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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brought to you by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute Bush Advisor: Global Warming is Man-Made In an interview with the BBC, Presidential advisor John Marburger said that climate change is taking place and there is more than 90 percent certainty that it is due to man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As President Bush’s top science advisor and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, this comes as the White House’s strongest statement regarding the cause of climate change to date. "I think there is widespread agreement on certain basics,” Dr. Marburger said, “and one of the most important is that we are producing far more CO2 from fossil fuels than we ought to be.” This statement comes as President Bush prepares to host several leaders of both developed and developing nations in late September to discuss future action on global climate change. When asked about recommendations for national policy to address global warming, Dr. Marburger said, "It's not clear that we'll be in a position to predict the future accurately enough to make policy confidently for a long time." Click on the following link for more information:
APEC Leaders Reach Climate Deal Members of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) agreed September 8 to tackle global warming by reducing energy intensity in Pacific Rim nations at least 25 percent by 2030. Australian Prime Minister John Howard, whose country hosted the summit in Sydney, announced that "APEC leaders have charted a new international consensus for the region and the world." Additionally, APEC members pledge to increase forest cover in the region by at least 20 million hectares by the year 2020. Many environmental groups, however, criticized the agreement for its voluntary basis and the choice to reduce energy intensity, a measure of the amount of energy used to produce a dollar of gross domestic product, rather than reduce total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. "Without legally binding targets for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the Sydney declaration is irrelevant and meaningless in addressing climate change," Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Abigail Jabines said. Click on the following links for more information:
Judge Rules That States Can Regulate Auto GHG Emissions On September 12, a judge in Vermont ruled in favor of allowing states to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new cars and trucks, defeating an attempt by automakers to block state emissions standards. A group of automakers including General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers had sued the state of Vermont in order to block rules calling for a 30 percent reduction in GHG emissions by 2016. Members of the auto industry argued that complying with these regulations would require major technological advances and raise the prices of vehicles as much as $6,000 per automobile. U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III dismissed these claims in his ruling."The court remains unconvinced automakers cannot meet the challenge of Vermont and California's (greenhouse gas) regulations," he wrote. Meanwhile, environmentalists continue to press the Bush Administration to grant California a waiver from the EPA in order for its emissions standards to take effect. Doing so would allow Vermont and other states to adopt these same standards under the Clean Air Act. Without such a waiver, Judge Sessions wrote, the Vermont rules will be invalid. Click on the following links for more information: The National Governors Association (NGA) has announced plans to expand statewide regulations on GHG emissions and clean energy initiatives. In a news conference on September 12, Governors Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas unveiled a task force they will lead along with six other governors to promote renewable energy, conservation, and a reduction in GHG emissions through statewide policies. The US Department of Energy will provide $610,000 in support for this initiative. As chairman of NGA, Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) said that on energy issues, "We have a federal government that doesn't seem to want to move as fast or as bold as many would like.” With states creating their own emissions standards, Pawlenty said, there will be a push for the federal government to come up with a nationwide energy policy to address global warming. If enough states act to reduce GHG emissions, "it becomes a de facto national policy," he said. Click on the following links for more information: The USDA and the United States Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) have announced a 45-day period beginning September 11 for the public to comment on a climate change report addressing the effects of climate change. The report, titled "Synthesis and Assessment Product (SAP) 4.3: The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity" is led by the USDA and aims to address climate effects on agriculture over the next 25-50 years. This is the second draft of the report with 37 authors and has been peer reviewed by 14 scientists. The website http://www.climatescience.gov/ provides the full draft report and information on how to submit a comment. All comments are due by October 26, 2007. Click on the following link for more information: US Forest Service chief Abigail Kimbell has proposed using national forests to fight global warming in two ways: using its wood as a biofuel, while planting more trees to absorb CO2. The Forest Service estimates that US forests, which include both public and private, offset about 10 percent of the nation’s GHG emissions. Kimbell suggested doubling that amount by 2020, which the Forest Service said it is working on by replanting new forests in places that have been cleared by wildfires, floods, or other natural disasters. Additionally, the Forest Service chief advised using small-diameter trees and underbrush as sources of biofuels. Kimbell said, “With the technologies now becoming available, we could replace as much as 15 percent of our current gasoline consumption with ethanol from wood - and not just any wood, but wood that is not now being used for other purposes.” Under the Bush administration’s “Healthy Forests” law, much of this wood is required to be cleared already to reduce wildfires. Click on the following link for more information:
Climate Change Puts Mediterranean Sea at Risk, Study Warns As Italy prepared for a national conference on climate change, a report from its national Institute of Marine Research (ICRAM) has found that the Mediterranean Sea is indeed warming up and threatening the plant and animal species that live in it. Vincenzo Ferrara, an Italian government adviser on climate, told the conference that the Mediterranean is getting warmer and saltier as evaporation increases in the region. This could disrupt currents that replenish the sea with water from the Atlantic Ocean, creating a warm and stagnant body of water. In addition, ICRAM found that temperatures increases were reaching down into the depths of the Mediterranean, threatening the flow of nutrients that feeds much of the marine life in the sea. The study concluded that these temperature increases could eliminate “up to 50 percent of the species.” Click on the following links for more information:
Polar Bear Population Will Decline with Future Arctic Ice Loss The US Geological Survey has released a report showing that as Arctic sea ice loss increases in the coming years, polar bears in the region could lose up to two-thirds of their population by 2050. Polar bears use ice for hunting grounds, and the USGS report predicts a 40 percent loss of summer ice cover by the middle of the century, translating to a loss of two-thirds of the population. "The grim news about polar bears and sea ice decline is horrifying, but it is a call to action, not despair," said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity, whose group is petitioning to have the polar bear listed as an endangered species. Under the national Endangered Species Act, this would require the government to protect the polar bears’ habitat, which could lead to a measure to curb GHG emissions. The report was commissioned by the US government to help make this decision, and a final decision will be made in January 2008. Click on the following links for more information:
Warming May Be Hurting Gray Whales' Recovery Click on the following links for more information:
Arctic Sea Ice Cover at Record Low, Opens up Northwest Passage Arctic Sea ice levels reached a record low this summer and could decline even further by the end of October, scientists reported at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado. Ice pack levels are now at 4.24 million square kilometers—just under half the size of the continental United States—which is 20 percent lower than any other time in recent history. Mark Serreze, a senior research scientist at NSIDC, says that ice-free summers in the Arctic by 2030 are not unreasonable. Since 1979, when satellite data made estimating ice cover possible, Arctic ice has receded by an average of 38,000 square miles a year, he reports. A reduction in ice could also lead to an increase in shipping passages along the Northwest Passage. This summer, the drop in ice cover led to more traffic in the Arctic Sea, with many recreational and exploratory trips by members of bordering nations. In fact, scientists predict that such a significant drop in ice cover could open the passage to safe commercial shipping as early as the year 2020. Click on the following links for more information:
EESI Briefings September 20, 2007 Ecosystem Thresholds and Climate Tipping Points: Implications for Policymakers EESI invites you to learn about the impacts climate change is having on ecosystems, in particular those changes that are rapid, large, and potentially irreversible. We now have evidence that there may be thresholds that, once crossed, will present serious coping challenges to humans. This raises a major strategic challenge in the climate policy debate before this Congress: What concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere might lead to environmentally, socially and economically unacceptable impacts? The briefing will be held Thursday, September 20, from 3:00 – 4:30 PM at 210 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC.
September 21, 2007 What Does the Stern Review Mean for the UN Climate Change Meeting in Bali? EESI invites you to a Congressional briefing with Sir Nicholas Stern, to look at the shape of international climate change policy one year after the release of his highly recognized, "Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change." The Stern Review represented a key milestone in our understanding of the urgent need to take action and the associated costs of tackling climate change. The headline message that the cost of action would be far less than the cost of inaction was a catalyst for many governments to increase their efforts in the fight against global warming. The briefing will be held Friday, September 21, from 10:00-11:00 AM at 1334 Longworth House Office Building, Washington DC.
September 25, 2007 National and International Perspectives on Energy and Climate Policy: A Roundtable Discussion
September 26, 2007 The Daily Transit Pass: A Powerful Weapon to Combat Global Climate Change.
Events September 19, 2007 Update on Renewable Energy and Greenhouse Gases The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), in collaboration with the American Bar Association's (ABA) Renewable Energy Resources Committee, will host a teleconference entitled, “Washington Update on Renewable Energy and Greenhouse Gasess.” The Panel will feature leading representatives from the Senate and the House of Representatives who will provide their perspectives on current developments concerning renewable energy and climate change legislation and where the U.S. is headed later this year. The event takes place on Wednesday, September 19 from 12:00-1:30 pm ET. There is a $25 charge for this event. Click on the following link for more information: www.renewableenergyinfo.org
September 20, 2007 China, Energy and Climate Change Greenpeace will hold a briefing on what China is doing to curb greenhouse gas emissions, to discuss China's Renewable Energy law, and hear what still needs to be done. The briefing will be held on Thursday, September 20, from 2:00 – 3:00 PM at 2318 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC. For more information contact Kate Smolski, kate.smolski@wdc.greenpeace.org, (202) 319-2417. Quick Links * SUBSCRIBE to our newsletters and other products * ARCHIVE: Past issues of the newsletter are posted on our website under "publications" * SUPPORT EESI: This newsletter and EESI's other valuable work in energy, climate change, agriculture, transportation and smart growth are made possible through financial support from people like you. Please donate now.
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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