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Information Booklet Q&A (view source)
Revision as of 22:53, 24 October 2021
, 22:53, 24 October 2021no edit summary
'''<big>Responses to Assembly Member’s Questions</big>'''
'''<big>Responses to Assembly Member’s Questions</big>'''
== From Plenary 1 - October 9th, 2021 ==
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!'''QUESTIONS'''
!'''QUESTIONS'''
|15. How can people with disabilities be included in climate action?
|15. How can people with disabilities be included in climate action?
|WILL BE ADDRESSED IN FURTHER SESSIONS
|WILL BE ADDRESSED IN FURTHER SESSIONS
|}
== Questions from session 6 (2.2 P) - Covered chapters 7, 8 and 9 of the [[Information Booklet|information booklet]] ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!QUESTIONS
!ANSWERS
|-
|1. On online platforms such as TikTok, we see videos of people from rich countries wasting food. Are developed countries really more aware than developing countries concerning their emissions?
|There is a lack of an adequate awareness of greenhouse gas emissions at the individual level in both developed and developing countries.
|-
|2. Is there a one-pager listing the little good steps we can take to reduce global warming? This could really help spread awareness within our communities about the simple acts we can do at an individual level.
|The Knowledge and Wisdom Committee does not know of a published list but here is a list that the Knowledge and Wisdom Committee:
* Vote for politicians that have the ability/willingness to take a long-term view and who recognize the importance of the well-being of the environment, and also recognize that climate change and loss of biodiversity are not only environmental issues, but are economic, development, security, social, moral and ethical issues
* Support organizations that hold leaders and companies accountable for not decarbonizing fast enough and therefore violate our human rights.
* Vote by using your purchasing power
* Buy goods that are sustainable
* Demand sustainable investments from your pension fund & insurance companies
* Conserve water and reduce food waste (30-40% of our food is wasted)
* Buy energy-efficient appliances
* Insulate your house
* Walk more, bicycle more, use public transport more often, and telecommute if possible
* Drive less, and replace a fossil car with an electric car
* If you need to fly, use an airline that allows offsetting your carbon footprint
* Inspire your neighbors and relatives by example
* Teach your children about sustainability
|-
|3. There are many people in the world who still do not have access to electricity. Which sources of energy do they use? How can the transition to clean energy succeed for these populations who are also among the most vulnerable to climate change?
|At the moment too many poor people have to rely on biomass and dung to heat there houses, and many have no access to electricity. However, off-grid modern renewable energy (solar and wind) provides a great opportunity for poor people, as the cost of solar and wind energy is decreasing .
|}
== From sessions 3, 4, 5 (1.3B, 1.4B, 2.1B) - Covered chapters 3, 4, 5 & 6 of the [[Information Booklet|information booklet]]. ==
The questions from the Assembly members have been grouped under 5 headings:
* Climate Science
* Climate and Ecosystems
* Climate and People
* Climate Action
* Climate Politics & Economy
=== Climate Science ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!QUESTIONS
! colspan="2" |ANSWERS
|-
| rowspan="2" |1. What is the source of the graphs that we looked at during the session on October 12 (1.3B)?
| colspan="2" |[https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Full_Report.pdf IPCC AR6 Final Report page 144]
|-
|[[File:IPCC AR6 WGI Figure 1.png|alt=IPCC AR6 WGI Figure Page 144|center|thumb|IPCC AR6 WGI Figure Page 144]]
|[[File:Global Surface Temperature Change IPCC AR6 WGI Pg 144 - GA Graph.png|alt=Global Surface Temperature Change IPCC AR6 WGI Pg 144 - GA Graph|center|thumb|373x373px|Global Surface Temperature Change IPCC AR6 WGI Pg 144 - GA Graph]]
|-
|2. On the global surface temperatures graph that we looked at on October 12 (1.3B), we observe several fluctuations. What were their reasons? Since global temperatures were fluctuating even before humans existed, how can we know that the current climate change is human-made? Can’t it be related to Earth’s own natural processes which cause the temperatures to go up and down periodically?
| colspan="2" |This is the graph that was used on October 12th to discuss global surface temperature change:
[[File:Global Surface Temperature Change IPCC AR6 WGI Pg 144 - GA Graph.png|alt=Global Surface Temperature Change IPCC AR6 WGI Pg 144 - GA Graph|center|thumb|373x373px|Global Surface Temperature Change IPCC AR6 WGI Pg 144 - GA Graph]]The fluctuations in temperature shown in the figure above are due to natural phenomena – the Earth has moved in and out of ice ages due to variations in solar activity reaching the Earth’s surface. However, there is no doubt that the recent changes are due to human activity. The scientific community has examined changes in solar output and volcanic activity, and neither of these can explain the increase in global mean surface temperature of the last 100 years, especially the rapid increase since 1950.
