Confronting Climate Change

CONFRONTING CONFRONTING CLIMATE CHANGECLIMATE CHANGE

Angela Colmenares-Sabino

Earth Island Institute Philippines

Basic Facts on Climate Basic Facts on Climate & Weather& Weather

Basic Facts on Climate Basic Facts on Climate & Weather& WeatherWeather changes according to time of

year. These are the changing seasons.

Different patterns of weather including rainfall, winds, & temperature found in different parts of the world are called CLIMATES.

Climate – the usual weather in a particular region for long periods of time

Basic Facts on Climate Basic Facts on Climate & Weather& WeatherEARTH’s CLIMATESHot climates are found near the

equator where the Sun is closest.Polar regions are the coldest.In between are temperate lands

which have warm summers & cool winters.

What is Climate What is Climate Change?Change?

Climate change – is the change of the climate of the world or a specific region after a long period of time (from decades to millions of years).

Climate change occurs due to the earth’s internal processes such as volcanic eruptions, amount of sunlight (solar radiation) coming into the earth’s atmosphere, and lastly because of human activities such as the creation o Green House Gases (GHGs).

Greenhouse Effect & Greenhouse Effect & Climate ChangeClimate Change


Australian researchers have found that the iron-rich faeces of sperm whales boosts the growth of phytoplankton, marine plants which suck in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They estimate that the whales are responsible for removing 400,000 tonnes of carbon each year, removing the equivalent of the emissions of 40,000 cars each year.


Global Warming is a Global Warming is a Global Warning!Global Warning!

Earth’s climate is getting warmer than it was 100 years ago.

By burning fossil fuels –coal, oil & natural gas, there is an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that is more than nature can absorb.

Destruction of forests, pollution in our waters, and the whole ecological imbalance made it even worse!

Global Warming is a Global Warming is a Global Warning!Global Warning!

Breakdown of the anthropic greenhouse gas emissions by gas, in billion tons carbon equivalent, in 2004. Source :

IPCC, 2007

Global Warming is a Global Global Warming is a Global Warning!Warning!Effects of Global Warming:

When did Global When did Global Warming Began?Warming Began?Industrial Revolution in the 18th Century

(1700s)

World Order in the 1700s: Emergent capitalist countries

According the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report in 1998: the current degree of global warming of the planet since the industrial revolution has not been unprecedented in the last 10,000 years

Who produces the Most GHG’s?Who produces the Most GHG’s?

CO2 Emissions in 2002, UNEP

US

Saudi Arabia

Aus.

Can.

Phils.

Who produces the Most Who produces the Most GHG’s?GHG’s?

Who produces the Most Who produces the Most GHG’s?GHG’s?Developed, industrialized,

capitalist countries such as the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia & other European Countries. Together, they generate 6200% more than underdeveloped countries

Capitalist countries produced 80% of all GHGs in the 1800s

Who produces the Who produces the Most GHG’s?Most GHG’s?

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Union of Concerned Scientists and the US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, in their 1997 report:

• 80% of all CO2 emitted in the atmosphere came from the top 122 oil producing countries

• Oil production by companies such as Exxon Mobil, Gazprom exceeds the total emissions by countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and the whole of Africa.



The US, top global warming villainThe US, top global warming villain

• The US has 5% (300 million) of the world’s population but has the largest CO2 emissions in the world at 25%

• These emissions are equal to the emissions of 135 poor countries with a total population of 3 billion

• US & US Transnational Corporations are the biggest producers and users of oil in the whole world. 79% of the C02 emissions in the US is used to burn oil for energy and electricity.


*In 2004, 10 of the biggest oil giants in the US controlled 55% of oil production in the US while the 50 biggest companies controlled 77% of all production


*In particular, the Exxon

Mobil Corporation is responsible for the biggest GHG emissions in the entire world for a single entity

*If Exxon Mobil was a country it would rank 6th in terms of GHG emissions in 2005


It’s a whole system in crisis!It’s a whole system in crisis!

•materials economy = extraction to production to distribution to consumption to disposal. •linear system on a finite planet -we can not run a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely•“some people in this system matter a little more than others; some have a little more say.”•Government and Corporation

“The American economy’s ultimate purpose is to produce more consumer goods.”

Production for profit

Anarchic Wasteful and

pollutive Monopoly on

production, resources, capital

Division of the world –market, raw materials and war

Characteristics of capitalist production

The Cost: Who’s paying for their greed?The Cost: Who’s paying for their greed?

2 billion people affected with 600,000 fatalities globally (1990-1999)

More than 2/3 of deaths occurred in Asia

127 major disasters, 23% of all disasters worldwide, occurred in WPR in the past 10 years

Philippines is considered the most disaster-prone with its active volcanoes and an average of 20 typhoons a year.

Loss of loved ones, homes, livelihoodSource: WHO in the Philippines, 2005

Climate Change and the Philippine SituationClimate Change and the Philippine Situation

*Philippine contribution in 1999 was 0.3%; say 0.6% in 2005

Drought: 0.23

Earthquake*: 0.39

Epidemic: 0.32

Extreme temp: ...

Flood: 3.03

Insect infestation: 0.03

Mass mov. dry: 0.10

Mass mov. wet: 0.77

Volcano: 0.45

Storm: 6.35

Wildfire: 0.03

Average Disaster Per Year (1980-2010)

Source: http://www.preventionweb.net/english/countries/statistics/?cid=135

Climate Change and the Philippine SituationClimate Change and the Philippine Situation

Human Exposure - Modeled number of people present in hazard zones that are thereby subject to potential losses.

Hazard type Population Exposed Country ranking

Cyclone 16,267,090 2nd out of 89

Drought 2,173,490 33rd out of 184

Flood 788,572 8th out of 162

Landslide 110,704 4th out of 162

Earthquake 12,182,454 2nd out of 153

Tsunami 894,848 5th out of 76

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): The Philippines ranks 4th in the Global Climate Risk Index!

Source: http://www.preventionweb.net/english/countries/statistics/risk.php?cid=135

V. Response To Climate ChangeV. Response To Climate Change

Mitigation Measures - IPCC: “An anthropogenic intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases.”

Ex. Kyoto Protocol, COP15, CDM, Cap and Trade

Adaptation Measures – IPCC: defines adaptation as the, “adjustment in natural or human systems to a new or changing environment.”

Ex. Community Development, Urban Planning, Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Response, Relief and Rehabilitation, Creating more Health System Responses

What is Kyoto Protocol?What is Kyoto Protocol? The Kyoto Protocol is an international

agreement to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused primarily by burning oil, gas and coal.

On December 2006, 169 countries signed the Kyoto Protocol and agreed to cut down on their greenhouse emissions by 5.2%

Cut down on key GHGs relative to 1990 levels. Cuts have to be accomplished between by 2008-2012.

Cuts in greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 30-60% must be expected before 2030.

Failure of Kyoto Failure of Kyoto ProtocolProtocol

What should we do?What should we do? Yes, we should all recycle & lessen carbon footprint. But it

is not enough. It doesn’t get to the core of the problem “But the good thing about such an all pervasive problem is

that there are so many points of intervention.” “There are people working here on saving forests and here

on clean production. People working on labor rights and fair trade and conscious consuming and blocking landfills and incinerators and, very importantly, on taking back our government so it is really is by the people for the people.”

“All this work is critically important but things are really gonna start moving when we see the connections, when we see the big picture. When people along this system get united, we can reclaim and transform this linear system into something new, a system that doesn’t waste resources or people.” -Annie Leonard, Story of Stuff

What should we do?What should we do?