Climate Change Handout 1
This handout is provided to reinforce and supplement the course material. It is the Intellectual Property of Peak Governance Business Advisors Ltd and should not be shared with or distributed to others.
The Carbon Literacy Project defines Carbon Literacy as:
“An awareness of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community, and organisational basis.”
The United Nations defines Climate Change as:
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases.
Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/questionnaire
Using CO2e
CO2e” is a very useful term for a number of reasons:
it allows “bundles” of greenhouse gases to be expressed as a single number; and
it allows different bundles of GHGs to be easily compared (in terms of their total global warming impact).
The Greenhouse Gas effect
There are multiple sources of the different greenhouse gases.
CO2 emissions have increased exponentially due to burning massive amounts of fossil fuels for transport (vehicles and aircraft are particularly carbon intensive); plus providing heat for commercial buildings and homes.
Methane emissions have increased significantly due to the increase in meat consumption (particularly red meat).
Sulphur dioxide sources include power plants, metals processing and smelting facilities, and diesel powered vehicles and equipment.
Climate Change – The Main Causes
A major decline in biodiversity. The ‘natural’ world is declining.
Life on earth developed slowly and steadily – but profound, rapid global change occurred at points.
Every 100mn years there was a mass extinction. In total there have been five. Each time, nature collapsed, large numbers of different species disappeared, and evolution was undone.
66mn years has seen nature reboot – including humans, the most intelligent species on earth as they produce ideas and innovations aimed at improving their way of life. That increases the pace of change.
Humans were primarily hunter/gatherers in previous times. The earth was colder, the environment unpredictable, sea level lower. Temperatures fluctuated greatly over short periods, but for 10,000 years the average global temperature only varied by 1 degree Celsius. That has changed dramatically during the 20th and 21st centuries.
Microscopic plants floating close to the ocean surface, massive northern forests, grazing animals, swamps, coral reefs, fish stocks, rain forests at the Equator, expanses of snow and ice at the north and south ends of the earth, contributed to the health of the earth and the atmosphere. The seasons were born. Farming began. Hunter/gatherers settled down. Wild animals became domesticated. Populations increased. The human/nature relationship changed, and instead of being moulded by nature, humans moulded nature. Humans progressed, but the inter-dependence and inter-connectivity with nature that was essential began to collapse.
It is critical that humans recognize that the world is finite and needs to be protected.
Videos that illustrate the difference between degrees of warming
1.5 – 2 degrees https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3UqIvjs5Do
2 degrees https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GjrS8QbHmY&t=33s
Actions That Should Be Considered:
Plastic
Less plastic saves a fair bit on the CO2 emissions. Producing plastics consumes a considerable amount of water, depleting one of the most valuable natural and vital resources available to humans..
Throughout their lifecycle, plastics have a significant carbon footprint and emit 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond the hazards posed to the marine and terrestrial environment – essential points in this pledge - as well as to humans, plastics are also a substantial contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Typical fossil plastics have a global warming potential of between 1.7 and 3.5 kg of CO2, depending on the type of plastic. This means that for every kilogram of fossil-based plastic produced, there is between 1.7 and 3.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide released. It is estimated that each person in the UK consumes 2kg of plastic per annum, so the saving is decent.
Travel
Many humans love to travel, and the ease with which this can be achieved now is far greater than at any time in history. However, it comes at a cost to the environment. We do not advocate a policy of ‘no travel’, but we ask that you consider the following data before deciding upon the mode of travel you will use for a specific journey.
A 3 mile commute to work by car 5 days pw = 400kgCO2 per year
Working from home once a week would save 20% of these emissions per year SAVING = 80kgCO2 per year
Cycling 50% of the time would reduce emissions by 50% SAVING = 200kgCO2 per year
Where climate change is impacting our environment
https://www.adaptationscotland.org.uk/application/files/5914/9304/9515/15_Key_Consequences.pdf
Where climate change is impacting our environment
https://www.adaptationscotland.org.uk/application/files/5914/9304/9515/15_Key_Consequences.pdf
THE BEIS Report 2020
Circa 22% of global CO2 emissions stem from the production of goods that are consumed in a different country. However, traditional inventories do not include emissions associated with imported goods.
Although domestic emissions in the UK have fallen 27% between 1990 and 2014, once CO2 imports from trade are included this drops to only an 11% reduction.
People at Risk
https://www.carbonmap.org/
Light bulbs
For every traditional halogen bulb you switch to a similarly bright LED bulb you save around 5kg of CO2 emissions. By replacing all bulbs in your home with LED alternatives, that's around 63kg of CO2 emissions.
Appliances
Turning off appliances at the wall socket, rather than leaving on standby, can save 310kg of carbon each year.