23-34 Climate Change

APES 2024

Carbon sequestration

Carbon sequestration

An approach to stabilizing greenhouse gases by removing CO2 from the atmosphere

Some methods of carbon sequestration include

storing carbon in agricultural soils or retiring agricultural land and allowing it to become pasture or forest

Researchers are looking at cost-effective ways of capturing CO2 from the air, from

coal-burning power stations, and from other emission sources

• This captured CO 2 would be compressed and pumped into abandoned oil wells or the deep ocean

Carbon tax

governments charge polluters a fee for each unit of greenhouse gases they emit

• Polluters have a financial incentive to reduce emissions
• European nations, British Columbia, and Boulder, Colorado have carbon taxes

Polluters pass costs on to

consumers

Fee-and-dividend

funds from the carbon tax (fee) are passed to taxpayers as refunds (dividends)

Carbon offset

a voluntary payment intended to enable another entity to reduce the greenhouse emissions that one is unable to reduce oneself

Carbon offset is popular among

utilities, businesses, universities, governments, and individuals

• Trying to achieve carbon-neutrality, where no net carbon is emitted

Polar regions are showing

faster response times to global climate change

Reflect the most energy back out into space

ice and snow in polar regions

The more ice and snow that melt, the more darker water/land leads to more absorption instead of reflection, leads to

higher temps which then leads to more absorption etc. – causing a positive feedback loop

In Arctic response is

another positive feedback loop

• Due to melting sea ice and thawing tundra

• Methane is trapped beneath and is released when thawed

• Species that depend on ice for habitat and food are most impacted

The largest contributors of CO2 emissions are

developed and rapidly developing countries of the world

On a per capita basis, some major CO2 emitters have

relatively low CO2 emissions

Carbon dioxide levels have risen steadily since

measurement began in 1958, Measured at Mauna Loa in Hawaii April 15, 2023 424.30