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August 13, 2018
The White House is considering a reversal of energy efficiency standards for specialty lighting products implemented under the Obama administration. Image courtesy of pxhere.com.
The Trump administration is currently reviewing a proposal to eliminate stricter light bulb energy efficiency standards issued by the Obama administration. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association contacted Energy Secretary Rick Perry as early as March 2017 to reverse the rule. The rule in question integrated specialty light bulbs into the efficiency standard that helped phase out traditional incandescent bulbs in the United States. Specialty applications include track and recessed lighting, bathroom vanities, and other decorative fixtures such as chandeliers. The Obama administration emphasized energy efficiency for appliances and everyday products, issuing around 50 final standards that are projected to save consumers $550 billion in utility costs and avoid three billion tons of CO2 emissions. The expansion to specialty lighting would take effect by 2025 and save consumers $22 billion in household energy bills. Despite supporting the 2007 standard for incandescent bulbs issued during the Bush administration, the lighting industry argued that the specialty expansion "[achieves] an outcome that Congress did not intend."
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Bloomberg
EPA may follow through on a proposed rule change that would change the agency's official threshold for "safe" levels of fine particulate air pollution (PM 2.5). The move could subsequently lead to lower calculated health benefits associated with greenhouse gas emission reduction regulations. EPA’s proposal is controversial, as many experts claim that there is not a known level of PM 2.5 that is considered safe. The Trump administration’s proposal sets a safe level of PM 2.5 at 12 micrograms per cubic meter, yet many believe this standard is arbitrary. Arden Pope of Brigham Young University said, “There is no evidence there is anything magical in 12 micrograms.” Many argue that the motivation behind the rule change is to alter the EPA’s cost-benefit analysis and justify a repeal of major climate regulations. Defining a safe amount of air pollution can lower the health benefits associated with climate regulations, such as the Clean Power Plan or the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, and make them appear more costly and less justifiable.
E&E News
On August 8, the government of Puerto Rico delivered a recovery plan to Congress to help the U.S. territory continue its rebuild after Hurricane Maria wiped out much of the island's infrastructure. The plan is estimated to cost $139 billion, which is a 47 percent increase from an earlier request filed in November 2017. According to Gov. Ricardo Rossello's office, the funds would go toward reconstructing energy, water, transportation, and communications infrastructure, housing, public buildings, and education. Puerto Rico is seeking assistance to resolve economic and environmental issues created or worsened by the disaster. The latest funding request was developed in coordination with federal agencies, received public input, and reflects the expanded needs of Puerto Rico. In the report, the Puerto Rican government revised its official estimate for the death toll from Hurricane Maria. The original estimate of 64 individuals jumped to 1,427 fatalities in the four months after the storm when compared to the "normal" death rate for that period over the prior four-year period.
CNN, Reuters
On August 6, the California Air Resources Board issued a proposal to counter the Trump administration's recent actions challenging the state's long-standing ability to set its own stricter vehicle emission standards. Although the administration has argued that the country should have one nationwide air pollution standard, every vehicle sold in the United States already meets California's standards. The Board's plan would require any new car sold in California to comply with the state's regulations, regardless of federal government rules. The Board is scheduled to vote on the proposal on September 27. Automakers had lobbied the Trump administration to loosen national vehicle emission standards, but are dreading the possibility of having to comply with two sets of standards. The previous federal standard California had signed on to would have increased average fuel economy for new vehicles from 36 miles per gallon (mpg) to 54 through 2025. The Trump administration intends to freeze that standard at 37 mpg.
Sacramento Bee
An analysis by Climate Central found that rising average temperatures across the United States are increasing the number of days when mosquito-borne diseases (like West Nile virus) are more likely to be spread. The study included data for 244 cities and found most had seen a steady increase in the average number of high-risk mosquito days since 1970. El Paso, Texas, had an increase of 33 such days and now experiences more than 240 days per year with the ideal temperature range of 61-93 degrees Fahrenheit for the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. El Paso's increase was surpassed by Reno, Nevada; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and San Francisco and Santa Maria, California. Biologist Marta Shocket of Stanford University explained, “Transmission of mosquito-borne diseases depends on a bunch of different biological processes. It depends on the how long the mosquitoes are living, how many mosquitoes there are, how much they’re biting. All of those processes depend on temperature.”
