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February 16, 2015
This week’s image is a map constructed by Jeffrey Lin using GIS software, revealing what Los Angeles could look like if all the world’s ice sheets melted (a 260 foot sea level rise). Check out his other work, including maps of New York and London, at http://spatialities.com/. Image used with permission from Jeffrey Lin.
On February 11, the White House announced a new Clean Energy Investment Initiative, during the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) annual summit. The Initiative aims to secure $2 billion in private investment for advanced and innovative solutions to climate change. The investments will support clean energy and carbon pollution reduction technologies. In addition, this spring the White House will host a Clean Energy Investment Summit. “Promoting clean energy innovation will help grow the economy while taking decisive action on climate change,” stated Brian Deese, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
For more information see:
Bloomberg BNA, White House Blog, White House Fact Sheet
On February 9, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with President Obama in Washington, DC. The agenda spanned issues from transatlantic trade and counter-terrorism to climate change. Both leaders have given vocal support to mitigating climate change by overhauling the energy markets. Merkel will host the Group of 7 (G7) talks in June, at which energy and climate-related issues will be discussed in detail (the G7 includes France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Canada and United States). These meetings are part of the lead-up to the Paris climate talks in November and December, at which governments hope a global climate deal can be reached.
Responding to Climate Change, Market Place, White House
On February 6, the White House released its National Security Strategy for 2015, in which it lists climate change as a significant risk to Americans at home and abroad, along with terrorism and a nuclear Iran. The report stated, “Increased sea levels and storm surges threaten coastal regions, infrastructure, and property. In turn, the global economy suffers, compounding the growing costs of preparing and restoring infrastructure.” The report says the United States will continue to take the lead on climate domestically and abroad, and engage strategic partners on these pressing issues. Last year, the United States and China made a historic climate deal, with both committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years.
In related news on February 10, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest stated climate change is a greater threat to Americans than terrorism. “There are many more people on an annual basis who have to confront the direct impact on their lives of climate change, or on the spread of a disease, than on terrorism,” Earnest said.
The National Journal, The Hill, White House Report, Washington Times
On February 2, Christy Goldfuss joined the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) as a senior adviser, and is said by the Washington Post to be the successor to current CEQ leader Mike Boots when he steps down in March. Goldfuss previously worked at the National Parks Service as the Deputy Director for Congressional and External Relations. Prior to that, she managed the public lands project at the Center for American Progress (CAP). Carol Browner, a senior fellow at CAP, said that Goldfuss “is a very thoughtful leader who understands everything from the National Parks to conservation to climate change. She’ll be perfect in the job.” The Obama administration has yet to confirm Goldfuss’ appointment.
The Washington Post
On February 11, the House passed a bill approving the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, 270-152. The bill will next go to President Obama, who has 10 days to take action on the bill – which he has said he will veto. While the bill received bipartisan backing with 29 Democratic votes, it is not expected to secure the necessary two-thirds majority to override a Presidential veto. The Keystone XL pipeline has been the center of a large political fight over climate change and highly polluting fossil fuels for years. President Obama had said he was waiting to act on the pipeline until the State Department and other agencies had completed reviews – a benchmark reached the first week of February, when they were all completed.
In related news, on February 12, the Holt County Nebraska District Court stopped TransCanada, the company behind Keystone XL, from using eminent domain to seize land for the pipeline. All of TransCanada’s eminent domain claims are now frozen until the Nebraska Supreme Court takes up the case.
The Washington Post, The New York Times, International Business Times
On February 10, California Senate Democrats released a package addressing climate change. The package focuses on expanding renewable energy power generation, reducing reliance on petroleum in the transportation sector, and divesting the state’s pension funds from coal. The legislation is intended to enact clean energy and climate objectives Governor Jerry Brown outlined in his inaugural speech last month (see EESI article). Brown said he and state Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), “share a strong commitment to dealing with climate change in an aggressive and imaginative way.”
The LA Times, The Sacramento Bee
On February 11, during a United Nations (UN) meeting in Geneva, the draft of an ambitious climate deal expected to be agreed upon in Paris this November/December more than doubled in size, from 38 pages to 100. The draft now includes both a broad range of solutions to climate change, and stronger stances from some countries. Christina Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said the new length is not a “show-stopper,” but will increase the challenge in upcoming climate talks. This was the last time the draft text could be added to; UN rules say a draft must be finalized six months before it is agreed upon.
Reuters
On February 9, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), an agency of the Chinese government with broad authority over the economy and energy, released technical guidelines for 14 industries to report emissions readings. The industries include manufacturing of iron, steel, glass, and cement, and apply to companies which use the equivalent of 5,000 metric tons of coal or emit an equivalent of 13,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). The guidelines come just ahead of China’s emissions trading system, which could come online as early as 2016, after a three-year pilot program.
