Environmental and Energy Study Institute

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Climate Change News

Brought to you by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Carol Werner, Executive Director
March 21, 2008
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Fourth Meeting of G8 Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change Held
On March 14-16

Japan hosted the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of "G8 Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development." The world's top 20 greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting countries--which are together responsible for 80 percent of the world's GHG emissions--were trying to bridge gaps on what to do after obligations to the Kyoto Protocal on climate change expire at the end of 2012. "We reconfirmed the principle of common but differentiated responsibility in negotiating the next deal for 2013 and onward," said Japan's Environment Minister Ichiro Kamoshita. "It was made clear that there are a variety of positions among developed countries, emerging countries and developing countries."
Japan pushed at the conference for a "sectoral" approach--setting energy efficiency goals for each industry--but met with skepticism from developing countries. "It is clear that developed and developing countries are still far apart on sectoral approaches," South African Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said. World Wildlife Fund Japan's Yurika Ayukawa said Tokyo should drop its focus on a sectoral approach. "What we want from the Japanese government at the G8 is leadership, which means to have a mid-term goal by 2020 of a 25-40 percent reduction target from 1990 levels," she said. In July Japan will host the Group of Eight summit of rich nations -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a4KcLp_PgC_Y&refer=j...
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gu3UCNyDJvYCzwg_GQaFYveO-iSA
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/15/content_7795062.htm
http://www.env.go.jp/earth/g8/en/g20/index.html

EU Commits to Climate Change Plan Deadline

After a March 13-14 summit in Brussels, leaders for the 27 EU nations said they hoped to enact legislation to implement a 20 percent cut in greenhouse gases by 2020, compared with 1990 levels, by early 2009. To achieve that figure, EU states are obliged to make renewable energies, such as solar and wind power, the source of 20 percent of the total energy consumption across the bloc by 2020. The current level is six to seven percent. The Slovenian Prime Minister, Janez Jansa, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said, "We are convinced that the costs of these measures will be much lower than if we don't act."
The leaders stressed the need to ensure that the high cost of carbon trading should not drive sectors like steel, cement, paper and aluminum out of Europe or out of business. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was pressing for a commitment as early as 2009 to give special treatment to energy-intensive industries if there is no global agreement to curb carbon dioxide emissions. Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands opposed Merkel's proposal, saying it would weaken the EU's hand in the UN negotiations. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said, "The main concern is implementing a mechanism that will hit imports from those countries that don't play the game."
Click on the following links for more information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7296564.stm
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0314/eu.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/feedarticle?id=7384201
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2008-03-14-eu-clim...
http://uk.reuters.com/article/UKNews1/idUKL1418506120080314

Australia to Have Carbon Trading Scheme by 2010

On March 17, Australian Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said Australia's emissions trading system will begin in 2010 and the market will determine the price. The new Labor government, elected in November and which signed the Kyoto Protocol in its first day in office, has started talks with industry on technical issues for the system and will release a so-called Green Paper on its design in July. Draft regulations will be released in December and the system will start in 2010. "The introduction of emissions trading will constitute the most significant economic and structural reform undertaken in Australia since the trade liberalization of the 1980s," said Wong.
Australia has a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent from 2000 levels by 2050. Under the most recent projections, Australia's greenhouse emissions are set to rise to 20 percent above 1990 levels by 2020. The "cap-and-trade" system will cover more than 70 percent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hVIqnh-FIQPVRcKBW_xI8_LoOUCQ
http://news.theage.com.au/govt-to-issue-paper-on-emissions-trading/20080...
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=akDaCZ7U7ZkU&refer=a...

