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June 8, 2015
On June 4, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) published a new study in the journal Science that refutes the idea that global warming has been in a “hiatus” or slowdown over the last 15 years. The study says the perceived hiatus was due to limitations in past datasets. Image courtesy of climate.gov. See the New York Times for more information.
On June 1, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted a revised version of its Clean Power Plan to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), putting it on track to be finalized and released in August. During OMB review, stakeholders can request meetings with both White House and EPA officials in order to give final input on the rule, which mandates a 30 percent decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing power plants by 2030, as compared to the baseline year of 2005. Once finalized, it is expected that the rule will face significant opposition. Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) has already introduced legislation, due to be voted on the week of June 23, which would give states the ability to opt out of compliance and halt the rule until judicial review is finished.
For more information see:
National Journal, The Hill
On June 3 at 2:00 am, the House passed two amendments by voice vote which blocked US government climate initiatives. The first, offered by Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), blocks funding for the US Global Climate Research Program’s National Climate Assessment (NCA), the Intergovernmental Report on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nation’s Agenda 21 sustainable development plan, and the May 2013 Technical Update of the Social Cost of Carbon for Regulatory Impact Analysis under Executive Order 12866. The second, offered by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), blocks funding for either negotiating or entering a trade agreement which would put a limit on greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. The amendments were attached to HR 2578, a $51.4 billion appropriations bill for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies. President Obama has issued a veto threat of the bill.
The Hill, Perry Amendment, Meadows Amendment, HR 2578
On June 2, a team of seven United Kingdom (UK) scientists, businessmen, and economists launched the Global Apollo Programme to coordinate global research, development and demonstration (RD&D) efforts to reduce the cost of renewable energy to below that of coal by 2025. The ten-year initiative aims to raise a minimum of $15 billion annually in RD&D for renewables, storage, and smart grids – only a fraction of the $150 billion, in today’s prices, the U.S. Apollo program spent to reach the moon. To achieve this level of funding, the Global Apollo Programme calls for countries to join a consortium and together commit to spend 0.02 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) annually on clean energy RD&D. Apollo Programme member Sir David King, the current UK envoy on climate change, said the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, China, Korea and Mexico have expressed interest in joining the consortium.
The Guardian, The Independent, Website, Report
On June 2, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Japan would commit to a 26 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, using 2013 as a baseline year. The goal depends on Japan’s continued use of nuclear power, as well as an increase in energy efficiency, solar and wind energy. While Abe stated, “This is an ambitious target which is in no way inferior to other countries internationally,” Tokyo-based group Kiko Network says the goal is the equivalent of a 17 percent reduction from 1990 levels, quite a bit less than the European Union’s goal of a 40 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2030. Japan will accept public comments on the target before submitting its formal strategy on climate change to the United Nations ahead of climate negotiations in December.
Reuters, Yahoo News, Economic Times
On May 31, the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science published its 2015 Global Climate Legislation Study, which examines the policies of 98 countries and the European Union (EU). The study finds that 45 countries, including all 28 EU member states, have reduction targets for economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions. Of these countries, 41 have targets up to 2020, and 22 have targets extending past 2020. In total, these countries account for more than 75 percent of the world’s emissions. Doctoral researcher Michal Nachmany, a lead author of the study, said, “We can be more confident about the credibility of the pledges that countries will make ahead of the crucial United Nations summit in Paris in December this year.” However, some experts do not believe that the national pledges are stringent enough to prevent catastrophic global climate change.
The International Business Times, Press Release, Report
On June 4, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis’s awaited encyclical focusing on climate change will come out on June 18th of this year. The encyclical, a papal declaration laying out the church’s views and considered one of the highest forms of teaching for a Catholic pope, is expected to center on Pope Francis’ belief that climate change should be seen as a moral issue. In a mass last May, Pope Francis said, “We must do what we can so that everyone has something to eat, but we must also remind the powerful of the Earth that God will call them to judgment one day and there it will be revealed if they really tried to provide food for Him in every person and if they did what they could to preserve the environment so that it could produce this food.”
National Catholic Reporter, The Hill
On June 1, United Nations (UN) climate negotiations began in Bonn, Germany, aiming to ready an 89-page draft deal on climate change before highly anticipated negotiations in Paris this December. From June 1-11, representatives are discussing options to cap global warming below an increase of two degrees Celsius. Issues that still need ironing out include financing for developing countries, whether the agreement will be legally binding, how to review country progress and how to differentiate between country responsibilities. “It’s not by waiting to the final minute of COP 21 that we will be able to prepare and obtain the ambitious and balanced agreement that we need,” said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in a speech Monday, at the beginning of the talks.
