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Climate Change Could Be Worse Than Feared On February 14, Dr. Christopher Field reported that climate change could be occurring much more quickly and severely than predicted by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007. Field, the founding director of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University and a member of the IPCC, told an audience at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, “We are basically looking now at a future climate that's beyond anything we've considered seriously in climate model simulations.” Field noted that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have grown 3.5 percent a year since 2000, compared to 0.9 percent growth during the 1990s. This was “far more rapid than we expected,” Field noted, due in large part to emissions produced by coal-powered electricity generation in China and India. Field also said that a feedback loop complicates matters further, as emissions and warming enter a “vicious cycle” of perpetuating additional emissions and additional warming. In particular, higher temperatures could thaw the Arctic tundra and potentially ignite tropical forests, which in turn would release billions of tons of methane and carbon dioxide, respectively. Warmer weather is also creating stronger ocean winds that are exposing deeper layers of water, which are already saturated with carbon and not as able to absorb as much from the atmosphere. Field warned, “We don't want to cross a critical threshold where this massive release of carbon starts to run on autopilot.” For additional information see:
EPA Near Ruling on Greenhouse Gas Emissions On February 17, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson said the EPA would reconsider a December memorandum issued by the EPA under the Bush Administration, which held that the Clean Air Act (CAA) did not require carbon dioxide emissions to be considered when issuing building permits to facilities such as coal-fired power plants. Jackson recently re-opened the period for public comment on the issue and said, “I am granting this petition because we must learn more about how this memo affects all relevant stakeholders impacted by its provisions.” At the same time, Jackson’s staff will be conducting a scientific review on whether carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG) “endanger human health and welfare.” Should the EPA rule in favor of an endangerment finding, it would be required to regulate GHG emissions under the CAA, as ordered under a Supreme Court ruling in April 2007. White House spokesman Ben LaBold said President Obama would not interfere with the EPA’s decision-making process and repeated an earlier pledge from Obama that he was committed to both Congressional action and regulatory authority to address climate change. John Stowell, Vice President for Environmental Policy for Duke Energy said, “It serves as a reminder that it's coming, but we still expect it to be done through the legislature and not the regulatory process.” For additional information see:
Obama Discusses Clean Energy with Canadian Prime Minister On February 19, President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper signed a “clean energy dialogue” agreement, committing the countries to further talks and collaboration on developing clean-energy technologies and improving the efficiency of the North American electricity grid. “Right now, there are no silver bullets to solve all of our energy problems . . . That's why sharing technologies, sharing ideas, sharing research and development is so important,” Obama said. The topic of extracting oil from tar sands in Canada was not discussed in any detail, while there was talk of joint research in developing carbon capture and storage technology. David Collyer, the president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, called the agreement a “very positive and constructive framework.” Harper did reiterate his acceptance of Obama’s climate change plans to install firm targets on industry. For additional information see:
Secretary of State Clinton Highlights Climate on Asia Trip On February 17, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Asia for her first trip overseas, with upcoming climate negotiations among the key issues addressed. Secretary Clinton’s trip included visits to Japan, Korea, Indonesia and China. Todd Stern, Clinton's special envoy on climate change and a veteran negotiator on global warming, accompanied her on this trip, meeting with foreign counterparts. Prior to Clinton’s arrival, Chinese leaders announced they are willing to work with the United States on climate change and see a partnership between the two countries as vital. “Strengthening cooperation on climate change is in the interest of the two countries and conducive to our two nations contributing to international climate change cooperation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said. “We would like to work with the United States to make concrete progress on this issue.” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) said he encouraged Clinton to make her first overseas trip to China to discuss global warming. “This is an opportunity waiting to be seized,” he said. For addition information see:
US Director of Intelligence Names Climate Change a Top Security Threat On February 12, US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair told the Select Senate Committee on Intelligence that climate change is a top threat to national security. In testimony for the Intelligence Community Annual Threat Assessment, Blair said, “The impacts (of climate change) will worsen existing problems such as poverty, social tensions, environmental degradation, ineffectual leadership and weak political institutions.” The problems could lead to mass migrations, civil wars, decreased agricultural productivity, and even the spread of terrorist groups, said Kent Butts, director of the National Security Issues Group at the US Army War College. Gen. Gordon Sullivan, former Army chief of staff, described the issue of climate change as “a threat multiplier,” and added, “places that will be hit are already hard hit.” Overall, Blair stated in his testimony, “The intelligence community judges global climate change will have important and extensive implications for US national security interests over the next 20 years.” For additional information see:
Western Climate Initiative Could Prolong Recession, Study Finds On February 17, the Western Business Roundtable released a study criticizing the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a collaboration of seven western states and four Canadian Premiers launched in February 2007. Modeling emissions trading programs in Europe and Japan, the WCI seeks to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. The study argued that WCI would weaken the power grid with intermittent power sources, harm low-income households with higher energy prices, and offer no significant benefit in terms of climate change reductions in the 21st century. “Economic growth is closely tied to availability of affordable energy and a stable and reliable energy infrastructure,” Western Business Roundtable’s Chief Executive Jim Sims said, “The key to creating new jobs while reducing emissions is not to throttle back our economic engine, but to turbo-charge it with new technologies that allow it to run faster, cleaner and more efficiently.” The WCI would be the largest carbon market in the Western hemisphere and a potential model for national legislation. Michael Gibbs, assistant secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, said the report “misunderstood the design of the [WCI] program. . . . Using flawed assumptions, they have drawn erroneous conclusions, particularly about the benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency.” For additional information see:
Energy Investors Target Companies for Failure to Address Climate Change On February 18, a coalition of US investors named nine companies to a Climate Watch List for failing to adequately address climate change impacts with respect to their businesses. The organization Ceres and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) coordinated the shareholder filings for resolutions with eight of the nine companies. The resolutions aim at improving focus and attention to the financial risks and opportunities from climate change, as well as creating greater disclosure on financial exposure and response strategies to climate-related business trends. President of Ceres Mindy Lubber said, “For a company in a major emitting sector . . . to not be thinking about how they are going to address a regulated environment creates red flags for investors.” Many of the companies were in the energy field, such as Exxon Mobil Corp., which was cited as being unresponsive to investor request to diversify their energy sources, and Chevron for investing in Canada’s tar sands. In addition to energy and utility companies, General Motors and Standard Pacific were labeled under the Climate Watch List for failing to take and disclose proactive measures to address climate change. Lubber added, “Companies that miss this trend will be setting themselves up to fail in the 21st century low-carbon economy.” For additional information see:
UN: Climate Change Could Contribute to 25 Percent Loss in Food Production by 2050 On February 17, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) released a report highlighting the potential of a 25 percent loss in food production by 2050 due to the combined effects of “climate change, land degradation, cropland losses, water scarcity and species infestations.” The report estimated that world food prices would rise by 30-50 percent over the coming decades and the population will increase by over 2 billion. Achim Steiner, the UNEP executive director, said, “We have a very serious problem on our planet . . . . Simply ratcheting up the fertilizer and pesticide-led production methods of the 20th century is unlikely to address the challenge.” The report offered possible solutions toward mitigating the problem, such as enhancing supply through optimizing food energy efficiency, conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services and protecting the food production platform of the planet. The report noted that many of these issues are interdependent with climate change, which was seen as a vital issue that needs to be addressed, as negative impacts created by an increase in population are met with a decline in resources. For additional information see:
UN Calls on G20 Leaders for “Global Green New Deal” On February 16, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called on the Group of 20 (G20) leaders to consider proposals for addressing climate change, among other issues, amid their stimulus plans to counter job losses and economic turmoil. Over 100 environment ministers gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for UNEP’s four day Governing Council / Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC/GMEF). The “Global Green New Deal” was written by over a dozen UN and external agencies, and specifically challenged leaders within the G20 to commit at least one percent of their respective gross domestic product (GDP) over the next two years to reduce carbon emissions, and for emerging economies such as China and India to “aim, as far as possible” for the same target. UNEP executive director Achim Steiner said, “We must ensure that trillions of dollars are not spent by this generation to save its economy of today, without any answers as to what the next generation, that has to repay the debt . . . will do in terms of jobs for tomorrow.” The plea comes before an April meeting set for the G20 to discuss the global economic conditions. For additional information see:
NYC Must Prepare for Global Warming, Panel Says The issue of addressing the findings will now fall on a separate task force which will release an adaptation strategies report by the end of the year. “We cannot wait until after our infrastructure has been compromised to begin to plan for the effects of climate change," Bloomberg said. “Planning for climate change today is less expensive than rebuilding an entire network after a catastrophe.” For additional information see:
Trees Absorb a Fifth of Carbon Emissions Pumped Out by Humans On February 19, the journal Nature published a study that found nearly one-fifth of fossil fuel emissions are absorbed by forests across Africa, Amazonia and Asia. Dr. Simon Lewis, a Royal Society research fellow at the University of Leeds and author of the paper, added a 40-year study of African forests to existing data on South American and Asian forests, and concluded, “Tropical forest trees are absorbing about 18 percent of the CO2 added to the atmosphere each year from burning fossil fuels, substantially buffering the rate of climate change.” Lewis found that on average the trees are getting bigger and absorbing more CO2, contrary to the theory that mature forests are carbon neutral as a result of the carbon absorbed by new trees being balanced by that released from old trees dying. The findings could be used to pressure world leaders to halt deforestation, Lewis said. “It's good news for now but the effect won't last forever. The trees can't keep on getting bigger and bigger,” Lewis noted. For additional information see:
World Bank Warns of Climate Change in Andes On February 17, the World Bank released a report which found that the Andes' tropical glaciers may completely disappear over the next twenty years due to global climate change. World Bank climate change specialist Walter Vergara said in Peru, “More than 20 percent of the glacial ice caps have disappeared since the 1970s.” Sixty percent of the country’s population has already experienced a 12 percent reduction in water supply due to the glacial retreat. Further glacial loss would severely diminish supplies for drinking water and agriculture, as well as hurt hydroelectric power generation which provides 50 percent of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru’s energy production. The World Bank's senior economist for the Latin American region, Pablo Fajnzylber, warned there could be a 12 to 50 percent drop in South American agricultural production by 2100 if new technologies and more resistant seeds were not utilized. The report addressed three additional negative effects from climate change in Latin America, which include the destruction of coral reefs, devastation in the Gulf of Mexico due to deforestation, pollution and land development, and the risk of reduced rainfall drying large sections of the Amazon forest. The World Bank approved a $330 million loan to help Peru’s Environment Ministry regulate environmentally sensitive industries and protect the country’s forests and biodiversity. For additional information see:
Climate Change May Alter Malaria Patterns On February 14, Pennsylvania State University professor Mathew Thomas presented research at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science conference demonstrating a potential correlation between climate change and malaria patterns. Thomas found that global climate change will affect daily temperature variations, which in turn could have a pronounced effect on the malaria parasite development in mosquitoes. “Our research suggests this fluctuation matters because it alters the parasite incubation period in the mosquito, which is the most important factor in the spread of malaria.” Cooler temperatures are critical during the first 12 hours of parasite development, as temperatures reaching 88-99ºF can completely stop development. Therefore, a mosquito infected in the early morning will be less likely to develop the parasite than one infected in the evening. “If climate change increases the frequency of days when the temperature quickly exceeds the threshold temperature, then entire cohorts of mosquitoes could fail to develop the parasite,” says Thomas. Conversely, warmer temperatures pushing mosquitoes to higher elevations in the mountains may have been underestimated. Thomas concludes that a better understanding of the temperature regime for mosquito larvae and adults is essential to the study, “Unfortunately, the areas where we need to get more sensitive temperature readings are also sometimes the most difficult places to obtain data,” said Thomas. “But, this is the basic biology we need.” For additional information see:
Other Headlines Melt-pools “Accelerating Arctic Ice Loss”
Events February 25, 2009 A Changing Climate: The Latest in Science, Policy, and International Negotiations The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing to discuss the current state of global climate change and prospects for federal and international climate policy. This briefing will provide an overview picture of current climate science and projected impacts based on present greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions levels. The discussion also will focus on prospects for federal climate legislation as it begins to take shape in the 111th Congress and how this will interact with international climate treaty negotiations. The briefing will take place Wednesday, February 25, from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. in 2325 Rayburn House Office Building. 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. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), WIRES (Working group for Investment in Reliable and Economic electric Systems), and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) invite you to a briefing on key policy issues associated with the upgrade and expansion of the interstate electric transmission system. This briefing is a continuation of the discussion begun on January 15 when EESI and WIRES conducted a briefing called Transmission 101: How the Grid Works. It will take place Friday, February 27, from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. in 210 Cannon House Office Building. 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. Monday, March 2, 2009 US Jobs and A Low-Carbon Supply Chain The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) invite you to a briefing discussing the significant potential for US job creation presented by low-carbon technology supply chains. This briefing will focus on a new report – Manufacturing Climate Solutions – prepared by the Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness at Duke University. It will take place Monday, March 2, from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. in 2318 Rayburn House Office Building. 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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