EPA Releases Economic Analysis of Lieberman-Warner Climate Bill

On March 14, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a 189-page analysis of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008 (S. 2191). The analysis includes ten different scenarios to evaluate a range of assumptions and key parameters. EPA found that under S. 2191 total US GHG emissions are approximately 40 percent lower than reference case emissions in 2030 (11 percent below 1990 levels) and 56 percent lower in 2050 (25 percent below 1990 levels). S.2191 covers 82 percent of total US GHG emissions in both 2030 and 2050.
The greatest emission abatement under S. 2191 occurs in CO2 emissions from the electricity sector. The price signal provided by S. 2191 is not high enough to cause large changes in the demand for transportation or changes in how transportation services are provided. In the S.2191 Scenario, modeled GHG allowance prices range between $61-83/tCO2e in 2030, and $159-220/tCO2e in 2050. Under S.2191, GDP is modeled to be 0.9 to 3.8 percent lower in 2030 and between 2.4 to 6.9 percent lower in 2050 than in the Reference Scenario.
Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) said, "EPA's detailed analysis indicates that the US can curb global warming without sacrificing economic prosperity. We will examine the results closely for improvements that they might suggest for the bill." Senator John Warner (R-VA) said, "I am satisfied that EPA's analysis demonstrates what we have long known: You can control greenhouse gas emissions in a manner that leaves the economy whole and is not burdensome on consumers."
Critics of the bill say increases in energy costs would be borne disproportionately by those least able to afford it, including the elderly, poor and those on fixed incomes. EPA found that the bill would cause electricity prices to increase 44 percent by 2030 and gasoline prices to rise 53 cents a gallon by that year.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120554497521738693.html
http://lieberman.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=294865
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/economics/economicanalyses.html
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/downloads/s2191_EPA_Analysis.pdf

UN Warns Climate Change is Melting Glaciers at Alarming Rate

On March 16, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) released data from the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) showing record mass loss in glaciers. Data from close to 30 reference glaciers in nine mountain ranges indicate that between the years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 the average rate of melting and thinning more than doubled. WGMS Director Dr. Wilfried Haeberli said, "The latest figures are part of what appears to be an accelerating trend with no apparent end in sight. This continues the trend in accelerated ice loss during the past two and a half decades."
Average glacial shrinkage has risen from 30 centimeters per year between 1980 and 1999, to 1.5 meters in 2006. Some of the biggest losses have occurred in the Alps and Pyrenees mountain ranges in Europe. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, "Millions if not billions of people depend directly or indirectly on these natural water storage facilities for drinking water, agriculture, industry and power generation during key parts of the year. It is absolutely essential that everyone sits up and takes notice."
Click on the following links for more information:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j8z_gc1go9Ny4PzfQwMuAQ6ec1WA
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7299561.stm
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=530&Ar...
http://www.geo.unizh.ch/wgms/mbb/mbb9/sum06.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/16/glaciers.climatechange1

Perennial Arctic Ice Cover Diminishing

On March 18, NASA scientists said the decline in Arctic perennial ice reflects a long-term warming climate trend and is a result of increased melting during summer and greater movement of the older ice out of the Arctic. Perennial sea ice is the long-lived, year-round layer of ice that remains even when the surrounding short-lived seasonal sea ice melts away in summer to its minimum extent. Whereas perennial ice used to cover 50-60 percent of the Arctic, this year it covers less than 30 percent.
Walt Meier of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said as ice ages it continues to grow and thicken, so that older ice is generally also thicker ice. This winter the ice cover is much thinner overall and thus in a more vulnerable state heading into the summer melt season. NASA says perennial ice cover at the summer Arctic ice minimum in 2007 was about 40 percent less than the 28-year average.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/2008/2008031826359.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/18/AR200803...

Investment in Building Sector Can Create Jobs and Reduce CO2

At the March 13-14 "Good Jobs Green Jobs" Conference in Pittsburgh, Architecture 2030 founder Edward Mazria said buildings are responsible for almost half (48 percent) of all US energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Mazria's "2030 Blueprint," released at the conference, claims that with an annual investment of $21.6 billion per year for five years, building energy efficiency would replace 22.3 conventional coal-fired power plants, reduce CO2 emissions by 86.7 million metric tons, save 204 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 10.7 million barrels of oil, save consumers $8.46 billion in energy bills and create 216,000 new jobs.
At the conference, Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell said, "America's economy is facing pressure today from job losses, international competition, mounting national debt, and a declining dollar. We can relieve these pressures by investing in clean and green energy efficiency and production technologies. And, in doing so, we can help put our people back to work - especially in the manufacturing industry that has been so decimated by the outsourcing of jobs to overseas firms."
Also at the conference, a coalition of nonprofit environmental and economic research organizations from across the country headed by the Apollo Alliance released two new guides to help cities and states enhance opportunities in the clean, green, energy-efficient job sectors. The guide, "Green-Collar Jobs in America's Cities," was accompanied by a similar study and plan of action for state policy makers, "Greener Pathways."
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.enn.com/press_releases/2403
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2008/2008-03-14-095.asp
http://www.apolloalliance.org/resources_greencollarjobs.php
http://www.greenjobsconference.org/site/c.rvI3IiNWJqE/b.3820537/

