Unit 4: Planetary Networks

Lesson 4.4

Addressing Climate Change

Contents
Introduction

Learning Objectives

Let’s Connect

Discover
Global Efforts on Climate Change
Instruments to Address Climate Change
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Kyoto Protocol
Copenhagen Accord
Paris Agreement
Goals for Sustainable Development
MDG 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Responses to Climate Change
Climate Change Mitigation
Climate Change Adaptation
Geoengineering to Address Climate Change
Prospects for the Future

Wrap-Up
Unit 4: Planetary Networks

Lesson 4.4
Addressing Climate Change

Introduction
It is the 21st century, and we are experiencing the effects of climate change on our planet:
extreme global temperatures, melting polar ice, rising sea levels, and frequent natural
calamities. Climate change is so alarming that global leaders and environmental
organizations have made serious efforts to plan, conduct research, and implement solutions
to reduce its drastic effects. Even ordinary people recognize the need and urgency to act on
the phenomenon, with many of them taking to the streets to demand governments and
world leaders to take quicker and more substantial action. As an individual, how can you
adapt and contribute to solving climate change?

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In this lesson, we will learn the take of international organizations and policymakers on
solving climate change. Moreover, we are also going to look at measures that can be done
by ordinary people and civil society organizations based on recommendations of
environment experts.

DepEd Learning Competency

Learning Objectives At the end of the lesson, you should be able to
In this lesson, you should be able to do the explain and illustrate personal contributions that
following: can actually solve the problem of climate change
(HUMMS_MCT12-lh-i-3).
● Identify the contributions of
governments and international
organizations in addressing
climate change.

● Discuss global goals to reduce

the effects of climate change.
● Explain how ordinary people can
contribute in creating solutions
for climate change.

Discover
A livable climate is necessary for the survival of every living being. However, the drastic
effects of climate change continue to happen, threatening the safety and sustainability of
life on the planet. Less privileged regions and vulnerable communities are the most affected
and suffer the most damage. Indeed, fixing this issue is a great challenge for governments
and international organizations.

Climate literacy and suggested solutions will help, but these alone are not enough to make
everything right. How could we cope with this situation and be able to hold greater hopes
for living securely, especially for the future generation?

How will people contribute to climate change solutions in

the world today?

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Climate change is a pressing global concern. As global leaders discuss its growing threat,
people in different parts of the world are experiencing the devastating impact brought by
climate change. The planet’s ecosystem—people, habitats, animals, plants, and other
organisms—are all at the same level of risk. Despite this fact, many people still have their
hopes high. They stand up to fight for the future of the planet.

Global Efforts on Climate Change

Ordinary people have started non-governmental organizations to combat climate change.
These civil society organizations aim to change the outlook of people on environmental
issues and encourage them to adapt to a more sustainable lifestyle. Many of these
organizations also attempt to hold governments, businesses, and other organizations
responsible for environmental and climate issues. Examples of these civil society
organizations are Greenpeace International and the World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF).

On the other hand, world leaders and policymakers have also come together through
international organizations to act on climate change. The United Nations is the leading
world organization in propagating a global understanding of sustainable development. The
UN helps promote prosperity, social well-being, and environmental protection. In recent
decades, it has set comprehensive global goals to encourage its member states to act on
climate change.

Fig. 1. The Emblem of the United Nations

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The United Nations has several agencies, programs, and organizations that deal
with environmental threats and climate change. To provide governments and
environmental organizations with scientific data and assessments on climate change,
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was organized by the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) with the United Nations Environment. In 2013, the IPCC
released its Fifth Assessment Report stating a categorical conclusion: “climate change is
real and human activities are the main cause.” Thus, the UN members are trying to
come up with plans and programs as resolutions.

Instruments to Address Climate Change

Fig. 2. UN meeting on climate change

The United Nations is actively conducting programs, panels, and conventions to bring
together countries and other stakeholders in coordinating and strengthening the response
to climate change. These efforts serve to come up with effective and viable solutions for
countries to adopt for the benefit of the environment. The following sections discuss the
instruments that have been formulated on climate change.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was formed
in 1992 through the Earth Summit from the acknowledged need to address climate change.
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The UNFCCC was established due to the changes that were observed in the global climate
and their adverse effects on humankind.

