Climate Change News - August 12, 2013

Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change Release White Paper

On August 6, the U.S. Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change released a report that detailed recommendations to the Department of Energy (DOE) when fulfilling President Obama’s Climate Action Plan.  Steps include analyzing the climate impact of natural gas exports and strengthening energy efficiency standards, among others.  Said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) in a statement, “We recommend that the Department of Energy use its broad authorities to address the urgent threat of climate change. The Department of Energy should quickly take the steps outlined in the report, which would reduce carbon pollution while creating jobs and saving consumers money." The co-chairs of the Bicameral Task Force include Rep. Waxman, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA).

For additional information see: YubaNet , Report

Effort to Relocate Alaskan Village Stalls

Climate change induced landscape transformations are forcing Alaskan communities to consider moving entire villages to safer ground. According to federal reports, 186 Alaskan Native villages, or 86 percent, are facing increased erosion or sinking due to permafrost melt. Current efforts to relocate the village of Newtok, a small community of 350 residents on the coast of the Bering Sea, are stalled because of political disputes within the village. No construction on new homes or an evacuation center are planned for the remainder of 2013. The Army Corps of Engineers has estimated the cost to relocate Newtok at $130 million. Robin Bronen, a human rights lawyer in Anchorage, said, "When you are talking about a people who have done the least to contribute to our climate crisis facing such dramatic consequences as a result of climate change, we have a moral and legal responsibility to respond and provide the funding needed so that these communities are not in danger."

For additional information see: The Guardian, Article 1 , Article 2

New Mexico in Extended Drought

2010 through 2013 have been the driest and warmest since 1895 in much of the western United States, with 87 percent of the region currently facing drought conditions. New Mexico is experiencing a state-wide drought, with three-fourths of the state facing severe or exceptional drought with major consequences for water resources, agriculture, ranching, wildlife and grasslands. The National Weather Service in Albuquerque cautions that even recent above average rainfalls will not help reverse drought conditions. John Clayshulte, a third generation New Mexican rancher and farmer has removed his cattle from federal lands, stating, "there's just not any sense putting cows on there. There's not enough for them to eat [. . .] It's all changed. This used to be shortgrass prairies. We've ruined it and it's never going to come back."

For additional information see: LA Times

Croatia’s Emissions Reached 14-Year Low in 2012

In 2012, Croatia’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to a 14-year low, its fifth consecutive year of falling emissions. Croatia is on target to meet the emission goal set by the United Nation’s Kyoto Protocol, which required the country to reduce overall emissions by 29.75 million tons per year in the 2008-2012 period. The reduction in emissions also means that Croatia likely has a surplus of 5.4 million emission permits, known as Assigned Amount Units (AAUs). Each permit allows for one ton of CO2 equivalent, thus removing the need for Croatia to borrow surplus permits from other European Union nations.

For additional information see: Simple Trade

Record Sea Level Rise, Arctic Melt in 2012

On August 6, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published its “State of the Climate in 2012” report. The report found that 2012 was among the 10 warmest years on record, and found that the Arctic sea ice cover retreated to its lowest levels since the beginning of satellite records. The report also stated that sea levels increased at an average rate of 3.2mm per year over the past few decades - a record high; and ocean heat remained at record high levels in 2012. Kathryn Sullivan, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Acting NOAA Administrator compared the report to “an annual check-up for the planet.” She said, “Many of the planning models for infrastructure rely on the future being statistically a lot like the past, and certainly the data should lead one to question if that will be so. Extreme weather events are more frequent and more intense than what we presumed.”

For additional information see: NOAA , The Guardian , LA Times , Washington Post

Climate Change Accelerating at “Unprecedented” Pace

In a study released in Science on August 2, researchers from Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment evaluated over 20 climate models and geologic climate data to predict what climate could look like by the end of the 21st century. They found that modern day climate change is “comparable in magnitude to that of the largest global changes in the past 65 million years but is orders of magnitude more rapid.” At current greenhouse gas emission rates, the researchers predict that by 2046 annual temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere could increase up to four degrees Celsius, and could exceed six degrees by the end of the century.  Severely hot conditions equal to the hottest summer of the previous 20 years may become routine by the end of the century under such scenarios, further exacerbating extreme weather events. The authors emphasize that there are “opportunities to decrease those risks [. . .] There are many human variables at play that could slow the pace and magnitude of change – or accelerate it.” This trend would also place extraordinary strain on species forced to deal with a quickly changing climate.  The study authors note that “we know from past changes that ecosystems have responded to a few degrees of global temperature change over thousands of years [. . .] But the unprecedented trajectory that we're on now is forcing that change to occur over decades. That's orders of magnitude faster, and we're already seeing that some species are challenged by that rate of change."

