Coping with Climate Change Flashcards
what is mitigation toward climate change?
stopping climate change, reducing output of GHG and increasing size of carbon sinks
what are 4 general ways to mitigate against climate change?
- targets to reduce carbon
- switch to renewable energy
- upfront cost
- any action taken limits damage to natural systems
what is adaptation toward climate change?
changing our lifestyle to cope with a new environments, accepting climate change
what are ways to adapt to climate change?
- managed retreat of coastlines
- drought resistant crops
- spreading costs out over time
what are two downsides to adapting to climate change?
- poorer lack adaptive capacity to cope
- actions taken to adapt might condemn natural systems which can’t adapt (E.g. species extinction of insects that cannot feed off drought resistant crops)
what are the two most used way to mitigate?
- carbon neutral development: offsetting carbon emissions by afforesting
- carbon capture tech: implemented in power stations
what is a positive and negative outcome of carbon neutral development to mitigate against climate change?
pro: greatest impact on emissions
con: public oppose land use & lifestyle changes that afforestation brings
what is a pro and con of carbon capture tech to mitigate?
pro: removes problem at source
con: high cost, unsustainable
what are two examples of adapting to climate change?
- prevent development on floodplains/coasts
- drought tolerant crops and use waste water on crops
what is a pro and con to Land Use Planning to adapt?
pro: reduce vulnerability to extreme weather
con: oppose by existing residents on coasts and floodplains
what is a pro and con to Agricultural Technology to adapt?
pro: tech already exists, quickly implemented
con: expensive, can’t be implemented in developing world, africa
what is an example of a poorer place have little adaptive capacity?
tuvalu island, between hawaii and australia
how does Tuvalu economically and environmentally have low adaptive capacity to cope?
economy: relies on semi-susbsitence farming, fishing, foreign aid
environmentally: every island 5m above/below sea level, porous coral atolls flood, push salt water through ground, poisonous food crops
what are the four options for tuvalu?
- relocate
- change behaviour
- modify the threat
- prevent the loss
how are Tuvaluans going to relocate to adapt to climate change?
2001, NZ agreed to accept 75 Tuvaluans each year
how have Tuvaluans changed their behaviour to adapt to climate change?
2000 joined UN to bring their issues to world
how have Tuvaluans ‘modified the threat’ of sea-level rise to adapt to climate change
stopped beach mining to reduce erosion risk
how have Tuvaluans taken action to prevent crop yield loss to adapt to climate change?
salt-tolerant crops (halophyte’s)
why is the future not good for Tuvalu against climate change?
- low adaptive capacity to cope:
- small GDP $12 million (relies on foreign aid)
- high fertility rates
- bad environmental management, e.g. beach mining
what is some background information on the kyoto protocol agreement?
- kyoto, japan, 1997
- reduce carbon emissions by 20% of what they were in 90s
- 190 countries signed
why were negotiations in the kyoto protocol conference complex?
- for the treaty to start, 55 countries had to ratify
- had to have enough countries to join to account for 55% global carbon emissions
- country specific emissions target, EU = 8%
- effectiveness of protocol lessened due to USA withdrawal 2001, targets too expensive to reach
what were some of the deals made in the kyoto protocol conference?
- carbon credits allowed to be traded
- carbon sinks to offset allowed, but critics say these encourage countries to continue polluting
what were the 3 main reasons that led the kyoto protocol to be unsuccessful?
- reduction of carbon emission only 0.5% in 2012, when the aim was to reduce by 20%
- some countries better than others at meeting target (Uk = better, spain = worst)
- China’s emissions increased by 50% since 1990s
is there hope for the kyoto protocol ever being successful?
some hope - UN climate change convention produced Bali Roadmap, new emissions targets
