Environmental Science: Climate Change and Carbon Policy Review

Flashcards covering carbon policies, greenhouse gas processes, and statistical impacts of climate change on marine and coastal environments.

Carbon pricing

A tool that charges polluters for their greenhouse gas emissions to encourage innovation and climate action.

Carbon tax

A policy that sets a direct price on every tonne of greenhouse gas a business releases, aiming to push companies to find cheaper ways to reduce pollution.

Emission trading system (ETS)

A market system where the government sets a cap on total pollution and issues permits (e.g., $1\text{ metric tonne of gas}$ per permit) that companies can buy or sell.

Projected sea level rise by 2100

The oceans are expected to rise by $0.3$ to $1\text{ meter}$, threatening coastal infrastructure and causing regular flooding.

Ocean acidification

A process where increased acidity prevents oysters, clams, and corals from building shells, leading to less biodiversity and economic loss in tourism and food.

Thermal expansion

A phenomenon where water density decreases and volume increases as it warms, causing the ocean to expand and occupy more space.

Direct Action Policy

A government strategy using state funding, subsidies, or regulations (such as competitive grants or reverse auctions) to directly pay for specific environmental goals.

Competitive grants

A funding method where the government sets up a fund and businesses or groups submit proposals to solve an issue, with the best proposals winning the prize.

Reverse auctions

A process where the government chooses projects offering the biggest environmental changes for the lowest prices and awards contracts to the lowest bidder.

Regulatory mandates

Strict laws passed by the government to force specific outcomes, such as banning certain plastics or requiring factories to use specific technologies.

Public Works

When the government hires people directly to build physical infrastructure or perform environmental tasks, such as planting millions of trees.

Coral bleaching heat stress (2023-2025)

From January 1st 2023 to September 30th 2025, bleaching-level heat stress impacted 84.4\text{\%%} of the world's coral reef area.

Global sea level rise since 1880

Global sea levels have risen by a total of $21$ to $24\text{ cm}$ since this year.

Current sea level rise rate

Global average sea levels are currently rising at a rate of roughly $3.6$ to $4.5\text{ mm}$ per year.

Ocean surface pH change

The surface pH has dropped by about $0.1\text{ units}$ since the pre-industrial era, representing a 30-40\text{\%%} increase in acidity.

Coastal community risk

Approximately $680\text{ million}$ people live in low-lying coastal zones, and over $1\text{ billion}$ are predicted to be at risk by 2050.

Thermohaline Current disruption

The melting of glaciers and sea ice adds warm fresh water to the ocean, blocking the formation of sea ice and disrupting the sinking of cold, salty water.

Zooxanthellae

The algae that corals expel during bleaching events due to heat stress and increased sea surface temperatures.

Anthropogenic enhanced greenhouse effect

The unnatural warming of Earth's climate caused by human activities (like burning fossil fuels and deforestation) that thicken the planet's natural heat-trapping blanket.

Natural Greenhouse Effect temperature impact

A life-sustaining process without which Earth's average surface temperature would be $-18\text{ }^{\circ}\text{C}$ instead of $15\text{ }^{\circ}\text{C}$.

Short-wave radiation

Sunlight that passes through the atmosphere to warm the Earth's surface.

Long-wave radiation

Infrared heat that is radiated back outward by the warmed surface of the Earth.