Advanced Search
January 28, 2019
A wave of newly elected Democratic governors are pivoting the Great Lakes region back toward renewable energy development and climate action. Image courtesy of David Grant via flickr.com.
On January 24, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report recommending the State Department reinstate guidelines advising U.S. diplomats on how to deal with instances of mass migration. The report said, "Without clear guidance, State may miss opportunities to identify and address issues related to climate change as a potential driver of migration." In its assessment of how the government has responded to climate-driven migration, GAO noted the Trump administration's decision to end a past executive order and presidential memorandum that directed federal agencies to consider the effects of climate change on international development issues. Diplomats use these official guidance documents as tools to prioritize and plan for future scenarios, such as climate change displacement. The State Department responded to GAO by saying it would "update" the guidelines, but without offering specific details. However, State also said it would consider recommending climate change be further curtailed in the agency's priorities, hinting at yet another executive order rollback. Following the unusual response from State, GAO said it would monitor the department's actions over the next four years to see if it complies with the report's recommendations.
For more information see:
InsideClimate News
On January 24, the Pentagon delivered its report to Congress on the vulnerability of military facilities to climate change, but legislators and observers criticized the document as incomplete. Congress ordered the Defense Department to develop the report in accordance with a past funding bill. The report was supposed to include a list of the 10 most climate-vulnerable installations for each service branch over the next 20 years and an assessment of how to protect them. While the document names climate change as "a national security issue" and does discuss certain bases that may be at risk, it fails to include the full list. A DOD spokesperson said the report provides a "high-level assessment" of vulnerabilities and shows efforts to improve installation resilience. The report highlights 79 facilities in alphabetical order, with 53 already suffering from "recurrent flooding," 43 from drought, and 36 at risk from wildfires, with these hazards expected to affect more facilities in the future. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) said, "The report does not reflect the urgency of the challenge."
Washington Post
Governors representing the Great Lakes region have taken a renewed interest in addressing global warming. Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin moved from a Republican governor to a Democratic governor in the last election cycle. Michigan and Illinois have also elected new Democratic attorneys general, meaning Democrats now hold both the governorship and attorney general's office in six of the eight Great Lakes-bordering states (only Ohio and Indiana still have GOP governors). Extreme weather and algae blooms are just two of the factors impacting the region's drinking water and its agricultural and tourism industries. Many states are also pursuing more renewable energy as prices decline, including potential offshore wind turbines in the Great Lakes. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker entered his state into the U.S. Climate Alliance, whose members pledge to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has taken on a legal battle to alter plans for an underwater oil pipeline called Enbridge Line 5 that her predecessor approved in the waning months of his term. The pipeline is viewed as a significant risk in an environmentally and economically vulnerable section of Lake Michigan.
The city of Annapolis, Maryland is struggling to identify revenue to defend itself against future climate change impacts. A recent study by the University of Maryland found that the coastal city could see severe flooding within 20 years if it does not invest in additional infrastructure. However, the study concluded that the city does not currently have the revenue or the borrowing capacity to make itself fully resilient to sea level rise, flooding, and more intense storms. In addition to protective infrastructure, the city will need to better secure its utility and communication systems. The study recommends Annapolis create a plan that reflects community needs and potential economic opportunities from building resiliently. The study also suggests the introduction of a financing authority to attract investment in the city's projects. According to NOAA, Annapolis has experienced a 900 percent increase in the average number of floods per year between 1957 and 2013, going from a 3.8 average to 39.3.
Capital Gazette
According to a new public poll from Yale and George Mason University, a record number of Americans view global warming as a danger today. Nearly a quarter of respondents said they witness climate impacts in their daily life, citing "personal observations of weather" as a factor that helped convince them. More than seven out of 10 Americans described global warming as "personally important" to them, an increase of nine points since March 2018. Twenty nine percent said they were "very worried" about global warming, representing an eight point boost. Anthony Leiserowitz, a senior research scientist at Yale who helps to oversee the poll, said, "We’ve not seen anything like [these changes] in the 10 years we’ve been conducting the study." A separate Associated Press survey also found that seven in 10 Americans are aware climate change is happening. The AP found that 52 percent of self-identified Republicans agreed that climate change is real. Despite the concern, nearly 70 percent of Americans said they would not pay $10 every month to deal with global warming.
