Climate Change News - February 18, 2013 | Newsletter

In State of the Union, President Obama Vows Climate Action if Congress Fails to Act

With 600 words in the State of the Union Address on February 12, President Obama solidified a climate agenda for his second term. After a expressing the moral imperative of climate change in the Inaugural Address (see January 28 issue), many were anticipating further language in the State of the Union to clarify the administration’s path forward. Framing the speech in light of recent extreme weather events, the president called for a reduction in carbon emissions through a market-based mechanism similar to the bipartisan cap and trade legislation championed several years ago by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and former Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT). “We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science – and act before it’s too late,” the president stated in the State of the Union Address. However, he did not rest with calling for Congressional action, stating unequivocally, “If Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will.” He continued, “I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.”
In addition, the president outlined an energy plan to help reduce carbon emissions, including a proposal that would dedicate a portion of the revenues garnered from oil and gas production on federal land to help support clean energy research and development. The president challenged citizens to “cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20 years,” and stated that the federal government should help support states that come up with the best strategies to implement better energy efficiency. He also promised to push for more solar and wind energy at cheaper costs, and vowed to cut red tape to encourage further drilling for natural gas. However, he added a caveat that he wanted to work with Congress to ensure the development of more advanced technology that would allow natural gas to burn “even cleaner.”
There were mixed responses to Obama’s proposed climate agenda. In response to the president’s vow to move forward alone if Congress refused to act, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) stated, “I just think that something that big and that consequential needs to go through Congress.” Sen. Thune went on to say that climate action “has enormous consequences for the economy and to think that he [the president] would bypass the legislative body, the legislative branch of the government to do something like that, I think is not going to go over well with American people for sure, and I hope he doesn’t do it because I it would be a mistake.” On the other hand, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), called for Congressional action on climate, stating, “It is past time for Congress to take action to address the issue of climate change and the associated health and environmental impacts. Only Congress has sufficient tools to address the global nature of the problem and pursue a solution that will reduce domestic emissions while also keeping us increasing clean energy use and reducing America’s carbon footprint.”

For additional information see: Reuters, Politico, The Hill, KATU Portland, SOTU Transcript

Tens of Thousands March on the White House for Climate Action

An estimated 35,000 people marched on Washington on February 17 to call on the president to fulfill his promise for climate action and to deny approval for the Keystone XL pipeline. The “Forward on Climate” rally, organized by the Sierra Club, 350.org, the Hip Hop Caucus and many other environmental and social justice groups, was the largest climate event ever in the nation’s capital. At the rally, Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, said, “For 25 years our government has basically ignored the climate crisis: now people in large numbers are finally demanding they get to work.” He continued, “We shouldn't have to be here – science should have decided our course long ago. But it takes a movement to stand up to all that money."

In related news, 48 environmental activists were arrested on February 13 after cuffing themselves to the White House fence. The protest, which took place the morning after the State of the Union Address, was part of an effort calling on President Obama to deny approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. If it goes ahead, the pipeline will carry over 500,000 barrels of crude oil from Canada to Texas, which environmentalists suggest would significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions. Among the protesters were actress Daryl Hannah, 350.org founder Bill McKibben, and Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also took part in the act of civil disobedience, stating, “I don't think President Obama is going to permit this pipeline to happen. . . I think President Obama has a strong moral core, he is not going to do something that is immoral, that is reckless and that is going to impose the costs of our joyride for these wealthy oil companies . . . on future generations of Americans and citizens all across the planet.” Proponents of the pipeline say it will provide thousands of jobs and create energy security for the United States.

For additional information see: New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Guardian

Senators Sanders and Boxer Introduce Carbon Pricing Legislation

On February 14, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the Climate Protection Act of 2013 (S.332) to put a price on carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane emissions – 85 percent of the U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The legislation would set a price of $20 per ton of carbon equivalent the year after the legislation was enacted, and the rate would increase at 5.6 percent for the subsequent 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the fee would raise $1.2 trillion in revenue over a ten-year period. The majority of the revenues (60 percent) would be returned to U.S. residents through monthly rebates to help offset any rise in gas and electricity costs. A quarter of the revenue would be used to reduce the federal debt and the remaining 15 percent would be invested in developing and deploying renewable energy and improved energy efficiency projects. Sen. Sanders said, “[The bill will] actually address the crisis and . . . reverse greenhouse gas emissions in a significant way.” Sen. Boxer, chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, stated that she intends to take up the legislation as soon as her committee finishes dealing with the Water Resources Development Act. Sen. Sanders also introduced S.329 that extends the major tax incentives for renewable energy technologies and removes tax breaks for fossil fuel technologies.

