Climate Change News - June 17, 2013

RGGI Auction Raises $124 Million

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) quarterly auction on June 5 raised $124.5 million, the largest amount to date. A total of 38.8 million carbon allowances sold for $3.21 each, compared to $2.81 last quarter. Collin O'Mara, chair of RGGI and secretary of Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, stated, “With 20 auctions completed, RGGI continues to generate hard data showing that market-based emission reduction programs are an effective way to realize environmental goals, save consumers money, and create jobs. [. . . ] Delaware's reinvestment of auction proceeds in energy efficiency programs has not only avoided carbon pollution, but helped businesses and families reduce their electricity bills, and workers find jobs weatherizing homes, retrofitting outdated industrial equipment, and constructing more energy-efficient buildings.” In February, RGGI members announced a 45 percent reduction in the carbon cap starting in 2014 (see February 11 issue).

For additional information see: Sustainable Business

California Cut Black Carbon Concentrations 90 Percent Since 1966

In a study examining the impact of black carbon on climate in California, researchers found the state’s efforts to reduce air pollution, particularly from diesel engines, has reduced black carbon concentrations 90 percent since 1966. The three-year study – commissioned by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and led by V. Ramanathan, distinguished professor of climate and atmospheric sciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography – concludes that black carbon reductions did not noticeably disrupt the lives of the citizens of California, but yielded substantial benefits to public health and emissions reduction. Concentrations have decreased 50 percent since the late 1980’s, equivalent to reducing 21 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually or taking four million cars off the street every year. California’s controls on emissions from diesel engines beginning in the 1970’s were largely responsible for the reduction, although controls on other sources in the transport sector, as well as industrial sources and decreased burning of wood and waste, were also contributors. “We know that California’s programs to reduce emissions from diesel engines have helped clean up the air and protect public health,” said CARB Chair Mary Nichols. “This report makes it clear that our efforts to clean up the trucks and buses on our roads and highways also help us in the fight against climate change.” Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, said, “Reducing black carbon globally, along with other short-lived climate pollutants . . . can cut the rate of global warming in half and the rate of warming in the Arctic by two-thirds over the next few decades. California is the model mega cities of the world can use to clean up their deadly air pollution.”

For additional information see: San Francisco Chronicle , IGSD Press Release , Report

Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Help Local Communities Prepare for Extreme Weather Events

On June 11, Reps. Scott Peters (D-CA), Peter King (R-NY), Patrick Murphy (D-FL) and four other cosponsors introduced the bipartisan Strengthening the Resilience of Our Nation on the Ground Act (STRONG Act, H.R. 2322) to help minimize the future costs of extreme weather events in the United States. The bill’s purpose is to help the federal government coordinate preparation efforts related to extreme weather events and provide state and local governments with information required to improve the resilience of local infrastructure. The STRONG Act creates a high-level interagency working group chaired by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to assess existing extreme weather events resiliency efforts and find any gaps. Then, in coordination with state and local governments, the OSTP would implement a plan to support public and private resiliency efforts with information and tools. The STRONG Act was originally introduced in the Senate during the 112th Congress (see January 2 issue) and was reintroduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) on May 8 as S. 904.

For additional information see: Rep. Peters Press Release , H.R. 2322 , S. 904

Bloomberg Releases $20 Billion Plan to Reduce New Yorkers’ Risk to Climate Change

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration released information on June 10 about the city’s increasing risk to climate change. The report projects that sea levels will rise four to eight inches by the 2020’s and estimates that more than 800,000 residents will live in the 100-year floodplain by the 2050’s – more than double the current estimate. The following day, Bloomberg revealed a $20 billion proposal to protect New York City from climate-related disasters. The plan, titled “the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency,” would create new floodwalls, levees and surge barriers. The report details a total of 250 recommendations, including changes to city building codes and proposals to redevelop areas hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy. Bloomberg commented, “We can’t completely climate-proof our city. That would be impossible. But we can make our city stronger and safe – and we can start today.”

For additional information see: New York Times – 1 , New York Times – 2 , Los Angeles Times

International Climate Talks Hit a Snag in Germany

Representatives met in Bonn from June 3-14 to continue United Nations (UN) climate negotiations. Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, stressed the importance of the meeting, stating, "The negotiations are now in a crucial conceptual phase of the 2015 agreement, and need inputs from all relevant stakeholders. With growing numbers of countries enacting climate legislation, with investment in renewables growing and private sector attention to climate risk increasing, the negotiations can capture the energy and dynamism of all stakeholders.” Negotiations in one of three working groups, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), did not progress, as Russia, Belarus and Ukraine blocked the agenda on the first day. The three countries were upset about an agreement from the previous negotiations in Doha, which restricts the ability of the countries to sell carbon credits agreed to under previous obligations. After a week of stalled negotiations, the SBI adjourned and decided to continue formal talks at the 19th Conference of the Parties in Warsaw in November. Quamrul Chowdury, lead negotiator for the Least Developed Countries, expressed frustration with the process. “Practically speaking we have lost six months. [. . .] There is a danger some items will have to be forwarded to next year,” he said.

For additional information see: Bloomberg Businessweek , Reuters , UN News Centre

Mexico Releases National Climate Plan

On June 3, Mexico released a National Climate Change Strategy detailing how it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by 2050, as required under the 2012 National Climate Change Legislation. The cross-sector plan contains eight sections, including adapting cities and industries for climate change and extreme weather events, and reducing emissions from transportation, energy production, agriculture, and forestry. The plan will also gradually ensure the cost of fossil fuels and water includes their external environmental values, although the government will likely subsidize those extra costs for vulnerable populations. The government intends for the plan to strengthen Mexico’s clean energy economy, which currently accounts for 0.6 percent of the gross domestic product.

