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
July 27, 2007
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EPA Finds Little Economic Impact from Lieberman-McCain Emissions Plan

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that a proposal by Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ) to cap US greenhouse gas emissions would reduce US GDP by no more than 1.6 percent by 2030. The proposed legislation, the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007 (CSIA, S. 280), aims to cut CO2  emissions to 35 percent of 1990 levels by 2050. On June 27, both Senators announced that they would introduce a new bipartisan, economy-wide, cap-and-trade climate bill based on the CSIA by early August. "While no economic model predicts the future perfectly, EPA's projections are informative and useful," Lieberman said. "Senator Warner and I will use this analysis as we put together new bipartisan legislation designed to attract majority support on our global warming subcommittee."

"As the results of this EPA analysis demonstrate, the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act provides a valuable roadmap for finding a sound solution to the most difficult environmental challenge of our time," McCain said. "Our legislation would not only address the environmental concerns of climate change, but would also serve as a stimulus for new technology development and deployment.'' The EPA analysis showed that the CISA, if enacted this year, could hold the concentration of GHG's in the atmosphere below 500 parts per million. This concentration was cited by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as needed to avoid a high risk of catastrophic global warming.

Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN2423144520070724
http://lieberman.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=279612
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/economicanalyses.html#s280

 

U.N. Chief Takes on Global Warming

On July 26, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the United States to take the lead in combating global warming. "The whole planet earth is at a crucial juncture," Ban told an audience at an event organized by the World Affairs Council of Northern California. "Time is of essence. The cost of inaction will be far greater than the cost of action."

Ban said he has made climate change a top priority of his tenure as secretary-general and has invited world leaders, including President Bush, to attend a high-level U.N. conference to discuss global warming in September. The United Nations "should be at the forefront of generating strong political will" needed to confront global warming, but the United States -- as a major emitter of greenhouse gases and a leader in technological innovation -- is in the best position to bring change, he said. "If you take leadership, I think we can save this planet earth from plunging into a very difficult situation."

Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nationandworld/ci_6477878?nclick_check=1
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=23353&Cr=Climate&Cr1=change

 

Bush Considers Emission Caps

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Bush administration is considering economy-wide emissions caps as a possible strategy to address climate change. The administration has opposed such caps in the past, but faces increasing pressure from US businesses and the international community to curb greenhouse gas emissions. An Energy Department advisory panel that includes a number of oil-industry executives has called for an economy-wide mechanism, and a bipartisan coalition led by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced a bill in July that has the support of labor unions and electric utilities. The administration has also agreed to international negotiations among major emissions to develop an agreement to succeed the Kyoto accord.

Click on the following link for more information:
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB118514546049774399-lMyQjAxMDE3ODI1MzEyNDM1Wj.html

 

Increased Rain Linked to Global Warming

An international team of scientists has established a link between changing rainfall patterns and global warming. The scientists showed that human influence has caused an increase annual average rainfall in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and a decrease in India and parts of Africa. "We show that anthropogenic forcing has had a detectable influence on observed changes in average precipitation within latitudinal bands," the researchers wrote in their paper, which was published in the July 26 issue of the journal Nature. "These changes cannot be explained by internal climate variability or natural forcing," the scientists said. The team cited an increase in greenhouse gases and sulphate aerosols in the atmosphere as major drivers of the change. Natural factors such as volcanic eruptions contributed to a lesser extent. "This study shows that there has been a significant human effect on global rainfall patterns, with human influence causing a decrease in rainfall in some regions, and an increase in rainfall in others," said co-author Nathan Gillett of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia.

Click on the following links for more information:
http://environment.independent.co.uk/climate_change/article2793067.ece
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6912527.stm

 

Rep. Markey Calls for Consumer Protection in Carbon Offset Market

Chairman Edward Markey (D-MA) of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming sent a letter on July 18 to Chairman Platt Majoras of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as a first step towards regulating the growing market in voluntary carbon offsets. The $100 million/year commodities market is still largely unregulated. "These aren’t just consumer commodities, they’re climate commodities," said Markey. "Protecting consumers on carbon offsets also protects the planet." In the letter, Markey asked the Federal Trade Commission to evaluate existing guidelines for environmentally-friendly products and look for additional ways to apply those guidelines to the carbon offset market. "Consumers who buy carbon offsets are doing so because they want to be part of the solution," Markey said. "We need to make sure these responsible consumers are getting what they pay for." Markey sent a similar letter to EPA on July 27.
 
