Dealing with Climate Change

Dealing with Climate Change

Dealing with Climate Change

• The effects of climate change are estimated to grow in the coming decades.
• There is no way to undo the damage that has already been done to the planet. Instead, there are two options for dealing with climate change; mitigation and adaptation.
• Mitigation aims to deal with the cause of the problem at hand by developing ways to reduce further greenhouse gas emissions.
• Adaptation searches for ways to respond to the impacts of climate change and to help those affected.

Mitigation: Renewable Energy

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• Renewable energy relies on naturally occurring sources of energy to replace the burning of fossil fuels.
• Methods include wind, solar, geothermal, wave, tidal, and biomass.
• These sources are generally more expensive to implement than fossil fuels but are becoming cheaper and more competitive due to their long-term sustainability.

Mitigation: Carbon Capture

• Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) aims to replicate the way in which the Earth stores carbon.
• This is one of the biggest methods of mitigation apart from renewable energy innovation.
• CCS removes carbon from the atmosphere, converts it into "supercritical" liquid carbon dioxide, and injects it into sedimentary rock.
• A "cap rock" stops this carbon from escaping.
• This process is expensive and it is unknown whether this is a long term solution.
• This process does not promote renewable energy, it is rather just a cover up of the effects of fossil fuels.

Mitigation: Planting Trees

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• Reforestation aims to plant trees to remove the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• This is done to try to reduce the impact of deforestation.
• The UK has many forest programs which aim to plant trees but this process is only effective if it becomes widespread.

Adaptation: Changes in Agriculture

• Because climate change is affecting agriculture dramatically, changes need to be made to adapt to new conditions.
• Many areas of agriculture have moved location to move away from extreme weather conditions. This affects jobs in both locations.
• Irrigation can be increased to combat minimal rainfall.
• Changes in crop varieties and the time at which they are planted can help to adapt to changing conditions. This includes planting drought-resistant crops and moving to livestock production.
• These adaptations are sometimes costly and are extremely difficult for poorer farmers.

Adaptation: Managing Water Supply

• Reducing demand for water can help to deal with drought seasons.
• By 2030, London aims to offer water-efficient devices to all homes, including aerators that limit water usage.
• The UK aims to increase the supply of fresh water available to its residents.
• A new Thames Water desalinisation plant opened in 2010 to treat water from the Thames river at low tide when it is least salty.
• Reverse osmosis is used to provide drinking water to 400,000 homes in the region.
• This plant uses a huge amount of energy that is offset by a biodiesel electricity plant nearby.