Climate Change News - July 5, 2010

Senators Meet with Obama to Map Out Climate Legislation

On June 29, President Obama met with 23 senators to discuss climate and energy legislation, making clear that he still supports putting a price on carbon to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. "The president told the senators that he still believes the best way for us to transition to a clean energy economy is with a bill that makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy for American businesses by putting a price on pollution -- because when companies pollute, they should be responsible for the costs to the environment and their contribution to climate change," the White House said in a statement. Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) have written a bill that would place an economy wide cap on emissions, but indicated after the meeting that they would be willing to scale back their legislation to move a package forward. “We are prepared to scale back the reach of our legislation in order to try to find that place of compromise," Kerry said following the meeting. One possibility that was raised would involve limiting the cap on carbon emissions to the utility sector. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) showed her support for such a measure, saying in a statement, “I believe that one possibility is to more narrowly target a carbon pricing program through a uniform nationwide system solely on the power sector.” The chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), is currently drafting a bill that would cap GHG emissions from power plants. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is aiming to bring energy legislation to the Senate floor in July.

For additional information see: Washington Post , New York Times , AP , AFP , Bloomberg

G20 Urges Phase Out of Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Drops Pledge for Clean Energy

On June 27, leaders at the G-20 summit concluded talks at an annual summit in Toronto, with a promise to phase out subsidies for “inefficient” fossil fuels. An early version of their communiqué referred to "voluntary, member-specific approaches" to getting rid of fossil fuel subsidies but was replaced with stronger language at the last minute, reportedly at the urging of the United States. The G20 communique called for the "phase out over the medium term of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption, taking into account vulnerable groups and their development needs.” The pledge also promised to establish an ongoing review process that evaluates how well countries are living up to their commitment. Some environmentalists observing the process noted that the language was weaker than what was pledged at last year’s meeting in Pittsburgh that was hosted by President Obama. Specifically, negotiators left out any reference to “clean energy,” which had been included in the Pittsburgh language. “That was a signal of weakening," said Jake Schmidt, international climate policy director of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "It doesn't have the same political 'oomph,' and lacks the political signal that the countries are expected to live up to it."

For additional information see: Deutsche Presse Agentur , Los Angeles Times , Indian Express , Reuters

Global Carbon Emissions Steady in 2009, First Time Since 1992

On July 1, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) released its annual report which revealed that global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions held steady in 2009 for the first time since 1992. Collectively, the industrialized countries decreased CO2 emissions by seven percent in 2009, largely due to the recession. The decrease was offset by the increase in CO2 emissions from China and India, which had increases of nine and six percent, respectively. “A large part of production capacity has been suspended, but this could be re-employed as soon as the economy improves. It is likely that a recovering economy would cause emission levels in industrialized countries to go up,” said Anneke Oosterhuis, PBL spokeswoman. “Nevertheless, the economic downturn has meant that these countries can meet their reduction obligations with more ease.” As a result of the recession, developed countries are 10 percent below 1990 emissions levels, nearly twice the amount they had pledged under the Kyoto Protocol. A byproduct of the reduced emissions caused by the recession is that, “some industrialized countries may need to purchase fewer emission rights from reduction projects in developing countries, which, in turn, means that there will be less money available for emission reductions in those developing countries,” Oosterhuis said.

For additional information see: PBL Press Release , Guardian , AP , Canadian Press

Climate Scientist Cleared in 'Climategate' Inquiry

On July 1, climate scientist Michael Mann was cleared of charges that he had manipulated climate data in what became known as 'Climategate.' The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) panel which had been investigating charges that Mann had been manipulating research regarding climate change found that he had not “seriously deviated from accepted practices within the academic community for proposing, conducting or reporting research or other scholarly activities.” This inquiry was the last of four inquiries into Mann’s work which began after the scandal surrounding the release of emails between American and British scientists from the University of East Anglia. Climate skeptics sought to use the emails as proof that climate change science was suspect and the result of manipulation of data. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is continuing his investigation of Mann’s research while he was at the University of Virginia, claiming Mann used state funds to conduct fraudulent climate research.

For additional information see: New York Times , Guardian , Richmond Times Dispatch , Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

New Australian Prime Minister Indicates Commitment to Addressing Climate Change

On June 24, Australia’s new Prime Minister Julia Gillard pledged commitment to addressing climate change and to forging greater community consensus. “I will be prepared to argue for a price on carbon . . . so that we get that lasting and deep community consensus,” said Gillard. “I believe in climate change. I believe it’s caused by human activity and I believe we have an obligation to act.” Despite this obligation to act, the Prime Minister has suggested the emissions trading scheme proposed by the Labor party cannot succeed without community consensus. A poll by the Climate Institute surveyed 1,000 Australians and found that Australians do support greater government commitment to addressing climate change and that 36 percent of Australians would be more likely to support the Prime Minister if she institutes a plan to deal with climate change before elections later this year. “There’s a very strong net benefit there for the Labor Government, for the Prime Minister, if she comes up with a strong plan for pollution and climate change,” said John Connor, head of the Climate Institute.

