CC 1.4

• 2 elements that make up the importance of the carbon cycle in terms of how an understanding of the importance of the carbon cycle is essential in predicting the future of climate change to develop an effective human response - How the carbon cycle is crucial to life - The carbon cycle operates in a state of dynamic equilibrium
• How is the carbon cycle crucial to life in terms of how an understanding of the importance of the carbon cycle is essential in predicting the future of climate change to develop an effective human response (3) - Living organisms depend on carbon, green plants and phytoplankton photosynthesise and are primary producers in ecosystems supporting consumer organisms - Carbon stores like ocean sediments and carbonate rock lock away carbon for millions of years to maintain atmospheric co2 levels to support life - Decomposition and ocidation recycles co2 rapidly, with co2 and CH4 contributing to the n...
• Describe how the carbon cycle operates in a state of equilibrium in terms of how an understanding of the importance of the carbon cycle is essential in predicting the future of climate change to develop an effective human response (2) - As temperatures rise, permafrost melts and vegetation grows, allowing for more photosynthesis - Humans are burning fossil fuels and adding co2 to the atmosphere through deforestation, affecting this equilibrium
• Describe why the understanding of the importance of the carbon cycle is crucial in responding to climate change in terms of how an understanding of the importance of the carbon cycle is essential in predicting the future of climate change to develop an effective human response (3) - Co2 is the second most abundant greenhouse gas and it is important to monitor and maintian levels of co2 in the atmosphere - By understanding and observing the carbon cycle, the link is now made between co2 levels and temperature rise - 1957 observations of co2 at Mauna Lao, levels gave increased from 320 to 417PPM
• What are the ways in which we can predict the future of climate change to develop an effective response (3) - Understanding the importance of the carbon cycle - Understanding positive and negative feedback - Understanding future emission scenarios
• Describe the positive feedback effects of climate change in terms of how an understanding of feedback is essential in predicting the future of climate change to develop an effective human response (5) - Increased evaporation - atmospheric water vapour increases, raising global temperatures further creating more evaporation - Reduced Albedo from melting galciers - more radiation absorbed - Increased cloudiness due to more water in atmosphere - helps retain heat from earth - Release of methane hydrates from ocean sediments as the oceans warm - 20 times more potent than co2 - Increased ocean aci...
• Describe Negative feedback effects of climate change in terms of how an understanding of feedback is essential in predicting the future of climate change to develop an effective human response (3) - Expansion of forests polewards as temperatures rise - absorbs more co2 - Increased cloudiness due to more water in atmosphere - Increases reflection of incoming solar radiation - Increases aerosols in the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels - reflects incoming solar radiation lowering temps
• Describe why understanding positive and negative feedback is crucial in responding to climate change in terms of how an understanding of feedback is essential in predicting the future of climate change to develop an effective human response (2) - This information is not useful as it presents the challenge in predicting climate variation, some of these impacts have conflicting responses like increased cloudiness - Positive feedback occurs at a faster rate than negative, these rates are impossible to predict, with each change having varying impacts
• Describe how future emissions scenarios is essential in predicting the future of climate change to develop an effective human response - Carbon modelling is essential in predicting future climate change, this is underaken by the inter-governmental panel on climate change (IPCC)
• Describe the IPCC in terms of how an understanding of future emission scenarios is essential in predicting the future of climate change to develop an effective human response (2) - IPCC provides a range of forecasts of global temperatures and sea level rise scenarious in the form of representative concentration pathways - However they provide a range of values because of the uncertainties about future emissions and natural compexities of earths atmosphere system
• Describe the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) from the IPCC in terms of how an understanding of future emission scenarios is essential in predicting the future of climate change to develop an effective human response (2) - Describe the 4 possible future climate outcomes, with the best case temperature rise being 1 degree by 2100, worst case is 4 degrees, most likely is 2 - Worst case sea level rise is 1 metre by 2100, best case is 0.3m
• What are the elements in which we assess the implications of climate change and its impact on humans and the environments vulnerability (5) - Marine Ecosystems - Terrestrial Ecosystems - Human health - Extreme Weather - Vulnerable Environments
• Describe Marine Ecosystems in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on marine ecosystems (3) - Raising of sea surface temperatures threatens reefs - over last 30 years indonesia has lost half its reefs to bleaching, 80% lost in caribbean - High salt marsh loss in areas like the UK, as a result of coastal squeeze with rising sea levels pushing marshes back towards hard defenses that prevent marshes migrating further inland, 83 hectares lost annually in UK - Warming of arctic ocean has shrunk sea and ice and decimated sea algae
• Describe the warming of the arctic ocean shrinking sea ice and decimating ice algae in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on marine ecosystems (3) - Ring, harp and seal species use the ice to give birth, when they are exposed on ice they are hunted by polar bears - Disappearance of sea ice has resulted in a projected 2/3 decline in polar bear population, affecting the food chain - Indigenous Inuit hunters depend on hunting marine mammals, thinning of ice is making this hazardous, with more open water the population of killer wales is increasing, amplifying their vulnera...
