In-Depth Notes on Climate Change and Environmental Politics

Global Temperature Rise

• Temperature Reconciliation: All major global surface temperature reconstructions indicate Earth has been warming since 1880.
• Warming Epoch: The most significant warming has occurred since the 1970s.
• Recent Trends: The 20 warmest years have all occurred since 1981, with the top 10 occurring in the past 12 years.
• Solar Activity: Despite a decline in solar output leading to a deep solar minimum from 2007-2009, surface temperatures have continued to rise.

Warming Oceans

• Heat Absorption: The oceans have absorbed much of the excess heat, with the top 700 meters of ocean warming by 0.302 ext{°F} since 1969.

Declining Arctic Sea Ice

• Extent and Thickness: Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice have significantly declined over the last several decades.

Shrinking Ice Sheets

• Greenland and Antarctic Changes: Both ice sheets have lost mass:
  • Greenland: Lost between 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year from 2002-2006.
  • Antarctica: Lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005.

Other Notable Evidence

• Glacial Retreat: Measurable retreat of glaciers worldwide.
• Extreme Weather Events: Increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather.
• Ocean Acidification: Increased carbon dioxide is causing ocean acidification.
• Decreased Snow Cover: Significant reductions in snow cover across mountain regions.

Mitigation and Adaptation

• Commitment to Change: Limiting future warming is dependent on how quickly emissions can be curtailed. Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for centuries, leading to ongoing climate effects.
• Mitigation Goals: Reducing and stabilizing greenhouse gas levels to prevent dangerous interference with the climate:
  • Ensure ecosystems adapt naturally and food production is sustainable.
• Adaptation Goals: Reducing vulnerability to climate change impacts (like sea-level rise and extreme weather) and capitalizing on any potential benefits (like longer growing seasons).

Environmental Politics

• Mainstream Position: Recognizes the crisis and seeks to create governmental and international policies to manage it.
• Right-wing Perspective: Attributes problems to natural, non-human causes and believes increased regulation is harmful to the economy.
• Left-wing Viewpoint: Sees the capitalist system as a root cause of the ecological crisis and argues for systemic change to achieve effective solutions.

Security and Natural Resource Management

• Conflict Influences: Natural resources can both contribute to conflict and be integral to peace.
• Governance: Effective governance of natural resources can prevent conflicts and provide peacebuilding opportunities.

Goals for Collective Action

• International Commitments: Promote agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through frameworks like the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• Research and Development: Incentivize the development of renewable energy and support sustainable ecosystems.

UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol Overview

• UNFCCC: Established on March 21, 1994, with nearly universal membership to combat climate change.
• Kyoto Protocol: Adopted in 1997, it commits parties to binding emission reduction targets with a focus on developed nations.
  • Emissions targets determined for the 2008-2012 period, using mechanisms like international emissions trading and the Clean Development Mechanism.

Paris Agreement Insights

• Country Pledges: Each nation to devise its strategy for reducing emissions, with commitments to be reviewed every five years.
• Financial Support: Developed nations are mandated to provide assistance to poorer countries for clean energy transition.
• Global Temperature Limit: Aims to limit global warming to below 2°C, with efforts to strive for 1.5°C.

Personal Actions Against Climate Change

• Diet Impact: Meat and dairy heavily contribute to greenhouse gas emissions:
  • Livestock accounts for approximately 14.5% of global greenhouse emissions.
  • Beef and lamb have the largest carbon footprints per protein gram; plant-based foods have the smallest.

Carbon Footprint Calculation

• Meat’s Environmental Impact: Switching dietary habits can significantly reduce individual carbon footprints. For example:
  • Transitioning to a vegan diet can reduce emissions by 1.5 tons annually.
  • Reducing meat servings impacts emissions equivalently to significant reductions in vehicle use.