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Overview - Climate and Armed Conflict Key Aspects and their characteristics 

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Overview - Climate and Armed Conflict Key Aspects and their characteristics 

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Unit 4 AOS 2 Key Aspects Overview Climate and Armed Conflict

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SAC Short Answer Response Marking Guide 

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SAC Short Answer Response Marking Guide 

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Global Crises SAC Short Answer Response Marking Guide

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"We should make our world clean and beautiful by pursuing green and low-carbon development." (Excerpts from Xi's keynote speech at the UN Geneva office on Jan 18, 2017)

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"We should make our world clean and beautiful by pursuing green and low-carbon development." (Excerpts from Xi's keynote speech at the UN Geneva office on Jan 18, 2017)

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Some good quotes from the Chinese Gov regarding their promise and commitment to climate accord.

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China has pledged to stick with its carbon-cutting commitments despite moves by President Donald Trump that could cripple Washington's ability to meet its part of the Paris climate change deal.

In a step that experts said showed China's readiness to boost its global influence, Beijing joined the EU to say it would press on with its Paris pledges after the US president signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at sweeping away curbs on fossil fuels launched by his predecessor, Barack Obama.

"As a responsible developing country, China's plan, determination and policy to tackle climate change is resolute," a foreign ministry spokesman said.

While not mentioning the US specifically, the spokesman said every signatory to the accord adopted in 2015 should "fulfil their pledges and implement the agreement with positive actions".

The comments are an indication that China is preparing to step into the climate leadership vacuum created by Mr Trump's actions, some experts said.

Comment

President did not go as far as pulling US out of accord as he had threatened to do

"This is actually a diplomatic opportunity for them as well as an economic opportunity," said James Cameron, a lawyer who advises governments in UN climate negotiations.

"They can sense a withdrawal of US power from a vital multilateral process and they are stepping into it," he said, adding that this fitted with Beijing's "one belt, one road" strategy to further its influence and trade links abroad.

Miguel Arias Cañete, the EU's climate and energy commissioner, tweeted during a visit to Beijing that "a new climate era has begun, and the EU and China are ready to lead the way".

The EU issued one of the first official criticisms of Mr Trump's announcement, saying it "regretted" his decision to roll back the Clean Power Plan, a pillar of Mr Obama's climate policies that aims to curb carbon pollution from electricity generation plants.

The power rules were among the measures the US submitted as part of its commitment to the Paris accord, which requires countries to explain how they will deal with global warming.

The accord was adopted after intense diplomatic footwork between the two largest carbon polluters, China and the US, led them to join forces to tackle climate change.

Mr Trump has so far stopped short of acting on campaign threats to pull the US out of the Paris deal but his officials said this week that the issue was still "under discussion".

The president's move to ditch signature parts of Mr Obama's climate agenda has raised speculation that other countries with a large carbon footprint might follow suit, gradually unravelling support for global climate action.

Some MPs in fossil-fuel rich Australia have said that if Mr Trump withdrew from the Paris accord then Canberra should reconsider its support for the deal.

However, analysts in India, the world's third largest carbon emitter, said they believed New Delhi would stick with its commitments.

"I don't see any backtracking or anything that signals the Indian government might be planning to roll back its climate commitments," said Vijeta Rattani, a climate expert at the Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi advocacy group.

Related article

Letter comes as White House seeks to unravel Obama greenhouse commitments

But she warned that Mr Trump's actions spelt the "death knell" for the Paris deal's aim to hold global temperature rises to no more than 2C - a limit scientists say should be respected to prevent rising sea levels, extreme weather and other damage.

"Now the onus is going to fall on other countries to rapidly scale up their efforts and do more now that the US has made its intention very clear that climate change is not on its agenda," she said.

Jeremy Grantham, a renowned investor and founder of GMO, the Boston-based asset manager, said Mr Trump's executive order could end up achieving the reverse of what the president desired if it spurred his critics to demand more climate action in the US and abroad.

"Trump may be doing us a great service because he is stimulating the response," said Mr Grantham, a veteran advocate of measures to combat global warming.

"Even among ordinary voters we are told many are vowing to be more involved" in the fight for climate action, he said. "They are really motivated and mobilising and my attitude is, in a sense, 'bring it on, let's have a real crisis'."

