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Researchers Say 2009 to Be One of Warmest Years on Record On December 30, climate scientists from the UK Met Office and the University of East Anglia projected 2009 will be one of the top five warmest years on record. Average global temperatures for 2009 are predicted to be 0.4°C above the 1961-1990 average of 14 º C. A multiyear forecast using a Met Office climate model indicates a “rapid return of global temperature to the long-term warming trend,” with an increasing probability of record temperatures after 2009. “The fact that 2009, like 2008, will not break records does not mean that global warming has gone away . . . . What matters is the underlying rate of warming,” said Dr. Phil Jones, the director of climate research at the University of East Anglia. The presence of La Nina during the last year partially masked this underlying rate. “Phenomena such as El Nino and La Nina have a significant influence on global surface temperature,” said Dr. Chris Folland of the Met Office Hadley Center. “Further warming to record levels is likely once a moderate El Nino develops.” The transition from a La Nina effect to an El Nino one is expected late next year. For additional information see:
Ten Northeastern States Hold Second Carbon Auction On December 17, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) held its second auction for carbon allowances as part of the nation’s first mandatory cap-and-trade program. The auction established a price of $3.38 per allowance, generating total revenue of $107 million for the ten northeastern states participating in the initiative: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. The funds are to be spent on financing for energy-saving projects and to help lower-income residents pay electricity bills. A regional carbon cap is only the beginning of RGGI’s goals, and it hopes to eventually combine with the Western Climate Initiative, a similar program being developed among Western states. RGGI hopes it can serve as the basis for an eventual national cap-and-trade regime as well. “We look forward to developing a partnership with the Obama Administration to create a strong federal climate action plan,” said Pete Grannis, chair of the RGGI’s board of directors. For additional information see:
California Sues EPA over Changes in Endangered Species Act On December 29, California Attorney General Jerry Brown filed suit against the federal government for approving new regulations removing the requirement to consider the effects of greenhouse gases (GHG) on protected species and their habitat. The regulations “circumvent a time-tested statute that for 35 years has required scientific review of proposed federal agency decisions that affect wildlife,” California Attorney General Jerry Brown said in a statement announcing the suit, which was filed in Northern California Federal District Court. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthornee emphasized that the Interior Department is capable of making sound environmental decisions without the added review from scientists, and that the new regulations are necessary to streamline government projects. Representatives of the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), National Wildlife Foundation (NWF), and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) disagree, and have undertaken legal actions against the regulations independent of the suit filed by Brown. Ken Alex, senior assistant Attorney General for California, said it was likely the cases will be combined, possibly in a California court. “It's a classic case of the fox guarding the henhouse,” said Noah Greenwald of the CBD. For additional information see:
Senator Calls on EPA to Withdraw Coal-Power Ruling For additional information see:
Wyoming, Montana Look into Carbon Storage On December 29, discussions in the Wyoming Senate focused on several bills related to carbon capture and storage (CCS) slated for consideration in January. Several bills address the use of captured carbon in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) schemes, but one drawing significant attention centers on responsibility for the CO2 once it has been pumped underground. “Until we've solved the long-term liability issue, I think it's going to be slow progress,” said Rob Hurless, energy advisor to Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal. The Montana Legislature is debating the viability of CCS projects as well; principally the issue of whether deposits underneath coal plants are own by the companies that own the plants. Some senators are pushing for laws that go beyond enabling the development of CCS power plants to laws requiring them. “I think the main thing we need to do is let utilities know they can't use coal unless the carbon is captured,” said Montana Senator-elect Ron Erickson (D-Missoula), who is sponsoring a bill instructing Montana's Board of Environmental Review to set rules governing sequestration. For additional information see:
NASA Study Links Severe Storm Increase, Global Warming At the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco on December 19, Dr. Hartmut Aumann of NASA presented a study linking global warming to an increase in severe storm activity. Using observations from NASA’s Aqua spacecraft, Dr. Aumann’s team found a connection between higher ocean temperatures and the prevalence of high, tropical clouds associated with severe storms. The discovery is important, as “clouds and rain have been the weakest link in climate prediction,” Dr. Aumann said. Given the present rate of global warming, the team predicts intense storms will increase in frequency by six percent per decade. For additional information see:
Obama Picks Global Warming Expert as Science Advisor On December 20, President-elect Barack Obama announced his selection of John Holdren as the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Jane Lubchenco as the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “It's time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America's place as the world leader in science and technology,” said Obama. Stressing the importance the new administration places on climate change, Holdren addressed the issue specifically, calling the term “global warming” a misnomer. “It implies something gradual, something uniform, something quite possibly benign, and what we're experiencing is none of those,” said Holdren. Lubchenco, who previously called the Bush administration “anti-science” for redacting scientific documents recommending action on climate change, also spoke out about the issue. “I am very much looking forward to a new administration that does respect scientific information and that considers it very seriously in making environmental policies,” said Lubchenco. For additional information see:
Munich Re Links Climate Change to Huge Year for Natural Disasters On December 29, Munich Re, the world’s largest reinsurer by revenue, identified climate change as the principal factor behind $200 billion in losses this year from natural disasters, the third highest total ever over a one-year period. “[W]hen temperatures increase there is more evaporation and the atmosphere has a greater capacity to absorb water vapor, with the result that its energy content is higher . . . . The weather machine runs into top gear, bringing more intense severe weather events with corresponding effects in terms of losses,” explained Dr. Peter Hoppe, head of Geo Risks Research at Munich Re. Losses from natural disasters were more costly in only two other years: in 1995, the year of the Kobe earthquake, and in 2005, the year of Hurricane Katrina. “2008 has again shown how important it is for us to analyze risks like climate change in all their facets and to manage the business accordingly,” said Munich Re board member Torsten Jeworrek. “[W]e as a company press for effective and binding rules on CO2 emissions, so that climate change is curbed and future generations do not have to live with weather scenarios that are difficult to control.” For additional information see:
