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Climate Change News

Brought to you by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Carol Werner, Executive Director
March 9, 2007
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House Clears New Select Committee on Climate Change

The House approved the creation of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming March 8 on a vote of 269 to 150, with 44 Republicans voting in favor. The Committee will hold hearings and recommend legislation, but will not write legislation. The Committee’s official duties will end with the conclusion of the 110th Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, “Global warming may be the greatest challenge of our time, setting at risk our economy, environment, and national security.  With the creation of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming on a strong bipartisan vote, the House is giving these issues the high visibility they deserve."

The members of the Select Committee are: Ed Markey (D-MA), Chairman; Earl Blumenauer (D-OR); Jay Inslee (D-WA); John Larson (D-CT); Hilda Solis (D-CA); Stephanie Herseth (D-SD); Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO); John Hall (D-NY); Jerry McNerney (D-CA); James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Ranking Member; John Shadegg (R-AZ); Greg Walden (R-OR); John Sullivan (R-OK); Marsha Blackburn (R-TN); and Candice Miller (R-MI).

Click the following links for more information:
http://speaker.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0091
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/08/national/w144506S45.DTL&type=politics  

 

Warm Winters Reduce US Maple Sugar Production

A warming climate is affecting the maple sugar industry in New England. Since 1971, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, winter temperatures in the Northeast have increased by 2.8°F. “In the ’50s and ’60s, 80 percent of the world’s maple syrup came from the U.S., and 20 percent came from Canada,” said Barrett N. Rock, a professor of natural resources at the University of New Hampshire. “Today it’s exactly the opposite. The climate that we used to have here in New England has moved north to the point where it’s now in Quebec.”

To make sap, trees require what Professor Rock called a “cold recharge period,” several weeks of below-freezing temperatures that traditionally fell in December and January, followed by a span of very cold nights and warmer days. In the long run, the industry in New England may face an even more profound challenge, the disappearance of sugar maples altogether as the climate zone they have evolved for moves across the Canadian border.

“One hundred to 200 years from now,” according to Dr. Perkins, director of the Proctor Maple Research Center at the University of Vermont, “there may be very few maples here, mainly oak, hickory and pine. There are projections that say over about 110 years our climate will be similar to that of Virginia.”

Click the following link for more information:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/03/us/03maple.html

 

Bank of America Announces $20 Billion Climate Initiative

On March 6, Bank of America announced plans to invest $20 billion over ten years on environmentally friendly products, services and initiatives to address climate change.  About $18 billion of the $20 billion will be used to encourage the development of environmentally sustainable business practices through lending, investing, philanthropy and the creation of new products and services.  Other funds will be targeted towards accelerating the deployment of existing “green” technologies and improving energy efficiency.

Kenneth Lewis, Bank of America chairman and CEO said, “We have a tremendous opportunity to support our customer’s efforts to build an environmentally sustainable economy – through innovative home and office construction, new manufacturing technology, changes in transportation, and new ways to supply our energy.”

Among many other initiatives, Bank of America will launch the capability to trade carbon emissions credits, commit $1.4 billion to achieve LEED certification in all new construction of Bank of America office facilities and banking centers, and release an eco-friendly credit card that will facilitate contributions to environmental organizations investing in greenhouse gas reduction projects for every dollar spent.

Click the following links for more information:
http://sev.prnewswire.com/banking-financial-services/20070306/CLTU04706032007-1.html
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2007/2007-03-07-09.asp

 

Senate Committee for Small Business Holds First Climate Change Hearing

On March 8, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) called on government and private sector representatives to testify before the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship about how small businesses can take action to help curb global warming.  During the hearing, Senator Kerry pressed witnesses from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration about the progress the two groups have made on implementing small business provisions included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. 

"We've reached a critical moment in the fight to save this planet, and we can't win the fight without the support of the private sector. Big Business can help…. but we need a concerted effort from America's small businesses to bring us home," said Kerry. "Many small businesses…. are already playing a critical role in creating the technologies that are helping America to become energy independent…. We need an energy revolution as far-reaching as the industrial revolution. Small companies…. can help lead that revolution."

Senators Kerry and Snowe also heard testimony from five private sector representatives.
Many of these members stressed the importance of having access to resources and tools to implement new and more energy efficient technologies.  With small businesses accounting for more than 50 percent of all energy consumption, as well as half of the entire economy, all panelists agreed that there are great opportunities for small businesses to help mitigate global warming.

Click the following links for more information:
http://sbc.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=270340
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20070302/pl_usnw/kerry__snowe_to_press_small_business_role_in_climate_change_policy

 

European Union Leaders Reach Deal to Fight Climate Change

On March 9, EU leaders agreed to adopt a binding target of a 20 percent share of renewable energies in overall EU energy consumption by 2020. The 27 EU states will each decide how they contribute to meeting the overall goal.  The EU plan includes a 10 percent minimum target on the use of biofuels in transport by 2020.

As expected, and in an effort to limit the rise in average global temperatures to 2°C above pre-industrial era levels, EU leaders also agreed to cut the bloc's carbon dioxide emissions 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. This target could go up to 30 percent, depending on the outcome of talks with international partners.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said, "We can say to the rest of the world, Europe is taking the lead, you should join us in fighting climate change." German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who chaired the two-day summit, also welcomed the package of binding measures. Merkel said,  "I personally am very satisfied and happy....We can avoid what could well be a human calamity."

Click the following links for more information:
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2007/03/09/afx3501709.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6433503.stm
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/climate_change/article2338373.ece

 

Canadian Leader Struggles with Carbon Tax as Option to Fight Climate Change

On December 2, 2006, Canadian Liberals elected Stephane Dion to serve as the leader of their party.  Throughout his campaign, Dion consistently expressed opposition to the notion of carbon taxes as a means to entice polluters of carbon dioxide (CO2) to change their behaviors.  On March 1, 2007, Dion retreated from his previous opposition of carbon taxes, saying a proposed tax for businesses emitting CO2 is among new measures he has been considering.  However, the following day Dion’s office issued a news release denying that a carbon tax was under consideration.

The Liberal leader’s news release specifically indicated that “[our] plan will be bold, innovative and based on the concept that polluters are responsible for the greenhouse gases [that] dump into our atmosphere.  What we are considering is not a carbon tax.”  These shifts reflect the ongoing debate in the Canadian government on what strategies should be taken to reduce carbon emissions to meet Canada’s Kyoto