Climate Change News - September 4, 2009

U.S. Senators See Climate Bill Delay

On August 31, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair, and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair, announced that they will not introduce their new climate legislation until later in September. The bill was originally scheduled to be released on September 8, when Congress returns from its August recess. The Senators have chosen to delay the bill because of Sen. Kennedy’s death in August, Sen. Kerry’s hip replacement surgery, and the ongoing debate over healthcare reform. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) “fully expects the Senate to have ample time to consider this comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation before the end of the year,” said his spokesman Jim Manley. The House passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) in June, and President Obama has indicated that he hopes Congress will have approved a comprehensive climate bill this year, leading up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.

For additional information see: AFP , Reuters , Bloomberg , The Hill

EPA to Announce Endangerment Finding within Months

On August 31, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson announced that EPA would formally declare that greenhouse gases (GHGs) are a threat to public health within the next few months. The initial endangerment finding was made in April, and the 60-day public comment period has now expired. A formal declaration would obligate EPA to regulate GHGs under the Clean Air Act. The Obama Administration, with Jackson's support, has indicated it would prefer that Congress pass new legislation to regulate GHG emissions, which Jackson supported. "Legislation is so important because it will combine the most efficient, most economy-wide, least costly [and] least disruptive way to deal with carbon dioxide pollution," Jackson said. The House passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454 ) in June, which is now before the Senate.

For additional information see: The Boston Globe , The Houston Chronicle , BusinessGreen , Environmental Protection Agency

Emissions Linked to End of 2,000 Year Arctic Trend

In the September 3 issue of Science, a study was released which found that anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) have helped reverse a 2000 year cooling trend that would have plunged the Earth into another ice age. Darrell S. Kaufman, the study’s lead author, noted that the Arctic cooling trend “should have continued through the 21st century.” Instead, the report found new evidence suggesting that the Earth’s wobble on its axis of rotation has actually contributed to global cooling over the past 2000 years. The analysis indicated that anthropogenic GHG emissions have transformed the Arctic climate by offsetting the cooling effects of the Earth’s wobble over the past half-century. Summer temperatures in the Arctic are now 2.5°F warmer than they would have been without human-made GHG emissions. “It's basically saying the greenhouse gas emissions are overwhelming the system,” co-author David Schneider warned.

For additional information see: ScienceDaily , The Washington Post , The New York Times , Bloomberg

World Climate Conference Discusses Need for Climate Change Adaptation

On August 31, the United Nations’ World Climate Conference opened in Geneva, Switzerland bringing together delegates from 80 countries. The goal of this conference was to ensure that developing nations have access to accurate regional weather and climate data. "There's a major gap: how can we better link decision-making with information?" asked Michel Jarraud, Secretary General of the UN World Meteorological Organization. Jarraud proposed the development of a Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) which would create an early warning system for tsunamis, hurricanes, droughts, wildfires, and floods that would be available to every nation. The GFCS would also allow policy makers to take into account the most recent and accurate regional climate data when planning projects with long term ramifications. "Even if Copenhagen is very successful in making decisions on the mitigation of greenhouse gases, there will still be a certain amount of warming," Jarraud noted. Therefore, he concluded, nations will need accurate regional climate data to adapt to climate change.

For additional information see: AP , AFP , Reuters , Deutsche Welle

South Asian Nations Meet to Combat Climate Threat to Himalayas

On August 31, Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal inaugurated a two-day regional conference of South East Asian nations to discuss the impacts of climate change in the Himalayas and formulate possible responses. Climate change could adversely affect the Himalayas through the melting of glaciers, floods, and an increase in violent storms, having serious consequences for the over 1.3 billion people that depend on the Himalayas for fresh water. Over 200 participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have convened at the “Kathmandu to Copenhagen” Conference to address this burgeoning problem. The conference ended with delegates developing proposed emission targets for developed countries and calling on developed nations to provide financial assistance to developing nations struggling to cope with the impacts of global climate change. Mohamed Aslam, Environment Minister for the Maldives, called the conference a good start and said, “It shows [the Himalayan Nations] now realize they can no longer ignore the issue."

