Climate Change News - March 11, 2013

President Highlights Climate in Nomination of New Leaders of EPA and DOE

On March 4, President Obama announced the nomination of two cabinet members who could spearhead his efforts against climate change. Gina McCarthy, a current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Deputy Administrator and air quality regulator under former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, has been chosen to head the EPA. The president selected MIT physicist Ernest J. Moniz as the nominee to run the Department of Energy. In his announcement of the nominees at the White House, Obama stated, “They’re going to be making sure that we’re investing in American energy, that we’re doing everything that we can to combat the threat of climate change, [and] that we’re going to be creating jobs and economic opportunity in the first place.” Possible measures that McCarthy and Moniz could take at their respective agencies include: greenhouse gas emission standards for existing power plants, promulgating regulations on fugitive methane emissions from natural gas, tighter emissions standards for medium and high-duty vehicles, increasing energy efficiency standards, and the promotion of clean energy.

For additional information see: New York Times , Washington Post – 1 , Speech Transcript , Washington Post – 2

Atmospheric CO2 Levels Rise Markedly in 2012

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels jumped in 2012. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), the amount of atmospheric heat-trapping gas rose to 395 parts per million (ppm), an increase of 2.67 ppm from 2011. This is the second highest rise since record-keeping began in 1959, following an increase of 2.93 ppm of atmospheric CO2 in 1998. Scientists say the rise is due to increased coal-burning power plants in developing countries and a growing world economy. Pieter Tans, senior scientist at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory, noted that combustion of fossil fuels, not natural causes, is the source of the emissions. “It's just a testament to human influence being dominant,” he stated.

For additional information see: AP

Pakistan Launches New Climate Policy

Pakistan released its first national climate change policy on February 26, listing 120 specific measures that would help the country avert the worst climate-related impacts. The plan was developed in conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and included measures in the energy, transportation, and agriculture sectors. At the event launch in Islamabad, Pakistani Minister for Environmental Change Rana Muhammad Farooq Saeed Khan said, “The National Climate Change policy takes into account risks and vulnerabilities of various development sectors with specific emphasis on water, food, energy and national security issues.” UNDP Pakistan Director Marc-André Franche stated, “Pakistan is among the most vulnerable countries facing climate risks, and mechanisms need to be devised for greener, more resilient options for growth and sustainable development.” In order for specific measures to be implemented, a budget and timeline need to be established.

For additional information see: Reuters

South Africa to Tax Carbon Emissions Starting in 2015

South Africa will delay its proposed carbon tax until January 2015, the National Treasury announced February 28 at its Budget Review in Cape Town. The tax will be set at 120 rand ($14) per tonne of carbon dioxide on 40 percent of a company’s emissions, and will increase 10 percent per year until 2020. South Africa will raise between 8 to 30 billion rand ($882 million to $3 billion) per year from the proposed measure. Originally planned to take effect April 2013, the tax was delayed due to criticism from mining and manufacturing companies that it would further slow regional economic growth. As the largest greenhouse gas emitter in Africa, South Africa has pledged to reduce its emissions 30 percent by 2020.

For additional information see: Reuters , Sydney Morning Herald

Australia Links Extreme Summer Weather to Climate Change

According to a report released by the Australian government’s Climate Commission on March 4, climate change was the driver for one of the most extreme summers on record. A four month heat wave sparked rampant bush fires in the eastern and southeastern coastal population areas. Following these record setting temperatures, torrential rains caused flooding in the heavily populated areas of South Wales and Queensland. During the 90-day period that the report examined there were 123 weather records, which included: the hottest day for Australia as a whole, the hottest seven consecutive days on record, and the hottest summer on record. “Statistically, there is a 1-in-500 chance that we are talking about natural variation causing all these new records,” stated lead author Will Steffen, director of the Climate Change Institute at Australian National University. “Not too many people would want to put their life savings on a 500-to-1 horse.”

For additional information see: New York Times , Sydney Morning Herald , Report

China to Reduce Carbon Intensity in 2013

On March 5, China’s National Development and Reform Commission released a report outlining the government’s goals to reduce carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 3.7 percent in 2013 and to implement pilot cap and trade programs. In addition, the report states that China will significantly increase renewable energy capacity in 2013, with the targeted goal of adding 21 gigawatts (GW) of hydroelectric capacity, 18 GW of wind capacity, and 10 GW of solar capacity. The government will also look into oil and gas pricing reforms, which would expand trial cap and trade programs in place in the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. The report stated that, “We will make greater efforts to conserve energy and resources and protect the environment [. . .] We will continue to reduce the discharge of major pollutants.”

For additional information see: Bloomberg

Companies Begin Reporting Climate-Related Risk to SEC

A growing number of companies are analyzing and reporting the impacts climate change could have on their business models. In 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) advised large, publicly traded companies to consider the business risks that climate change could pose. In ExxonMobil’s 2012 SEC filing, the gas giant focused on how increased greenhouse gas regulations could drive up gas prices and restrict drilling permits, while PepsiCo took a different approach, worrying that “we may be subject to decreased availability or less favorable pricing for certain commodities that are necessary for our products, such as sugar cane, corn, wheat, rice, oats, potatoes and various fruits.” Other companies who considered climate impacts in their annual SEC filings include Pfizer, Hewlett Packard, UPS, and surf and skateboard gear store Zumiez.

