Climate Change News - February 4, 2013

Secretary Chu Calls for Climate Action in Resignation Letter

On February 1, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that he intends to step down from his position. In a resignation letter to colleagues that highlighted the successes of his tenure, including ARPA-E and the SunShot Challenge, Chu had strong words about the importance of climate change. He stated, “Ultimately we have a moral responsibility to the most innocent victims of adverse climate change. Those who will suffer the most are the people who are the most innocent: the world’s poorest citizens and those yet to be born. There is an ancient Native American saying: ‘We do not inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.’ A few short decades later, we don’t want our children to ask, ‘What were our parents thinking? Didn’t they care about us?’”

For additional information see: TIME , Resignation Letter

President Obama Says that Technological Breakthroughs Are Needed on Climate

President Barack Obama sat down with Franklin Foer and Chris Hughes from New Republic in late January to talk about his plans for his second term. When asked about how he is preparing, President Obama included climate change among the list of issues, saying, “On climate change, it's a daunting task. But we know what releases carbon into the atmosphere, and we have tools right now that would start scaling that back, although we'd still need some big technological breakthrough.”

For additional information see: New Republic

Congressional Climate Change Task Force Asks 300 Businesses and Organizations for Advice

On January 31, the newly established Congressional task force on climate change (see January 28 issue) called on groups nationwide to submit ideas for action on global warming. The bicameral task force penned a letter to over 300 businesses and organizations asking what steps the federal government could take to combat climate change. Recipients include large corporations such as Shell and PepsiCo, as well as environmental organizations, sports leagues, universities, and national associations. They note that submissions can be directed towards central federal agencies such as the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, but also towards smaller agencies. The letter, signed by task force co-chairs Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), states, “The window to prevent catastrophic climate change is rapidly closing. If we do not act soon, our children and future generations will suffer from irreversible changes to our environment that we are causing. We have a moral obligation to act.”

For additional information see: The Hill , Example Letter , List of Recipients

18 Senators Introduce Resolution Against a Carbon Tax

On January 28, 18 Republican Senators led by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced a concurrent resolution (S.Con.Res.4) stating that “a carbon tax is not in the economic interest of the United States.” The resolution suggests that a carbon tax would disproportionally affect lower-income families and the manufacturing sector. Sen. Vitter introduced a similar resolution in the 112th Congress (see December 10, 2012 issue), and a similar resolution was already introduced in the House on January 15 (see January 21 issue). Co-sponsors of S.Con.Res.4 include Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS).

For additional information see: S.Con.Res.4 , S.107

White House Targets Oil and Gas Subsidies

At a press conference on January 30, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney offered a plan to stop automatic spending cuts from sequestration by targeting nearly $4 billion in annual tax breaks given to the oil and gas industry in the United States. Carney stated, “The idea that you need to subsidize an industry that has enjoyed record profits – that taxpayers have to subsidize it – just doesn’t make sense in a time when we have to make choices about how best to use our resources.” While some Republicans and oil-state Democrats oppose cutting these subsidies, noting that it would single-out the industry, others support it only as part of a larger tax code overhaul. If Congress does not come to an agreement on sequestration by March 1, the government will face $110 billion in automatic spending cuts across all federal programs.

For additional information see: The Hill , Press Conference Transcript

Defense Nomine Hagel Endorses Cleaner Fuels in Military

On January 30, former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) formally endorsed a ban of high-carbon fuels for defense purposes under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-140). The 2007 energy law includes Section 526, a provision that bans the military from purchasing new alternative or synthetic fuels if conventional petroleum fuels that emit fewer lifecycle greenhouse gases are available. Following his recent nomination by President Obama for Secretary of Defense, Hagel submitted a statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee in which he noted that the provision “has not restricted the Department from purchasing whatever fuel it has needed to support military operations.” Some Republican Members of Congress have argued against the ban, claiming that it threatens U.S. security interests. Nonetheless, members of the administration and the Defense Department say that the ban has been an effective policy tool.

For additional information see: The Hill , Politico

Stern: Climate Change Is Worse than I Thought

Lord Nicholas Stern, who served as an economic adviser to Tony Blair and a chief economist at the World Bank, said that he underestimated the risks of climate change in the 2006 Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, commissioned by the United Kingdom. Speaking in an interview in Davos, Switzerland January 26 at the World Economic Forum, Stem said, “Looking back, I underestimated the risks. The planet and the atmosphere seem to be absorbing less carbon than we expected, and emissions are rising pretty strongly. Some of the effects are coming through more quickly than we thought then." Models in the 2006 report had suggested that there was a 75 percent chance of temperatures rising two to three degrees above pre-industrial levels, but Stern says that it now looks like the change will be closer to four degrees. Stern said that countries will need to invest more in clean technology and renewable energy to mitigate the likely negative effects of climate change on national and international economies.

For additional information see: Guardian , MIT Technology Review

World Bank Will Still Support Use of Coal in Developing Countries

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has been outspoken in his desire to address climate change (see January 21 issue), but at the Davos World Economic Forum January 26, he stated that his top priority is improving the lives of impoverished populations, which means he supports the use of coal among nations that need it for industry or heating. “We want to do everything we can to lower the use of coal,” Kim explained. “But we can't turn our backs when poor countries need coal.” While supporting the use of coal when necessary, Kim also reaffirmed his belief in the need to address climate change, stating, “I feel like I have to tackle this issue as a matter of conscience. [Climate change] is real. [. . .] I think our role at the bank is to continue to inform the [public of the] impact [of climate change].” Kim has previously come out in support of energy pricing, ending fuel subsidies, and reducing the carbon footprints of large cities.

