Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Some Key Phrases & Their Meaning
• Carbon Footprint: This is the total amount of greenhouse gases released by a person, company, country, event or product.
Carbon Neutral: This refers to have a zero carbon footprint. Your footprint can be zero if the amount of greenhouse gases you release is equal or below the amount you offset or sequester.
Carbon Trade and Carbon Permits: When countries or companies are given a limit on the amount of carbon that they can release. The limit is given in the form of permits. Companies or countries that produce less than there permitted level can then sell their surpluses (trade). The idea is that the size of the permits will be reduced each year. It is hoped that by increasing the value of releasing carbon, companies and countries will choose to release less.
• Carbon sink: This is a natural or artificial reservoir (store) that accumulates and holds carbon indefinitely e.g. tropical rainforest.
Carbon Tax: This is simply a levy (tax) placed on the amount of carbon you release. This is hard to do individually, so products that contain carbon can be taxed e.g. petrol.
Carbon Offset: This is the reduction in the release of greenhouse gases to offset greenhouse gases you are releasing. Offsetting is normally done by investing in renewable energy schemes or reforestation schemes.
Carbon Sequestration: This is the process of capturing and storing carbon. Captured carbon can be then stored in a carbon sink.
• IPCC: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental tasked with reviewing and assessing the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change.
• It provides the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences, notably the risk of climate change caused by human activity.
• Tipping Point: This is the point that climate changes from one stable state to another stable state. It is believed that once the tipping has been reached it is impossible to stop it. Some scientists believe we have already reached the tipping point with climate change and that it doesn't matter what we do, climate change will happen.
• Agenda 21: Agenda 21 is an action plan of the UN related to sustainable development and was an outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, in 1992.
• It is a comprehensive blueprint of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organisations of the UN, governments, and major groups in every area in which humans directly affect the environment.
• Within Agenda 21 the slogan ''Think Global Act Local'' was launched. It encouraged all citizens to do things that would add up to a global benefit e.g. everyone turning off unneeded lights.
Rio Earth Summit (1992): In 1992, more than 100 heads of state met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the first international Earth Summit convened to address urgent problems of environmental protection and socio-economic development. The assembled leaders signed the Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity. It also adopted Agenda 21, a 300 page plan for achieving sustainable development in the 21st century.
Carbon Trading Article
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12241846
• Stern Review: The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change is a 700-page report released for the British government on October 30, 2006 by economist Nicholas Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute On Climate Change and the Environment
• The report discusses the effect of global warming on the world economy. Although not the first economic report on climate change, it is significant as the largest and most widely known and discussed report of its kind.
Summary of the Stern Review
• TEMPERATURE• Carbon emissions have already pushed up global temperatures by half a degree Celsius• If no action is taken on emissions, there is more than a 75% chance of global temperatures rising between
two and three degrees Celsius over the next 50 years• There is a 50% chance that average global temperatures could rise by five degrees Celsius• ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT• Melting glaciers will increase flood risk• Crop yields will decline, particularly in Africa• Rising sea levels could leave 200 million people permanently displaced• Up to 40% of species could face extinction• There will be more examples of extreme weather patterns• ECONOMIC IMPACT• Extreme weather could reduce global gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 1%• A two to three degrees Celsius rise in temperatures could reduce global economic output by 3%• If temperatures rise by five degrees Celsius, up to 10% of global output could be lost. The poorest countries
would lose more than 10% of their output• In the worst case scenario global consumption per head would fall 20%• To stabilise at manageable levels, emissions would need to stabilise in the next 20 years and fall between
1% and 3% after that. This would cost 1% of GDP
Local Scale• Part of Agenda 21 to come out of the Rio Earth Summit
asked citizens to think global but act locally. There are plenty of ways that individuals, households and communities can make a difference. For example:
Turn of the lights and TV when you are not in the room.• Do not leave your computer on permanently• Install half flush and full flush toilets• Cycle or walk instead of driving• Turn off taps when brushing teeth• Use public transport• Install proper insulation • Install wind turbine or solar panels
• Recycle grey water
(bath and shower
water)
• Take showers and not
baths
• Reuse plastic bags
• Recycle paper, card,
plastic glass and metals
Salford University Energy Saving Challenge
• Over the next few months a number of new energy saving projects will be announced by the University in response to its carbon reduction plan and Non Pay Project.
