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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brought to you by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Four Out of Five Willing to Change Lifestyle to Address Climate Change Most people are ready to make personal sacrifices to address climate change, a poll conducted by BBC has found. The poll, which included 22,000 people from 21 countries, showed that 83 percent of respondents felt that individuals would “definitely” or “probably” have to make lifestyle changes in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When asked if they supported higher taxes on fossil fuels, 50 percent were in favor worldwide and 44 percent against. Support for these taxes rose, however, if the money raised was used to boost energy efficiency and find new energy sources. Among all countries, China showed the strongest support for tax increases, with 85 percent of those polled saying they would support higher taxes on oil and coal. “This poll clearly shows that people are much more ready to endure their share of the burden than most politicians grant,” said Doug Miller, the director of Globescan, which conducted the poll for BBC. Click on the following link for more information:
Sen. Clinton Unveils Energy and Climate Plan On November 5, Democratic presidential candidate and New York Senator Hillary Clinton announced her proposal to address climate change, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. Some aspects of the plan include a cap-and-trade program that auctions 100 percent of its permits, as well as a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund to invest in energy research and development. “For this generation, climate change is our space race,” Sen. Clinton said. Additionally, Sen. Clinton’s plan would require 25 percent of electricity to be generated from renewables by 2030. Regarding transportation, the plan would also mandate an increase in fuel efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030, with $20 billion of "Green Vehicle Bonds" to help US automakers meet these standards. “It's the biggest challenge we've faced in a generation, a challenge to our economy, our health and our planet,” said Sen. Clinton. “It's time for America to meet it. It is time to get back into the solutions business.” Click on the following links for more information: Countries and States Launch Carbon-Trading Market Three US states signed onto a partnership on November 5 with the European Union, Canada, Norway, and New Zealand to form a global carbon-trading market in order to fight climate change. The states of California, New York, and New Jersey joined the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP), which will place a cap on CO2 emissions and distribute permits to companies who can then buy and sell the carbon credits. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the program will “provide more incentives for clean-tech investment and economic growth while not letting polluters off the hook.” The ICAP will be centered in London, where investors will create a market to buy and trade the carbon credits. “By working together we can make our shared vision of a global carbon market a reality,” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said. Click on the following link for more information:
Auto Industry to Appeal Vermont Emissions Ruling On November 2, US automakers General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, and Japanese automaker Toyota, filed a notice of appeal to a decision made by a Vermont judge which allows the state to set its own regulations on automobile tailpipe emissions. In October 2007, Federal District Judge William K. Sessions III dismissed the argument from automakers that the regulations would be costly for the auto industry, making it too difficult for the manufacturers to meet the new standards. The legal notice was filed through the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and will then be forwarded to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. Automakers are arguing that the decision in Vermont allows the states to regulate fuel efficiency, a role that is currently reserved for federal lawmakers. Improving mileage is the only way to effectively reduce tailpipe emissions, automakers argue. Dave McCurdy, head of the auto alliance, said in a statement, “Auto makers are eager to continue fulfilling their role in reducing emissions and increasing energy security. However, this appeal is urgent as this legislation applies to model year 2009 vehicles, which consumers will start seeing in early 2008—just a few months from now.” Click on the following link for more information:
UK’s Climate Bill to Cut Emissions by 60 Percent UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has committed to reduce Britain’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 60 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. One of the bill’s measures includes creating an independent committee on climate change set up to advise on five –year “carbon budgets.” The Climate Change Bill was introduced in Parliament on November 6 and would make the United Kingdom the first country to put GHG emission reductions into law. While many environmental groups welcomed the move to reduce carbon emissions, many felt the legislation needed to be stronger. Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth said, “The government must strengthen its proposed legislation if it is to be truly effective and deliver the scale of action that scientists are now calling for.” Environmental groups reported in August 2007 that the bill could move quickly through the parliamentary process and possibly become law by Spring 2008. Click on the following links for more information:
Governor of Colorado Releases Climate Action Plan Colorado Governor Bill Ritter announced on November 5 his plans for a statewide program to address climate change, including a target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. “Climate change is our generation's greatest environmental challenge,” Gov. Ritter said. “It threatens our economy, our Western way of life and our future. It will change every facet of our existence, and unless we address it and adapt to it, the results will be catastrophic for generations to come.” The Carbon Action Plan includes an agricultural carbon sequestration and offset program, which allows farmers to sell carbon credits earned from reducing emissions and sequestering carbon over a multi-state region. Other aspects of the plan include voluntary, and later mandatory, emission reporting requirements for GHG producers, as well as creating emission standards for new automobiles. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted a significant rise in energy demands, including a growing dependence on fossil fuels in the coming decades. The IEA, which advises 26 countries, released the World Energy Outlook 2007 on November 7, which provides long-term energy trends through 2030. Nobuo Tanaka, the executive director for IEA, said energy use could rise to more than 50 percent above current levels by 2030, with fossil fuels still dominating the energy supply. The IEA cited the rapid economic growth of China and India as one of the major drivers behind the rise in energy consumption. “The emergence of new major players in global energy markets means that all countries must take vigorous, immediate and collective action to curb runaway energy demand,” Mr. Tanaka warned. A large portion of the energy demands in these countries will come from coal, which IEA predicts will rise by 73 percent between 2005 and 2030. Because of this, the IEA has encouraged governments to focus on clean coal technologies, which include carbon capture and sequestration, and nuclear energy. ”We need to act now to bring about a radical shift in investment in favor of cleaner, more efficient and more secure energy technologies,” Mr. Tanaka said. Click on the following link for more information:
Experts Urge Major U.S. Investment in Carbon Storage Technology On November 7, Senator John Kerry, chair of the Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Innovation held a hearing on carbon sequestration, and introduced a bill (S. 2323) to help develop a new generation of this technology. “If the United States continues to turn a blind eye to dangerous emissions, we will be forced to climb an even steeper hill in battling global climate change,” said Senator John Kerry. “Carbon capture and storage technologies hold enormous potential to reduce our emissions as we power our economy. This legislation and today’s hearing offer a chance to embrace smart solutions the American way: by harnessing technology to help combat the climate change threat.” Witnesses told the subcommittee that technology to sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants is at least a decade away from commercial reality and were unanimous in the view that a major increase in funding for carbon sequestration research and development is urgently needed. "While geologic sequestration is scientifically feasible, it is not technologically or institutionally ready," said Howard Herzog, a carbon storage expert with the Massachusetts Institute for Technology's Laboratory for Energy and the Environment. "The number one impediment to moving ahead is lack of funding." Click on the following links for more information: According to a Field Poll released November 8, 82 percent of Californians polled said global warming poses a serious threat to California's overall quality of life. The poll found Californians to be more concerned about global warming than Americans across the country: 70 percent of Californians say the issue is extremely or very important to them personally, higher than the 52 percent of Americans who held this view in a national poll conducted this year; 43 percent of Californians believe global warming demands immediate action and an additional 32 percent believe some action should be taken. The national poll showed US residents who take those positions to be 34 percent and 30 percent, respectively. The telephone survey of 1,003 California adults was conducted Aug. 10-28 for Next Ten, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit that studies quality-of-life issues. Click on the following link for more information:
Recent Congressional Hearings House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming Senate Energy and Commerce Senate Environment and Public Works
EVENTS November 14, 2007 AMS Climate Briefing
November 14, 2007 ABA Renewables Teleconference
November 16, 2007 CBO Director's Conference on Climate Change On Friday, November 16, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will hold the 2007 Director's Conference on Climate Change. CBO Director Peter Orszag will host the conference, which will feature leading researchers addressing key questions in the debate on climate change. The conference will be held in the Gold Room, 2168 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC. An RSVP is required. For more information see:
November 29, 2007 International Polar Year: Exploring the Changing Poles The polar regions are changing faster than any other part of our planet. Find out why with Dr. Robin Bell, chair of the International Polar Year. Learn about the goals of the International Polar Year, the research projects underway, and the challenges of working in the Antarctic and the Arctic. Advance ticket purchase is recommended. Contact the Koshland Science Museum at 202-334-1201 or ksm@nas.edu to purchase tickets. For more information see:
December 5, 2007 Senate EPW Climate Bill Markup Senators on the Environment Committee will vote on the Lieberman-Warner climate bill (S. 2191) when the proposed legislation is marked up on December 5. For more information see: http://epw.senate.gov/public/ The Carbon Management Council hosts a conference entitled "Business in the Wilderness, Shaping Your Carbon Choices," on December 5-6 at the Omni Shoreham in Washington DC. The conference is a dialog around the challenges that will very likely change businesses: "Whether we create, use, or buy products and services, carbon will be a driver, not just an impact. Waiting for government to define our responsibilities and create a coherent framework may be a high cost strategy. Investment planning will require a new degree of discipline and detail as we consider energy consumption and pricing, future shareholder value, and capital deployment." For more information see: http://www.carbonmanagementconference.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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