For additional information see: San Bernardino Sun

Insurance Industry Just Beginning to Prepare for Climate Change

A report released March 6 by Ceres finds that insurance companies are only just beginning to address the potential impacts of climate change to their industry. Out of 184 companies that participated in the study, only 23 had comprehensive plans to address climate-driven risk, and 13 of those companies are foreign-owned. In addition, 88 of these companies admitted that they see climate change as a future driver for losses. This comes after insured losses due to extreme weather events reached $58 billion in 2012, double the average losses from 2000 to 2011. “Climate change exists, it’s happening, it’s going to have an impact,” said Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. “It has the potential of being a real game changer” for investments and underwriting. The Ceres report recommends companies “treat climate change as a corporate-wide strategic issue.”

For additional information see: USA Today , Bloomberg , Report

Tech Companies Win Climate Leadership Prizes from EPA

IBM, Cisco Systems, and Intel were among the 23 winners selected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the second annual Climate Leadership Awards. According to the agency’s website, this is a “national awards program that recognizes and incentivizes exemplary corporate, organizational, and individual leadership in response to climate change.” Cisco received the supply chain leadership award for cutting their carbon emissions by 25 percent from a 2007 baseline. Other winners include: Austin, Texas; the port of San Diego; Wells Fargo; and Tamara “TJ” DiCaprio, senior director of environmental sustainability at Microsoft.

For additional information see: Environmental Leader

U.S. Court of Appeals Affirms Listing of Polar Bears as Threatened

On March 8, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected a lawsuit seeking to remove polar bears from the endangered species list. Polar bears are the first species to be included on the endangered species list because of climate change, as scientists believe that up to two-thirds of the population could be lost by 2050 due to Arctic ice melt. The case against the endangerment finding was brought by the state of Alaska and other stakeholders, including the Safari Club International, which advocates for hunters’ rights. After reviewing information about polar bear population loss in areas already experiencing ice melt, the courts upheld the endangerment finding, stating, “Its scientific conclusions are amply supported by data and well within the mainstream on climate science and polar bear biology.”

For additional information see: McClatchy Newspapers , The Hill , Ruling

Climate Change Could Open Up Northwest Passage

A study published March 4 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences used climate models to predict how melting ice in the Arctic could expand northern shipping routes. The study found ships will be able to travel in the Arctic for longer periods of time and over greater distances, including over the North Pole, if those ships are equipped with ice breaking capability. According to coauthor Laurence C. Smith, professor and vice chair of the Department of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles, “It doesn’t matter whether we get serious about curbing the growth of greenhouse gas emissions or not. Either way, the result is the same. The ice will thin sufficiently [for ships to travel].” If shipping takes off on in the area, several issues will need to be addressed, including a lack of infrastructure for search and rescue in the area, as well as international disagreements about who would have legal control over the newly opened shipping lanes.

For additional information see: NBC , Study

Air Pollution: Key Public Health Threat and Short-Lived Climate Pollutant

Indoor air pollution is the fourth leading cause of premature mortality, according to a Global Burden of Disease study produced by 488 researchers from 50 countries led by the University of Washington and funded by the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation. The report includes interactive graphics that lets policymakers and public health officials compare “modifiable” causes of death and disability among countries, and over time. The study calculates that indoor and outdoor air pollution together are responsible for more than six million deaths annually, including approximately 3.5 million deaths from household air pollution from solid fuel pollution and 3.1 million deaths from ambient particulate matter pollution. This puts indoor air pollution behind poor diet and high blood pressure and about the same as tobacco smoke as a risk factor. “Reducing air pollution, which is largely black carbon soot pollution, can save millions of lives a year, reduce crop losses significantly, and cut the rate of global warming in half and the rate of warming in the Arctic by two-thirds over the next few decades,” said Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development. “With this combination of benefits – healthier citizens, higher crop yields, and half the rate of climate change – reducing air pollutants should be a top priority for sustainable development.”

For additional information see: Washington Post , The Age , Study

Upcoming Events

Monday, March 18: Climate Change Challenges and Opportunities for Communities of Color and Tribal Nations

 

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians invite you to a briefing on the disproportionate impact climate change has upon communities of color and tribal nations in congressional districts around the country. The speakers will also talk about steps and initiatives they are taking to sustain and strengthen their communities, create jobs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Speakers include: Hilary O. Shelton, senior vice president for Advocacy, NAACP; Jacqueline Johnson, executive director, National Congress of American Indians; William Anderson, chairman, Moapa Band of Paiute Indians; Diane Randall, Executive Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation. The briefing will be held Monday, March 18th, from 12 – 1:30 p.m. in 628 Dirksen Senate Office Building.