CARBON CYCLE

• Methane


  An amount of methane has a bigger warming effect than the same amount of carbon
• Climate scientists have warned that rapid melting of the Arctic ice cap could cause uncontrollable climate change
• Snow and ice


  • They are bright white, so most of the solar energy that reaches them is reflected in space
  • This is one reason why the Arctic remains so cold
• As air temperatures are increasing

  Snow and ice now tend to form later in the autumn and melt earlier in the spring
• Darker land and water surfaces

  Absorb more of the sun's energy, which warms the surface further, causing faster melting, creating a 'positive feedback loop' that amplifies and accelerates the warming trend
• Climate change could interfere with the formation of cold dense water that drives oceanic circulation


  This could bring about further climate changes
• Sinking of cold dense water could be reduced in the Arctic


  This could reduce the amount of nutrients carried back toward the surface that sustain marine life living near the surface
• Permafrost


  Carbon is currently trapped as organic matter in the permafrost of the Arctic
• Decomposition of permafrost


  1. During the summer, when the top layer of the permafrost thaws, decomposition takes place and methane is released

  2. Higher temperatures lead to an increase in the rate of decomposition and initiate the release of methane
• Reduced ice cover


  Could significantly increase the amount of carbon taken up by the Arctic Ocean
• While these changes are important regionally, the total area is not large enough to significantly reduce carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere
• The Arctic contains enough water to raise sea levels by 8m
• Climate models are predicting that the contribution of Arctic glaciers to sea level rise will accelerate over the next 100 years
• Although the UK is still very much reliant on fossil fuels to increase energy security and reduce emissions
• Ways the UK is committed to decoupling the economy from fossil fuels

  • Increasing renewable energy- especially solar and wind
  • Developing a new generation of nuclear power stations
  • Reducing energy use e.g LED light bulbs
  • Recycling energy e.g. heat systems
• In May 2019, for the first time, the UK went an entire week without using coal to generate electricity. This was the longest period without burning fuel since the Industrial Revolution
• The UK generates its electricity from several sources and this energy mix' is constantly changing daily and even hourly
• How electricity generation changes

  1. Coal power stations are turned on if the wind is low or in the winter when it's cold

  2. When it's warm and there's lots of solar on board, coal power stations will be switched off in the summer

  3. The amount of electricity households use throughout the day is constantly changing, peaking in the morning before work and then in the evenings when people cool and turn on the TV

  4. At peak times more carbon-intensive fuel sources may need to be switched on to cope with demand

  5. Nuclear power stations run continuously as they are difficult and expensive to turn on and off. They help produce the minimum level of low-carbon electricity required by the national grid
• Land use planning and flood risk management

  • Netherlands
• Flood management scheme in the Netherlands

  • Strict regulation and zoning laws
  • Government imposes strict regulations
• The flood management scheme has increased safety for residents in flood-prone areas
• Flood management in the Netherlands


  • Planners have supported the development of houses that can float as water levels rise
• The success of the Dutch approach has been used as a model for flood management worldwide
• Coastal defence systems used in the Netherlands

  • Dunes, sea walls and storm surge barriers
• Disadvantages of flood management scheme


  • Is expensive
  • Requires the relocation of populations and businesses. It doesn't stop flooding completely it only reduces it
• What have they done in the Netherlands

  They have created more space for rivers to flood safety reducing the risk to populated areas

  Widening rivers, allows for rivers to spread out over a larger area during peak flow, which diminishes the flood risk downstream

  Struct regulations and zoning laws, government imposes strict regulations on where and how Buildings can be constructed
• How does land use planning and flood risk management work

  Development on flood plains is limited to low impact things like playing fields and park
• What does degradation of the carbon cycle mean

  Refers to disruptions or imbalances in the carbon cycle like increased carbon emissions and deforestation, ocean acidification, changes in land use-which disrupt the soil store
• Mitigation strategies

  Strategies to reduce the impact of climate change
• Advantages of mitigation strategies

  • Helps with environmental stability, for example, renewables lead to a cleaner environment
  • Decreases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
  • Helps tackle the impacts of climate change, for example, carbon tax, renewables and carbon capture and storage
  • Helps tackle threats to oceans which is vital to humans, especially in LICS who need it for their economy
  • Helps tackle forest loss which helps with the damage done to the carbon and water cycle - afforestation
  • Can lead to global agreements taking place- Paris Agreement 2015
• Disadvantages of mitigation strategies


  • Reliability of renewables
  • Energy efficiency improvements may lead to increased energy consumption of other things
  • National agreements can be problematic- Paris Agreement 2015,requires global agreement
  • Some strategies are costly, so LICS can't afford so it reduces the impact mitigation strategies can have globally
  • Investment in technology like solar radiation and carbon capture does not know how effective it will be and it can deter investment away from other more effective strategies
  • Upfront cost of renewables
• What strategy has a long term and global impact  

  Mitigation
• What strategy has a local impact

  Adaptation
• Adaptation strategies


  • Advantages
  • Disadvantages
• Advantages of adaptations


  • This may be the only option for countries who cannot afford mitigation strategies e.g the use of irrigation for water management
  • Communities can better withstand and recover from the climate impacts- land use zoning in the Netherlands
  • Ensure food security- crop resilient
• Disadvantages of Adaptations


  • It has a local impact, as crop resilient/ flood management helps the country it's being implemented at
  • Does not tackle the underlying cause of the degradation of the carbon cycle, does not address all of the risks caused by the degradation of the carbon cycle particularly risks to ocean health and forest loss
  • Some species cannot adapt to climate change so they will be extinct
  • Can be expensive
• Why is agreement of carbon emissions controversial

  -developed countries emissions have reduced

  -developing countries emissions have increased

  Developed countries have outsourced their manufacturing to less developed countries who r effectively polluting on the developed countries behalf
• Another reason why attitudes toward climate chnage are controversial

  -some developing countries think tht cutting emissions may affect the economic growth, and they think its unfair given tht damage has already been done by existing industrialised nations
• What are peoples attitudes towards tackling cc

  -if your more affected by the impacts of climate change your more likely to want to do something about it

  -in areas with an abundant supply of fossil fuels, there is growing resistance to policies that would put their coal miners out of work or increase fuel costs
• TNCs


  Transnational corporations