Advanced Search
December 18, 2017
A new study indicates that information and communications technologies, including server farms, could account for 20 percent of the world's electricity use by 2025. Image courtesy of laboratorio linux via flickr.com.
Editor's Note: Due to the holiday season, CCN's next edition will appear on January 2
Communities that were supportive of Donald Trump as a presidential candidate during last year's election cycle are becoming anxious about the lack of enforcement of federal environmental regulations under his administration. In one of many cases nationwide, the city council of East Liverpool, OH sent a protest letter to Trump's EPA about air pollution violations by a hazardous waste incinerator which residents claim the agency has ignored. According to an analysis of enforcement data by The New York Times, through the first nine months of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's tenure, the agency initiated one-third fewer cases than President Obama's administrator at that point and one-quarter fewer than President Bush's. Civil penalties and forced pollution reduction retrofits sought by EPA have also declined significantly versus past administrations. Investigative reporting discovered that the reduction in enforcement measures coincided with major policy shifts that came on the heels of requests posed by oil and gas industry executives to Pruitt. Documents also revealed that EPA enforcement officers must now receive permission from EPA's Washington headquarters before ordering certain air and water pollution tests, a vital tool for identifying violations.
For more information see:
New York Times
Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-CA) has introduced a bill directing the National Academies of Science (NAS) to investigate geoengineering technologies. The Geoengineering Research Evaluation Act (HR 4586) would lead to two reports on a potential research agenda, oversight issues, and an assessment of the risks involved with geoengineering methods. Rep. McNerney explained, “It's very important that we understand what our tools are. What options do we have? How much risk is there?" There are currently few options available as scientists investigate these questions. One concern is that certain methods could result in one part of the globe benefitting and another suffering unintended consequences. A country taking up geoengineering alone presents another issue, as the rest of the region may not approve of the risk. Anna-Maria Hubert, principal investigator at the Geoengineering Research Governance Project, said, “The current framework for ensuring accountability under international law is pretty thin on what it substantively requires. Whether it could even be enforced is a separate question.”
Wired, Press Release
On December 13, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report stating that the Department of Defense (DOD) is not adequately tracking the costs incurred from the effects of extreme weather events on military installations. The report stated that "the military services lack the information they need to adapt infrastructure at overseas installations to weather effects associated with climate change and develop accurate budget estimates for infrastructure sustainment." The report's authors found that only a third of the 45 military facilities they toured had integrated climate adaptation into their overall planning. GAO recommended that DOD make it mandatory for all military facilities to track climate and extreme weather costs; incorporate adaptation measures in installation-level plans; and conduct a climate vulnerability survey at relevant sites. A DOD response claimed GAO had relied upon outdated policies and that the next iteration of the department's National Defense Strategy will address some of the issues raised.
InsideClimate News, GAO Report
An investigation by Reuters has documented widespread violations of National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rules governing where homes may be built or rented. Local, state, and federal officials have fallen short in enforcing regulations meant to limit the construction of new buildings in high-risk flood zones. From 2000-2015, new construction projects in flood-prone areas across the country led to more than $9 billion in claims for structural damage under the NFIP. The regulation of new construction, the maintenance of accurate flood plain maps, and the performance of community-level enforcement audits are some of the critical tools cited by federal officials. However, the audits have become infrequent for many communities and FEMA has been largely ineffective in mandating fixes to major violations. An analysis of results from 6,253 floodplain-management enforcement audits from 2009-2016 found evidence of significant issues in 13 percent of those cases. During that span, no federal or state auditor visited the highest-risk communities in 13 states.
Reuters
On December 12 at the One Planet Summit in Paris, a coalition of Caribbean countries, private sector companies, and development banks announced a plan to restructure up to $1 billion in national debts to enable investment in climate resilience projects. The eleven countries, including Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, and the British Virgin Islands, signed a pact to create a "climate-smart zone" to bolster the region's defenses against rising sea levels and extreme storms and to transition from imported fuels to clean energy. Additional supporters include the World Bank, the Green Climate Fund, Bill Gates, and Richard Branson. The Caribbean region is seeking $8 billion to help implement national plans to respond to climate change and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Prime Minister Allen Chastanet of St. Lucia said, "We will only win the battle on climate change when investments in climate action and broader resilience become the economically sensible decision to make every time."
During the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, the World Bank announced it will cut off its financial support for oil and gas exploration after 2019. The Bank currently spends about $1 billion annually on upstream oil and gas development in developing nations. The financial institution is on track to spend 28 percent of its lending on climate change projects by 2020, but 1-2 percent of its $280 billion portfolio is still dedicated to oil and gas. An exception to the ban would be projects in the poorest countries where energy access is lacking, so long as it does not conflict with a country's Paris Agreement obligations. The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, which promotes the disclosure of climate risks by companies and banks, also announced its progress at the summit. The Task Force's ranks include 20 globally significant banks and eight of the largest asset managers and insurance companies in the world. The participants have pledged to use their financial reports to highlight direct and indirect climate change risks.
