Future Large Scale Release of Carbon (Edexcel A Level Geography)

Terrestrial Carbon Sinks

Oceanic Carbon Sinks

Modelled to increase until 2050

When saturation is reached, they begin to act as sources:

• Thawing of permafrost (tundra) in the Arctic
• Shift of boreal forests to the north (as tundra thaws)
• Tropical rainforests (currently at carbon capacity) may reduce their storage

Increased store in sea grasses and algae, but overall reduction as sink because:

• Tropical oceans have decreased carbon dioxide solubility as they are becoming warmer so absorb less 
• Decreased efficiency and slowing down of the biological pump

Adaptation Strategy

Benefits

Risks

Water conservation and management

Less resources used

Less groundwater abstraction

Changing attitudes e.g., use of more grey water

Efficiency and management cannot match any increases in demand for water

Promotion and enforcement of strategies by the government needed to change habits e.g., smart meters

Resilient agricultural systems

High-tech, drought-tolerant species help resistance to climate change and increased diseases

Low-tech methods and better practices lead to healthier soils which may help carbon sequestration and water storage e.g., selective irrigation, crop rotation, agroforestry

More ‘indoor’ intensive farming

Expensive technology, seeds and breeds unavailable to subsistence farmers in developing countries

Indoor and intensive farming has high energy costs

Genetic modification is still controversial but still used to create resistant strains of rich and soya

Increasing food insecurity leads to countries looking for quick fixes

Land-use planning

Land-use zoning, building restrictions in areas vulnerable to flooding

Enforcing strict run-off controls and soakaways

Public dislike

Abandoning high-risk areas is often impossible as they are often megacities

Would need strong governance, enforcement and compensation

Flood-risk management

Hard management often used e.g., river dredging, flood defences

Simple changes can reduce flood risk e.g., permeable tarmac

Reducing deforestation and increasing afforestation upstream to absorb water and reduce flood risk downstream

Funding sources are often debated

Land owners will often demand compensation

Constant maintenance is required for hard management e.g., dredging 

Solar radiation management

Geoengineering involves ideas and plans to intervene to counteract global warming

Idea to use orbiting satellites to reflect some radiation back into space like a giant sunshade which would cool the Earth within months and be relatively cheap compared to mitigation strategies

These are untried and untested

Would not eliminate the worst effects of greenhouse gases such as acidification

Involves messing with a very complex system which could have unintended consequences

Would need to continue geoengineering for decades or centuries as there would be a rapid adjustment in the climate system if it just stopped suddenly

Mitigation Strategy

Examples of Policies in the UK

Carbon taxation

Carbon price floor tax sets a minimum prices companies will have to pay to emit carbon dioxide which was unpopular and the policy was frozen in 2015

Lower road taxes for low-carbon cars were scrapped in 2015

In 2015, oil and gas exploration tax relief was expanded to support fossil fuels which led to the fracking debate

Renewable switching

Renewable energy (solar, wind and wave) provide intermittent electricity, while fossil fuels provide continuous power which is vital for our current demands

The Climate Change Levy, designed in 2001 to encourage investment in renewable energy was cut in 2015

Energy efficiency

The Green Deal scheme encouraged energy-saving improvements in homes e.g., energy efficient boilers and lights, improved insulation which was scrapped in 2015

Energy suppliers must comply with the Energy Company Obligation scheme to deliver energy efficient methods to households

Afforestation 

Tree planting in the UK is increasing which helps carbon sequestration

Tree planting involves the Forestry Commission, charities (e.g., the National Trust and Woodland Trust), landowners and local authorities,

The Big Tree Plant campaign encourages communities to plant 1 million new trees (mostly in urban areas)

Carbon capture and storage (CCS)

Few actual geologic carbon capture and storage projects exist in the world, despite its potential

Canada’s Boundary Dam is the only large-scale working scheme

In 2015, the UK cancelled its investment into full-scale projects at gas and coal powered plants in Scotland and Yorkshire