Adaption and Mitigation to Climate Change

        According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Europe is hard at work trying to come up with ways to adapt to climate change.  One project they are working on is called CESAR or the CO2 enhanced separation and recovery.  They were given a 8 billion dollar budget to create a less expensive way of capturing CO2 for existing and new coming power plants.   This project started in February 2008 and ended in June of 2011.  Their aim is to lower the cost of CO2 per house hold.  This project was based off of the finding in a previous study called CASTOR.  Another project they are doing is called the Active Solar Initiative.  This started in January 2009 and lasted till December of 2011.  They were given a 4 million dollar budget.  The goals of this project are:

• prototype and certification of a new and less expensive photovoltaic technology
• development and certification of cost-efficient manufacturing techniques
• dissemination of knowledge among European manufacturers.

This project's purpose is to lay the groundwork for the next generation of the Active Solar Initiative that will create a drastic increase in the amount of solar energy used through multi-junction cells placed on roof tops.  

         An immense heatwave flashed over mort parts of Europe in 2003 from June to August.  Temperatures increased from 3 to 4 decrees Celsius in southern and central Europe.  The highest temperature reached was from the 1st to the 13th of August with an increase of 7 degrees Celsius.  This was an extremely rare occasion under current climate conditions.  The 2003 heatwave however resembles models of the summer temperatures in the later parts of the 21st century.  This heatwave also caused a drought of about 300mm.  This resulted in a 30% reduction in gross product production.  With this defect, product cost went up drastically.  This caused an estimated amount of 13 billion in damages.    Large wildfires swept through Europe, particularly Portugal.  Also, many rivers reached record lows affecting irrigation and power-plant cooling.  However, extreme glacier melting prevented the Danube and Rhine rivers from reaching even lower water levels. As many as 35,000 deaths occurred during this  heatwave, mostly affecting the elderly.  Since this has happened, heat health-watch warning systems have been put into place to warn people about increasing temperatures and what to do to take care of themselves when it does.

        Europe has ratified the Kyoto Protocol.  This is an international treaty set in place to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.  Some countries have agreed to it, however where not asked to reduce their emissions.  While other countries were asked to do so.  The European Union has been asked to reduce their emissions.  With agreeing to the Kyoto protocol, the European Union agreed to:

• preserve, protect and improve the quality of the environment;
• protect human health;
• prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources; and
• promote measures internationally to deal with regional or world wide environmental problems.

          The European Union is the third biggest contributor to Greenhouse Gas emissions according to the Center for Climate and energy Solutions.  But since 1990, they have dropped their emissions by 10.7%.  This decline is a result of structural changes.  After Germany reunified such changes started to occur.  In the United Kingdom, they began to use coal instead of natural gasses.  While the total amount of emissions has declined, in the transportation sector, emissions have increased significantly.  Europe is doing many other things as well to reduce emissions and keep them at a minimum. One these being aviation emissions.  The EU has set a cap on airline emissions first at 3% below average emissions, then over time getting to 15%.  Another way they are reducing emission is by using renewable energy.  They have set a goal of 20% renewable energy by 2020.  They also implemented a 10%  minimum target for biofuels and alternative renewable transportation fuels.  

         I do think that my country should mitigate and adapt to climate change.  From the above paragraphs it is quite obvious that they have experienced forms of climate change.  Especially with the wild fired, the rive water levels, and numerous deaths.  They have taken many measures the lower emissions, but they also need to realize climate change has already happened and they need to adjust to those changes.  They have done so by placing heat health-advisory warnings in areas subject to drastic temperature changes.  These changes are due to climate changes.  Europe is one of the worlds biggest Greenhouse Gas emitters and they need to come up with more ways of lowering this.  Europe has the resources to become for Earth friendly.

Climate Change Impacts

Regional Climate Projections:
         The annual average temperature in Europe is supposed to increase more than the global mean.  Most of this warming will occur in the winter, especially in Northern Europe.  All the temperatures are predicted to rise over the average winter and summer temperature. The annual rate of precipitation is also predicted to increase in Northern Europe as well.  But in Central Europe, it is predicted to increase in the summer, but decrease in the winter.  The longevity of snow seasons will fall shorter as well in both Northern and Central Europe.  Also the level at which the snow falls will decrease as well.  Creating less snow fall. In those parts of Europe that are presently snow-covered in winter, a decrease in snow cover is likely to produce a positive feedback, increasing the rise in temperatures. Variations in the atmospheric circulation effects the European climate drastically.  An example of this would be the heat wave that went through Central Europe in August of 2002.  It created dry earth in Europe, so when the cyclone season came through, many parts of Europe were flooded.
           For the first time, large amounts of climate changes are being documented.  These events of changes are glacial melting, longer seasons, and health issues due to heat waves that were not expected.  In Northern Europe however there are possible benefits that  can come from this.  These benefits being increased crop growth and increased forrest growth.  Although these things are positive, over time the negative effects with outweigh the positive ones.  