For additional information see: Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Bill Summary, Legislation

Government Accountability Office Adds Financial Risk from Climate Change to “High Risk List”

In a report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on February 14, climate change was ranked among the High Risk List because of the significant financial risk it poses to the U.S. government. To justify adding climate change to the list, the GAO – the investigative arm of the federal government – stated, “Climate change poses significant financial risks to the federal government, which owns extensive infrastructure, such as defense installations; insures property through the National Flood Insurance Program; and provides emergency aid in response to natural disasters.” The GAO concluded that “federal government is not well positioned to address the fiscal exposure presented by climate change and needs a government-wide strategic approach with strong leadership to manage related risks,” and called for better weather predicting satellites. Recent extreme weather events, such as Superstorm Sandy and widespread drought that has brought lower crop yields, cost the government a significant amount of money through federal disaster relief programs. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 25 extreme weather events over the past two years have been responsible for 1,100 deaths and economic costs that are projected to be over $180 billion. “It really highlights the true cost of climate change on federal assets, as well on other national interests like agriculture and responding to disasters,” said Bruce Stein, director of climate change adaptation at the National Wildlife Federation.

In response to the announcement, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), Ranking Member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said, “Let’s assume for a moment that there is no such thing as climate change. . . If we see an escalation in these types of catastrophes, we need to be prepared because it’s going to cost [the government] money.” Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Ranking Member on the Energy and Commerce Committee, said, “Congress can’t ignore an issue that its own auditors say is a top risk to taxpayers. . . When GAO concludes that climate change is high risk, it becomes a fiscal imperative for the federal agencies and Congress to respond. The costs of inaction on climate change will be much higher than the costs of responsible action.”

For additional information see: Washington Post, USA Today, The Hill, GAO, Rep. Waxman Statement

House Democrats Announce “Safe Climate Caucus”

After a strong declaration by President Obama in the State of the Union to move on climate change, House Democrats responded by forming the Safe Climate Caucus. On February 15, several Members of Congress took to the House floor to announce the formation of the new caucus. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), stated, “Today 22 members of the House have banded together to create the Safe Climate Caucus to end the conspiracy of silence in this House of Representatives about the dangers of climate change and the Republicans’ denial of its existence and the rejection of the science.” According to Rep. Waxman, “We understand the threat facing our children. And we know our nation has the know-how and the ingenuity to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. But to do so, we must act now.” The nearly two dozen members who make up the caucus have pledged to speak on the House floor everyday about the urgent need for climate action. The caucus is made up of senior and junior members from across the country, including Reps. Edward Markey (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Peter Welch (D-VT), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI).

For additional information see: Press Release, Statement, Video of Floor Speeches

Senate Holds Climate Science Briefing

On February 13, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) held a briefing on recent climate science findings. The “Senate Briefing on the Latest Climate Science” was organized by EPW Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and the event featured four prominent climate scientists. The speakers were Dr. Donald J. Wuebbles, professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Illinois; Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd, president of the American Meteorological Society and director for Program in Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia; Dr. John M. Balbus, senior advisor for Public Health at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; and Dr. James J. McCarthy, Professor of Biological Oceanography at Harvard University. Several Members of Congress were on hand to ask questions, including Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

For additional information see: Climate Central, EPW Recording

Rebuttal: Sen. Rubio States “Government Can’t Control the Weather”

On February 12, following President Obama’s State of the Union Address, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) gave a rebuttal to several of the points Obama made about climate change mitigation. “When we point out that no matter how many job-killing laws we pass, our government can't control the weather,” Rubio said, “he accuses us of wanting dirty water and dirty air.” This came in response to the president’s promise to use Executive power to regulate carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act if Congress does not pass climate legislation this term.

