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December 17, 2018
New reports from NASA and NOAA warn of the rapidly deteriorating health of glaciers and sea ice in the polar regions, with serious implications for future sea level rise. Image courtesy of NASA.
In September 2017 following Hurricane Harvey, Texas Governor Greg Abbott established the Commission to Rebuild Texas to explore how the state could recover "ahead of schedule" and "under budget." That commission released a broad set of recommendations on December 13, stating "The enormous toll on individuals, businesses and public infrastructure should provide a wake-up call underlining the urgent need to 'future-proof' the Gulf Coast — and indeed all of Texas — against future disasters." The report was crafted from hundreds of hours of interviews and reviews of scientific papers. Recommendations included elevating structures in accordance with projected 100- or 500-year flood levels, preserving and expanding wetlands, and pursuing an $8 billion "coastal spine" to protect industries and residents along the Gulf of Mexico. Although the report includes findings from climate scientists and discusses sea level rise and extreme weather events, it does not explicitly mention climate change. When asked by a reporter about whether man-made climate change has affected Texas' natural disasters, Abbott replied, "I'm not a scientist. Impossible for me to answer that question."
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Dallas Morning News
At the United Nations' Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration, held December 10-11 in Marrakesh, Morocco, world leaders adopted the first global agreement outlining a common approach to managing migration. The agreement is the first major migration policy to address climate change. It identifies climate as a factor influencing migration and encourages countries to plan ahead for the future displacement of people due to natural disasters and climate change. Although the document is voluntary and nonbinding, it's still viewed as a positive first step by advocates. It's unclear how the framework may impact actual policies, such as the use of humanitarian visas for people displaced by sea level rise. There is currently no legal status for "climate refugees" under the UN's 1954 refugee convention. More than 160 countries adopted the agreement, but several European Union nations, the United States, and Australia declined to do so.
PRI
On December 12, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development adopted a strategic plan that excludes the direct financing of coal-fired power plants and mines. The bank advanced the plan despite opposition from its single biggest shareholder, the United States. On December 3, a group of nine multilateral development banks, including Europe's, issued a pledge to ramp up their support of projects to combat climate change and to scale back financing for carbon-intensive projects. The dual moves emphasize the Trump administration's limited sway over international stakeholders when it comes to promoting fossil fuels. The administration had previously ditched a policy that directed U.S. representatives at development banks to prioritize clean energy investments over coal plants. The White House has also sent cabinet secretaries to Europe to try and boost interest in fossil fuels. Alex Doukas, program director at advocacy NGO Oil Change International, said, "Given the economics and how the conversation around coal has shifted, you might as well try to push these banks into rotary phones or horse-drawn carriages."
Bloomberg
American governors and mayors have made their voices heard at the latest United Nations climate conference that took place in early December in Katowice, Poland. The state and local leaders have emphasized that many sub-national actors remain committed to implementing the Paris Climate Agreement, despite a stream of discouraging signals from the Trump administration. The administration has drawn widespread scorn for using the conference to tout fossil fuels and refusing to acknowledge even basic climate science. Officials from California, Washington State, and Pittsburgh, PA were among those attending the conference this year. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said, "There are more than federal governments at stake now, and the subnational level is really where it's going to get implemented anyway. It's really nice when nations sign documents, but what it really comes down to is what we do in our own neighborhoods and what we do in our own cities." UN Secretary-General António Guterres shared that view, noting "most of the more important decisions…are taken at [the] regional and local level."
NPR
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will undergo a notable shift in leadership during the next Congress, as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is poised to take over as ranking member. Manchin will replace Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who is widely expected to step down from the position, despite being publicly undecided as of December 13. None of the more senior Energy Committee members, including Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), have indicated they would block Manchin's promotion. However, Manchin's history of promoting the coal industry has caused alarm among environmental activists and green groups who fear his views may be at odds with the advancement of climate change policies. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) defended Manchin, stating, "[Manchin’s] part of a team when it comes to issues of climate change, issues of the environment. I have a lot of confidence I can work with him to fight for a far more aggressive agenda for dealing with the planetary crisis of global warming."
