Climate Change: An Interdisciplinary Introduction

✍ Scribed by Thomas Brewer

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2024
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 228
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This textbook introduces and explains the issues around climate change and its mitigation. It includes topics across disciplines and can be used as a single-volume text by students studying a range of subjects. Among the topics included are:

·How to adopt significant mitigation measures now to avoid the most catastrophic long-term consequences of climate change.

·Reducing the rates of highly potent, short-lived emissions of methane gas and black carbon particulates―reductions that are necessary to meet the temperature targets of the Paris Agreements.

·Implementing wide-ranging adaptation measures to reduce the deaths and economic costs of extreme heat waves, droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, and floods.

·Recognizing the unusually rapid warming in the Arctic, which is disrupting weather patterns in the northern hemisphere and currents in the Atlantic Ocean, causing world-wide sea-level rise, and also causing methane leaks in the Arctic region―leaks that could eventually lead to irreversible global warming consequences.

Meeting these challenges effectively requires action by both governments and businesses. The book examines the national and local governmental policies―and business practices―that are needed in sector-specific chapters.

An objective of the book is to inform readers about specific problems resulting from climate change―and the wide range of potential government policies and business practices, changes in technologies, and changes in public attitudes and actions that can reduce the emissions and otherwise lessen their impacts. Indeed, a central message is that understanding the issues posed by climate change requires no less than an understanding of climate science, micro- and macro-economics, technologies for mitigation and adaptation measures, as well as politics and law at many governmental levels from local to global. The author has included short case studies that illustrate and integrate multiple analytic perspectives. The book is therefore appropriate for students, professionals, and general audiences with wide-ranging interests and backgrounds.

