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April 28, 2014
Climate Change: Top Priority for EPA
On April 21, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy kicked off her weeklong “Earth Week” tour, which centers on people’s ability to reduce carbon pollution in their daily lives. On Monday night she was a guest on the Daily Show where she stated, “I share the president’s priority of dealing with the issue of climate change first and foremost.” McCarthy discussed the importance of the proposed carbon pollution standards for existing power plants, which are set to be released in June. At the end of the week, McCarthy visited a few of the Southeast states to discuss the impacts and costs of climate change.
For additional information see: The Hill, The Hill
USDA Provides Funding for Universities Studying Climate Change and Agriculture
On April 22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a $6 million award to 10 universities for research on climate impacts on agricultural production, through the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Agricultural Research Initiative (ARFI). NIFA’s climate research is focused on adapting agriculture and forests to climate change as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon sequestration in agricultural and forestry products. The money will fund studies about the impact of climate change on agriculture, and what producers can do to adapt to a changing climate. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsak announced the funding at a conference on climate change at the local level at Drake University, in Des Moines, Iowa. He commented, "every day, farmers and ranchers see the impact that changes in climate patterns have on their operations, and they are contending with drought, floods or extreme temperatures. The discoveries these grants will lead to will be invaluable for American farmers whose livelihoods directly depend on the nation's land and water resources." The funded studies range from producer vulnerability and adaptation in a variety of regions, to specific topics such as the impacts of climate on wine-production, bees and pollinators, rainbow trout, rice, beef and turkey.
For additional information see: The USDA, The Wall Street Journal
Sen. Nelson Holds Climate Change Hearing in Miami
On April 22, Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) convened a field hearing in Miami Beach with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s subcommittee on science and space to discuss the impacts of climate change. Sen. Nelson, who chairs the subcommittee, held this subcommittee meeting to provide an overview of climate science adaptation plans being developed at the local and state level. Miami Beach is “ground zero” for sea level rise caused by climate change, with forecasts saying there could be a three-foot rise in sea level by the next century, which would be worsened by storm surges from hurricanes. Sea level rise also has economic implications; Kristin Jacobs, Broward County Commissioner and White House Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience member, stated that, “at one foot [of] sea level rise, $4 billion in taxable property is inundated [in Broward County].” Sen. Nelson believes this issue needs to be addressed because, “by the end of the year, we will be the third largest state with close to 20 million people . . . seventy five percent of that population lives on the coast.”
For additional information see: Miami Herald, CBS Local, Senate Commerce Committee
Exelon Meets its 2020 Climate Goal Seven Years Early
Exelon, one of the top power producers in the United States, announced on April 23 that the company had surpassed its 2020 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals, seven years ahead of schedule. Exelon pledged in 2008 to eliminate 15.7 million metric tons of annual GHG emissions by 2020, then raised the goal to 17.5 million metric tons after a 2012 merger with Constellation Energy. In 2013, Exelon claims to have reduced or avoided more than 18 million metric tons of GHG emissions, the equivalent of 3.8 million passenger cars. Retired fossil fuel plants account for 9.8 million metric tons of the annual emissions reduction. Energy efficiency gains at the company’s three utilities (BGE, ComEd and PECO) saved 3.3 million metric tons, while retail customer programs helped avoid 1.2 million metric tons. Other emissions savings came from carbon offset programs and improved performance of nuclear reactors. The company’s GHG emissions tracking and verification system conformed to ISO 14064 standards. Exelon’s current energy portfolio is approximately 55 percent nuclear, 25 percent natural gas, 10 percent renewables, and 7 percent oil and gas.
For additional information see: ClimateWire, FierceEnergy, Press Release
Apple Releases Environmental Impact Report
On April 21, Apple released a video detailing its environment progress, with narration from CEO Tim Cook, as well as a letter from its environmental initiative vice-president and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson. Apple’s updated website now states, “We believe climate change is real. And that it’s a real problem.” In the video, Cook says 94 percent of Apple’s corporate facilities and 100 percent of its data centers are powered by renewable energy. New Apple headquarters currently under construction in Cupertino, CA, are slated to use 30 percent less energy than a comparable-sized building. Apple’s new iPad Air uses one-third less material, by weight, than the original iPad. Additionally, Apple stores will now accept all Apple products for recycling at the end of their useful life. Lisa Jackson said in a statement, "We feel the responsibility to consider everything we do in order to reduce our impact on the environment. This means using greener materials and constantly inventing new ways to conserve precious resources."
