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President Orders Review of California Emissions Waiver On January 26, President Obama signed an executive order requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review its denial of California’s request to set auto emissions standards at stricter levels than those set by national standards. “The federal government must work with, not against, states to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions,” he said. “California has shown bold and bipartisan leadership through its effort to forge 21st-century standards, and over a dozen states have followed its lead. But instead of serving as a partner, Washington stood in their way.” California initially attempted to obtain a waiver in 2005 under the Clean Air Act to require automakers to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 30 percent for new cars and trucks by 2016. In 2007, the EPA rejected this waiver on the grounds that only the federal government could impose GHG emission standards for cars. California is now attempting to overturn that initial ruling by pleading its case with the new administration. Although the EPA will have to go through an official review process, which could take months, the President made it clear that he expects California’s rules to be approved. In applauding the announcement, Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said, “An immediate EPA review of the waiver decision shows respect for California and the 18 other states–representing more than half the US population–who are waiting for the green light to address global warming pollution from motor vehicles.” For additional information see:
McKinsey Study Finds Emissions Targets Are Achievable On January 26, McKinsey and Company released the report, “Pathways to a Low Carbon Economy,” which details the cost of cutting global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by a quantity sufficient to keep global warming below a 2°C rise. The study estimates that emissions would have to be reduced 40 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2030, and that any “delays in action of even 10 years would mean missing the 2°C target.” McKinsey, which assessed more than 200 GHG abatement opportunities across 10 major sectors and 21 world regions, estimates that the costs for reducing these emissions would range between approximately $250 and $450 billion annually until 2030. The report noted, “The net cost could end up below one percent of global GDP.” The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) sponsored the report and WWF director James Leape commented, “The figures show clearly that not only can we move to a low carbon economy, but that the costs are manageable.” The report concluded, “[W]hile the costs and investments seem manageable at a global level, they are likely to be challenging for individual sectors.” For additional information see:
Study Finds Global Warming is “Irreversible” On January 28, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study conducted by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which found that the climate change that takes place due to increases in carbon dioxide concentration is largely irreversible for 1000 years after emissions stop. The study was led by Susan Solomon of NOAA, who noted, “People have imagined that if we stopped emitting carbon dioxide the climate would go back to normal in 100 years, 200 years - that's not true.” The study reported that “removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide decreases radiative forcing, but is largely compensated by slower loss of heat to the ocean, so that atmospheric temperatures do not drop significantly for at least 1000 years.” Some of the “irreversible” impacts of increased carbon dioxide emissions, from today’s atmospheric levels of around 385 parts per million (ppm) to increased levels between 450-600 ppm, are severe “dry-season rainfall reductions” and “inexorable sea level rise.” The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which has assessed climate change impacts over 100 years, has set a goal of stabilizing atmospheric carbon at 450 ppm. Jorge L. Sarmiento, a geoscientist at Princeton University, commented on the report, “This is really a wake-up call about the seriousness of this issue.” For additional information see:
Secretary Clinton Appoints Special Envoy for Climate Change On January 26, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named Todd Stern as a Special Envoy for Climate Change. Secretary Clinton stated that the unprecedented role “will serve as a principal advisor on international climate policy and strategy. He will be the Administration’s chief climate negotiator. He will be leading our efforts with United Nations negotiations and processes involving a smaller set of countries and bilateral sessions.” She added, “With the appointment today of a Special Envoy we are sending an unequivocal message that the United States will be energetic, focused, strategic and serious about addressing global climate change and the corollary issue of clean energy.” A former advisor in the Clinton Administration from 1993 to 1998, senior White House negotiator in the Kyoto Protocol negotiations from 1997 to 1999, and advisor to the Secretary of Treasury from 1999 to 2001, Stern has most recently served as a lawyer and environmental expert at the Center for American Progress. In acceptance of his role, Stern said, “The time for denial, delay and dispute is over. The time for the United States to take up its rightful place at the negotiating table is here . . . We will need to engage in vigorous, creative diplomacy to dramatically reduce emissions.” For additional information see:
Gore Urges Action on Climate Change On January 28, former Vice President Al Gore testified before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the urgency of taking action to combat climate change, and recommended steps toward an international climate change treaty at UN negotiations in Copenhagen at the end of the year. In his opening statement, Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) said, “Climate change will be increasingly central for our foreign policy and national security, and it will be a focal point of this Committee’s efforts as well.” Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R-IN) also stated his agreement with Gore that there will be “an almost existential impact” from climate change. Using visual diagrams from a slide show, Gore showed how the continued and unabated rise in temperature “would bring a screeching halt to human civilization and threaten the fabric of life everywhere on Earth” within this century. When asked for recommendations, Gore noted that the first steps the US government should take include passing President Obama’s recovery package and taking action this year to institute a cap-and-trade system for CO2 emissions. He also emphasized the potential of technologies such as concentrated solar power (CSP) and geothermal, and the importance of creating a federally supported unified “national smart grid.” By taking these steps, Gore said the United States “will regain its credibility and enter the Copenhagen treaty talks with a renewed authority to lead the world in shaping a fair and effective treaty.” For additional information see:
International Renewable Energy Agency Launched On January 26, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was launched at a Founding Conference held in Bonn, Germany. Primarily led by Germany, Denmark and Spain, the conference attracted over 120 government delegations, and resulted in a total of 75 nations, including both developing and industrialized countries, signing the Agency’s founding treaty; the United States has not yet signed. Germany’s Federal Environment Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, stated that now was the perfect time for IRENA’s launch. “Climate change and the financial crisis demand a clear focus on future oriented and sustainable technologies such as renewable energies,” he said. The role of IRENA will be to remove existing barriers for renewable energy development and to “facilitate access to all relevant information including reliable data on the potential of renewable energy, best practices, effective financial mechanisms, and state-of-the-art technological expertise.” Hans Jorgen Koch, the Danish Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Climate Change, said IRENA is also meant in part to exploit the weaknesses of the International Energy Agency (IEA). “For ten years the IEA has underestimated the competitiveness of renewable energy sources,” Koch said. For additional information see:
EU Sets Out Climate Proposal for Copenhagen On January 28, the European Commission released its proposal for a global climate change agreement to the European Council, outlining global targets to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The proposal states, “Developed countries must take the lead and cut their collective emissions by 30 percent of 1990 levels by 2020 . . . and, developing countries, except the poorest ones, should limit growth in their collective emissions to 15-30 percent below business as usual levels by 2020.” The Commission estimates reaching these targets will cost around 175 billion Euros annually, over half of which will go toward developing countries. The European Union (EU) said it will not commit to the 30 percent emission cuts without commitment from other developed countries and seeks to build a global carbon market for developed countries by 2015, expanding it to include “emerging economies” by 2020. In addition, a global carbon market would potentially link the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) with other comparable cap-and-trade systems, such as those being discussed by the Obama administration. Stavros Dimas, the EU’s Environment Commissioner, told President Obama, “America has the diplomatic and financial resources that, when added to the efforts of the EU, can help bring the rest of the world on board." For additional information see:
UN Chief to Head Global Warming Push On January 26, United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced his intention to convene a “small but representative” group of governments to address the progress needed in drafting a new climate change framework for the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December. “What I would like to see come out of a process like that, is first of all a shared vision that politically has to be delivered and agreed in Copenhagen,” said Ki-Moon. Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Yvo de Boer stated that some of the key issues to be discussed include the need to set targets and commitments for both developed and developing countries, along with developing financing solutions for poorer countries. Noting a lack of leadership up to this point, de Boer said, “I'm amazed on a weekly basis to hear people I thought were leaders calling for leadership and then turning around to express dissatisfaction with what, at the end of the day, is their negotiating process.”