BBC News, Euro News, Economic Times, UNFCCC
On June 4, the world’s largest furniture retailer pledged 1 billion Euros (1.13 billion U.S. dollars) to combat climate change. IKEA will allocate 600 million Euros to develop their wind and solar capacities, and IKEA Foundation will invest 400 million Euros to aid communities in nations that are especially susceptible to climate change impacts like drought and floods. IKEA chief executive officer Peter Agnefjall said the announcement was primarily motivated by the urgent need to stop climate change, and that improving the company’s image on environment and social responsibility is a “secondary” concern. Agnefjall added the move will not drive up prices, calling it “good for customers, good for the climate and good for IKEA too.” IKEA has already vowed to use 100 percent clean energy by 2020.
Reuters, Time
On May 27th, financial firm Moody’s Investors Service released a report predicting that in 2015, $100 billion will be distributed globally in the form of green bonds, a tool used to finance environmental projects. This amount is more than double 2014’s level of $37 billion in green bonds, which was triple the number of green bonds distributed in 2013. The report finds that the growth is fueled by greater global interest in “sustainable, responsible and impact” (SRI) investing due to the worsening impacts of climate change. In addition, the report states that there is great potential for continued growth in green bonds in India and China, as they pursue sustainable development. Most green bonds are issued by multilateral banks, although municipalities and corporate bodies are increasing their issuance.
E&E News, Report
On May 31st, the executives of six European energy companies, Shell, BP, Statoil, BG Group, Eni and Total, sent a letter to the United Nation’s (U.N.) top climate official Christiana Figueres stating the need for a global carbon pricing system, and asking to participate in talks with governments regarding it. In the letter, the executives state, “As a group of business people, we are united in our concern about the challenge – and the threat – posed by climate change. We urge governments to take decisive action at December’s UN summit. We are also united in believing such action should recognize the vital roles of natural gas and carbon pricing in helping to meet the world’s demand for energy more sustainably.” The letter comes in advance of the U.N. climate negotiations in Paris where nearly 200 countries will convene to try to create a global climate treaty. Notably, American energy companies Exxon Mobil and Chevron both declined to collaborate with European companies in the effort.
Financial Times, The Guardian, Reuters
On June 1, a study examining the impacts of climate change-caused ocean warming on marine biodiversity was published in the scientific journal, Nature Climate Change. By comparing biodiversity patterns from different climate periods throughout the Earth’s history to warming projections for the 21st century, the study found that severe climate change could disrupt marine life more than anything seen in the past three million years. With even moderate climate change, species extinctions and widespread species migration could triple from recent levels. Gregory Beaugrand, ocean researcher at the French National Center for Science Research and lead author of the report, stated, “What we have found is that if we constrain global warming by less than two degrees C, ocean changes will be relatively benign on the global scale, but if we are above this threshold, we will have a huge reorganization of marine biodiversity.”
Washington Post, Climate Central, Yahoo News, Study
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1. Japan Says It Will “Expeditiously” Release Its Plan on Climate Change
2. Shell Tried to Influence Climate Change Exhibit at London Science Museum
3. The Republican Presidential Candidate Who Sees Climate Change As a Problem
4. Rep. Grijalva -- The Climate Change Fight Needs Diversity
5. French Minister Says UN Climate Deal Must Avoid Needing US Congress Approval
6. Presidential Hopeful Rick Santorum Says Pope Francis “Not Credible” On Climate Change
7. 49 States Making Plans to Comply With Clean Power Plan
1. Future Fuels: Can Biofuels Make Gasoline Cleaner, Cheaper?
Friday, June 12, 2015 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM 334 Cannon House Office Building The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Governors' Biofuels Coalition invite you to a briefing examining the current state and potential future of the transportation fuel supply. While combustion engines are more efficient and cleaner than ever, the transportation sector is still responsible for 27 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as half of all toxic emissions in the United States. Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), and Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) are conducting coordinated studies to address the opportunities and challenges to deploying a high octane mid-level ethanol blend to the passenger vehicle fleet. They found such fuels, which blend between 25 to 40 percent ethanol and 60 to 75 percent conventional gasoline (instead of the current 10 to 90 percent ratio), could lead to greater fuel efficiencies and lower overall GHG emissions.
Please RSVP to expedite check-in Live webcast (connection permitting) will be streamed at: www.eesi.org/livecast
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Authors: Billy Lee, Ori Gutin, Caitlin Madera and Sunny Sowards
Editor: Laura Small
Advancing science-based climate solutions
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