• Describe Terrestrial Ecosystems in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on Terrestrial Ecosystems (3) - Climate change causing habitat change in the tundra, 50% of existing tundra to be replaced by trees by 2100, affecting animals like Caribous migration patterns - 90% of tropical forests in western hemisphere will be lost by 2060, cloud forest is migrating to higher elevations, eventually squeezed out of existence - Climate change is occuring 3 times faster in arctic, greenland ice sheet could completley melt in 1000 years if temps rise 3 degrees
• Describe climate change's impact on human health in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on human health (2) - Climate change will stimulate the transmission of vector-bourne diseases as a result of the warm environment - Climate change will raise temperatures leading to more deaths through food and water contimination
• Describe the impact of climate changes stimulation of the transmission of vector-bourne diseases in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on human health (3) - Risk of malaria increasing in western europe, Africas risk is already high and continues to not have infrastructure to cope, Europe has the capabilities to prevent vulnerability to malaria - Dengue Fever is currently found in 28 US states, Lymes disease is increasing in US as it is transmitted by ticks thriving in warmer conditions - WHO predicts 250,000 more deaths linked to climate change between 2030 and 2050
• Describe the impact of raising temperatures leading to more deaths through food and water contimination in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on human health (3) - Climate change will reduce cereal crops by 15% through droughts and floods, leading to food scarcity and malnutrition especially in subsistence farming LIDCs - Higher temperatures increase risk of salmonella and bacterial food poisoning - Heavier rainfall increased flood frequencies and probability of water supply being polluted by human water, increasing risk of death especially amongst children
• Describe how climaye changes impact on human health will impact developing countries more in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on human health (2) - They havent got the infrastructure or resources to find an alternative to deal with impacts of climate change - Advanced countries can find ways to combat these impacts through advances in irrigation, GM crops and use of refrigerators to prevent food poisoning
• Describe examples of the impact of extreme weather in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on extreme weather (4) - UK July 2022 and European heatwaves, 40 degree temps caused 1000 excess deaths in the UK, 60,000 heat related deaths in europe in 2022 - Pakistan floods in march 2022 - 90 deaths as a result of the glacial lake outburst, 33 million displaced - India heatwaves in 2022, contributed to a 35% reduction in crop yields across parts of india - Siberia 2020 - record 38 degree heat north of the arctic circle, forest fires affected hundreds of thousands of hectares a...
• How with climate changes impact on extreme weather affect developing countries more in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on extreme weather - Costly events that LIDCs cant cope with, Hurricane Ian caused 65 billion USD in insured damages, with many economically indeveloped countries lacking insurance schemes
• Provide some examples of vulnerable environments as a result of the implication of climate change in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on vulnerable environments (4) - Tundra - rising temps melt permafrost, creating thaw lakes and forests expand into the area - Semi-arrid - rainfall becomes more erratic, rainy season shortens, droughts become more frequent - Tropical rainforest - amazon will become warmer and drier as deforestation increases - water cycle will weaken, developing positive feedback accelerating forest loss - 60% of amazon could be grassland by 2100 - Coa...
• Describe the vulnerability of the Sahel as an example of how contrasting levels of economic development affect envrionments vulnerable to climate change in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on vulnerable environments - Over 300 million people live there with a 3% growth rate per year - Most subsistence farmers depend on rainfall for livestock and crops - 70% of the population live below the absolute poverty line, agriculture provides livelihood for 60% of its population
• Describe the impact of climate change on the sahel as an example of how contrasting levels of economic development affect envrionments vulnerable to climate change in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on vulnerable environments (2) - Crop yields will decline, wheat to decline by 30% - Water will be scarce, causing infertile soil and forcing migration, leading to potential conflicts over land, future dry and wet periods will intensify, with temperatures in sahel to increase by 4 degrees by 2080
• Describe the impacts of climate change in Prairie, USA, and how the USA can deal with these issues as an example of how contrasting levels of economic development affect envrionments vulnerable to climate change in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on vulnerable environments (2) - Increased temperatures up to 4 degrees leads to drought frequency increasing - USA can adapt with GM crops making up 70 million hectares of cultivated land - drought tolerant corn accounts for 30% of total corn production in USA - US farmers can extract 4500 litres a minute from groundwater h...