For additional information see: AFP , Bloomberg , Xinhua , AFP

UN Chief Visits Arctic to See Climate Change First-hand

On September 1, United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon visited the research station in Ny-Aalesund, Norway to see firsthand the damage that climate change is causing to the Arctic. The Secretary General wanted to draw attention to the fact that “we may have a virtually ice-free Arctic in 30 years.” He added, “This Arctic is the place where this global warming is happening much faster than any other region in the world. It looks like it's seemingly moving in slow motion but it's moving faster and faster. Much faster than expected." Scientists expect that climate change will cause Arctic ice to melt, which could trigger additional sea level rise and destroy the Arctic habitat. The Secretary General also urged world leaders to take action to prevent disastrous climate change at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December where the nations of the world will meet to design a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. He asked politicians to act now since “we have a moral political responsibility for our future and for the whole of humanity, for even the future of our planet."

For additional information see: AFP , BBC , Reuters

UN Seeks Signatures for Actions against Climate Change

On August 28, the United Nations (UN) appealed for online signatures for their climate petition to world leaders as part of their Seal the Deal! Campaign. With fewer than 100 days remaining until the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, the UN has issued this call of action to the people of the world to pressure their leaders to produce a “fair, effective, and ambitious” successor to the Kyoto Protocol. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated, “Time is running out. Scientists warn that climate impacts are accelerating. Now more than ever, we need political leadership at the highest level to ensure we protect people and the planet, and to catalyze the green growth that can power the 21st century economy.”

For additional information see: COP15 Copenhagen , Xinhua

European Union Greenhouse Gas Emissions Down in 2008, On Pace to Meet Kyoto Targets

On August 31, the European Environment Agency (EEA) announced that the European Union’s (EU) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions declined for the fourth straight year. In 2008, emissions fell by 1.3 percent in the EU-15 and 1.5 percent in the EU-27 compared to 2007 levels. The EU is now on track to meet the GHG emission reductions required by the Kyoto Protocol, which called for the EU-15 to slash GHG emissions by 8% below its 1990 baseline by 2012. As of 2008, the EU-15 had cut emissions by 6.2 percent.

For additional information see: European Environment Agency , The Wall Street Journal , Reuters

Chinese Legislature Passes Its First Climate Change Resolution

On August 27, the Standing Committee of the 11th National People’s Congress of China passed a resolution to “actively deal with climate change.” The resolution calls on China’s Communist Party to "draft laws and regulations based on practical circumstances to provide more vigorous legal backing for fighting climate change." Wu Bangguo, Chair of the Standing Committee, called the resolution “an important achievement” on the road to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in China. The resolution also reaffirms China’s commitment to the framework set up by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, as well as to the successful negotiation of a new climate change protocol at the Copenhagen Conference in December. The resolution supports the climate change position of China’s Communist Party, which is that China “maintains the right to develop,” that developed nations should "take the lead in quantifying their reductions of emissions," and opposes "any form of trade protectionism disguised as tackling climate change." This position is in opposition to the view of some U.S. politicians who argue that developing nations should commit to binding GHG reductions and that businesses in developed nations should be protected from companies in developing nations that are not subject to GHG emission constraints.

For additional information see: China Daily , Reuters , The Guardian

UN Report: Developing Nations Need 'Marshall Plan' to Address Climate Change

On September 1, the World Economic and Social Survey of the United Nations released a new report calling for developed nations to provide a $600 billion fund for developing nations to adapt to global climate change and shift to renewable energy sources. Financial assistance from developed nations to help poor nations adapt to climate change has been the subject of much discussion during climate change negotiations. This fund would represent 1 percent of the global gross domestic product and reflects a degree of mobilization unseen during peaceful times. "What we're arguing for, given the kind of money we're talking about, is a new Marshall Plan to tackle climate change and development," noted Richard Kozul-Wright, author of the report.

For additional information see: AFP , The Guardian , Xinhua , Reuters

China’s Emission Plans May Cost $438 Billion a Year

On September 1, a group of economists from Beijing released a report estimating that curbing China’s greenhouse gas emissions may cost $438 billion per year, or 7.5 percent of China’s gross domestic product (GDP), by 2030. This analysis concluded that since the cost of curbing emissions increases each year, abatement actions should be taken now. The authors argued that developed nations should provide financial assistance to developing nations in order to mitigate climate change while the cost of doing so is still relatively low. This corresponded with the position of China’s Communist Party, which has called for developed nations to provide 0.5-1 percent of their total GDP in financial aid to developing countries to help them adapt to climate change.

