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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brought to you by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute Obama Proposes Capping Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Making Polluters Pay On October 8, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) announced his plan, including a cap-and-trade system on carbon emissions, to address climate change and energy independence. If elected, Sen. Obama said he would place a cap on carbon emissions and require businesses to purchase credits for emitting pollutants into the air. Sen. Obama reported that with his plan the United States will reduce their carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. “No business will be allowed to emit any greenhouse gases for free,” Sen. Obama said. “Businesses don’t own the sky, the public does, and if we want them to stop polluting it, we have to put a price on all pollution.” Additionally, Sen. Obama proposed investing $150 billion dollars over ten years to develop new energy technology and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Click on the following links for more information:
Gore and UN Panel Win Nobel Peace Prize for Climate Work The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to former Vice-President Al Gore and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on October 12 for their work to alert the world on the effects of climate change. Ole Danbolt Mjoes, director of the Nobel Committee in Oslo, Norway, said they were honored for “their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about manmade climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.” Upon receiving the award, Mr. Gore said, “I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue; it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity.” Rajendra K. Pachauri, the scientist who leads the IPCC committee, said, “The message that it sends is that the Nobel Prize committee realized the value of knowledge in tackling the problem of climate change and the fact that the IPCC has an established record of producing knowledge and an impartial and objective assessment of climate change.” Click on the following links for more information: On October 11, the EPA announced plans to create new regulations for sequestering CO2 into deep rock formations for long-term storage. The EPA will develop its regulations for its Underground Injection Control (UIC) program by the summer of 2008. The UIC program was established under the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure the safe injection of fluids underground so that it does not endanger current or future underground sources of drinking water. “By harnessing the power of geologic sequestration technology, we are entering a new age of clean energy—where we can be both good stewards of the Earth, and good stewards of the American economy,” EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said. Click on the following links for more information: On October 9, the Deputy Secretary of Energy Clay Sell announced that the Department of Energy awarded the first three large-scale carbon sequestration projects in the United States. The three projects, which are the first of several DOE Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships, will conduct large volume tests for the storage of one million or more tons of CO2 in deep saline reservoirs. The DOE plans to invest $197 million over ten years into these projects, in partnership with 27 states and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. “Successful demonstration of large volume carbon capture and storage technology plays a key role in achieving President Bush’s goals for a cleaner energy future,” Mr. Sell said. The three formations selected for this project have the potential to store over one hundred years’ worth of CO2 emissions from North America, the DOE reported. Click on the following link for more information: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the San Francisco Bay area is considering adding a 10-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax to help tackle climate change. This tax increase could raise an estimated $300 million each year, which could go to transportation-related projects, officials said. “There are a lot of folks out there talking about wanting to do something about global warming," said Randy Rentschler, the manager of legislation and public affairs for the commission. Although this action alone does not do much to address the problem, “It can serve as a model for other places to follow," he said. In order for the proposed gas tax to move forward, the commission has to place a proposal for the gasoline tax increase on the ballot for voters in the Bay Area, at the earliest in 2009. Click on the following link for more information: Several multinational companies are joining together to encourage suppliers to report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Members of the new group called the Supply Chain Leadership Coalition, which includes Procter & Gamble (P&G), Nestle, and Unilever, announced on October 9 their intent to press suppliers for data on GHG emissions. “Everybody who uses energy will be impacted if energy prices go up, from the oil wells through the farms and factories, all the way through the retailers to our consumers,” said Bill Greggs, an associate director in P&G's global sustainability group. Many US and international companies see future GHG emissions standards as inevitable, and are therefore choosing to measure and regulate their emissions in advance of new legislation. Click on the following link for more information:
Shipping Pollution ‘Far More Damaging Than Flying,’ UN Group Reports Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping are nearly double the amount of that from aviation, new research has shown. The International Maritime Organization, the UN body set up to regulate shipping, recently established a working group to look at the effects that shipping has on climate change. GHG emissions from shipping were once estimated to be around 600 million tons per year, but a new study for the UN group by Intertanko, the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners, shows that the true amount is closer to one billion tons per year. This is much higher than the reported 650 million tons per year that is emitted by the aviation industry. Because the shipping industry has been growing 4.5 percent annually and its emissions have been largely unregulated, many policymakers see emissions regulations in this industry as a quick way to address climate change. “Shipping has not yet been regulated and for politicians it is the last low hanging fruit,” Bill Box from Intertanko said. Click on the following link for more information: A study published in the October 11 issue of Nature reports that from 1976 to 2004, when the world's average surface temperature rose 0.49°C, global levels of atmospheric water vapor rose 2.2 percent. “This humidity change is an important contribution to heat stress in humans as a result of global warming,” said Nathan Gillett of the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, a lead scientist in the study. Although humidity increased throughout most of the world, including the eastern United States, areas such as the western United States, South Africa, and parts of Australia became drier. The rise in humidity is due to the fact that warmer air can hold more moisture, scientists reported, and this rise in temperature can be traced to the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases over the past several decades. A separate study conducted at the Ohio State University (OSU) looked at temperature trends in the state of Ohio and found that nighttime temperatures have risen by about 1.7°C since the 1960s. Jeffrey Rogers, a professor of geography at OSU who led the study, found that specific humidity and nighttime cloud cover have also increased. “The moisture in the air keeps the heat in. It's literally an enhanced greenhouse effect with all that humidity here in the summer,” Prof. Rogers said. Due to carbon cap-and-trade markets emerging around the globe, many entrepreneurs have begun looking into ways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These reductions can then be sold as credits. Using new crops that emit less GHGs could allow farmers to sell carbon credits to companies that do not meet their required emissions standards. Eric Rey, president and chief executive of Arcadia Biosciences, is currently working on a genetically-engineered rice crop that requires less nitrogen fertilizer, a huge cost to farmers and source of GHGs. “Here's an opportunity for farmers to make more money, for us to be more profitable and for the environment to benefit. It's a triple win,” he said. Agriculture contributes about 14 percent of global GHG emissions, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported. Click on the following link for more information: Byron Kennard, a contributor to Fortune Small Business, reports that because America’s 26 million small businesses make up half the economy, they are in a position to make a significant impact in reducing energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions through efficient practices. Small businesses consume half of the energy used for commercial and industrial purposes, and approximately 30 percent of that energy is wasted due to inefficiencies, Kennard notes. The National Small Business Association has started an initiative challenging entrepreneurs across the country to reduce energy use by 10 percent or more through increased efficiency. This can have significant financial benefits, Kennard notes, as increased energy efficiency would save small businesses billions of dollars each year. Click on the following link for more information:
Johnson Controls Helps Deliver Zero Energy, Zero Carbon Building Integrated Design Associates (IDeAs) opened its new headquarters October 5, exhibiting one of the first zero-energy, zero carbon commercial buildings the nation. Johnson Controls recently completed the design and installation in a refurbished bank building with a unique heat pump-based HVAC system and controls and solar panels on its roof. The building is designed to generate as much electricity as it uses. “We are very excited to have contributed to one of the first net-zero energy commercial buildings,” said Clay Nesler, Vice President of Global Energy and Sustainability for Johnson Controls. “This project is a shining example of what is possible when using the solutions and technologies of today to create facilities that truly set the standard for energy efficiency.” Click on the following link for more information:
EESI Briefings The Energy and Environmental Study Institute (EESI) is holding a Congressional briefing entitled "Solar Decathlon Showcases Green Homes for Today: How Energy Bill Provisions Can Support High-Performance Homes." Speakers are Rhone Resch (SEIA), Dr. Kaye Brubaker, (UMD) Bill Nesmith (OR Energy office) and Lowell Ungar (ASE). The briefing will be held Wednesday, October 17, from 1:00-2:30 PM in Room 2322, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC. Contact Fred Beck at fbeck@eesi.org or 202.662.1892.
EVENTS October 12-20, 2007 Solar Decathlon 2007 The Solar Decathlon is a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The Solar Decathlon is also an event to which the public is invited to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency, and the best in home design. It takes place October 12-20, 11:00 am-3:00 pm weekdays, 10:00 am-5:00 pm weekends on the National Mall, Washington, DC, between 10th and 14th Streets. See www.solardecathlon.org for more information.
October 17, 2007 Energy Efficiency Teleconference This teleconference, entitled "What's New in Energy Efficiency: Emerging Regulatory, Market and Policy Measures," will focus on three important efforts in the field: the EPA/DOE-sponsored National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency; the growth and use of a “white tags” trading market in the states; and the use of energy efficiency techniques to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The conference will take place on October 17 from 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm ET. Register on line at www.acore.org/renewableenergyinfo. There is a $25.00 fee. The Center for Small Business and the Environment (CSBE) and the National Small Business Association (NSBA) are sponsoring a Congressional briefing on climate initiatives that produce incremental solutions, aggregate many small gains, and secure immediate greenhouse gas emission reductions. The briefing will be held Friday, October 26 from 10 AM - 12 Noon in Room 428-A, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC. For more information contact Byron Kennard at (202) 332-6875.
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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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