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August 17, 2015
This image shows average maximum daytime temperatures across the United States in a best case emissions scenario for the month of July, 2030. Image courtesy of climate.gov.
On August 13, 15 state attorneys general filed a petition in the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to put an emergency stop on the recently finalized Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan (CPP), which places regulations on carbon emissions from existing power plants. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who is spearheading the effort, commented, “This rule is the most far-reaching energy regulation in the nation’s history, and the EPA simply does not have the legal authority to carry it out.” The states requested that the court rule on their petition by September 8, a year before the states must give EPA their CPP compliance plans. West Virginia’s petition against EPA was joined by Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
In related news, shortly after the aforementioned 15 states filed the petition against the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, attorneys general from 15 other states, New York City, and the District of Columbia released a statement of support for the CPP, saying they would oppose legal action against it.
For more information see:
Reuters, Press Release
On August 13, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released an analysis of where states stand on meeting the recently finalized Clean Power Plan, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulation on existing power plant emissions of carbon dioxide. Looking at the commitments states have already made to cut emissions in the energy sector, such as renewable portfolio standards and energy efficiency resource standards, UCS found that 21 states will surpass their 2022 early emissions reduction target. An additional 31 states have already made commitments that will bring them over halfway toward meeting the 2022 target. UCS also found that 16 states will surpass their 2030 emissions reduction target, with 20 on track to more than halfway meet their 2030 targets.
Press Release, Analysis
On August 11, Australia submitted its plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) are being submitted by countries to the United Nations (UN) in preparation for international climate negotiations in Paris this December. In its INDC, the Australian government pledges to reduce emissions between 26 to 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. In a press release announcing the INDC, the Australian government states, “This is a responsible and achievable target. It is comparable to the targets of other developed countries and allows our economy and jobs to grow strongly.” Peter Christoff, Associate Professor at the School of Geography at University of Melbourne, interpreted Australia’s INDC differently, saying it is “among the weakest offerings by developed countries.”
The Conversation, INDC, Press Release
On August 13, the president of the island nation Kiribati wrote to world leaders calling for a global moratorium on construction of new coal mines. President Anote Tong said stopping new coal mines would be “an essential initial step” toward slowing climate change. The 33 islands of Kiribati, with an average land height of two meters above sea level, are extremely threatened by climate change-associated sea level rise. Under current sea level rise projections much of Kiribati may be underwater by the end of the century. President Tong states in his letter, “The construction of each new coal mine undermines the spirit and intent of any agreement we may reach, particularly in the upcoming COP 21 in Paris.”
Reuters, RTCC, Sydney Morning Herald, Letter
On August 10, Pope Francis officially declared September 1st “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation,” to bring awareness to the current condition of the global environment. In a letter to Vatican cardinals, Pope Francis wrote that this day would be a chance to “thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.” This announcement comes less than two months after the release of the Pope’s historic papal encyclical on climate change, and a subsequent gathering of governors and mayors from around the world at the Vatican to discuss climate change. Pope Francis has said he hopes the Church’s efforts will influence United Nations climate negotiations in Paris this December.
Reuters, Washington Post
On August 7, energy company Royal Dutch Shell announced that it will end its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) because of ALEC’s position on climate change. In a press release, Shell wrote that ALEC’s stance on climate “is clearly inconsistent with our own.” Shell’s actions are part of a continuing trend where numerous companies, including BP, ConocoPhillips, Facebook, Google and eBay have ended their membership in ALEC over the past year over its denial of climate science. ALEC has fought back against the label of “denier,” arguing, “Climate change activists have conflated our opposition to the government picking winners and losers as climate change denial.”
National Journal, The Hill, Union of Concerned Scientists
On August 13, the United Kingdom-United States Taskforce on Extreme Weather and Global Food System Resilience released report findings that large shocks to food production may become three times as likely in the next 25 years. This, the report found, will be due to the increasing incidence of extreme weather caused by climate change. A major shock to global food production, defined as the five to seven percent decrease in production the staple foods maize, soybean, wheat and rice, is currently estimated to occur once every 100 years. By 2040, the risk could rise to once every 30 years. “The food system is increasingly under pressure because demand is growing and our ability to supply it is much more constrained,” said study author Professor Tim Benton at the University of Leeds. He added that if “we have a catastrophic year . . . everybody will feel it.”
The Guardian, New Scientist, Report
On August 7, scientists from the World Data Centre, National Solar Observatory and Stanford University presented new research at the International Astronomical Union General Assembly, refuting the hypothesis that global climate change has been caused by increased solar activity over the past 300 years. The researchers found that the Group Sunspot Number, a method of monitoring solar sunspots, is fundamentally flawed, incorrectly showing an increase in solar activity since the 18th century. The scientists have recalibrated the Group Sunspot Number, and it now correctly shows that there “has [been] no significant long-term upward trend in solar activity since 1700, as was previously indicated.” This undermines the argument that increasing solar activity has caused a rise in average global temperatures.
United Press International, Study
On August 11, Stanford University researchers published findings in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans suggesting melting glaciers are releasing a large amount of iron into the ocean, supplying extra food to phytoplankton and encouraging population growth. Phytoplankton are a major food source for krill and largely make up the base of the food chain, making melting glaciers potentially helpful to marine ecosystems. The study authors state that if their findings are accurate, glacier melt could “dramatically influence Antarctic coastal ecosystems” in the future. Glaciers are likely high in iron content because of sediment collected over eons of slowly moving across land and accumulating wind-blown dust. The increase in ocean iron content also has implications for carbon sequestration, as phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide in photosynthesis.
The Washington Post, Study
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Morning Consult Research Shows Republicans Support Clean Power Plan
Walruses in Arctic Likely to Run Out of Sea Ice Again This Year
Author: Ori Gutin
Editor: Laura Small
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