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June 16, 2014
Bipartisan Climate Change Discussion in Senate
On June 9 at 6pm, six Democratic Senators and one Republican Senator discussed climate change on the Senate floor. The Democrats organized the event as a more inclusive follow-up to a March climate “talkathon,” which Republican Senators had remarked that they were not invited to (see EESI article http://www.eesi.org/articles/view/senators-hold-all-night-climate-change-talkathon#.U5XObnJdX8k). Prior to the event, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Ed Markey (D-MA) together sent a letter inviting all 45 of their Republican counterparts to discuss climate change solutions, stating “we think our Republican colleagues could have a lot to offer if they wish to join us in exploring solutions.” Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), a climate change skeptic, was the one Republican in attendance. During his speech, Sen. Sanders commented, “Sen. Inhofe and many of us hold very different points of view on global warming. I think he’s wrong but I’m glad that he is here . . . virtually the entire scientific community believes that climate change is real and it’s already creating problems.” The Senators responsible for planning the event are all members of a recently formed Senate Climate Action Task Force, which has been putting on events to “wake up” Congress to the dangers of climate change. Although not a signatory of the original invitation letter, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), a member of the Task Force, also participated in the June 9 event.
For more information see:
Whitehouse Press Release, The Hill, The Hill
Climate Change, Still Small Electoral Issue, Gaining Political Traction
On June 4, Terri Lynn Land, the GOP Senate candidate from Michigan, issued a statement saying “climate change is absolutely a reality,” in response to a statement released the same day from her Democratic opponent, Rep. Gary Peters, which stated that Land “refuses to acknowledge that climate change exists.” Climate change, usually rarely mentioned in elections, has recently been coming up in some election races. In a similar move to Rep. Peters, incumbent Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) said she acknowledges the “EPA’s ability to responsibly regulate greenhouse gas emissions is key to protecting our environment for future generations,” while her Republican challenger Thom Tillis “flatly denie[s] the existence of climate change.” Tillis’ spokesman has not confirmed Tillis’ belief in anthropogenic climate change, but says Tillis thinks “the Earth’s climate obviously changes over time.” Republicans Joni Ernst in Iowa and Rep. Cory Gardner in Colorado have both made statements of belief in climate change, while expressing doubt on the extent to which humans are causing the changes.
Washington Post, Terri Lynn Land Statement, Gary Peters Statement
Intersessional United Nations Climate Talks Meet in Bonn, Germany
United Nation (UN) leaders convened in Bonn, Germany from June 4-15 to discuss worldwide climate change action for the second time in 2014. It is one of many meetings being held by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ahead of the new worldwide climate change agreement that will be signed next year in Paris. The talks have focused on setting wide-reaching carbon emissions standards that will look to mitigate carbon dioxide emission and rising sea levels. The newly released U.S. carbon standards for existing power plants have placed more pressure on other major CO2 producers to take steps in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. The conference has also focused on the devastating effects that rising sea level is beginning to have on low lying island nations, which are often very small contributors to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), but are facing some of the most severe effects of climate change. "I urge everyone to think about the plight of small island developing states and to take inspiration from their efforts to address climate change, strengthen resilience and work for a sustainable future," said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. "Raise your voice, not the sea level. Planet Earth is our shared island. Let us join forces to protect it."
For more information:
BBC, Channel News Asia, US Climate Network, Sky News, UN
RGGI Auction Sells Out of CO2 Allowances
On June 6, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) announced that more than 18 million carbon dioxide (CO2) allowances were sold at the 24th RGGI auction at a clearing price of $5.02. Nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States participated in the auction, which generated $90.67 million for reinvestment in a variety of consumer-benefit initiatives in these states. Kelly Speaks-Backman, commissioner of the Maryland Public Service Commission and chair of the RGGI Board of directors said, “The release of EPA’s proposed carbon pollution rules has prompted many states to evaluate how they can cost-effectively reduce power-sector carbon pollution in as simple and transparent a manner as possible. With the RGGI states on pace to reduce our 2020 power-sector carbon emissions to levels about half that of 2005, the RGGI program has demonstrated a proven market-based model to do so.”
