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Climate Change News
Brought to you by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Carol Werner, Executive Director
January 25, 2008
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EPA Staff Finds Emissions Threat in California Waiver Request
On January 23, documents were released from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicating staff within the agency had found evidence to support California’s request to regulate tailpipe CO2 emissions. The evidence came from a PowerPoint presentation made to EPA administrator Stephen Johnson by the agency’s technical and legal staff in early December 2007. Within the presentation, staff members argue that California “continues to have compelling and extraordinary conditions,” a legal definition under the Clean Air Act that requires the EPA to approve state regulations.
On December 19, Johnson announced that the EPA had denied California’s request for a waiver to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from automobiles. A spokesman for the agency, Jonathan Schradar, said Johnson did not overrule his staff in making his decision. “The Clean Air Act laid out that the decision is the administrator's alone. The staff provides for the administrator a wide range of options for his decision. He took those options, public comments and others into account. ... He felt it was the right decision,” Schradar said. Since Johnson’s announcement, California and several other states have filed a lawsuit with the EPA in order to overturn the decision.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-endanger24jan24,...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/01/24/MNE6UKCQI...
Representative Markey Introduces Legislation to Protect Polar Bear
House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming Chairman Edward Markey (D-MA) introduced legislation on January 18 that would compel President Bush to grant protection to the polar bear before granting permission for widespread oil drilling in Alaska. The proposed legislation would require the Interior Department delay the oil drilling rights sale in the Chuckchi Sea until it had made a decision on the status of the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). On January 7, the Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would miss the statutory deadline to reach a decision on listing the polar bear as threatened under ESA as a result of global warming. Instead, a decision has been delayed by a month or more, which could come after the scheduled sale of oil drilling rights on February 6 for a vulnerable portion of the polar bear’s habitat in Alaska.
“Robert Frost wrote about two roads diverging in the wood, and here we have the Bush administration looking down two roads with regard to the polar bear,” said Chairman Markey. “Down one road lies the survival of the polar bear and the orderly consideration of oil drilling and global warming and common sense. Down the other road, too often traveled by this administration, lies regulatory lunacy and a blatant disregard for moral responsibility. I urge Secretary Kempthorne and his agency to choose the Bush administration’s road less traveled and protect the polar bear, and the rest of us, from global warming.”
Click on the following links for more information:
http://globalwarming.house.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases?id=0157
http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=54D2A6BD-E928-9...
United States to Launch Clean Technology Fund for Developing Countries
On January 14, a top official at the US Treasury announced that it will launch a clean technology fund to help developing countries address climate change. David McCormick, the Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs, said the fund will help “put a dent in the funding gap” that exists between more advanced energy solutions and older, cheaper energy that many developing nations rely on currently. The money needed to help developing countries acquire these technologies is estimated to be $30 billion. The fund will help develop clean energy technology and also make challenging energy projects more attractive to private investors, McCormick said.
“This clean technology fund is perhaps a Marshall Plan on climate change beginning to emerge where we stop worrying about the short term woes and focus much more on taking a bold step forward ... towards a clean future,” UN climate chief Yvo de Boer said. He also praised the United States’ leadership role in launching the fund. “The notion of this clean technology fund, announced by the United States, represents a sea change in thinking on climate change.”
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN1443011220080114
http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/hp761.htm
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL1631002320080116
EU Adopts Climate Package
On January 23, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso announced the adoption of a climate action and renewable energy plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and addressing climate change. The plan includes a 20 percent reduction in emissions below 1990 levels by 2020, though it could drop further to 30 percent if a global deal is reached. Barrasso also included a GHG reduction target of 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Additionally, the member states will increase the share of renewable energy to 20 percent by 2020, up from the current level of 8.5 percent.
There is also a 10 percent target for biofuels “so that transport plays a part in emissions cuts,” Barraso said. Adding biofuels to the package will help address the need for environmental sustainability, the European Commission president added. Before the plan can be implemented it must be approved by the members of the European Parliament and member states, with some experts predicting its full passage by the end of 2009.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7203514.stm
http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/01/23/afx4563261.html
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKL2386010820080123
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/president/focus/energy-package-20...
