Climate Change News - February 15, 2010

NOAA Announces New National Climate Service

On February 8, the Obama administration announced plans to create a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Service. The proposed entity would create a central federal source "user-friendly" information to help businesses and governments adapt to the effects of climate change. While attention on Capitol Hill has focused on efforts to mitigate global warming by slashing greenhouse gas emissions, state and local governments as well as the private sector have asked for help understanding how the shifting climate will affect their operations. “By providing critical planning information that our businesses and our communities need, NOAA Climate Service will help tackle head-on the challenges of mitigating and adapting to climate change,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, whose department includes NOAA. "American citizens, businesses and governments - from local to federal - must be able to rise to the challenges that lie ahead. And that's where NOAA's climate service will prove absolutely invaluable."

For additional information see: NOAA Press Release , New York Times , Guardian , Bloomberg , U.S. Climate Website

Arizona Pulls Out of Regional Cap and Trade Program

On February 2, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) issued an executive order calling for a comprehensive review of the state’s climate change initiatives and removing Arizona from a regional cap and trade plan set to go into effect in 2012. The cap and trade plan was enacted by the Western Climate Initiative, a coalition of seven western states and four Canadian Provinces which aims to reduce greenhouse gases 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. The Governor did not remove Arizona from the coalition entirely, but said she would not sign on to any cap and trade program citing dangers to the state’s already weak economy. Instead, the state will support expanding solar power and other programs that focus on clean energy, energy efficiency, and job creation. “The governor believes that Arizona can become the solar powerhouse of the nation,” said Benjamin Grumbles, Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, “so we are absolutely committed to advancing the solar industry, as well as wind and geothermal.”

For additional information see: Arizona Republic , New York Times , Reuters , Gov. Brewer's Executive Order

Utah Legislature Formally Questions Climate Change

On February 9, the Utah House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution by a vote of 56-17 to express its doubt towards the scientific basis for climate change. Proponents declared skepticism toward climate change evidence supplied by scientific and government bodies and called for the federal government to cease all regulation of carbon dioxide (CO2). Rep. Mike Noel (R-Kanab) insisted CO2 is unrelated to air pollution, can encourage plant growth, and is “essentially harmless to humans.” Rep. Kerry Gibson (R-Ogden) said, “I'm afraid of what could happen to our economy, to our rural life, to our agriculture, if such a detrimental policy continues to be pursued for political reasons." Rep. David Litvack (D-Salt Lake City) defended climate change evidence, saying the resolution went too far.

For additional information see: Salt Lake Tribune , Deseret News , AP

Critics of California's Climate Law Consider Plan to Repeal

On February 5, proponents of an effort to suspend California's climate change law announced that they were seeking an initiative to place the issue on the November state ballot. The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, also referred to as Assembly Bill (AB) 32, is set to take effect in 2012 and mandates that Californians cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and another 80 percent by 2050. The primary sponsor behind the initiative to suspend AB 32 is state assemblyman Dan Logue (R-Marysville), who recently told the Los Angeles Times that his campaign had $600,000 available to fund the attempt to gather 433,000 signatures by April 16 to qualify for the general election. His measure as currently drafted would repeal AB 32 until the state's unemployment rate reaches at or below 5.5 percent. Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which is implementing the law, called the initiative "a campaign that has to be taken seriously." She said, "It would put all our efforts at energy efficiency and renewable energy in the deep freezer for a long time.”

For additional information see: San Diego Union-Tribune , Los Angeles Times , New York Times

United States to Consider Endangered Species Protection for Coral Species

On February 10, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced a finding of “substantial scientific or commercial information” suggesting that 82 Caribbean and Indo-Pacific corals may be threatened or endangered. The federal register publication starts a formal status review process by federal biologists to determine whether or not to list the coral species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). If listed as endangered, the species would be protected by regulations making it illegal to harm or kill the species. Miyoko Sakashita, the Oceans Director for the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), explained, “The status review is an important step forward in protecting coral reefs, which scientists have warned may be the first worldwide ecosystem to collapse due to global warming.” Environmentalists have warned that corals in U.S. waters could be wiped out by mid century if protective measures are not taken. Corals are at risk from warming temperatures and acidification caused by rising carbon dioxide concentrations in ocean waters, coupled with other human stressors like coastal development and agricultural runoff.

For additional information see: New York Times , AP , Federal Register Notice

More Errors Found in IPCC Report; UN Officials Admit Mistakes

On February 10, officials from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledged the panel's mistakes and said it needs to tighten its procedures. "There is some room for improvement,” said Ottmar Edenhofer, a German economist who is co-chairing one of the main sections of the IPCC's next report, due out in 2013. Scientists and other experts involved in the IPCC said most of the information assembled and reported by the organization is valid and that recent revelations do not invalidate the IPCC's main conclusions: that climate change is largely due to man-made greenhouse gas emissions and could have dangerous consequences. The Obama administration has said that it does not believe revelations of mistakes in IPCC reports undermine cause for concern about global warming. "It's not useful when mistakes are made, but the overwhelming body of evidence [on climate change] is not disturbed by those events," said Todd Stern, the U.S. special envoy for international climate negotiations.

For additional information see: Telegraph , New York Times , Wall Street Journal , AFP

Pew Report: Melting Arctic Could Cost $2.4 Trillion by 2050

On February 5, the Pew Environment Group released a report that quantified for the first time the global cost of melting in the Arctic region -- a minimum price tag of $2.4 trillion by 2050. The report estimated that the value lost by retreating Arctic sea ice and snow could be an estimated $61 -- $371 billion this year alone. To arrive at the economic cost of Arctic melting, the report’s authors converted projected trends in snow and ice loss and methane releases into carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions equivalents. These values were then multiplied by the social cost of carbon, an estimate by economists of impacts from climate change on agriculture, energy production, water availability, sea level rise and flooding and other factors. “Putting a dollar figure on the Arctic’s climate services allows us to better understand both the region’s immense importance and the enormous price we will pay if the ice is lost,” said Dr. Eban Goodstein, co-author of the report.