• Describe the impact of climate change in Nepal and how they cannot deal with these effects as an example of how contrasting levels of economic development affect envrionments vulnerable to climate change in terms of the implications of climate change and its impact on vulnerable environments (2) - Vulnerable to himilayan glaciers, shrinking by 40% in the last 400 years, more than 1 billion people rely on rivers fed by glacial melt - 13,000 people in Nepal are displaced annually due to climate change, flooding associated with intensified monsoon rains, in 2021 35% of farmland lost to flooding, ...
• What are the mitigation strategies to cut global emissions (5) - Energy efficiency and conservation - Fuel shifts - Carbon capture and storage - Forestry - Geoengineering
• Describe energy efficiency and conservation in terms of mitigation strategies to cut global emissions (3) - Domestic energy accounts for 1/3 of primary usage so government targets it through dedicating each building since 2008 an energy performance certificate - Government provides grants for households certificate D or below, for example £7500 heat pump grant, 1.5 billion put towards boiler upgrade scheme - In 2023 6 billion was allocated towards energy efficiency grants, and 50% of homes are now a C rating, compared to 14% in 2010
• Describe fuel shifts in terms of mitigation strategies to cut global emissions (2) - Developing renewables through government decarbonisation policies - Steady decline in overall energy consumption in the UK since 2005, only 1 coal power staton generating 2Gw of energy operates in the UK
• Describe how the government have developed renewables to decarbonise UK economy in terms of fuel shift mitigation strategy to cut global emissions (3) - Under EU directive UK had to achieve 15% target for electricity generated by renewables in 2020, resulting in closure of large coal power stations - Solar energy was promoted to achieve the target, generating 24Gw of energy, with plans to increase this to 40Gw by 2030 - Nuclearn electricity contibution has however fallen, as many older stations have been decomissioned due to costs
• Describe carbon capture and storage in terms of mitigation strategies to cut global emissions (2) - Extraction of CO2 emitted by power stations and transfers it to long term storage underground, like Drax carbon removal programme, the largest decarbonisation programme in europe - However extreme costs limits this strategy moroever it is only suitable in certain sites
• Describe Forestry in terms of mitigation strategies to cut global emissions (3) - 20% of CO2 emissions is related to deforestation - UNREDD scheme is a UN scheme to reduce emissions from deforestation - It provides incentives to developing countries to reduce emissions - However destruction of forests continues to increase, 3.8 million hectares of deforestation last year, 100 million USD is needed to bridge the gap in funding
• Describe the methods of Geoengineering in terms of mitigation strategies to cut global emissions (4) - Increasing reflection of solar radiation by seeding stratosphere with aerosols to scatter insolation back into space - Fertilising ocenas with nutrients like iron, shortages of these nutrients is limiting phytoplankton growth, this would stimulate their growth - Enhanced weathering - Extracting CO2 from atmosphere with artificial trees using a plastic resin the size of a door that captures up to 700kg/day of carbon
• Describe enhanced weathering in terms of geoengineering mitigation strategy to cut global emissions (2) - Abundant silicate materials like Olivine react with air and absorb co2 to form carbonates which stores carbon over the long term on ocean floor - Process involves crushing huge amounts of rock to increase their surface area, speeding up this weathering process
• What are the adaption strategies to reduce vulnerability of human populations (3) - Retreat strategies - Accommodating climate change strategies - Protection Strategies
• Describe why retreat strategies are necessary in terms of the retreat adaption strategies to reduce vulnerability of human populations (2) - Likley to affect a vast number of people, by 2050 70 million subsaharan africans are likely to experience retreat, coastal areas are most vulnerable - Climate change will cause issues like flooding as a result of sea level rise, causing retreat, as well as intensification of droughts forcing people away from areas
• What are the retreat strategies in terms of the retreat adaption strategies to reduce vulnerability of human populations - Managed realignment - Flood plain zoning
• Describe and provide an example of managed realignment in terms of the retreat adaption strategies to reduce vulnerability of human populations (2) - Often considered a last resort, involving the strategic relocation of people, buildings and assets from a vulnerable area, term first coined in essex in the 90's - Fairbourne a coastal village at threat to rising sea levels and storm surges, between 2025 and 2055 property, and residents will be required to relocate, with the 850 residents to become the UK's first climate refugees
• Why are retreat strategies not possible in less economically developed countries in terms of the retreat adaption strategies to reduce vulnerability of human populations (2) - Peoples livelihoods are completely dedicated to the area at risk, and the government do not have the funds to relocate individuals - For example 140 million live on Ganges delta and despite the storm surge disasters of 1970 and 91 the population continues to grow
• Two forms of accommodation strategies in terms of the accommodating climate change adaption strategies to reduce vulnerability of human populations - Accommodation strategies in agriculture - Accommodation strategies in water supply industries