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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brought to you by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute
DNA Illuminates History of Greenland's Ice A study of Greenland's ice conducted by an international team of scientists has found DNA from plants and insects believed to be 450,000 to 800,000 years old. This suggests that the ice survived the last period of global warming, which occurred 120,000 years ago. "If our data is correct, then this means that the southern Greenland ice cap is more stable than previously thought," said Professor Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and one of the authors of the paper. "This may have implications for how the ice sheets respond to global warming." Professor Martin Sharp from the University of Alberta Canada and a co-author of the paper said, "What we've learned is that this part of the world was significantly warmer than most people thought." Other scientists caution that natural warming during the past “interglacial period” was more gradual than the anthropogenic warming taking place today. “Whatever occurred in the past almost surely occurred much more slowly,” said Raymond Bradley, director of the Climate System Research Center at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. “Human activity is pushing warming at a much faster rate than in the past. Change is occurring in decades or centuries, not over millennia.” The results of the study are published in the July 6 issue of the journal Science. Click on the following links for more information: On July 2, a consortium of Florida utilities abandoned plans to construct the Taylor Energy Center, a controversial 800 megawatt coal-fired power plant, because of concerns about global warming. The decision was announced by Florida Governor Charlie Crist during a news conference where he promised to "identify specific actions" that Florida can take to address climate change. "We've got to have power. We know that, " Crist said. "But to continue to rely on foreign oil and coal, I don't think is in the best interests of our state." The utilities' decision was made after six months of meetings with Chris Kise, one of Christ's top aides. Kise explained the governor's concerns about climate change and the greenhouse gas emissions from coal burning plants. "They got a sense of where the governor's leadership is on the environmental considerations, " said Kise. The four utilities involved in the Taylor County plant were "very receptive to the governor's message about climate change, " Kise said. Taylor project spokesman Mark McCain said Kise didn't tell anyone what to do, but "we shared information about the project and how it compares with other options." As a result, he said, utilities officials realized that "climate change is becoming a major issue in Florida." Click on the following link for more information: Florida Governor Charlie Crist welcomed over 600 participants and 200 members of the media to the Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change, held in Miami on July 12-13. Keynote speakers for the summit included California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Theodore Roosevelt IV, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. “Global climate change is one of the most important issues we face this century, and we must take action,” Governor Crist said. “We must make every effort to boldly do our best to do what is right – for our environment, for our economy, and for future generations. We have a responsibility to be good stewards of Florida's natural resources and beautiful surroundings.... Florida is uniquely vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Bordered by bodies of water, our state has thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and waterways. Our waters define our state's identity, and global climate change can threaten that identity.” Governor Crist also called for Florida to become a leader in renewable and alternative energies such as ethanol and biofuels, solar, and wind energy.
Wen Calls for “Sense of Crisis and Urgency” on Climate Change On July 10, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that China needs to be accountable for its greenhouse gas emissions and must urgently combat climate change. "The situation we are facing is very grim," Wen said, according to state television. "So we must have a strong sense of crisis and urgency. The work is a test of the government's accountability and also the responsibility China should bear for the international community." The reports did not give specifics on China's plan to protect the environment, but China has a goal of improving energy efficiency in 2010 by 20 percent over 2005 levels. Click on the following links for more information: A group of scientists organized by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have explored the source of the Yangtze River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and found that glaciers there are rapidly melting. "The glaciers at the source of the Yangtze River are shrinking much faster than we had anticipated," said Li Yajie, a scientist with the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who visited the area in the 1980s and again in the 1990s. "There are four stages in the disappearance of a glacier. Sadly, this glacier is already in the last stage." The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau used to hold 50,000 square kilometers of glaciers which feed several of the major rivers in China and Southeast Asia. In the past 100 years, the area of these glaciers has shrunk by 30 percent. The melting glaciers will impact roads, water supply, and plant and animal life. "Whether it's the air, the land, the water or the fauna and flora, we still don't know enough about Tibet," Li said. "But we have to act now to protect that unique and vulnerable environment.'' Click on the Following Links for More Information:
Alcan Endorses UN Climate Change Statement Global materials company Alcan Inc. announced on July 5 that it has signed the UN Global Compact's "Caring for Climate: The Business Leadership Platform" statement. "Alcan is pleased to join the more than 150 signatories of the Global Compact's statement on climate change," said Dick Evans, President and CEO of Alcan Inc. "At Alcan, we firmly believe that climate change is a truly global issue, and therefore we need to combat the negative impacts of climate change on a global level. This statement clearly articulates the urgent need for all sectors around the world to work together towards the common objective of advancing practical climate change solutions," Evans said. Mathieu Bouchard, Vice President of Business Sustainability for Alcan Inc. endorsed the declaration on Alcan's behalf. "Alcan believes that a market-based solution, such as an emissions trading system, is an effective way to address climate change. This statement from the UN Global Compact's participants recognizes this and urges governments to facilitate these systems with clear and effective legislation," Bouchard said. Alcan Inc. has 68,000 employees in 61 countries and regions. The company posted revenues of $23.6 billion in 2006. Click on the following links for more information. On July 6, New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine signed the "Global Warming Response Act," distinguishing his state as the third in the union to enact a comprehensive greenhouse gas reduction law. The legislation requires the state to reduce global warming gases to 1990 levels by 2020, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 2006 levels by 2050. Former vice president Al Gore was present when the bill was signed. Passage of these laws can "inspire hope and build the enthusiasm necessary to get this crisis solved.... It's great to be able to tell 'em in every country that ... state governments are beginning to take the lead, cities are beginning to take the lead, and citizens of this country are beginning to take the lead," Gore said. "This is a very, very important day for the state of New Jersey," said Corzine. "We are making a long-lived commitment today that will impact not just our generation but future generations.'' Some businesses are critical of the new law. "New Jersey acting alone is not going to solve global warming," said Sara Bluhm, assistant vice president for energy affairs with the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. "Instead of setting arbitrary goals, the governor could do something today to help businesses remain competitive by releasing funds for energy audits,'' Bluhm said. In spite of such criticism, the bill passed with bipartisan support in the state legislature. California and Hawaii have adopted similar laws, and eight other states are considering them. Click on the following links for more information: On July 10 The U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) announced the release of the second in a series of 21 Synthesis and Assessment (S&A) reports. Coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), this S&A 2.1 report is titled “Scenarios of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Atmospheric Concentrations, and Review of Integrated Scenario Development and Application.” According to a DOE press release, the two part report “provides a new long-term, global reference for greenhouse gas stabilization scenarios and an evaluation of the process by which scenarios are developed and used.” Part A, “Scenarios of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Atmospheric Concentrations,” uses three integrated assessment models to evaluate four alternative stabilization levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the implications to energy and the economy for achieving each level. Part B, “Global-Change Scenarios: Their Development and Use,” examines how scenarios have been developed and used in global climate change applications, evaluates the effectiveness of current scenarios, and recommends ways to make future scenarios more useful. “All three models agree that widespread deployment of new energy technologies will be essential to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions on an appreciable scale,” said John Houghton, DOE’s Office of Science Program Manager and Lead Coordinator for the CCSP 2.1 Report. “I applaud the efforts of DOE and the authors of this excellent assessment,” said Acting Director of the CCSP Dr. William J. Brennan. “With the development of each S&A report, CCSP’s focused efforts are making true breakthroughs in answering and addressing how our planet’s climate is changing. The authors of 2.1 have incorporated advances made in economics and natural sciences to update emission scenarios – the first time since IPCC’s Third Assessment five years ago. This alone is a huge benefit to the scientific community, and the results deserve close analysis by policy makers.” Click on the following link for more information: Australian Prime Minister John Howard promised in June to release targets for cuts in greenhouse emissions by 2008 and impose a carbon-trading program by 2012. The move is likely to increase the cost of coal-fired electricity, which will impact the carbon intensive companies that process and export Australia's natural resources. Deutsche Bank predicts that a carbon trading scheme could decrease the Australian stock market's capitalization by six to seven percent, and that a carbon tax of 40 Australian dollars (US$34.31) per metric ton, if applied this year, could cut some firms' earnings by nearly 50 percent. Aluminum producers, steelmakers, coal-fired electricity generators, transport companies and bulding-material stocks, all emissions heavy industries, are likely to be hurt by a carbon-trading program. "We compete with steel companies in Asia and if there is no carbon pricing in Asia, it is yet another cost differential that we have to bear to be able to compete," said Mark Gell, a spokesman for OneSteel, Australia's second largest steelmaker. Uranium miners and companies that produce power from renewable