Climate Change News - May 20, 2013

Study Finds 97 Percent of Journal Articles over 20 Years Conclude Climate Change is Human-Caused

A study published May 15 in Environmental Research Letters concludes that 97.1 percent of peer-reviewed journal articles find that climate change is human-caused. The study reviewed almost 12,000 studies related to climate change published from 1991-2011. Of the more than 4,000 articles that examined the causes of climate change, only 83 concluded that climate change was not human-induced. These results align closely with a paper published in Science in 2004, which used a different methodology, but also found that 97 percent of peer-reviewed articles concluded that there was an anthropogenic element to climate change. The authors conducted the study to address public misconceptions about climate change. “There is a strong scientific agreement about the cause of climate change, despite public perceptions to the contrary. [. . . ] When people understand that scientists agree on global warming, they're more likely to support policies that take action on it,” explained lead author, Dr. John Cook, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia.

For additional information see: Guardian , Reuters , Study

Ernest Moniz Confirmed as Secretary of Energy

On May 16, the Senate unanimously confirmed Massachusetts Institute of Technology Physics Professor Ernest Moniz as the next Secretary of Energy in a 97 to 0 vote. After the confirmation, President Obama praised Moniz, saying, “He also shares my conviction that the United States must lead the world in developing more sustainable sources of energy that create new jobs and new industries, and in responding to the threat of global climate change.” Moniz replaces outgoing Secretary Steven Chu, who returned to a faculty position at Stanford University.

For additional information see: Reuters

GAO: Local Governments Need More Guidance from Feds to Prepare Infrastructure for Climate Change

In a Congressionally requested study, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that the federal government needs to offer better guidance to help local communities prepare for climate adaptation. The report states, “[A] range of studies and local decision makers GAO interviewed cited the need for the federal government to improve local decision makers’ access to the best available information to use in infrastructure planning.” The report finds that local governments regularly fail to incorporate climate change information into infrastructure planning, often because they lack resources, climate knowledge, or immediate experience with climate disasters. Although the GAO found that there are currently some federal programs in place to begin addressing climate and infrastructure issues, more needs to be done to provide accessible and coordinated information that local governments can put to use. The GAO recommends that the White House designate the Global Change Research Program or another federal office to work with agencies to identify the best available data about local climate impacts for infrastructure planners. In addition, the report requests that the Council on Environmental Quality provide guidance about the inclusion of climate change impacts as part of the analysis required for federal actions under the National Environmental Policy Act.

For additional information see: GAO Report , The Hill

Arctic Council Calls for HFC Phase Down under Montreal Protocol

On May 15, Arctic Council Ministers from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and the United States called for taking action “as soon as possible” to phase down hydrofluorcarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol, as well as taking other actions to reduce black carbon and methane emissions in the Arctic. Noting that such actions “could slow global and Arctic climate change and have positive effects on health,” the ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, echoed the growing international support for fast action to reduce these climate pollutants to slow the accelerating rate of climate change and protect the planet’s most vulnerable regions and peoples. “The Arctic Council’s Kiruna Declaration is a major step forward and just in time,” said Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (IGSD). “Protecting regions like the Arctic and Himalayas that are warming at more than twice the global average requires immediate, targeted action against the climate pollutants causing massive harm right now. Saving these regions and the peoples who live there cannot wait,” Zaelke added. Secretary Kerry reminded the ministers that atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions reached 400 parts per million last week, stating, “So the scientific research in each of our countries is more imperative than ever in order to protect the atmosphere, the global economy, the food chain and the air we breathe. And we need to do more – all of us – urgently.” Reflecting the increased importance of the region, the Arctic Council approved six nations, including China, India, South Korea and Japan, for observer status.

For additional information see: Kiruna Declaration , Politico , Environmental News Service , Press Release

Australia’s Carbon Price Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Increasing Renewable Energy

Since the introduction of Australia’s carbon fee in July 2012 –set initially at a fixed price of $23 per tonne (see July 2, 2012 issue) – carbon emissions from the electricity sector have fallen 7.7 percent. Electricity produced by highly-polluting brown coal power plants has fallen 14 percent and generation from black coal is down 4.7 percent, while on the other hand, renewable electricity generation – including hydropower – has increased 28 percent. “This change in fuel mix means cleaner electricity is being delivered to households and business,” said Greg Combet, Australian Minister for Climate Change. Analysts note that this change in the country’s energy mix is also partly attributable to factors such as flooding at a coal power plant last year and an increase in natural gas generation. Australia still generates most (74.7 percent) of its electricity from coal, although the amount has dropped 4.4 percent since implementation of the carbon price.

