Review Quiz 1

climate change's definition by the IPCC and by the UN Framework Convention

IPCC: the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g., by using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. Climate change may be due to natural internal processes or external forcing such as modulations of the solar cycles, volcanic eruptions and persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in land use UN Framework Convention: a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods

how are injustices unnatural?

Marx: inequalities are the result of elite class dominance over the working class Jane Addams: domestic work maintains a system of gender inequality Du Bois: racial stereotypes and racist assumptions generate racial inequalities

vulnerability

a function of the exposure and sensitivity of the system - different degrees of risk exposure and sensitivity shaped by human decisions

what is the definition of environmental justice provided by Robert Bullard?

all people are entitled to equal environmental protection regardless of race, color, or national origin - the right to live and work and play in a clean environment

energy sacrifice zones

are exploited for the purpose of supplying cheap fossil fuels and electricity to power the world's growing energy demands

which gas is the most responsible for global warming?

carbon dioxide at 65%

climate debt

debt accumulated by Northern, industrial countries toward developing countries on account of resource plundering, environmental damages, and the free occupation of environmental space to deposit wasters, such as greenhouse gases, from the industrial countries

unequal exchange

extractive peripheries fail to gain the benefits of social development, while urban regions in core nations centralize resources and wealth from across the planet, diversify, and protect themselves

what are fossil fuels? are they renewable or non-renewable types of energy? how are they linked to climate change? what are the major types of fossil fuels?

fossil fuels: non-renewable, formed from ancient plants and organisms during the carboniferous period 360-286 million years ago major types: coal, oil, natural gas - combo of organic matter, temp, time, and pressure - coal = plants + pressure and heat - oil = small organisms + pressure and heat - natural gas = oil but more heat and pressure linked to climate change b/c has energy density, major source - used in plastics, medicines, etc - largest emitters of CO2 - causes environmental and human health issues

global warming vs. climate change

global warming: long-term heating due to human activities - 1880 has risen by 1C climate change: encompasses global warming, but contains a broader range of changes that are consequences of warming - rising sea levels, shrinking mountain glaciers, accelerating ice melt and shifts in flower/plant blooming times - caused mainly by people burning fossil fuels and putting out heat-trapping gases into the air

cascading effects

keeps placing most vulnerable people at a cumulative disadvantage

climate gap

refers to the disproportionate and unequal impact of climate change on low-income communities and poc

intersectionality

the idea that we cannot fully comprehend or measure one form of advantage or disadvantage in isolation from others because they interrelate and affect each other

weather vs. climate

weather: atmospheric conditions that occur locally over short periods of time - from minutes to hours or days (rain, snow, clouds, winds, floods, or thunderstorms) climate: long-term regional or even global average of temperature, humidity, and rainfall patterns over seasons, years, or decades

how much have temperatures risen since preindustrial levels?

~1 degree C

the economy - impacts of climate change

· 2090 --> impacts on 22 economic sectors in the US would cost $224 billion more per year if we follow RCP8.5 than if we achieve RCP4.5 these estimates do not include other consequences (health and lives, trauma, suffering)

what are the difficulties of understanding the exact impacts of climate change?

· Climate change can: - alter where species live, how they interact, and the timing of biological events, which could fundamentally transform current ecosystems and food webs - overwhelm the capacity of ecosystems to mitigate extreme events and disturbance, such as wildfires, floods, and drought - greatly increase the rate of species extinctions, especially in sensitive regions (such as mountain and Arctic ecosystems) While a changing climate is affecting the abundance, distribution, and interactions among species, it is difficult to isolate climate change as the only cause of extinction because there are so many other threats.

ecological modernization

· Kuznets curve thesis and the postmaterialist theory · defends high levels of affluence lead to shifts in politics · modernizations: - ecological rationality gain momentum - environmental problems are taken seriously - environmental concerns come to rival economic ones commonly the case that as nations become more energy or carbon efficient at macro-economic level their total energy use rises

important dates

· Tyndall notes that changes in the concentration of gases in the atmosphere could bring climate change - 1859 · Arrhenius publishes the first calculation of global warming from human emissions of CO2 - 1896 · 1st meeting of experts concerned with global warming warns that a rise in sea level is likely, with "immense flooding" - 1963 · IPCC is established & James Hansen delivers a testimony in the Senate about the human-caused warming - 1988

coastal areas, oceans, and fisheries - impacts of climate change

· acidification (changes in the ocean's chemistry): oceans are absorbing a high % of CO2 - increases the risks of coral bleaching and damages shellfish · sea level rise: models estimate that sea level rise is likely to rise between 1-3 feet by the end of the century - could magnify the impacts of storms by raising the base on which storm surges build · changes in the frequency and intensity of storms and precipitations · warmer coastal waters = some species (mangrove trees and snow crabs) habitats have already begun to shift due to warmer waters · economically important fish species have already shifted northward since the later 1960s changes in water temperature can make waters more hospitable to invasive species

urban heat islands

· an urban area that is significantly warmer than its surroundings trees provide shade, but they also cool the environment down through the evaporation of water from their leaves

metabolic rift

· capitalism contributes to transforming materials and nutrient cycles through growth and how it restructures production processes to maximize profit · Marxism --> critical against economy change political economic system

know the different ways to measure who is responsible for climate change and general trends (find this in Kurzgesagt video)

