Climate Change News - December 3, 2012

Doha Climate Talks Highlight Uncertainty

More than 17,000 people are gathered in Doha for the 18th Conference of the Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from November 26 to December 7. Divisions between developed and developing nations often form during international climate talks and Doha has been no exception. The United States has sought to preempt criticism of its high emissions by releasing a statement propounding achievements in energy efficiency, clean energy deployment and emissions reduction. U.S. chief negotiator for climate change, Jonathan Pershing, stated, “I would suggest those who don’t follow what the [United States] is doing may not be informed of the scale and extent of the effort, but it’s enormous.” The United States is halfway to its target of cutting emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, though many countries regard the target itself as too low. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, as well as 2012’s pervasive droughts, floods and wildfires, President Obama has faced pressure to live up to his commitments on addressing climate change. However, the President has made clear that the state of the economy trumps climate, and some observers perceive that the United States will not engage as substantially as other nations attending. Overall, the United States is reported to be approaching the conference as a chance to work out outstanding details in the Durban Platform rather than garner major new commitments (see November 26 issue).

For additional information see: Washington Post , Reuters , Guardian , Los Angeles Times , Detroit News , San Francisco Chronicle

Obama Signs Bill Allowing Exemption of U.S. Airlines from Participating in EU ETS into Law

On November 27, President Obama signed a bill into law which designates the U.S. Secretary of Transportation authority to prevent U.S. airlines from complying with the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for aviation (see September 24 and November 19 issues). Airline industry members expressed opposition to the EU ETS because airlines would be charged for the entire length of flights, rather than just the time spent in EU airspace. A White House spokesman stated, “The Obama administration is firmly committed to reducing harmful carbon pollution from civil aviation both domestically and internationally, but, as we have said on many occasions, the application of the ETS to non-EU air carriers is the wrong way to achieve that objective.” While the EU emissions fee for international flights is on hold until next year to allow for negotiations within the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the authority to exempt U.S. airlines from the ETS exists should it be resumed. Industry representative President Nicholas Calio of Airlines for America added that, “With the President’s signature today, the United States has sent an unequivocal signal to the EU and the world that while the illegal and unilaterally-imposed EU ETS is the wrong way to proceed, there is a steadfast commitment to the right way – a global sectoral approach at the international level.” Environmentalists, who viewed the bill as Obama’s first real test in climate change policy for the new term, were disappointed with the results, but remain hopeful that ICAO will reach a new agreement for a global emissions reduction strategy.

For additional information see: The Hill , Guardian

EPA Charged with Not Doing Enough to Address Climate Change, Threatened with Lawsuit

New York University’s Institute for Policy Integrity is threatening to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over neglect in addressing transportation-borne greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Institute argues that current policies address only new vehicles, which constitute a fraction of the 250 million vehicle fleet in the United States. It is proposed that fuel manufacturers participate in an auction to buy carbon credits. The revenue generated would be passed on to low-income citizens affected by the inevitable rise in fuel prices. An Institute release stated, “Given the clear link between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, EPA’s delay in acting and in responding to Policy Integrity’s petition is inconsistent with the agency’s legal requirements and scientific determinations.” The transportation sector accounts for 27 percent of U.S. GHG emissions, and 45 percent of the increase in emissions over the past two decades.

For additional information see: Chicago Tribune , Huffington Post , Guardian

Washington State to Set up Ocean Acidification Research Center

On November 27, a blue-ribbon panel in Washington released a report about ocean acidification. Ocean acidification threatens the $270 million dollar Puget Sound shellfish industry, and as a result, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire announced a pledge of $3.3 million towards the creation of a new ocean acidification study center at the University of Washington. The report found that 30 percent of marine species in the Puget Sound are threatened by ocean acidification as corrosive waters inhibit shell formation. The panel outlined responses to ocean acidification, including: expanding research, raising public awareness, enlisting leaders and policy makers to lead the way in emissions reductions, limiting water pollution, expanding the growth of seaweed to help absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) in the water, depositing shell materials into shallow bays to make the water more alkaline; and breeding more resistant shellfish. Richard Feely, the lead scientist on the blue-ribbon panel and a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), stated, “[Ocean acidification] is something we really need to address. The protein from the ocean provides food for billions of people within our planet. We need to appreciate the significance of this. And address it.”

For additional information see: KUOW NPR , Washington Post

New Jersey Shore Considers Reconstruction Post-Sandy

Superstorm Sandy caused nearly $30 billion dollars of damage in New Jersey, most of it along the coast. In light of extreme property destruction, there is an ongoing debate, which is now entering political discourse, as whether it is time to pull back development from the shore. Both New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and State Senate President Stephen Sweeny warn that it is not in people's best interest to build or rebuild houses along coastal, flood prone areas. Sweeny stated, “Just to put a house back on blocks when you know you're getting flooded, none of that makes sense anymore. The New Jersey I'm living in today is not the New Jersey I grew up with. The storms are stronger and more frequent, and we need to adapt.” Accompanying the debate is the question of whether the federal government should buy out flood-prone areas to prevent development. Since 1989, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has spent close to $10 billion in buying out homes in threatened areas. Representative Rob Andrews (D-NJ), argued that a better investment would be investing in man-made dunes. He stated, “The dunes that were rebuilt by the Army Corps [of Engineers], they did a really good job of protecting houses. . .I think that's a better investment.” Favoring the latter mitigation technique, residents of the Jersey Shore indicate that family and personal connection to the shoreline will prevent people from moving and consider the hurricane risk as, “A trade off for living near the ocean,” said Robert Snyder, a shore resident.

