POL101Y1 Study Guide - Final Guide: Voluntary Association, Precautionary Principle, Climate Change Mitigation
Document Summary
Physical problem of climate change (the science behind it all) I(cid:374)(cid:272)reases earth"s te(cid:373)perature (cid:271)(cid:455) trappi(cid:374)g heat i(cid:374) our at(cid:373)osphere. Whe(cid:374) su(cid:374)light rea(cid:272)hes the surfa(cid:272)e of the earth, some of it is absorbed (warms ground) and some bounces back to space (as heat): makes earth habitable for human beings. Greenhouse gases (ghg: absorb heat, natural: co2, h2o, ch4. Increased heat from increased concentration of ghg in atmosphere. Implications/ramifications of global warming: ex: rainier/dryer, drought, storm frequency/strength, melting polar ice caps, sea level rise. What we know: global warming due to human activity, already seeing/experiencing impact. Inherent uncertainties: variability in magnitude, timing and place of effects. Inherent variability: social, economic choices, response of earth system. Scientifically, cc is easy to solve: reduce co2 emission. Benefits: difficulty: 85% use co2 (fossil fuels, lifestyle, energy, industrialism tied to burning, cheap, generate energy, humans heavily dependent. Challenging aspects: scope, global: ghg emissions anywhere is ghg emitted everywhere (consequences), treaties, responses.
