Climate Change News - August 27, 2012

East Coast Beaches Consider Impacts of Changing Climate

Rising sea levels and more powerful storms are threatening East Coast beach communities and local officials are considering options to deal with the issues. In the wake of a U.S. Geological Survey assessment which described the coast from North Carolina to Massachusetts a ‘hot zone’ for sea level rise (see July 2 issue), communities are seeking solutions to growing problems. “It’s only recently that we’ve been able to have honest conversations about our vulnerabilities,” said Secretary Collin O’Mara of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Beach replenishment and barricades can prove to be successful temporary fixes to the encroaching ocean and storm surges, but in the long run there will likely be impacts to low-lying coastal regions. According to Professor Michael E. Mann, director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University, “It would appear that we may have to adapt to at least one meter (3.3 feet) of sea-level rise by 2100 no matter what, and that means that state and local governments will need to work with the federal government to build sea walls and coastal defenses, engage in some degree of ‘managed retreat.’”

For additional information see: USA Today , Delaware News Journal , Mycentraljersey.com

First Quarter U.S. Carbon Emissions Lowest Since 1992

According to a report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from January to March 2012 were eight percent lower than the same period in 2011 and the lowest since 1992. The EIA suggests that the drop in CO2 emissions was due to three factors: reduced gasoline demand; a mild winter, which reduced heating demand; and most importantly, reduced electricity generation from coal, largely precipitated by the availability of low-cost natural gas. Overall, CO2 emissions from coal decreased 18 percent from 2011 and were the lowest since 1983. “There's a very clear lesson here. What it shows is that if you make a cleaner energy source cheaper, you will displace dirtier sources," said Roger Pielke, Jr., a professor of environmental science at the University of Colorado. This report is just one of several studies documenting recent U.S. greenhouse gas emissions reductions (see July 30 and August 20 issues).

For additional information see: Politico , Energy Information Administration

New York City Climate Advisory Panels Made Permanent

The New York City Council has unanimously approved a bill to permanently incorporate two existing climate change advisory panels into the city’s government. The New York City Panel on Climate Change provides local climate impact assessments from scientists, while a separate task force of local government agencies and private sector partners develops plans for city adaptation to climate change. Mayor Michael Bloomberg established the panels in 2008 as part of his PlaNYC initiative, and the new legislation will help ensure that the city’s climate adaptation efforts continue after he leaves office. “We want to make sure that the work of climate change becomes as much a part of city government as repairing pot holes,” explained City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. The bill requires that the scientific panel update its projections every three years, and that the task force must then update the adaptation plan within one year of each new set of projections.

For additional information see: New York Times

Singapore Pledges to Reduce Carbon Emissions by 2020

On August 6, Singapore released a national climate change strategy entitled: “Climate Change & Singapore: Challenges. Opportunities. Partnerships.” The strategy outlines a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7-11 percent from the 2020 business-as-usual levels and sets a goal of a 35 percent reduction in economy-wide energy intensity by 2030. Singapore generates 99.8 percent of its electricity from imported fossil fuel and has already achieved emissions reductions by switching from oil to natural gas for 80 percent of its electricity production. Due to Singapore’s size, population density, and lack of natural resources, the emissions reduction strategy focuses on implementing energy efficiency measures throughout the industrial, business, and public sectors. The strategy suggests that if a globally binding emissions reduction agreement is reached, then Singapore will decrease emissions by 16 percent and will consider implementing a carbon tax. Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Teo Che Hean stated, “The world does not have the luxury of time for debate on the causes of climate change to be completely settled before taking any action. We have to rely on the best prevailing scientific consensus to prepare for the risks and challenges of an uncertain future.”

For additional information see: National Geographic , Singapore Climate Strategy

Climate Change Threatens Global Food Supply

United Nations food security experts state their concern that climate change will severely impact global food distribution. While researching a report that correlates recent weather events with the current global food crises, University of Copenhagen Professor John Porter said, "It has not been properly recognized yet that we are dealing with a food system here. There is a whole chain that is also going to be affected by climate change." Climatologists cite severe weather – drought, floods, and heat waves – impacting farmers and food distributors all over the world and causing spikes in the cost of food. The Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G-20) will meet in the fall of 2012 to discuss the worldwide drought and food shortage. A recent study analyzed how a variable climate could change some corn producing countries into net importers, and vice versa (see August 6 issue).

