Climate Change News - June 7, 2010

Obama Vows to Fight for Passage of Climate Bill in Senate

On June 2, President Obama reaffirmed his promise to support moving climate change legislation in the Senate this year. “I will make the case for a clean-energy future wherever I can, and I will work with anyone from either party to get this done,” he said in a speech given at Carnegie Mellon University. “But we will get this done. The next generation will not be held hostage to energy sources from the last century.” Obama’s remarks were made in light of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as he stressed the need for a clean-energy future. In addition to a focus on passing climate legislation, President Obama also emphasized “continuing our unprecedented effort to make everything from our homes and businesses to our cars and trucks more energy efficient. It means tapping into our natural gas reserves, and moving ahead with our plan to expand our nation’s fleet of nuclear power plants. And it means rolling back billions of dollars in tax breaks to oil companies so we can prioritize investments in clean energy research and development,” he said.

For additional information see: Washington Post , Los Angeles Times , New York Times , Boston Globe

United States Submits Fifth Climate Action Report to UN

On June 1, the U.S. Department of State released its fifth Climate Action Report, an update from the Bush administration’s 2006 submission to the United Nations. The report detailed U.S. actions to address climate change, describing specific measures, actions, policy initiatives, and “efforts to increase scientific understanding of climate change.” It projected a four percent increase in greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions by 2020. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are expected to increase by 1.5 percent and will still comprise four-fifths of total GHGs emitted by the United States. However, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), which are used as replacements for banned ozone-depleting chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons, are expected to grow to a third of all GHGs from the two percent they contribute today. According to the report, “A large portion of emissions growth is driven by HFCs, which are projected to more than double between 2005 and 2020, as they are more extensively used as a substitute for ozone-depleting substances.” The report emphasizes the progress being made at the local and state levels which are “implementing clean energy incentives and clean energy targets – from voluntary emission goals and green building standards to mandatory cap-and-trade laws.”

For additional information see: U.S. State Department Press Release , AP , U.S. Climate Action Report

Arctic Sea Ice at Lowest Point in Recent Geologic History

On June 3, Ohio State University issued a press release announcing the results of a study led by its researchers, which concluded levels of Arctic sea ice are at their lowest point in recent geologic history. The study, which will be published in an upcoming edition of the Quaternary Science Reviews, combined approximately 300 studies in order to get a long-term perspective of the Arctic’s climate history. According to Leonid Polyak, lead author of the study and researcher at Ohio State University, “Sediment cores are essentially a record of sediments that settled at the sea floor, layer by layer, and they record the conditions of the ocean system during the time they settled. When we look carefully at various chemical and biological components of the sediment, and how the sediment is distributed – then, with certain skills and luck, we can reconstruct the conditions at the time the sediment was deposited.” In this way, the researchers were able to determine that “the ice loss that started in the early 20th Century and sped up during the last 30 years – appears to be unmatched over at least the last few thousand years,” said Polyak. Future studies will attempt to extend knowledge of Arctic climate history as far back as a million years.

For additional information see: Science Daily , Study Abstract

UN Climate Talks Open in Bonn

On May 31, UN climate talks resumed in Bonn, Germany, bringing together 185 countries for the biggest conference since the December talks held in Copenhagen. That meeting ended in the Copenhagen Accord, an agreement brokered by the United States, China, Brazil and South Africa, that the larger delegation “took note of,” but did not adopt. The Copenhagen meeting "postponed an outcome for at least a year, but they can't postpone the impacts of climate change," said Yvo de Boer, the current Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), who is leaving his post July 1. The aim of this set of talks is to set the agenda and work on treaty drafts for the 16th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties in Cancun this December. One way to move forward, de Boer said, was for industrialized nations to start spending the $30 billion they had pledged from 2010-2012 under the Copenhagen Accord to help the most vulnerable nations facing the impacts of climate change. “Governments have repeatedly said they want progress, and now they have to show it," said de Boer. He will be succeeded by Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica.

For additional information see: UPI , Irish Times , Reuters

NYC Releases Plans For Climate Change Adaptation

On May 27, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg released a report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change that detailed the proactive planning and adaptation which will be necessary in responding to climate change over the coming years. The report acknowledged the uncertainty over exactly what kinds of changes will occur, but emphasized the city’s need to adapt without delay and proposed the creation of “Flexible Adaptation Pathways,” which are strategies designed to evolve with time and with the challenges posed by climate change. “Cities are at the forefront of the battle against climate change,” Bloomberg said. “We are the source of approximately 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. And as the climate changes, densely populated urban areas – particularly coastal cities – will disproportionately feel the impacts . . . . Those of us in local government recognize the importance of national and international leadership on climate change. But we are not waiting for others to act first.”