|-
|3. Why did the temperatures change between 1965-1975? Was it because of natural phenomena or human activities?
| colspan="2" |This is the graph that the question refers to:
Source: [https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM.pdf IPCC AR6 SPM7]
[[File:Change in Global Surface Temperature (1850-2020) IPCC AR6 SPM7 - GA Graph.png|alt=Change in Global Surface Temperature (1850-2020) IPCC AR6 SPM7 - GA Graph|center|thumb|337x337px|Change in Global Surface Temperature (1850-2020) IPCC AR6 SPM7]]
In any given time period global mean surface temperature responds to both natural phenomena (solar activity, volcanic eruptions and natural climatic variations which occur on decadal timescales) and human activities (emissions of greenhouse gases, aerosols and changes in land albedo). The period 1965-1975 is no different. There is no doubt that since 1950 the temperature increase is predominantly due to human activities – the increase cannot be explained by natural phenomena. It is important to measure change over decades because internal variability, largely caused by the exchange of energy between the oceans and atmosphere, can amplify or offset warming by about 0.1<sup>o</sup>C in a decade.
|-
|4. Change in Global Surface Temperature (1850-2020) IPCC AR6 SPM7 - GA Graph
| colspan="2" |TBC
|}
=== Climate and Ecosystems ===
{| class="wikitable"
!QUESTIONS
!ANSWERS
|-
|6. What does “feedback loop” mean?
|This is when one action leads to another action that enhances the first action. For example: as the Earth warms due to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) it can melt permafrost at high latitudes and release the methane which is trapped in the permafrost, which then increases the atmospheric concentration of methane that causes the earth to warm even more, which then releases more methane from the permafrost, and the cycle continues – it is called a feedback loop or a run-away effect.
|-
|7. What are the specific species of vascular plants that are projected to go extinct from now to 2050? If the majority of the plants will go extinct in the future, how will we survive without vegetables?
|TBC
|-
|8. Can you explain the basic characteristics of savannah and rainforest with examples? How will the former replace the latter?
|TBC
|-
|9. Can you unpack the role and importance of the marine collagen ecosystem in climate change?
|TBC
|-
|10. How is it possible to clean the oceans, and how much time will it take?
|TBC
|-
|11. How has climate change threatened the animals?
|TBC
|-
|12.Is there a relationship between volcanic eruptions and climate change?
|Yes. If there is a large explosive volcanic eruption, where the gases (including sulfur gases) and ashes reach the lower stratosphere, the sulfur gases get converted to sulphuric acid aerosols (small particles), which reflect incoming solar radiation, which then tends to cool the surface of the Earth. Aerosols cool the earth partly offsetting the warming effect of the greenhouse gases.
|}
=== Climate and People ===
{| class="wikitable"
!QUESTIONS
!ANSWERS
|-
|13. Which regions have been worst affected by climate change? Which regions have been least affected? Is there any region which has not been affected at all? How can we explain these differences?
|All regions of the world are being affected by human-induced climate change, but to differing degrees. As the Earth warms in response to the increasing levels of greenhouse gases, it warms almost everywhere, but not uniformly, precipitation patterns change, there are more extreme weather events, sea levels rise and glaciers and sea-ice melt. The land areas warm more than the oceans and the high latitudes warm more than the tropics and sub-tropics. The tropics and mid- and high-latitudes tend to become wetter and the sub-tropics become drier. Most areas will experience more heat waves, floods and droughts, and sea level will rise everywhere. So the Arctic region has warmed the most and will continue to do so. The western half of Africa, North Africa and the Mediterranean have experienced the greatest degree of agricultural and ecological droughts, and low-lying small Island States and deltaic areas are suffering most from sea-level rise.
|-
|14. Is there a reason why developing countries have so many ecological disasters compared to first-world countries; yet they have less carbon emissions?
|The observed ecological disasters are primarily caused by land-use change (e.g., deforestation, conversion of wetlands and grasslands to monoculture agriculture and plantation forests), and over-exploitation of plants and animals (particularly a problem in the oceans – overfishing), as well as to a lesser degree climate change, pollution and invasive alien species. One million of the eight million animals and plants are threatened with extinction due to a combination of these threats, It does not matter where the greenhouse gases are emitted, they become uniformly mixed in the atmosphere, although the response of the atmosphere is not uniform as noted in the answer to the previous question.
