CC essays Flashcards

Question

Not only migration & health but a combination of factors inlcuding water stress & food insecurity

Answer 1

Droughts in Sahel or retreating glaciers in Mountainous regions, loss of land due to rising sea levels = soil erosion and impact on water supply. The knock on effect impacts on health..economy.. and also migration – Nigeria…with many moving to Europe – wider regional impact..Brexit and rising nationalism – destabilising impacts.

Answer 2

Define - adaptation & mitigation. Complex - depends on time and place. the “importance” of adaptation may depend on the nation in question due to differing levels of for example: exposure to risk and vulnerability to climate change. In addition countries may not require greater focus on mitigation due to their lack of development and level of current emissions

Answer 3

Sundarbans – adaptation important – exposed to risk ----rising sea levels, loss of land, more frequent cyclones e.g. Alia & vulnerability – poverty, relying on land. Adaptation also important for Artic region – exposure & vulnerability. Anthrax outbreaks as ice melts. Spending more time in pastures so more isolated. Many indigenous abandoning traditional way of life as hunting..difficult - muskrat pop depleted as ice melts. Heavily connected to env - hard understand how survive without ice. Both regions have low emissions levels due to levels of wealth…..mitigation not important.

Answer 4

Mitigation is highly important in HICs & EEs – trade & development in USA, China, Brazil – high emission levels. They also have a moral responsibility as they have developed on the back of fossil fuels…if don’t reduce emissions – tipping points…future more may need to adapt. China 2020 - emitted 12.3bn tonnes of GHG emissions.

Answer 5

Adaptation is equally as important as mitigation in parts of HIcs – London & Thames Barrier, Netherlands & their flood defences, Australia and water lawns at night due to water shortages – Murray Darling Basin and Forest Fires… Denmark & Sponge cities – reduce flooding.

Answer 6

Define adaptation & mitigation & CC & geopolitical efforts. To what extent – depends on time & place & there are a range of consequences. Both have been emphasised at UN COP conferences.

Answer 7

Adaptation important – COP21, Paris - countries pledged to raise from the public-private purse by 2020, $100 billion each year for the Green Climate Fund. This fund is earmarked for projects and schemes linked to adaptation to climate change. Acknowledge need to adapt – issues ..debt & finance not enough. Rich nations are undermining work to protect poor and vulnerable countries from the impacts of the climate crisis, by providing loans instead of grants, siphoning off money from other aid projects or mislabelling cash, new research suggests. Only $11.5bn (£9.2bn) of climate finance from rich countries in 2020 was devoted to helping poor countries adapt to extreme weather, despite increasing incidences of climate-related disaster, according to a report from the charity Oxfam. At COP26 pledged to contribute further $500bn by 2025. Improvements were made at COP28 in Dubai 2023, A loss and damage fund was agreed – help deal with impacts & adapt. The UAE immediately pledged $100m to the fund, and was followed by contributions from the EU, led by Germany, the UK, the US and Japan, though the US in particular were criticised for their relatively modest pledge.

Answer 8

2. The above improvements are needed – expand upon issues in Sundarbans, Arctic,….. and management being installed in Nationally – what doing in Sundarbans & elsewhere – Mangroves afforestation…, floating farms…, floating hospitals. This might not be possibly for everyone, with some having to abandon their homeland – Kiribati, Vanatu.. Thus that mitigation is also very important.

Answer 9

3. COP21 – agreed to keep under 2 degrees and if possible 1.5 degrees. Set INDCs – EU to cut 40% on 1990 levels by 2030 & UK 80% by 2050. Currently looking at Climate Action Tracker no country in the world is compatible with 1.5 degrees. With only 6 countries almost sufficient, including Norway & Morocco. Uncertain whether targets will be met, especially as many argue language at COP 28 too soft ‘transition away from fossil fuels’. To achieve this the EU has its Carbon cap trading scheme which ……… A 2nd scheme that could support mitigation is Afforestation – WB – Mexico….

Answer 10

In conclusion, both adaptation and mitigation are of critical importance for geopolitical efforts to cope with the effect of climate change. Adaptation deals with the consequences, which are inevitable. How severe these effects on humanity are in reality, depend almost entirely on our efforts to mitigate.

Answer 11

Vulnerability - Refers to the degree to which people are susceptible to, or unable to cope with, the adverse impacts of climate change. Factors affecting vulnerability:  Exposure – degree to which people are exposed to climate change.  Sensitivity – degree to which they could be harmed by exposure to CC.  Adaptive capacity - degree to which they could mitigate the potential harm by taking action to reduce their exposure or sensitivity.

Answer 12

Exposure – Some places are already more exposed to the risks. Places like low lying Pacific islands, the Maldives and the Sundarbans are already facing rising sea levels, salt intrusion and the loss of land. Places that previously suffered from Cyclones may face stronger ones in the future, as the ocean warms, fuelling larger storms. Regions like Sub-Saharan Africa which already suffered from unreliable rainfalls & droughts …Haiti – Hurricane Sandy 2012 – already vulnerable after 2010 earthquake.

Answer 13

* Sensitivity - reliance on climate-sensitive economic activities, such as agriculture or fishing – Sundarbans & Arctic - seasonal hunting for narwhals & seals. Sea ice is breaking and thus they are losing safe access to traditional hunting grounds for large parts of the year. In future there will be no access at all. Muskrat population has declines, losing safe dog sledding routes in may parts. Rely heavily on physical environment – Indigenous in Arctic * This is an extreme form of vulnerability: Inuit culture and the physical environment are so highly interconnected that it is hard to imagine how communities will survive in any recognizable way if the ice does not exist. Level of development of a country: this affects health, education levels, wealth and infrastructure * wealth: people and nations with greater money are more able to prepare for the risk by putting adaptive strategies in place and repairing the damage of extreme events. – Netherlands – compared to Bangladesh. 50% live in poverty in the Sundarbans. * health: if baseline health is good then people are more able to overcome some of the impacts of extreme events, such as the spread of disease. Yamal peninsula – Nenets - reindeer herders away for longer in pasture. No medical care. Anthrax being released from melting ice. * education: an educated population is more likely to be prepared, with the necessary strategies in place to cope; for example, houses on stilts in flood areas. Living in slums on a slope. Many illiterates in Sundarbans. Haiti had deforested slopes = landslides & soil erosion, when heavy rains arrive. * Gender & age

Answer 14

Developing countries are more exposed to the risks of climate change. They don't have the resources to prepare or manage extreme hazards, like hurricanes. Richer countries can build large sea walls that protect cities from floods. In some places the poorest places are more exposed to risks. One example of this was New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. The poorest, African-American communities were most exposed because they lived in the low-lying parts of the city and couldn't afford or saw no reason to evacuate. Could compare – strategies used in the Netherlands to those used in the Sundarban

CC essays Flashcards

CC & synoptic essays (38 cards)