CLIMATE CHANGE FINAL

Adaptation

respond to the impacts of climate change

ex: sea wall, beach nutrition, elevate buildings

Pros of Adapting

• we can wait to act

• future gen may be better equipped

• adaptations help society bare weight of natural disaster

mitigation

policies to prevent the climate from changing

• reduce global greenhouse emissions by 50-80% by 2050

• near zero emissions by 2100

cons of only adapting

• more expensive in future

• moral issue

• should be prepping for disaster anyway

• not fair rich are the ones consuming massive amounts of energy and poor do not have funds to adapt

IPAT pop

• fewer people consuming= lower emissions

• unrealistic and unfair expectation on developing countries

• religious and cultural traditions

IPAT Affluence

• fewer goods and services= less energy to obtain/produce/transport

• requires dramatic cuts

• people think wealth= well being

• some cannot consume less

Technology

• less energy intensive goods and services and less carbon-intensive energy sources

• more efficient= less wasted energy

• saves money, better air

• switch from fossil fuels

• place to focus

solar power

• photovoltaic or thermal

• tons of it

• but intermittent and requires a lot of space

wind

• few hundred can replace conventional power plant

• but intermittent and takes a lot of space

biomass

• makes use of ag waste

• takes lots of room and contributes to deforestation

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

• keep producing carbon dioxide but don’t let into atmosphere

• break down the fuel before burning it separate the CO2, burn or release the rest

• current tech could capture 85-95%

• store it in depleted oil and gas fields or deep salt formations

Geoengineering

• manipulate the climate system

• we don’t change our behavior

ex: cool the earth by increasing albedo via introduction of sulfur dioxide in the stratosphere, manipulate clouds

solar radiation management

• temps react instantly

• must continuously do it

• could create political tension

• change precipitation patterns

• Would not counteract all impacts of climate change

carbon dioxide removal

• plant trees works if no forest fires

• add iron to ocean to stimulate phytoplankton all sinks to ocean burying it

• direct air capture

Direct Air Capture

• pull carbon right out of the air via chem or photosynthesis

• may balance human emissions

• would take years

• may require more energy than offsets

Feb 2005

• introduced three bills to boost development of clean energy technologies

• two for corporate loans and tax credits the domestic development of clean tech, one focusing international tech exchange

• doesn’t want gov intervention marketplace will go naturally

Why doesn’t the free market work

• not enough on its own

• costs of climate change are borne by everyone

• costs and profits of energy efficient tech are only borne by manufacturers providing no incentive to make this move

• tragedy of the commons

externality

when someone’s actions impose involuntary costs on another

• b/c of them socially and economic preferred outcome does not occur

market failure

• production: most affordable degrades envr

• result: low prices and increased sales

• response: clean up paid for by everyone, mostly invisible

  ex: overfishing, logging, fracking

superfund site

taxpayer funded program to clean hazardous waste that threatens human life

market based regulations

• biz as usual accept the cost of the damage you are doing

• too expensive: consumers don’t buy products or services

• all similar biz under same constraints

• competition to achieve environmental goals by using economic incentives rather than direct regulation

• may be less costly

conventional regulations

• limit industries to specific technology

• limit pollutants emitted

• seen as unfair

• removes incentive to go beyond this

carbon tax

• taxpayer already have to pay for impacts of climate change

• those responsible for climate change reimburse taxpayers

• emitters have choice

• reduce carbon emissions if that costs less than the tax you have to pay if you didn’t

cap and trade

• issue permits to emit GGs

• limit amount of permits

• all industries with more permits than they need to sell them to other industries that want them

offsets

An activity taken by an emitter that removes some or all of the carbon produced

• hard to tell if it is actually doing something

In 1820

the behavior of greenhouse gases was explained

In 1830…

geologists in Europe identify glacial deposits and come to the conclusion that climate must change over time

1859

John Tyndall identifies water vapor and carbon dioxide as two primary greenhouse gases

1896

Arrhenius: climate could change again, first climate sensitivity estimate, humans add carbon dioxide via coal, human induced warming theory

What did scientists think early on?

• thought the carbon emitted by humans would be absorbed by ocean quickly

• water vapor was so dominant it wouldn’t matter

• nature was unlimited and humans cannot affect it

• nature dangerous

1930s

• warming was commented on, and blame was drawn to human emissions of carbon dioxide

• not worried

1950s

people start believing human could impact environment with introduction of atomic bomb and severe air pollution

international geophysical year

A scientific research project in 1957-1958 that promoted global cooperation in Earth sciences, raising awareness of climate trends and fostering international data sharing.

tabacco strategy

• scientific advocates appearing independent vigorous debate

• invoke fairness= equal time creating illusion of debate

• cherry pick

• ignore support

• make it attractive

• create controversy

Clean Air Act

• 1970

• creates EPA

• Unanimous support

• Nixon

Environmentalism in the 70s

• halocarbons are banned due to experiments in lab demonstrate they destroy ozone

• Coal burning emits sulfur dioxide destroying soil nutrients and acidifying lakes and rivers scientific ties were easy to make and restrictions set forth by UN

Regan Administration

• decides not enough info to make changes about acid rain

• Tabacco strategy

1990s Bush

• cap and trade guy

• sulfur emissions reduced

• acid rain decreased

• market solution

ozone layer depletion

• in 1980s observations start and is more rapid than originally thought

• destroys 90% of lower stratospheric ozone in month and build up for rest of year

Montreal Protocol 1987

• international agreement to phase out CFCs

• industrialized first and developing in ten yrs

• this way allows for tech to be affordable for poorer countries

IPCC was formed to assess climate change science and impacts in

1988

1st IPCC

• weak statement about the role of humans in cc

• uncertanties

• could not definitvely attribute warming to ghg

Framework Convention on Climate Change

1992

• achieve stabilization of ghgs in atmo at a low level enough to prevent dangerous anthropogenetic interference with climate system

• common but differentiated responsibilities among nations

• Aim for industrialized countries to return emissions to 1990 levels by 2000

Kyoto

1997

• followed second IPCC

• required industrialized countries to reach emissions 5% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012

• used market-based mechanisms

• could reduce emissions in other countries and it counts

2009 Copenhagen Accord

• made a temp goal of no more than 2 degrees Celsius preindustrial

• deep cuts in emissions will necessary but delayed for poorer countries

• rich set targets while developing countries mitigate w/o targets

• industrialized countries agree to provide resources to poorer countries

• 100 billy fund

US-China Agreement

• 2014

• The US committed to reducing emissions by 26-28% from 2005 levels by 2025, while China agreed to reach peak emissions around 2030.

Clean Power Act

required US states to set targets for emissions reductions from power plants, promoting cleaner energy sources and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

Which fossil fuel emits the most CO2

Coal

Paris Agreement

2015

• had to be accepted by at least 55 countries that together produce 55% of the world’s emissions.

• limit avg temp increase to less than 2 degrees and net zero emissions by mid century

• enhance resilience and adaptation to climate impacts

• align financials

• creates National Determined Contributions reported every 5 years

COP 26

• fianance: reaffirmed duty to pledge of 100 billy

• mitigation: work to reduce the persistent gap in emissions

• adaptation: identify collective needs and solutions to the climate crisis

green new deal

• outlines principles of a plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the economy by 2030

• aims to guarantee high paying jobs in clean energy industries and marginalized communities’ benefit

• would need to do serious work on infrastructure

• got stuck in legislation process

inflation reduction act

designed to increase gov revenue, reduce emissions, extend subsides for health insurance, and lower prices on prescriptions