For additional information see: Pew Report , Sydney Morning Herald , Vancouver Sun , CBC

Arctic Climate Changing Faster Than Expected

On February 5, the lead investigator for Canada’s largest ever climate change study said that Arctic sea ice is thinning faster than expected. "It's happening much faster than our most pessimistic projections," said David Barber, a professor at the University of Manitoba. The study began in July 2007 and involved 370 scientists from around the world. It was the first time a research vessel had ever remained mobile in open water in the Far North. A few years ago, models were predicting that the Arctic would be ice-free in summer by the year 2100, but the increasing pace of climate change now suggests it could happen between 2013 and 2030. Barber went on to compare the impact of losing sea ice in the Arctic to the loss of trees in a tropical rain forest. “Arctic sea ice isn't just a cap on top of the ocean,” he said. "The sea ice breathes. It pumps carbon dioxide in and out." The scientists have not yet produced conclusions, but plan to publish their findings next year.

For additional information see: Reuters , CBC , Ottawa Citizen

Rudd’s Australian Emissions Plan Passes House, Heads for Senate

On February 10, the Australian House of Representatives passed an emissions trading scheme supported by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s Labor Party. It now must pass the Senate, where cap and trade programs have previously been voted down two times. Rudd admitted that climate change policy would be very important in the upcoming Australian election, especially with the results of a Nielsen poll released in the Sydney Morning Herald showing a decline in favor for Rudd’s climate policy among voters; 39 percent of Australian respondents backed Rudd’s cap and trade plan while 45 percent backed the policy of his conservative rival Tony Abbott. The Australian government has also pointed out that Abbott's plan will allow emissions to increase 13 percent by 2020, rather than fall. "Our policy is complex but it is a worthy policy and the prime minister has indicated we have to go out there and explain it, and we are doing that," said Australia Treasurer Wayne Swan.

For additional information see: Bloomberg , Reuters , Vancouver Sun

Carbon Trading Fraudsters Steal Permits Worth 2.7 Million Euros

On February 3, the international carbon market was hit by an online attack which involved the theft of an estimated 250,000 permits, worth over 3 million Euros. The criminals are believed to have created fake emissions registries and then sent e-mails to thousands of firms around the world that handed over registration details, allowing the thieves to steal their emissions permits. The global carbon market includes the European Union’s emissions trading scheme and is worth around $135 billion. Illegal transactions have been reported in Germany and the Czech Republic while emissions registries in nine countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Greece, closed after details of the attacks emerged. Registries in Austria, the Netherlands and Norway were temporarily suspended but reopened the same day. The United Nations' Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said it was working closely with national registries to ensure their systems were secure.

For additional information see: Reuters , Guardian , Globe and Mail , BBC

Dramatic Changes in Agriculture Needed as World Warms, Population Grows

On February 12, an international panel of senior researchers called for the agricultural industry to fully embrace genetically modified (GM) crops as a way to meet the dual challenges of population growth and global warming. Writing in the journal Science, the researchers urged world leaders to do more to promote GM technologies so that scientists can create crops that produce higher yields and are able to grow in the harsh conditions of a warmer planet. “There is a critical need to get beyond popular biases against the use of agricultural biotechnology and develop forward-looking regulatory frameworks based on scientific evidence,” the researchers wrote. With the world’s population forecasted to rise from 6.8 billion today to about 9 billion by 2050, demand for food will increase drastically. Concurrently, climate change is likely to reduce the yields of much of the land currently under cultivation, creating a risk that food production will fall as demand for it rises. “You're looking at a 20 percent to 30 percent decline in production yields in the next 50 years for major crops between the latitudes of southern California or southern Europe to South Africa," said co-author David Battisti, from the University of Washington. The authors advocated developing systems that have the potential to decrease the land, energy and fresh water needed for agriculture and at the same time to reduce the pollution associated with agricultural chemicals and animal waste.

For additional information see: Science Daily , Science , Times Online

Climate Change Aids Invasive Plants

In the January 26 issue of the online journal PLoS One, scientists published an article detailing invasive plant species’ advantage over native flora during times of rapid climate change. A team of Harvard University scientists examined 150 years of data and found this advantage to be connected to invasive plants’ ability to adjust to the timing of annual activities such as flowering and producing fruit. The data analyzed originated from Walden Pond, Massachusetts, starting with Henry David Thoreau’s journal entries cataloging the seasonal natural activities of the area. "We set out to use this dataset to examine which plants have been the beneficiaries of climate change," said Charles Davis of Harvard University. "Our research suggests quite decisively that non-native and invasive species have been the climate change winners. Climate change will lead to an as-yet unknown shuffling of species, and it appears that invasive species will become more dominant."

For additional information see: Study Abstract , UPI

Study Finds Climate Change Will Make World more 'fragrant'

In the February issue of the journal Trends in Plant Science, scientists concluded that climate change is causing plants to emit greater levels of fragrant chemicals called biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). As carbon dioxide (CO2) levels increase and the world warms, land use, precipitation and the availability of water will also change. In response to these disruptions, scientists project that the increase in BVOCs will be exponential. "It may have increased already by 10 percent in the past 30 years and may increase 30 to 40 percent with the 2-3°C warming projected for the next decades," said lead author Josep Penuelas of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. The potential impacts of increased BVOCs are complex, as these chemicals are used to communicate between plants and other species, such as pollinators. The authors noted that more tests are needed to better understand the impact of elevated BVOC emissions in different habitats.

For additional information see: BBC , India Times , Study Abstract