          Below are the impacts, adaptations, and vulnerabilities of Europe according the the intergovernmental panel on climate change.  For the first time, wide ranging impacts of changes in current climate have been documented in Europe: the warming trend and the changes in rainfall have created a shift in the Cryosphere and also natural and non-natural ecosystems.  Climate-related hazards will most likely increase, although changes will vary geographically: winter floods and flash flooding is likely to increase in all of Europe.  Rising sea levels threatens about 1.6 million people because of the increased about of sea storms.  More drier climates will lead to more droughts spread out through the country. These droughts will increase the risk of fire immensely.  Without measures taking place, health hazards come into play as well.  These hazards including heatstroke and food-borne diseases.  Climate change is likely to magnify regional differences in Europe's natural resources and assets:  Some climate occurrences are making scientists believe that significant warming will occur in the winter in the North and in the summer in the Southern and Central parts of Europe.  The yearly mean of precipitation is likely to increase in the North and decrease in the South.  The ability to grow crops will increase in the Northern parts of Europe, but decrease along the Mediterranean.  Water stress will increase, as well as the number of people lving the the river basins under high water stress: water stress is predicted to increase in the southern and central parts of Europe.  This prediction will likely increase from 19% now to 35% in the 2070's.  Some parts of southern Europe where hotter summers will occur can have a water stress level increased up to 80%. It is predicted that Europe's ecosystems and biodiversity will be substantially affected by climate change.  The great majority of organisms and ecosystems are likely to have difficulty in adapting to climate change: sea level rise is predicted to increase migration inward and a loss of up to 20% of coastal wetlands.  This rise will take away many habitats for organisms that live in low lying coastal areas.  Glaciers will also take a toll.  The small glaciers are predicted to melt away completely and the bigger glaciers are predicted to melt at avery rapid pace. Even permafrost is predicted to completely disappear.  Mountainous plants are likely to take a high toll as well.  They are likely to take a toll of up to 60%.  Many of Europe's flowers will become vulnerable to endangerment and even extinction by the end of the century.  Climate change is estimated to pose challenges to many European economic sectors and is expected to alter the distribution of economic activity: agriculture will have to adapt  to the increased water demand for irrigation in the south.  Electricity demand is likely to peak in some locations from winter to summer.  Tourism is likely to decrease as well along the Mediterranean and up in the mountain regions.  
          

Germany's Contribution to Climate Change

This Keeling Curve shows the carbon dioxide concentration in Germany.  The graph shows that every few years or so, the concentration level will drop.  But as time has progressed, the concentration levels have increased.

There was a gradual progression of CO2 emission in Germany from about 1790 to 1920.  But then the levels started to drastically change.  In 1945, the CO2 emission went from 163,830 to 492 metric tons.  that is a very big drop in emission for 1 year.  This drop could be due to the fact it was right around the time of World War II.  Compared  to the other countries on the graphs above, Germany seems to contribute quite a bit.  But as you can see towards the years 2000 and beyond, their emissions have started to go downward instead of upward.  The other countries, especially China have all increased emissions as time goes on.  China is the biggest emitter of CO2 according to most recent data.

The per capita emissions per person for Germany is 2.61 metric tons.  Compared to the United States at 4.9 metric tons.  Germany emits much less than the United States at only 53%.  This reason being that Germany has had a steady decline in use of coal since the 1950's.  Germany is ranked 39 based on per capita CO2 emissions.  As the author this makes me proud of my country.  Germany is not one of the main contributors to CO2 emissions

Even though China is the biggest emitter, who is more at fault?  Americans are responsible for 4.7 metric tons of CO2 compared to China's 1.68.  YEs China's population is greater, which is why they are said to be the biggest emitters.  But as Americans we emit for than twice the amount of emissions per person.