WCC: Water, Carbon and Climate - Human Interventions and Mitigating the Impacts of Climate Change

Question 1

What does mitigate mean?

Answer 1

Making the impacts less severe

Question 2

What is afforestation?

Answer 2

The establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no previous tree cover

Question 3

By what percentage do scientists estimate that CCS can cut global carbon emissions by?

Answer 3

up to 19%

Question 4

What does IPCC stand for?

Answer 4

Intergovernmental panel on climate change

Question 5

Key points of 1992 UNFCCC treaty

Answer 5

General agreement to stabilise levels of human induced greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere to prevent climate change
No binding limits

Question 6

Key points of 1997 Kyoto protocol

Answer 6

Binding national targets for developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emission
Not all signed up, declined to make it legally enforceable.

Question 7

key points of 2010 cancun, Mexico agreement

Answer 7

Identified max average global temp rise of 2C on pre-industrial levels as a target
‘Green fund’ to assist developing countries

Question 8

key points of 2015 Paris conference

Answer 8

Attempt to establish tough, binding greenhouse gas emission targets on all UN states
Report on efforts every 5 years
Max temp rise 1.5 degrees C target

Question 9

key points of 2016 Marrakech conference

Answer 9

133 countries including UK agreed to be bound by the 2015 Paris agreements

Question 10

What does FSC stand for?

Answer 10

Forestry Stewardship council

Question 11

When and why was the IPCC founded?

Answer 11

1988, to monitor and analyse climate change science and advise the UN

Question 12

What 3 things might carbon offset payments involve?

Answer 12

Paying for existing forests to be protected
Developing renewable energy alternatives
Planting trees

Question 13

By how much does Brazil aim to decrease deforestation by?

Answer 13

80%

Question 14

NEW

Answer 14

NEW

Question 15

What are the 3 strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change?

Answer 15

Carbon capture and storage
Modifying land use change
Political initiatives

Question 16

What is carbon capture and storage?

Answer 16

A technology used to capture CO2 emissions produced from fossil fuel use in electricity generation and industrial processes

Question 17

What are the 3 parts of the CCS chain?

Answer 17

Capture
Transportation
Storage

Question 18

Name and locate an example of a CCS plant

Answer 18

Boundary Dam in Saskatchewan, Canada

Question 19

What 3 methods are used in CCS to capture carbon?

Answer 19

Pre-combustion capture
Post-combustion capture
Oxy-fuel combustion

Question 20

What is done in CCS to captured CO2 before it can be transported?

Answer 20

It is cooled and compressed into a high pressure liquid form known as supercritical CO2

Question 21

What form is CO2 transported in during CCS?

Answer 21

Supercrtitical CO2

Question 22

How is CO2 transported in CCS?

Answer 22

By pipeline or ship

Question 23

How is CO2 stored in CCS?

Answer 23

It is directly injected into sedimentary rocks

Question 24

Where can CO2 be stored in CCS?

Answer 24

Depleted oil and gas fields
Saline aquifers
Thin coal seams

Question 25

What makes CCS economically viabe?

Answer 25

The high pressure of injected CO2 will drive out otherwise inaccessible oil or gas

Question 26

What is Boundary Dam?

Answer 26

A coal-fired power station complex that has been retrofitted to capture 90% of its CO2 output

Question 27

Where is the captured carbon from Boundary Dam currently being stored?

Answer 27

Local salt formations

Question 28

Where will the carbon captured from Boundary Dam eventually be stored?

Answer 28

A 1500m deep oil-bearing formation

Question 29

How expensive was Boundary Dam’s CCS unit to build?

Answer 29

$800 million

Question 30

What percentage of Boundary Dam’s power output does the CCS unit consume for capture and compression?

Answer 30

21%

Question 31

What are the disadvantages of CCS?

Answer 31

Requires a lot of power
Expensive to build
Increases oil production

Question 32

Why is CCS unlikely to be a successful strategy to mitigate against climate change in the long term?

Answer 32

It’s economic viability depends on using CO2 for enhanced oil recovery

Question 33

What 3 rural land uses can be modified to mitigate against climate change?

Answer 33

Grasslands
Croplands
Forested lands

Question 34

How much CO2 could potentially be prevented from reaching the atmosphere by modifying grasslands?

Answer 34

810 million tonnes by 2030

Question 35

What 4 ways can soil carbon storage in grasslands be improved?

Answer 35

Reduced overstocking of grazing animals
Adding manures and fertilisers
Revegetation
Irrigation

Question 36

What 3 ways can adding manures and fertilisers to both grasslands and croplands increase SOC levels?

Answer 36

More organic material is added to the soil.
Increased plant productivity to increase plant litter and underground biomass.
Stimulation of soil biodiversity with organisms that can degrade the organic material.

Question 37

How does both revegetation and irrigation in grasslands increase SOC levels?

Answer 37

Increased plant productivity to increase plant litter and underground biomass, which can add to SOC levels.

Question 38

What 5 techniques can be used to increase SOC in croplands?

Answer 38

Mulching
Reduced or no tillage
Use of animal manure or chemical fertilisers
Rotation of cash crops
Carbon farming

Question 39

How does mulching increase SOC in croplands?

Answer 39

It adds organic matter to the soil

Question 40

What 2 ways doing reduced tillage increase SOC in croplands?

Answer 40

It avoids the accelerated decomposition of organic matter and depletion of soil carbon that can otherwise occur.
It can prevent the break up of soil aggregates that protect carbon.

Question 41

What are the 3 ways to improve carbon stores in forested lands?

Answer 41

Protection
Afforestation and reforestation
Plantation forests

Question 42

What is carbon farming?

Answer 42

Where one type of crop is replaced by another that has greater productivity and can absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere.

Question 43

What are 3 ways to protect forests?

Answer 43

Encouraging consumers to buy FSC certified wood
Carbon offset payments made by countries, organisations and individuals
Selective logging and replanting

Question 44

What government policies have Brazil put in place to protect forest lands?

Answer 44

Landowners are required to preserve 80% of virgin forest
Grants for agricultural enterprises are prohibited in areas where deforestation occurs.
Protected reserves have been created in the Amazon

Question 45

How successful has Brazil been in protecting forested land? Give evidence

Answer 45

Very successful - Brazil has reduced deforestation by 70%

Question 46

Give evidence to show how protecting forested land improves carbon stores.

Answer 46

Brazil reduced deforestation by 70% since 2005 and reduce its carbon emissions more than any other country in the world as a result.

Question 47

Name 7 political initiatives since 1988 involved in mitigating the impacts of climate change. When did they occur?

Answer 47

Foundation of IPCC - 1988
UNFCCC treaty - 1992
Kyoto protocol - 1997
Cancun agreement - 2010
Doha conference - 2012
Paris conference - 2015
Marrakech conference - 2016