Climate Central
Climate change is driving ticks north, leaving states unprepared for the public health ramifications of Lyme disease. It appears that rising temperatures are correlated with higher populations of ticks in northern states. Griffin Dill, director of the University of Maine’s tick-identification program, explains, “We’re still so inundated with tick-borne disease...we’re trying to plug holes in the dam.” Climate change may be contributing to the rapid increase in vector diseases: according to a U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) report released in May 2017, disease cases stemming from mosquito, tick, and flea bites have tripled nationally in the last 13 years. Climate change is contributing to this northward expansion of ticks, but Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) is a vocal climate change skeptic. Under his administration, the Maine CDC has little support to work on climate change-related issues, which could impact the government’s response to the influx of insect disease vectors. Frustration over LePage’s response is growing. Constance Dickey, a patient advocate with the nonprofit group Maine Lyme, said, “We wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing if the state was doing their job.”
Center for Public Integrity
Caribbean states and territories were devastated by 2017's hurricane season. Hurricane Irma developed into a category five storm and caused more than 130 deaths and massive property damage in Barbuda, Saint Martin, Barbados, Dominica and elsewhere. Hurricane Maria followed close behind, striking Puerto Rico and causing thousands of deaths. With climate change widely expected to make those types of extreme weather events more frequent and more severe, the region's leaders are urging the Trump administration to reconsider its position on reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Barbados's ambassador to the United States, Selwin Hart, said, "This isn’t some scientific debate, it’s a reality with loss of life implications. We need the U.S. to be back at the table and engage." Caribbean nations are also working to adapt to the new normal of climate change. The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States is actively dealing with issues like coastal relocation, more resilient construction, and food security. However, Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit cautions, "There is little time left for action. While the big countries talk, the small island nations suffer."
Guardian
In Sicily, Italy, a rise in temperatures is allowing farmers to grow mangoes, papayas, and other tropical fruits. The average temperature in Sicily has increased about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit in the past 100 years, making farming conditions tolerable for exotic crops. More farmers on the island are switching from traditional agricultural products – such as oranges and lemons – to more tropical products. The switch is driven by an increasing demand for the novel fruits, as well as a decreasing demand for traditional, Sicilian-farmed fruits due to competitive foreign imports. Letizia Marceno, a local farmer, said, “It became more favorable and more useful to cultivate the bananas [in Sicily].” Still, the dry Sicilian climate isn’t ideal and rainfall is expected to decrease as average temperatures continue to increase. Tropical fruit crops need lots of water, and lower rainfall will increase the cost of production (as agricultural irrigation can be expensive). Some of Sicily's farmers remain optimistic despite the climate trends, noting their tradition of growing drought-friendly vegetables in the past.
Reuters
The construction of levees may sometimes increase the risk of flooding for surrounding, unprotected communities. Investigative reporters at ProPublica looked into the effects of levees on nearby towns that were not protected by levees. Along Missouri’s Meramec River, only one of the towns analyzed, Valley Park, has a levee built around it. After a massive flood in the area in late 2015, many attributed the increased flood levels to the nearby levee. The Army Corps of Engineers (the agency in charge of minimizing flood damages) determined the levee’s location using a cost-benefit analysis, a process which Leonard Shabman, a senior fellow at Resources for the Future, argued is “always driven by property values.” Meramec-adjacent towns with lower property values that were unable to pay for part of a levee now receive little, if any, protection from floods. The Army Corps has also been criticized for not pursuing more policy-based solutions, such as buying out the most flood-prone homes. The Corps has claimed such measures were "seldom economically justified."
ProPublica
A recent study has modeled the land temperatures of ancientEarth when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels last reached 1,000 parts per million (ppm) – the amount projected to be in the atmosphere by 2100. The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, modeled land temperatures during the late Paleocene and early Eocene epochs. The researchers found that land temperatures were much warmer, with a mean annual temperature of 73-84 degrees Fahrenheit (23-29 C), or about 18-27 degrees (10-15 C) warmer than today. They also discovered the north and south poles were downright tropical during these periods. The researchers were unable to identify the scorching temperatures around the equator using current methods. It is speculated that these areas may have turned into “dead zones,” too hot to sustain many forms of life. While plants and animals lived near the poles during these periods, the warming occurred over thousands or even millions of years – giving life time to adapt to a changing climate. Earth's current projected rate of warming, however, will be much faster.
The Atlantic
Glacial Melting in Pakistan Putting Rural Communities at Increased Risk of Flooding
Today's Heat Waves Hint at Future of Tourism for Europe
Scientists Seek to Advance Understanding of Dangerous Climate Feedback Loops
Climate Change Harming Typically Hardy Mojave Desert Bird Species
Study Examines Carbon Footprint of Different Agricultural Approaches
Writers: Maria Pfister and Brian La Shier Editor: Brian La Shier
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