An A-Z of Climate Info
This is courtesy of the Blairgowrie, Rattray and District Climate Café
Their website is climatecafeblair.org.uk
Coronavirus and the Climate Crisis
Life has changed with Covid, but the climate crisis has not gone away.
Science makes clear the links between this virus and our damaged planet.
The pandemic is a wakeup call to put the environment at the heart of our "New Normal"
What changes should we hold on to? What not go back to?
A - Z of climate info.
A. Air Quality improved amazingly during lockdown, due to dramatic reduction in emissions from travel and dirty industry. People in cities noticed how much cleaner the air was; good news for anyone with heart and respiratory conditions.
This improvement can continue but depends on our willingness to move away from petrol and diesel.
B. Beaches covered in waste, especially plastic, shows just how much of what we throw away ends up in the oceans. Unfortunately, this now includes face masks and plastic gloves. The Marine Conservation Society has organised beach cleans in UK and has recorded and analysed the amounts and types of marine litter. Even cigarette tips dropped on pavements can end up as microplastics in rivers, oceans and in our food. www.mcsuk.org
www.4ocean.com
Biodiversity: the enormous variety of all forms of plant and animal life, both on land and in the oceans. We take for granted the many important species (such as bees) on which we depend but they are under threat because of habitat destruction and rapid changes in their environment.
C. Carbon Footprint: your total amount of greenhouse gases generated. What you eat, what you buy, how you heat your home and how you travel all contribute to this. Measure your own before lockdown, then during lockdown - see what difference there is and what made that difference.
www.footprint.wwf.org.uk
Carbon emissions: release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is only one of the greenhouse gases (see below) contributing to global heating.
D. 1.5 Degrees: The IPCC (see below) needs us to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees’ rise compared to pre-industrial levels. This requires dramatic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Exceeding this means severe consequences for all life forms including humans.
www.sciencebasedtargets.org
www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org. ....
www.channel4.com. Climate change in ten graphs.
E. Ecology: From Greek oikos - home.
The relationships between the air, land, water, animals (including humans), plants and the scientific study of this.
F. Fracking: Hydraulic fracturing - how gas (and petroleum) is extracted from bedrock, usually sandstone, by high pressure injection of water, other fluids and additives, then sand to keep the fracture open.
Leakage of methane and extensive use of water are issues of concern as well as local water contamination, earth tremors and health problems.
Flooding: set to increase globally. Is also predicted to affect this area.
www.greenpeace.org.uk
Fast fashion: is no friend to the environment. Exemplifies throwaway consumerism.
G. Green recovery: the opportunity we all have to change the way we live after Covid.
Greenhouse gases: Water vapour (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), ozone (O3).
www.britannica.com greenhouse effect
www.climatekids.nasa.gov - meet the greenhouse gases
H. Heating: poorly insulated homes and businesses waste energy.
www.theheatproject.scot
I. IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - part of United Nations - provides objective, scientific information on human-induced climate change. archive.ipcc.ch
J. Just transition: Implementing a move to environmentally and socially sustainable jobs. As well as reducing carbon footprint, helping address inequality and poverty.
www.gov.scot/groups/justtransition
K. Knowledge: Thanks to thousands of scientists worldwide, we know the climate is destabilising - humanity needs to act. This is not opinion!
L. Linear economy: Source raw materials - make products - use them - throw away.
Must become a circular economy - fewer raw materials - make products designed to last, easy to repair, can be recycled many times - less waste.
M. Methane: Greenhouse gas - almost 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Half now comes from human activity - oil and gas production, coal mining, cattle and sheep farming and from landfill sites. Now seeping from the Antarctic seabed and from previously frozen areas of land.
Their website is climatecafeblair.org.uk
Coronavirus and the Climate Crisis
Life has changed with Covid, but the climate crisis has not gone away.
Science makes clear the links between this virus and our damaged planet.
The pandemic is a wakeup call to put the environment at the heart of our "New Normal"
What changes should we hold on to? What not go back to?
A - Z of climate info.
A. Air Quality improved amazingly during lockdown, due to dramatic reduction in emissions from travel and dirty industry. People in cities noticed how much cleaner the air was; good news for anyone with heart and respiratory conditions.
This improvement can continue but depends on our willingness to move away from petrol and diesel.
B. Beaches covered in waste, especially plastic, shows just how much of what we throw away ends up in the oceans. Unfortunately, this now includes face masks and plastic gloves. The Marine Conservation Society has organised beach cleans in UK and has recorded and analysed the amounts and types of marine litter. Even cigarette tips dropped on pavements can end up as microplastics in rivers, oceans and in our food. www.mcsuk.org
www.4ocean.com
Biodiversity: the enormous variety of all forms of plant and animal life, both on land and in the oceans. We take for granted the many important species (such as bees) on which we depend but they are under threat because of habitat destruction and rapid changes in their environment.
