...IPCC Status Report on Climate Change Summary Abstract The following is a summary of the IPCC Status Report on Climate Change. The following questions will be answered: is climate change occurring? About which aspects of climate change are we certain? Uncertain? What are the main factors determining climate change today? What is the likelihood that humans have caused these changes and what data supports this conclusion? And finally, what information is not yet available or are we unable to access at this time that may have bearing on the report and our understanding of climate change? The IPCC Status Report on Climate Change Summary for Policymakers is an assessment of the current scientific understanding of the impacts of climate change on natural, managed and human systems; the vulnerability of these systems and their capacity to adapt. The purpose of this report is to set out the findings of the Fourth Assessment of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental panel on climate change that they find to be relevant to those making decisions relating to government policy. The data used to compile the report are largely based on data sets that cover a period from 1970. According to the report, climate change is occurring. Observational evidence, including satellite imaging, from all continents and most oceans shows that many natural systems are being affected by regional climate changes, particularly temperature increases. Examples of natural systems affected include, but...
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...warming is a gradual increase in temperature of Earth’s surface, oceans and atmosphere. Scientists have documented and accepted the global warming as fact since 1800s. According to the lasted (January 2014) analysis from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), Earth’s average temperature has risen by 0.8 degrees Celsius (1.4 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1980. Temperatures are predicted to rise another 1.133 to 6.42 degrees Celsius (2 to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next 100 years. These statistics of temperature change are based on many independent scientific analyses from observations of the climate system. The scientists have used the direct measurements and remote sensing from satellites and other platform for observations of the climate systems. They provide a word-wide view of the variability and long-term in the land surface, the ocean, the cryoshpere, and the atmosphere. They have shown many persuasive evidences for rapid climate change, such as sea level rise, global temperature rise,...
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...AGRICULTURE TO CLIMATE CHANGE- A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE UTILISATION OF THE AGRO-ECOLOGICAL REGIONS A Review For Policy Makers J S Phiri, E Moonga, O Mwangase, G Chipeta 05-04-13 Climate Change, Agriculture and Agro-Eco Regions of Zambia, A Review. ZaAS Page 1 Foreword The Zambia Academy of Sciences (ZaAS) was established for a purpose of “Promoting Excellence in Scientific and Technical Endeavours” in Zambia. I am glad to see that as a young academy, we are on the right path towards fulfilling our objectives and especially our role of advancing the cause of science and technology. I would like to reiterate that ZaAS is ready and willing to contribute, as scientists in the sustainable development of our country as we strongly believe that Zambia can truly develop only through advancement in science and technology. This Policy Brief is in line with the aspirations of the Constitution of the Academy and specifically Articles 4 and 5 that empowers the Academy to initiate studies or can be requested by stakeholders including Government or persons to undertake such research for purposes of scientific advice, guidance or for purposes of advancing science and technology in Zambia. It is in recognising this important role that the first Policy Brief addresses climate change and food security. Climate change is a challenge universally considered the single most threatening situation facing mankind today since time immemorial. This Policy Brief tackles impacts of climate change on agriculture...
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...1. Introduction Over the last century, climate change has become one of the greatest threats facing the world. There is overwhelming scientific consensus that the increasing global temperature and the variable weather condition are closely related to the increase of greenhouse gases. In order to tackle the issue of climate change effectively, the Kyoto Protocol has been established. However, the rate of climate change is beyond prediction and the adverse impacts of climate change are increasingly serious. Besides, the debate about the main cause of climate change is significant. As the main driver of climate change is difficult to identify, countries face the challenge to formulate practical strategies to reduce greenhouse gases. This report will define climate change and explore what is the main driver of climate change as well as focus on climate change response strategies in Kenya. 2. Definition of Climate Change Climate change is characterized as observed increase in global average temperature of the earth. Climate is totally different from weather. Weather is the state of atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, cloudiness, wind and rain (CCIR-NYC 2005, p. 1). However, climate is a region’s weather patterns in a relatively long period (CCIR-NYC 2005, p. 1). The CCIR-NYC (2005, p. 1) claims that the variations of the state of climate on space and time are the dominant features of climate change. It is reported that global average temperature has...
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...Climate change as defined by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) refers to “change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g., using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer” (IPCC 2013). The IPCC refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity and further notes three independent/interlinked causes of climate change: a) natural internal processes, b) external forces and/or c) continuous anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in land use. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) estimates the five year period,...
