Advanced Search
August 8, 2016
In Russia’s far north extreme heat has released harmful anthrax spores from permafrost-encased reindeer corpses. Image courtesy of peupleloup at flickr.com.
White House Recommends All Agencies Consider Climate in Project Reviews
On August 2, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released a guidance document, requesting that all federal agencies consider the effect of a project’s greenhouse gas emissions on the climate and the effect of climate change on the project when completing an environmental review. The guidance is not a legal requirement for agencies, but may help agencies coordinate in terms of climate impacts. President of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Rhea Suh, supported the move, saying that federal agencies, “shouldn’t approve mines that will destroy the climate, or bridges that will get washed away.” Enforcement of the guidance document will depend heavily on the next administration.
For more information see:
Scientific American, The Hill, Reuters
On August 1, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the approved Clean Energy Standard, which mandates that renewable energy sources make up 50 percent of the state’s electricity by 2030. The state estimates that the “50 by 30” mandate will raise average energy bills by less than two dollars per month. The Clean Energy Standard also supports maintaining New York’s nuclear power plants through subsidies. The controversial Indian Point plants will be excluded for now, as their operations currently benefit from higher utility rates downstate. New York Chairman of Energy and Finance, Richard Kauffman, said that the standard, “affirms New York’s position as a leader in combatting climate change.”
Reuters, Press Release
On August 2, Attorneys General from West Virginia and 12 other states sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its new methane emissions rule, accompanying a separate suit from North Dakota and Texas. The rule, released in May, aims to limit methane emissions from oil and gas wells. EPA estimates that in 2025, the rule will cost $530 million, but provide climate benefits of $690 million. However, these states argue the rule will impose unnecessary costs on the industry. Patrick Morrisey, Attorney General for West Virginia, said in a statement, “This is yet another example of unlawful federal overreach jeopardizing West Virginia jobs and working families.”
The Hill, Environmental Leader
Australia Says It Will Devote More Resources to Climate Research
On August 4, the Australian government announced a funding increase for climate science projects as part of its renewed commitment to climate action. In response to scientists’ complaints regarding previous budget cuts, the recently elected Turnbull administration pledged an additional US$28 million over the next decade to the nation’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). Concerning the government’s policy decision, Greg Hunt, Australia’s Science Minister, stated: “Climate science is important, it’s significant, it’s critical for our long-term planning … [it] will be a bedrock function for research of the CSIRO.” In addition to the funding, the government plans to create 15 new jobs at CSIRO, which has suffered extensive job losses since February.
The New York Times, Nature, Reuters
On August 2, over 90 businesses and institutional investors organized by the Ceres BICEP group (Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy) urged the nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to increase their governments’ yearly carbon reduction goals to five percent by 2020. In two separate letters sent to the states’ governors, the signatories called for an expansion of the region’s existing cap and trade program. Concerning the promise of the initiative, the coalition of investors wrote that they “see the value of clean energy policies in helping companies and investors grow profits, save money, and mitigate the risks posed by climate change.” The RGGI cap and trade program has nearly halved greenhouse gas emissions from the region’s power plants over the past decade.
Environmental Leader, ClimateWire, Business Letter, Investor Letter
On July 30, flash flooding at levels expected once a millennium submerged Ellicott City, Maryland. Up to eight inches of rain fell in just three hours, killing two people and damaging close to 200 buildings. First responders estimate at least 120 people were rescued. Maryland State Senator James Rosapepe drew connections between the intensity of the flooding and climate change. Rosapepe pointed to the oft-ignored threats to upland communities, saying that the flood, “reminds us that climate change is about more than polar bears and the rising sea level in the Chesapeake Bay.” While climate change cannot be linked definitively to any one event, it does increase the likelihood of natural disasters like the flooding in Ellicott City.
The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post
On August 4, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its State of the Climate Report in 2015, which details the multiple unprecedented climate measurements recorded over the past year. Authored by 456 scientists from 62 countries, the report lays out how the world experienced record-setting average global temperatures, atmospheric carbon concentrations, global sea levels, and Arctic sea ice minimums. In detailing the causes of these climate trends, Thomas Karl, director of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, stated that “2015’s climate was shaped both by long-term change and an El Niño event.” While a La Niña event will likely temper global climate conditions in 2016, scientists have already observed additional climate records this year such as a new Arctic sea ice minimum.
Scientific American, Reuters
On August 1, the Guardian reported that 72 nomadic herders from the Yamal peninsula of northern Russia have been infected by anthrax activated by an extreme heat wave. Scientists have identified the source of the anthrax as reindeer corpses previously buried in the Arctic permafrost, which has begun to melt in response to temperature highs exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Alexei Kokorin, head of WWF Russia’s climate and energy program commented that “such anomalous heat is rare for Yamal, and that’s probably a manifestation of climate change.” In addition to killing in excess of 2,300 reindeer, the anthrax outbreak has forced dozens more herders to evacuate the now quarantined region.
The Guardian, Nature World News
California Releases First Clean Power Plan Compliance Strategy
Scientists Deploy Attribution Models to Better Predict Climate-Driven Disasters
EV Chargers Could Overtake Petrol Stations in UK by 2020
Authors: Rebecca Chillrud and Daniel Lopez
Editor: Brian La Shier
Advancing science-based climate solutions
Top-Rated Climate Nonprofit – 4-Star Charity