The main objective of the UNFCCC is to stabilize the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by
encouraging action on dangerous human interferences in the climate system. Examples of
these human interferences are electricity consumption and the use of transportation
vehicles that actively produce greenhouse gases. While these are necessities in modern
times, their use and effects should be managed to keep greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere at a stable and safe level.

The convention aims to attain the stabilization of greenhouse gases within a specific time
frame, which will provide sufficient time for ecosystems to adapt to changes brought about
by climate change. It also aims to ensure that food production remains secure while still
sustaining economic development.

Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a treaty that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by
committing the industrialized countries and economies to limit the activities that produce it.
The protocol was created by the United Nations in 1997 and took effect in 2005, based on
the principles advocated by the UNFCCC. The name Kyoto was derived from the city of Japan
where the protocol was adopted.

The protocol is focused on targeting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 38

industrialized countries. They are viewed as responsible for producing these gases through
the past years, thereby contributing to global climate change. The protocol’s approach was
defined as the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility and respective
capabilities” (UN 1992).

Moreover, the Kyoto Protocol has created a system for monitoring, review, and verification
of the compliance of the countries involved. It aims to assure the transparency and
accountability of the involved countries.

The Kyoto Protocol met with mixed results. The United States and Canada originally signed
the deal but did not continue with it. The remaining 36 countries were able to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions by 0.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide per year from 2008 to 2012.

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While the Protocol can be considered as a success because the remaining participating
countries stuck with their targets, overall global emissions increased in other countries.

Copenhagen Accord
The Copenhagen Accord is a voluntary agreement from the initiative of developed nations
among which was the United States of America. It was signed in Copenhagen, Denmark in
2009 with more than 180 countries pledging their support. It continues to adhere to the
principles and provisions of the Kyoto Protocol towards addressing climate change.
However, acceptance and participation in this agreement are not mandatory. While no
legally binding commitments were required by this accord, countries were asked to
voluntarily pledge greenhouse gas reduction targets and commit to reporting their
progress. It is agreed upon on a goodwill basis that assumes that each country will take part
in collective global climate goals.

In line with this, the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund was created to provide the financial
resources to support environmental projects, programs, and policies. It also covers the
development of technology in support of actions on adaptation and mitigation activities,
guided by climate change action approaches.

Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement is a legally binding instrument negotiated and signed in 2015 by 196
state representatives at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC near Paris, France.
The ultimate aim of the Paris Agreement is the substantial reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions and capping the global temperature increase in this century to around 1.5
degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The agreement also provides enhanced support
for developing countries by strengthening the commitment of developed nations to assist
them in their climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. Moreover, it conducts transparent
monitoring and evaluation of the participating countries’ compliance with the collective
climate goals.

The Agreement came into force in 2016 and is considered by environment experts as crucial
to the mitigation of climate change and sustainable development.

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Goals for Sustainable Development
Aside from legally binding instruments, the United Nations also pushed forward the
sustainable development agenda through the Millennium Development Goals from 2000
to 2015, and the Sustainable Development Goals from 2015 to 2030. These goals are
pushed by the UN to encourage member states and other organizations to act on key issue
areas affecting human development and environmental protection.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals focusing on addressing global
issues such as hunger, poverty, world health, illiteracy, discrimination of women, and
environmental degradation. Among the 8 goals, MDG 7 relates to climate change, due to its
drive to ensure environmental sustainability.

MDG 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability

MDG 7 or Ensure Environmental Sustainability covers the strategies in addressing
environmental challenges due to climate change. The targets within MDG 7 include the
adaptation of sustainable development policies to reverse the depletion of environmental
resources, prevent biodiversity loss, expand the access to safe drinking water and
sanitation, and improve the quality of life of more than 100 million slum dwellers.

Fig. 3. An alternative planting lot for plants

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Among the efforts encouraged by the goal are reforestation and expansion of forests, the
reduction of global emissions of carbon dioxide, and the elimination of ozone-depleting
substances.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals call for a global partnership between developed and
developing nations to tackle global inequalities while preserving the natural environment.
There are a total of 17 goals in the sustainable development agenda, with at least six goals
related to addressing environmental and climate change issues.

Fig. 4. UN Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs

While countries have agreed to implement the Sustainable Development Goals within the
agreed timeframe, everyone is encouraged to take part and participate in efforts to help
achieve the SDGs by 2030.