For additional information see: Sydney Morning Herald , ABC , Guardian

UK Advisors Urge Stronger Policies to Curb Emissions

On June 30, Britain’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC) released a study urging the British government to adopt stronger climate policies. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United Kingdom decreased by 8.6 percent during 2009, but this reduction is due largely to the recession and increased fossil fuel prices, the study said. “The recession has created the illusion that progress is being made to reduce emissions,” said Lord Adair Turner, CCC chairman. “Our analysis shows that this is almost wholly due to a reduction in economic activity, and not from new measures being introduced to tackle climate change.” As a result, the CCC study recommended the adoption of low-carbon technologies for electricity generation, the prioritization of home insulation as a means of increasing energy efficiency, an increase in the number of people driving electric cars through more ambitious targets and a reduction in the use of fertilizers in agriculture through more efficient use. Were the British government to adopt these recommendations, it would be able to achieve GHG emissions reductions of 42 percent by 2020, the study said. In response to the CCC study, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said, “There has to be an enduring shift to low carbon, driving growth in new technologies, and it must be locked into the fabric of our economy in good times and bad.”

For additional information see: Telegraph , CCC Report , AFP , BBC

Leading Scientists Weigh in on Climate Tipping Point

On June 28, a survey was published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences illuminating the levels of agreement among leading climate scientists regarding climate change. Fourteen scientists participated in an interview and an email survey in which they were asked a range of questions regarding climate change, particularly the probability of reaching a “climate tipping point” before 2200. “This kind of study is helpful for people to understand that there is clearly a range of views among scientists, and that is inevitable, but the level of consensus is pretty high. People broadly agree about what’s happening and what is likely under different scenarios,” said Myles Allen, an interviewee of the survey and a climate researcher at the University of Oxford. Nine of the 14 said the probability was greater than 90 percent and one said the probability was less than 50 percent. The study emphasized the uncertainty which is involved in predicting how much and in what ways the world will change as temperatures continue to increase. Most of the interviewees agreed that this uncertainty is unlikely to decrease over the next two decades. “Part of the point here is to try to quantify what it is we don’t know to quantify the chances of events and the things we can’t really anticipate. The key thing we’re talking about is a transition to a climate that is fundamentally different to the one we’ve experienced,” Allen said.

For additional information see: Study Abstract , Independent

Whitening Clouds to Counter Global Warming Could Bring More Rain

On June 24, a study published in Climate Dynamics revealed that efforts to reduce global warming by whitening marine clouds may have unexpected impacts on the hydrological cycle by increasing monsoonal rains and making land wetter. “Rain clouds, which have big droplets, tend to be gray and absorb sunlight, whereas clouds with smaller droplets tend to be white and fluffy and reflect more sunlight to space,” said the study’s author, Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution. “In practice this could be done by shooting a fine spray of seawater high into the air, where the tiny salt particles would create condensation nuclei to form small cloud droplets.” In simulating the smaller cloud droplets in a global climate system with levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) twice as high as the present day, the researchers discovered that while the whiter clouds did reflect more sunlight and compensate for the increased temperatures caused by high concentrations of CO2, they also increased precipitation over land. These results may encourage further examination of geoengineering as a possible solution for climate change because previous studies showed a decrease in precipitation over land, which is a serious concern. “An actual deployment would be much patchier than in our study, and the result would therefore be somewhat different,” said Caldeira. “But our basic result calls into question previous assumptions about the impact of this geoengineering scheme. It merits further investigation.”

For additional information see: Study Abstract , Carnegie Institution Press Release

Study: Warmer Ecosystems May Absorb Less Carbon Dioxide

On July 1, a paper published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B indicated that warmer ecosystems may absorb less carbon dioxide (CO2). The model used in the study was designed to calculate how the capacity of ecosystems to store CO2 changed with increased temperatures caused by climate change. The study found that with a four degree Celsius rise in global temperature, ecosystems experienced a 13 percent reduction in capacity. “Photosynthesis by plants absorbs CO2 while respiration by animals returns CO2 to the atmosphere. Respiration has a higher ‘activation energy’ than photosynthesis meaning that it increases more rapidly with increasing temperature,” said lead author of the study, Gabriel Yvon-Durocher. “So if climate change raises environmental temperatures, the balance between respiration and photosynthesis in the ecosystem will change, favoring more respiration and less CO2 absorption.”

For additional information see: Science Daily , Study Abstract

Climate Change Could Wipe Out 40 Percent of Species in Arab World

On June 27, a report by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) revealed that climate change could wipe out 40 percent of species in the Arab world. “With continuing rising temperatures, water flow in the Euphrates River may decrease by 30 percent and the Jordan River by 80 percent before the turn of the century,” the report said. In addition to decreases in biodiversity and river water flow, the report also forecasted a rise in sea levels, an increase in infectious disease throughout the region, and ocean acidification. The results will include reduced potable water supplies, coral bleaching, and reduced crop yields. Not only would agriculture suffer, but the study also highlights the losses the Arab tourism industry would suffer with the increased bleaching of coral reefs and the narrowing of beaches. The report concludes that the region must begin to prepare for the effects of climate change by increasing efforts to use water resources more efficiently, shift to hardier crops, develop new tourist destinations, integrate new regulations in building codes and urban planning, and construct infrastructure which can deal with the increase in health hazards and population displacement.