· emissions keep rising, consequences and records keep increasing · decrease collective emission, all aggree on this but don't know who takes the weight · rich = lifestyle, poor = survival emission · more people = higher emission · contribute least = lose the most · richer countries should develop the solutions that are cheap and available · measure by population and average ton of carbon emission compared to a bunch of aspects like countries' average

the critical discourse

· emphasizes the role of political, economic, and cultural processes in shaping drivers, impacts, and responses to climate change · 2 characteristics 1. it questions the dominant discourse on climate change 2. it draws upon social theory to present a broader critique of society (including analysis of historical legacies, power dynamics, and the social construction of knowledge) · tendency to point to the role of capitalism in fostering and perpetuating economic growth and unsustainable patterns Capitalocene · recognition of the unequal contributions and consequences of climate change - influence by environmental justice which draws attention to inequalities in exposure to environmental hazards - proposed solutions: calls for collective and inclusive responses that address the root causes of risk and vulnerability

the biophysical discourse

· exploration of "what if" scenarios · use models to investigate the short and long-term impacts of climate change · Anthropocene: a proposed geologic epoch beginning in roughly the middle-twentieth century, which is distinguished by the pervasiveness of human influences on Earth-system processes · prioritizes technological innovations, managerial solutions proposed solution: emphasis on individual behavioral changes --> which can be motivated through market-based measures incentives or through nudging behaviors

ecosystems - impacts of climate change

· forced migration to higher latitudes · saltwater intrusions to freshwater · deforestation · seasonal life cycle event changes · range shifts · food web distributions · buffer and threshold effects · diseases extinction risks

the integrative discourse

· holistic perspective --> interconnected with multiple processes (economic, social, political and cultural) and linked to individual and shared norms, beliefs, values, and worldviews · climate change is viewed as a process that transforms the environment, communities, how we perceived and relate to nature, and how we engage in the future · challenges the dualistic view of nature as separate from society - challenges the deterministic understanding of connections between physical and social processes and impacts proposed solutions: challenging mindsets, norms, rules, institutions, and policies that support unsustainable resource use and practices

ag - impacts of climate change

· increases in temps and CO2 can benefit crop yields in some places (especially in high latitude regions) - but CO2 can reduce the nutritional value of many food crops · extreme weather can prevent crops from growing and damage them · weeds, pests, and fungi thrive under warmer temperatures · especially severe impacts on semi-arid regions - where ag depends on the timing and amount of rainfall livestock may be at risk, both directly from heat stress and indirectly from reduced quality of their food supply

through which activities do humans emit greenhouse gases?

· most come from burning of fossil fuels in cars, buildings, factories, and power plants · electricity and heat production 25% · ag, forestry, land us 245 · buildings 6% · transportation 14% · industry 21% other 10%

treadmill of production

· producers and elite managers expand production and consumption to increase profits · need to expand production to generate new labor to compensate for the ones that are being lost due to automation · governments support growth because it generates tax revenues production^ = environmental problems^

what are the root causes of environmental injustice?

· racial discrimination in housing, land use planning, zoning, and residential segregation distribution of harms (pollution, waste) and goods (parks, green spaces)

health - impacts of climate change

· worsening illnesses ranging from seasonal allergies to heart and lung disease - allergies = more pollen from grass - CO2 increases effects · extreme weather can affect supplies and facilities · impacts in patients but also in the way care is delivered · changing temperature and rainfall patterns allow some insects to spread farther and transmit infectious diseases · association with mental illness (stress, depression, and anxiety) lowering the nutritional density of food crops

main functions of the IPCC

- international body (195 member states) for assessing the science related to climate change - created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and UN Environment Program to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. - IPCC assessments are written by hundreds of leading scientists who volunteer their time and expertise as coordinating lead authors and lead authors of the reports - grouped in 3 working groups Working Group I: the Physical Science Basis Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability Working Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change

what are the 3 reasons and justifications of why climate change is a justice issue?

1. causes --> social inequalities = overconsumption, greenhouse gas emissions - there are different ways to account for the causes of climate change - Lifestyle vs. survival emissions, historical emissions, emissions per person, etc 2. impacts --> unequally felt by the poor and poc, and disparate impacts will continue to increase in future generations - cascading effects of globalization conspire to place the most vulnerable people at a cumulative disadvantage 3. policies --> unequal consequences, processes by which emission reductions and climate adaptation policies are decided tend to exclude the poor and the powerless ex: lack of political influence of small island stress

4 Principles of environmental justice and their implications

1. distribution - equity in distributing the burdens and sharing the benefits of climate change in communities among nations 2. recognition - social and political processes that recognize marginalized groups as participants in climate change management 3. capabilities - freedom to make choices to max out capabilities to survive now and in the future 4. rebuilding and restoring - rebuilding damaged relationships and restoring Earth

what are three components to analyze urban vulnerability?

1. increased exposure and losses from their exposure 2. poor coping capacity 3. little or no ability to recover