ENVS 2270 03_29

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University of Guelph *

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2270

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Geography

Date

Oct 30, 2023

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pdf

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Uploaded by ConstableFireLeopard45

Review ● How might climate change impact ice wine production? - Narrows the time period in which it can be produced ● How might climate change impact transportation? - Extreme weather can destroy roads and flood underground systems ● How might climate change impact tourism? - Shorter seasons, more extreme temperatures ● What are the impacts of melting permafrost? - Buildings collapsing, roads collapsing ● Describe the two positive feedbacks associated with the melting cryosphere - Methane and GHGs are released, melting ice reveals layer beneath which could potentially absorb more heat leading to global warming Climate Change Risk IPCC Reasons for Concern (RFC) ● RFC1 - Risks to unique and threatened systems - Restricted geographic ranges; high endemism - Tropical glaciers systems, coral reefs, unique indigenous communities ● RFC2 - Risks associated with extreme weather events - Risk to human health, livelihoods, assets, and ecosystems from heat waves, heavy rain, drought, wildfires, coastal flooding ● RFC3 - Risks associated with distribution of impacts

- Impacts that disproportionately affect particular groups due to uneven distribution of hazards, exposure, or vulnerability - Geographic location, wealth, gender, age... ● RFC4 - Risks associated with global aggregate impacts - Impacts to socio-ecological systems that can be aggregated globally according to a single metric - Lives affected, monetary damage, number of species at risk of extinctions ● RFC5 - Risks associated with large-scale singular events - Larger-scale singular events (Tipping points) - Disintegration of Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets - Major regime shifts in ecosystems such as degradation of coral reef and Arctic systems Solutions to Climate Change ● Option 1: We can do nothing and wait and see what the future brings ● Option 2: We can adapt to the impacts of climate change ● Option 3: We can choose to mitigate climate change Adaptation vs Mitigation

● Adaptation can reduce damage from impacts that cannot be avoided - Involves “adjustment” made by humans or ecosystems - Can sometimes increase GHG emissions (e.g. increasing air-conditioning) ● Mitigation strategies decrease the amount of climate change that occurs - Reduce climate change impacts - Generally by decreasing GHG emissions Adaptive Capacity ● Of what/to what? - Natural systems - ability of species to shift ranges - Humans systems - adaptive capacity of agriculture to increase drought Adaptation Examples

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50 Million Tree Program ● Ontario Ministry of Natural REsources program ● Part of United Nation Billion Trees Program (plant on billion trees every year) ● Ontario committed to plant 50 million trees by 2025 - Provide shade - Make corridors - Water conservation - “Store” carbon (also mitigation) Refugia ● Identify climatically stable geographical areas - Substantial adaptive capacity and ability to absorb the disturbances created by climate change due to immense scale, relative intactness, and still-functional ecosystems ● Protect those areas and areas that connect to it to ensure species survival ● Translocate species threatened by climate change into refugias Assisted Migration - Forestry ● Artificial reforestation common in forestry ● Trials in BC to allow seeds to be planted further North ● Most yield if species well adapted to the environment Examples of Adaptation in Human Systems ● Air conditioning ● Growing crops in greenhouses ● Coastal cities build higher walls to prevent flooding and storm surges ● Cool roofs (use lighter colours which retains less heat and reflects more heat) ● Green roofs (have vegetation on top of roofs) - Act as insulation (cooling and heating effect) - Reduce air pollution - Filter rainwater - Reduce stormwater run-off - Provide habitat ● Cool and Green Roofs also reduce energy consumption or mitigate climate change Adapting to Floods ● Store important documents above potential flood zones ● Have sandbags ready ● Re-locate hospitals, fire stations, power plants to areas without flooding risk ● Build new roads inland Floodplain Restoration ● Natural floodplains buffer floods ● Many projects to restore or create floodplains and wetlands

● In addition, provide important habitat for species and clean and retain freshwater Coastal Erosion ● PEI very vulnerable to erosion and might eventually disappear Storm Surge Barrier Example: Netherlands ● Oosterscheldekering has been declared one of the seven modern wonders of the world ● Officially opened 1986 ● Manually operated but electronic backup system ● Dutch law regulates opening and closing - Water levels at least three meters above regular sea level Thames Barrier ● Operation since 1982 ● Each gate 20 meters high ● Prevents London from being flooded by high tides and storm surges moving up from the North Sea Heat Wave Adaptation ● Toronto Example - Recommendations for every residential building to have cooling centers - HARS (Harmonized Heat Alert and Response System) - Cooling centers throughout Toronto - Educate people to check on the vulnerable Agricultural Adaptation Strategies ● Adjustment of planting dates and crop varieties - The potential of Genetically Modified Crops ● Water Use Efficiency - Rainwater harvesting - Desalination