Transcript Review of Kyoto so far and finishing it off

Review of Kyoto so far and finishing it off
Followed by one or more exam
questions to review the whole unit
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Kyoto Protocol 1997
• Was A global Agreement that set targets
for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• 175 countries signed up
• The aim of the treaty was "stabilization of
greenhouse gas concentrations in the
atmosphere at a level that would prevent
dangerous human interference with the
climate system."
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Key ideas
• Under the Protocol, 37 industrialized countries
(called "Annex I countries") commit themselves
to a reduction of four greenhouse gases (carbon
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur
hexafluoride) and also fluorine gas compounds.
• Annex I countries agreed to reduce their
collective greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2%
from the 1990 level. Emission limits do not
include emissions by international aviation and
shipping (in the too-hard box)
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Article 2: Ways to fight GHGs
• 2.1.a.i Enhance energy efficiency
• 2.1.a.ii Protect and enhance the sinks
• 2.1.a.iii Promote sustainable agriculture – by
promoting farming methods that produce less
GHG, especially in developing countries
• 2.1.a.iv Research and promote renewable
energy sources (wind, water, solar, biomass
• 2.1.a.vii Limit GHG from transport
• 2.1.a.viii Limit methane emissions through
recovery and use
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Other articles
• Article 3: Is all about the way in which Annex 1
countries will reduce their emissions and
how/when the progress will checked.
• Article 6 is about Joint Implementation (JI), by
which one country can achieve reductions in
other countries, which can then be used to help
their reduction promises, e.g. in Russia. This in
an example of a ‘flexibility mechanism’. What is
that?
• There are several other articles about monitoring
progress, and cooperating and Annex 1
countries funding change in less developed
areas.
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Article 12: The Clean development
mechanism (CDM)
• allows governments or private entities in rich countries to
set up emission reduction projects in developing
countries. They get credit for these reductions as
'certified emission reductions (CER's). This system is
different form the Joint Implementation as it promotes
sustainable development in developing countries.
• CDM can use afforestation (planting somewhere new)
and reforestation (replanting where there once was
some), or some other emissions reduction project like a
rural electrification project using solar panels in a
developing country.
• Is another 'flexibility mechanisms’
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Article 12.5
Some rules for
the CDM are
shown above.
(a) Voluntary participation by each
country
(b) Real, measurable, and longterm benefits related to mitigating
climate change
(c) Reductions must be additional
to those which would occur
anyway
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Article 17
Emissions trading - countries can trade in
‘emission units’
The final flexibility mechanism. A tradable carbon credit unit
called AAU's (Assigned Amount Units) has been proposed
which would represent one tonne of CO2 emissions. The
advantages of this trading are that it drives countries to better
efficiency in their own greenhouse gas emissions. Bur there is
a worry that some rich countries will simply 'buy off' the GHG
they produce and not take any action themselves. the idea of
a 'cap on the amount of trading has been suggested, but has
produced even more argument'.
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Kyoto Protocol Aims:
• Share of CO2
Emissions in 1990
• Industrialised countries
to cut emissions to 5%
below 1990 levels by
2008/12
• Had varying targets EU
by 8% and Japan 5% (It
is a lower polluter)
• Countries like Iceland
were allowed to
increase emissions
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Problems with signing up
• Some delayed in signing up to Kyoto such as
Russia who signed in 2004
• USA initially signed but then withdrew in 2001
following GW Bush’s election (USA emit 25%
of world emissions)
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How big a problem was the American
Issue?
• The US was the biggest emitter at the time (36.1%)
- it has since been overtaken by China –
• So if they were going to continue polluting, why
should other countries bother? Small countries
efforts would have little overall impact on the total
GHG.
• George W was even saying that climate change
was (a) not happening and (b) if there was some
variation it was natural.
• He did however admit that being dependent on
foreign (especially Muslim) oil supplies was a
security issue and so went full tilt into producing
biofuels from corn and soya, offering big money to
his farmers to change from food production to
biofuel production.
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How big a problem was the American
Issue?
• This forced up the world prices of food and encouraged
deforestation of the Amazon, to grow soya to feed the
beef cattle of the developed world.
• Meanwhile GW, whose ascent in politics was largely
funded by the oil companies, remained friends with the
oil barons – not an insignificant issue so far as he was
concerned.