Global Carbon Trade Rose 80 Percent Last Year
On January 18, a carbon analysis group announced that the market for trading carbon emissions credits rose 80 percent from last year. Point Carbon, an Oslo-based market-research firm, said the global market for carbon credits rose from $33 billion in 2006 to $60 billion in 2007. The credits sold on the market are permits to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Companies that lower their GHG emissions can then sell or trade their credits on the market to other businesses, with the total amount of emissions allowed kept constant. “What we're seeing is global movement of capital with the goal of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions,” said Kristian Tangen, director of analysis at Point Carbon. “This is what the Kyoto Protocol was created to do.”
Nearly two-thirds of the trading took place on the EU’s carbon emissions market scheme, which opened in 2005. Countries such as the United States, China, and India are not yet participating in such markets, though many regional markets are in development throughout the United States as businesses prepare for potential federal GHG regulations. “This indicates a growing confidence that GHG emission trading will soon take off in the United States, whether it is at the state or federal level,” Point Carbon said in a statement.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120062356146299627.html
http://www.pointcarbon.com/article26337-143.html?articleID=26337&categor...
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKN1832831820080118
Rainforest Destruction Accelerated in Recent Months
On January 17, a scientist from a Brazilian government agency that monitors the Amazon rainforest stated that destruction has surged in the past four months, despite a slowing trend in recent years. Dr. Carlos Nobre, from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research, said that 2,300 square miles have been destroyed in the past four months compared to 3,200 square miles over the previous 12-month period. The rate of rainforest destruction had declined in the past four years, which Brazilian officials said was the lowest rate since the 1970s. “I think the past four months is a big concern for the government and now they are sending people to do more law enforcement,” Dr. Nobre said.
Deforestation has now become the world’s second-largest cause of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Three-fourths of Brazil’s GHG emissions are the result of deforestation, causing the nation to be one of the four main global GHG emitters. Some conservationists are pointing to the increase of sugar cane plantations to meet the increasing demand for ethanol, illegal cattle ranching for beef exports, soybean production and illegal logging operations as the reasons for this rise in deforestation. “All those drivers of change are there,” said Dr. Nobre. “The three years of reduced deforestation…did not bring by themselves a cure for illegal deforestation.”
Click on the following link for more information:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/destruction-of-rai...
Goldman Sachs Says “Cap-and-Trade” Not Enough to Cut Carbon
The managing director of Goldman Sachs US carbon emissions desk has stated that placing a cap on carbon emissions and trading credits on the market will not be enough to tackle climate change.“I'm not at all convinced from what we've seen internationally that a cap-and-trade regime and a price on carbon is going to motivate investment in truly transformational technologies,” Ken Newcombe said. Currently, most of the trading of carbon credits has taken place in Europe, where an international carbon emissions trading scheme has been operating since 2005. However, banks like Goldman Sachs have established carbon emissions desks in the United States in anticipation of potential federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. Although Newcombe sees great potential for cap-and-trade in places like the United States, he said it must also be supported by larger government-supported research and development.
“A remarkable transformation is about to take place,” said Newcombe. “The United States, which is not significant in the global carbon market today at all, (and engages in) purely voluntary trade…will become not only a major player in its own right, but potentially a major source of demand in the Kyoto-based markets.”
Click on the following link for more information:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN1724371820080117
UAE to Build Green City in Desert
On January 13, plans were announced to build a multi-billion-dollar green city in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The project is being led by Masdar, an initiative set up by the Abu Dhabi government to develop sustainable and clean energy, and World Wildlife Fund. The UAE is ranked third in the world for per-capita carbon emissions and is the fifth-largest exporter of oil. The country now looks to be a leader in sustainable and clean energy. “We recognize the carbon footprint of the UAE and are working on a number of fronts to help reduce our emissions. Our objective is to make Abu Dhabi the centre of the future of energy,” said Masdar's Chief Executive Sultan al-Jaber.