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China pledges to uphold Paris climate commitments

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China has pledged to stick with its carbon-cutting commitments despite moves by President Donald Trump that could cripple Washington's ability to meet its part of the Paris climate change deal.

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Tool to help you evaluate responses taken to climate and armed conflict crisis 

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Tool to help you evaluate responses taken to climate and armed conflict crisis 

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Evaluating Responses Taken Climate and Armed Conflict

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Feedback re Questions and Essays + Sample Question to Practice

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In order to have any real impact on chemical weapons use, the response needs to be sustained. Every time the regime uses chemical weapons, there needs to be a retaliation, which specifically targets the regime's chemical-weapons capacity-command and control, delivery mechanisms including aircraft and bases, storage, research, and the like. A political strategy is indispensable as well. Since Russia is the guarantor of the failed 2013 chemical weapons agreement, the West needs to keep Russia on the hook for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons. The Pentagon chief suggested that these strikes were a one-off, and only time will tell which of Trump's preferences prevail.

Deft diplomacy will also be necessary to reduce the risks of wider war. It doesn't help that Trump is undermining the nuclear deal with Iran at the same time as he is ratcheting up the stakes in Syria. One key determinant now is how much Russia is willing to add action to match its relentless campaign of lies and bluster about Syria and chemical weapons. Another is whether Iran, Assad, and Hezbollah are willing to sit on their hands after these strikes. In the past, all three have been willing to refrain from action despite angry promises.

* * *

The problem is the context. Any American action in the Middle East ought to be embedded in a comprehensive, engaged strategy-which is not likely to be forthcoming. Today, we can be sure that America's significant moves-from proposals to withdraw military assets fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq, to promises to degrade the capabilities of Bashar al-Assad or limit the reach of Hezbollah or Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-will land à la carte, increasing the danger of miscalculation and violent, destabilizing escalation.

At stake is how to manage disorder in the Middle East, and more important still, where to draw the line with a resurgent Russia.

Containing rival powers is an art, not a science. Military planners talk about the "escalation ladder" as if it were a chemical equation, but in reality escalation hinges on unpredictable questions of politics, interests, psychology, hard power, and willingness to deploy it.

Obama's strategy could most simply be understood as a desire to contain regional fires with minimal involvement, while keeping an equal distance from regional antagonists, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, and difficult regional allies including Turkey and Israel. The U.S. got involved in the fight against ISIS, by this logic, with minimal resources and local alliances that it knew couldn't outlive the immediate counter-terrorism operation.

In the Syrian context, Obama early on made clear that the United States commitment to principles of democracy and human rights would remain primarily rhetorical. Today, the United States has discarded even many of the rhetorical trappings of American exceptionalism. Trump has made clear that he doesn't apply a moral calculus to superpower behavior. But he's also expressed personal outrage about Syria's use of chemical weapons-and he visibly takes umbrage at being personally embarrassed or humiliated.

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In order to have any real impact on chemical weapons use, the response needs to be sustained. Every time the regime uses chemical weapons, there needs to be a retaliation, which specifically targets the regime's chemical-weapons capacity-command and control, delivery mechanisms including aircraft and bases, storage, research, and the like.

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Essay Questions 2015 - 18 VCAA Exams Planner

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Key knowledge and skills. To complete individually and add notes to class Google Doc.

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Resource re: Syrian conflict. Old textbook. 

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Resource re: Syrian conflict. Old textbook. 

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Climate Change Notes from Group Presentations

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Complete additional questions re: Climate Change Crisis 

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Complete additional questions re: Climate Change Crisis 

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Taken from VCAA 2018 Sample Written Examination

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Unit 4 AOS 2 Climate Change Additional Questions 2

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Climate Data Explorer
http://cait.wri.org/

Climate Pledges Tracker
http://cait.wri.org/pledges/#/map

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Group 3 - Challenges

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Group 1 - Causes
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19LHJkIpaxb4yHFUwD-riDOlzDDhAECFxFAAWxFagt2U/edit

Group 2 - Responses and their effectiveness
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gEA9TlDmQmiLnAA2WsqS_eqqNchXJwwhCehG9Td6AZg/edit

Group 4 - Key aspects of climate change
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CK7sb6YYfaRRYsDtypr3DrgyaUgwnQtpCSVzjcWj2U8/edit

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Due to present Tuesday 21st August

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Global Crisis 1 Climate Change Group Task

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Insight into why states decided to agree to the Paris Climate Agreement.

