Managing Climate Change

• International agreements to manage climate change

  • Earth Summit, Rio 1992
  • Kyoto Protocol 1997
  • Paris Agreement 2015
  • Conference of the Parties (COP)
• Earth Summit, Rio 1992


  • Set out aims to stabilise greenhouse gas levels
• Kyoto Protocol 1997


  • Delegates from 150 countries agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • Stated that industrialised countries would reduce emissions to below the levels in 1990
  • Developing countries including China and India were exempt from the agreement
  • The USA did not sign up for the treaty
  • Canada withdrew in 2011 stating that without China and USA the treaty would not work
• Paris Agreement 2015


  • Global agreement to limit global warming to 2°C (preferably 1.5°C) above pre-industrial levels
  • Agreement also includes reducing CO2 emissions by at least 60% by 2050
  • Signed by 196 countries including the USA and China (the USA withdrew in 2020 and later, re-joined in 2021)
• Conference of the Parties (COP)


  • The United Nations (UN) holds an annual (every year) meeting to discuss climate change
  • COP26 was held in Glasgow, UK in 2021 and in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in 2022
  • All nations agreed to take actions to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Other forms of mitigation

  • Alternative energy production
  • Afforestation
  • Carbon capture and storage (CCS)
• Alternative energy production


  • Wind, solar, HEP, tidal and geothermal are all renewable energy sources which reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted
  • Gases are released in the construction of turbines, dams, solar panels etc... but these emissions are lower than fossil fuels
  • They are becoming cheaper
  • Renewable energy is not as efficient as fossil fuels
• Afforestation


  • Planting trees increases the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere
  • Oxygen is created during photosynthesis
  • Increased transpiration increases cloud formation which reduces incoming solar radiation
• Carbon capture and storage (CCS)


  • Captures and removes CO2 before it is emitted
  • The CO2 is then compressed and stored underground
  • This is an expensive process and is not economically viable yet
  • It is unknown whether the CO2 will be able to be stored long term
• Adaptation strategies


  • Change in agricultural systems
  • Managing water supplies
  • Reducing risks from rising sea levels
• Change in agricultural systems


  • Agricultural systems will need to adapt to changing weather patterns, different pests and diseases
  • Changing crops or the livestock raised to suit the climatic conditions
  • More irrigation may be required which will need careful management of water supplies
  • Development of drought-resistant crops
  • Floating gardens where crops are planted on platforms which rise with the level of water
• Managing water supplies


  • Reducing demand through the use of water-efficient appliances and devices (shower heads, dual flush toilets)
  • Increasing supply through desalinisation
  • Water storage facilities
  • Improved irrigation systems which waste/use less water
• Reducing risks from rising sea levels

  • Construction of sea walls as in the Maldives
  • Mangrove forest restoration which protects the land from coastal flooding
  • Raised homes on stilts to allow waters to flow underneath
  • Construction of artificial islands up to 3m high
  • Flood barriers such as the Thames Barrier