ENVIRONMENT COMMISSIONEffect of Climate Change on Biodiversity

What is Climate Change ?

• Changes in weather conditions over a period of time.

• Recently, climate change Fast paced and unlikely to be reversed.

Causes: Natural vs. Human Influence

• Natural: Variations in solar radiation, deviations in the earth’s orbit, mountain-building, continental drift etcetera.

• Human Influence: Enhanced green house effect, depletion of ozone layer by CFCs etcetera.

Title

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

Effect on biodiversity

• Effects are far-reaching, and operate at different levels: from individuals to ecosystems.

• Species level: Alteration in distribution, abundance, behaviour, migration & breeding patterns, genetic composition etcetera, through changes in temperature and rainfall.

Other indirect effects

• Often indirect effects such as increased pressure from competitors, predators, parasites, diseases and disturbances such as fire and storm have a more significant impact on biodiversity.

Title

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

Illustration - Plankton

• Deep ocean organism responsible for removing CO2 from atmosphere.

• As a result of climate change Increase in sea surface temperature Altered wind patterns and stratification of the water column., less nutrients for planktons.

• Increase in UV radiation also poses a threat to the survival of planktons

Individual to Ecosystem

• Reduction in the number of plankton

• Decrease in the number of fishes

• Effect on sea birds food sources reduced or relocated.

Title

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

Key Players Involved

1. United Nations

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 1988.

• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change: The Kyoto Protocol

• 2009 Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen and the ‘Copenhagen Accord’ – COP 15

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

• Established through UNEP and World Meteorological Organization to investigate and analyze the best published science on this issue.

• Aims: Assess scientific information relevant to –i) Human-induced climate changeii) Impacts of human-induced climate changeiii) Options for adaptation and mitigation

• First IPCC Report in 1990 served as the basis for UNFCCC.

Title

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

UNFCCC

• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.• International environment treaty produced at

the Earth Summit or (UNCED) in June 1992.• Objective: To stabilize greenhouse gas

concentrations and prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with climate system.

• No mandatory limits, non binding treaty.• Provides for updates(or protocols) that would

set these mandatory limits.• Principle update: Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol

• Adopted in 1997, in Kyoto, Japan.• Signed and ratified by 186 countries + 1 regional

economic organization as of December 2009• Emission reduction committment 37 industrialized

countries («Annex I » countries)• Flexible mechanisms:1) Emissions Trading2) Clean Development Mechanism3) Joint Implementation

Title

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

Key Players Involved

2. The European Union

• Endorsement of an integrated energy and climate change policy in March 2007.

• Committment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% by 2020.

• Fulfillment of Kyoto protocol requirements.• Meeting emission targets under European

Climate Change Programme(ECCP).

Title

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

Key Players Involved

3. Non-EU Developed Countries(Japan, US, Switzerland, Canada, Australia etcetera)• The non-European members of this group tend

to share a concern for a more "flexible" approach to limiting greenhouse gas emissions. The United States in particular played a key role in the drafting of article 4.2, of Kyoto protocol, on developed-country commitments to limit emissions.

Title

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

Key Players Involved

4. OPEC Countries

• OPEC members tend to be concerned about the likely impact on their economies if other countries reduce their use of oil. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and others have emphasized the existence of scientific uncertainty and argued that the convention process should move forward cautiously.

Title

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Vivamus et magna. Fusce sed sem sed magna suscipit egestas.

Key Players Involved

5. Corporate Sector

• The first business groups to attend the climate talks as observers represented energy-intensive firms concerned about the negative economic implications of a convention. More recently, other business sectors have started to follow the process more closely, including the insurance sector, which sees itself as vulnerable to increased storms and other possible climate change impacts, and clean energy firms that see market opportunities.

Possible approaches to handle the issue.

• Cutting emissions.

• Development of alternative forms of energy.

• Global cooperation in terms of sharing of technological knowhow.

ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION

Promotion of alternative energy in developing countries

Present Scenario

• Fossil energy sources are exhausting, while increasing CO2 emissions.

• Serious environmental problems caused by burning of fossil fuels.

Renewable Energy

• Obtained from natural resources such as sun, rain, wind and geothermal heat, infinite and self replenishing.

• Nuclear energy released by the splitting or merging together of the nuclei of atoms under controlled conditions.

Why Developing Countries?

• Carbon emissions expected to skyrocket in the next decade.

• Exemption of developing countries from targets to reduce GHG emissions under the Kyoto protocol.

Key players involved• China Centre for Renewable Energy

Development(CRED) drafted new laws in 2006 that promote the use of renewable energy.

• Law includes some feed-in tariffs and established feed-in requirements, reduction in fossil fuels subsidies, cost sharing system which shares the costs among the consumers.

• Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference (BIREC) in 2005 willingness of China for promoting the use of renewable energy.

• India Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, active branch on govt.

• The government has been supporting research and setting tariffs. Implemented natural gas use for heavy vehicles in its major cities, and for New Delhi’s public transport system.

• Current aim to increase the renewable enegy production by 10% by the end of 2010.

• Argentina 10% of automobile fleet runs on CNG.

• Thailand and Brazil made comprehensive successful national efforts at demand size management.

Viability vs. Variety

• Even though many countries have begun implementing policies that promote the use of renewable energy, there are still some countries facing difficulties adopting this phenomenon.

• Viability of Sources: Some regions lack some of the natural sources of renewable energy production. In such a scenario, variety of such resources and the technology to derive energy from a variety of sources is rather crucial.

Developed vs. Developing

• As much as it is the responsibility of developing countries to initiate renewable energy policies in their countries, it is also an expectation of developed countries to share technological knowhow, and provide incentives for developing countries to move ahead in this direction.

UN and alternative/renewable energy

• The Secretariat of UN and the Member States try to remain actively seized on the matter.

• There have been numerous resolutions passed, and agreements signed.

• Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Organisation(IREO) – 2008

• International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Possible Solutions

• Problem: Cost Involved in production Solution: Most effective and long term intense research and development in this area to make it cost effective for developing countries.

• Short term fiscal solutions: 1. Cost sharing policy as implemented by

the government of China

Possible Solutions

2. Enforce conventional energy producers to invest in this field Imposition of Renewable Resources Portfolio Standard(RPS) followed by laws that put extra taxes on conventional energy producers.

3. Feed-in tariffs.

Possible Solutions

• Problem: viability of resources Solution: Increasing the efficiency of

the current technologies or inventing new technologies. Again, R&D here!

• Awareness of the public about the benefits

• 1. implementing net metering system

The End