For additional information see: Philadelphia Inquirer

German Renewable Energy Policies Drive Emissions Reductions

The German Environment Agency reports that in 2011 Germany’s carbon dioxide emissions fell 2.4 percent from 2010 levels. The reduction in emissions can be attributed to Germany’s feed-in tariff policy that subsidizes investments in renewable energy technologies. During the first half of 2012, the percentage of German electricity generated from renewable sources increased from 20 percent to 25 percent – of which 38 percent came from wind power and 16 percent from solar – according to the government agency Germany Trade and Invest. “We are on a good track in regard to the increase in the share of renewables,” said Brigitte Knopf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. However, the national energy policy or Energiewende poses significant challenges, including increasing energy prices and increased reliance on coal-fired power plants due to a phase-out of nuclear power, that Knopf says will need to be addressed to keep Germany on track to meet its 35 percent renewable energy target by 2020. Germany’s emissions reduction goals are more stringent than European Union targets, placing Germany at the forefront of the renewable energy push in Europe. Hermann Ott, a Green Party Member of the Reichstag, says of Germany’s renewable energy and climate leadership, “If something goes wrong, you have to speak up and do something otherwise your children will ask you in 20 to 30 years, ‘Why didn’t you do anything?’”

For additional information see: Guardian

Britain Revises Energy Policy to Meet Climate Goals

On November 23, the British government announced changes in the country's energy regulations favoring the development of renewable and nuclear energy in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The changes include increasing the ‘green’ levy on households and business to quadruple the support for low-carbon electricity generation from £2.35 billion to £9.8-15.7 billion in the 2021 fiscal year. Regulations are projected to add seven percent or £95 a year to household electricity prices and two percent or £20 a year to energy bills. Edward Davey, the British energy and climate change secretary, stated that the government proposal “will allow us to meet our legally binding carbon reduction and renewable energy obligations and bring on the investment required to keep the lights on and bills affordable for consumers.” Some oil and gas companies expressed their opposition to government intervention with energy regulations. Howard V. Rogers, director of the gas program at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, argued, “In the 1990s there was a real move to make the U.K. power market a kind of liberalized, supply-demand, price-driven market [. . .] As soon as you introduce subsidies for wind, you undermine that principle.”

For additional information see: New York Times

Countries Have Failed to Deliver on $30 Billion Commitment for Climate Adaptation

On November 26, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) released a report estimating that only $23.6 billion of the promised $30 billion in “fast-start” climate change aid to poor countries has been committed. The fast start program began in 2010 as a three year pledge from developed nations to support developing nations’ effort to cope with climate change. However, no clear delineation of the aid commitments was ever determined. The IIED report reveals that Japan, the European Union, the United States, Canada and Norway are leading in financial commitments, but the actual program implementation initiated by the funds is uncertain. “Without transparency about how and when rich countries will meet their climate finance pledges, developing countries are left unable to plan to adequately address and respond to climate change,” remarked Professor Timmons Roberts of Brown University’s Center for Environmental Studies. The IIED report also identifies additional “unmet promises” including failure to direct funding to the most vulnerable nations, favoring mitigation projects over adaptation, failure to provide debt-free support, and failure to offer “new and additional” aid to existing aid budgets. Seyni Nafo, spokesman for 54 African nations at the United Nations (UN) climate negotiations, expressed concern that, “The process of fast-start finance was supposed to build trust, but it created more tension and frustration that what was proposed was not delivered.” Climate finance discussions are ongoing at the UN negotiations in Doha this week, as policymakers grapple with the expiration of fast-track funding and the recent launch of the Green Climate Fund.

For additional information see: Bloomberg , IIED Report

UN Warns of Emissions from Melting Permafrost

A report released November 27 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the Doha climate negotiations warns that melting permafrost layers could release between 43 and 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide and methane by 2100. As frozen regions in Russia, Canada, China, and the United States begin to thaw, gases from decaying organic matter that has been trapped for thousands of years in the permafrost could be released and amount to 39 percent of human greenhouse gas emissions. Achim Steiner, UNEP executive director, stated, “Permafrost is one of the keys to the planet’s future because it contains large stores of frozen organic matter that, if thawed and released into the atmosphere, would amplify current global warming and propel us into a warmer world. Its potential impact on the climate, ecosystems and infrastructure has been neglected for too long.” Researchers worry that melting tundra will have significant impacts not only for the carbon and nitrogen cycles but also for oil pipelines, communities, roadways, and animal species. “I think it's easy for people to feel that the Arctic is just a faraway place that will never have any direct effect on their life,” comments Ben Abbott, a researcher at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Institute of Arctic Biology. “Too often climate change is depicted as a story of drowning polar bears and third world countries. Human-caused climate change has the potential to change our way of life. Mix in the potent feedbacks from the permafrost system and it becomes clear that we need to act now.” Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, said, “Warming that feeds upon itself, like we’re seeing in the Arctic, is the wild card of climate. If it gets out of control, we’ll lose the game. Our best strategy is a crash course to reduce black carbon, which is responsible for half of Arctic warming. Along with cuts in the other short-lived climate pollutants, this can cut the rate of Arctic warming by two-thirds.”