For additional information see: Sustainable Business , NYC Mayor Press Release , NYC Panel on Climate Change Report

Sen. Lugar to Propose Alternative Climate Bill

On June 2, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) announced in a press release that he would be proposing a climate and energy bill the following week. The legislation would achieve about half the cut in carbon emissions proposed by President Obama (17 percent cut from 2005 levels). "Lugar's bill is a main alternative to the divisive cap-and-trade approach," said a press release announcing the legislation. Instead, the proposed bill would cut emissions through stronger efficiency standards for vehicles, new homes and commercial buildings, increased use of renewable fuels and expanded nuclear power generation. Coal-fired power plants would not be required to invest in scrubbers over the next few years and in return would voluntarily retire the plants in 2020. “We should develop a consensus with fiscal prudence in mind,” Lugar said on March 9, when he first announced he would be working on alternative climate legislation. “Currently, rhetoric and legislation are focused primarily at climate change while most Americans are more interested in oil reductions and economic impacts. We should concentrate this year on those policies that will save energy and money. Such a bill can bring large and measurable carbon reductions by reducing energy usage and foreign oil dependency,” he said.

For additional information see: Reuters , Sen. Lugar's March 9 Press Release

UN Panel Urges Vegetarian Diet to Address Climate Change

On June 2, the United Nations International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management released a report suggesting a shift from animal protein-based diets to vegetable-based diets may be a key part of mitigating climate change. The report identified agriculture and food consumption “as one of the most important drivers of environmental pressures, especially habitat change, climate change, water use and toxic emissions.” Agricultural production makes up 19 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, 38 percent of land use and 70 percent of global freshwater use. As population growth continues and standards of living improve, consumption will increase dramatically, the report noted. As a result, even as governments turn to renewable energy and more sustainable practices, food production and its negative impacts will continue to grow. “A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change,” the report concluded.

For additional information see: Telegraph , Reuters , UN Press Release , UNEP Report

Court Cannot Hear Hurricane Katrina Lawsuit Linking to Climate Change

On May 28, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it could not hear a lawsuit accusing approximately 30 energy companies of exacerbating the effects of Hurricane Katrina as a byproduct of emitting greenhouse gases. The appeals court had chosen to rehear the case earlier this year, but eight out of 16 judges have recused themselves from the en banc hearing. As a result, the rehearing was canceled and a ruling by a three-judge panel in October stating the case could move forward was overturned. The three judges of the panel filed dissents regarding the ruling, but the ruling will not be appealed in the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Further appeals must now be taken to the Supreme Court. This decision was viewed by many as a victory for the energy companies, who have denied any link between their activities and the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.

For additional information see: The Times-Picayune

Low-lying Pacific Islands Growing Not Sinking

On June 2, a study published in New Scientist suggested that low-lying Pacific islands are not sinking. Instead, as waves and hurricanes hit the islands, sediment is being deposited on top of and around the islands, allowing them to grow and rise vertically with the sea, as it rises due to climate change. “It has been thought that as the sea level goes up, islands will sit there and drown. But they won’t,” said Paul Kench, author of the study and associate professor at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. “The sea level will go up and the island will start responding.” However, as the islands grow, they will not only lose landmass, but they could also lose the fresh groundwater that would allow people to live and grow crops on these islands. As a result, human communities may still have to move and this is difficult to do in highly urbanized areas, the report noted. Sea levels may also rise faster than the islands can adapt, meaning that the oceans may still swallow these low-lying islands. Another threat not addressed by sediment deposition is ocean acidification, which will continue as the ocean absorbs more carbon dioxide. While the coral around the islands may withstand ocean warming and rising sea levels, ocean acidification “will probably be the death knell of the coral reefs,” says John Hunter, a researcher at the University of Tasmania.

For additional information see: New Scientist , Telegraph , AP , AFP , BBC

Night-time Temperatures Could Rise Above 25°C Because of Climate Change

On June 1, the Met Office released a study predicting an increase in the number of nights in which the temperature remains above 68°F over the next 30 years. The study found that the Met Office might need to issue heatwave warnings for urban areas in the United Kingdom four times more frequently by 2040. This increase in night-time temperature is attributed to the “urban heat island effect” which causes cities to be up to 18°F warmer than rural areas. A combination of global warming, the increased size and density of cities, and released heat from buildings, sidewalks and roads, could cause increased mortality among the elderly, young children and those afflicted with respiratory diseases because the constant heat prevents people from recovering from heat stress at night. “Even in wealthy countries with very high air conditioning use, such as the [United States], heat is still one of the greatest weather-related causes of mortality,” said Mark McCarthy, an author of the study. The report emphasized the need for cities to adapt to the increased number of hot days and nights. Changes such as painting buildings white and increasing the amount of shade in the streets may be necessary, the report noted, but citizens will also have to modify their behavior by closing curtains, keeping cool, avoiding going outside during the hottest times of the day and visiting elderly neighbors to check in on them.