For additional information see:
Maryland Expected to Pass Climate Change Bill This Year On January 23, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley announced that he will co-sponsor a climate change bill that requires a 25 percent reduction in state CO2 emissions by 2020. The state would have until 2012 to develop a plan for reaching the goal, half of which could be met through existing environmental laws, including regulations for power-plant emissions and for cleaner-burning cars. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of 2009 is seen as a compromise plan and has backing by industry and labor groups, which a similar bill from last year lacked. In the current bill, the state's plan must ensure that no manufacturing jobs would be lost, and it essentially exempts industry from state regulation of greenhouse gas emissions until 2016. “For our prosperity, for our current and future generations, and for the health of our state, which is so vulnerable to rising sea levels, we must take action on climate change now - not later,” the O’Malley said in a statement. “Maryland can't afford to be left behind.” For additional information see:
Emperor Penguins Risk Extinction Due to Rising Temperatures For additional information see:
Scientists Cleared to Proceed with Geoengineering Experiment On January 27, a group of German and Indian scientists announced that they will proceed with a geoengineering experiment that seeks to address climate change after an independent panel of experts cleared the group to proceed with their study. The team of 48 scientists plans to dump six tons of iron sulphate into a 300-square kilometer area of the Scotia Sea off the coast of Argentina to spur the growth of algae. The study will look at whether or not the increased algal growth will result in higher absorption of CO2 through photosynthesis. The German government had originally tried to stop the experiment amid concerns about the environmental effects of adding the large quantity of iron sulphate to the ocean. “After a study of expert reports, I am convinced there are no scientific or legal objections against the . . . ocean research experiment LOHAFEX,” Germany’s Research Minister Annette Schavan said in a statement. “I have therefore decided . . . to begin the experiment.” In the January 29 issue of Nature, a separate international team of scientists released findings from a natural algal bloom in the Southern Ocean that showed higher levels of carbon absorption, though not nearly as high as some geoengineers estimate. “Our results have significant implications for proposals to mitigate the effects of climate change through purposeful addition of iron to the ocean,” said lead author Raymond Pollard of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. “Our findings support the hypothesis that increased iron supply . . . may have directly enhanced carbon export to the deep ocean. [However] our estimate of carbon sequestration for a given iron supply still falls 15-50 times short of some geoengineering estimates.” For additional information see:
NASA Shuttle to Observe Earth’s Natural Carbon Sinks On January 29, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the upcoming launch of its Orbiting Carbon Observatory, a satellite tasked with providing “the first complete picture of human and natural carbon dioxide sources as well as their ‘sinks,’ the places where carbon dioxide is pulled out of the atmosphere and stored.” Of all the carbon released by humans since the beginning of the industrial revolution, about 40 percent remains in the atmosphere and 30 percent is absorbed by the oceans. The absorption of the remaining 30 percent of carbon has largely remained a mystery. Scott Denning, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Colorado State University, stated, “We know the ‘missing' sinks are terrestrial, land areas where forests, grasslands, crops and soil are absorbing carbon dioxide.” The satellite is scheduled to launch on February 23. According to Steve Wofsy, a professor of atmospheric and environmental chemistry at Harvard University, “We're expecting the Orbiting Carbon Observatory to allow us to identify the precise geographic locations of these ‘missing' carbon dioxide-absorbing areas as well as the make-up of the sinks and the rate at which they soak up carbon dioxide. The efficiency of a sink and its location with respect to that of sources emitting carbon dioxide has critical implications for our ability to regulate carbon dioxide in global efforts to offset the well-documented global climate warming trend.” For additional information see:
Global Warming Could Unleash Ocean “Dead Zones” On January 25, the journal Nature Geoscience published a study by Danish scientists which found a link between global warming and the potential for multiple marine “dead zones.” The scientists, led by Professor Gary Shaffer of the University of Copenhagen, used a newly-developed low-resolution systems model to simulate climate change effects over the next 100,000 years. The report stated, “Ongoing global warming could persist far into the future, because natural processes require decades to hundreds of thousands of years to remove carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel burning from the atmosphere.” The model found that “climate feedbacks within the Earth system amplify the strength and duration of global warming, ocean heating and oxygen depletion.” Oxygen depletion can then result in marine “dead zones”, areas where oceanic higher life forms cannot survive. Professor Shaffer concluded, “[The] future of the ocean as a large food reserve would be more uncertain. Reduced fossil fuel emissions are needed over the next few generations to limit ongoing ocean oxygen depletion and acidification and their long-term adverse effects.” For additional information see:
Other Headlines Asian Cities Team Up to Prepare for Climate Change
Events February 2, 2009 State Energy Activities – The Stimulus Package, Energy Legislation and State Actions The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, and Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition invite you to a briefing on state energy activities and federal economic recovery legislation. State officials will discuss the possible expansion of the Weatherization Assistance Program, the State Energy Program and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the context of the stimulus package. The briefing will take place Monday, February 2, from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. in 2253 Rayburn House Office Building. This briefing is free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For more information, contact Laura Parsons at (202) 662-1884 or lparsons [at] eesi.org. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing to discuss the enormous economic benefits that can be gained by increasing our nation’s energy efficiency. Speakers for this briefing include John A. “Skip” Laitner, the Director of Economic and Social Analysis at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), and Michael Lubell, Director of Public Affairs at the American Physical Society (APS). This briefing will be held Thursday, February 5, from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. in 2168 Rayburn House Office Building (Gold Room). This briefing is free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For more information, please contact Amy Sauer at asauer [at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1892.
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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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