inequality & inertia lecture 1

Climate justice = recognizing that climate change ___ and responsibilities are unevenly distributed.

impacts

____: wealthier nations emit more but poorer regions bear the brunt.

injustice

Climate/adaptation _____ - southeast countries arguing for funding from wealthy countries for adaptation

financing 

___world is “lurching” when we should be sprinting toward change.

inertia 

• Forces impeding transition:

  • ____industry and misinformation

  • Weak political will & shallow global targets

  • Economic dependence on fossil fuels

  • Multilateral gridlock

denial 

Key At-Risk Areas - hotspot ___ (IPCC)

mega-deltas

1. ____

   • ____populated; 20% of humanity lives within 30 km of the sea.

   • Especially sensitive to ____ rise 

   • Amazon Delta (⅕ of global freshwater output).

mega-deltas, densely, sea level 

_____-lying coastal zones - highly exposed to _____ and ___.

low flooding storms

1. ______ (SIDS)

   • ~63 million people.

   • Low-lying island nations are highly vulnerable and often affected by weather extremes and climate change

Face increased severity of cyclones, ___surges, heavy ___, sea-level rise, ____, and acidification.

small island developing states, storm, rain, droughts 

Rising Risks - Sea-level rise → amplifies ____, especially in deltas and ___.

flooding, SIDS

Sea-level rise → amplifies flooding, especially in deltas and SIDS.

• Takes ___ storm surge to cause flooding 

• Storm of same intensity can do more damage 

• For sure, more flooding

lower

• Storms: warming oceans + air = stronger and wetter ____ (intensifies ___)

  • Warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air → atmosphere contains more moisture → heavier rainfall on average 

cyclones, energy

• Storms: warming oceans + air = stronger and wetter cyclones (intensifies energy)

  • Warmer air can hold more moisture than cooler air → atmosphere contains more moisture → heavier rainfall on average

  • Clausius-Clapeyron equation: every 1°C increase → ___ holds ___% more water ___.

  • Heavier ____ + stronger __ = more destruction.

atmosphere 7 vapour rainfall winds

• North Atlantic: _____ now ____ as likely to rapidly intensify from minor to catastrophic.

• Linked phenomena: warmer oceans, higher moisture, rising seas.

• Intense storms and sea level rise connected

hurricanes 2x

🏝 Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

• Consistent appeals for ____ + support for ____ at UNFCCC 

• ____ and appeals for climate refugee status 

• Organized politically around climate change and uneven ____.

Serve as the moral conscience in climate talks.

mitigation adaptation displacement vulnerability

SIDS

• Advocate/lobby for:

  • ____(emission cuts)

  • ____ funding from wealthy nations

• Failure of ___to compel emission reductions 

  • Only pledges or promises, no binding recourse/commitment 

• Multilateral agreements don’t result in binding action

mitigation adaptation COPS  

SIDS Face “economic ____”: rely on ___ (a high-emission industry).

schizophrenia tourism

International FailuresUNFCCC & COP: mostly ___ pledges.

non-binding

int failures - Climate/adaptation ___ still debated — how much should the rich pay?

2024: calls for international court action on climate responsibility - mitigation and support for adaptation.

finance

mangrove Forests

• Vital coastal ___ and ___ hub in ___zones.

  • Between the land and sea

buffer, biodiversity, tropical 

mangrove forests - Dramatic global loss since 1980 (cleared for housing, tourism).

Urgent ___ needed for both human protection and wildlife.

restoration

China: investing heavily in __

sea defences

Mangrove Action Project: restoring ecosystems to resist __

sea level rise

mangrove forest - __- explosive growth since 1980: from <2% to >50% of fish volume.

aquaculture 

Regional Vulnerabilities

Asia: greatest risk due to loss of ___ ice (“reservoirs in the sky”).

himalayan

Regional Vulnerabilities

• ___: ___ risk due to loss of himalayan ice (“reservoirs in the sky”).

asia greatest

Glacier melt affects major ___ systems and ___.

river agriculture

• Most migration is internal (within countries).

SIDS: some citizens already displaced; appeals for climate __ status underway.

refugee

____: disappearing island nation → migration plans to Australia.

Tuvalu

Poorer, low-lying, and island nations most at risk

vulnerability