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May 18, 2015
This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) satellite images, published May 11 on climate.gov, display the difference in snowpack in the Sierra Nevadas of California between May 2015 and May 2003. Snowpack in California is measured this month as three percent of its normal amount. Most of California continues to linger in "exceptional" or "extreme" drought conditions. Image courtesy of climate.gov.
On May 13, Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced a bipartisan bill with 25 Republican co-sponsors and one Democratic co-sponsor that would roll back the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) two draft regulations on greenhouse gases, one on new power plants and one on existing power plants. Sen. Capito’s bill, the Affordable Reliable Energy Now Act of 2015, or ARENA Act, sets new and stringent standards for the technologies EPA can rely upon as emissions reductions tools, limiting the agency’s ability to require cuts. The bill would also bar the EPA from writing new regulations that are “significantly similar” to the two draft rules the bill is blocking, unless the EPA follows these strict guidelines; allows governors to opt out if they so choose; extends dates for compliance; and prevents the EPA from regulating any source already regulated for mercury and air toxics emissions. “The Affordable Reliable Energy Now Act enables us to fight back against the assault on coal,” said Sen. Capito. Currently the White House Office of Management and Budget is reviewing the EPA’s regulation for new power plants, with both rules expected to become final this summer.
For more information see:
The Herald-Dispatch, The Hill, Senate Bill, Press Release
On May 8, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted the final version of a draft regulation to limit carbon emissions from new power plants to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The proposed rule sets strict limits of 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour produced for coal plants, and 1,000 pounds or 1,100 pounds per megawatt-hour for natural gas plants, contingent on facility size. “Together these actions will provide important public health benefits and address climate change, while ensuring reliable, affordable and clean power for American businesses and families,” EPA spokeswoman Liz Purchia said in a statement. OMB’s review is the last step before the rule is finalized and implemented, which is expected to happen mid-summer.
The Hill
On May 15, Canada announced it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, as part of its overall plan to prepare for climate negotiations taking place in Paris this December. Canada’s plan, referred to as an Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) in United Nations parlance, involves cutting emissions by introducing regulations in three sectors: methane emissions from oil and gas extraction; emissions from natural gas power plants; and emissions from chemical and nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing. But notably, the plan does not seek to regulate the country’s oil sands sector. “It’s a weak proposal and it stands in substantial contrast to proposals from other developed countries,” said David Waskow at the World Resources Institute. Canadian Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced the plan in Winnipeg, stating that the target is “fair and ambitious,” and added that Canada will be depending upon strong actions taken by Ontario.
In related news on May 14, the province of Ontario announced a new greenhouse gas emissions reductions target, committing to cut pollution 37 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. This is a new mid-term target, in addition to a short-term goal of 15 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and a long-term goal of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
The Guardian, CBC, Mining, CBC, Government of Canada
On May 15, India and China, two of the world’s largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, released a joint statement urging developed countries to increase their 2020 emissions reductions targets and follow through on their commitment to provide $100 billion in annual support to developing countries. The two countries released this joint statement while Prime Minister Modi was visiting in China. The statement affirms that India and China will “further promote bilateral partnership on climate change,” but calls on wealthier countries to take leadership in “reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing finance, technology and capacity building support to developing countries.” India and China both added that they would be submitting their plans (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, or INDCs) for greenhouse gas emissions reductions well before negotiations for an international deal on climate change open this December in Paris.
The Guardian, Joint Statement
On May 14, official data from China analyzed by Greenpeace/Energydesk China revealed that in the first four months of 2015, China cut coal consumption by 7.7 percent, with an associated drop of 5.2 percent in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, as compared to the first four months of 2014. The drop in coal consumption is due to a 6.1 percent decrease in coal production and a 37.7 percent decrease in coal imports. According to Greenpeace/Energydesk China, if this downward trend continues, China will have achieved the greatest decrease in coal and CO2 ever done by a single country. The drop in coal use and emissions are associated with the slowdown in China’s economy, and the rising availability of electricity to meet energy needs in households and small industry.
Quartz, Greenpeace/Energydesk, Analysis
On May 12, during a mass to open the general assembly of the Catholic charitable organization Caritas, Pope Francis said the “powerful of the Earth” will answer to God if they do not protect the environment to make sure the world’s population has enough food. At a press conference associated with the general assembly, Pope Francis’ closest advisor, Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga, criticized climate-change skeptics, attributing capitalist motivations from “movements in the United States” for opposition to the upcoming encyclical on environmental issues expected early this summer. “The ideology surrounding environmental issues is too tied to a capitalism that doesn’t want to stop ruining the environment because they don’t want to give up their profits,” said Maradiaga.
The Guardian, Crux, Politico
On May 11, a study conducted by an international team of scientists and released in the journal Nature Climate Change found that global seawater levels rose at a faster rate than previously thought over the last two decades. By correcting for “drifts” in instruments collecting satellite and tidal gauge data, the new findings flip previous findings that sea-level rise had slowed in recent years, showing instead they have accelerated. The new study found that sea levels have risen 2.6 to 2.9 millimeters each year from 1993 to mid-2014. Christopher Watson, lead author of the study and geophysicist at University of Tasmania, said, “Accelerating sea level is a massive issue for the coastal zone — the once-in-a-lifetime inundation events will become far more frequent, and adaptation will need to occur,” adding, “Agencies need to fully consider the impact of accelerating sea level and plan accordingly.”