For additional information see: Sustainable Business , OOSKAnews

7.7 Percent of CO2 Emissions Are Covered under Carbon Pricing Systems

A recent report released by the World Bank, Mapping Carbon Pricing Initiatives, concludes that 7.7 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are covered by carbon pricing systems. The report finds that more than 40 national governments and 20 sub-national governments – including the European Union, Australia, South Korea, California and Quebec – have a carbon tax or cap and trade program, or are planning one. The report also finds that developing countries such as China and Brazil are looking into carbon-pricing schemes, which would greatly increase the CO2 covered. Lead author Dr. Niklas Höhne, director of energy and climate policy at Ecofys, explained, “If China, Brazil, Chile, and the other emerging economies eyeing these mechanisms are included, carbon pricing initiatives could reach countries emitting 24 [gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent] per year, or cover almost half of total greenhouse gas emissions.”

For additional information see: Washington Post , Report

Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions Driving Low-Carbon Projects in Developing Countries

As of early June, 35 developing countries had submitted 66 Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) to the United Nations, according to a recent study commissioned by the German government. This is nearly double the number that had been submitted by November 2012. The NAMAs, which are designed to increase sustainable development in developing countries, are attracting significant financial and technical support from developed nations. At the 2012 Doha climate conference, Germany and the United Kingdom pledged 70 million Euros to help developing nations create NAMAs. According to the study, “NAMAs are becoming an increasingly attractive vehicle for developing countries looking to attract climate finance for low-carbon development activities.”

For additional information see: Reuters , Study

Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions Rise 1.4 Percent in 2012

The International Energy Agency (IEA) released a study June 10 reporting that the global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rose to a record high of 31.6 billion tonnes in 2012, an increase of 1.4 percent from the prior year. The study concludes that if emissions continue to increase at this rate, global temperatures could increase up to five degrees Celsius (nine degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100, greatly exceeding what is considered to be a safe limit to avoid the worst climate impacts. IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven, said, “Climate change has quite frankly slipped to the back burner of policy priorities. But the problem is not going away – quite the opposite.” In order to limit global temperature increase to two degrees Celsius, the IEA proposed a number of policies titled “4-for-2 Degrees Celsius Scenario," as worldwide implementation of the suggestions by 2020 could cut the expected global temperature rises in half. The policies include: energy efficiency measures in buildings, limiting the construction and use of coal-fired power plants, cutting methane emissions in half and reducing fossil fuel subsidies. All of the suggestions deploy commercially-available technology.

For additional information see: Washington Post , Los Angeles Times , Study

Utilities and Federal Government among Top 100 U.S. GHG Emitters in 2011

The Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst published an index of the top 100 emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG) based on 2011 data submitted to the Environment Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The list identifies utilities American Electric Power, Duke Energy and Southern Company as the top three emitters. The U.S. Federal Government is fourth, with over 77 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emitted, accounting for approximately 1.16 percent of total U.S. GHGs. The majority of the top 10 polluters are utilities or independent power producers that own large coal-fired assets.

For additional information see: Forbes , PERI Report

Climate Change Increases River Flood Risk in Asia, East Africa, Andes

A study published June 9 in Nature Climate Change found that climate change will increase the risk and frequency of river flooding in India, China, East Africa and the northern Andes. The climate impact on 29 river basins was based on estimates from 11 climate models, which predicted that a two degree Celsius rise in global temperature will mean 27 million people exposed to more floods, and a four degree Celsius rise will mean 62 million affected. The study also concluded 100-year floods will occur about every 10 to 50 years in the 21st century. Lead author Yukiko Hirabayashi, assistant professor of engineering at the University of Tokyo, stated, “Floods are among the most major climate-related disasters. In the past decade, reported annual losses from floods have reached tens of billions of U.S. dollars and thousands of people were killed each year.”

For additional information see: Agence France-Presse , NBC , Report

Stalagmites Reveal Information about Rainfall Patterns 100,000 Years Ago

Georgia Institute of Technology doctoral student Stacy Carolin analyzed stalagmites in northern Borneo to understand the effects of climate change on rainfall patterns in the tropics. The study, published June 6 in Science, assessed two sets of glacial-age climate shifts, called Heinrich events and Dansgaard-Oeschger events. The stalagmites revealed that the Dansgaard-Oeschger events did not cause a shift in rainfall patterns, while the Heinrich events did have an effect. The study has implications for understanding future tropical rainfall patterns and for how scientists can use stalagmites to understand the effects of climate change. Carolin said, “Stalagmites are a very interesting proxy because they can be very well dated and they can also be measured at high resolution to give us oxygen measurements that we can relate to rainfall.” According to co-author Dr. Kim Cobb, associate professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, climate scientists still lack a good understanding of how climate change will alter precipitation patterns. “That's something that lies at the core of food production, resource management -- kind of the core survival aspects of our society and infrastructure that we have built,” Cobb said.

For additional information see: Climate Desk , E&E Publishing , Study

Carbon Emissions Moving to Poor Areas of China

A report published June 10 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences determines that China is outsourcing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from developed coastal regions to poorer areas within its own border. The report finds that areas such as Inner Mongolia produce 80 percent of the CO2 emissions in making goods used in wealthier areas such as Beijing and Shanghai. Co-author Dr. Klaus Hubacek, professor of ecological economics at University of Maryland, said, “China is treating its own hinterland just the way the whole world treats China, which is outsourcing its dirty pollution to the poorer regions. Money chases the cheapest ways of producing goods around the world.” The study finds that labor cost is the most common motivator for outsourcing emissions. Poorer regions also create more pollution per unit of output than the richer regions because of lower efficiency and older technology. The authors of the paper predict that this trend could lead to further outsourcing to India or African nations, increasing global CO2 intensity.

For additional information see: BBC , Washington Post , Study