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/global_warming/July18offsetFTC.shtml
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/global_warming/July27LetterEPA.shtml
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43166/story.htm

 

Governors Commit to Clean Energy

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty took over chairmanship of the National Governors' Association (NGA) on July 23. His goal for the coming year – Securing a Clean Energy Future – has wide support among governors. Many have introduced clean energy initiatives or joined in regional associations to limit greenhouse gas emissions. "America is at a tipping point," said Governor Pawlenty, a Republican. "Our country is too dependent on imported sources of energy and greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow too quickly. Governors have a tremendous opportunity to lead the country toward a cleaner, more independent, more secure energy future." The initiative will promote the production of cleaner domestic fuels, encourage advanced electricity generation, and support research and development of clean energy technologies.

Several governors expressed concern over climate issues. In a July 22 panel on global climate change, Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., of Utah, a Republican who chairs the NGA Natural Resources Committee said, "Global climate change is one of the most pressing issues our nation is currently facing." New Mexico Governor and committee vice-chair Bill Richardson said ''Americans are concerned about global climate change and its threat to our way of life." The Bush administration was represented on the panel by US EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. He defended the Bush administration's plan of developing a coordinated response to climate change among federal agencies by the end of 2008.

Click on the following link for more information:
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2007/2007-07-23-09.asp

 

Sens. Landrieu, Graham, Lincoln, and Warner Introduce Bill to Reduce Economic Impact of Climate Legislation

On July 24, Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and John Warner (R-VA), introduced bipartisan legislation intended to protect consumers and businesses from undue costs and economic instability that may result from climate change legislation. The measure creates a Carbon Market Efficiency Board, modeled on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, to regulate the market for carbon allowances. The board will have significant authority over the number of allowances industries can borrow and will be able to lower the interest rate for borrowing allowances. ''If we are going to address climate change in a meaningful legislative way, it is vital that Louisiana businesses and consumers remain protected from an untested energy market that, without proper controls, could prove to be very volatile,'' Sen. Landrieu said. ''The Carbon Market Efficiency Board will be the new market’s watchdog and will ensure that climate change legislation will effectively reduce the dangers of global warming without destabilizing the economy or hurting consumers.''
 
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.senate.gov/~warner/pressoffice/pressreleases/20070724.htm
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/washington/news.aspx?id=41323
http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/institute/carboncosts/

 

Increased Ozone Hurting Plants

A team of scientists has found that rising levels of ozone near the ground are damaging the ability of plants to take up carbon dioxide. This reduces plants' potential to limit the accumulation of greenhouse gases. Led by Stephen Sitch, a climate scientist at the Met Office Hadley Center for Climate Change in Britain, the researchers found that plants can absorb up to one-third less carbon dioxide than healthy plants after sustained exposure to high levels of ozone. The study, published online by the journal Nature, found that North America, Europe, China and India would experience the largest reduction in carbon absorption. Ozone pollution in the United States is particularly high downwind of industrial areas, especially in the eastern states, Southern California, and parts of Texas. "It points out a real gap in our knowledge of climate change," said David Karnosky, a global change scientist at Michigan Technological University who was not associated with the study. In those areas where ozone is a very large driver, the capability of those trees planted to sequester carbon is going to be limited.''

Click on the following link for more information:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-ozone26jul26,0,2308769.story?coll=la-home-center

 

Australian Capital Territory Announces $100m to Fight Climate Change

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government has announced a $100 million plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent of 2000 levels by 2050. The plan requires all electricity retailers to provide 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2010 and fifteen percent by 2020. Schools will be given $20 million over 10 years to reduce their emissions, and $20 million will be dedicated to increasing energy efficiency in public housing. ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said, "The government is determined to provide strong and effective leadership when it comes to tackling this global challenge, but this strategy will not succeed without the commitment of all Canberrans, without a pledge from every one of us to make changes in our own lives and behaviors.... We have an inescapable responsibility to future generations to address the problem now. However significant the cost might seem, it is a manageable cost. The price of delay or worse, of inaction, would be many times greater."

Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/ACT-govt-spends-100m-on-climate-change/2007/07/27/1185339245538.html
http://www.tams.act.gov.au/live/sustainability/climate/weathering_the_change

 

EPA Head Testifies on California Waiver

Stephen Johnson, head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was criticized by Senate Democrats for delaying a decision on whether to let California regulate global warming emissions from cars and light trucks. In a July 26 hearing of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said, "I fail to understand why it should take the agency until December, a total of two years, to decide this waiver request. In 30 years EPA has granted over 50 waiver requests and has never denied one.... Deciding this issue should not take so long."

California has passed a law requiring that cars and light trucks cut greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent by 2020. The Supreme Court ruled in April that the EPA has the authority to regulate greenhouse gases, and California has applied for a waiver from the EPA to implement the new law.  The agency has received more than 60,000 responses to its call for public comment on the matter. Johnson said that the EPA is conducting a ''rigorous analysis'' of the comments, but Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) said that Johnson was "foot-dragging," and added, "The environment cannot wait any longer."

Click on the following links for more information:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2007-07-26T204459Z_01_N26444475_RTRIDST_0_CLIMATE-USA-EMISSIONS.XML
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_id=b6bcbe43-802a-23ad-4604-99396e77dfbd

 

Global Warming Threatens Ugandan Coffee Farmers

Coffee growers in Uganda blame global warming for decreased coffee production, and experts say that temperatures will continue to rise. "Climate change has affected coffee production already," said Philip Gitao, executive director of the East African Fine Coffees Association. Changing rainfall patterns mean the crop has less time to mature. "If the coffee beans face a lot of sunshine and less rain, the beans will be smaller and in lower yields," said Ronald Buule, a central Ugandan coffee farmer. "We are worried about the temperature, but we have limited resources."

According the the Ugandan report on climate change released in mid 2007, a rise in average temperatures of just 3.6°F would make most of Uganda unsuitable for coffee. This is at the low end of the change that the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted by the end of the century. Coffee requires cool temperatures and ample water. Philip Gwage, Uganda's deputy commissioner of meteorology, has said that changing precipitation patterns could reduce the land area suitable for coffee farming by 90 percent. Neighboring countries including Kenya and Tanzania would also be affected.

Click on the following link for more information:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070724-uganda-coffee.html

 

Small Glaciers and Ice Caps to Dominate Sea Level Rise

According to according to a University of Colorado at Boulder study published online in Science, July 19, ice loss to the sea currently accounts for virtually all of sea-level rise not attributable to ocean warming; about 60 percent of the ice loss is from small glaciers and ice caps rather than from the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica. The contribution of these smaller glaciers has accelerated over the last decade, in part due to dramatic thinning and retreat of marine-terminating glaciers.

the CU-Boulder team estimated Greenland is now contributing about 28 percent of the total global sea rise from ice loss and Antarctica is contributing about 12 percent. Greenland is not expected to catch up to glaciers and ice caps in terms of sea level rise contributions until the end of the century, according to the study. The team estimated accelerating melt of glaciers and ice caps could add from 4 inches to 9.5 inches of additional sea level rise globally by 2100. This does not include the expansion of warming ocean water, which could potentially double those numbers.

Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070719143502.htm
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn12295-melting-glaciers-will-dominate-sealevel-rise.html
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1143906v1

 

Wind Power Offsets More Than 40 Million Tons of CO2 in 2006

According to a report from the Worldwatch Institute, the 15,200 megawatts of new wind turbines installed worldwide last year will generate enough electricity annually to offset the carbon dioxide emissions of 23 average-sized US coal-fired power plants. The 43 million tons of carbon dioxide displaced in 2006 is equivalent to the emissions of 7,200 megawatts of coal-fired power plants, or nearly 8 million passenger cars. Worldwatch Senior Researcher Janet Sawin said, "Wind power is on track to soon play a major role in reducing fossil fuel dependence and slowing the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. If the wind market quadruples over the next nine years—a highly plausible scenario—wind power could be reducing global emissions growth by 20 percent in 2015."

Click on the following link for more information:
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5258

 

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