Climate Change News - April 15, 2013

Climate-Related Provisions Included in President Obama’s Budget

President Barack Obama released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 budget request April 10. The budget provides some indication about the president’s climate priorities for his second term. The budget states, “The president recognizes that climate change poses an economic, security and environmental threat that demands a decisive response.” It continues, “Even as we work to reduce the severity of climate change by cutting carbon pollution, we must also improve our ability to manage the climate impacts that are already being felt at home and around the world. Preparing for increasingly extreme weather and other unavoidable consequences of climate change will save lives and help to secure long-term American prosperity.”

For additional information see: Politico , Bloomberg , E&E Publishing , White House Press Release , USGCRP Budget Fact Sheet

Sally Jewell Confirmed by Senate as Next Secretary of Interior

On April 10, the Senate confirmed REI CEO Sally Jewell as the next Secretary of the Interior in a strong bipartisan 87 to 11 vote. After the confirmation, President Obama said, “Sally’s commitment to energy and climate issues, her belief in our strong government-to-government relationship with Indian Country, and her understanding of the inherent link between conservation and good jobs ensure that she will be an exceptional Secretary of the Interior.” Jewell replaces outgoing Secretary Ken Salazar on April 15.

For additional information see: Politico , White House Press Release

EPA Administrator Nominee Gina McCarthy Pressed on Climate Change at Confirmation Hearing

On April 11, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator nominee Gina McCarthy. Much of the hearing focused on issues that had little to do with the environment or climate change. Republican Senators questioned McCarthy about disputes over secondary email accounts used by top EPA officials, whether the agency had made all research and data used in writing regulations available to the public, and finally if it had used litigation strategies that would circumvent state environmental officials. In addition, McCarthy was also questioned on the possible increase of regulations for power plants. In response, McCarthy stated, “Coal has been and will continue to be a significant source of energy in the United States, and I take my job seriously when developing those standards to provide flexibility in the rule.” When pressed about how the EPA might address climate change, McCarthy declined to provide specifics, but stressed the importance of the issue. “This is one of the greatest challenges of our generation and our great obligation to future generations. [. . .] I am convinced that those steps can and must be pursued with common sense. And I firmly believe they can produce not only benefits for public health, but also create markets for emerging and new technologies and new jobs,” she said.

For additional information see: Los Angeles Times , Reuters , New York Times

Ernest Moniz Touts Low-Carbon Technologies in Senate Confirmation Hearing

In a confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held April 9, Energy Secretary nominee Ernest Moniz voiced his support for low-carbon technologies. Moniz openly supported the administration's all-of-the-above approach, saying he would support nuclear energy, fossil fuels, and renewable energy. He touched on the importance of expanded oil and natural gas production, the benefits of hydraulic fracturing, while also commending the administration’s efforts to help reduce the costs of renewable energy. Moniz has faced some criticism from environmental groups for possessing seemingly close ties to the oil and gas industry. Moniz deflected many of these criticisms during the hearing, stating, “A low-carbon economy is absolutely critical.” He elucidated his vision of the Department of Energy, stating, “Our principal job is [to] push the technology innovation to get the cost of the low-carbon technologies as low as possible.” Moniz also avoided a question from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) about his previous support for pricing carbon in an open letter to President Obama in 2008. Moniz noted, “That was a time in which there were bipartisan discussions of cap and trade systems, and I noted what the implications of that would be.”

For additional information see: Politico , AP , The Hill

Gov. Brown Approves Plan to Link Quebec, California Cap and Trade Systems

On April 9, California Gov. Jerry Brown gave the state Air Resources Board the go-ahead to link its carbon market with that of Quebec. The Board has been working with the Canadian province for five years to align their pollution-limiting market initiatives. Linking the two cap and trade markets would allow carbon permit trading between the two entities, with the added benefit of achieving greater reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Stanley Young, a spokesman for the Air Resources Board, said, “We are pleased with the Governor’s findings and will continue to work on all necessary additional steps to ensure California’s efforts to link with Quebec are successful.”

For additional information see: Los Angeles Times , Bloomberg , RFF Study

UN Secretary General Invites U.S. President to Take an Active Role in 2014 Climate Discussions

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon met with President Barack Obama in Washington on April 10 to discuss a wide range of topics, including climate change. “The United Nations and United States share common goals – peace and security, human rights and development,” said Ban. “In that regard, I really appreciate such strong leadership and cooperation and support of the U.S. Government and President Obama.” The secretary general also told the president that he would continue to work with UN member states to ensure that a legally binding climate treaty is reached by the end of 2015. He said, “For that [to be] possible, to facilitate this process, I intend to convene a leaders’ meeting sometime next year. I have invited President Obama, I invited him to play an important leadership role for humanity.”

For additional information see: UN Press Release , White House Transcript

Canada Announces Increased Support to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants

On April 10, the Canadian Environmental Minister Peter Kent announced the Canadian government would give $10 million in funding to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to support international efforts on the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants, including methane and black carbon. “As an Arctic nation, Canada understands the importance of addressing short-lived climate pollutants, which have an impact on the rate of Arctic ice melt,” Kent said in remarks at the Canadian embassy. “If we can effectively contain short-lived climate pollutants, we will be addressing at least one third – perhaps more, some scientists say – of the greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming,” he continued.