Environmental Leader, Market Monitor Report for Auction 24
Gavin Schmidt Named to Head NASA Earth Climate Research Laboratory
On June 9, NASA named Gavin Schmidt to lead the agency's Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS), one of the foremost climate science research laboratories in the world. Schmidt currently serves as the institute's deputy director and has a long history vocalizing the case for human-driven climate change. Schmidt has authored over 120 scientific publications, and defended climate science in appearances on David Letterman’s and John Stewart’s shows. He is one of the founders of the RealClimate science blog, which has received over 15 million views since its creation in 2004. Schmidt has worked at the lab since 1996, with climate modeling as his primary research area. Schmidt's appointment is a clear indication that investigating the effects of climate change will remain in the lab's research focus going forward. NASA's Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan said of the appointment, "Gavin is a highly respected climate scientist who already also has proven himself as a terrific leader of the GISS team. He is the perfect candidate to continue leading this vital research institute at a critical time for the U.S. and the world."
Reporting Climate Science, Science Magazine, Press release
Australian and Canadian Prime Ministers Say Climate Change Is Less Important Than Economy
During a stop in Ottawa, Canada on June 9, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott stated that any future global agreement on climate change won’t include carbon pricing . He explained, “The argument is not about climate change — the argument is about the best means to respond to climate change and I believe that carbon taxes and emissions trading schemes are the wrong way to go.” Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper supported Abbott’s point, saying, “It’s not that we don't seek to deal with climate change. We seek to deal with it in a way that enhances our ability to create jobs and growth, this is their position. No country is going to take actions that are going to deliberately harm jobs and growth in their country, we are just a bit more frank about that than other countries.'' During his time in Canada, Mr. Abbott flagged his intention to create an alliance with Canada, Britain, India and New Zealand, which would act with center-right priorities, including resistance to global carbon pricing and international action on climate change. However, on Tuesday, Mr. Abbott said he was encouraged at the new US proposed power plant regulations on carbon emissions, saying he supported using regulation, instead of a price on carbon, to combat climate change.
The Sydney Morning Herald, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sky News
Rising Seas Wash Japanese War Dead from Marshall Islands Graves
On June 6, the Marshall Islands foreign minister, Tony de Brum, reported that rising sea levels due to climate change have washed 26 bodies, thought to be Japanese World War II soldiers, away from their graves. Between February and April, the remains were found on the shores of Santo Island, along with unexploded bombs and other military equipment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, average global sea levels have risen by close to seven inches over the past century — and they could rise another seven to 23 inches by 2100, depending on greenhouse gas emissions. Rising sea levels intensify the impacts of storm surges and tides. Additionally, the rising tides flood the land with salt water, ruining crops such as breadfruit and coconuts. These issues are of serious concern in the Marshall Islands, which are 2 meters (6 feet) above sea level. At the UN climate talks in Germany, de Brum commented that action on climate change is “not [happening] quickly enough to climate-proof some of our more vulnerable communities,” adding, “Even the dead are affected.”
The Guardian, EPA
New York Seminary Is World’s First Seminary to Divest from Fossil Fuels for Climate Change
On June 11, Union Seminary in New York City became the first seminary in the United States to divest from fossil fuels. In an op-ed in Time Magazine, Serene Jones, the seminary’s president, announced the unanimous decision reached by Union’s Board of Trustees to divest their $108.4 million endowment. Jones cited a moral obligation to work towards finding a solution to climate change and protecting the Earth’s resources as a reason why the Seminary is choosing to move away from investing in fossil fuels. “We are actively committed to finding new ways to participate in healing our wounded creation,” said Jones in her statement to Time. “We believe that the divestment of our endowment from fossil fuel companies is one small step in this direction.” A study of the effects of the seminary’s divestment found that if the fund had gone fossil-free two decades ago, it would have experienced a loss on return of only six tenths of one percent. Union hopes that its actions spur other seminaries and universities to take similar actions in the fight against climate change. “Union is the cradle of progressive Protestantism in the US, so I expect this decision will have a major impact,” said Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org. “I predict this will be the first of many seminaries that heed the call to stand up for God’s creation.”
Time, Huffington Post, Union Seminary New York City
Report Finds Slated Closure of Coal Power Plants Will Not Significantly Reduce Carbon Emissions
On June 9, USA Today released findings revealing that the planned retirement over the next ten years of 10 percent of the electric power industry’s coal-fired power plants will not achieve significant emissions reductions. The report stated that the 140 coal-fired power plants slated to retire accounted for only 4 percent of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted last year by U.S. power plants, and do not include a single plant from the top 100 carbon-emitting plants in the country. The top 100 carbon emitters, all coal-fired, generate 25 percent of total power plant emissions and are unlikely to be closed anytime soon. Jeffrey Holmstead, a lobbyist for coal-fired power plants at the Bracewell & Giuliani law firm in Washington, explained, “There just isn’t a cost-effective replacement yet.” Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed regulation on carbon emissions from power plants, which was published last Monday, does not require states to close any particular coal plants. "Ultimately, it's a state-driven program," said John McManus, American Electric Power’s vice president of environmental services. Pat Knight of Synapse Energy Economics, a consulting firm that works with environmental and consumer groups, further explained that future plant retirements will be decided on a "case-by-case basis" that will depend largely on each area's price for natural gas.