For additional information see: Times Online , Telegraph

Reforestation May Lower the Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Forests

A study published May 27 in PLoS ONE (a journal published by the Public Library of Science) indicated that reforestation and afforestation may lower the potential mitigation effects of climate change compared to natural forests. “Forest plantations (plantations) have been advocated as a measure to sequestrate carbon (C) from the atmosphere and to mitigate future climate change,” the study noted. In contrast, the findings of the study indicated that plantations “failed to function as a C sink as originally intended, in comparison with natural forests.” The ability of the plantations to function has a C sink has been exaggerated and the plant biomass and soil organic C stock in plantations are lower than in natural forests, the study concluded. This could be attributed both to the fact that these forest plantations are harvested for their timber and that sites are not prepared or managed with an eye to ecosystem health and biodiversity. The study stated that “we are now facing a great challenge of developing a management policy for plantation practice that minimizes their negative impacts on ecosystems but maximizes their traditional values.”

For additional information see: Science Daily , Study Abstract

Warming Threatens Northern California’s Coasts

On June 3, a scientific advisory panel released a report on the impacts of climate change on Northern California’s coasts. The reports warned that the state’s coastal regions will be severely threatened as the ocean warms and sea level rises. The sea level at the mouth of San Francisco Bay has already risen nearly 8 inches in the past century, the report noted, and most recent estimates indicate a sea level rise off California’s coast of 29 inches in the next 40 years and 75 inches by the end of the century. "The effects of this rise will play out everywhere," said John Largier, a UC Davis oceanographer and chairman of the scientific advisory council that prepared the report for the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries. Marine mammals will migrate northward, the scientists warned, an event already observed among phytoplankton, fish species, and gray whales. In addition, more intense storms will hit the state, increasing runoff from rivers and causing erosion among the cliffs and sand dunes. The overall impacts among the coastal species are unknown, Largier said. "There is more and more evidence of rapid adaption by marine life to changes in the climate so far," he said, "but as changes grow greater, adaptation will end, and how much we will lose along the way we can't predict precisely."

For additional information see: San Francisco Chronicle , Marin Independent Journal

Royal Society to Review Climate Message after Complaints of Exaggeration

On May 28, the Royal Society, the national academy of science of the UK and the Commonwealth, announced its intention to publish a new guide to the science of climate change later this summer. “Climate change is a hugely important issue but the public debate has all too often been clouded by exaggeration and misleading information,” said Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society. “We aim to provide the public with a clear indication of what is known about the climate system, what we think we know about it and, just as importantly, the aspects we still do not understand very well.” This decision to review the Royal Society’s climate message was under consideration for some time, but was given extra momentum by a petition signed by 43 of the Society’s members. Sir Alan Rudge, the Society Fellow who gathered the signatures for the petition, said that the Royal Society had taken an “unnecessarily alarmist position” on climate change, and that “the Royal Society should be more neutral and welcome credible contributions from both skeptics and alarmists alike. There is a lot of science to be done before we can be certain about climate change and before we impose upon ourselves the huge economic burden of cutting emissions.” However, a delicate balance must be struck between scientific neutrality and confusing the public, warned Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the Grantham Institute of Climate Change. “This could end in public confusion if people think as a result of this the Royal Society is somehow wrong or reassessing the evidence because there is no justification for that,” he said.

For additional information see: Telegraph , Times Online , BBC , Royal Society Press Release

June 10: Have Americans' Views on Global Warming Changed? A New Look at Public Opinion

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on Americans’ views regarding energy and climate change. Using new survey data collected in June 2010, this briefing will highlight the results from Dr. Jon Krosnick’s research at Stanford University, in which he tests a range of hypotheses about what the public believes and wants, and why some of those views have changed recently. This briefing will take place on Thursday, June 10, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in SVC 209/208 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, contact EESI at climate [at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1892.

June 16: Biogas -- Too Valuable to Waste

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on renewable biogas from urban and agricultural waste streams and ways to capture and use it to help address our nation’s climate, energy, and resource management challenges. This briefing will take place on Wednesday, June 16, from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. in SVC 203/202 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 Ned Stowe at bioenergy[at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1885.