Unit 2 - Climate Change

Question 1

Extreme Weather - UK

Answer 1

Increased rainfall and wind, annual precipitation increased 5% in 2020 - frequency of gales increase 30%.
Rising temperatures - increase of 0.2 degrees per decade and 1.6 by 2050s warmer temps move 200km north.
Brought and floods will become more common, south-east drier.

Question 2

Bangladesh Climate Vunerability

Answer 2

Low lying delta.
Scale and frequency of floods has increased.
Lost of population by the coast vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Increased monsoon events increase precipitation up to 40% by 2030s.
Government - flood action plan including gates built for protection and 5000km of embankment, 200 flood shelters.
Poor construction materials are built from sand and mud, low incomes and lack of education increase vulnerability.

Question 3

Ghana Climate Vunerability

Answer 3

Poor, elderly, women and children at risk.
Impacts - decreased water availability, increasing illness and poverty.
Infrastructure developments - dams.
Ecosystem adaption preserving mangroves.
Capacity developments e.g. education on new technologies to protect from climate change events.
Northern - savannah experiences increase in our migration and loss of human capita.

Question 4

Kyoto Protocol

Answer 4

Reduction of carbon emissions by 20% by 2005 from 1988.
183 countries signed up, with permitted levels of CO2 divided into units per country, excess units could be traded.

+ encourages reduction of CO2 emissions, hold countries accountable per unit emission.

• many countries struggled to adapt so protocol was extended , doesn’t cover all GHG.

Question 5

Mitigation to Climate Change

Answer 5

Closing the loop projects full recyclability, investigate security of products being returned to nature.
Developing climate positive opportunities for suppliers, promote low carbon Ikea supply chain.
28 companies formed US climate action (2007) partnership - setting legally binding CO2 emissions.
WWF and Ikea work on 6 climate projects. Climate positive project - by reducing emissions by thinking and acting on Ikea’s impact.

Question 6

Paris Agreements

Answer 6

Combat climate change and intensify actions and investments for a sustainable low carbon future.

+ each country has to submit action plan and updated every 5 years.
+ financial support for developing countries.

• targets can be vague which limits accountability.
• long-term focus which limits immediate action.