Blog Post #6: Facing Climate Change
Background
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an international body for scientists tasked with assessing the science related to climate change. The IPCC was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the goal of providing to policymakers regular scientific assessments on the state of climate change, its current and future impacts and risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
The most recent IPCC report, known as the IPCC Fifth Assessment, was released in 2014. The Sixth Assessment was released earlier this year. The IPCC Fifth Assessment has many component sections, including the contributions of Working Group II (WGII), which focuses on socio-economic and environmental vulnerabilities to climate change. Below you will find a link to the WGII summary video released by the IPCC. Please watch the video.
After watching the video, please choose a country (it can be any country: perhaps where you are from, a place that interests you, or a place you have visited on vacation). You will then answer the questions in Part 1 with respect to your chosen country. Based on the video, envision how your country might experience the effects of climate change and how it might be contributing to climate change.
After completing Part 1, read the resource descriptions below and click the links for the Paris Agreement – Status of RatificationLinks to an external site. and the list of United Nations states by CO2 emissionsLinks to an external site.. Familiarize yourself with your country’s data for each data source, then answer the questions in Part 2.
The objective of this exercise is to allow you to explore the practical ways in which humans affect, are affected by, and try to mitigate the effects of, anthropogenic climate change. Be sure to read chapters 15 and 16 of Understanding Weather and Climate before proceeding with your blog post.
Resources
Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and VulnerabilityLinks to an external site.This video provides a summary of the findings of the IPCC Fifth Assessment’s Working Group II (WGII). WGII assesses the vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems to climate change.
IPCC Fifth Assessment reportsLinks to an external site.: Here you will find links to several IPCC reports. You do not need to read the reports for this assignment, but you are encouraged to explore the reports, including the Climate Change 2014 Synthesis ReportLinks to an external site., which provides an executive summary of the IPCC Fifth Assessment’s findings.
Paris Agreement – Status of RatificationLinks to an external site.: Here you will find a list of countries that have signed the Paris Agreement of 2015. The Paris Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015 at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Paris, France. As of May 2017, 195 nations have signed the Paris Agreement, while only 145 have ratified it.
List of United Nations states by CO2 emissionsLinks to an external site.: This is a list of the 193 UN member states by total CO2 emissions (in gigagrams), each country’s share as a percentage of the Earth’s total emissions, and the year in which the data collected.
Questions
Part 1
In what ways does your chosen country contribute to anthropogenic climate change? Please cite three specific examples. (Please do a Google search for relevant articles related to your country’s contributions to anthropogenic climate change. Include a link to the relevant articles. Examples: Industrial emissions, motor vehicle emissions, clear-cutting of forests, etc.)
How might expected changes in temperature, precipitation, storms, droughts, sea level, etc. affect your country? How will these environmental changes affect the livable habitat of your country (for humans, animals, and plants)? Please cite an example.
What actions can the residents of your chosen country take to lessen the impacts of a changing climate? Broadly, how can they lessen their contribution to anthropogenic climate change? Specifically, how might they mitigate the risks of a warming climate on a local level? Please cite an example.
Part 2
Referring to the Paris Agreement – Status of RatificationLinks to an external site. website, did your chosen country sign the Paris Agreement? Did your country ratify the Agreement? If so, on what date(s)? If your country did not ratify the agreement, why not? (Please cite your sources.)
Referring to the List of United Nations states by CO2 emissionsLinks to an external site., how many gigatons (gg) of CO2 is your country responsible for emitting? What percentage of the total is your country responsible for emitting?
Knowing that your country did or did not sign the Paris Agreement, and knowing its share of global CO2 emissions, do you believe your country is doing enough to combat anthropogenic climate change? Why or why not?
RESPONSE
Your response should be formulated in whole sentences and paragraphs. Proper punctuation, syntax, and writing mechanics must be followed.
Be sure to browse your classmates’ posts and comment on at least one other post. Do so by clicking “Reply.” You must comment on at least one classmate’s post for full credit. Failing to do so will result in a 20% point deduction.
TIP: Type your blog post in a word processor, like Microsoft Word or Notepad. Save often as you formulate your post. Once you have typed and reviewed your blog response, copy and paste your response into your post.