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August 3, 2015
The image, taken July 10 by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites, shows the smoke plume crossing national borders from a Saskatchewan wildfire which triggered the evacuation of 13,000 people, the largest evacuation in the history of the province. The image shows aerosol particles, of which smoke is one. Aerosols, which can reflect or absorb sunlight, have a major impact on the global climate. Image courtesy of climate.gov.
On July 27, 13 leading U.S. companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Bank of America, Google, and Walmart, joined Secretary of State John Kerry at the White House to launch the American Business Act on Climate Pledge. Each company signed the pledge, which reads, “We support the conclusion of a climate change agreement in Paris that takes a strong step forward toward a low-carbon, sustainable future,” and committed to individual goals to provide support for global climate action. Together, the 13 companies announced $140 billion in new low carbon investments and more than 1,600 megawatts of new renewable energy installations. The White House said it would announce further pledges at a later date.
For more information see:
Reuters, Responding to Climate Change, Bloomberg, White House
On July 28, at the request of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Department of Defense (DOD) sent a report to Congress detailing the national security implications of climate change. The DOD’s report found that climate change is an “urgent and growing threat to our national security” and will “aggravate existing problems — such as poverty, social tensions, environmental degradation, ineffectual leadership, and weak political institutions — that threaten domestic stability in a number of countries.” The report concluded that the DOD is already observing the impact of climate change in unstable communities throughout the world, and outlined how each region-specific military command, or “COCOM,” is working to mitigate and address those impacts.
Washington Post, Washington Times, Press Release, Report
On July 26, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D) unveiled a web video with the first of six strategies on energy and climate which the candidate will release over the coming months. The video details two big goals on renewable energy: 1) to install half a billion solar panels by the end of her first term, and 2) to have sufficient renewable energy to power every home in the United States by 2027. Clinton said she would accomplish these goals by protecting the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, and launching a Clean Energy Challenge to bring states, cities and rural communities together to increase renewable energy. Clinton’s website says this package will “combat climate change, create jobs, protect the health of American families and communities, and make the United States the world’s clean energy superpower.”
Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Video
On July 24, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey appealed to the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of a 14-state coalition to reopen their case against the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP) regulation. The D.C. court previously dismissed the case in June, stating that it was unprecedented for the courts to review a proposed rule. In their petition to the court, the states argue that by dismissing the case, the court has set a precedent of allowing “an agency [to] repeatedly threaten regulated parties to make immediate expenditures to comply with an unlawful but not-yet-final rule, and evade legal accountability for this misconduct.” The EPA is expected to release its final CPP rule the week of August 3rd, potentially making the states’ appeal moot.
The Hill
On July 28, the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to weaken sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide standards for 13 Southern and Midwestern states whose emissions are hurting air quality downwind along the east coast. The Court said the standards were too strict, and caused downwind states to “over-achieve.” The court’s ruling does not prevent the EPA from regulating cross-state air pollution, a right upheld by the Supreme Court last April, but rather requires the EPA to relax its standards in Texas and South Carolina and set new standards in the other 11 states. Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, commented on the decision, "The reality is we need more pollution control of power plants, not less . . . The targets involved in this case are so outmoded that they are almost irrelevant.”
News and Sentinel
On July 29, Monaco released its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to the United Nations in advance of climate negotiations in Paris this December, announcing it would reduce its emissions 50 percent from 1990 levels by 2030, with the eventual goal of reducing emissions 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. Monaco has created an action plan to reduce emissions from transportation, waste-to-energy and building A/C units, which together account for almost 90 percent of Monaco’s emissions. Monaco says its 50 percent target requires an energy transition in the buildings and waste treatment sectors, and it will need to use technologies which approach carbon neutrality, not all of which are fully mature, to achieve its goal. With the addition of Monaco’s INDC, 59 percent of the world’s emissions are covered.
