crop rotation = allows grassland and soil to recover etc
- restore peatlands (as they absorbe and store carbon as it makes up 50% of them)
BUT they take thousands of years to develop - debt for nature swap- used by USA (converted $13.5 mill of debt from Brazil to fund and support rainforest)
- selective management system - malaysia allows for small space selective logging and replanting trees
- home energy efficiency —> insulation to reduce heating and cooling etc
- water conservation measures —> monitoring water usage etc
global scale intervention/mitigation examples?
- 1997 Kyoto protocol
- 2015 Paris Climate convention
- Cap and trade
- COP 27,28 and 29
explain the 1997 Kyoto protocol, 2015 paris climate convention and the cap + trade
1997 Kyoto protocol
- reducing CO2 emissions by many HICS —> cut GHG emissions by 5% from 1990 levels by 2012 —> USA , Australia refused to participate
2015 paris climate convention
- 195 countries agreed to reduce global CO2 emissions to below 60% of 2010 levels by 2050 and to limit average global temp increase to 1.5 degree C above pre industrial levels
BUT many LICs argued that in order to improve living standards and industrialise they needed to use fossil fuels —> so HICs also agreed to share tech and send funds to LICs to help achieve target
cap + trade
- Kyoto protocol initiated this idea —> means countries cut emissions below ‘cap’ then another country could buy ‘credits’ = offset their emissions above agreed levels to meet target cap
explain COP27,28,29
COP 27
- 2022 in Egypt
- crediting of ‘Loss and damage’ (acknowledge to help financially vulnerable countries ) and pro fr was on finalising the Paris agreement rulebook, concerns on little emission reduction
COP28
- 2023 in Dubai —> aimed to accelerate climate action, focus on energy transition and increase climate finance for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries
COP29
- 2024- developed countries = mobilise $300bn annually to help developing countries address climate change , improved monitoring, accountability on climate actions
criticisms of COPS
- agreements unclear and vague
- no strong enforcement and countries not held accountable for not meeting goals
- global emissions still continuing to rise
- funding unfairly distributed
- $300bn not enough funding (developing countries need more)
- countries failing to commit and take necessary actions
natural vs enhanced greenhouse effect
natural:
- solar radiation passes through earths atmosphere
- earth absorbs radiation and warms up
- earth radiates heat energy
- some heat escapees into space
- some heat absorbed by greenhouse gases in atmosphere
- greenhouses gases radiate heat in all diversions
- lower atmosphere remains warm
ENHANCED
- greenhouse gases allow more solar radiation to pass through earths atmosphere
- less heat escapes into space
- more heat absorbed by greenhouse gases into atmosphere
- lower atmosphere heats up