The city will house 14-15,000 people and employ up to 50,000 people, Jaber said. Plans for the city include narrow streets, squat buildings and no cars. Power will be supplied by wind and solar panels and water will be produced from a desalinization plant. Although official estimates for the construction of the city were not given, officials said it will exceed a previous estimate of $5 billion and will be partly funded by the Abu Dhabi government and the rest by investment partners. There are plans to break ground on construction in the first quarter of 2008.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/46484/story.htm
http://www.masdaruae.com/text/news-d.aspx?_id=47
Soot Makes Significant Contribution to Arctic Warming
According to a study in the June 2007 issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research, soot landing on snow from pollution such as tailpipe exhaust, smokestacks and forest fires can account for up to one-third of the warming in the arctic regions. Fresh snow reflects the most sunlight. However, as time passes, soot from pollution in the atmosphere is absorbed in the snow, creating a darker surface, which in turn absorbs more heat from the sun. The ability to maintain the temperature of a small region in the poles has a larger impact on climate stability than the ability to maintain the temperature of a similarly sized area in the tropics. According to the study, money spent on the regulation of pollutants which cause soot in the Arctic could have a more profound effect on climate change than efforts placed on the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in other regions. Lead author Charlie Zender of UC Irvine said, “Reducing all GHGs is very difficult. People need energy and gasoline. But perhaps reducing sources of soot to these regions is more tractable.”
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.ocregister.com/science-technology/soot-arctic-climate-1960383...
http://dust.ess.uci.edu/pr/20070606_CBC.pdf
http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2007/2006JD008003.shtm
15 Percent Renewable Energy Target Expected for the UK
On January 23, the European Commission unveiled proposals to fight climate change and promote renewable energy in line with EU commitments. The proposal includes legally enforceable targets for increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix – the targets will reflect each country's individual needs and its potential. It is anticipated that the UK will be required to meet 15 percent of its total energy needs with renewable energy by 2020. Experts say this target will be challenging for the UK, where current renewable sources account for two percent of their total energy production, due to the fact that it must include energy used towards heating and cooling. Electricity obtained primarily from offshore wind is expected to provide the majority of the target value.
The UK’s 15 percent figure, based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and individual renewable power levels, is a share of the EU’s total 20 percent renewable expenditure goal. It is expected that the UK will have to obtain 30-40 percent of its electricity from wind, wave and solar sources by 2020. While this objective may be difficult, it is believed to be achievable. Gordon Edge, head of offshore energy at the British Wind Energy Association, said “The target is do-able but only if we really pull out all the stops.”
Click on the following links for more information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7195420.stm
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/president/focus/energy-package-20...
UK: Marine Climate Change is on the Increase
According to the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP), the UK’s marine environment is dramatically impacted by climate change. A January 16 MCCIP report illustrates an increasing amount of coastal erosion, a rising sea-level, greater risks of flooding and more severe waves and storms. 2006 was found to be the second warmest year in recorded history for the UK coastal waters. As a result of the warmer temperatures, the distribution of plankton—mico-organisms which serve as the primary food source for numerous marine-life creatures—have been affected. This will increasingly continue to impact not only the prey fish, but also some seabirds, fishing and fish farming.
Richard Lockhead, Scotland’s Environmental Secretary said, “Climate change, including marine climate change, is one of the most serious threats facing us today.” The report finds that with warmer temperatures, coastal flooding and increases in the severity of storms, not only will there be an impact on sea-life, but these rises also will affect ports, shipping and built structures. Lockhead states, “Our marine wildlife is…beginning to suffer…. Our marine industries also have to cope with changes. These are happening now and we must take action.”
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.mccip.org.uk/news/arc2007-08newsrelease.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7191196.stm
Study Warns of Rise in Mediterranean Sea Levels
The Mediterranean Sea level has been rising since the 1970s, and due to an accelerating rate, may increase up to half a meter within the next 50 years, reports the Spanish Oceanographic Institute. Their study, Climate Change in the Spanish Mediterranean, noted a rise between 0.1-0.4 inches per year in the Mediterranean Sea since the 1990s. Additionally, sea temperatures have risen by 0.12-0.5°C since the 1970s.