Guardian
During a hearing on December 11, a three-judge panel heard a unique case on the federal government's obligation to protect future generations from climate change. The plaintiffs are a group of young people who are suing the U.S. government for damages inflicted upon the country's "climate system" through 50 years of adverse federal policymaking. U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken wrote of the case, “It alleges that defendants’ actions and inactions -- whether or not they violate any specific statutory duty -- have so profoundly damaged our home planet that they threaten plaintiffs’ fundamental constitutional rights to life and liberty." Justice Department attorneys argued the case was based on "utterly unprecedented legal theories" and should not move forward. The suit was first filed in August 2015 and would be the first of its kind to appear before a federal appeals court if it moves forward. If the case advances past the appeals court level, it could eventually land before the Supreme Court.
Bloomberg
California's wildfires have pushed people out of their homes while making exposure to elevated levels of air pollution unavoidable. The smoke produced by 2017's extreme wildfire season is nullifying long-standing regulatory efforts to preserve clean air and protect public health in the region. The smoke carries chemicals from the burning of building materials, plastics, and rubber and can worsen ozone pollution. Wildfire smoke is also rife with small particulates (known as PM2.5) that can enter the lungs, worsen respiratory diseases, and contribute to long-term ailments like cancer. Wildfires can distribute smoke over hundreds of miles, where it can settle over a region for days under certain conditions. Non-profit organizations in California have been trying to distribute masks to farm workers and the homeless, who spend much of their time outdoors. In Los Angeles, outreach teams have worked to alert homeless populations of the elevated risk and to direct them to indoor shelters. Laren Tan, a pulmonologist at Loma Linda University, reported, "It’s been very difficult for outpatients to breathe" due to the presence of the wildfire smoke.
PBS Newshour
A new study indicates that information and communications technology (ICT), which includes mobile devices and server farms, could account for 20 percent of the world's electricity use by 2025. Researchers project ICT may account for 14 percent of total carbon emissions by 2040, equivalent to the proportion of global emissions produced by the United States today. The study concluded that without significant increases in energy efficiency, the ICT industry could be responsible for 5.5 percent of the world's carbon emissions by 2025. The surge in computing services and internet-connected devices accounted for 3-5 percent of all electricity use in 2015. According to computing firm Cisco, “More than one billion new internet users are expected, growing from three billion in 2015 to 4.1 billion by 2020." The demand for data centers that began in the United States is skyrocketing in Europe and Asia, bringing with it additional demand for electricity. Researcher Anders Andrae said, "There is a real risk that it all gets out of control. Policy makers need to keep a close eye on this."
Climate Home News
American barley farmers are a key part of the supply chain for beer makers, including both small craft brewers and major corporations such as Anheuser-Busch. Drought, wildfires, and other shifting conditions have hit Montana's barley crop hard. The heat stress can lower the quality of a harvest and knock off a third of its market value, producing barley more suitable for animal feed than brewing. Barley crops have a high risk of failure, to the point that growers in some states do not even qualify for federal crop insurance. Collin Watters, executive vice president of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, said, "Malting barley is inherently different than other crops. What you are hoping for, as a farmer, is a seed within a certain set of parameters that your customer, the malthouse, is calling for. Without high-quality malt, you can’t make good beer." An increase in damaging heat and unpredictable weather conditions has led to a decrease in barley acreage across the United States.
Food & Environment Reporting Network
Puerto Rico's Power Outage Is the Longest and Largest in Modern U.S. History, with No Relief in Sight
Incoming Alabama Senator Doug Jones Openly Supports U.S. Participation in Paris Agreement
Former NOAA Administrators Alarmed by Stark Conflicts of Interest for Nominee Barry Myers
French Government's Recruitment Effort Nets 13 Climate Scientists from Prominent U.S. Institutions
More Than 200 of World's Largest Investors to Ramp Up Pressure on Corporations to Account for Climate Change
Report: Rapid Climate Change in the Arctic to Alter Weather Across Northern Hemisphere
Briefing: What Came Out of the Latest Global Climate Talks?
Tuesday, December 19
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Room 562, Dirksen Senate Office Building
Constitution Avenue and 1st Street, NE
This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to expedite check-in.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing about the takeaways from the latest global climate talks, which concluded in Bonn, Germany, on November 18. The 23rd Conference of Parties (COP23) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) focused on the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, which is slated to start in 2020. The Paris Climate Agreement calls on the world's nations to keep global warming significantly below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels.
Speakers for the event include: H.E. Solo Mara, Ambassador for the nation of Fiji; Anton Hufnagl, First Secretary for Climate, Environmental and Urban Affairs at the Embassy of Germany; Sam Ricketts, Director of Federal & Inter-State Affairs with the Washington DC Office of Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA); and Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE). Participants in this year's climate conference worked on developing guidelines for the Paris Climate Agreement, which are due by November 2018. These guidelines are critical, as they will determine how the agreement is implemented (and, ultimately, how successful it is). The topic of climate finance was also intensely discussed. This year's climate conference was the first time the United States did not take a strong leadership role in almost a decade. The U.S. government sent a small delegation, despite its decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. But the United States was also represented by a delegation of four governors and many local officials, which declared that, although the current administration does not intend to meet the Paris Agreement goals, other U.S. governmental and business actors will seek to do so.
A live webcast will be streamed at 1:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
Writer and Editor: Brian La Shier
Top-Rated Climate Nonprofit – 4-Star Charity