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November 17, 2014
On November 12, US President Obama and China President Xi Jinping announced a new climate deal, with historic greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Image courtesy US Embassy.
United States and China Announce Climate Deal
On November 12, President Obama and President Xi Jinping of China announced a surprise agreement, setting new targets for carbon emission reductions. The new US target is to reduce emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, while China has agreed for the first time to reach its peak level of greenhouse gas emissions by or before 2030. China also stated its intent to obtain 20 percent of its energy from zero-emission sources. “When the U.S. and China are able to work together effectively,” stated President Obama, “the whole world benefits.” The two nations hope the deal will create momentum towards the construction of a global agreement on climate change in Paris 2015. The deal, finalized in Beijing, took nine months of work between the nations, the world’s #1 and #2 emitters of greenhouse gases. Each country faces obstacles in achieving the goals -- the US Republican-controlled Congress may be unwilling to cooperate with President Obama’s climate policies, and China is currently adding new coal plants at a rate of three to four per month. Although some other issues being discussed between China and the United States could not be resolved, the emission reduction agreement has potential to promote further cooperation between the superpowers and spur commitments from other nations.
For more information see:
New York Times, Mother Jones, Washington Post
White House Announces President’s $3B Pledge to Climate Fund
On November 14, the White House announced President Obama will pledge $3 billion towards the Green Climate Fund at the upcoming G20 Summit in Australia. Established by the United Nations (UN) to aid poorer countries in adapting to climate change, the fund is a critical component of upcoming UN climate negotiations. The President’s pledge matches the fund’s existing $3 billion already pledged by France and Germany. According to a White House official, “it is in our national interest to help vulnerable countries to build resilience to climate change,” commenting that increased climate resiliency in poorer nations will lead to a more stable global community. Despite President George W. Bush's $2 billion pledge to a World Bank climate investment fund in 2008, this latest pledge will likely face considerable opposition in the Republican-controlled Congress.
Politico, LA Times
Alberta (Canada) Premier Says He Will Follow US/China Lead On Carbon Reduction
On November 12, Premier Jim Prentice of the province of Alberta, Canada, announced Alberta will follow the leadership of United States and China, who just announced a joint deal on climate change, by strengthening Alberta’s carbon tax. Alberta is home to the third largest oil sands reserve in the world, which is releasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the fastest growing rate in Canada. Jim Prentice said he will update the province’s current carbon tax of $15 Canadian ($13.25 US dollars) per metric ton of carbon emissions by the end of 2014. Prentice commented, “It’s a positive step forward. It’s the desire of Alberta to be participatory in any sort of international agreement that we can arrive at, modeled on what the United States and China have been able to achieve.” President Obama’s administration said it hopes new US-China climate agreement will inspire other nations to begin developing climate change strategies and strong emissions reduction commitments prior to the United Nations climate negotiations in the fall of 2015 in Paris.
Bloomberg News
United Kingdom Admiral Says Climate Change Will Destabilize Global Security
On November 10, Admiral Neil Morisetti said the United Kingdom (UK) will need to increase its military presence globally to combat the effects of climate change. The Admiral, one of the UK’s senior military figures and former special envoy for climate change for the foreign secretary, was speaking at a public briefing for ministers of parliament in Westminster on the risks of climate change. Morisetti said climate change is a threat multiplier that will likely increase violent conflict and destabilize geopolitical security, which supports economic growth and human well being. “This is as much about blood and treasure as it is about the environment,” Morisetti said. “Climate change will require more deployment of British military in conflict prevention, conflict resolution or responding to increased humanitarian requirements due to extreme weather impacts.”
