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May 26, 2014
Congressional Groups Hold Events to “Wake Up” Congress to Climate Change
On May 20 and 21, several Congressional groups dedicated to increasing awareness and action on climate change in both the House and Senate held a film screening and rally in Washington, DC. On Tuesday, members of the Senate Climate Action Task Force and the Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition (SEEC) hosted a panel and screening of the new Showtime series, “Years of Living Dangerously,” along with a discussion concerning how climate change threatens health, security, and the economy. Speakers for the panel included Dr. Thomas Armstrong, Executive Director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program; Sharon Burke, Senior Advisor at New America Foundation; Anne Kelly, Director of Public Policy at Ceres; and Dr. Sabrina McCormick, Associate Professor at George Washington University and Producer of “Years of Living Dangerously.” Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and Ed Markey (D-MA) and Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) also addressed the audience on the importance of addressing climate change.
On Wednesday, May 21, the Senate Climate Action Task Force, SEEC, the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change, and the Congressional Safe Climate Caucus all banded together to “wake up” Congress to the impact of climate change. The rally was spearheaded by Senators Whitehouse and Boxer, both of whom head the Senate Climate Action Task Force. Hundreds of people gathered in the Dirksen Senate Office Building to hear one-minute speeches from Congressional members and then “sound the alarm” by having all cell phones go off at 5 PM in support of action on climate change. Boxer and Whitehouse said in a statement released before the rally that, “the devastating effects of climate change are all around us right now, and it is time for Congress to wake up. We must sound the alarm and act now to reduce carbon pollution for the sake of our health, our economy and the well-being of our children and grandchildren."
For more information see:
The Hill, Huffington Post, Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Press Release
Micronesia and the United States Take Steps to Phase Down HFC Production
On May 16, the Federated States of Micronesia filed a proposal to use the Montreal Protocol to phase down production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), super greenhouse gases hundreds to thousands of times more potent in their warming impact than carbon dioxide. The North American countries (US, Canada, and Mexico) filed a similar proposal earlier this month, on May 9. HFCs are the fastest growing greenhouse gases in the world, increasing by 10-15 percent per year and doubling every 5-7 years, as confirmed by atmospheric measurements. In a related domestic action earlier in May, HFC reductions were targeted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA submitted proposals to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to update the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program, which maintains a list of federally-approved substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals. The EPA is proposing to modify the list to both add new climate-friendly refrigerants and to remove several HFCs with high global warming potential. The EPA explained in a February meeting that the rules will likely revoke approval for HFC-134a, a gas with a global warming potential 1,300 times higher than carbon dioxide and used as a foam-blowing agent and refrigerant in vending machines, reach-in coolers, and mobile air conditioning. Replacing HFC-134a with climate-friendly alternatives is expected to provide both energy efficiency benefits and significant climate mitigation benefits. “The EPA’s proposed rules are already sending a powerful signal to the U.S. and global market,” said Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development. “[HFCs’] greatest damage can be avoided by leap-frogging over further use of HFCs, and moving directly into climate-friendly alternatives. EPA’s actions will help set up the proposed HFC phasedown under the Montreal Protocol.”
Micronesia HFC Amendment, North American HFC Amendment, State Department Media Note on North American HFC proposal, EPA summary of North American HFC proposal, Environmental Leader, E&E
Evangelical Christian Leaders in Florida Press for Climate Action
On May 20, evangelical leaders held a discussion at a church in Longwood, Florida on why Christians should care about climate change and climate impacts in Florida. The panelists included Reverend Mitch Hescox, president of the Evangelical Environmental Network; Kevin Sherin, director of Florida Department of Health in Orange County; and Scott Hagen, professor at the University of Central Florida. Evangelical leaders in Florida have begun pushing Governor Rick Scott (R) to take action on climate issues, while also criticizing Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) for his comments doubting the connection between human activities and climate change. Rev. Hescox is gathering signatures for a petition calling on Gov. Scott to reduce carbon pollution and confront climate change impacts. Hescox writes that, “as Christians, we believe that God's grace empowers us to honestly confront the challenges we face and change for the better,” it reads. “We are failing to keep our air and water clean for our children, contributing to a changing climate that most hurts the world’s poor, and putting Floridians at risk as temperatures and sea levels continue to rise. To meet these challenges, we need leaders who understand our duty to God’s creation and future generations.”
Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel
Greenland Ice Sheet Vulnerable to Melt From Above and Below
On May 18, Nature Geoscience published a study revealing that underwater glacier canyons in Greenland are both deeper and extend further inland than previously thought, putting the glaciers in greater contact with warming oceans and exacerbating melting. The study was followed by a May 19 report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences which found that forest fire-produced black carbon (commonly referred to as soot) is driving increased melting on the ice’s surface, as soot darkens the ice and captures more heat from sunlight. These two findings suggest the ice sheet is more vulnerable to accelerating melting from both above and below ground than previous assessments have suggested. As a result, the Greenland ice sheet is likely to contribute more to sea-level rise in the coming century than previously expected. Romina Picolotti, former Secretary of the Environment for Argentina and President of the Centre for Human Rights and Environment, stated, “Reducing black carbon soot and other short-lived climate pollutants can cut the rate of global warming by half and Arctic warming by two-thirds, and is critical for slowing the loss of Greenland ice and the resulting sea level rise.”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature Geoscience, New York Times
Climate Change Is Impacting National Landmarks, New Report Says
On May 20, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released a report which describes the risks that climate change poses to historic landmarks and sites across the United States. The report details 30 at-risk sites, including Ellis Island, Cape Canaveral, the Everglades and historic Annapolis. Climate change impacts, including rising sea levels, increased wildfires, extended droughts, greater flooding and altered rainfall patterns, are putting these important cultural and historical sites in danger. Daniel Odess, head scientist for cultural resources at the National Park Service, said, “[Climate change] is very much something we’re thinking about. We have a lot of assets in harm’s way.” One site at risk is the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument in Dochester County, Maryland. The monument is the birthplace of Harriet Tubman and the location in which she helped at least 70 slaves – although some estimate as many as 300 – escape to freedom. The Tubman monument is threatened by the confluence of land subsidence and rising sea levels, a combination that is expected to bring close to two feet of sea level rise to the area by 2050. Alan Spears, government affairs cultural resources director at the National Parks Conservation Association, commented, “[Creating the national monument] was a decades-long effort to honor Harriet Tubman. So the idea that in 40 years much of that could be underwater is a pretty reprehensible notion.”
The same day the report was released, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing in partnership with UCS to highlight the report’s findings. For materials and a recording of the event, check out www.eesi.org/briefings/view/052014landmarks#.U39rKPldV1E.
Huffington Post, Study
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