USA Today, The Washington Post, CBC News, Study
On May 11, a group of 188 Iowan scientists and academics released a statement urging Iowans to bring up climate change in discussions with presidential candidates stumping in Iowa. “Iowa Climate Statement 2015: Time for Action” is the fifth annual statement released by scientists and researchers at 39 Iowan universities and colleges, warning of the harmful effects of climate change on the environment and public health. “As presidential candidates come to our state to ask Iowans for their votes, Iowans should ask these candidates how they will address the negative impacts that Iowa farmers and communities have and will continue to experience,” said David Courard‐Hauri, an associate professor who directs the Environmental Science and Policy Program at Drake University.
The Des Moines Register, WHO TV, The Gazette
On May 11, a study released in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that warmer temperatures associated with climate change could lead to a drop in wheat yield in the United States, and potentially elsewhere. “The net effect of warming on yields is negative,” said co-author Jesse Tack of the agricultural economics department of Mississippi State University, “even after accounting for the benefits of reduced exposure to freezing temperatures.” The study analyzed data from about 30 years of field trial outcomes in Kansas, a major wheat producing state. Findings show wheat yields will experience around a 15 percent decline if the Earth warms by 2 degrees Celsius. This decline jumps to 40 percent under a 4 degrees Celsius of warming scenario. The results also indicate that irrigation can mitigate the declining yields, a finding the scientists say has policy implications given the increasing scarcity of water resources.
The Washington Post, Study
On May 13, a new study was published in The Cryosphere resolving a decade-long debate over the causes behind the thinning of one of the largest ice shelves in Antarctica, Larsen C Ice Shelf. Scientists concluded the thinning of Larsen C is caused by both warming air temperatures and warming ocean currents, melting the ice shelf on its top and its bottom. “Air is being lost from the top layer of snow . . . which is becoming more compacted – probably because of increased melting by a warmer atmosphere,” said lead author Dr. Paul Holland from the British Antarctic Survey. “We also know that Larsen C is losing ice, probably from warmer ocean currents or changing ice flow.” The team says Larsen C could collapse this century, with little warming, increasing predicted global sea level rise by an additional 50 cm or more.
The Guardian, Press Release
On May 11, the World Bank released a new report outlining three steps countries can take to zero out net emissions of greenhouse gases and stabilize climate change. The Bank says countries should undertake more long-term planning, keeping end goals in mind; create a broad policy package with a price on carbon, with an aim to change investments and behavior; and work to smooth economic impacts for low-income communities which may arise when transitioning to a low-carbon economy. “As science has indicated, the global economy needs to be overhauled to reach zero net emissions before the end of the century, so we at the World Bank Group are increasing our focus on the policy options governments and businesses have now,” said Rachel Kyte, World Bank vice president and special envoy for climate change.
Reuters, Phys.org, Press Release, Report
On May 14 and May 15, two reports by University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) scientists gave dire warnings for the temperature and water conditions of Los Angeles County in the coming years. By 2050, scientists forecast the number of days when temperatures exceed 95 degrees F will increase by three to four times. The study broke up temperature increases by neighborhood, finding that downtown Los Angeles will see a jump from six days a year above 95 degrees F to 22 days, while San Gabriel Valley will see an increase from 32 days a year above 95 F to 74. The temperature rises will severely tax the region’s water systems. “Climate change is inevitable in this region,” said one of the study’s co-authors, Alex Hall, a professor at UCLA. “We have to adapt to climate change.”
LA Times, Study, Study
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1. Massive Expansion of Solar Power Necessary for Climate Goals, MIT Study Says
2. French President Hollande Says Green Climate Fund Will Help the Caribbean
3. Vox: The Argument That Convinced a Libertarian to Support Climate Policy
4. Rice University Scientist Offers New Way to Model Climate
5. DOE and University of North Dakota Are Researching CCS Together
6. Closed Door Meeting of Catholic Bishops and Senators
7. Two Healthcare Groups Divest from Fossil Fuel Stocks
8. New Documentary Shows Colorado Firefights Strongly Link Wildfires and Climate Change
9. Enviros and Free-Market Supporters Lobby EPA for Carbon Tax
18th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum
Thursday, July 9 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Cannon House Office Building - Caucus Room 345 & Room 334 C Street SE & 1st St, SE
The 18th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum will bring together up to 50 businesses, trade associations, and government agencies to showcase renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. In every state across the country, these technologies are having a significant impact in business development and job creation in the manufacturing, transmission, power, transportation, and building sectors. The House Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucus and the Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucusare honorary co-hosts of the Expo.
The Expo is free, open to the public, and no RSVPs are required.
Have efficiency and renewable energy technologies to showcase? Register to exhibit! Visit sustainableenergy.org for more information.
Authors: Laura Small and Caitlin Madera
Editor: Laura Small
Advancing science-based climate solutions
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