Responses to Climate Change

Global leaders and policymakers around the world continuously discuss programs and
policies to address climate change. For the private sector and civil society, the broad
concept of climate change action was simplified to the following applications: mitigation,
adaptation, and geoengineering.

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Climate Change Mitigation
Climate change mitigation aims to reduce the harmful effects of the phenomenon, among
which are rising global temperatures, severe natural calamities, and rising sea levels.
Mitigation efforts usually involve the reduction of greenhouse gases released into the
atmosphere by using better technology or renewable energy.

Some mitigation measures are the use of renewable energy, the efficient use of energy,
electrification of industrial processes, eco-friendly means of transportation, and the use of
biodegradable packaging.

Fig. 5. Solar energy is a renewable type of energy

Climate Change Adaptation

Adaptation involves adjusting to life in a changing climate. The main goal of adaptation is
reducing our vulnerability to the negative effects of climate change, such as extreme
weather events and scarcity in the food supply. The modern lifestyle needs to adapt to
climate change by maximizing potentially beneficial opportunities that result from it. For
instance, longer growing seasons and increasing biodiversity in some regions are some
effects of climate change that can be beneficial.

Here are examples of adaptation measures: natural landscape restorations and

reforestation, strategic and flexible cultivation in preparation for natural calamities,
preventive measures for disasters (evacuation plans, health programs, etc.), research and
development on disaster risk reduction (DRR), and building secure facilities and
infrastructures.

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Fig. 6. Preparing for natural calamities is a way of adjusting to climate change.

Geoengineering to Address Climate Change

Geoengineering refers to a large-scale intervention on the planet’s landforms, water
bodies, and atmosphere to reduce the effects of climate change. It is considered to be part
of the solution in decreasing a significant amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Some geoengineering strategies include Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation
Management (SRM). Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) involves methods in capturing carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere, compressing and storing it in geologic reservoirs (artificial
lakes or water dams). Solar Radiation Management (SRM) involves using space mirrors to
bring down global temperature by reflecting a small amount of sunlight back into space.
However, these geoengineering strategies are not yet proven to work on a larger scale. It
can have an unintended negative impact on the environment.

Despite that fact, many scientists believe in considering geoengineering as an alternative

option. It can be an efficient solution in addressing climate change as a global crisis. It may
not completely fix the global climate, but it can somehow stabilize the climate condition and
avoid the worst effects of it.

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Examples of geoengineering applications include spraying seawater thousands of meters
high to help form stratocumulus clouds that will deflect sunlight, installing mirrors in space
to reflect the rays of the sun, and releasing particulates that block sunlight into space.

Fig. 7. Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering (SPICE) Project for solar
radiation management

Prospects for the Future

Ensuring climate change impacts would be avoided or reduced in the future will be
challenging. It requires a proper strategic plan and immense effort coming from all the
nations. Neither adapting to climate conditions nor the mitigation alone can solely be the
solution for climate change. It will take time and collective knowledge to be able to return
the planet to conditions that can sustain the life of organisms and maintain the balance of
ecosystems. Understanding all these concepts is only a part of the process, real change will
only begin when we all contribute to effective solutions for a better future.

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In Philippine Context
The Filipinos are experiencing the consequences of climate change through the
devastating and drastic natural calamities that the country often experiences. The most
vulnerable during these times are people below the poverty line. Rural areas are also
suffering because of lack of preparedness and due to outdated information on climate
warnings. The impact on the local communities through the years is worsening. For this
reason, close attention should be given to the impacts of climate change.

The National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) was planned and made by the
Climate Change Commission of the Philippines. It outlines the country’s agenda for
adaptation and mitigation from 2011 to 2028. NCCAP is based on technical analyses and
consultations with government agencies and stakeholders. The key actions included in the
action plan focus on seven thematic outcomes, namely: food security,
water sufficiency, ecological and environmental stability, human security, climate-
smart industries and services, sustainable energy, and knowledge and capacity
development.

Wrap-Up
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
● To provide governments and environmental organizations with scientific data and
assessments on climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) was created.

● The instruments to address climate change include the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UFCCC), Kyoto Protocol, Copenhagen Accord,
and Paris Agreement.
● Aside from legal instruments, the UN has also promoted the sustainable
development agenda by encouraging the attainment of the Millennium
Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals.
● Responses to climate change include mitigation, adaptation, and geoengineering.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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