For additional information see: The Age

World Bank Returns to Large Hydropower Projects to Reduce Carbon Emissions

The World Bank is seeking to fund large hydropower projects in an effort to reduce carbon emissions from energy infrastructure in developing countries. The Bank’s return to large hydropower projects is an attempt to balance the deep concern about climate change expressed by World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, while also acknowledging the need for developing countries to increase electricity generation to grow their economies. “Large hydro is a very big part of the solution for Africa and South Asia and Southeast Asia. [. . .] I fundamentally believe we have to be involved,” said Rachel Kyte, vice president for sustainable development at the World Bank. Some advocacy groups are concerned, however, that large hydropower projects could displace local populations and further impoverish communities dependent on the water for their livelihoods, while providing benefits mainly to large corporations and industries. Peter Bosshard, policy director of International Rivers, said, “It is the old idea of a silver bullet that can modernize whole economies.” Bosshard suggested focusing on smaller hydro projects that can benefit local communities.

For additional information see: Washington Post

Insurance Industry Sees Economic Risk from Climate Change

As a matter of financial sustainability, the insurance industry incorporates climate change and increasing severe weather events into its risk and planning models. Furthermore, insurance companies are comfortable with the science behind climate change and with acknowledging that climate change is human-caused. Frank Nutter, president of the Reinsurance Association of America explained that, “Insurance is heavily dependent on scientific thought. It is not as amenable to politicized scientific thought.” At an EESI briefing in December 2012, Nutter spoke about the effect of extreme weather events on the insurance and reinsurance industry, noting that 10 of the 12 most costly hurricanes in insurance history (adjusted for inflation) occurred in the past eight years (2004-2012), and that approximately 50 percent of costs from hurricanes are picked up by the reinsurance industry (see briefing summary).

For additional information see: New York Times , NRDC Paper

Sportsmen Organization Engaged on Climate Change

A new non-profit group, Conservation Hawks, seeks to engage hunters, anglers, and outdoorsmen on climate change solutions. Founder Todd Tanner, an avid sportsman, hopes to transcend political polarization around the issue by focusing on the need to conserve nature for future generations. He explains, “If [hunters] listen to people like Sean Hannity or Glenn Beck, they'll get the idea that climate change isn't real, that it's some liberal plot. They're not getting a different perspective.” He continues, “Our point is not necessarily: 'believe us because we're sportsmen.' People should see things with their own eyes.” Tanner notes that it’s relatively easy to brush aside climate change if you’re from a conservative state. Yet, he says, “If large groups of hunters approach their representatives and say, climate change is hurting us, deal with it, we believe it'll be easier to force legislative action.”

For additional information see: Outside

Microsoft Has an Internal Carbon Fee, Purchases GHG Offsets

Microsoft has announced that it is offsetting some of its greenhouse gas emissions with carbon credits generated from a Kenyan forest conservation project. The Kasigau project under the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Destruction (REDD) will protect nearly 500,000 acres of dry forest in the wildlife corridor between Kenya’s Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks. “We've put a price on carbon. We have an internal carbon fee. [. . .] Each of our 14 business divisions across 110 countries is now charged an additional fee that's associated with the carbon emissions from energy consumption and business air travel,” explains TJ DiCaprio, senior director of Environmental Sustainability at Microsoft. "We are taking action in our own way to demonstrate environmental responsibility and ask other organizations do the same thing. It's a very simple repeatable model: putting a price on carbon, collecting the funds, driving accountability out to the different parts of the organization, and then using these funds to support projects like, Kasigau REDD+ Project. The impact on the business has been significant."

For additional information see: Mogabay , Microsoft Presentation

Extreme Weather and Climate Change Displaced More Than 32 Million People Last Year

A report released May 15 by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre finds that more than 32 million people in 82 countries were displaced by climate- and weather-related disasters in 2012, nearly twice as many as in 2011. Hurricane Sandy was the third largest displacement event in 2012 – following typhoons and massive flooding events in China and India – forcing 776,000 people to leave their homes. The report states, “The USA was among the ten countries worldwide with the highest displacement levels in 2012. Months before Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Isaac displaced 60,000 people in August. Widespread forest fires forced over 39,000 people to evacuate their homes.”

For additional information see: The Hill , Report

180 Native Villages at Risk in Alaska Due to Climate-Driven Erosion

Climate change has put 180 native villages – 86 percent of all native Alaskan communities – at risk for flooding and loss of land. Newtok, a community of approximately 350 people on the west coast of Alaska, loses an average of approximately 83 feet of land each year. According to a report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the entire village is likely to be underwater by 2017. Resident Sabrina Warner has watched as the land in her yard erodes more each year.”The summer came, 15 or 20 feet of land went just from melting, and then after we had those storms in September another 20 feet went,” she said. As the land has eroded, the risk of flooding has increased. Warner described an autumn storm, explaining, "I was scared because it looked so close because our window is right there. I was just looking out, and you can see these huge waves come at you.” The village has worked with the state and federal government to find a relocation site on more solid land, approximately nine miles away. It is estimated that the relocation will cost approximately $130 million, and, although the new location was chosen in 2007, to date no buildings have been constructed at the new site.