Reuters, NDRC
On February 5, a British Columbia Supreme Court Justice awarded $50,000 in damages to politician and leading climate scientist Andrew Weaver, in his case against the National Post for defamation. In addition to the monetary settlement, Justice Emily Burke ordered the National Post to remove the four column posts published in 2009 and 2010 from their electronic databases, revoke consent for third-parties to republish, and publish a “full retraction.” In reference to the skeptical view of climate change expressed within the articles, Justice Burke commented, “While certainly entitled to express those views, in this case as part of that expression, they deliberately created a negative impression of Dr. Weaver.”
The Globe and Mail, The Star, Case
On February 10, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Code REDD, a California-based advocacy group, announced the launch of an online market for carbon offsets, which will fund 12 forest conservation projects in Africa, Asia, and South America. While the carbon credit market has previously focused on companies, the Stand for Trees campaign is an online market that allows anyone to purchase for $10 the prevention of one metric ton of carbon dioxide from deforestation. The campaign’s goal is to raise $1 million within the first year – a help, but far from the $20 billion in estimated annual cost to reduce deforestation by half. “It’s a start … the hope is that we’re starting something that over time will generate momentum,” said Peter Natiello, USAID’s mission director in Colombia.
Associated Press
The Department of Energy (DOE) released a new report in early February which studied natural gas infrastructure needs for a future with an increased need for electric generation. Upcoming carbon emissions regulations for power plants, as well as regulations on mercury and air toxics, will cause the closure of some existing coal power plants -- creating a void natural gas will help fill. The report, produced by Deloitte Marketing, found that the interstate natural gas pipeline infrastructure will need to add only modest amounts of new pipeline to be able to handle expected growth. This is because existing pipelines are not being utilized at full capacity and because of the distributed nature of natural gas fields.
The Washington Post, Department of Energy
On February 10, Environmental Science & Technology published two studies examining methane emissions from natural gas – one examining natural gas transmission and storage, and one examining natural gas gathering facilities and processing plants. The study on transmission and storage looked at compressor stations, and found that there were two super-emitters in the 45 sites studied that skewed average methane emissions rates far above the rates reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). If the super-emitters were not counted, average methane emissions rates were comparable to or lower than EPA estimates. Allen Robinson, a researcher for the study, said, “Identifying and fixing these sites could be an important part of a strategy to reduce overall emissions.”
The second study on methane emissions from gathering facilities and processing plants found that liquid storage tanks which used venting (20 percent of those studied) released four times the methane as those which did not vent. Eighty-five of the 114 gathering facilities studied had a methane leakage rate under one percent – the other 29 facilities released 80 percent of the emissions. All the processing plants had leakage rates under one percent.
Phys.org, AZo Cleantech, Study, Study
On February 10, a National Research Council committee released two reports recommending holding off on two geoengineering strategies to offset global warming from greenhouse gases (GHG): albedo modifications to help cool the earth and carbon dioxide removal and sequestration techniques. The scientists found that albedo modification (reflecting the earth’s sunlight), which offers the chance to rapidly offset warming, is far too risky economically and environmentally to use. They also found that carbon removal and storage, which has less environmental risks, is not yet economical. Report authors said, “There is no substitute for dramatic reductions in the emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change.”
National Journal, The New York Times, Report, Report
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1. Climate Change Threatens Dog Sled Racing
2. Oxford Report Says Best Geoengineering Technologies Are Trees and Charcoal
3. Founding Farmers in DC Sets Example of Low-Carbon, Profitable Restaurant
4. 23-Year Long Study Finds Ecosystems Changing with Global Warming
5. Company Experiments with Turning CO2 into Rock
6. Photos Show Desertification of Mongolia
1. The 2016 Budget: Impacts on Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
Wednesday, February 25 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
210 Cannon House Office Building 1st Street and C Street Southeast
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) – in partnership with the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus – invites you to a briefing on the energy efficiency and renewable energy implications of the fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget proposal released by President Obama on February 2. The Administration's overall $4 trillion budget proposal provides a renewed focus on addressing climate change, and would invest $7.4 billion in clean energy technology programs across all agencies, led by the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Agriculture. This briefing will focus on the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), whose budget would increase 42 percent over 2015 enacted levels, to $2.7 billion.
Please RSVP to expedite check-in.
2. Focus 2015: A Forum of Communities for Urban Sustainability
Thursday, March 5, 8am - 6pm
Friday, March 6, 8am - 12pm
Embassy of France
4101 Reservoir Road NW
Washington DC, 20007
[email protected]
Registration: france-focus2015.eventbrite.com
For more information: focus2015.franceintheus.org
The French Embassy is hosting FOCUS 2015, a forum for U.S. and French decision makers to share their experiences and best practices in sustainable urban planning. The conference, which will be held over two days (March 5-6, 2015) in Washington, is open to elected officials, public administrators, academics, business and finance executives, NGO representatives, and others who are willing to engage in a problem-focused, goal-oriented discussion on how to tackle climate change in cities while promoting sustainability and economic growth. Participation is free of charge but seats are limited to 250.
EESI is a sponsoring organization for the forum.
Authors: Samuel Beirne, Rachael Shook, and Caitlin Madera
Editor: Laura Small
Advancing science-based climate solutions
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