• The Carbon Management Plan has set a target of a 43% reduction on CO2 emissions by September 2020 from its 2005/6 baseline, with an interim target of a 30% reduction by September 2015.
• A reduction in energy consumption levels will also see a reduction in the £1.9 million energy bills.
Greater Manchester Energy Plan• This outlines the region’s energy priorities and has been created by a partnership of local
authorities, businesses, academics and key figures from the energy sector.• It also outlines how the region’s approach to energy will help to meet Greater
Manchester’s ambitious target of a 48% cut in CO2 emissions by 2020.It plans to:• Introducing additional wind turbines, hydro plants and solar technologies to produce
renewable energy• Increasing the use of bio gas heat and power systems – using gases created from waste
treatment to produce gas or electricity.• Creating new community energy schemes – allowing local residents and businesses to buy
a stake in energy production, for example, Oldham’s Saddleworth Hydro scheme where local residents acts as shareholders and share the profits of all energy produced
• Roll out of energy efficient technologies to cut consumption – including LED lighting and low carbon buildings
• Renewing and replacing our ageing energy distribution network to cope with increasing demands from digital industries and to allow for two way transfer of power from new energy generation, for example, solar panels.
Greater Manchester energy switching scheme
• A scheme to help local people swap energy providers and save money.
• Energy providers are checked by greater Manchester councils.• An auction is held to get the energy provider with the best
price.• Residents can apply online between two set dates, then they
can swap to the winning energy provider if they choose too.• Over 2000 people applied in 2013 to help cut their energy
costs.• Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart said: "I'd like to congratulate
all the people who signed up to the scheme to force energy companies to cut their prices. People power really does work”
• http://www.salford.gov.uk/pr-13-3437.htm
• http://gmfairenergy.ichoosr.com/Product/index.rails?actionId=284&utm_medium=web&location=gmfairenergy
• http://www.estates.salford.ac.uk/page/Energy_Saving_Challenge
• http://www.agma.gov.uk/latest-news/launch-of-greater-manchester-s-energy-plan/index.html
International Scale
Kyoto Protocol• The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC), aimed at fighting global warming. The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving "stabilisation of greenhouse gases concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human) interference with the climate system."
The Protocol was initially adopted on 11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and entered into force on 16 February 2005. As of July 2010, 191 states have signed and ratified the protocol (green countries have signed, grey are undecided and red are not going to sign). Unfortunately, the US which is one of the world's biggest polluters, decided not to ratify the treaty.
Kyoto ProtocolUnder the Protocol, 37 countries commit themselves to a reduction of four greenhouse gases (GHG) (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexaflouride) and two groups of gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons) produced by them, and all member countries give general commitments. The 37 countries also agreed to reduce their collective greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% from the 1990 level.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8418008.stm
2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference
• The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held in Copenhagen, Denmark between 7 December and 18 December.
The Copenhagen Accord was drafted by the US, India, China, Brazil and South Africa on December 18, and judged a "meaningful agreement" by the United States government. It was "taken note of", but not "adopted", in a debate of all the participating countries the next day, and it was not passed unanimously. The document recognised that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the present day and that actions should be taken to keep any temperature increases to below 2°C. The document is not legally binding and does not contain any legally binding commitments for reducing CO2 emissions.
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8424522.stm
2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference
Climate change agreements have proved difficult to achieve because MEDC and LEDC can not find agreement on cuts. MEDCs are the biggest polluters so should reduce emissions. However, LEDCs say they should be give the right to develop (and pollute) just like MEDCs have in the past. MEDCs argue that this unfair and will give LEDCs a competitive advantage and that everyone should make cuts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10225937http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/17/uk-climate-budget-advice-weakhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12403292
