Geographies of Environmental Change

Power and change at which scale(s)?

Global and Transnational Environmental Issues: No Borders

Climate ChangeAcid Rain Air and Water PollutionToxic PollutionWatershed ManagementFisheries

Climate ChangeIs climate really changing? This is not the key argumentAre “greenhouse gases” really to blame? Or something else? Most of the argument is on this topicPolicy responses:

Global scaleState scaleLocal scaleInstitutional and personal scale

Climate Change at the Global Scale

Climate Change at the Global Scale

IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) 2001

“The best estimate of global surface temperature change is a 0.6°C increase since the late 19th century with a 95% confidence interval of 0.4 to 0.8°C”

Supported by the US National Academy of Science 2002

The Snows of Kilimanjaro?

                                                                                                                                                                               

                                              

Pacific Islands and Polar Icecaps

Global Climate Change Contest: What is the cause of CC?

Several factors: internal factors, external natural factors, external anthropogenic factors

IPCC1995: The balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate”.

2001: upgraded this by saying "There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities"

Contested by several groupsScience and Environmental Policy Project

Climate Change Policy1992: UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

1997: Kyoto Protocolreduce Greenhouse Gas emissions 6-8% below 1990 levels

Current status: 149 signatories/ratifiedExceptions: US, Australia, Kazakstan, Zambia, Monaco, Croatia

Came into force Feb. 2005 after ratification by Russia

US Positions on KyotoUS Senate 1997: (Byrd Hagel Resolution) “the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol that did not include binding targets and timetables for developing as well as industrialized nations or ‘would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States’".

Continues to be supported by Bush Administration “The world's second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases is China. Yet, China was entirely exempted from the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. This is a challenge that requires a 100 percent effort; ours, and the rest of the world's.”

Comparative CO2 emissions

Comparative CO2 emissions

Country Million metric tons of CO2 emitted

Tons per capita

China 3100 2.3

EU 3300 8.5

United States 5800 20.1

Conclusion Global Climate change has been a key opportunity for the establishment of global institutions of governanceSuccess: major achievement of global structure of cooperation Failures:

Lack of cooperation of biggest emitter of GGs: USLittle real movement towards goal?

Options: solutions at other scalesRegional, states, localIndustrial

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) (http://www.rggi.org/)

state level emissions capping and trading program. It is believed that the state-level program will apply pressure on the federal government to support Kyoto Protocol.

Participating states: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware. Observer states and regions: Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Eastern Canadian Provinces, New Brunswick.

US cities have adopted Kyoto ProtocolBoulder, Seattle, dozens more

Are there other scales for more successful

environmental planning?

Personal Scale SolutionsInstitutional/Corporate SolutionsLocal Planning SolutionsRegional Planning Solutions

Transborder regional planning: US? Mexico Border: Borderline Cases

Mexican toxic waste emissions

Tijuana/San Diego Waste Water treatment

Tijuana Watershed project

El Paso, Texas/ Ciudad Juarez, Mexico air pollution