San Francisco Proposes Greenest Building Codes in US

The San Francisco Building Inspection Commission, which oversees building permitting and construction, voted unanimously March 19 to send new green building standards to the Board of Supervisors. If the supervisors approve the regulations, Mayor Gavin Newsom has promised to sign them into law. City officials estimate that by 2012, the new green building codes could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60,000 tons and save 220,000 megawatt hours of power and 100 million gallons of drinking water.
"George Bush is doing nothing to fight climate change on the national level, but with this groundbreaking ordinance, we're doing our part on the local level," said Nathan Ballard, a Newsom spokesman. "Many people don't realize that buildings have a big carbon footprint, and this will help reduce the size of that footprint."
The rules, if implemented, would be phased in gradually, and developers would have until 2012 to fully comply with the strictest levels of the green building codes. Ken Cleaveland, the director of government and public affairs for the San Francisco Building Owners and Managers Association, said, "One of the best things about it is the fact that it's a gradual ordinance. When you set a goal and give the industry time to meet that goal, you have a far better chance of succeeding."
Click on the following link for more information:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/20/MN7QVMJ5T.DTL

Northeast States Will Hold First US Carbon Auction

On March 17, a consortium of 10 Northeastern states announced it will hold the first auction of carbon emissions allowances on September 10 under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to curb greenhouse gases from the region's power plants and slow global warming. The participating states anticipate auctioning nearly the entire annual regional emissions budget, which initially is approximately 188 million short tons of CO2. Each ton of CO2 will constitute an “allowance.” A reserve price of $1.86 per allowance will apply to the first auction.
Pete Grannis, chairman of RGGI and commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said, "Climate change is the most significant environmental problem of our generation. Absent federal leadership, the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states of RGGI are taking action to cut greenhouse-gas emissions and reduce their impact on the environment." RGGI aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the region 10 percent by 2019. The program includes Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware and Rhode Island.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ctcarbon0318.artmar18,0,5945522.story
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20602099&sid=aVCVqj22OKFs&refer=e...
http://www.rggi.org/docs/20080317auction_design.pdf

Alaskan Government Commission Sees Costly Climate Outcomes

On March 17, the Alaska Climate Impact Assessment Commission of the Alaska State Legislature released their final report. The Commission's 124-page report foresees several costly outcomes--from the need to relocate coastal villages affected by storms and erosion, to an increase in forest fires and smoky skies, to the collapse of roads and public buildings, to several serious threats to fish and wildlife. The report states, "Impacts on Alaska's fish and game assets are one of the most disconcerting signs of climate warming. Migratory patterns of birds, terrestrial mammals, and fish stocks are changing, and marine mammals are being greatly impacted."
Rising temperatures pose a threat to the trans-Alaska pipeline, which was constructed over hundreds of miles of frozen ground. Damage to the pipeline's support structures, the report says, could cost up to $800 million to repair. Melting permafrost could also damage hundreds of miles of roads and the foundations and pipes of thousands of public facilities. The most striking climate change impact of all, the report says, may well be the need to relocate entire coastal villages--like Newtok, Shishmaref and Kivalina--due to dramatic reductions in shore-fast sea ice that used to protect them from violent autumn storms. As many as 162 communities in all could be threatened by erosion and flooding.
The report also says the potential for commercial shipping expansion in the high Arctic and its related support services may be the most significant new economic development activity on the climate change horizon, and that longer and warmer Arctic summers will help increase the number of tourists coming to Alaska.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/348153.html
http://housemajority.org/coms/cli/cli_finalreport_20080301.pdf

US Exporting More Coal, GHG Concerns Raised

Rising worldwide demand is turning American coal into a global commodity, with domestic buyers having to compete with buyers from countries like Germany and Japan, thereby increasing domestic coal prices. Spot prices for two benchmark American grades of coal, from central Appalachia and the Powder River Basin of Wyoming, are up by 93 percent and 64 percent, respectively, in the last year. The United States will export 7 or 8 percent of its coal production this year, up from about 5 percent last year, industry leaders predict. Because of higher prices, the value of coal exports may double to $3.75 billion.
For US coal producers, the new demand abroad occurs at a time when coal is under political attack at home. More than 50 proposed coal-fired power plants were delayed or canceled over the last year because of concerns over greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental groups see the rising global trade as an ominous development, since it promises to confound efforts to limit global emissions. World consumption of coal has increased in recent years by more than 4 percent annually, a major reason that emissions of carbon dioxide are going up, not down. Alice McKeown, a coal analyst for the Sierra Club, said, "Any rise in coal use around the world is bad news for the environment. The United States needs to be a leader on global warming, and increasing our coal exports is moving in the wrong direction."
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/business/19coal.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/19/AR200803...

