climate change mitigation Flashcards
(8 cards)
what is carbon sequestration?
capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and putting it into long term storage
2 types= geological and terrestrial
what is the mitigation of climate change?
the efforts to cut or prevent the emission of ghg-> limit the magnitude of future warming
How much have temperatures risen since pre-industrial times?
2024- first year to exceed 1.5 degrees hotter than pre-industrial levels
What would happen if earth’s temperature increased by 2 more degrees?
- sea levels could rise 1-2m
- almost no coral reefs
- the arctic would be completely devoid of ice in summer
What was the 2015 Paris agreement? how successful was this?
2015 international treaty on climate change- adopted by 196 parties-> world leaders committed to limiting temperature rise well below 2 degrees (through long term plans to reduce carbon emissions)
Evaluations= Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)-> policy changes and investments in renewable energy BUT many countries failed to meet their targets e.g. Australia, Brazil-> experts= not enough enforcement to make a difference
what is carbon capture and storage? how successful is this?
CCS= technology (e.g. stored in geological rock form/transported through pipe into storage) captures CO2 emissions produced through generating electricity and industrial processes d2 fossil fuels-> prevents CO2 from entering atmosphere
Evaluations= Captures up to 90% of CO2 emissions BUT doesn’t discourage companies from using fossil fuels-> long term solution? Expensive + doesn’t consider energy sources that are environmentally friendly
what is biological sequestration? how successful is this?
BS= the net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere through afforestation, protecting vegetative biomass and soils e.g. Microorganisms and plant matter contribute to carbon-rich soil-> traps CO2 long term e.g. Paris expect to plant 170,000 trees in the next 5 years
Evaluations= carbon sink, improves air quality, generates rural income BUT how realistic on a wide scale e.g. d2 urban sprawl etc
how has changing land use acted as a mitigation strategy against climate change?
Effective management of grasslands (e.g. reducing grazing) improves soil health and carbon sequestration, healthy peatlands capture CO2 from the atmos d2 photosynthesis
Evaluations= grasslands can mitigate 810 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, peatlands store more carbon than all other vegetation types combined (thus more effective than bs?)
