Climate change - An Overview

Climate change is with us. Sea levels are rising, ice is melting, temperatures are increasing, and the consequences are major This is not “just” about polar bears and pandas anymore, it’s about us humans and our survival. We need to act now and 2009 needs to be remembered as the year the world found an answer to climate change.

What is climate change?

We know the world is warming, global average temperature has increased by 0.74°C during the past century, with most of that since 1970.
Human-made CO2 is responsible for the vast majority of the warming. Concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere are now almost 40 per cent above those of 200 years ago and emissions to the atmosphere have been rising by more than 2 per cent a year since 2000. This extra greenhouse gas stems overwhelmingly from humans burning fossil fuels and destroying forests, both of which contain carbon, which gets released as CO2 in the atmosphere.

Climate change will increasingly cause storms, droughts, floods and fires and have severe impacts on food production, water availability and ecosystems such as forests and wetlands. A major concern is how rapidly climate change will magnify existing environmental stresses and contribute to food insecurity, conflict over resources, and loss of livelihood for millions of people.

Certain regions will be worse affected than others. Global warming is expected to be greatest over land and at high northern latitudes. The Arctic, Sub Saharan Africa, small islands and the big river deltas of Asia will be most seriously affected. These regions house some of the poorest populations on earth, who are the least well equipped to deal with the consequences of climate change.

Learn more about the impacts of climate change on different areas, species, and people around the world.

We need to stay below 2°C

We are actually very close to tipping points in the world’s climate system. Once a tipping point has been reached a feedback process takes over and it would be nearly impossible to slow it down. Scientists believe that such tipping points could be for example the physical break up of landbound Greenland, the massive release of methane trapped in the permafrost, the die-back of the Amazon rainforest from heat, drought, and fires. the slowing down of the Northern Atlantic circulation etc.

To avoid these tipping points that will cause dangerous and irreversible climate change, the IPCC says that the rise in global average temperature should not be more than 2°C (3.4°F) warmer than it was in pre-industrial times (around 1800).
It has already been shown that a rise of 2°C would bring with it a set of devastating impacts to coral reefs, Arctic systems and local communities. The Earth cannot afford to go above this.

...and this means rapidly cutting greenhouse gas emissions far below current levels.

We must start reducing emissions now and stay on a low emissions track to avoid loading the atmosphere with too much CO2. In scientific terms this means staying well below a CO2 concentration level of 450ppm (parts per million) in the atmosphere.

Read more about C02 concentration levels and the 2 degree threshold.

But it’s not too late to act!

If we act now, if we address emissions now, we can avoid the worst case scenarios in the future. The main goal for the world must be to cut down the emission of gas that pollutes the atmosphere and destroys the climate.

1. We need to reduce emissions

If we are to give the world a chance of staying below 2°C, we’ll need to reduce global emissions to at least 80 % below 1990 levels by 2050. Global emissions will need to peak around 2015 and then to start falling sharply.

We can probably only afford to put about another 1,000 billion tones of CO2 into the atmosphere between the years 2000 and 2050. That’s only around 20 year’s worth at current emissions rates from burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and other CO2 producing activities. In addition, we’ll need to embark forcefully on taking CO2 out of the atmosphere.

2. We need to develop green technology and rethink our lifestyles

Clean technology has to be at the heart of any solution to climate change. If we are to provide the world’s growing population with energy while reducing emissions by 80%, we need to transform how we generate and use energy,
That requires efficient technologies combined with changing our lifestyles and redesigning our living environment.

We already have most of the technologies that will be required. These include wind energy, solar power, tidal, wave and geothermal energy, future vehicles, electrification of public transport, biofuels, carbon and methane capture and storage. Advances in energy efficiency and new less carbon and energy intensive materials also hold huge potential.

The key is to develop all these new technologies, make them cheaper, and make them available around the world. Transition to a low carbon economy can be a launching pad for new jobs and industries, new markets and a more efficient, productive and greener economy – locally, nationally, and globally

3. We need to conserve nature, our safety net

About half of CO2 emissions from human activity are swiftly absorbed by the two major natural reservoirs of carbon on the planet’s surface: forests and oceans. So preserving these carbon sinks is vital to slowing the pace of climate change. Biodiversity can do for the planet what a healthy immune system can do for an individual: it can help us be more productive and adaptable to change but, if not protected, its loss can make us more vulnerable. Read more about IUCN's work.