For additional information see: CBC News , Vancouver Sun

U.S. Energy-Related CO2 Emissions Declined in 2012

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions declined to 5.3 billion tonnes in 2012, the lowest level since 1994. The largest contributing factor to the lower CO2 emissions was decreased use of coal, which has increasingly been replaced by natural gas. Additional contributing factors include the warmer than usual winter and continued decrease in demand for transportation fuels.

For additional information see: EIA

New Science Education Guidelines Include Climate Change

On April 9, the first new science curriculum guidelines since 1996 were released. The Next Generation Science Standards – which include climate change as a core concept for the first time – were developed by 26 states in conjunction with national scientific and education organizations. The new standards touch on the relationship between climate change and human activity, which would be taught starting in middle school and continuing through high school. At the moment, two-thirds of U.S. students say they are not learning much about climate change. “I hesitated a little bit talking about something controversial,” says Judith Luber-Narod, a high school science teacher at Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School in Worcester, Massachusetts. “But then I thought, how can you teach the environment without talking about it?” The new curriculum is not mandatory, and could be adopted by up to 40 states.

For additional information see: Los Angeles Times , Guardian , New York Times , Next Generation Science Standards

Reducing Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Significantly Cuts Sea Level Rise

A multi-year research effort led by Dr. V. Ramanathan, director of the Center for Atmospheric Sciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, concludes that sea-level rise can be cut significantly by reducing local air pollution from black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons. The study, published 14 April in Nature Climate Change, calculated that the annual rate of sea-level rise could be reduced up to 24 percent by 2100 by controlling these four short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), and that cumulative sea level rise could be reduced 22 percent. “It is still not too late to avoid disastrous climate changes,” stated Dr. Ramanathan. “If we stabilize CO2 concentrations below 450 [parts per million] by 2100 and simultaneously reduce SLCPs, we can limit the end-of-century warming by 50 percent and keep below the two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) safety guardrail, from the projected four degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit).” Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, said, “This ground-breaking study provides the blueprint for climate justice this century. Cutting these air pollutants and chemical coolants can cut warming in half for many decades, and is essential for protecting vulnerable people and places this century.”

For additional information see: Climate Central , Scientific American , National Science Foundation , Study

Federal Report: Climate Change “Not a Significant Part” of U.S. 2012 Drought

A report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concluded that climate change did not have a significant effect on the 2012 U.S. drought, which led to the most severe rainfall deficits in the Midwest since recordkeeping began in 1895. The researchers ran models to analyze how climate change could have caused a drought in six affected states, a method which has been used previously to demonstrate how climate change has either caused or affected droughts in other regions around the world. However, the researchers found that none of the models matched what actually happened, leading them to conclude that the drought could not have been caused by climate change. Nonetheless, some scientists believe that the results were too narrow and further research still needs to be undertaken. Kevin Trenberth, distinguished senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, noted that the report failed to take into account how climate change decreased snowfall in the Rockies and how it affected pressure systems that typically move moisture, both factors that may have played a role in the drought.

For additional information see: AP , USA Today , Report

Study: Wine Production Will Decrease by Two-Thirds in Key Regions with Warming Climate

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on April 3, researchers found that climate change would significantly decrease production capacity in major wine regions around the world. The research team used 17 climate models to predict changes in nine regions, and found that, on average, production would decrease by two-thirds. In Bordeaux, Rhone, and Tuscany, the decrease could be as high as 85 percent, while in Chile, the reduction could be as low as 40 percent. The researchers predicted that wine production would move to other regions that would be more hospitable to grapes, including Northern Europe, the Northwest United States, and Central China. Co-author Dr. Rebecca Shaw, associate vice president at the Environmental Defense Fund, noted, “Wine is going to be on the move in the future as will wildlife. [. . ] This adaptation has the potential to threaten the survival of wildlife [in those new regions].”

For additional information see: Guardian , CBS News , Study

Olympic Winter Athletes Pen Letter to the President Calling for Climate Action

On April 9, Protect Our Winters, a climate advocacy organization started by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones, released a letter calling on President Barack Obama to address climate change to help preserve the $12.2 billion winter tourism industry. The letter, which was signed by 75 Olympic champions and other elite winter athletes, requests that the president reject the Keystone XL Pipeline and work to cut carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants by 25 percent by 2020. The authors state, “As professional athletes, representing a community of 23 million winter sports enthusiasts, we're witnessing climate change first-hand. Last year was the warmest year on record, and once again, we're currently experiencing another winter season of inconsistent snow and questionable extremes. Without a doubt, winter is in trouble.” The letter was released to correspond with a trip by Jeremy Jones to meet with the president in Washington as a result of his nomination as a Champion Of Change for his work on climate change.

For additional information see: Guardian , ESPN , Letter