Climate Topic 3: Climate Action

They are efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon sinks to slow down climate change

To slow down climate change and prevent the impacts from worsening. Without them, countries would have to implement more and more adaptation measures to limit the harm.

Use of clean energy sources like solar panels, use of low-carbon technologies like EVs, and forest regeneration

They are efforts to adjust to climate change and its effects in order to reduce harm to people

They are required as some of the impacts of climate change are already happening and it is important to put in place measures to minimise the harm caused.

Water and flood management e.,g desalination & NEWater, Agricultural technology e.g. irrigation, stockpiling & raising awareness and education

It is as such as it worsens threats to natural and human systems that may be caused by other reasons

Rising Temperatures and more extreme weather events (droughts and floods) that worsens crop production, resulting in more crop failures, higher food prices & increased hunger and malnutrition

The impacts of it may limit the ability of current and future generations to meet their own needs, erodes development gains achieved by countries like poverty reduction, and slows down development progress as money gets spent on rebuilding after occurence of climatic hazards instead

A developing country is one with a relatively low standard of living. Therefore, they may lack the financial ability to put in place measures to reduce the potential impacts of climate change

The people in such a community are living in poverty and may live in the open without shelter. Thus, they will experience increasing risks from heatwaves, flooding and tropical storms with limited ability to pay for higher food prices with lower agricultral productivity.

It is the likelihood of potential losses to property, services, livelihoods, health statuses, and health from the impacts of climate change in a given period of time.

Shorter-term events are brief and sudden forming and lasting from days to weeks causing immediate climate risk as they often lead to quick widespread destruction of properties, loss of lives and disruptions to services.

Longer-term events take a longer time to develop and may last longer with delayed risks and ample time to prepare and adapt. Yet, they may remain unnoticed by locals leading to no measures implemented

The conditions (physical, social, economic & environmental) increase susceptibility of a community and their properties to the impact of climate related hazards including suffering from a lack of water, food and healthcare due to extreme weather

It is as such as extreme weather such as droughts and floods can result in crop failures, reducing the supply of food available causing price increases that poverty-stricken people cannot afford making them more vulnerable to food shortages. They may also not be able to afford healthcare after infectious diseases caused by climate change

Extreme weather conditions like cyclones and floods may contaminate water sources like wells which they rely on, thereby cutting off their access to clean water, forcing them to drink from contaminated sources that may spread diseases like cholera

The extent of which people and properties are exposed to climate related hazards are influenced by close proximity to coastal or dry environments

Communities living near the coasts are more likely to be exposed to hazards such as storm surges and sea level rise as compared to inland communities

Towns located in arid or dry environments are more likely to be exposed to climate-related hazards such as droughts.

They focus on directly lowering the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere. Some examples include: International Agreements and Cooperation, Use of Low-Carbon technologies, Use of clean energy sources & Changes in consumption patterns

It puts greater responsibilities on developed, industrialised countries to lead the way since they are the main contributor of GHG emissions. Developed countries also agree to provide financial support and share technology with developing countrries for climate action. All countries report on progress regularly

The implementation of the convention is dependent on the parties’s commitment to act and as countries have differing priorities, the commitment will vary and since they are not legally binding, no legal action can be taken against refusing parties

They emit low levels of GHG with examples includikng Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS). It works by separating and capturing CO2 from power plants and other industrial sources. It is then stored in oceans or used in the production of raw materials like cement.

It is expensive and requires public funding and subsidies for private research and development. There are also concerns that stored carbon may leak out over time.

Clean energy comes from renewable sources which do not emit GHG. Examples include solar, hydro-electric, geothermal (derived from heat in the Earth’s crust) & nuclear energy (derived from splitting up radioactive atoms)

Development and construction of renewable energy and technologies are expensive. It depends heavily on government policies and financial support to make renewable energy cost-competitive.

Eating less meat and more vegetables can reduce agriculutral emissions and local produce uses less transportation and thus less carbon emissions. Buying only what’s necessary and repurposing food waste to prevent methane emission.

It takes a long time to change people’s mindsets and consumption patterns. Changing conssumption patterns also depends on the commitment of companies to change the resources used in the production of goods. However, companies may be reluctant to change if profits are effected

They involve enhancing natural carbon sinks like forests and oceans as more than 50% of emitted carbon dioxied is reabsorbed by them, reducing the amount of GHG in the atmosphere

Reducing deforestation ensures that the natural system’s capacity in absorbing carbon dioxide is not reduced as deforestation leads to increased concentration of GHG and soil erosion as soil particles are now free to get washed into water bodies, suffocating corals and aquatic plants

It is difficult to reduce deforestation in growing economies due to competing land use for industries, agriculture and urban spaces.

As trees grow, they absorb and store carbon dioxide so more of them will increase GHG absorbed. This can be done through afforestation

Large-scale afforestation can create competition for land. A limited land supply for agriculture may lead to increase in food prices, threatening food security.

A wall that is constructed along a coast to prevent the sea from advancing into the land protects people, properties and environments from coastal floods.

Low-lying land is surrounded and protected by barriers known as dykes with excess water pumped out of it, thus protecting people, properties and environments from sea level rise and coastal floods.

Costly to build the structures strong enough to protect communities from flooding or sea level rise, especially for developing countries. They also have to be monitored and enhanced regularly to adapt to higher flood levels

They can produce food which can help communities to remain food secure despite changing climatic conditions, increasing food security

They can be monitored remotely in order to ensure crops can me grown in optimal conditions. Vegetables can also be harvested in a shorter time

High-tech water tanks can monitor water quality and check if fishes have diseases. This enables swift action to be taken to prevent spread of diseases

They can be very costly, which may not be possible in countries with limited funding

They include raising awarenes and educating communities on how to respond to climate change impacts. These allow communities to be aware of the warning signs of possible climatic hazards, and take appropriate steps to protect themselves

People may not be willing to change their behaviour due to a veriety of reasons

They help organise national and regional scale strategies and allow for larger-scale measures otherwise impossible if communities acted on their own due to lack of resources, expertise and/or funding.

Countries may have competing national priorities, such as urgent development projects. They may not have the capacity to draw on their national budget to finance adaptation projects.