UNIT 2 - Global Climate - Vulnerability & Resilience
Governments Tackle Climate Change: Actions & Outcomes
Table of content
The power struggle
The Problem: We live in a world striving to lower carbon emissions, but it’s like walking against the wind! Our biggest challenges are technological, economic, and political. Believe it or not, the fossil fuel industry is the big boss in the USA, vetoing climate control regulations like a pro.
Imagine, if you will, the fossil fuel industry as the villain in a superhero movie. They've managed to evade the climate control laws. The heroes of our story are the governments, struggling to reach an international consensus because major fossil fuel countries - the USA, Canada, China, Russia, and Middle East nations - are arguing in favor of their economic interests.
The international efforts
The Organisations: The governments of the world aren't alone in their fight. They've got backup from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They're like the Avengers of climate change, each with a specific role.
The UNFCCC: Picture this as an epic scene at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992. The world's governments sign the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The goal? To stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to prevent damaging human-induced climate system interference. Sounds heroic, right? But sadly, it fails to slow down greenhouse gas emissions.
The kyoto protocol
The Plot Twist: Enter the Kyoto Protocol. Signed in 1997, it’s the first real attempt to implement the treaty from Act 2. It wants high-income countries, which have the technology, financial capability, and a history of massive CO2 emissions, to lead the way. Their mission? Cut their carbon emissions by 20% by 2012 compared to 1990 levels.
But there's a problem. The USA doesn't sign, Canada and Australia sign but don't implement, and emissions skyrocket in rapidly industrializing nations like China. The USA argues that signing would give China an unfair advantage in world trade.
Remember the Toronto Conference of 1988? They called for the same emission reduction. Then the Kyoto Protocol comes into force in 2005. It's extended to 2015 and sets up a carbon market where countries can trade emission units like football stickers.
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UNIT 2 - Global Climate - Vulnerability & Resilience
Governments Tackle Climate Change: Actions & Outcomes
Table of content
The power struggle
The Problem: We live in a world striving to lower carbon emissions, but it’s like walking against the wind! Our biggest challenges are technological, economic, and political. Believe it or not, the fossil fuel industry is the big boss in the USA, vetoing climate control regulations like a pro.
Imagine, if you will, the fossil fuel industry as the villain in a superhero movie. They've managed to evade the climate control laws. The heroes of our story are the governments, struggling to reach an international consensus because major fossil fuel countries - the USA, Canada, China, Russia, and Middle East nations - are arguing in favor of their economic interests.
The international efforts
The Organisations: The governments of the world aren't alone in their fight. They've got backup from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They're like the Avengers of climate change, each with a specific role.
The UNFCCC: Picture this as an epic scene at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992. The world's governments sign the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The goal? To stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to prevent damaging human-induced climate system interference. Sounds heroic, right? But sadly, it fails to slow down greenhouse gas emissions.
The kyoto protocol
The Plot Twist: Enter the Kyoto Protocol. Signed in 1997, it’s the first real attempt to implement the treaty from Act 2. It wants high-income countries, which have the technology, financial capability, and a history of massive CO2 emissions, to lead the way. Their mission? Cut their carbon emissions by 20% by 2012 compared to 1990 levels.
But there's a problem. The USA doesn't sign, Canada and Australia sign but don't implement, and emissions skyrocket in rapidly industrializing nations like China. The USA argues that signing would give China an unfair advantage in world trade.
Remember the Toronto Conference of 1988? They called for the same emission reduction. Then the Kyoto Protocol comes into force in 2005. It's extended to 2015 and sets up a carbon market where countries can trade emission units like football stickers.
Unlock the Full Content!
Dive deeper and gain exclusive access to premium files of Geography HL. Subscribe now and get closer to that 45 🌟