• The Republican Party listened to its other big funders,
the transnational companies (TNCs) who could not see
the possibilities of more new business from the new
technologies, but saw only costs and problems from
having anything to do with climate change. So they were
and still are all in favour of the no-change policy that
opting out of Kyoto allowed them to follow.
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Successes?
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So what for the future?
• Renewable energy can only supply 10-15% of
the UK’s energy needs
• Must replace coal fired with nuclear power
stations
• Building nuclear power plants takes time
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What is Carbon
offsetting?
• Forests and woodland cover
10% of the UK and they absorb
CO2 and store it
• Several UK and EU schemes
allow businesses to offset their
emissions by planting trees
• However there is a limit to the
amount of CO2 that they can
hold and therefore are limited in
viability
• UK woodland removes 4 million
tonnes a year
• UK emits 150 million tonnes it
would take a huge increase in
woodland to offset all of UK
emissions
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Alternatives
Biomass fuels
 Wood fuel
 Ethanol and bio diesel
 Alcohol fermented from
sugar
 Oil extracted from
soybeans
 Methane Gas coming
from rubbish dumps
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Problems
• Unfortunately these rely on removing plants
from the planet thus removing a carbon sink
and need to be followed by mass replanting
schemes
• Growing biofuels reduces the land available
to grow food and increases food prices as
well as leaving more people liable to an
inadequate diet
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Economic Impacts
• More extreme weather leads to increased
costs equal to 1% of GDP
• 2-3oC rise in temps reducing global economic
output by 3%
• Poor countries ability to cope would be
reduced with lack of basics like water
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Copenhagen was supposed to be the
next step
• But no protocol was signed.
• However, it is not all disaster
– The Americans are on board
– The Chinese and the Indians are both committed to
reducing the impact of their growth – this does not
mean they are cutting emissions in total but for each
unit of production, the emission will be reduced
substantially
– The Brazilians have reduced deforestation for the first
time in many years (partly due to the recession, it is
true) by 45% on last year but they are committed to
reducing deforestation by 80% by 2020.
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Copenhagen was supposed to be the
next step but …
It may be worth looking at the stuff on Cancun
(COP 16 2010) in the blog
http://lindym.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/cancun-hopes-to-serve-ovenready-redd-deal/
and other article with Cancun – do a search – top right of
the page.
Also the Durban round in December 2011, COP
17, at
http://lindym.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/how-can-cop17-durban-beseen-as-a-success/
Also as another example of a current impact:
http://lindym.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/shock-as-retreat-of-arctic-sea-icereleases-deadly-greenhouse-gas/
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(May 2006) Fragile Environments: (a) Study Figure
7, which shows reasons for soil erosion and
desertification.
• (i) Label each
statement
below with the
appropriate
box number
from figure 7.
(3)
• Bare soil
• Afforestation
• Climate
changes
• Farmers try
to increase
food supply.
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(a) Study Figure 7, which shows reasons for soil
erosion and desertification.
• (ii) State the
two natural ways
in which soil is
eroded. (2)
• (iii) Explain two
ways in which
removing plants
makes soil
erosion more
likely. (4)
• (iv) What is
meant by the
term
desertification?
(2)
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• (b) Soil erosion and desertification result from
•
•
•
•
•
climate change and people’s misuse of land.
(i) How can climate change encourage soil erosion
and desertification? (3)
(ii) How can the misuse of land by farmers result
in soil erosion and desertification? (3)
(c) (i) Name one area which suffers or has
suffered from severe soil erosion and
desertification. (1)
(ii) Describe the impacts of soil erosion and
desertification on local communities. (6)
(d) Explain how people’s use of resources
threatens the future sustainability of the
environment. Refer to one or more named
examples.(9)
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(Nov 2006):(a) Study Figure 7(a), a photograph showing an
area of tropical rainforest
• (i) Identify
three
features of
the rainforest
in the
background of
the
photograph.
(3)
• (ii) Give two reasons for the deforestation in the
foreground of the photograph.(4)
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•
•
•
•
(b) Explain the effects of deforestation on:
1. the ecological balance of the local environment(4)
2. the global environment.(4)
(c) Study Figure 7(b), which shows three possible
futures for tropical rainforests
• Describe two examples of sustainable forest
management. (6)
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• (d) Explain why governments of many
tropical countries allow deforestation to
continue, despite the serious
environmental and social problems it
causes. (9)
• [While no mention of ‘named examples is
included here, this IS a 9-mark question
and you NOT get more than 6 without
them]
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