There are two key areas where nature-based solutions can help:

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in developing countries (REDD). Deforestation represents about one fifth of current greenhouse gases emissions. Better management of the world’s forests can have immediate and significant impacts on carbon storage. REDD is about developed countries providing financial compensation to developing countries that are willing and able to reduce emissions from deforestation. It can be a cost effective and rapidly deployable solution in the transition to a low carbon future, alongside other emissions reduction methods. REDD can further help conserve biodiversity and produce better managed forests that deliver benefits for people.
Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). It involves making use of the biological and other resources of naturally occuring ecosystems to help people adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. Examples include ‘natural infrastructure’ such as wetlands for protection from flooding: properly managed coastal mangroves are a readily, efficient and low-cost alternative to sea walls in protecting coastal communities against storms. Sustainable ecosystem management can also help secure people’s livelihoods. For example, managing agricultural lands using local knowledge of specific crop and livestock varieties can help secure food supply.

4. We need to adapt to some climate change

One of the main problems with CO2 is the length of time it remains in the atmosphere; it can take around 100 years for it to disperse. Therefore, even if we stopped CO2 emissions immediately, the effects of what we've already done would still influence our weather for years to come. That is why we do also need to adapt to some climate change.
The level of change depends on the amount of global warming gases we continue to use, which in turn is related to population growth, the use of new technologies and our lifestyle or how much energy we use.
By reducing this amount, global warming will be more limited and there will be less impact on our planet and our lives.
A gradual and slower change to our climate is easier to adapt to as well – we should have more time to prepare our houses for changes to the weather, wildlife should have more time to migrate, and the changes to our agricultural practices should be less sudden.

What will happen in december 2009 inCopenhagen and why is it so important?

We need to agree how to fight climate change. Now. This year.

In December this year, Governments who have signed up to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to agree on a new global climate deal aimed at protecting the future of our planet... Negotiations are already in full swing.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, developed countries agreed to reduce greenhouse gases emissions by an average of 5% below 1990 levels, during the period 2008-20012. The Kyoto Protocol’s impact on the rising trend in global emissions has been very small because not all developed countries adhered to it; emission reductions of countries that did adhere to it have not always been sufficient; and developing countries were not bound by it at all.

Although the Kyoto Protocol is far from perfect, its importance lies in having started the international effort on reducing greenhouse gases emissions. With its current emissions reduction targets expiring at the end of 2012, the next steps must be taken as a matter of urgency, building on its basic framework and creating something more ambitious and broader in scope that addresses the scientific imperatives of climate change.

Several options for a new deal are being considered: a second commitment period for Kyoto Protocol signatories, an entirely new agreement (which may or may not integrate Kyoto commitments), or a set of non-legally binding decisions in addition to the second Kyoto commitment period.

Some developed countries are urging large emitters from developing countries such as China, Brazil, South Africa and India to undertake emissions reductions under the new regime. Developing countries are so far opposing any legally binding mitigation (i.e. reduction) commitments, but they are looking into voluntary action financially supported by the developed countries. Most developing countries also see adaptation as a priority as they are being affected by climate change impacts now. They are therefore calling for sufficient financing to cover their adaptation and mitigation needs and want to see figures on the table by Copenhagen.

Another key debate is taking place on ways to generate and manage funds for adaptation and mitigation.

WWF and other NGOs have put together the Copenhagen Climate Treaty that will be distributed to all negotiators in Copenhagen. The document describes the path the world must be on to avoid catastrophic climate change, recognizing that global temperature increase must be kept well below 2 degrees Celsius. It sets a global cap on emissions – a carbon budget – and explains in detail how both industrialized and developing countries can contribute to the safety of the planet and its people, according to their means and responsibilities and shows how the poorest and most vulnerable on the planet can be protected and compensated..

The competition

Jennyjst is our last theme best contributor! She wins this very handy mobile phone solar charger... Participate in the discussions now and win your own... You can also win the grand prize that will take you to the Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen in December!