Government Led Strategies (DP IB Geography)

Revision Note

Global Geopolitical Efforts

  • Global warming and climate change require an international response because it affects the entire globe

  • Responses involve:

    • Mitigation - actions that reduce emissions that contribute to global warming and climate change

    • Adaptation - actions which minimise or prevent the negative impacts of global warming and climate change

Mitigation 

  • One form of mitigation is through international agreements:

    • In 1988 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was set up to assess the 'risks of human-induced climate change

    • This was followed by several international agreements:

  • Earth Summit, Rio 1992

    • Set out aims to stabilise greenhouse gas levels 

  • Kyoto Protocol 1997

    • Delegates from 150 countries agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

    • It stated that industrialised countries would reduce emissions to below the levels in 1990

    • Developing countries including China and India were exempt from the agreement

    • The USA did not sign up for the treaty

    • Canada withdrew in 2011 stating that without China and USA, the treaty would not work

  • Paris Agreement 2015

    • Global agreement to limit global warming to 2oC (preferably 1.5oC) above pre-industrial levels

    • The agreement also includes reducing CO2 emissions by at least 60% by 2050

    • Signed by 196 countries including the USA and China (the USA withdrew in 2020 and later, re-joined in 2021) 

  • Conference of the Parties (COP)

    • The United Nations (UN) holds an annual (every year) meeting to discuss climate change.

    • COP26 was held in Glasgow, UK in 2021, COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in 2022 and COP28 in Dubai, UAE in 2023

    • All nations agreed to take actions to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Adaptation

  • These are ways in which people can adapt to the impacts through:

    • Change in agricultural systems

    • Managing water supplies

    • Reducing risks from rising sea levels

Change in agricultural systems

  • Agricultural systems will need to adapt to changing weather patterns, different pests and diseases

  • Changing crops or the livestock raised to suit the climatic conditions

  • More irrigation may be required which will need careful management of water supplies

  • Development of drought-resistant crops

  • Floating gardens where crops are planted on platforms which rise with the level of water

Managing water supplies

  • Reducing demand through the use of water-efficient appliances and devices (shower heads, dual flush toilets)

  • Increasing supply through desalinisation

  • Water storage facilities 

  • Improved irrigation systems which waste/use less water

Reducing risks from rising sea levels

  • Construction of sea walls as in the Maldives

  • Mangrove forest restoration which protects the land from coastal flooding

  • Raised homes on stilts to allow waters to flow underneath

  • Construction of artificial islands up to 3m high

  • Flood barriers such as the Thames Barrier in London

Examiner Tip

It is important to be clear about the difference between mitigation and adaption. Adaptation is the actions actions taken to adjust to natural events to reduce potential damage or deal with the consequences such as building homes on stilts to adapt to increased flooding. Mitigation is the actions taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from climate change such as international agreements to reduce carbon emissions.

Carbon Offsetting & Trade

  • Carbon offsetting is about reducing, avoiding or removing CO2 emissions in one part of the world to compensate for emissions in another

  • Carbon offset schemes allow for investments in environmental projects around the world so that individuals or companies can balance their own carbon footprints

  • The projects are usually based in LICs and are designed to reduce future emissions

  • Critics argue that carbon offsetting does not change the behaviour of individuals or companies but acts as a 'greenwashing' substitute for making direct emission cuts 

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)

  • This is the use of technology to capture, remove and store CO2 from industrial facilities, power plants, and other large-scale sources 

  • There are two methods:

    • Captured at the site - CO2 is captured before atmospheric release, compressed and stored underground or utilised for industrial purposes

    • There are 3 methods to remove or ‘scrub’ CO2:

      • Pre-combustion - CO2 is scrubbed before burning the fossil fuel

      • Post-combustion -  CO2 is removed after burning the fossil fuel. CO2 is captured (‘scrubbed’) from the exhaust (or ‘flue’) gases

      • Oxyfuel combustion - fossil fuel is burned in oxygen instead of air and the exhaust gas are mainly CO2 and water vapour. The water vapour is condensed and the remaining CO2 (which is almost pure) is then transported and stored

    • Direct air carbon capture (DASC) - CO2 is allowed to enter the atmosphere, but is then captured using specially designed removal processes

      • A large fan draws air from the atmosphere, through a carbon-capturing filter, which is then heated to release CO2 which is either stored or reused

  • Captured carbon can be used to manufacture fuels, make concrete building materials, and carbonate (fizzy) soft drinks

  • This is an expensive process and is not yet economically viable

  • It is unknown whether COcan be stored long term

Carbon taxes

  • This is a tax paid by businesses and industries that produce excessive GHG emissions through burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas)

  • The tax is designed to encourage businesses to move to renewal energy by making fossil fuels more expensive and encouraging companies to become more energy-efficient, and save money

  • 35 countries to date have implemented the tax, although the USA (as one of the largest emitters) has no carbon taxes

Carbon trading

  • This is a way of monetising GHG emissions through the buying and selling of 'credits or permits', which allow the owner to emit a certain amount of GHGs

  • The credits and trading are agreed between governments with the aim of gradually reducing overall emissions and mitigating their contribution to global warming and climate change

  • In Europe, carbon credits/permits are traded through the Emissions Trading System (ETS)

  • Industries that exceed the limits set, must buy permits from others that have not 

  • Carbon trading has led to carbon accountability which measures the impact made by governments, companies, and individuals

Technology & Geo-Engineering

  • Technology and geoengineering are large scale schemes that aim to alter natural processes

    • Using sulphate aerosols in the air could cool the planet by reducing insolation

    • Using giant mirrors in space to deflect more sunlight back into space 

    • Seeding clouds to reflect more rays into space

  • In principle, these ideas work, but practically, they are unworkable and far too expensive

  • More accessible strategies include:

    • Reforesting large areas of land to absorb more carbon

    • Painting rooftops white to be more reflective

    • Fertilising the ocean with nitrogen, iron, and phosphorus to grow more plankton and absorb more carbon

Geo-engineering schemes

geoengineering

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