UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)
International environmental treaty addressing climate change
Signed by 197 parties
Key objectives:
Prevent irreversible anthropogenic impacts
Provide sufficient time for ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change
How It Works
Puts greater responsibilities on developed and industrialised countries to lead the way
DCs are considered the main source of most current greenhouse gas emissions
Expected to cut the most emissions
Funds and tech directed to climate action in developing countries
Developed and industrialised countries agree to:
Provide money to LDC for climate action
Share tech to mitigate and adapt to climate change with LDCs
Monitoring progress of climate change policies
Countries regularly required to report on climate change policies and greenhouse gas emissions
Limitations
Institutional: Implementation of convention is dependent on how committed the party is to act. Diff countries have diff priorities, hence will act differently
Institutional: Contributions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are NOT legally binding, hence cannot be legally enforced
E.g.: US leaving the Kyoto Protocol due to the “huge impact it had on its economy”
Low Carbon Technologies
Tech that emit low levels of greenhouse gas
E.g.: Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)
How It Works
Carbon Capture:
Process of separating and capturing carbon dioxide from power plants and other industrial emissions
Utilisation and Storage:
After carbon dioxide is captured, it can be stored for a long time without releasing it back into the atmosphere
Carbon Storage:
Storing carbon in big iron boxes
Carbon Utilisation:
Use carbon dioxide as raw material
E.g. Cement can be made from carbon dioxide
Limitations
Economic: Expensive and requires a lot of funding and R&D
Technological: Concerns that stored carbon may leak out
Use of Clean Energy Sources
Using energy from renewable sources
How It Works
Solar Energy
Energy from the Sun is converted into thermal or electrical energy
Most clean and most abundant renewable source available
Hydro-electric Power
Hydropower plants capture energy from moving water to generate electricity
Geothermal
Taken from heat from Earth’s crust
Hot rocks beneath Earth’s surface heat up groundwater, creating steam
Steam can then be harnessed to generate electricity
Nuclear
Derived from splitting radioactive atoms
Heat generated from the splitting of atoms is then use to produce steam
Steam is then generated into electricity
More stable in terms of its supply
Limitations
Economic: Development and construction of renewable energy technologies are very pricey. Depends on govt policies and financial support to make renewable energy cost-competitive.
Institutional: Especially with nuclear, some states are not recognised as UN member states, and hence are unable to send their nuclear waste to be safely processed (E.g. Taiwan)
Change in Consumption Patterns
How It Works
Food Choices
Food production is responsible for more than 1/4 of all greenhouse gas emissions
Types of food you eat emit different amounts of greenhouse gases and have varied environmental impacts
Eating less meat and more vegetables (debatable)
Buy local produce, reducing CO2 emissions due to transport
Food Waste
When food enters the landfill and rots, it produces methane
Buy only what we need and what we can eat:
Make a list on what to purchase
Repurpose food waste
Use of Plastics
Greenhouse gases are prodcued when:
Chemicals sourced from fossil fuels are used to make plastics
Plastics are incinerated in landfills
Plastics biograde (probably never)
Reduce single use plastics
Recycle plastic products correctly
Fashion
Production of clothes contribute to greenhouse gas emissions
High levels of energy and water required
When a change of design is demanded, consumers will buy more clothes
More clothes bought = more clothes need to be made = more emissions
Before buying, ask manufacturers if they are sustainable
Donate/Repair/Upcycle unused clothes
Buy only what we need
Limitations
Social: Takes time to change consumption patterns and habits
Economic: Changing consumption patterns also need to change spending behaviour, and more environmentally friendly options (e.g. plant-based meat) may be more expensive than their less environmentally friendly counterparts
Enhance Carbon Sinks
How it Works
Reducing Deforestation
Deforestation removes natural carbon sinks
Reducing deforestation makes sure that there are trees to suck up CO2
Can be reduced by:
Buying more sustainable wood
Banning illegal deforestation
Restoring Mangroves
Mangroves are able to absorb and store greenhouse gases in their soils up to 4 times as much as other tropical forests
Filter pollutants in rivers and prevent them from reaching oceans and harming corals and aquatic species
Restoring mangroves include:
Planting more mangrove seedlings
Creating conditions for mangroves to grow
Correcting issues that caused mangroves to decline
Limitations
Economic: Difficult to reduce deforestation when your country relies on exports of wood (e.g. paper). Also expensive to plant more seedlings.
Forest Regeneration
How It Works
Afforestation: Planting trees in an area that had previously did not have trees
Reforestation:Planting trees where there had been trees
Limitations
Social: Large-scale afforestation can create competition for land. A limited land supply for agriculture may lead to increase in food prices, threatening food security.
Technological: It is estimated that a large-scale tree planting programme could take 50-100 years to have its full effect.