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...Southern Africa Regional Office Lusaka, Zambia Report Climate Change in Zambia: Opportunities for Adaptation and Mitigation through Africa Bio-Carbon Initiative By Samuel Mulenga Bwalya Peaks Environmental Management Consultants P.O Box 32632 Lusaka, Zambia January, 2010 Table of Contents Contents Page Table of Contents................................................................................................................. i List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... ii List of acronyms ................................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgements............................................................Error! Bookmark not defined. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ v 1. Introduction................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Objectives of the study........................................................................................ 1 1.2 Approaches and methodology............................................................................. 2 2. Climate variability and impacts .................................................................................. 2 2.1 Climate variability trends.................................
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...Redeat Abegaz Week 4 Response ENVS0110 This week’s readings had the common theme of global climate change. All of these sources encompassed different aspects of climate change. John Houghton’s “The Greenhouse Effect” was more factual and scientific. S. Goerge Philander’s “The Ozone Hole, A Cautionary Tale” was informational too, however, the piece also discussed global reactions to the rapid climate change. Thomas R. Karl and Kevin E. TrenBerth’s “Modern Global Climate Change”, focused on the intensity of anthropogenic influences of climate change and the dismal projection of the future. In “Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next Fifty Years With Current Technologies”, Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow went in a different direction and presented a positive outlook on the improvement of the Earth’s current environmental state and introduced the idea of stabilization wedges. Lastly, the IPCC 2014 Summary report is a report that focused on looking at how nations can act to limit climate change. In the rest of this response, I will provide a synopsis of the goals and themes that were displayed in each of the readings. Finally, I will reflect on any questions or concerns the readings have evoked in me. In “The Greenhouse Effect”, John Houghton presents a detailed description of the Greenhouse Effect how the earth keeps warm. Houghton begins by discussing how thermal radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface is completely reliant on temperature. There...
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...My Reactions On: CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES AND GREEN OPPORTUNITIES A. The Report Content, Organization And Presentation The topic of “Current issues, concerns, trends, challenges and opportunities of running an offshore business” specifically on the “Climate change issues and green opportunities” interests me as a topic for this reaction paper because for the past years now, the world has given much attention to this issue. Businessmen now are very concerned on how to transcend and adopt to green opportunities which is the trend right now since consumers are also very much conscious on the effect of greenhouse emissions and global warming to their health and to mother nature. The topic stimulates more my interest because I want to be aware on how companies advance on an climate-friendly business models, and operations which will result to eco-friendly products and services which are of course appropriate to the climate of the location of their businesses. B. The Relevance And Applicability Of This Report In My Life and In My Environment At Present And In The Future. This report is very relevant to me because it made me become more aware on the effects of climate change not only to myself, to the environment, but also to the business sector on what it can do to the future of the economy. As an individual, at present I might not be that concern on what the effects of climate change would be, but I cannot hide nor deny it that there is really an effect. In addition, the topic...
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...Geoengineering: A global issue Essay Abstract Geoengineering is a set of new technologies which aim to change the environment in human favour. Considering the technology is nascent, the morality, ethics, technological knowhow and the human impact are all uncertain as they relate to geoengineering. This paper argues that on these grounds, the geoengineering issue should be a global issue. Local governments fail to implement this technology effectively. The subsidiarity test should be passed when it relates to the geoengineering issue. Introduction With rising CO2 levels, changing weather patterns and an ever increasing intensity of weather events, governments and environmental groups are trying to address the global warming issue. There are many theories on how to deal with climate change; from a reduction in pollution to carbon capture. Geoengineering is a relatively new idea in the field of science which “describes this array of technologies that aim, through large-scale and deliberate modifications of the Earth’s energy balance, to reduce temperatures and counteract anthropogenic climate change.” (Bracmort et all., 2011: 1) The vast majority of technology is nascent and at a theoretical stage but it has the potential to affect populations and climate on a global scale. (Bracmort et all., 2011: 1) Any issue that has the ability to instigate social, environmental and political change on a global basis should consequently pass a subsidiarity test. Subsidiarity as defined by the Oxford...
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...Brief Overview of Reports of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Since 1990 and Reactions • In its first 1990 REPORT, the IPCC refrained from suggesting that the 0.5 degrees Celsius rise in the average global earth temperature since the start of the 20th century was due to humans or from natural variability. • In its second 1995 REPORT, the IPCC did not move much from its earlier position of the origin of higher global temperatures. However, it did say that subsequent research since the last report gave a strong indication that, “The balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on the global climate.” • In its third 2001 REPORT, the IPCC went a step further when saying the continuing trends in climate warming were “likely” – meaning more than a 66% chance of being due to humans. • In its fourth 2007 REPORT, the “likely” scientific viewpoint got much stronger with the term “very likely” – meaning more than a 90% chance of being due to humans. Conclusions were more definitive that the warming up was unmistakable from measurements of atmosphere and ocean temperatures, from worldwide rapid melting of glaciers and pole ice and from the rise in sea level. globalwarming5The provocative statement was also made that, even if the greenhouse gas effect stabilized, the warming up of the earth and the rising sea levels could continue for a 100 years with irreversible effects on nature and humans. As noted, not surprisingly, the neo-conservative Tea...