USA Today
New Study Discusses Different Methods to Stop Climate Change
On June 1, a study evaluating methods to combat climate change was published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology in the Environment. The study found that overall, the best strategy to fight climate change is by reducing carbon emissions through energy efficiency, conservation usage and the adoption of renewable energy sources. The study examined five different approaches to reduce climate change: emissions reductions, carbon sequestration on land and in oceans using biological processes, carbon dioxide underground storage, and increasing cloud cover and solar reflection. Study authors evaluated each method based on its cost-effectiveness, feasibility, risk, governability and ethical considerations, and public acceptance. The study results show that although iron fertilization of the oceans and solar radiation management are cost-effective, they received the lowest ratings on most criteria. Daniela Cusack, the study's lead author and an assistant professor of geography in UCLA's College of Letters and Science, said, “We found that climate engineering doesn’t offer a perfect option. The perfect option is reducing emissions.” The study also stated that the strategies such as biochar production and geological carbon capture and storage deserve further research and development.
Grist, Z News, Science Daily, The Study
DOE Report Finds that Exported LNG Abroad Does Not Increase Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions
On May 29, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy released a report on the life cycle of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from US and Russian exports of natural gas as compared to regional coal in Europe and Asia. The Life Cycle Greenhouse Perspective on Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas from the United States (LCA GHG) calculated how much GHG or carbon dioxide (CO2) was emitted over the life of natural gas and coal, from the time the source is extracted from the ground to waste management. The report found that over a hundred years, GHG emissions from the use of natural gas are lower than regional coal. However, in some scenarios using a twenty-year window, emissions from natural gas exports are higher than those from regional coal.
The general conclusion of the authors was that using US natural gas exports for power production in Europe and Asia instead of regional coal would not increase life cycle GHG emissions. Mike Tidwell of Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) and Joe Romm of Center for American Progress (CAP) both questioned the authors’ conclusion, saying DOE would have arrived at the opposite conclusion if it had used “more realistic” figures. The report assumed methane leakages of 1.6 percent from US sources, which Romm says are more likely to be around 3 percent. The Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Perspective report is available for public comment on the DOE website until July 21, 2014.
In related news on May 29, the DOE proposed a procedural change to its LNG export decision-making process. Also on the same day, the DOE released a related report, the Draft Addendum to Environmental Review Documents Concerning Exports of Natural Gas from the United States. The two reports are meant to provide additional information to the DOE and the public as they consider the procedural change.
For additional information see:
The Hill, DOE, Report
Report Finds Ocean Life Sequesters $140 Billion of Carbon Annually
A report released on June 5 by the Global Ocean Commission reported that aquatic life in the high seas is a carbon sink that sequesters 500 million tonnes of carbon a year. The ecological activity that occurs in the high seas, or the area of the ocean 200 nautical miles away from land, provides between $74 and $222 billion in carbon sequestration alone, not including the numerous other ecological services the area provides. High levels of commercial fishing are endangering these ecosystems and their ability to provide carbon sequestration. The authors of the report suggest that the best way to protect these ecosystem services may be to reduce or even prohibit commercial fishing in the high seas, and add that healthier high sea ecosystems would contribute additional economic benefits to coastal fishing zones. Annually, commercial fishing on the high seas generate $26 billion in revenues — significantly less than the economic benefit of leaving the ecosystems alone. “It is important to view and manage the global ocean as a whole Earth system to protect the vital services which it supplies to humankind,” said Professor Rashid Sumaila, a co-author of the study. “At the moment, the high seas are the weakest link because of their poor management and lack of governance relative to EEZs (Exclusive Economic Zones).”
Motherboard, Scientific American, Press Release, Report
Headlines
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President Obama Discusses Climate Change During Interview for Years of Living Dangerously
Gina McCarthy Appears on Real Time with Bill Marr to Discuss EPA Climate Regulation
Warming Climate Expands Territory of Pine Beetles, Leading to Destruction of Forests in Western United States
Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Prepare for Business Opportunities from Tougher Emissions Standards in China
Chief Scientist at UK Met Office Calls for Climate Change Reports to Be Written for More Popular Audience
NRDC: Op-Ed Responses to EPA Climate Regulation Across the Country
Environmental Conditions Worsening Conflict in Nigeria
Advancing science-based climate solutions
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