For additional information see: BBC

Wildlife Struggling to Adapt to Warming World

A report released January 30 by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), “Wildlife in a Warming World: Confronting the Climate Crisis,” concludes that the habitats and behaviors of animals are greatly impacted by rising temperatures. This includes the thousands of fish dying from droughts and heat waves, birds and bees who have had to adjust their migratory patterns and breeding time with changing seasons, and a decline in food sources for polar bears that rely on arctic ice to hunt. Many species are migrating to new habitats, with these changes occurring two to three times faster than scientists had predicted, and several of these species are facing localized extinction. The study finds that this has far-ranging impacts for the United States economy, which relies heavily on the services provided by these species. Mark Shaffer, the national climate change policy advisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says that the services contributed by wildlife provide “hundreds of billions of dollars each year to the U.S. economy.” The report states, “Without significant new steps to reduce carbon pollution, our planet will warm by seven to 11 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, with devastating consequences for wildlife. America must be a leader in taking swift, significant action to reduce pollution and restore the ability of farms, forests, and other natural lands to absorb and store carbon.” Measures outlined in the study include increasing deployment of renewable energy and significantly reducing carbon emissions.

For additional information see: USA Today , Study

Climate Change, Not Bark Beetle, Partially Responsible for Forest Fires

A series of recent studies challenge the long-held assumption that damage from bark beetles in Western forests seriously increased the risk for forest fires. According to these studies, recent forest fires have been caused by climate change-related drought. Dominik Kulakowski, assistant professor of geography and biology at Clark University in Massachusetts and a co-author of an article published in January in the National Areas Journal, explained that, “It’s natural enough to look at a landscape that is covered with trees recently killed by bark beetles and, therefore, worry about fire risk. But if you look into the long-term ecology of these forests, there is a high fire risk under drought conditions, even when the trees are green and the landscape looks beautiful. Conversely, if we are not in drought conditions, the actual risk of wildfire is going to be fairly low, regardless of the effect of bark beetles.” A previous study from the University of Wisconsin found that bark beetle damaged areas may actually be less prone to fires, because the die out in those areas leads to gaps between trees that can be more difficult for fire to cross. The study concluded that warm, dry weather creates ideal conditions for both bark beetles and forest fires, even if one does not necessarily cause the other.

For additional information see: Seatlle Times

Expanding Fossil Fuel Projects to Increase GHG Emissions 20 Percent

On January 22, Greenpeace released a study performed by British consultancy Ecofys, “The Point of No Return,” warning that 14 oil, gas and coal projects would increase fossil fuel emissions 20 percent by 2020. This is equal to 6.3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, or as much as the United States releases each year. The report showed that Australian coal production is predicted to expand substantially in the next several years, leading to an increase in annual CO2 emissions of 759 million tonnes over 2011 levels by 2020. Annual emissions increases from the Chinese coal industry are expected to top those of Australia, reaching 1,400 million tonnes by 2020. Other locations for proposed new projects include the Arctic, the United States, Canada and Indonesia. The report states, “It is more than likely that these new emissions will cause the global average temperature to soar to four degrees Celsius and quite possibly to six degrees Celsius of global warming.” In an e-mail to reporters, Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo wrote, “We are running out of time to prevent catastrophic climate change. . . The companies promoting, and the governments allowing, these massive climate threats must replace them with renewable energy right away.” The authors note that the estimates for increasing emissions reflect current industry plans to expand fossil fuel production, rather than the most likely outcome.

For additional information see: The Age , Bloomberg , Guardian

Global Rainfall during Current Warming Period Has Increased Less Than Previous Warming Periods

According to a study published January 31 in Nature, rainfall has increased during the current period of global temperature increase since the Industrial Revolution, but it has increased 40 percent less than during previous warming periods. Scientists found that during warming periods caused by increased solar radiation or decreased volcanism, the sun heats the air closer to the Earth more than the air in the upper atmosphere, increasing instability and strengthening the trade winds, increasing global precipitation. On the other hand, increased atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations – which are causing the current warming period – reflect heat back into the atmosphere and decrease the temperature difference between air near the Earth and the air in the upper atmosphere, which decreases precipitation levels. The trend is likely to continue for future warming. Co-author Dr. Bin Wang, professor at the International Pacific Research Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, concluded that, “While during past global warming from solar heating the steeper tropical east-west SST [sea surface temperature] pattern has won out, we suggest that with future warming from greenhouse gases, the weaker gradient and smaller increase in yearly rainfall rate will win out.”

For additional information see: Agence France-Presse , Science Daily , Study

Tuesday, February 5: Renewable Energy: Technology, Trends, and Economics

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) invite you to a briefing about the important and growing role that renewable energy plays in the American energy mix. The deployment of renewable energy technologies has grown rapidly in recent years as their costs have decreased substantially and as the nation looks to meet growing demand, diversify its energy supply, promote energy security, and reduce carbon emissions. Opening remarks will be provided by Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn, (U.S. Navy, Ret.), President of ACORE. Panelists include: Steve Chalk, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy; Shirley Neff, Senior Advisor, Energy Information Administration; Mark Fulton, Former Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Asset Management; Dr. Robert Ichord, Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Dept. of State. The panel will be moderated by EESI Executive Director Carol Werner. The briefing will be held Tuesday, February 5th, from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. in SVC 212-10, Capitol Visitors Center. Please RSVP to [email protected].