For additional information see: The Guardian
NYC Flood Risk from Storm Surge 20 Times Greater than 170 Years Ago
According to a new study released April 23, storm waters are at least 20 times more likely to breach New York City’s seawall than storms in the mid-1800s. The increased risk is due to a 1.5 foot rise in sea levels and a one foot increase in storm tide (a combination of storm surge and the predicted astronomical tide). Storm waters are now expected to overcome Manhattan’s 5.75 feet-high seawall every four to five years. In the 1800s, the seawall would have been insufficient for a storm expected every 100 to 400 years. The study, from researchers at Portland State University and Stevens Institute of Technology and published in Geophysical Research Letters, was based in part on handwritten tide gauge data dating back to 1844. While the connection between climate change and higher sea levels is well-documented, the cause of higher storm tides is still in question. It is likely a number of factors, including decades-long natural variations in atmospheric pressure over the North Atlantic, deeper shipping channels in New York harbor, and man-made climate change.
For additional information see: Climate Central, Mashable, Study
Tool Allows Americans to See How Sea Level Rise Will Affect Their Homes
On April 23, Climate Central's interactive mapping tool, Surging Seas, began to offer services to New England, with coverage of all coastal US states expected by the end of summer. Initially launched in the spring of 2012 to cover New York, New Jersey and Florida, Surging Seas allows its users - via a zipcode search - to see how drastically climate change could be affecting their communities. The tool uses federal data to focus on sea level rise in each community — both the estimated amount of rising water, and the number of residences and businesses that could be affected. Although this mapping tool isn't the first of its kind, sea level mapping is still a ‘brave new world,’ according to Ben Strauss, the vice president for climate impacts at Climate Central, as “rising seas are posing a totally new challenge to American ingenuity.”
For additional information see: Climate Central, Think Progress, USA Today
Carbon Dioxide Makes Growing Season Longer
On April 23, a study which found that carbon dioxide (CO2) extends growing seasons, especially in areas where water availability is limited, was published in Nature. Researchers from the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, Fort Lewis College and Colorado State University subjected grass plots in Wyoming to heating, others to increased levels of CO2, and others to both increased levels of CO2 and warmer temperatures. On average, the growing season was 6.2 days longer in plots they had warmed and 14.2 days longer in the plots they had exposed both to elevated levels of CO2 and to warmer temperatures. More CO2 causes plants to close breathing holes called stomata, causing them to retain more water and thus extending the growing season that normally ends in autumn due to lack of water. The researchers cautioned that these changes could affect the timing and duration of plants’ reproduction. “For example, elevated CO2 also affected the length of the reproductive season, often shortening its duration,” said USDA researcher Melissa Reyes-Fox. “The time from flowering to mature seeds was shorter for several species, which could lead to timing problems with pollinators like bees and seed dispersers such as birds. This could result in less successful plant reproduction in general.”
For additional information see: Nature, Press Release, Study
Poll: Americans Have Doubt Over Man-made Climate Change
On April 21, the results from an Associate Press-GfK poll were released, finding that Americans are more skeptical than confident in global warming, the age of Earth, and the concept of evolution. The survey, which was conducted between March 20 – 24 of this year and included interviews with 1,012 adults, asked respondents to rate their confidence on several statements related to science and medicine. It found that faith and political beliefs are the leading reasons for people to state that they are skeptic that man-made climate change is occurring. However, Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of Yale Project on Climate Change Communication believes that there may be greater acceptance of the scientific basis behind climate change in the future, but worries that this may occur too late to do anything to tackle the issue.
For additional information see: Huffington Post
Air Pollution from Asia Could Influence Global Climate
On April 14, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published a study on the global consequences of increasing levels of air pollution being emitted in Asia. The study found that aerosols from Asia are intensifying storms in the Pacific region, which can have an effect on global temperatures. “The modulated storm track can be linked to abnormal weather behavior in the mid-latitudes of the Northern hemisphere, including U.S. and Canada,” said the study's lead author, Yuan Wang. Researchers used data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to simulate climate models. “The Pacific storm track is a major driving force over global weather patterns,” said Wang. “We are observing the mid-latitude cyclone system, which transports heat and moisture from low to high latitudes. If this system is changed by air pollution from Asia, then global heat distribution will also be changed. We can expect that weather patterns over other parts of the world can be affected.”
For additional information see: CNN, IJPR, Study
United States Has Warmed Since First Earth Day
On April 22, the 44th Earth Day since its creation in 1970 was held worldwide. As a result of continuously increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally, temperatures in the United States have risen since the first Earth Day. Climate Central reported that since 1970, temperatures in the contiguous United States have been rising at a rate of 0.48 degrees Fahrenheit per decade, twice the global average. The regions that saw the quickest increase in warming were the Northeast, Midwest and Southwest, while the Pacific Northwest and Southeast both warmed the slowest. Twenty-six states have warmed over 2 degrees F in the period since 1970, and 16 have warmed over 2.5 degrees F. For this analysis, Climate Central used data from the National Climatic Data Center’s Climate at a Glance database. The United States lowered its GHG emissions during 2012 to 3.4 percent below 2011 levels, the Hill reported.
For additional information see: Climate Central, The Hill
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