For additional information see: Guardian

Ancient Arctic Much Warmer than Today

A report published May 9 in the journal Science finds that the Arctic climate was significantly warmer and wetter millions of years ago, providing insight into the possible effect of global warming on the region. Researchers studied a 1,000-foot ice core taken from the Russian Arctic that provides a record of the climate over the past 3.6 million years, revealing that until 1.4 million years ago, the region was 14 degrees warmer than it is currently. However, the carbon dioxide levels during that time period were roughly the same as they are today, at 400 parts per million. “Our data is supporting the notion that carbon dioxide in the Pliocene must have been similar to what it is today,” explains lead author Julie Brigham-Grette, professor of geology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Brigham-Grette continued, “There are sites all over the Arctic that have little pieces of information. [. . .] All these little pieces of information tell us that the Arctic had tremendous forest cover in the past.”

For additional information see: Christian Science Monitor , Study

One-Third of Animals and Half of Plants under Threat from Climate Change

A study published May 12 in Nature Climate Change found that a significant portion of common plants and animals around the world are at risk due to climate change. Researchers looked at the effects of rising warming levels on 50,000 species, and found that approximately 57 percent of plants and 34 percent of animals could lose at least half of their habitable terrain by 2080. The worst effects are likely to be experienced in sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, the Amazon region, and Australia; these areas could lose the majority of their current plant and animal life. Even in less heavily affected regions, there is the possibility for significant loss. Spruce, fir, and aspen forests in Minnesota, for example, could move north into Canada if warming continues on the projected path. However, the researchers conclude that if peak emissions are reduced by 2030, 40 percent of global loss could be prevented.

For additional information see: Los Angeles Times , BBC , Study

Fish Migrating towards Poles for Colder Water

In a study published May 15 in Nature, researchers found that warming ocean temperatures have caused many types of fish to migrate, often moving farther north. The scientists modeled global migration patterns by analyzing catch data since the 1970s for 968 types of fish and invertebrates. They compared the inferred preferred temperature for each species to the location where the species was found, and discovered that as temperatures warmed, fish with higher preferred temperatures have been caught increasingly farther northwards over time. Study coauthor Daniel Pauly, professor of Fisheries at the University of British Columbia, stated, “We’ve been talking about climate change as if it’s something that’s going to happen in the distant future – our study shows that it has been affecting our fisheries and oceans for decades. These global changes have implications for everyone in every part of the planet.”

For additional information see: Washington Post , NPR , Time , Study

Study Finds Methane Emissions to Be Higher than Previously Reported

A study published May 11 in the journal Atmospheric Environment finds that methane emissions in the United States are higher than previously believed. The study was led by Dr. Ira Leifer, researcher at University of California Santa Barbara, who drove 4,500 miles across the continental United States and took 6,600 measurements with a gas chromatograph to determine the source and strength of emissions. Refineries, wildfires, oil and gas production, and a coal loading terminal were found to be major point sources of methane. “Methane is the strongest human greenhouse gas on a political or short timescale, and also has more bang for the buck in terms of addressing climate change,” said Leifer. “This research supports other recent findings suggesting that fugitive emissions from fossil fuel industrial activity actually are the largest methane source. This clearly indicates a need for efforts to focus on reducing these methane emissions.”

For additional information see: ScienceDaily , Study

Health Risks Increase during Hot Weather

A recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine finds that higher temperatures have a significant impact on the elderly. Researchers at Johns Hopkins, Yale, and Harvard Universities studied a nationwide health database of 12.5 million older adults receiving Medicare benefits, and found that higher outdoor temperatures increase the risk of emergency room visits for respiratory problems. While both air pollution and humidity are attributed to breathing problems, researchers ruled them out, pointing to heat as the major reason for an increase in hospitalizations. Populations in cooler regions were hit harder than most, possibly because their bodies are not able to adapt to constant heat, while Southern residents fared better. “We see in these places that are hotter maybe we can adapt some,” said lead author G. Brooke Anderson, biostatics postdoctoral researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “But from a global perspective I think there's pretty good evidence you could expect a health effect from heat waves in the future.”

For additional information see: Baltimore Sun

Wednesday, May 22: How Combined Heat and Power Saves Money, Reduces Emissions and Improves Energy Security

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing invites you to a briefing on how combined heat and power (CHP) technology can provide critical facilities (e.g. hospitals, wastewater treatment), businesses, institutions, and communities with more resilient and reliable heat and power, while at the same time reducing energy costs and harmful emissions over time. This briefing will introduce participants to CHP technology and present a number of recent case studies in which CHP systems helped communities pull through extreme weather events when the grid went down. Speakers include: Anne Hampson, Senior Associate, ICF International; Susan Wickwire, Chief, Energy Supply & Industry Branch, Climate Protection Partnerships Division, EPA; Tom Bourgeois, Deputy Director, Pace Energy and Climate Center, Pace University; Robert Araujo, Manager for Sustainable Development and Environment, Health & Safety, Sikorsky Helicopter; Dale Louda, Executive Director, CHP Association. The briefing will be held Wednesday, May 22nd, from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. in 210 Cannon House Office Building. The event is free and open to the public.

16th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Policy Forum