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Christiana Figueres: The inside story of the Paris climate agreement

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What would you do if your job was to save the planet? When Christiana Figueres was tapped by the UN to lead the Paris climate conference (COP 21) in December 2015, she reacted the way many people would: she thought it would be impossible to bring the leaders of 195 countries into agreement on how to slow climate change.

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Includes causes, responses, effectiveness, challenges and key aspects.

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Global Crisis 1 Climate Change Key Questions

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Practice Short Answer Responses and Essay Qs 

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Practice Short Answer Responses and Essay Qs 

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2016 and 2017 Exams

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Unit 4 AOS 2 Exam Qs 2017 and 16 Feedback and Sample Response

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​​​​​​​​

Glossary

Aid

Refers to the provision of assistance, predominantly monetary, to global actors with the intention of influencing their decisions and actions in order to achieve a specific aim.

Cosmopolitanism

Cosmopolitanism reflects a desire among global actors to cooperate to reach common goals and outcomes to meet challenges that are presented to the global community.

Crisis diplomacy

Refers to negotiations between actors in the global political arena in response to an immediate crisis. This most commonly concerns conflicts and natural disasters, but also economic and health crises.

Cultural power

Refers to a desirable and transportable culture that states can use to achieve ends that might not be achieved through military and political means. It is often linked to soft power and may influence regional relationships and international standing.

Diplomacy

Refers to the ability to conduct effective negotiations between states without arousing hostility. As a foreign policy instrument of a state, it may be utilised through formal diplomatic channels, such as an ambassador, through its conduct in intergovernmental organisations and from meetings and speeches made by leaders of states.

Diplomatic power

Refers to the power accrued by states through their relationships with others in the form of alliances, alignments and international standing. Essentially, it is the ability of a state to influence other global actors by way of discussion and negotiation.

Economic power

A state's economic power is often determined by figures such as the gross domestic product (GDP), which indicate the wealth of a state and its economic activity. Economic power can also be assessed by the state's reliance on imports of goods and services. Crucially, economic power refers to a state's ability to influence the actions of another state through finance and trade.

Economic prosperity

The national interest of economic prosperity is important to a state as it indicates whether a state can weather international economic instability as well as protects and builds the wealth and welfare of its citizens. If a state is economically prosperous, it encourages other states to develop relationships with them and bolsters state sovereignty.

Ethics

This seeks to address questions of morality and extends to global politics, as global actors have underlying ideologies to their actions, such as realism or cosmopolitanism.

Global governance

Refers to institutions, rules, norms and legal arrangements that seek to facilitate cooperation, and manage relations, between states. Governance is carried out by both governmental organisations such as the United Nations and non-governmental organisations.​

Globalisation

Refers to acceleration and intensification of exchanges of goods, services, labour and capital, which promote global interdependence. These have been facilitated by rapid changes in communication and technology.

Hard power

Refers to power exercised through coercion, or threatened acts of coercion, to influence the actions of other global actors. This is most commonly exercised through military forms.

Idealism

Refers to a school of thought in which foreign policy is influenced above all else by an ideological principle, as opposed to practical and pragmatic considerations.

Intergovernmental Organisation (IGO)

An intergovernmental organisation is an organisation composed primarily of states. They are established by a treaty, a founding charter for the organisation, and thus subject to international law. Examples include the United Nations and the European Union.

International cooperation

Refers to occasions when global actors work together to achieve common ideals and goals.

International law

Traditionally only relating to states, international law is a body of rules established by custom or written legal agreements that are accepted as binding upon the international community. Customary international law applies to all global actors. Written legal agreements, such as treaties, are only binding to those who consent to it through explicit ratification. Some international laws may apply only to states, such as the UN Convention against Torture, while others may apply directly to citizens, such as war crimes.