The study indicated that even a small rise in the sea level would have “very serious consequences,” but a half-meter rise would bring about “catastrophic consequences.” Global climate change affects sea levels in two ways—it melts the ice-caps and expands the sea water with the warming of ocean temperatures. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had estimated a maximum of 59 centimeters worldwide sea level increase this century.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7197379.stm
http://www.terradaily.com/2007/080118185141.08j4v94e.html
San Francisco Mayor Issues Roadmap to a Greener City
On January 15, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom released a roadmap to achieve his environmental goal of a 20 percent decrease in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) below 1990 levels by 2012. The plan identifies six policy areas that will be developed—renewable and efficient energy, clean transportation, green buildings, urban forest, zero waste, and environmental justice. His policies to address climate change include creating a San Francisco Carbon Fund, developing framework for a carbon tax, incorporating climate protection criteria into the City's General Plan and encouraging more solar power. To get San Franciscans out of their cars, the mayor proposes building transportation projects including the Transbay Terminal and the Central Subway, greatly expanding the City’s bicycle network and establishing a regional purchasing pool for plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2008/2008-01-17-096.asp
http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/mayor/SForwardFinal.pdf
Human Activities Reshape California Climate
Research by scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of California, Merced and the National Center for Atmospheric Research shows that California temperatures have increased statewide by more than 2.1°F between 1915 and 2000. The research found the warming has been fastest in late winter and early spring. Lead researcher Céline Bonfils of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory said, “It’s pretty clear that natural causes alone just can’t cut it and external factors such as greenhouse gases and urbanization come into play.”
Late winter and springtime temperatures have increased in nearly all of western North America. In California, less warming is observed in summer. This warming, which mainly occurs at night but not during daytime, is not well explained by historical climate simulations. Bonfils said that cooling from rapid expansion of large-scale irrigation during the 20th century may have counteracted the daytime warming from mounting greenhouse gases and urbanization. “The 21st century may be less climatically complex than today,” Bonfils said. “Greenhouse warming is likely to be the dominant factor over today’s many climate influences.”
Click on the following link for more information:
https://publicaffairs.llnl.gov/news/news_releases/2008/NR-08-01-03.html
Red Cross Says Climate Change One of Greatest Threats Facing Humanity
On January 21, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned that climate change is contributing to an increase in disasters and severely impacting water supplies, agriculture and public health emergencies, aggravating the vulnerability of millions of people around the world.
"There is no doubt in my mind that climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity today," Red Cross Secretary-General Markku Niskala, said. "It is fundamentally altering the entire humanitarian agenda and very nature of vulnerability. It is clear then that response alone is no longer enough. The impact of climate change on disasters, on health crises, on vulnerability in general emphasizes the importance of making communities stronger and more resilient in the first place."
The Swiss-based humanitarian agency is appealing for nearly $300 million to help people affected by climate change-related disasters and other global problems over the next two years. The Red Cross says Africa is particularly vulnerable to impacts from climate change as well as HIV/AIDS and a host of other problems. That is why it says more than 40 percent of its appeal will go for assistance to Africa.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-01-21-voa48.cfm
http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/pr08/0308.asp
Corporations Team Up to Cut Supply Chain GHG Emissions
Eleven of the world's largest companies are teaming up to see how they can work with thousands of their suppliers to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The companies are HP, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Cadbury Schweppes, Dell, Imperial Tobacco Group, L'Oreal, Nestle, Tesco, Reckitt Benckiser Group and Unilever. "Multinationals are seeking to understand where the emissions are lying in their supply chain and what risks and opportunities from climate change will be presented," said Paul Simpson, chief operating officer for the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). "When it comes to making changes in their supply chains, the purchasing organizations have a great deal of leverage over their suppliers," Simpson added. The Carbon Disclosure Project will publish a report after the first phase is completed in March, recommending a standardized approach to emissions cuts and highlighting areas to be targeted.
Click on the following links for more information:
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSL1816984220080120
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/business/21green.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/20/AR200801...
http://www.cdproject.net/
Events
January 29, 2008 Science and Policy for Deep Cuts in Carbon Emissions
The California Air Resources Board Chairman's Seminar Series presents "Science and Policy for Deep Cuts in Carbon Emission" with speaker Dr. Dan Kammen. This event is being Webcast on Tuesday, January 29 from 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Click on the following link for more information: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/seminars/kammen/kammen.htm
January 31, 2008 Senate Hearing on Carbon Capture
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a full committee hearing to receive testimony on the regulatory aspects of carbon capture, transportation, and sequestration and related bills, S.2323 and S.2144. The hearing will be held in 366 Dirksen Senate Building, Washington DC. For more information see:
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Hearing&He...
February 1, 2008 Job Training Initiative Grants for the Energy Industry
The Department of Labor Announces Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications for High Growth Job Training Initiative Grants for the Energy Industry and Construction and Skilled Trades in the Energy Industry. A Webinar for prospective applicants will be held on February 1. See http://www.workforce3one.org for details. The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is March 25, 2008. For more information see:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20081800/edocket.access.gpo...
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