For additional information see: Washington Post, E&E Publishing

Sen. Whitehouse Addresses the Importance of Climate Change in Weekly Floor Speeches

In October 2011, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) gave a speech on the Senate floor calling on his colleagues to take action on climate change. He warned that the Senate was “earning the scorn and condemnation of history” by failing to act. Every week since then, when the Senate is in session, he has given a 20 minute speech to call attention to the issue, during which he often incorporates the latest scientific research and current events. He explained in an interview with InsideClimate News, “I wanted to make sure that the problem of carbon pollution, and what it's doing to our atmosphere and to our oceans, wasn't being swept under the rug here in Washington. It's an issue I think that the American people understand very well, but the special interests have a pretty tight grip on Washington and there was very, very little discussion about it. So I decided I would just make a point of doing this on a regular basis.” Sen. Whitehouse also recently announced a bicameral Congressional climate change task force with Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) (see January 28 issue). The first action of the task force was to solicit advice from 300 companies and organizations about Congressional and Executive actions that should be taken on climate change (see February 4 issue).

For additional information see: InsideClimate News

Celebs Push the President on Climate

Morgan Freeman and Yoko Ono are among 30 celebrities who signed a letter calling on Obama to take action on climate change. Published February 11, the letter states, “Your legacy as 44th president of the United States rests firmly on your leadership on climate disruption. Only the president has the power to lead an effort on the scale and with the urgency we need to phase out fossil fuels and lead America, and the world, in a clean energy revolution.” Other signatories include Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., actors Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Woody Harrelson, and musicians Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, and Linkin Park. The letter was part of a larger effort by environmental groups Sierra Club and 350.org to raise the profile of the February 17 “Forward on Climate” rally.

For additional information see: The Hill, Politico

UN Security Council Briefed about Climate Change Risks

On February 15, the United Nations (UN) Security Council held an informal, closed-door discussion about the possible effects of climate change on international and national security issues. The briefing was open to diplomats from any interested country and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon was also involved. The talks were led by the United Kingdom (UK) and Pakistan – a shift from previous climate discussions, which often have been led by developed countries. In notes about the meeting, the nations stated, “There is growing concern that with faster than anticipated acceleration, climate change may spawn consequences which are harsher than expected.” The UK and Pakistan had originally hoped that the talk would be a formal meeting of the UN Security Council, but the meeting was blocked by China and Russia.

For additional information see: Bloomberg, AP

UN Secretary General Calls for Two Degree Celsius Limit to Temperature Increase

On February 11, United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon delivered a statement pinpointing climate change as a major issue facing the international community. The statement, delivered as part of the Sorensen Distinguished Lecture on the UN at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, reiterated previous calls about climate change and the Syrian crisis as major issues deserving global attention (see January 28 issue). Specifically, the Secretary General urged countries to work together to limit temperature rise to two degrees Celsius, noting that American involvement is instrumental. “Scientists have long sounded the alarm. Top-ranking military commanders and security experts have now joined the chorus,” stated Ban-Ki Moon. “Yet the political class seems far behind.” He also acknowledged Obama’s resolve to tackle climate change, and noted the steps many countries are taking towards reducing their carbon emissions, such as adding renewable energy capacity. “It is time to move beyond spending enormous sums addressing the damage, and to make the investments that will repay themselves many times over.”

For additional information see: Transcript

20 Percent of EU Budget to Be Spent on Climate-Beneficial Projects

The new European Union (EU) budget deal released February 8 includes deep cuts in many areas, but guaranteed funding for climate measures. According to the agreement, 20 percent of all EU spending in the 2014 to 2020 budget period must have positive climate benefits. European Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard praised the new rules, saying, "Rather than being parked in a corner of the EU budget, climate action will now be integrated into all main spending areas."

For additional information see: Reuters

“Unburnable” Assets Could Drop Value of Fossil Fuel Stocks

In a new study released January 25, HSBC Global Research, a section of HSBC Global Banking and Markets, warned that international goals for curbing greenhouse gases could significantly reduce demand for fossil fuels, strand many companies’ oil and gas reserves and reduce stock prices. The report extended a 2012 study from the International Energy Agency, which found that two-thirds of fossil fuel reserves would need to remain unburned if leaders hoped for a 50 percent chance of avoiding a global temperature increase of more than two degrees Celsius. Leaving these oil and gas reserves unburned would have a significant effect on many fossil fuel companies. Norwegian company Statoil would be in the worst position, with 17 percent of its oil reserves unburnable, while BP would be left with six percent of its reserves unburnable. Additional difficulties would be posed by lower demand for fossil fuels. HSBC found that falling demand and prices could decrease the market value of major fossil fuel companies by 40 to 60 percent. The authors of the study stated, "We believe that investors have yet to price in such a risk, perhaps because it seems so long-term.” The study is the first major warning about the future of fossil fuel companies from a member of the financial sector.