For additional information see: KQED , Stanford University , Report

Arctic Ice Becoming Less Reflective

In a report published in Nature Climate Change on August 4, researchers from the Finnish Meteorological Institute in Helenski documented the changes in the albedo, or reflectivity, of Arctic ice cover over the past 30 years.  The study found that the region’s ice reflectivity is 15 percent lower today than 30 years ago. Darkening of the Arctic’s ice cover is caused by several factors; warmer air and water, as well as thinning ice contribute to reduction of reflectivity, a process that ultimately leads to less ice cover each progressive year.  These results may explain the unprecedented rate of ice loss, which has surpassed previous climate models, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2007 predictions.  Other studies have predicted that the Arctic may be ice-free by the end of each summer by 2030.  The study demonstrates that “the retreating and thinning sea-ice cover is clearly growing darker. This decreasing albedo is both a cause and effect of change in the sea-ice.”

For additional information see: New Scientist , Nature Climate Change

Mean Annual Temperature in Himalayan Region to Rise by Two Degrees

A study prepared by the state government of Uttarakhand, India found that the mean annual temperature in the Himalayan region will rise by two degrees by 2030. The study also found that rainfall in the Himalayan region as well as India’s northwestern region and southern plateau, is likely to increase five to 13 percent over the next two decades, while the frequency of rainy days is set to decrease in other parts of the country.

For additional information see: The Times of India

Climate Change Forcing Marine Life Towards the Poles

A recent study in Nature measured the impacts of global warming on ocean life. The comprehensive study examined species across the food chain, ranging from plankton and plants to fish, seals, and seabirds in seven countries. Scientists found that marine species are altering breeding, feeding, and migration patterns as oceans warm. Some species move up to seven kilometers per year towards the poles in search of cooler water. These shifting distributions will affect more than just the plants and animals themselves; for example, fishermen will need to adjust to continue catching their target fish. The rate of migration is much greater than that of land species, which are migrating less than one meter per year. Rising ocean temperatures have the potential to cause massive extinction of species that are unable to migrate – for example, those that need to live in coastal areas.

For additional information see: The Guardian , Study

Natural Gas Field Methane Leakages in Utah Suggest Higher National Average

A study conducted by scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found methane levels in the air above a Utah natural gas production facility to be higher than previously estimated.  Natural gas power plants have are considered to emit less carbon emissions than coal-fired power plants.  However, natural gas production has the potential to leak methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 100-year time period.  In the study, recently accepted to Geophysical Research Letters, researchers were able to directly measure methane leakages in the air above and downwind of a natural gas field for the first time, using low-flying aircraft.  Study authors estimate that methane leaked at the Uintah natural gas field in Uintah County, Utah, is between 6.2 and 11.7 percent of total natural gas production.  These findings are contrasted with previous calculations; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that national methane leakage rates are about 1.5 percent, while other studies have placed methane leakage across the process to be between 0.71 to 7.9 percent of total production.  Scientists are planning on applying the research methods to natural gas wells in Texas, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. Additionally, the findings have implications for the total carbon budget of natural gas.  Studies point to a break-even point between natural gas and coal-fired power plants’ greenhouse gas emissions.  At 8.0 percent methane leakage, scientists estimate that climate benefits from switching from coal fired power plants to natural gas would not be felt for more than 60 years, due to methane’s short term potency as a greenhouse gas. Colm Sweeny, study co-author, commented that “If we’re leaking a lot of methane we’re counteracting any sort of (beneficial) impact in the near-term”.

For additional information see: Climate Central , Report