US Power Plant Carbon Emissions Increase 2.9 Percent in 2007

Analyzing data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Environmental Integrity Project finds that the biggest single year increase in greenhouse gas emissions from US power plants in nine years occurred in 2007, with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increasing 2.9 percent over 2006. The analysis shows that electric power industry emissions of CO2 have risen 5.9 percent since 2002 and 11.7 percent since 1997. Some of the rise in CO2 emissions comes from existing coal-fired power plants, the analysis found, either because these plants are operating at increasingly higher capacities, or because these aging plants require more heat to generate electricity.
Environmental Integrity Project Director Eric Schaeffer said, "The current debate over global warming policy tends to focus on long-term goals, like how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent over the next 50 years. But while we debate, CO2 emissions from power plants keep rising, making an already dire situation worse. Because CO2 has an atmospheric lifetime of between 50 and 200 years, today's emissions could cause global warming for up to two centuries to come."
Coal-fired power plants alone released more than 1.9 billion tons of carbon dioxide in 2006, nearly one-third of the US total. The Department of Energy projects that carbon dioxide emissions from power generation will increase 19 percent between 2007 and 2030, due to new or expanded coal plants.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2008/2008-03-18-04.asp
http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/pub493.cfm
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_8622629

US Told to Go Green on Carbon Emissions or Lose EU Flights

European airlines are concerned that US carriers would have an unfair competitive advantage if they do not participate in the European carbon emissions trading scheme. Under the EU's Open Skies policy, which goes into effect on March 30, 2008, “EU states can suspend flights from the US to Europe if insufficient progress is made on a second phase by 2010". On March 14, EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said negotiations on a second phase for the treaty will include a demand that US carriers join the EU emissions trading scheme or an equivalent system in the United States. Discussions on a second phase with the US Department of Transportation begin in May. Barrot said the EU had the power to withdraw flying rights if a deal is not reached. The International Air Transport Association has warned that 170 countries oppose the move.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/15/carbonemissions.travel...
http://www.aircargonews.net/article.asp?art_id=3240

NAS Hosts Summit on America's Energy Future

On March 13-14, the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering held a summit to examine the increasing importance of energy policy to the nation's security, economic vitality, and environment. Rodney Nelson, Vice President, Schlumberger, and National Petroleum Council lead on carbon management said, "The challenge of significantly reducing CO2 emissions is unprecedented and will require: global, broad actions on multiple fronts; long time horizons; and major additional investments." Nelson added, “There can be no US energy security without global energy security.”
The summit informs a study under way entitled "America's Energy Future: Technology Opportunities, Risks, and Tradeoffs." The study will serve as a foundation for future studies related to energy research and development priorities, strategic energy technology development, and policy analysis. Different panels examined technologies in energy efficiency, alternative transportation fuels, and electricity generation from renewable energy sources. A committee of 25 experts will draw on the panel's findings to produce a final report expected by the end of 2008.
Click on the following links for the presentations and more information:
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/energysummit/energy_summit_agenda.html
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=03132008

Fish Key to Reef Climate Survival

Australian scientists have found that a healthy fish population could be the key to ensuring coral reefs survive the impacts of climate change, pollution, overfishing and other threats. "The Great Barrier Reef is still a resilient system. . . and herbivorous fish play a critical role in that regenerative capacity, by keeping the dead coral space free of algae, so that new juvenile coral can re-establish themselves," said Professor Terry Hughes from James Cook University in Townsville. His research group found that three times as much new coral developed in areas where fish were present as in areas were fish were kept away from the reef.
Click on the following link for more information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7306693.stm
Events
March 24, 2008 Solar Radiation, Cosmic Rays and GHGs: What's Driving Global Warming?
The American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) Environmental Science Seminar Series will hold a Congressional briefing to discuss the relative contributions from the sun, cosmic rays, and greenhouse gases to the observed climate warming in the late 20th century and what their expected contributions will be during the 21st Century. The briefing will be held on Monday, March 24 from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm in Room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. For more information contact Dr. Anthony Socci at (202) 737-9006, ext. 412 or socci@ametsoc.org or see:
http://www.ametsoc.org/atmospolicy/EnvironmentalScienceSeminarSeries.html

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