Responding to Climate Change, Monaco United Nations Plan
On July 29, the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission (CCC) and National Youth Commission launched a campaign in partnership with the Agency for International Development (USAID) to unite Filipino youth in the battle against climate change. The campaign’s goal is to collect one million pledges to support climate action from Filipino youth, and then send them to French President Francois Hollande, before the United Nations’ Climate Conference in Paris this December. The Philippines is considered one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and Pebbles Sanchez, a CCC planning officer, noted, “Our generation will face the impact of climate change in 2020 or 2050 when it worsens.”
Minda News
On July 31, 365 companies and investors sent letters to 29 governors calling on them to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan, a regulation on power plant emissions of carbon dioxide which will likely be released the week of August 3rd. Ceres, a nonprofit which advocates for sustainability, organized the campaign. The letter states, “Our support is firmly grounded in economic reality. Clean energy solutions are cost effective and innovative ways to drive investment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” The businesses include small local companies and large name brands such as General Mills, Nestle, Unilever and Mars Inc.
Press release, Ceres
On July 24, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) published a report stating that globally, investors could lose $4.2 trillion by 2100 even if global warming stays below two degrees C, and could lose nearly $14 trillion if the Earth’s temperature rises by six degrees C. Brian Gardner, the editor of the report, said, “Investors currently face a stark choice. Either they will experience impairments to their holdings in fossil-fuel companies should robust regulatory action on climate change take place, or they will face substantial losses across the entire portfolio of manageable assets should little mitigation of climate risk be forthcoming.” The report also highlighted numerous ways for investors to reduce their exposure to environmental risk, such as investing in projects that finance a transition to a low carbon economy.
The Guardian, International Business Times, Report
On July 29, the non-partisan Risky Business Project released a report indicating that Texas and areas of the Southeastern United States face unique risks from the threat of climate change. The report indicates that in 2100, the Southeast will have 14 times the number of days with temperatures exceeding 95 degrees F, and by 2050, annual deaths due to extreme heat will increase by 2,580 deaths in Texas and 1,840 deaths in Florida. The report projects that existing southeast coastal property worth $48.2 billion to $68.7 billion will be below sea level by 2050. Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York City and co-chair of the Risky Business Project, remarked, “By explaining the potential impacts of climate change on local communities, this report can help businesses and government make smart investments that protect infrastructure and improve people’s lives.”
The Texas Tribune, Dallas Observer, Live Trading News, Report
On July 27, the journal Nature Climate Change published a study which used the 2007-2008 Gallup World Poll to conclude that 40 percent of adults on Earth have never heard of climate change, about two billion people. In developed countries across North America and Europe, over 90 percent of adults know about climate change; in developing countries such as Afghanistan and Benin, 25 percent or less know what climate change is. The study found education was the single greatest reason for people to be aware of climate change, especially being literate. Co-author of the study, Anthony Leiserowitz, stated, “The results . . . indicate that improving basic education, climate literacy, and public understanding of the local dimensions of climate change are vital for public engagement and support for climate action."
The Washington Post, CBS News, Study
On July 27, journal Nature Climate Change published a study warning that a combination of climate change-caused sea level rise, increased storm surge, and heavy rainfall will lead to severe flood risks in major U.S. cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Houston. Traditionally, scientists have analyzed each of these climate impacts separately when defining flood zones and creating preparedness plans, but this study cautions that those traditional methods have led to underestimated levels of risk. Study author and researcher at the University of South Florida Thomas Wahl, commented, “Usually it requires an extreme storm surge to cause flooding or an extreme rainfall event. But the combination of two events that are not really extreme on their own may cause larger damages than one of the two events alone.”
The Guardian, Time, Science, Study
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1. Mississippi May Not Comply with Clean Power Plan
2. Poll Says Swing-State Voters Want Climate Action
3. Alaska’s Insane Wildfire Season Could Worsen Climate Change
4. Washington, DC May Sink Six Inches Due to Land Subsidence
Author: Ori Gutin
Editor: Laura Small
Advancing science-based climate solutions
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