Politico
A growing number of policymakers, businesses, and researchers are calling for the refinement and commercialization of methods that remove CO2 already in the atmosphere and either store it or use it for other applications. Carbon capture technologies face considerable hurdles in that they are currently deemed too energy-intensive and expensive. In addition, the technology's commercial applications have largely been limited to enhanced oil recovery operations. A side meeting featuring carbon capture methods at the United Nations climate negotiations in Poland underscores the urgency leaders are feeling at this late stage. Brad Page, chief executive of the Global CCS Institute, said, "It is one of — and I stress, one of — the necessary technologies to address emissions and to slow the rate of change. We’re going to need every single technology we can get our hands on.” There are currently 18 carbon capture facilities in operation, with five more under construction, and 20 others in development. However, most of these projects are small relative to the scale necessary for meaningful climate mitigation.
Washington Post
Many farmers in the American Midwest are already convinced that climate conditions have changed since past generations. Richard Oswald of the Missouri River valley suffered severe flooding in 2011 and ultimately opted to change his farming practices. He said, "When I was a kid, my dad would say an inch of rain was a good rain. That’s just what we needed. Now we get [four to six inches] in one sustained wet spell that lasts two or three days. I don’t ever remember that as a boy. I’ve never seen the sustained wetness in the land that we have now." The National Climate Assessment, released in November 2018, warned of longer and hotter summers, more severe droughts, and heavier rains that are expected to diminish agricultural production in the Midwest. The report added that even crops that withstand the climate shift are likely to become more vulnerable to pests and disease due to an increase in humidity. Farmers may have to spend billions of dollars to adapt to the new conditions.
Guardian
A new analysis published by the American Meteorological Society (AMS) discusses 15 extreme weather events from 2017 that were made more likely by anthropogenic climate change. Among the disasters cited were record-breaking heat waves in Europe and China, massive floods in Bangladesh, and a combination of drought and wildfires in the American Great Plains that led to $2.5 billion in agricultural losses. A particularly severe marine heatwave off the coast of Australia was found to be "virtually impossible" without the presence of human actions. The report marks the second consecutive year that scientists discovered an event that could not have occurred without climate change. Historical records and modeling were paired with 17 peer-reviewed analyses of 16 disasters to assess how each event may have been influenced by climate change. Researchers found only one of the events, wildfires in Australia, could not be attributed in part to human-induced climate change. Advances in data collection and modeling have allowed scientists to be more confident in connecting human activity to major disasters.
According to two new federal reports, the planet's poles are in poor health. On December 10, NASA warned that some of Antarctica's ancient glaciers are accelerating their migration toward the ocean, which could have a significant impact on global sea level rise. Since 2008, several glaciers in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet have lost about nine feet in overall height and have begun depositing more ice into the sea than scientists had previously anticipated. The loss of these Vincennes Bay glaciers is particularly troubling, since they help keep the Aurora and Wilkes ice basins from also falling into the sea. If both of the basins were to collapse, they could raise sea levels by 92 feet. Meanwhile, NOAA released its annual Arctic Report Card. NOAA shared that the Arctic now has difficulty retaining sea ice even during the coldest and darkest periods of the year. Dartmouth geophysicist Don Perovich said, "During two weeks in February—normally the most important weeks for sea-ice growth in the year—the Bering Sea actually lost an area of ice the size of Idaho." The past year was the second-worst on record for Arctic sea ice.
Atlantic
United States Joins Four Other Nations in Objecting to International Climate Science Report's Findings
Delivery of Financial Aid to Most Vulnerable Countries Remained a Major Hurdle During Latest Climate Negotiations
Australia May Exploit Carryover Carbon Credit Loophole from Kyoto Protocol to Comply with Paris Agreement
Canada and United Kingdom Expand International Coal Phase-Out Alliance
EPA Report Details Agency's Fumbled Response to Recent Disasters
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