For additional information see: Reuters , CBC News , Daily Mail , Sydney Morning Herald , Guardian , UNEP Report

WMO Report Outlines the Extent of the Changing Environment

A World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report released November 28 outlines the extent of the warming climate and its predicted repercussions. In response to the record low Arctic sea ice coverage, which occurred in September, Michael Jarraud, the head of the United Nations (UN) weather agency, stated, “Climate change is taking place before our eyes.” The report noted the first ten months of 2012 were the ninth-warmest in recorded history. It also documented the severe floods, droughts, and heat waves the world has recently experienced. In light of these extremes, Christiana Figueres, head of the UN Climate Change Secretariat, said that, “The message for [the UN climate negotiations] is very clear [. . .] Governments need to hurry up and they need to be much more on track." She referenced recent Superstorm Sandy in her comment that the United States is not exempt from extreme weather threats, stating, “We have had severe climate and weather events all over the world and everyone is beginning to understand that is exactly the future we are going to be looking at if they don't do something about it.” Rajendra Pachauri, head of the UN panel of climate scientists, warned that by 2100, low-lying nations could be spending up to 10 percent of gross domestic product on defenses against sea level rise. In addition, by 2020, up to 250 million people in Africa could face greater stress on water supplies and food output which would, “adversely affect food security and exacerbate malnutrition.”

For additional information see: Reuters

Sea Levels Rising Faster Than Expected

Research published in the journal Environmental Research Letters on November 28 reveals that sea levels are rising 60 percent faster than the 2007 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report predicted. While the IPCC modeling relied on tide gauge projections, the latest study utilized satellite measurements from 1993-2011 to determine that sea levels are rising 3.2 millimeter per year. Co-author Grant Foster, a U.S.-based mathematician, stated, “The study indicates that this is going to be as bad or worse than the worst case scenarios of the IPCC so whatever you were planning from Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod in terms of how you were preparing for sea-level rise – if you thought you had enough defenses in place, you probably need more.” Rising sea levels have already doubled the annual risk of flooding across the United States, threatening millions of people who live less than one meter above the high tide mark. Areas along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts are experiencing increases twice as fast as the rest of the world. According to Climate Central sea level program director Ben Strauss, "In some places it takes only a few inches of sea-level rise to convert a once in a century storm to a once in a decade storm.”

For additional information see: Guardian , Reuters , Climate Central , Study

Climate Change Threatens Forests Worldwide

A study published November 21 in Nature concludes that 70 percent of trees will suffer if weather conditions continue to get drier. During droughts, transpiration through stomata (pores on the leaves) increases, which leads trees to try to compensate by trying harder to draw water out of dry soil. The increased effort to draw out water can lead to an intake of air bubbles that block water channels and consequently can kill the tree. Lead-author Brendan Choat, a plant scientist at University of Western Sydney, explains, “As drought stress increases, you have more and more gas accumulating in the plumbing system, until they can't get any water up into the leaves. This is really bad news for the plant because this is like having an embolism in a human blood vessel.” Choat's research indicates that it doesn't take much of a drought for tree embolisms to occur. He stated, “It would only take a small shift in terms of the moisture environment, the temperature. . .to push these plants across the threshold.” Although trees that live in drier climates have adapted to drier soil, they too are at risk. Choat noted, “We're changing that climate range really fast. . .faster than any of the living plants here have experienced. So can they change fast enough to adapt to that? You know, the preponderance of evidence right now is saying that [at] lots of locations around the world, they're not adapting fast enough.”

For additional information see: NPR , Climate Change , Nature Study , Summit County Voice

Thursday, December 6: Solutions to the ‘Fiscal Cliff’ – How Putting a Price on Carbon Can Play a Role

The Quebec Government Office Washington, the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS), and Raoul Dandurand Chair, are hosting a briefing discussing the viability of carbon market mechanisms. The presenters will update about activities in leading states and provinces throughout North America – such as California and Quebec, which are set to link their carbon markets by 2013 – and how their experience can help guide the national debate about pricing carbon emissions. Panelists include: Adele Morris, policy director of the Climate and Energy Economics Projects at the Brookings Institution; Richard Caperton, director of Clean Energy Investment at the Center for American Progress; Manik Roy, vice president for Strategic Outreach at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions; and William Burns, associate director of the Energy Policy and Climate Program at Johns Hopkins University. The event will be held Thursday, December 6 from 5:00-6:30 p.m. in the Rome Building, #806, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, 1619 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036. Please RSVP to [email protected].