For additional information see: Daily Climate, Study

Biologic Production in Arctic Ocean Will Be Reduced with Climate Change

It has long been assumed that climate change in the Arctic will produce positive economic benefits because melting ice will provide access to new gas and oil reserves, new shipping pathways, and larger fish populations and habitats. However, new research suggests that climate change will actually be detrimental to fishing in the Arctic, which is currently home to about one-fifth of all world fish harvests. To begin with, the ocean in the center of the Arctic Circle is, at 4,000 meters deep, too deep for many bottom dwelling arctic fish, which currently live in areas that are only several hundred meters deep. In addition, climate change is leading to acidification of the oceans, a problem especially pronounced in the Arctic, as carbon dioxide is absorbed more easily in colder regions. Finally, climate change will likely lead to the Arctic Ocean becoming more stratified, which can halt the movements of nutrients. Seawater tends to become stratified naturally, as freshwater is lighter than saltwater, and warm water moves above cold water. Although it is important for these layers to mix in order to move nutrients, it is likely that they will not mix as much in the Arctic, where extreme temperatures and melting ice water will exacerbate typical stratification issues.

For additional information see: The Economist

Climate Change Comes with Significant Human Health Impacts

The draft National Climate Assessment (NCA) released January 11 (see January 14 issue) highlights not only the environmental and wildlife impacts from climate change but also the direct links to human health. George Luber, epidemiologist and associate director for global climate change at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kim Knowlton, senior scientist at the National Resources Defense Council, are the lead authors on the human health chapter in the draft NCA. The report, now open to public comment, lays out the impacts on human health from climate change, including connections such as deaths and injuries from more frequent and severe storms. There are also less apparent links, such as higher instances of mortality from extreme heat waves and drought, allergies from increased pollen counts, and new diseases that are surfacing in warmer temperatures. Luber notes, “The face of climate change ought to be people. . . We ought to kind of internalize it.” Luber helped to organize a symposium at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in early February, which brought together climate scientists, health researchers, and local public health administrators to work on solutions to reduce the local impact of climate change on human health.

In related news, Canadian doctors are being urged to address climate change as a public health concern. On February 11, an editorial was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal by deputy editor Barbara Sibbold about “physicians’ roles on the front line of climate change.” The editorial comes out following a similar publication by the American Medical Association in 2011, and a statement by the British Medical Journal in 2009 calling climate change “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century.” Sibbold urges doctors to take concrete steps to tackle global warming, as they “will be among the front-line responders to the dire effects of climate change, from malnutrition, to increases in vector-borne disease, to respiratory illness and the aftermath of traumatic weather events.”

For additional information see: Scientific American, Climate Central

Study: Carbon Dioxide Rapidly Emitted from Melting Permafrost

New research shows that the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) entering the atmosphere from Arctic permafrost may be higher than was previously thought. Permafrost, which is composed of a layer of soil over a layer of ice, has been melting rapidly as the Arctic warms. Previous research had shown that when the ice melts, the carbon rich topsoil washes into the ocean and freshwater streams, where it reacts with the water and releases CO2. A study published February 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, examines thermokarsts, an often overlooked source of carbon. Thermokarsts are sinkholes that appear as the ice melts, exposing a much deeper layer of soil. Researchers found that the CO2 stored in the deeper soil layers is emitted into the atmosphere more easily than the CO2 stored in the topsoil. Lead author, Rose Cory, an environmental scientist at the University of North Carolina, explains, "What it means is that the carbon coming out of these sites is more reactive [than the carbon draining from the active layer of permafrost] . . . there is potential that these tremendous stores of carbon in these soils can be a positive feedback for more warming."

For additional information see: Science, Study

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