CLIMATE CHANGE
IMPORTANT MILESTONES
1972: Stockholm Conference in Sweden
1972: UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was estd.
1979: First Climate Change Conference organized by World Meterological Organization (WMO) held at Geneva
1980: IUCN published “World Conservation Strategy”, in this the term “sustainable development” was used for the first time
1988: IPCC was estd. by UNEP & WMO
IPCC (Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change)
- Headquarters: Geneva
- Main aims: To provide information on
- Climate change
- Adaptation
- Mitigation
- IPCC publishes a report, known as “Assessment Report”; first time published in 1990, latest (5th report) in 2014
1992: UN Conference on Environment & Development a.k.a. Rio Summit or Earth Summit held at Brazil
During this conference, following were adopted:
- Rio declaration of Environment & Development
It has 27 principles
1st: Human being is at the centre of development
15th: Precautionary principle
16th: Polluter pays principle
- Agenda 21: 1st blue print to achieve Sustainable development in 21st century
- UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
- UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD)
- UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
2002: (Rio + 10) World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa
2012: (Rio +20) UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio –de – Janeiro, Brazil
2015: 17 Goals (Sustainable Development Goals) were adopted which are to be achieved by 2030, in this the 13th goal is Climate Action
CLIMATE
Average weather of hundreds to thousands to even millions of years
As per WMO, it is the average of minimum 30 years
Indicators of Climate change
- As per IPCC, from 1980 to 2012, average temperature has increased by 0.85ºC
- During last century, it increased by 0.7ºC
- Ocean acidification: pH level of ocean is decreasing
- Sea level is rising
- Polar ice caps melting
- Arctic & Greenland ice cover decreasing
- Thawing permafrost
- Frequent extreme climatic events like El Nino
- Frequent floods, cyclones, droughts etc.
- Advancing crop cycles
- Decreasing crop yield
Factors causing climate change
Natural factors
- Milankovitch cycles
- Schwabe cycles
- Volcanic eruptions
- Meteor fall
- Aerosols spray
- Plate tectonics/Continental drift
Anthropogenic factors
- Green House Gases emission
- Land use change
UNFCCC
- adopted 1992
- wef 1994
- Parties: 197 including India, US, EU
- Secretariat: Bonn (Germany)
- Aim: To stabilize GHGs level to such a point so that it doesn’t have dangerous interference in climate change
Conference of Parties (COP) to UNFCCC [World Climate Change Conference]
COP-1: (1995) Berlin ‘Berlin Mandate’
COP-3: 1997 Kyoto (Japan) Kyoto Protocol was adopted
COP-7: 2001 Marrakech (Morocco) “Marrakech Accords”
COP-8: 2002 New Delhi
COP-11: 2005 Montreal (Canada) Proposal of REDD
COP-13: Bali (Indonesia) “Bali Action Plan”
COP-15: 2009 Copenhagen (Denmark) “Copenhagen Accord”
COP-16: 2010 Cancun (Mexico) Idea for “Green Climate Fund”
COP-17: 2011 Durban (South Africa) “Durban platform for enhanced action”
COP-18: 2012 Doha (Qatar) Doha Climate Gateway
COP-19: 2013 Warsaw (Poland) “Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss & Damages”
COP-20: 2014 Lima (Peru)
COP-21: 2015 Paris “Paris Agreement”
COP-22: 2016 Marrakech (Morroco)
COP-22: 2017 Bonn (Germany) Design of Talanoa Diaglogue
COP-24: 2018 Katowice (Poland)
Kyoto Protocol
- adopted Dec, 1997
- wef Feb, 2005
- Parties: 192 US not a party, Canada left, India is a party
- Aim: To reduce anthropogenic GHGs emission
Carbon Credit
It is a credit or a certificate or a recognition of an activity which prohibits or restricts or limits or reduces GHGs emission or absorbs GHGs
Carbon footprint
Total amount of GHGs emission of an entity
Green Carbon
Carbon captured & stored by trees & plants
Blue Carbon
Carbon captured & stored by marine & coastal ecosystem
Black Carbon
It is a strong light absorbing component of particulate matter released mainly during the incomplete combustion of fuel in the form of fine particles. It has a very high Global Warming Potential but low atmospheric life time. It contributes in decreasing surface albedo
Carbon Offset
Any entity emitting carbon at one place through an activity offsets it by any other activity at any other place
Carbon Leakage
The strict rules & regulations prevent carbon emission at one place but due to less strict rules at other places, it may increase
FUNDING MECHANISMS
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
- 1981
- Headquarters: Washington D.C.
- One of the biggest funds for environment protection
- Get funding cooperation from many bodies like World Bank
GEF acts as a funding mechanism for
- UNCCD [Desertification]
- UNCBD [Biodiversity]
- UNFCCC [Climate change]
- Stockholm Convention [POPs]
- Minamata Convention [Mercury]
Green Climate Fund
- under UNFCCC
- Idea came in 2010 in COP-16
- Heqdquarters: Sangdo, South Korea
- Aim; To have 100bn $ by 2020
- provides support especially to developing countries
Adaptation Fund
- created by levying 2% surcharge/cess on Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) activities
- to be used for developing countries especially more vulnerable countries
- Mangement under Kyoto Protocol
PARIS AGREEMENT
- Adopted 2015
- came into effect on November 4th 2016 thirty days after the date on which at least 55 Parties to the Convention accounting in total for at least an estimated 55 % of the total global greenhouse gas emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Depositary.
- Main aim:
- To keep global average temperature within the 2of pre – industrial levels and further effects to keep it within 1.5 of pre – industrial level
- To have $ 100bn every year by 2020, main contribution from developed countries
- Every party to submit National Determined Contribution (NDC) for minimum 5 years at a time, before country becomes a party, called as Intended NDC
India’s NDC (2021 – 2030)
- India to decrease Energy Intensity by 33 – 35% by 2030 at 2005 level
- India to increase Forest Carbon Stock by 2.5 to 3 billion tonne of CO2.
- To have minimum 40% of electricity from non – fossil fuel sources
OZONE DEPLETION
Dobson Unit
- To measure columnar density of O3
- 1 Dobson Unit 25 parts per billion
- Amount of O3 molecules required to form a 10thick layer of ozone at standard temperature & pressure
Ozone Hole
The concentration of O3 goes below 220 – 200 Dobson unit
Main reason associated with ozone hole formation in Antarctic & Arctic regions is the formation of Polar Stratospheric Cloud (PSC). PSC provides necessary condition for the increased rate of O3 depletion
Impact of ozone depletion
UV – A → Not harmful
UV – B → Harmful
UV – C → Lethal
Effects of UV radiation
1. Impaired immune system
- Eye Cataracts, Blindness
- Skin Cancer
- Reduced crop yield
- Damage to sensitive crops like soyabean
- Damage to marine food chain
- Coral Bleaching
VIENNA CONVENTION
- adopted 1985
- wef 1988
- Aim: To protect O3 layer
- Under this on 16th Sept 1987, adopted Montreal Protocol to prohibit the substances that deplete O3 layer
- 16th September: International Day for the Protection of O3 layer (World Ozone Day)
- The theme for 2017 is “Caring for all life under the sun”
Thanks
The Most Comprehensive Exam Prep App!
Comments
write a comment