The Atlantic
On January 22, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, addressed a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos. According to Birol, "To say that electric cars are the end of oil is definitely misleading." He noted that global oil demand is expected to increase by 1.3 million barrels per day, while the effect of five million electric vehicles would reduce demand by only 50,000 barrels per day. IEA estimated the number of electric cars around the world would grow from three million today to 125 million by 2030. However, Birol was pessimistic on the impact of electrification at that scale, stating that it fell well short of the one billion vehicles with internal combustion engines. He cited freight trucks, the petrochemical industry, and aviation as major sources of oil demand going forward. Finally, Birol cautioned that the source of electricity to power electric vehicles matters, stating, "If you can’t decarbonise [the power sector], C02 emissions will not be going down. It may be helpful for the local pollution, but for global emissions it is not."
Climate Home News
A report by the nonprofit Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has compiled the environmental impact of companies, as well as the risks and opportunities from climate change they anticipate affecting their business. More than 7,000 companies filed reports with CDP in 2018, including more than 1,800 U.S.-based organizations. CDP gave companies a grade based on "how aware they are about the issue, how they’re managing it, [and] how they’re progressing toward targets." Thirty U.S.-based companies received a top "A" grade, with 25 in Japan and 22 in France. Among the concerns documented are how water availability will impact production for Coca-Cola Co., how flooding may lead to more mortgage defaults, whether summers may get too hot for tourists to flock to Disney theme parks, and whether AT&T cell towers could get knocked out by future natural disasters. Companies purportedly provide more detailed information on their climate risks to CDP than to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which does not require companies to report such threats.
Bloomberg
A new study appearing in the journal Nature asserts that plants and soils may actually absorb less carbon dioxide as the planet warms. Today, plants and soils absorb about a quarter of greenhouse gases resulting from human activity. Study co-author Pierre Gentine of Columbia University said, "We have this image of the planet getting very, very green as we move into the future, but it may be the opposite." Climate scientists were previously aware that atmospheric CO2 concentrations increase during dry years, indicating the earth is absorbing fewer emissions. The dry conditions put more stress on plants, meaning they are unable to absorb as much CO2 for photosynthesis. At the same time, microorganisms residing in soil become more productive in warm weather, releasing CO2. The study authors ran four different climate simulations and used satellite observations of photosynthesis in order to see the impact of soil moisture on the planet's ability to absorb greenhouse gases. The increased ability of plants and soils to take on more CO2 during wetter years was not substantial enough to offset their reduced CO2 intake during dry years.
New York Times
A new study appearing in the journal Global Environmental Change outlined additional evidence suggesting a relationship between climate change, conflict, and migration. Researchers from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom examined asylum applications for 157 countries dated 2006 through 2015. The study found that under certain circumstances, warming-related drought preceded conflicts that led to refugees fleeing their home countries. The authors cited conflicts in western Asia and sub-Saharan Africa between 2011 and 2015 as some of the strongest indicators of the connection between climate and upheaval. The study also proposed that climate change had an indirect role in the Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and Syria between 2010 and 2012. The authors said climate change may also contribute to a decline in agricultural productivity and a country's economy, which could play a hand in future unrest. Political and social factors could make vulnerable countries more or less predisposed to violent conflict or migration.
E&E News
PG&E Faces Bankruptcy After Buckling Under Wildfire Liability
Studies Find Newborn Gender Ratios Change Depending on the Climate
Study: Climate Change to Make It More Difficult for World's Aquifers to Recharge
Satellites Observe "Unprecedented" Period of Ice Loss in Greenland
Scientists Estimate 2018 Was Fourth-Warmest Year on Record
Editor: Brian La Shier
Advancing science-based climate solutions
Top-Rated Climate Nonprofit – 4-Star Charity