For additional information see: Jordan Times , People's Daily Online

Studies on Arctic's Past Offer Glimpse of Global Warming's Future

In the July issue of Geology, scientists looking at four million year-old fossils from the Arctic found that temperatures were significantly higher than present day, but with similar levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Canadian Museum of Nature paleontologist and co-author of the study Natalia Rybczynsk said this evidence offers a glimpse of how Arctic temperatures could rise if current climate trends continue. "It's really, really compelling evidence," she said. "That number is quite a bit warmer than previous proxy estimates. And it's warmer than the (climate-change) models have come up with." The study concluded, "Our results indicate that a significant increase in Arctic temperatures may be imminent in response to current atmospheric CO2 levels.”

A related study in the July issue of Quaternary Science Reviews found that when the Earth’s climate warms, the Arctic multiplies that warming by a factor of about three. The researchers looked at four different periods of climate change within the Arctic and found the amplification rate was consistent over millions of years. "What it reinforces is that the Arctic has very strong positive feedbacks," said lead author Gifford Miller of the University of Colorado. The most powerful of feedbacks in the Arctic is sea ice and snow cover, he said. "We only have 50 years of observations of the Arctic," Miller said, referring primarily to satellite sea ice observations. "(This new work) puts that 50 years in a bigger perspective."

For additional information see: Discovery News , Vancouver Sun , Miller Study Abstract , Science Direct

Study Raises Concerns Over Carbon Storage

On June 27, a study published in Nature Geoscience raised concerns over carbon storage as a means of lowering greenhouse gas emissions. In an attempt to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) being released into the atmosphere, scientists are studying methods of sequestering the CO2 directly from the source and storing it underground or in the deep ocean. This study examined several different methods of carbon sequestration and revealed that some are less effective than others in retaining the CO2 once it has been injected, and that there are serious environmental repercussions when the CO2 returns to the atmosphere. “Most of the investigated scenarios result in a large, delayed warming in the atmosphere as well as oxygen depletion, acidification and elevated CO2 concentrations in the ocean,” said the study. “Specifically, deep-ocean carbon storage leads to extreme acidification and CO2 concentrations in the deep ocean, together with a return to the adverse conditions of a business-as-usual projection with no sequestration over several thousand years.” Storing the carbon underground would be a better option because it is more successful in retaining the carbon deep in the ground, especially if the CO2 is compressed into a liquid and stored in rock formations that are especially effective at storing the carbon, said Peter Cook, chief executive of the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies. Yet, “the dangers of carbon sequestration are real and the development of CCS should not be used as a way of justifying continued high fossil fuel emissions,” said Shaffer. “On the contrary, we should greatly limit CO2 emissions in our time to reduce the need for massive carbon sequestration and thus reduce unwanted consequences.”

For additional information see: Sydney Morning Herald , AFP , ABC , Study Abstract

Formula One Aims to Cut Carbon Emissions

On June 30, Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) announced its intention to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 12.4 percent in three years. After an audit by Trucost, an environmental impact consultant, FOTA plans to focus on the fuel efficiency of the vehicles, although the study revealed that racing and testing the cars makes up a small portion of total emissions. Most of the emissions produced are from the provision and manufacturing of raw materials and parts; and the greatest potential for emissions reductions could be found in decreased electricity, fuel and raw materials consumption. “With the support of all its member teams, FOTA has . . . undertaken to maintain continuous and independent analysis and assessment in order to ensure that these carbon emissions reduction targets are met or bettered, and to investigate where further carbon emissions reduction opportunities may exist,” said Martin Whitmarsh, FOTA chairman. This increased interest in reducing emissions may be due to concern from sponsors who are reluctant to be perceived as supporting such a high-emissions sport. “F1 bosses recognize that, sooner or later, questions may well be raised about a sport that literally burns fossil fuels for fun,” said Andrew Benson of BBC Sport.

For additional information see: BBC , Globe and Mail , Environmental Leader

July 7: Economic Impacts of Recovery Act Funding for the State Energy Program

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on how state governments have used funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to expand the State Energy Program (SEP). State officials will discuss how ARRA dollars have helped them create local jobs, fund innovative energy programs, and reduce energy bills for consumers. The briefing will be held on Wednesday, July 7, from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. in 203/202 SVC Capitol Visitor Center. The entrance to the Capitol Visitor Center is on the east side of the U.S. Capitol Building. Please allow extra time to go through security. Food and drink are not permitted. Once inside, follow signs to Senate Meeting Rooms. This briefing is free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For more information, please contact us at communications [at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1884.