Human Intervention in the Carbon Cycle - Owen Shepherd

Methods

CCS, Carbon Farming, peat bog regeneration

Mitigating climate change meaning

Using new technologies and knowledge to prevent the consequences of climate change before they happen

Reasons to mitigate against climate change

Changing rainfall

Increased temperature

Loss of animals and habitat

Exhaustion of agriculture

Sea levels and coastal flooding

Loss of Maine’s food chain

Carbon Capture and storage (CCS)

The process of capturing waste CO2, transporting it to a storage site, and depositing it where it will not enter the atmosphere, normally underground.

Carbon Farming

Where one type of crop is replaced by another that has greater productivity and can absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. e.g. seaweed farming. remove carbon from atmosphere

Peat bog regeneration

Ensuring that wetlands can continue to store carbon by preventing damage to the environment, usually as a result of previous draining of the peat bog.

Mitigation Vs adaptation

Mitigate: Attempts made to prevent or reduce long term risk. Adaptation: Accept that it will happen, and how to reduce the impact it will have on normal life

Anthropogenic

derived from human activities

Anthropocene

the modern geological era during which humans have dramatically affected the environment

Weathering

The breakdown of an object in situ due to environmental factors.

Carbonation

Carbon dioxide mixing with the rain or other bodies of water and therefore making them more acidic

Interrelationships

The connections between the water and carbon cycle

IPCC

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

other name for CCS

Direct Air Capture (DAC)

Boundary dam Saskatchewan

$1.2 billion USD

Takes 90% of the emissions

Stored in a local oil field

Importance of Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change

Food insecurity, conflict, Precipitation change, Extreme weather events, Agricultural decrease, land loss, sea level rise, Biome changes, loss of biodiversity, Decline in Plankton, Marine food chain damage - loss of food source

Importance for LICs

Extremely vulnerable to these changes, do not have funds or ability to adapt

COP

Conference of the Parties

COP Promises

Forge a global response to the 'global emergency of Climate Change'

Limit set by COP and where

1.5 degree C of warming limit, set at COP paris 2021

UNFCCC

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

What is the UNFCCC

Countries that signed the original climate change agreement in 1992

COP 29

Baku, Azerbaijan, New economic solutions to help developing countries fight climate change.

Flaws of COP 29

China, France and USA (biggest emitters) were not present.

Focus on investment into the oil and gas reserves in Azerbaijan.

Poor human rights record

COP 30

Belem, Brazil. Scale up finance, resettle on the 1.5 degree limit. Focus on legal side.

Mitigation methods

Political initiatives, government changes, CCS, Land use change, aforestation, reducing deforestation

Main countries mitigating climate change

Brazil and Malaysia

How much Carbon can CCS capture when used in industrial processes?

Up to 90%

Issues with CCS

Cost, new technology, unreliable, Co2 release in manufacture / implementation e.g. energy, leaks and spills cause lots of damage

Change in land use

Very effective, but hard to implement over a large scale

Political initiatives

Can be extremely effective, but only if legally binding. E.g. COP, UFNCCC

Brazilian government

Very good, cut deforestation by 80% since 2005, Set out punishment and fines, Created areas of protected land and has been more effective than any other country.

Aforestation

Hugely effective, when done over large areas

Reducing Deforestation

Main cause of Co2 emissions

What malaysia do for deforestation?

Ensuring that trees are replanted

FSC

Forest Stewardship Council

FSC role

Ensure the forest is harvested in a sustainable way

mitigation of peat bog restoration

Peat bog needs to already be in bad condition

Histosols

Soil consisting of mainly organic material

Sphagnum Moss

Moss that grows in wet and acidic areas

Sphagnum moss absorbtion

can absorb up to 20X its body weight in water

peat bog Soil water levels

90%

Constuction industry % of emissions

38%

Advantages of timber

70% Carbon

France timber build regulation

All new builds by 2022 need to be 50% timber

New materials

Cross Laminated timber (CLT), Hemp panels, Sand Bags, Compacted earth, 3d printing, green walls and rooftops