10/20/11%1%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%10/20/11%2%Carbon%Cycle%IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) • A%scienAfic%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%scienAfic%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 diseases10/20/11%3%Who cares about sea level rise? 2"m"present"Who cares about sea level rise? How to address the Problem • Mitigate: – halt the problem… by reducing green house gas emissions • Adapt – To an already changing environment10/20/11%4%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 ʻadaptingʼ? • “Framework” or “Programs”? – Funding, capacity building, technology, implementation • Kyoto Adaptation Fund10/20/11%5%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%offsets%(absorpAon/sequestraAon/sinks)%• Joint%ImplementaAon%%• Clean%Development%Mechanism%– MDCs%help%LDCs%%with%energy%efficiency%&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)10/20/11%6%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%Off‐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_CYdYDDpk10/20/11%7%InternaAonal%PoliAcs%• Developed%vs%Developing%countries%• Emissions%vs%captures/sequestraAon%• CommodificaAon%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%offset%locally%(planAng%trees,%investment%in%green%energy)%• Can%benefit%the%poor%(and%women)%through%new%clean%technology%(solar%stoves),%and%financial%rewards%%Some%examples%TerraPass,%hUp://www.terrapass.com%(for%profit)%• %all%US%miAgaAon%projects%(wind%power%and%biogas),,%but%2/3%of%credits%purchased%on%Chicago%Climate%Exchange%(CCX)%• %%all%Green‐e%or%CCX%cerAfied%projects%• %%price%for%2,200%mile%flight%offset:%$5.99%Carbonfund,%hUp://www.carbonfund.org.%(non‐profit%organizaAon)%• mostly%US%miAgaAon%projects%(wind%and%biogas),%reforestaAon%in%Nicaragua%and%China,%and%CCX%credits,%%• all%cerAfied%through%mulAple%standards,%%• price%for%6,000%mile%air%flight%package:%$11.33%%The%Nature%Conservancy%(non‐profit%organizaAon)%%hUp://www.nature.org/iniAaAves/climatechange/acAviAes/art23932.html%• single%reforestaAon%project%in%lower%Mississippi%River%• not%independently%cerAfied%• price%for%1%ton:%$20%• OpAons%to%offset%on%a%monthly%basis%10/20/11%8%In%Sum%• Climate%change%posses%a%series%of%challenges%that%will%be%felt%differently%by%different%sectors%of%society%around%the%world%• We%need%to%find%soluAons%to%1)%reduce%emissions;%and%2)%adapt%to%future%changes%• Challenges:%– poliAcs%(local%and%InternaAonal)%–