C. Carbon Footprint: your total amount of greenhouse gases generated. What you eat, what you buy, how you heat your home and how you travel all contribute to this. Measure your own before lockdown, then during lockdown - see what difference there is and what made that difference.
www.footprint.wwf.org.uk
Carbon emissions: release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is only one of the greenhouse gases (see below) contributing to global heating.
D. 1.5 Degrees: The IPCC (see below) needs us to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees’ rise compared to pre-industrial levels. This requires dramatic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Exceeding this means severe consequences for all life forms including humans.
www.sciencebasedtargets.org
www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org. ....
www.channel4.com. Climate change in ten graphs.
E. Ecology: From Greek oikos - home.
The relationships between the air, land, water, animals (including humans), plants and the scientific study of this.
F. Fracking: Hydraulic fracturing - how gas (and petroleum) is extracted from bedrock, usually sandstone, by high pressure injection of water, other fluids and additives, then sand to keep the fracture open.
Leakage of methane and extensive use of water are issues of concern as well as local water contamination, earth tremors and health problems.
Flooding: set to increase globally. Is also predicted to affect this area.
www.greenpeace.org.uk
Fast fashion: is no friend to the environment. Exemplifies throwaway consumerism.
G. Green recovery: the opportunity we all have to change the way we live after Covid.
Greenhouse gases: Water vapour (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), ozone (O3).
www.britannica.com greenhouse effect
www.climatekids.nasa.gov - meet the greenhouse gases
H. Heating: poorly insulated homes and businesses waste energy.
www.theheatproject.scot
I. IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - part of United Nations - provides objective, scientific information on human-induced climate change. archive.ipcc.ch
J. Just transition: Implementing a move to environmentally and socially sustainable jobs. As well as reducing carbon footprint, helping address inequality and poverty.
www.gov.scot/groups/justtransition
K. Knowledge: Thanks to thousands of scientists worldwide, we know the climate is destabilising - humanity needs to act. This is not opinion!
L. Linear economy: Source raw materials - make products - use them - throw away.
Must become a circular economy - fewer raw materials - make products designed to last, easy to repair, can be recycled many times - less waste.
M. Methane: Greenhouse gas - almost 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Half now comes from human activity - oil and gas production, coal mining, cattle and sheep farming and from landfill sites. Now seeping from the Antarctic seabed and from previously frozen areas of land.
N. Nurdles: tiny pellets of plastic. Building blocks for most plastic products from TV sets to water bottles, they can be spilled or mishandled when transported. They are found on beaches and in the sea, where they fragment over time, mistaken for plankton - food for marine animals, thus entering the food chain. Unlike larger pieces of plastic, like fishing nets, there is no way of removing these micro plastics from the sea. Beach clean volunteers find some of them. www.fidra.org.uk/nurdles
Nitrogen fertiliser is the only soil nutrient synthetically made from a gas. (Ammonium Nitrate). Excess nitrogen, dissolved by rainfall, is washed from fields and allows growth in waterways of small plants and algae, starting a process in rivers and seas which leads to eutrophication, dead zones, a serious loss of biodiversity and disruption to ecosystems.
O. Oceans. 17,000,000,000 lbs of plastic rubbish enter the oceans per annum.
Oceans, like forests are crucial in absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere.
Overconsumption: the purchase of luxury, non-essential goods; not a sustainable way of existing.
P. Plastic is derived from oil, therefore from a fossil fuel. A versatile product when used responsibly, (in construction, transport, electrical, medical and other industries) is very damaging as single-use or “disposable” items. Plastic is complicated to recycle there being 7 different types. It also contributes to the fast fashion problem as fibres spun from plastic (acrylic, polyester, polyamide etc.) are shed when washed, ending up in the oceans as micro plastics and entering the food chain.
Petrochemical industry operates in Scotland at Mossmorran and Grangemouth. Some oil and gas piped from the North Sea & fracked gas (ethane) shipped from USA is converted into plastics.
Peatland is our most efficient carbon-capturing ecosystem. Peatland destruction allows escape of greenhouse gases, including methane.
Q. Qualifications. “Climate Solutions” is a course of online modules on understanding climate change. It is aimed at managers of organisations and businesses, supported by Scottish government, run by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Edinburgh and Stirling universities and the institute of Directors. www.rsgs.org
R. Rainforests: temperate and tropical, enable oxygen turnover are the lungs of the earth.
Subjected to heavy legal and illegal logging clearing for oil palm plantations and cattle ranching, deforestation is an environmental crisis.
Refugees: increasing numbers of people fleeing from land impoverished by climate disruption as well as war.
S. Soil degradation: soil is taken for granted, but reducing constantly. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are fertilisers, but the last two are mined and irreplaceable and need to be used sparingly to avoid run off into watercourses. Soil is vital, but needs protection. There are local examples of sustainable farming practices.
Sustainability is the target of a circular economy.
Supporting local farmers, producers and shops cuts down on food miles and strengthens the local economy.
T. Trees provide shade and cooling, absorb greenhouse gases and pollutants, reduce flood risk, provide food, timber and habitat. Desertification happens when population increases, trees are cleared, there is overgrazing, soil erosion, mining and increasing heat and less rain. Planting more trees helps long-term recovery.