|-
|15. In Mozambique, there is a region which is currently at war. Many people leave this region, become refugees, and face food insecurity. Is there a relationship between the ecological crisis on the one hand, and civil strife, refugee crisis, and food insecurity on the other?
|Yes. Climate change, and the destruction of nature can cause loss of natural resources (e.g, food and clean water), which can then cause conflicts in local areas, which can cause people to leave these areas. Hence, there is a connection between climate change, the ecological crisis, conflict, food and water shortages and refugees.
|-
|16. What is the definition of “indigenous people”? What distinguishes them from other residents who live in the same region with them? Can you provide some examples of indigenous communities around the world? For instance, are there any indigenous communities in Bangladesh?
| '''A question of identity'''
According to the United Nations the most fruitful approach is to identify, rather than define indigenous peoples. This is based on the fundamental criterion of self-identification as underlined in a number of human rights documents. That is the reason, some prefer to be named First Nations, Original Peoples, Original Nations, among other names.
The term “indigenous” has prevailed as a generic term for many years. In some countries, there may be preference for other terms including tribes, first peoples/nations, aboriginals, ethnic groups, adivasi, janajati. Occupational and geographical terms like hunter-gatherers, nomads, peasants, hill people, etc., also exist and for all practical purposes can be used interchangeably with “indigenous peoples”.
In many cases, the notion of being termed “indigenous” has negative connotations and some people may choose not to reveal or define their origin. Others must respect such choices, while at the same time working against the discrimination of indigenous peoples.
It is estimated that there are more than 370 million “indigenous people” spread across 70 countries worldwide. Practicing unique traditions, they retain social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. Spread across the world from the Arctic to the South Pacific, they are the descendants - according to a common definition - of those who inhabited a country or a geographical region at the time when people of different cultures or ethnic origins arrived. The new arrivals later became dominant through conquest, occupation, settlement or other means.
Among the (indigenous peoples) original peoples are those of the Americas (for example, the Lakota in the USA, the Mayas in Guatemala or the Aymaras in Bolivia), the Inuit and Aleutians of the circumpolar region, the Saami of northern Europe, the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia and the Maori of New Zealand. These and most other indigenous peoples have retained distinct characteristics which are clearly different from those of other segments of the national populations.
Understanding the term “indigenous”
Considering the diversity of indigenous peoples, an official definition of “indigenous” has not been adopted by any UN-system body. Instead the system has developed a modern understanding of this term based on the following:
● Self- identification as indigenous peoples at the individual level and accepted by the community as their member.
● Historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies
● Strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources
● Distinct social, economic or political systems
● Distinct language, culture and beliefs
● Form non-dominant groups of society
● Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and communities. (United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 2021)
|-
|17. How do indigenous communities contribute to environmental protection? What are some of the indigenous communities most threatened by the plant biodiversity loss?
|Original Nations (indigenous peoples) have an intimate relationship with nature and Mother Earth. Their way of thinking and doing in reciprocity, reverence, respect and responsibility in relationship with their territories are based in biocultural practices that protect life systems.
As original nations (indigenous) around the world face extreme climatic events that threaten their livelihoods and well-being, responses that stem from indigenous knowledge, experiences, wisdom and world views are being emerged. The Indigenous Peoples’ Bio cultural Climate Change Assessment Initiative (IPCCA) has emerged as an innovative response, bringing together indigenous knowledge and science in a process which links biocultural realities with complex global processes.
Use of biocultural methods and tools involve communities from around the world in the assessment of climate change and local well-being and the development of evidence-based responses for climate change adaptation.
Most of the territories of Original Nations are being threatened by development programs (mining, deforestation, urban sprawl, fossil fuel companies and the like). Original Peoples in the Amazon like the Huni Kui, Sapara, Quichuas, among others are being threatened by oil companies, mining and deforestation activities. The same happens in the Congo Basin and among the Otomi, Mazahua and Mexica- Nahua in Central Mexico.
|-
|18. Is transhumanism an element of environmental justice?
|Transhumanism is a social and philosophical movement devoted to promoting the research and development of robust human-enhancement technologies. Such technologies would augment or increase human sensory reception, emotive ability, or cognitive capacity as well as radically improve human health and extend human life spans.
From the indigenous perspective, transhumanism is contrary to the natural life cycles and should be seen as environmental injustice not as environmental justice. This is based on the notion that human species are the dominant species on earth. From the perspective of indegenous communities, Artificial Intelligence should be in service of protecting the whole life systems, not just to the human species.
|}
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