sources should benefit. "Companies with exposure to clean energy will see the value of their assets increase relative to those emitting high amounts of carbon," said Credit Suisse analyst Adnan Kucukalic. Click on the following link for more information: On July 10, Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) unveiled the “Low Carbon Economy Act,” a new climate change proposal that they hope will form the basis of a bipartisan compromise on climate change. The bill includes a “cap-and-trade” proposal that limits CO2 emissions to 2006 levels in 2020 and to 1990 levels in 2030. The proposal grants permits to all emitting industries, including oil refineries, natural gas processing plants, manufacturing facilities and coal-burning power plants, and allows additional emissions permits to be purchased. There is a limit to the price industry will have to pay for the permits, a so-called “safety-valve” of $12 per ton of CO2. The money from the permits will be used to finance research into clean energy, mitigate the effects of global warming, compensate farmers for higher fuel costs and help low-income families pay their utility bills. Under the bill, the United States would market green technology to China, India, Brazil and other developing nations to help them reduce their carbon emissions. It would also impose tariff-like fees on imports of carbon-intensive products like steel and automobiles from those countries if the president deemed their cleanup efforts inadequate. ''The goal was to put forward a proposal that takes into account the current science and encourages the technology that will be needed to address this problem,'' said Sen. Bingaman. ''We also think this proposal can get broad enough bipartisan support that we can actually enact it in this Congress.'' Click on the following links for more information:
Global Warming Threatens the Northeastern United States A report released July 11 by the Union of Concerned Scientists examines the potential consequences of global warming in the northeast United States, and warns of dramatic environmental impact if the current trends in greenhouse gas emissions continue. Winters would be on average 8-12°F warmer by the end of the century, summers 6-14°F warmer, and major coastal cities would experience severe flooding. "The bad news is that the character of the Northeast will change dramatically under the business-as-usual scenario," said Peter Frumhoff of the scientists' group and one of the report's lead authors. "But on the other side, we say that the worst of the damage can be mitigated if we act soon." The report states that aggressive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions worldwide will be necessary for the Northeast to avoid substantial climate change. Richer nations would have to cut their carbon dioxide emissions by mid-century to 80 percent below 2000 levels, and developing nations would have to make deep cuts, too. The report will be published in the journal Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change. Click on the following links for more information:
IUGG Issues Resolution on Climate Change Meeting in its XXIV General Assembly in Perugia, Italy from 2-13 July 2007, the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), the umbrella organization for international associations for the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, hydrosphere and other geosciences, approved a resolution put forth by the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS), regarding the urgency of addressing climate change. The resolution focuses on the need for urgency in taking action, both by limiting emissions to slow climate change and by preparing for the inevitable changes that lie ahead due to past emissions. Rather than restate the science in detail, the resolution identifies steps that it encourages nations, planners, the scientific community, and others to take action, encourages scientists to speak out on the importance of this issue, and commits IUGG to building up its communication and outreach efforts, as it does in making the public aware of hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. IUGG has 58 national members. Click the following link for more information: A July 10 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) assesses the effects of global warming on water supplies in the West. The researchers say that as the hotter, drier weather already afflicting the region becomes the norm, officials responsible for keeping the taps flowing will need bold measures to improve conservation and efficiency. “Global warming will make it harder for farms and cities to find water,” said Barry Nelson, study co-author and co-director of NRDC’s western water project. “The latest global warming science is clear: drought-like conditions are likely to increase. This means that conservation and water use efficiency will become our most important sources of new water supply.” For example, water use in the City of Los Angeles has remained steady for 30 years despite dramatic population growth thanks to investments such as low flow showerheads and toilets. The city can save even more water through programs promoting drought tolerant landscaping. Click on the following links for more information:
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Fredric Beck This EESI publication is a free, weekly electronic newsletter intended to inform interested parties, particularly the policymaker community, of the latest climate change-related news. Permission for reproduction of this newsletter is granted provided that EESI is properly acknowledged as the source. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute is a non-profit organization established in 1984 by a bipartisan, bicameral group of members of Congress to provide timely information on energy and environmental policy issues to policymakers and stakeholders and develop innovative policy solutions that set us on a cleaner, more secure and sustainable energy path. |
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