Coral Growth Slows Sharply on Great Barrier Reef On January 2, an article in Science reported coral growth in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has slowed 14 percent since 1990. “The data suggest that this severe and sudden decline in calcification is unprecedented in at least 400 years,” said principal author Dr. Glenn De’ath of the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Researchers attribute the majority of decline in calcification to rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification from absorption of atmospheric CO2. At current rates coral growth will halt completely by 2050, affecting many species in the oceans’ ecosystems. “Algae will take over the area, small fish will lose their habitat, then the larger fish that eat the small fish will starve,” Dr. De’ath explained. “It is cause for extreme concern that such changes are already evident, with the relatively modest climate changes observed to date, in the world's best protected and managed coral reef ecosystem,” said co-author Dr. Janice Lough. For additional information see:
Canada's Forests Now Contributing to Climate Change On January 2, The Chicago Tribune reported on a series of recent studies indicating Canadian forests – more than seven percent of the earth’s total –have shifted from carbon sinks to carbon sources. “Since 1999, and especially in the last five years, the forests have shifted from being a carbon sink to a carbon source,” said Dr. Werner Kurz of the Canadian Forest Service. Trees, which absorb CO2 and emit oxygen as part of their growth process, naturally sequester CO2 during their lifetimes. However, rising temperatures are both drying out Canadian forests and facilitating the expansion of the mountain pine beetle, leading to massive tree death and decay, which releases the previously stored carbon. The new threats to forests posed by global warming are leading many environmental groups to call for a reduction in deforestation in order to preserve the forest areas that remain vital. Dr. Kurz added, “It’s not as simple as saying, ‘Log less and therefore have more carbon sequestered in the forests,’”. “That is true, but if in order to do that you have more fossil fuel emitted elsewhere, your impact on the climate may be negative.” For additional information see:
Swiss Glaciers in Full Retreat On December 19, BBC News reported two studies from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology that found Swiss glaciers to be vanishing at an accelerating rate. After conducting a survey of 1,500 Swiss glaciers, it was found that they have lost a total of 10 cubic kilometers of ice – or 13.5 percent of their total volume in 1999 – in the past nine years. Snowfall in Switzerland has remained steady over this period, leading researchers to attribute the loss of ice to longer melt seasons. “Glaciers store the water in winter and release it in the summer when it is dry and warm,” explained Dr. Matthias Huss. While the studies found all glaciers to be shrinking, the rate at which they are disappearing depends on their size. “[T]he small ones will disappear; that seems clear. For them, it's just a matter of years,” said Dr. Daniel Farinotti. For additional information see:
Other Headlines Scientists Propose Covering Deserts With Reflective Sheeting
Events January 7, 2009 Climate Change and the Road to Copenhagen, Industrial Competitiveness and Engaging Developing Countries: Views from Overseas The Center for Clean Air Policy invites you to a Congressional panel to discuss international climate and energy issues on Wednesday, January 7 in 2325 Rayburn House Office Building from 3:30-5:00 p.m., with a reception following from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Speakers include: Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN); Center for Clean Air Policy President Ned Helme; Rae Kwon Chung, Korean climate change ambassador; Didier Herbert, director of sustainable industrial policy at DG Enterprise of the European Commission; and Michael Jacobs, special adviser of energy and climate to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. For more information please contact Jessica Gillman at 202-350-8582 or jgillman [at] ccap.org. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and MissionPoint Capital Partners invite you to a lunch briefing and demonstration discussing smart grid technology, what it is, how it can be used, and what key policy issues and market barriers affect its development. The briefing will be held Thursday, January 8, in B338 Rayburn House Office Building from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. and lunch will be served. This briefing is free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For more information, please contact Laura Parsons at lparsons [at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1884. January 13, 2009 The Strategic Role of States in Supporting Clean Energy The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) invite you to a briefing to discuss the significant role that states are playing in developing and deploying clean energy technologies. This briefing will release new data on the results of state activity in project deployment and describe the investment models, financing tools, market development strategies, and other policies powered by states to successfully stimulate technological innovation and move wind, solar, and biomass technologies out of the laboratory and into the mainstream. The briefing will be held Tuesday, January 13, in 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. This briefing is free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For more information, please contact Maria Blais at maria [at] cleanegroup.org or (802) 223-2554. The High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition will be hosting the first in a series of briefings on high-performance buildings on Tuesday, January 13, from 11:30 – 1:00 p.m. in 2325 Rayburn House Office Building. All interested Congressional staff are invited to attend this event. There is no charge for the event, but space is limited. Please RSVP by January 8 to Patricia Ryan by fax at 202-833-0118 or pryan [at] ashrae.org. Lunch will be served. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing to examine the major health impacts and costs associated with transportation in the United States. The briefing will address how federal policies regarding transportation infrastructure can play an important role in improving public health and address climate impacts from transportation at the same time. This briefing will be held Wednesday, January 14, from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. The room for this briefing will be at a Capitol Hill location TBD; please visit http://eesi.org/ for updated information. This briefing is free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For more information, contact Jan Mueller at (202) 662-1883 or jmueller [at] eesi.org.
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Amy Sauer 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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