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...Climate change can be defined as long-term continuous either increasing or decreasing average weather condition such as maximum temperature and minimum temperature or the range of weather condition such as more frequent and severe extreme storms ( ).Climate change strongly affects the natural and social environment at global and regional level (Heru, 2008).Globally, climate change affects hydro-meteorological characteristics, in the form of quality and quantitative changes (Soojun, 2016).According to IPCC, (2007) an example of global climate change is global warming, the rise of average temperature and ,wide speed melting of snow and glaciers, and the rise of the earth’s sea level, which has been observed and measured. Quantitative and qualitative...
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...Green climate fund frauds and corruption 1.0 Introduction Climate change especially global warming has been a heated issue these years. There are more and more countries, organizations and people caring about the global climate. And there are more and more organizations and fuds whose purpose is related to climate emerging, in order to counter climate change. In 2010, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change set up the Green Climate Fund at the Conference of the Parties 16. The purpose of the Green Climate Fund is to provide help and support for developing countries to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gas. However there are many disputes about the Green Climate Fund also, one of which is that the Green Climate Fund exists risks of fraud and corruption. The purpose of this report is to have a better understanding of Green Climate Fund fraud and corruption by analyzing the factors causing fraud and corruption and the measures to eliminate fraud and corruption. This report consists of four sections. The first section is the brief introduction of Green Climate Fund. The second section is the analysis of Green Climate Fund fraud and corruption. The third section is how to prevent this kind of fraud and corruption. And the last section is the conclusion. 2.0 The factors causing Green Climate Fraud and corruption At the Conference of Parties 16 in 2010, decision 1/CP. 16 established the Green Climate Fund. The Green Climate Fund as an operating...
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...Introduction The issue of greenhouse gases and global warming is one that has been a concern for the populace in recent years. We know that the earth has experienced a general warming that is evident in many forms throughout the world. The argument however, lies in whether the global warming is a result of greenhouse gases coming directly from human actions, or if the warming is a natural occurrence within the earth. This paper will examine both sides of the argument to show that while the earth does have natural variations, that human actions are responsible for the rapidness of recent growth, and that we need to start taking action now. What is Global Warming? Global warming is a trend that shows is that the earth is warming. Global average temperature data based on measurements that date back to 1880. “Based on data from the U.S. National Climatic Data Center, the 27 warmest years since 1880 all occurred in the 30 years from 1980 to 2009; the warmest year was 2005 followed closely by 1998” (Turk, J., & Bensel, T.,2011, sect. 7.2). Over the past 50 years, the data on extreme temperatures have shown similar trends of rising temperatures: cold days, cold nights, and frosts occurred less frequently over time, while hot days, hot nights, and heat waves occurred more frequently. The Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases (United States Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). The main gasses that are emitted are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane...
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...This article was downloaded by: [Texas A&M University-Commerce] On: 05 January 2015, At: 16:08 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Geopolitics Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/fgeo20 Rethinking Climate Change, Conflict and Security Jan Selby & Clemens Hoffmann a a b Department of International Relations, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK b Department of International Relations, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey Published online: 30 Oct 2014. Click for updates To cite this article: Jan Selby & Clemens Hoffmann (2014) Rethinking Climate Change, Conflict and Security, Geopolitics, 19:4, 747-756, DOI: 10.1080/14650045.2014.964866 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14650045.2014.964866 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon...
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...Current Event Review – Climate Change in the North Summary of Event and Background Canadian North is the forefront of the climate change and its effect can be seen very evidently on the daily basis. Warmer temperatures have led to changes in shifting tree line, major impact on several species especially caribou population; other wildlife species foreign to this area moving further north from the south like cougar and whitetail deer. North is also facing problems with territory’s winter road network for example due to the reduced thickness of ice roads, Diavik Diamond Mine in Northern Canada were forced to fly in fuel rather than try to transporting it – costed extra $11.25 million. Melting of permafrost is another concern as it’s affecting the buildings and housing, leading to changes in building techniques. It also causes methane to release which is another greenhouse gas that adds to the mix of warming agents heating our planet. Climate change is also effecting water world as certain fish species are disappearing. Even though, it is very small contributor to CO2 emission, the territory is dependent on international and national actions to and is at mercy from outside to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to briefing document prepared for Prime Minister Trudeau, it states that average temperature has increased 1.6 degree Celsius which is almost twice as much since 1948. If we look at Canadian North, the temperature has risen by about 3 times the global average –...
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