Carbon EQ3 (6.3) Flashcards Preview

A level (A2) Edexcel Geography > Carbon EQ3 (6.3) > Flashcards

Flashcards in Carbon EQ3 (6.3) Deck (22)
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1
Q

what are the 4 ecosystem services ?

A
  1. supporting services keep the ecosystems healthy e.g photosynthesis
  2. provisional services are the products obtained from ecosystems e.g. food, fuel etc.
  3. regulating services such as regulation of air quality,climate, water etc.
  4. cultural services are non-material benefits such as well being
2
Q

How is deforestation impacting the carbon and water cycles ?

A
  • it leads to CO2 increasing in the atmosphere
  • impacts the water cycle such as more runoff and less infiltration affecting river regimes
  • soil erosion caused due to it being washed away easily by rain due to a lack of cover from vegetation
  • species diversity reduced
3
Q

how is the EU attempting to combat deforestation ?

A

with the afforestation scheme which encourages planting forests

4
Q

why has there been an increase in grassland conversion ?

A

Growth of biofuel production has meant grasslands are being replaced by crops such as soya and sugar cane. Over 5.5 million hectares of grassland lost which has increased soil erosion and therefore carbon stores.

5
Q

why is ocean acidification occurring ?

A

increased absorbed carbon from the sea means it is becoming more acidified and has dropped from PH 8.2 TO 8.1

6
Q

How is ocean acidification effecting ecosystems ?

A

sea life is effected due to a loss of minerals in the water. Also coral are dying due to the changes in acidity along with algae which effects the whole food chain and threatens ecosystems.

7
Q

how has drought affected carbon and water cycles in the Amazon and worldwide ?

A

17% of the earths terrestrial carbon is in the Amazon however this could turn in to a carbon source rather than store. Also the 20 billion tonnes of water that is released in to the atmosphere by the trees is being effected by the droughts.

8
Q

what does the environmental Kuznets curve display ?

A

as countries first develop their rates of environmental impact increase. However they reach a tipping point where they begin to reduce their environmental impact once industrialised.

9
Q

how is palm oil production affecting the carbon cycle ?

A

it is the most commonly produced vegetable oil and is used in all sorts from foods to cosmetics. The production of it has led to huge amounts of deforestation and therefore large amounts of carbon being emitted

10
Q

what is an example of a country where palm oil is effecting the carbon cycle ?

A

in 2015 Indonesia’s greenhouse emissions temporarily overtook those of the USA due to large amounts of forest being cleared for palm oil.

11
Q

how does the UK’s Forests back up the Kuznets curve ?

A

in the 19th century when the UK underwent huge industrialisation forest cover greatly reduced. However now there are schemes which have helped replant forests such as the FSC.

12
Q

how has temperature change impacted the arctic ?

A
  • temperature there has risen twice as fast as global averages
  • considerable loss of sea ice and ships can now sail straight through
  • carbon uptake of plants increasing due to longer growing seasons
  • loss of albedo due to more snow melt and more darker ground covered by soil and vegetation
  • scientists predict permafrost will thaw in the future and sea ice could completely thaw out
13
Q

how has temperature prediction been undermined ?

A

a study looked at things like lake sediment and tree rings to look at temperature in the past and it went against what climate models currently are saying.

14
Q

what are the main ways the ocean is under thereat ?

A
  • mangroves trap sediment and nutrients and protect us from disasters however 1/2 the worlds mangroves have been lost due to tourism
  • food webs are changing due to over fishing and rising temperatures have killed plankton effecting the food cycle
  • coral bleaching is occurring due to acidification and temp. change which effects tourism
15
Q

what factors make climate change so uncertain ?

A
  • the levels of GHG emissions and if they’ll continue to rise
  • the resilience of other carbon sinks such as the ocean
  • positive feedback mechanisms
  • whether or not there’ll be a tipping point
  • future population gowth
  • the emissions of permafrost
16
Q

what are the 2 approaches of the IPCC for the future ?

A
  1. adaptation- adopting new ways of doing things in order to reduce and live with climate change
  2. Mitigation- reducing or preventing GHG emissions using new technologies
17
Q

what are some adaptation strategies ?

A
  • water conservation and management e.g smart irrigation, recycling etc.
  • land use planning and flood risk management
  • resilient agricultural systems involves crops that use fewer fertilisers and grows cover over crops to maintain soil health and water conservation
  • solar radiation management involves reflecting solar rays to reduce global warming through orbiting satellites
18
Q

what are the negatives of the adaptation strategies for climate change ?

A
  • water conservation and management is difficult to impose due to rising demand
  • hard engineering of flood management is very expensive and so is the genetically modified resilient agriculture
  • solar radiation is untried and untested and so its unknown if it would work
19
Q

what are the mitigation strategies for climate change ?

A
  • carbon taxation can help make people more aware of their energy use and create change
  • increasing energy efficiency in buildings and appliances
  • afforestation for example in Korea after the 2nd world war they set up rehabilitation schemes
  • renewable switching which is switching from fossil fuels to renewable sources
  • carbon capture and storage
20
Q

how could increased energy efficiency be achieved ?

A

decentralisation which is the idea of having lots of small power stations rather than one big one to reduce waste during transportation in pylons

21
Q

what is important to bare in mind when considering these mitigation and adaptation schemes ?

A

it is an international problem and so these actions must be taken up at an international scale. However even if this is done it isn’t guaranteed that the damage done so far can be reversed.

22
Q

How does the Paris agreement attempt to reduce global warming ?

A

it unites 195 countries to reduce global warming and they aim to keep the global temperature from rising more than 2 degrees above its original temperature. Countries report back every 5 years on their progress.