inequality and inertia L5 PQ

2. The “production gap” refers to - The continued ____ of fossil fuel production despite climate___

expansion, commitments 

To keep warming below 1.5°C, the remaining carbon budget is approximately:
b) < ___Gt CO₂

500 

5. The Montreal Protocol is significant in climate politics because:
b) It showed ____ global action on an atmospheric problem (ozone layer)

successful

6. Which of the following is TRUE of the Kyoto Protocol?
c) The ___ withdrew in 2001, citing economic concerns

US

7. The Paris Agreement’s strongest feature is best described as:
c) A ___ system encouraging progressively stronger national commitments

pledge and review

Which of the following has contributed MOST to multilateral climate gridlock?
b) ___ global governance + powerful fossil fuel ___

weak, lobbies 

12. Which country has contributed the largest share of historical emissions?

US 

13. A major barrier to Loss & Damage negotiations is:
b) Wealthy nations’ fear of legal liability and ___ claims

compensation 

SAQ 1 — Multilateral Gridlock

Identify and briefly explain three major reasons why global climate action remains slow despite mounting scientific consensus.

1. Powerful fossil fuel ____ – Coal, oil, and gas industries hold trillions in ___ that would become ___; they lobby heavily to delay or weaken agreements.

interests, assets, stranded

SAQ 1 — Multilateral GridlockIdentify and briefly explain three major reasons why global climate action remains slow despite mounting scientific consensus.

Weak global ___– UNFCCC has no ___mechanisms, so countries face no penalties for failing to meet pledges.

governance, enforcement 

SAQ 1 — Multilateral GridlockIdentify and briefly explain three major reasons why global climate action remains slow despite mounting scientific consensus.

Unequal ___ responsibility – Wealthy nations resist stronger commitments and climate finance, leading to stalemate between developed and developing countries.

historical 

SAQ 2 — Unburnable Fossil Fuels

Explain why most known fossil fuel reserves (~11,000 Gt CO₂) must remain unburned. Known reserves equal ~11,000 Gt CO₂, but the remaining carbon budget is <500 Gt CO₂ for 1.5°C, or 1,000 Gt CO₂ for 2°C.

• Burning all reserves would exceed the atmospheric disposal ___(870–1,240 Gt CO₂) and guarantee catastrophic ___.

Therefore, most reserves must remain unburned → they become stranded assets, creating political and economic resistance to ___

limit, warming, phase-outs 

Kyoto (1997): ___ targets for developed countries; developing countries had no obligations; U.S. withdrew; Canada missed targets.

binding 

Copenhagen (2009): ___; failed to produce strong commitments; first time $100B climate finance was promised.

non-binding 

Paris (2015): Non-binding; no enforcement; relies on Nationally Determined Contributions and ___ sets 1.5°C as goal but lacks mandatory cuts.

pledge and review

climate debt - The poorest 50% of humanity contribute only ~7% of global emissions.

• Historically, the U.S. = 30.1%, Canada = 2.6% of emissions.

• Wealthy countries repeatedly fail climate ___ promises (e.g., $100B/year) and much of the funding is loans, not grants.

• Therefore, rich countries owe a “climate debt” to poorer nations who suffer most from impacts they did not cause.

finance

SAQ 5 — Climate Migration

Identify and explain three key reasons why climate migration is expected to rise sharply by 2050.

1. Expanding ____ zones – Today 1% of the world is barely livable; by 2070 this may reach 19%.

2. Agricultural & water stress – ___, crop failure, and heat reduce habitability in Asia and ___.

Sea-level rise and extreme weather – ___ and storms push people out of coastal and low-lying areas.
Projected: 200–250 million climate migrants by 2050.

unlivable, droughts, Africa, floods

Describe how high-income countries have responded to increasing climate pressures, and explain the tension between border fortification and climate adaptation funding.

• High-income countries increasingly fund border ___ rather than climate adaptation 

• They fear inflows of “economic migrants” or “bogus asylum seekers,” reinforcing ____ politics.

This creates a contradiction: countries contributing most to the problem invest in fortifying borders instead of addressing underlying climate drivers.

militarization, ethnonationalist

SAQ 8 — Fossil Fuel Lobby Power

Explain how fossil fuel industries (ExxonMobil, Chevron, Saudi Arabia) shape climate negotiations and contribute to political inertia.

• Companies like Exxon, Chevron, and Saudi Aramco ___ aggressively to block strong language on ___

• At COPs, fossil fuel lobbyists often ____ national delegations (at COP30 only Brazil had a larger delegation).

• Their influence weakens ___, delays commitments, and ensures voluntary rather than binding agreements.

lobby, phase-outs, outnumber, negotiations

SAQ 9 — The Production Gap

Define the production gap and explain why it persists despite international agreements to reduce emissions.

• Gap between the planned ___ of fossil fuel production and the required ___ to meet 1.5°C or 2°C.

• Countries plan “business as usual” expansion due to economic ___, political incentives, and fossil industry lobbying.

• This gap prevents the world from staying within the carbon budget.

expansion, decline, dependence

SAQ 10 — Age of Dithering

Explain what is meant by the "Age of Dithering" and describe two consequences of this indecision for global climate stability.

• Refers to the current era of ___ delay despite scientific urgency.

1. Rapidly ___ carbon budget, making targets harder or impossible.

___ irreversible damage (sea-level rise, extreme heat, loss of species).

indecisive, shrinking, locked-in