U. UN Climate Change annual conference COP26 will be held in Glasgow 2021 to assess and accelerate progress in dealing with climate change.
V. Viruses: in the coming decades, ecological degradation, rising temperatures, and extreme weather events could intensify the threats to human health posed by viruses. www.medicalnewstoday.com
W. Water is a precious resource, vital for all forms of life, needed by farmers and communities. Water drawn off by global companies to fill single use plastic bottles, leaves many communities without adequate supplies for farming and growing. Vital for oversea transportation, sanitation, health and industrial use. Disappearing glaciers have led to extreme water shortages in some parts of the world reliant on melting ice. www.water.org.uk www.scottishwater.co.uk
X. Exporting plastic waste. The ban on plastic exports to China has seen the UK offloading its waste to nations with questionable practices.
Y. You.
Z. Zero Waste - the goal is for no waste to be sent to landfill, incinerators or oceans. In a zero Waste system, material is reused as long and often as possible. We use the resource equivalent of 3 planets which is unsustainable. www.zerowastescotland.org.uk. Visit the Green Way Zero Waste Shop.
Zoonotic – is a disease that normally exists in animals and can be jump species and infect humans. It has been happening more as we move into areas humans don’t normally inhabit like some tropical forests.
Nitrogen fertiliser is the only soil nutrient synthetically made from a gas. (Ammonium Nitrate). Excess nitrogen, dissolved by rainfall, is washed from fields and allows growth in waterways of small plants and algae, starting a process in rivers and seas which leads to eutrophication, dead zones, a serious loss of biodiversity and disruption to ecosystems.
O. Oceans. 17,000,000,000 lbs of plastic rubbish enter the oceans per annum.
Oceans, like forests are crucial in absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere.
Overconsumption: the purchase of luxury, non-essential goods; not a sustainable way of existing.
P. Plastic is derived from oil, therefore from a fossil fuel. A versatile product when used responsibly, (in construction, transport, electrical, medical and other industries) is very damaging as single-use or “disposable” items. Plastic is complicated to recycle there being 7 different types. It also contributes to the fast fashion problem as fibres spun from plastic (acrylic, polyester, polyamide etc.) are shed when washed, ending up in the oceans as micro plastics and entering the food chain.
Petrochemical industry operates in Scotland at Mossmorran and Grangemouth. Some oil and gas piped from the North Sea & fracked gas (ethane) shipped from USA is converted into plastics.
Peatland is our most efficient carbon-capturing ecosystem. Peatland destruction allows escape of greenhouse gases, including methane.
Q. Qualifications. “Climate Solutions” is a course of online modules on understanding climate change. It is aimed at managers of organisations and businesses, supported by Scottish government, run by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Edinburgh and Stirling universities and the institute of Directors. www.rsgs.org
R. Rainforests: temperate and tropical, enable oxygen turnover are the lungs of the earth.
Subjected to heavy legal and illegal logging clearing for oil palm plantations and cattle ranching, deforestation is an environmental crisis.
Refugees: increasing numbers of people fleeing from land impoverished by climate disruption as well as war.
S. Soil degradation: soil is taken for granted, but reducing constantly. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are fertilisers, but the last two are mined and irreplaceable and need to be used sparingly to avoid run off into watercourses. Soil is vital, but needs protection. There are local examples of sustainable farming practices.
Sustainability is the target of a circular economy.
Supporting local farmers, producers and shops cuts down on food miles and strengthens the local economy.
T. Trees provide shade and cooling, absorb greenhouse gases and pollutants, reduce flood risk, provide food, timber and habitat. Desertification happens when population increases, trees are cleared, there is overgrazing, soil erosion, mining and increasing heat and less rain. Planting more trees helps long-term recovery.
U. UN Climate Change annual conference COP26 will be held in Glasgow 2021 to assess and accelerate progress in dealing with climate change.
V. Viruses: in the coming decades, ecological degradation, rising temperatures, and extreme weather events could intensify the threats to human health posed by viruses. www.medicalnewstoday.com
W. Water is a precious resource, vital for all forms of life, needed by farmers and communities. Water drawn off by global companies to fill single use plastic bottles, leaves many communities without adequate supplies for farming and growing. Vital for oversea transportation, sanitation, health and industrial use. Disappearing glaciers have led to extreme water shortages in some parts of the world reliant on melting ice. www.water.org.uk www.scottishwater.co.uk
X. Exporting plastic waste. The ban on plastic exports to China has seen the UK offloading its waste to nations with questionable practices.
Y. You.
Z. Zero Waste - the goal is for no waste to be sent to landfill, incinerators or oceans. In a zero Waste system, material is reused as long and often as possible. We use the resource equivalent of 3 planets which is unsustainable. www.zerowastescotland.org.uk. Visit the Green Way Zero Waste Shop.
Zoonotic – is a disease that normally exists in animals and can be jump species and infect humans. It has been happening more as we move into areas humans don’t normally inhabit like some tropical forests.
