Global management
strategies to protect
the carbon cycle
Paris
Summit
At a Paris climate conference in
December 2015, 195 countries
pledged to reduce global GGE to 60%
below 1990 levels by 2050 and the
keep global warming below 2C
ADVANTAGES
the agreement requires that the
more developed countries will
help poorer countries with the
costs of going green and the
costs of coping with the effects
of climate change
this is the first time that
LIDCS and EDCs have
been included in the
global agreement on
global warming
DISADVANTAGES
each country sets their
own GGE target - so it
is not legally binding
and voluntary so there
will be no fines if you
don't meet the target
the collective reduction in GGE
based on voluntary pledges implies
the mean global temperatures are
to possibly rise by 2.7 degrees
The money that the developed nations
give to LIDCs is written non-legally
binding so it could be ignored without
facing any fines or penalties .
there is no specific amount of money to
be given to the less developed countries
so could range each time
Cap and trade
'cap' links to the government setting annual limits on carbon emissions
'Trade' refers to the buying and selling of
carbon credits on an international carbon
trading market
LIMIATIONS
Carbon market has been flooded by
carbon credits so the surplus supply of
carbon credits has reduced the cost of
them - loophole
allows polluters to carry on polluting rather than
invest in cleaner technologies which would cut
carbon emissions
SUCCESSES
provides a mechanism by which countries can cut their carbon emissions
Uses carbon credits as a cash reward
but also a financial penalty
UN REDD
scheme
mitigate global climate change, by
creating incentives for countries to
reduce GGE caused by deforestation
and forest degradation
BENEFITS
UNREDD is cheaper than
other mitigation
strageties
doesn't rely on the
production of new
technologies
provides an economic incentives
for the forest conservation
WEAKNESSES
industrialised
countries can
use the REDD
scheme to buy
their way out of
exceeded the
annual quota
wide availability also
reduces the price that
countries pay so less
incentives to invest in new
technologies
Afforestation
Afforestation involves planting trees
in deforested areas, or in areas that
have never been forested
DISADVANTAGES
the high cost of afforestation mean
that it is often completed on a small
scale
The extent of the success of afforestation will depend on
the scale of the management and the length of time it is
continued
ADVANTAGES
Plantations can grow relatively fast, so
will absorb CO2 at higher speeds than
a natural forest and can continue to
absorb carbon for 20-50 years
Trees are carbon sinks so they absorb more carbon
than it releases so the afforestation could sequester
around 1.6Gt of CO2 per year
Wetland restoration
is any land area that is saturated of flooded with
water, either seasonally or permanently forming
peat bogs which consumes carbon
SUCCESSES
Wetlands are the only habitat which
can sequester carbon over a millenia
International agreements are needed as
many wetlands extend across national
boundaries
LIMITATIONS
not all are effective as carbon sinks and some are slow
sources due to slow decomposition of organic matter in
anaerobic conditions which releases methane into the
atmosphere
wetland restoration schemes would have to be on a greater
scale and more globally undertaken to make a difference but
hard to occur due to the population increase
Improving agricultural practices
sustainable agricultural practices are mulching, zero
tillage, agroforestry, livestock management
LIMITATIONS
Would be needed to be on a greater scale
and more globally undertaken to make
significant difference
the number of farmers using
improved agricultural practices to
cut GGE by 21-40% which is not
enough to prevent a mean global
temperature rise of 2 degrees
SUCCESSES
improved agricultural practices show that the
carbon emissions can be reduced without
compromising food production
it can also reduces soil erosion which
could prevent 50 to 100 GT of global
carbon losses from the soil to the
atmosphere
Kyoto Protocol
In 1997, 175 countries signed a treaty to reduce
carbon emissions. Agreed to reduce mean
annual GHG emissions to 5% below 1990 levels
by 2021.
ADVANTAGES
it was the first time that
participating countries had
agreed to keep their GGE to set
targets.
It also raised public awareness of the need to
reduce GGE and tackle climate change
The countries collective emission was
reduced by 2Gt of CO2 pa - exceeding their
target of 1 Gt of CO2 pa. attributed from
the carbon trading scheme
DISADVANTAGES
LIDCs and EDCs such as India and
China were exempt from the
international agreement but their
economies were growing rapidly and
so was their GGe
The USA - the biggest
greenhouse gas polluter-
refused to ratify the treaty
because they thought it would
slow down their economic
growth