10 20 11 Geog 2412 Oct 20 2011 Carbon Climate Change Carbon and Climate Change Some facts about Carbon Outcomes of climate change Addressing Climate Change InternaAonal Agreements Approaches MiAgaAon adaptaAon Carbon Markets PerspecAves and poliAcs Keywords carbon cycle sequestraAon adaptaAon miAgaAon carbon markets Some Facts about Carbon in a state of conAnuous moAon stored in the earth s crust Photosynthesis captures Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere One of the green house gasses Carbon Cycle dramaAcally altered by human acAvity 1 10 20 11 Carbon Cycle IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change A scienA c intergovernmental body set up by the World Meteorological Organization WMO and UNEP Hundreds of scienAsts all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC as authors contributors and reviewers promoAon of the United NaAons human development goals To access scienA c work regarding climate change hUp www ipcc ch Impacts Global Temperature Raises averages Air Oceans Glacial Retreats world wide Rising sea level Shrinking Ice sheets Antarctica Greenland Declining Arctic sea ice Ocean Acidification Increase in extreme weather events As a result Decline in fresh water 1 3 million people get drinking water from glaciers Agriculture rain fed herding Raise in diseases 2 10 20 11 Who cares about sea level rise Who cares about sea level rise present 2m How to address the Problem Mitigate halt the problem by reducing green house gas emissions Adapt To an already changing environment 3 10 20 11 How to address the Problem Institutions International Agreements eg Kyoto UNREDD Markets Cap and trade Carbon markets What about Political Economy Climate justice Uneven distribution of risk and costs MiAgaAon 1 Reduce greenhouse gas loadings into atmosphere 2 Take Co2 out of the atmosphere sequestraAon Geo poli cal Issues Must be global mulAlateral Must address equity of cause impacts Must allow for economic growth Brazil China India etc Adaptation Coping with drought and floods Adapting to variability Who are the vulnerable Who are most capable of adapting Framework or Programs Funding capacity building technology implementation Kyoto Adaptation Fund 4 10 20 11 International Mitigation Agreements Rio Accord 1992 voluntary reductions in GHGs U N Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC 1994 international treaty on mitigation but still voluntary Kyoto Protocol 1997 2005 addendum to FCCC that set actually required emission cuts for industrial countries to cut emissions to 5 below 1990 levels by 2010 Mandates signatory nations to reduce emissions of 6 greenhouse gases to levels equal to or less than those of 1990 by 2008 2012 Expires in 2012 Kyoto Market Based Mechanisms Emissions Trading Trade in carbon Carbon credits Carbon o sets absorpAon sequestraAon sinks Joint ImplementaAon Clean Development Mechanism MDCs help LDCs with energy e ciency sustainable development projects technology transfer payment MDCs help LDCs with adaptaAon Meetings Bali Indonesia 2007 Bangkok 2008 Copenhagen 2009 Cancun 2010 Durban South Africa 2011 5 10 20 11 Market based solutions Carbon emissions vs sequestration Cap and Trade schemes Carbon Offsets Paying for reforestation in Ecuador improvements in power plants Valid Efficient Lets us continue to emit The poliAcs of Carbon O segng and Carbon Trading Doesn t promote behavior change I e pay for your airfare emissions or take the train North South trading displaces or outsources the costs to the developing world Will the net CO2 emissions be reduced Measurement problems problem of leakage Cheatnuetral Com http www youtube com watch v f3 CYdYDDpk 6 10 20 11 InternaAonal PoliAcs Developed vs Developing countries Emissions vs captures sequestraAon Commodi caAon of nature AdaptaAon capabiliAes Paying for it or changing Market mechanisms and carbon colonialism But others suggest It is best opAon for now unAl we have an enforceable global cap system Can o set locally planAng trees investment in green energy Can bene t the poor and women through new clean technology solar stoves and nancial rewards Some examples TerraPass hUp www terrapass com for pro t all US miAgaAon projects wind power and biogas but 2 3 of credits purchased on Chicago Climate Exchange CCX all Green e or CCX cerA ed projects price for 2 200 mile ight o set 5 99 Carbonfund hUp www carbonfund org non pro t organizaAon mostly US miAgaAon projects wind and biogas reforestaAon in Nicaragua and China and CCX credits all cerA ed through mulAple standards price for 6 000 mile air ight package 11 33 The Nature Conservancy non pro t organizaAon hUp www nature org iniAaAves climatechange acAviAes art23932 html single reforestaAon project in lower Mississippi River not independently cerA ed price for 1 ton 20 OpAons to o set on a monthly basis 7 10 20 11 In Sum Climate change posses a series of challenges that will be felt di erently by di erent sectors of society around the world We need to nd soluAons to 1 reduce emissions and 2 adapt to future changes Challenges poliAcs local and InternaAonal Behavior change easier to pay then change 8