For additional information see: Reuters , The Hill , Der Spiegel

Trees May Emit More Greenhouse Gas than Previously Thought

A study published August 9 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters finds that diseased trees may emit more methane than previously thought. Yale University researchers tested the methane emissions of 60 trees and found that those between 80 and 100 years old, infected with the common fungal disease ‘heart rot’ produced up to 80,000 times the expected amount of methane. Red maple trees were found be the highest emitters, but methane emissions from other common species such as pine, oak and birch were many times higher than anticipated. The results could have implications for international climate change offsets garnered from forest management. "If we're using forests as a climate mitigation tool, we have to know what we're getting, carbon offsets could be changed somewhat by this," said lead author Kristopher Covey, a doctoral candidate at Yale University. If the study findings are consistent in other regions, then the overall carbon sequestration benefits of forests are 18 percent lower than projected.

For additional information see: San Francisco Chronicle , Science Daily

Climate Change Could Cause Extinction of Marine Species

A recent report published August 10 in Trends in Ecology and Evolution found that a combination of rising ocean temperatures, ocean acidification and habitat loss were the driving factors behind five major die-offs of marine animals over the past 500 million years. Scientists have also identified overfishing and pollution as new threats to marine species. "In effect, it says we need to stop releasing the carbon dioxide that drives these massive extinction events, curb the polluted and nutrient-rich runoff from the land that is causing ocean 'dead zones', manage our fisheries more sustainably and protect their habitat better,” said study co-author John Pandolfi, a professor at the University of Queensland.

For additional information see: Science Daily, Article 1 , Report, “Extinctions in ancient and modern seas” , Science Daily, Article 2

Current Rate of Antarctic Warming is ‘Unusual’ in Historical Context, Study Finds

An analysis of an Antarctic Peninsula ice core published August 22 in the journal Nature finds that the region’s current warming rate is unusual but not historically unprecedented. The study of the 364 meter ice core, which encloses nearly 50,000 years worth of climatic records, reveals that at the end of the last ice age – about 11,000 years ago – Antarctic temperatures were warmer than the present. The Antarctic Peninsula’s current warming trend began about 600 years ago, but the rate has markedly increased since 1920. The Antarctic Peninsula is currently heating at a rate of 2.6 degrees Celsius per century, faster than anywhere else on the southern hemisphere and an order of magnitude higher than a typical rate of change. According to study lead author Dr. Robert Mulvaney of the British Antarctic Survey, "What we are seeing is consistent with a human-induced warming, on top of a natural one." Co-author Dr. Nerilie Abram, a research fellow at the Australian National University, said, "If this rapid warming that we are now seeing continues, we can expect that ice shelves further south along the peninsula that have been stable for thousands of years will also become vulnerable.”

For additional information see: BBC , Scientific American , Study

Australia ‘Hot Spot’ for Climate Change

A report published August 17 finds that Australia is experiencing the effects of global warming. The report, compiled from research by the Australian government science department CSIRO, states, "Climate change is already happening; widespread physical changes include rapid warming of the southeast and increasing flow of the east Australian current." The report finds that tropical fish are migrating to temperate waters off the coast of Tasmania, and species of sea snakes and marine turtles are in decline because of warmer sea temperatures. The report continues, "There is now striking evidence of extensive southward movements of tropical fish and plankton species in southeast Australia, declines in abundance of temperate species, and the first signs of the effect of ocean acidification on marine species with shells."

For additional information see: ABC News , Agence France-Presse , CSIRO Study

Black Carbon Accelerating Melt of Chinese Glacier

The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development have determined that climate change and local black carbon pollution are the two primary factors causing a glacier in northwest China to melt. Located in the Tianshan Mountains, the glacier is currently retreating at a rate of four meters per year and has lost 15 meters of thickness since 1958. Black carbon, a form of dark particulate matter resulting from incomplete combustion of biomass and fossil fuels, is emitted from several power plants and factories in the region. A portion of these emissions are deposited on the glacier and darken its surface, leading to increased absorption of solar energy and accelerated melting. Black carbon deposits then pollute the glacial melt water, the region’s main water supply.

For additional information see: Shanghi Daily