The Guardian
Bob Inglis Group Releases New Website to Recruit Republicans into Climate Work
On November 12, the Energy and Enterprise Initiative launched its new website, RepublicEn.org. Founded by former South Carolina Representative Bob Inglis, the Energy and Enterprise Initiative seeks to provide information for “free-market climate realists” and “energy optimists” who prefer free-market based solutions to achieve emission reductions, rather than government regulations. According to Inglis, the results of the 2014 election make it clear that, “Now is the time to step up with free-market solutions and show the country that clean air and clean-energy innovation are best achieved by accountable free enterprise.” The group calls for policy changes that include a revenue-neutral carbon tax, an end to government energy subsidies and tax breaks -- for both fossil and renewable sources. Through RepublicEn.org, the Energy and Enterprise Initiative seeks to sway Republicans away from climate denial. Michele Combs, founder of Young Conservatives for Energy Reform, commented that after researching climate change she "realized this was really a family issue. It affects everybody; everybody wants clean air. And it was really sad that it was such a partisan issue." The RepublicEn website will feature daily blog posts and social media content.
Politico, Site, NPR
Climate Change May Increase Pollen Allergen Exposure by 200 Percent
On November 5, a study was published in the Public Library of Science journal PLOS One stating the rise in carbon dioxide (CO2) and low-level ozone levels will increase grass pollen production and allergen exposure by up to 200 percent. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst grew Timothy grass, a widespread allergen-producing plant, in a laboratory setting using varying concentrations of carbon dioxide and ozone. When carbon dioxide levels rose to 800 parts per million (ppm), more plants flowered and pollen production increased by 53 percent. These changes account for the 200 percent increase in pollen levels. Christine Rogers, a coauthor of the study, said, “This is the first evidence that pollen production is significantly stimulated by elevated carbon dioxide in a grass species and has worldwide implications, due to the ubiquitous presence of grasses in all biomes and the high prevalence of grass pollen allergy.” Increased pollen levels are likely to lead to an increase in hay fever and pollen allergies.
For more information, see:
EcoWatch, Study
Climate Change Increasing Ocean Dead Zones
On November 10, a study was published in Global Change Biology examining a database of more than 400 low oxygen areas in the ocean, also known as “dead zones,” to find that 94 percent of them will warm by 3.6 degrees Celsius due to climate change. Dead zones have unusually low dissolved oxygen content due to harmful algal blooms. When algae die and sink to the bottom, their decomposition uses up the water's oxygen, which does the underwater equivalent of suffocating other marine life. Algal blooms sometimes happen due to natural causes, but are often caused by excess fertilizer and chemical runoff from human activity. According to co-authors Andrew Altieri of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and Keryn Gedan of the University of Maryland, College Park, and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland, “Climate Change will drive expansion of dead zones and has likely contributed to the observed spread of dead zones over recent decades. Temperature is perhaps the climate-related factor that most broadly affects dead zones.” Not only does warmer water hold less oxygen, they say, but warmer surface waters also mix less with the water below, so nutrients like oxygen cannot make it to the areas in need. Furthermore, an earlier start to the summer resulting from climate change also means these low oxygen areas last longer and cover a greater area.
Smithsonian.com, NBC News, CBC News, Study
New Maps Reveal Global Ocean Acidification
On November 7, a team of scientists from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the University of Colorado at Boulder released a series of maps detailing the range of ocean acidification, a side effect of human-induced climate change. According to the maps, the Indian Ocean is a minimum of 10 percent more acidic than the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The scientists also say ocean waters from Iceland to Antarctica are becoming five percent more acidic every ten years, corresponding to rising carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Originally published in the August 2014 issue of the journal Marine Chemistry, the maps examine the monthly rise and fall of ocean acidity from a variety of angles, including season, geographic location, as well as saturation levels, which affects the calcium carbonate minerals used by shell-building organisms. To create the maps, the Lamont-Doherty and UofCo teams used 2005 as a reference year and pulled data from approximately four decades of measurements. “We have established a global standard for future changes to be measured,” commented Taro Takahashi, a geophysicist on the Lamont-Doherty team.
Columbia University Press Release, Ecowatch, Maps
Headlines
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1. The New York Times Explores Climate Change Geoengineering
2. Berlin Meeting Ahead of Lima Climate Talks Will Be Pivotal in Creating Global Deal
3. Head Scientist at NASA Earth Sciences Explains Global “Wobbling”
Authors: Emily Jackson, Brendan Ingargiola, Angelo Bardales, and Carlos Villacis
Editor: Laura Small
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