2

2011
Natural
Resource
Management
Assignment #1

[GLOBAL WARMING
AND KYOTO PROTOCOL]
By: Shivaji Garg, Roll No:- 201020
Q-1 What is Global warming?

Ans Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of Earth's near-surface air and
oceans. According to the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), global surface temperature increased by
0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the 20th century.

Q-2 why global warming is getting increase?

Ans The average temperature of the earth is getting increase because of following reasons:

 More use of fossil fuels such as petrol, diesel

 Deforestation
 More use of CFCs which has resulted in the depletion of Ozone layer
 Increase dumping of wastes in the water

Climate model projections summarized in the latest IPCC report 2007 indicate that the global
surface temperature is likely to rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the 21st
century.

Q-3 Affect of global warming on climate change, flora and fauna and agriculture?

Ans Effect on climate change and earth

 Average temperature of the earth is getting increase which has led to increase
temperature in summer and winters, Due to this the melting of ice in the Antarctic and
the Arctic region is getting increase leading to increase sea levels. If we go by
projections then by 2050, most part of the earth near sea will get submerged into
water.
 Uneven monsoons.
 Depletion of ozone layer which has led to increase penetration of ultra-violet rays.

Effect on flora and fauna

 Continuously increasing temperature of earth surface has affected ecological system a

lot which has led in the extinction of many species and reduced diversity of
ecosystems
 Increasing floods, cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis are all result of global warming
which has devastated the human and the animal life a lot.
 Increasing no. of diseases, reducing life expectancy are all result of change in climate
and imbalance of ecological system.
 Decreasing water table has increased the thread of available fresh water for drinking
for both present as well as future generation.
Effect on agriculture

Agriculture is mostly rain fed and uneven distribution of monsoons has affected agriculture a
lot. Sometimes monsoons come early, sometimes late, sometimes during harvest, sometimes
at sowing, which all has led to lot of crop wastage, low productivity and depletion of ground
water bodies because of adopting different methods of irrigation. Due to this the cost of
cultivation has increase on one side and productivity has decreased on other. This is affecting
millions of people as food is mainly dependent on agriculture only. The most ill effect of this
is on the farmers whose major source of income is from agriculture only. If the situation of
the monsoons doesn’t get improve, the condition will be worst in future.

Q-4 what is Kyoto Protocol?

Ans The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC), aimed at fighting global warming. The UNFCCC is an
international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving the "stabilization of greenhouse
gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate system.

The Protocol was initially adopted on 11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and entered into
force on 16 February 2005. As of July 2010, 191 states have signed and ratified the protocol.

Under the Protocol, 37 countries ("Annex I countries") commit themselves to a reduction of

four greenhouse gases (GHG) (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride)
and two groups of gases (hydro fluoro carbons and perfluoro carbons) produced by them, and
all member countries give general commitments. Annex I countries agreed to reduce their
collective greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% from the 1990 level. Emission limits do not
include emissions by international aviation and shipping, but are in addition to the industrial
gases, chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which are dealt with under the 1987 Montreal Protocol
on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

The Protocol allows for several "flexible mechanisms", such as emissions trading, the clean
development mechanism (CDM) and joint implementation to allow Annex I countries to meet
their GHG emission limitations by purchasing GHG emission reductions credits from
elsewhere, through financial exchanges, projects that reduce emissions in non-Annex I
countries, from other Annex I countries, or from annex I countries with excess allowances.
Each Annex I country is required to submit an annual report of inventories of all
anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from sources and removals from sinks under
UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. These countries nominate a person (called a "designated
national authority") to create and manage its greenhouse gas inventory. Virtually all of the
non-Annex I countries have also established a designated national authority to manage its
Kyoto obligations, specifically the "CDM process" that determines which GHG projects they
wish to propose for accreditation by the CDM Executive Board
Q-5 What is Clean Development Mechanism?

Ans The CDM allows emission-reduction projects in developing countries to earn certified
emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2. TheseCERs can be
traded and sold, and used by industrialized countries to a meet a part of their emission
reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol.

The mechanism stimulates sustainable development and emission reductions, while giving
industrialized countries some flexibility in how they meet their emission reduction limitation
targets.

The CDM is the main source of income for the UNFCCC Adaptation Fund, which was
established to finance adaptation projects and programmes in developing country Parties to
the Kyoto Protocol that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
The Adaptation Fund is financed by a 2% levy on CERs issued by the CDM.

Q-6 What are Carbon Credits?

Ans A carbon credit is a generic term for any tradable certificate or permit representing the
right to emit one tonne of carbon or carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). Carbon credits and
carbon markets are a component of national and international attempts to mitigate the growth
in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs). One carbon credit is equal to one ton of
carbon dioxide, or in some markets, carbon dioxide equivalent gases.
Carbon trading is an application of an emissions trading approach. Greenhouse gas emissions
are capped and then markets are used to allocate the emissions among the group of regulated
sources. The goal is to allow market mechanisms to drive industrial and commercial
processes in the direction of low emissions or less carbon intensive approaches than those
used when there is no cost to emitting carbon dioxide and other GHGs into the atmosphere.
Since GHG mitigation projects generate credits, this approach can be used to finance carbon
reduction schemes between trading partners and around the world.
There are also many companies that sell carbon credits to commercial and individual
customers who are interested in lowering their carbon footprint on a voluntary basis.
These carbon off setters purchase the credits from an investment fund or a carbon
development company that has aggregated the credits from individual projects. The quality of
the credits is based in part on the validation process and sophistication of the fund or
development company that acted as the sponsor to the carbon project. This is reflected in
their price; voluntary units typically have less value than the units sold through the rigorously
validated Clean Development Mechanism.