✦ Table of Contents

Preface
Reference
Acknowledgements
Contents
Part IIntroduction
1 Overview of the Issues
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Climate Science Basics
1.3 Socio-Economic Impacts, Mitigation Actions, Adaptation Actions, and Ethics
1.4 Economic Sectors and Industries
1.5 The Future
1.6 Analytic Challenges
References
Part IICore Issues
2 Emissions: Types, Effects and Sources
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Carbon Dioxide Emission Rates and Concentration Levels
2.3 Temperature Changes
2.4 Other Types of Emissions
2.4.1 Short-Lived and Long-Lived Emissions
2.4.2 Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 Emissions
2.4.3 Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e) Emissions
2.4.4 Earth’s Carbon Budget
2.5 Effects of Emissions
2.5.1 Extreme Heat and Human Health
2.5.2 Droughts, Crop Failures and Wildfires
2.5.3 Sea Level Rise, Cyclones and Coastal Flooding
2.6 Economic Costs and the Social Cost of Carbon
2.7 Sources of Emissions
2.7.1 Countries
2.7.2 Economic Sectors
2.8 Conclusion
Annex 2.1: Attribution of the Causes of Extreme Weather Events
Annex 2.2: Warming in the Arctic
Annex 2.3: Annual State of the Global Climate Reports
Questions to Ponder
References
3 The Big Emitters and The Most Vulnerable People
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Comparative Overview of Emissions
3.3 Profiles of The Big Emitters
3.3.1 European Union (EU-27)
3.3.2 Germany
3.3.3 US
3.4 Mitigation Policy
3.4.1 China
3.4.2 India
3.4.3 Comparative Ratings of Big Emitters
3.5 Vulnerable Countries
3.5.1 Extreme Weather Events
3.5.2 Islands
3.6 Multiple Crises in East Africa
3.7 Compensation Issues: “Loss and Damage”
3.8 Ethical Issues
3.9 Conclusion
Annex 3.1: EU Emission Trading System (ETS)
Annex 3.2: Emissions and Mitigation Policies of the UK
Annex 3.3: Comparisons of Consumption-Based and Production-Based Accounting of National Emissions
Annex 3.4: Vulnerabilities of SIDS
Questions to Ponder
References
4 International Agreements
4.1 Introduction
4.2 The Beginning (1972–1990)
4.2.1 UN Scientific Conference in Stockholm: The First Earth Summit (1972)
4.2.2 First World Climate Conference (1979)
4.2.3 World Climate Research Programme (1980)
4.2.4 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (1983) and Gothenburg Protocol (1999)
4.2.5 Toronto Conference (1988)
4.2.6 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (1988 …)
4.2.7 Second World Climate Conference (1990)
4.3 The Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992 …)
4.3.1 COP 1: Berlin Mandate (1995)
4.3.2 Kyoto Protocol (1997)
4.3.3 COP 21 Paris Agreement (2015)
4.3.4 COP 26 in Glasgow (2021)
4.3.5 COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh (2022)
4.4 Conclusion
Annex 4.1: Climate Change Programs in International Organizations
Annex 4.2: International Trade Issues
Questions to Ponder
References
Part IIISectors
5 Fossil Fuels
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Fossil Fuel Production
5.3 Emissions
5.3.1 Trends and Components in Fossil Fuel Emissions
5.3.2 Methane Emissions
5.4 Issues About Industry Public Positions
5.5 Fossil Fuel Subsidies
5.6 Mitigation Policies and Actions
5.7 Conclusion
Annex 5.1: International Agreements on Fossil Fuels
Annex 5.2: Letters Exchanged by the British Royal Society and ExxonMobil in 2006
Annex 5.3: Fossil Fuel Subsidy Levels
Questions to Ponder
References
6 Electric Power
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Emissions
6.3 Renewable Technologies
6.4 Mitigation Options
6.5 Nuclear Alternatives
6.6 Conclusion
Annex 6.1: UN Energy Program ‘Deliverables’ for 2025
Questions to Ponder
References
7 Transportation
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Emission Patterns and Trends
7.3 Technologies and Policies
7.4 Conclusion
Annex 7.1: Chronology of Climate Change Issues at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Annex 7.2: Chronology of Climate Change Issues at the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
Questions to Ponder
References
8 Industry
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Emission Patterns and Trends
8.3 Cement
8.4 Steel
8.5 Petrochemicals
8.6 Conclusion
Annex 8.1: Key Features of Cement, Steel and Petrochemical Production Processes
Questions to Ponder
References
9 Buildings
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Emissions
9.3 Mitigation and Adaptation Measures
9.3.1 Building Construction and Operational Issues
9.3.2 Operational Issues: Space Heating and Cooling
9.4 Conclusion
Annex 9.1: Building Design: Interdisciplinary Challenges for Architects
Annex 9.2: Sufficiency, Efficiency, Renewable Analytic Framework
Questions to Ponder
References
10 Agriculture, Aquaculture, Food, Forests and Other Land and Ocean Uses
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Agriculture
10.2.1 Agricultural Vulnerabilities to Climate Change
10.2.2 Agricultural Adaptation Measures
10.2.3 Agricultural Emissions
10.2.4 Measures to Mitigate Agricultural Emissions
10.2.5 Agricultural Carbon Sinks
10.3 Forests
10.4 Aquaculture
10.4.1 El Nino and La Nina
10.4.2 Aquaculture Vulnerabilities to Climate Change
10.4.3 Oceans as Carbon Sinks
10.5 Conclusion
Annex 10.1: The Case of Changes in the Gulf of Maine
Questions to Ponder
References
11 Finance
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Insurance
11.2.1 Insurance Exposures to Climate Related Risks
11.2.2 Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues (ESG)
11.3 Investment
11.3.1 Stranded Assets
11.3.2 Greenwashing
11.4 Conclusion
Questions to Ponder
References
Part IVThe Future
12 Climate Model Projections and Potential Action Paths
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Projections of Temperatures
12.3 Melting Ice in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions with Global Consequences
12.3.1 Effects on Sea Level Rise
12.3.2 Effects on Ocean Currents
12.4 Climate Tipping Points (CTPs)
12.5 Another Type of Tipping Point: Investment and Economic Growth Opportunities
12.6 Political-Economy: “The Tragedy of the Commons” and “Market Failures”
12.7 Conclusion
Annex 12.1: Climate Change Models: Features, Issues and Applications
Annex 12.2: Sector-Specific Policies and Priorities for Action
Annex 12.3: Systemic Shocks
Annex 12.4: Data About the Earth’s Carbon Budget
Annex 12.5: The Problematic Paradox of Atmospheric Cooling Above the Troposphere
Questions to Ponder
References