For additional information see: The Financial Times , Bloomberg

Japan’s Election Results Bring Stronger Climate Target

On August 30, the newly elected Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) promised a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions below the 1990 baseline by 2020. The DPJ plans to reach this target by implementing a nationwide emissions trading scheme and creating a feed-in tariff for renewable energy development. Their target is much more ambitious than that of the defeated Liberal Democrats, who had called for an 8 percent reduction, and is now similar to the European Union’s (EU) target. The EU has committed to a 30 percent reduction if other developed nations take action against climate change. Environmental Minister Andreas Carlgren of Sweden, the current holder of the EU’s presidency, was supportive, saying the new target “could create momentum in the climate-change negotiations” that will take place at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Copenhagen in December.

For additional information see: Reuters , Bloomberg , The Japan Times

India’s Growth Set to Lift Emissions Fourfold

On September 2, the Indian Government released a new report which estimates that India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may quadruple over the next 20 years from 1.4 billion tons to 4.0-7.3 billion tons. “The results are unambiguous,” Jairam Ramesh, India’s Environmental Minister, said in response. “Even with very aggressive GDP growth . . . India’s per capita emissions will be well below developed country averages.” The report estimated that India’s per capita emissions will grow from 2.77 tons to 5 tons by 2030. This is less than the per capita emissions of developed countries, which range from 10-20 tons per person. In leading up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Copenhagen this December, India has argued against accepting binding emission caps. This report will be used to support that position.

For additional information see: BBC , The Financial Times , The Guardian

Scientists Declare that Geoengineering Is a Possibility

On September 1, the United Kingdom Royal Society released a report concluding that geoengineering techniques to reverse the impacts of global climate change are both effective and scientifically feasible. Examples of geoengineering techniques mentioned in the report include carbon capture and storage, afforestation, the deployment of stratospheric aerosols, and the arrangement of mirrors in space to reflect a portion of the sun’s light away from earth. It is argued that these techniques could help mitigate climate change by either removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere or by reducing the amount of the sun’s energy that reaches earth. The authors warned that geoengineering is expensive, risky and may have unforeseen consequences, and so, further research is needed. The report also noted that the "the greatest challenges to the successful deployment of geoengineering may be to social, ethical, legal and political issues associated with governance rather than scientific issues." As a result, the authors believe that governments should try to mitigate and adapt to climate change before considering geoengineering options.

For additional information see: BBC , AFP , The Telegraph , Reuters

Climate Change Killing Corals, Costing Billions

On September 2, a draft version of a United Nations-backed report called “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity” (TEEB) was published. "We face the imminent loss of coral reefs due to climate change, with all the serious ecological, social and economic consequences this will entail," the TEEB analysis concluded. The report further warned that “the existence of half a billion people” and “over a quarter of all fish species are…dependent on the coral reefs." The authors also estimate that coral reefs provide upwards of $170 billion each year in ecological services. The report concludes that atmospheric CO2 levels need to be “significantly below 350 parts per million (ppm)” in order to save the coral reefs. However, the current atmospheric concentration is 387 ppm. The final version of this report will be presented at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December, where delegates from around the world will work to negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.

For additional information see: AFP , BBC , The India Times , The Guardian

September 10: Energy, National Security and Defense Department Solutionst

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing about the national security threats posed by our reliance on fossil fuels and efforts underway by the U.S. armed services to reduce total energy use and transition to a cleaner, domestic supply. At this briefing, members of CNA’s Military Advisory Board will highlight key findings from its recent report Powering America’s Defense: Energy and the Risks to National Security and discuss its recommendations for the Department of Defense (DoD). In addition, U.S. military representatives will discuss steps the DoD and the various services are already taking, on bases and in the field, to improve energy efficiency and implement renewable energy initiatives. The briefing will take place Thursday, September 10 from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. in 328A Russell Senate Office Building. This briefing is free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For more information please contact EESI at eesi [at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1892.