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July 6, 2015
EESI hopes you had a safe and happy fourth of July. Image courtesy of Pickens County Government.
On July 2, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule to phase out the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a family of commonly used refrigerants that are highly potent greenhouse gases, some of which are 12,000 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. The standards, part of EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program, will go into effect from January 2016 to 2021, with different dates for different products. The standards will apply to products such as retail refrigerators, vending machines, aerosol propellants and vehicle air conditioners. EPA projects the rule will avoid the emissions of 54-64 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2025. “Today’s action delivers on the President’s Climate Action Plan,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. EPA is empowered to release these standards under section 612 of the Clean Air Act.
For more information see:
EPA Fact Sheet, Press Release
On June 29, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2012 rule regulating power plant emissions of mercury and air toxics under the Clean Air Act. In the ruling over Michigan vs. EPA, the majority cited the Agency’s failure to account for industry compliance costs of the pollution controls as justification for striking down the regulation. EPA must now rewrite the rule with a cost-accounting component. According to figures used in the decision, the mercury and air toxic standards (MATS) would cost coal and oil-fired power plants $9.6 billion annually and provide just $4-$6 million in benefits annually. EPA estimated the rule’s benefits to be $37-$90 billion annually, due to additional cuts in particulate matter and sulfur dioxide emissions – pollutants not covered by MATS, but which MATS controls would reduce. Some experts note that the majority of coal plants have already installed pollution controls to comply with MATS, since its compliance deadline was last April.
USA TODAY, Morning Consult, Decision
On June 30, the United States and Brazil announced a new bilateral agreement in which each country pledged to generate 20 percent of its power from renewable sources, excluding hydropower, by 2030. This new commitment will require the United States and Brazil to triple and double their current renewable power generation, respectively. Additionally, Brazil committed to restoring 12 million hectares (46,332 square miles) of forest by 2030. At a press conference, President Obama said, “Following progress during my trips to China and India, this shows that the world’s major economies can begin to transcend some of the old divides and work together to confront the common challenge that we face.” Despite this announcement, Brazil has yet to submit a formal emissions reduction plan to the United Nations (UN) in preparation for the UN Climate Conference in Paris this December.
Reuters, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Washington Post, Bloomberg
On June 26, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to double the state’s renewable energy sources by 2030, which would bring the proportion of NY’s power generation from renewables up to 50 percent. Attaining this target would reduce the state’s carbon emissions by 40 percent. NY’s ambitious goals are rivaled only by California. According to Heather Leibowitz, Environment New York’s Director, “The plan also reinforces that cleaning up power plants is achievable, desirable and has real benefits for citizens and the world.” Cuomo’s plan comes in advance of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan for states to limit emissions, with the final rule expected to be released in August.
Long Island Exchange
On June 30, China, the world’s leading greenhouse gas emitter, submitted its climate action plan to the United Nations (UN) in preparation for the UN climate conference in Paris this December. In its plan, China vowed to peak its emissions by 2030 at the latest, and cut its carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) 60-65 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. China’s commitment to reduce emissions relative to GDP is reflective of its desire to combat climate change without stifling economic growth. China’s pledge includes goals to increase renewable and nuclear power to 20 percent of the country’s energy portfolio, and increase its forest cover by 4.5 billion cubic meters from 2005 levels by 2030. Jennifer Morgan, director of the Climate Program at the World Resources Institute, said, “This commitment will benefit China and represents a serious and credible contribution to tackle climate change. China’s commitment was made possible by its ambitious clean energy policies and investments enacted over the past decade.”
Reuters, BBC, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Washington Post
On June 30, South Korea announced its plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 37 percent from business-as-usual (BAU) levels by 2030. Current BAU levels in South Korea would cause the country’s emissions to reach 850.6 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2030, without these reductions. South Korea says domestic action will account for 25.7 percent of the reduction, while the remaining 11.3 percent will be derived from buying international carbon credits. In January of this year, the country also started the world’s second-biggest carbon emissions market, setting emission caps on 500 of the country’s top companies. Also on June 30, South Korea submitted its emissions reduction plan to the United Nations, as part of the process pending climate negotiations in Paris this December.
Reuters, The Hill, Responding to Climate Change, South Korea
On June 29, at a meeting of the United Nations, ministers from Brazil, China, India, and South Africa released a joint statement expressing disappointment that rich nations have failed to provide promised funds of $100 billion per year by 2020 for climate change mitigation and adaptation. In 2010, developed countries agreed to finance efforts by poorer nations to implement technologies to reduce emissions and prepare for extreme weather and sea-level rise. The statement bemoaned the “continued lack of any clear roadmap” to provide the funds. According to the World Bank, roughly $70 billion of this financing has not been delivered. Tim Gore, Oxfam’s international climate advisor, stated, “If rich countries can show they are making good on their $100 [billion] promise, there will be a much stronger foundation of trust for the Paris talks.”
Yahoo News, The Guardian
On June 23, a National Park Service (NPS) report estimated that $40 billion of national park assets could be at risk due to a rise in sea level. The ongoing study, which focused on 40 of the 118 national parks considered vulnerable to sea levels, revealed that one meter of sea level rise (which is predicted to happen over the next 100-150 years) would expose park assets, such as historic sites, museum collections, and cultural resources, to billions of dollars’ worth of damage and degradation. The report details that Cape Hatteras National Seashore alone may see $1.2 billion dollars in damage from destroyed exhibits, lighthouses, and other areas. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell commented, “Climate change is visible at national parks across the country, but this report underscores the economic importance of cutting carbon pollution and making public lands more resilient to its dangerous impacts.”
Department of the Interior, USA Today, First Coast News, Report
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