CNMRC

Climate change

Climate Change, as a concept, has now left the boardrooms and political debating chambers, and become a mainstream real and present concern to every nation.

The science of climate change is no longer an issue of scientific contention. The global average surface temperature has increased over the 20th century by 0.6oC. In Scotland we are now threatened by extremes of weather, sea level rise and the raft of implications, issues of disease, and effects on fragile economies, makes it important that we take action to impact the issue.

As the scientific understanding of the threats of Climate Change are understood and communicated better to the wider population, the Sustainability Centre in Glasgow is developing resources to support the growing need for action in Scotland.

Ultimately, Climate Change is about us: Our communities, our environments, our livelihoods. From energy consumption and production, transportation and waste are major contributors of greenhouse gases in Scotland; reducing levels comes from a spectrum of changes in the way we live our live and make our livings. Managing and supporting that change locally is an important issue to the Sustainability Centre in Glasgow.

As such, climate change is a major sustainability issue and meeting the challenges it presents across Scotland’s economic sectors is vital as part of a sustainable future.

Download the presentation by Charles Russell and Stas Burek, 'Meeting Scotland's 2020 Renewable Energy Target' (Feb 07)

Carbon Management Programme

Carbon Management is the measurement and management of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) using sophisticated footprinting tools or Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories. Called Carbon Management after the “carbon” in carbon dioxide, which is the most prolific GHG. In Scotland CO2 represents the bulk of our emissions and is closely linked particularly with the energy sector, burning of fossil fuels. Scotland with its leadership in the renewable energy, requires further understanding carbon management.

The Greenhouse Gases

*Global warming potential refers to the potency of the gas as a Greenhouse Gas as compared with CO2. Methane and Nitrous Oxide were revised in their potency as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Third Assessment Report, 2001. The figures in brackets represent the previous GWPs, but these are included as these are currently used by the UNFCCC in its reporting framework for National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories.

Carbon management goes far beyond pure emissions of CO2 and the other GHG gases, as emissions and removals (often referred to as carbon sequestration) are existing management processes (forestry, land use change) and emerging technologies which trap, balance or “offset” carbon. These systems along with spectrum of Scottish and UK policy instruments such as the UK Emissions Trading Scheme, Climate Change Levy, Renewable Energy Obligation Certificates provide a foundation for action at the local level; however there are also the international framework’s Emissions Trading, Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation through the Kyoto Protocol and managed by the UNFCCC which offer further opportunities to managing carbon whilst managing the economic growth and social development.

The Carbon Management Programme is developing a series of toolkits for GHG emission management and understanding. We are scoping the use of a variety of UK and international tools, with a view to establishing a centre of excellence and resource unit for the wide and complex issue of carbon management in Scotland and elsewhere, as a strategy for tackling the challenges of climate change.

For further information on this programme please contact Dr Charles Russell on 0141 331 8427
or charles.russell@gcal.ac.uk

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