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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brought to you by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Lieberman and Warner Introduce America's Climate Security Act of 2007 On October 18, Senators Joseph I. Lieberman (ID-CT) and John W. Warner (R-VA), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection, introduced cap-and-trade legislation to address climate change. The bill, “America’s Climate Security Act” (S.2191), is described as “the core of a new federal program that Congress should pass to avert catastrophic global climate change while enhancing America's energy security.” Details of the bill include an emissions cap that would cap emissions at the 2005 level in 2012 and decrease annually, reaching 1990 levels in 2020 and 65 percent below 1990 levels in 2050. A portion of the allocations for emissions will be given away in the early stages of the plan, but 73 percent of the emissions allocations will be auctioned by 2036. “With all the irrefutable evidence we now have corroborating that climate change is real, dangerous, and proceeding faster than many scientists predicted, this is the year for Congress to move this critical legislation,” said Sen. Lieberman. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, plans to mark up the legislation this fall as a central portion of the Senate’s plan to address climate change. Click on the following links for more information:
Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act Introduced On October 17, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced a bill that addresses the effects climate change has on America’s wildlife. Sen. Sheldon called global warming the single greatest threat to the world’s natural environment and said, “As we work to mitigate the causes of global warming, we must also take urgent action to address its effects on wildlife, oceans, and other natural systems on which we all depend.” Key components of the bill include setting national strategies to address climate change’s impact on wildlife and oceans, creating advisory panels to share scientific research and advice, and providing grants and other federal resources to help states protect wildlife and marine ecosystems. In August, the House of Representatives passed the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act (H.R.2338) as part of its larger energy bill. Click on the following links for more information: Among Republican candidates, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee support a cap-and-trade program that has been introduced in the Senate, with Sen. McCain additionally promising to demand higher fuel standards from the automobile industry. Alternatively, former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney are focusing their attention on clean coal and other alternative energy sources. “Ethanol, biodiesel, clean coal, nuclear power, more refineries, conservation,” Mr. Giuliani said. “There’s no one single solution. But each one of these has to be expanded 10 percent, 15 percent, 20 percent.” Click on the following links for more information:
Republican Candidate Mike Huckabee Endorses Cap-and-Trade Former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee announced on October 13 that he is supporting an economy-wide cap-and-trade program. “It goes to the moral issue,” Mr. Huckabee said. “We have a responsibility to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, to conserve energy, to find alternative forms of energy that are renewable and sustainable and environmentally friendly.” The program, which has been introduced in the Senate and is co-authored by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), would create a market for buying and selling permits to allow CO2 emissions. Click on the following link for more information: On October 10, the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science and Technology convened a hearing to examine the melting of the permafrost and sea ice in the Arctic and the destruction of the boreal forests, as they relate to global warming and the survival of the polar bear population. Particular attention was given to the potential of ecological tipping points to accelerate climate change. “Rapid Arctic ice and permafrost melt are the kind of events with cascading effects that tip the planet’s climate into an uncontrollable cycle of warming,” said Subcommittee Chairman Brad Miller (D-NC). Witness testimony emphasized that many scientists’ climate predictions are conservative. “This is science; it is not revealed truth and there are of course some uncertainties ... We have not yet found a lot better, but we have found the possibility of a lot worse,” said Dr. Richard Alley, Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at the University of Pennsylvania State University and a member of the IPCC. Kassie R. Siegel, director of the Climate, Air, and Energy Program for the Center for Biological Diversity, urged Congress to address black carbon and methane emissions as part of a short term plan to mitigate climate change. Click on the following links for more information: Sunflower Electric Power Corp. wanted to build two 700-megawatt coal-fired generators at an existing plant near Holcomb, Kan. Most of the electricity produced by the plant would serve out-of-state customers in Colorado and other states. Kansas state law allows the secretary to deny a permit if he concludes that an unregulated emission — in this case carbon dioxide — poses a threat to health or environment. It’s expected that Sunflower Electric Power Corp. will challenge the KDHE decision in court. Click on the following links for more information:
Zero Emissions Needed to Keep Temperatures at Safe Levels during Next Century A study published in the October 6 issue of Geophysical Research Letters finds that global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced to zero by 2050 in order to remain within a 2°C rise in the average global temperature due to global warming. An increase of 2°C above pre-industrial temperatures has been cited by the European Union as the threshold beyond which the world will face “dangerous” climate change. Andrew Weaver led the study at the University of Victoria in Canada using a computer model to determine how much emissions must be limited in order to avoid exceeding a 2°C increase. The study’s findings demonstrate the contrast between the policy goals of nations around the world and what needs to be done, Dr. Weaver says. “There is a disconnect between the European Union arguing for a 2°C threshold and calling for 50 percent cuts at 2050—you can't have it both ways,” says Weaver. “If you're going to talk about 2°C you have got to be talking 90 percent emissions cuts.” Click on the following links for more information:
Bush: Kyoto Approach on Climate is “Bad Policy” While speaking in Arkansas on October 15, President Bush reinforced his support for voluntary cuts in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. “We're different from other countries in the world,” President Bush said. “Whatever we're doing is working because last year we grew our economy and the gross amount of greenhouse gases we put in the environment actually went down.” A UN-sponsored conference on climate change will be held this December in Bali, and President Bush has said he wants to play a role in creating a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. “The fundamental question is whether or not we will be able to grow our economy and be good stewards of the environment at the same time,” said President Bush. He added, “I'm interested in good policy. Kyoto, I thought, was bad policy.” Click on the following link for more information:
California Solar Water Heating Bill Signed into Law On October 12, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law the “Solar Water Heating and Efficiency Act of 2007” (AB 1470), which provides incentives for installing 200,000 solar water heating systems in homes in the state by 2017. “The solar water industry is growing by leaps and bounds world-wide,” said Sue Kately, Executive Director of the California Solar Energy Industry Association. “With this bill, California can step back into the lead building stronger businesses and more jobs right here at home.” The bill creates a $250 million fund to provide rebates for homeowners and industries who invest in solar water heating technologies. California currently uses mainly natural gas to heat homes, but by using a solar water heating system, homeowners can reduce the amount of gas needed in the home by 50-75 percent and reduce CO2 emissions at the same time. Click on the following links for more information:
Global Warming's Costs to Nation Will Top Its Benefits A study conducted by the University of Maryland’s Center for Integrative Environmental Research looked at the costs of dealing with climate change for the nation if no action was taken. The findings show that the impacts of climate change will outweigh the benefits in most sectors of the economy and will place “immense strains on public sector budgets.” Additionally, the findings show that the economic impacts will be felt throughout the whole country, but will be unevenly distributed. The study also lists secondary effects from climate change that include higher prices, job loss, and reduced income. Click on the following links for more information:
Third US Climate Change Science Program Report Issued On October 18, the US Climate Change Science Program released its third in a series of 21 Synthesis and Assessment Products titled, “Effects of Climate Change on Energy Production and Use in the United States.” This report looks specifically at how the energy sector will be impacted by climate change and where research can reduce the uncertainties of these impacts. The report concludes that while heating needs will decrease over time, cooling demand will rise, stressing the electricity industry and overall endangering the energy sector. Additionally, as glaciers recede, hydroelectric generation could be reduced, changes in the weather patterns can alter thermal power-plant cooling capabilities, and sea level rise could affect power plants on the coasts. Thomas Wilbanks, the coordinating lead author of the report from DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, said, “It is notable because unlike some other sectors of interest regarding climate change—such as water, agriculture, and human health—the energy sector has not been the focus of climate impact discussions over the past decade.” Click on the following links for more information:
Insurance Industry’s Response to Global Warming A report released October 18 at the annual conference of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors finds that hundreds of new insurance initiatives, including ‘green’ building credits, drought-protection in developing countries and incentives for investing in renewable energy and carbon emissions trading are being offered to tackle climate change and rising weather-related losses in the United States and globally. The report, “From Risk to Opportunity 2007: Insurer Responses to Climate Change,” highlights the insurance industry’s unique, powerful role historically in helping society grapple with and manage emerging risks. “Insurers are beginning to respond to global warming-–we’re seeing a rapid proliferation of products that will reduce climate-related financial losses, as well as the pollution causing global warming,” said Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres, a leading U.S. coalition of investors and environmental groups. Click on the following links for more information:
EVENTS
October 26, 2007 Initiatives for Combating Global Warming 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. The Energy Efficiency Global Forum and Exposition will provide information on how energy efficiency can have a positive impact on every end-use sector, including transportation, the built environment, electricity generation, and more. This conference is being held in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate to policymakers that energy efficiency is the cheapest, quickest, and cleanest resource for meeting the world’s ever-increasing demand for energy. For more information see: http://eeglobalforum.org/
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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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