International standing

The international standing of a state is an important national interest as it influences the power a state has in global politics. Other national interests impact on international standing as well as a state's role and recognition in intergovernmental organisations and as a proponent of international law. If a state has a poor international standing it may threaten their sovereignty.

Justice

Refers to the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, law, fairness and equity that, importantly, also seeks punishment when these ethics are breached. Extends to global politics through international systems of justice, such as the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, which seek to uphold international law and deter future violations.

Military

Military as a foreign policy instrument refers to the military capacity of a state and how this is utilised to achieve its foreign policy objectives. The capacity will depend on the amount of money spent on the military, the type and calibre of weapons available, the number and expertise of servicemen and women in the armed forces, and the relationship between the military and the state. It may also refer to the placement of armed forces.

Military power

Refers to the use of a state's military to exert influence over the actions of other global actors. This may not need to be implemented through a use of force as placement and capacity of the military may be enough to influence other global actors.

Multilateralism

Refers to a system of coordinating relations between three or more states, usually in pursuit of objectives in particular areas.

Nation

Refers to groups of people claiming common bonds based on culture, language and history. Some nations have their own state, such as the Japanese, while others want their own state such as the Tibetans and Kurds.

National interests

The national interests of a state are pursued to ensure the survival and potential growth of that state. States implement policies and types of power to achieve their national interests and maintain state sovereignty.

National security

This is the national interest of a state to ensure it maintains sovereignty. Traditionally this term refers to the protection of a state's borders from intruders but has evolved to include other forms of security, such as resource and environmental security, that are necessary for a state to maintain sovereignty.

Nation-state

Political or social grouping in which people within territorial boundaries, with recognised sovereignty, have common bonds based on culture, language and history. For example, Japan.

Non-state actors

A non-state actor is a global actor that is not a state but still influences global politics. Often this refers to global actors that are not a direct part of global governance and international law, such as NGOs, global terrorist movements and/or organised religions.

Political power

Refers to the use of a state's internal political machinery to exert influence over the actions of others. For example, legislation, executive orders, white papers.

Power

Refers to the ability of one global actor to influence the actions of another global actor. Power can be exercised in a range of types.

Pragmatism

A school of thought in which foreign policy is influenced above all else by practical considerations, as opposed to a particular ideology.

Realism

Realism involves states (and other global actors) prioritizing their specific interest and needs over those of the global community.

Regional relationships

Positive regional relationships are an important national interest to a state as they ensure its neighbours will not behave in a hostile manner and thus threaten state sovereignty. Alliances with other likeminded neighbours may help the success of other national interests. However, a state may consider other national interests more important than positive regional relationships if they better achieve the aims of a state.

Security

Traditionally this term refers to the protection of a state's borders from intruders and the maintenance of sovereignty, most commonly achieved through the use of military power. It has now evolved to include softer forms of security, such as access to resources and the protection of the environment.

Soft power

Refers to the ability of one global actor to shape the actions of other global actors through un-coercive yet persuasive means, so that they want the same outcome. This can be achieved in various ways, for example through diplomatic, cultural or historical ties. It is a term first coined by Joseph Nye.

Sovereignty

Legitimate or widely recognised ability to exercise effective control of a territory within recognised borders. This is the primary organising principle of global politics, providing states with the authority to represent their territorial entity within the international community. State sovereignty can be challenged internally (for example, secessionist groups) or externally (for example, one state invades another).

State

Traditionally this term refers to the central actor in global politics. States possess a permanent population, defined territory and recognised sovereignty. States are not necessarily culturally homogenous, for example Australia.

Trade

Refers to the manipulation of the exchange of goods, services, labour and capital to influence the actions of another state.

Transnational Corporations (TNCs)

Refers to a company whose operations and investments extend beyond the boundaries of the state in which it is registered, and can also be referred to as a Multinational.

Unilateralism

Refers to the policy of a state acting alone in pursuit of their national interests and/or in response to a global crisis.

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​​​​​​​​ Refers to the provision of assistance, predominantly monetary, to global actors with the intention of influencing their decisions and actions in order to achieve a specific aim. Cosmopolitanism reflects a desire among global actors to cooperate to reach common goals and outcomes to meet challenges that are presented to the global community.