Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation, and Geoengineering

Flashcards covering terms related to climate change response strategies, international protocols, United States environmental policy, and geoengineering concepts.

Adaptation

Changes made in response to climate change, such as building higher seawalls or elevating buildings.

Mitigation

The practice of avoiding climate change in the first place using methods like solar power, wind power, biomass, hydroelectric power, nuclear energy, and geothermal energy.

Geoengineering

The large-scale manipulation of the climate system, specifically focusing on changing Earth’s albedo or removing greenhouse gases.

Solar Radiation Management

A geoengineering strategy to cool the Earth by increasing its albedo through methods like stratospheric aerosol injection, cirrus cloud thinning, or marine cloud brightening.

Carbon Dioxide Removal

A geoengineering approach to modify the carbon cycle to remove $CO_2$ more quickly, such as planting trees or enhanced rock weathering.

Carbon Capture and Storage

A process that stores carbon directly at the point of emission, allowing for its continued use while keeping $CO_2$ out of the atmosphere.

Direct Air Capture

A method where $CO_2$ is removed from the air and stored in underground reservoirs, saline aquifers, or converted to synthetic fuels via hydrogen mixing.

United States Greenhouse Gas Emission Sources

The two largest sources of emissions in the U.S. are transportation and electricity.

Carbon Taxes

A free market policy where businesses reduce carbon emissions only if the cost of doing so is less than the tax placed on them.

Cap and Trade

A system where permits to emit greenhouse gases are issued; industries with excess permits (the cap) can sell them to other industries (the trade).

Coal

The fossil fuel that provides the highest emissions for the amount of energy it generates.

1820

The approximate date (on a decade or century scale) since which scientists have known about the greenhouse effect.

Tobacco Strategy

A strategy used by climate denialists that involves cherry-picking data, creating controversy, and arguing for equal air-time despite scientific evidence.

Montreal Protocol

A successful international agreement with the goal of phasing out CFCs to heal the ozone hole.

Common but Differentiated Responsibilities

A UN principle indicating that while everyone participates in climate action, they do not all participate in the same way.

Kyoto Protocol

A UN action that specifically targeted emission reductions in developed nations.

Paris Agreement

Required each country to design and submit a nationally determined contribution and report on progress every five years.

Clean Air Act

A U.S. action established under President Nixon that requires states to set emission reduction targets.

Clean Power Plan

A policy that targeted air pollution from natural gas and coal by classifying greenhouse gases as air pollutants.

Green New Deal

Climate legislation aimed at guaranteeing high-paying jobs in clean energy and ensuring vulnerable groups benefit from the green economy.

Inflation Reduction Act

A climate change policy designed to increase government revenue, reduce emissions, and fund programs like coastal restoration and urban tree planting.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

A government agency established by President Nixon, a Republican, in December 1970.

2 Degrees Celsius

A climate threshold chosen to avoid serious climate impacts while remaining politically and economically acceptable.