Climate Change News - May 24, 2010

Three National Academies Reports Urge Swift Climate Action

On May 19, the National Academy of Sciences released three reports that argue that there is sufficient evidence for human-caused climate change and push for pricing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. "There are still some uncertainties, and there always will be in understanding a complex system like Earth's climate," the reports concluded. "Nevertheless, there is a strong, credible body of evidence, based on multiple lines of research, documenting that climate is changing and that these changes are in large part caused by human activities." The reports are part of a suite of studies requested by Congress in 2008 as part of the Department of Commerce Appropriations Act to "investigate and study the serious and sweeping issues relating to global climate change and make recommendations regarding what steps must be taken and what strategies must be adopted in response to global climate change.” The reports recommended swift action to reduce emissions by placing a price on carbon. “A carbon-pricing system is the most cost-effective way to reduce emissions,” the reports said. “Either cap-and-trade, a system of taxing emissions, or a combination of the two could provide the needed incentives." However, the studies’ authors did note that they "see no strong reason" to argue cap and trade should be abandoned in favor of a carbon tax, since it is more in line with creating an overall target for emissions.

For additional information see: New York Times , Los Angeles Times , Reuters , America's Climate Choices Reports

UN Selects New Climate Chief

On May 17, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed Christiana Figueres as the UN’s new climate chief. She will replace Yvo de Boer as the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in July, five months before 193 nations convene in Cancun, Mexico, to discuss a new global treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "(Ms.) Figueres is an international leader on strategies to address global climate change and brings to this position a passion for the issue, deep knowledge of the stakeholders, and valuable hands-on experience with the public sector, non-profit sector and private sector," said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky. Figueres has been a member of Costa Rica's negotiating team on climate change since 1995 and is the daughter the nation’s former president.

For additional information see: UN News Centre , BBC , Reuters , AP

NOAA: 2010 Is Warmest Year on Record So Far

On May 17, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released weather data showing January – April to be the warmest on record for that period, using combined global land and ocean surface temperature. Additionally, last month’s average ocean surface temperature was the warmest on record for any April, and the global land surface temperature was the third warmest on record. NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies also reported that 2010, is so far the warmest out of 131 years. NASA recently issued a report that predicted 2010 would likely end up as the warmest year on record, due to the combination of global warming and El Nino. Both NOAA and NASA use data that go back to 1880.

For additional information see: NOAA Press Release , USA Today , Press Trust of India , AFP

Obama Announces Shift to Higher Vehicle Standards

On May 21, President Obama signed an executive memorandum ordering the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation to create new vehicle emissions standards for cars and light trucks made in 2017 and beyond, and in medium and heavy trucks made in 2014 through 2018. This would be the first-ever national policy to increase fuel efficiency and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in medium and heavy trucks. Emissions standards for cars and light duty vehicles through model year 2016 were formalized last month, requiring new vehicles get an average of 35.5 miles per gallon combined city and highway driving. The new order calls on EPA and DOT to strengthen those standards for 2017 and beyond. Additionally, Obama directed the Department of Energy to provide increased support for deployment of advanced vehicles, including electric vehicles, and directed EPA to reduce non-GHG pollutants from motor vehicles. "I believe it's possible in next 20 years for vehicles to use half the fuel and produce half the pollution that they do today," Obama said.

For additional information see: New York Times , Bloomberg , Reuters , White House Press Release

Study: Senate Climate Bill Would Create Decade of Job Growth

On May 20, the Peterson Institute for International Economics released an 18-page study on the economic impact of the American Power Act, a climate bill released by Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) on May 12. The study found that from 2011-2020, the bill would spur $41.1 billion in investments each year in nuclear and renewable energy, as a cap on greenhouse gas emissions would shift the economy away from carbon-heavy energy sources such as coal and oil. Over this same time frame, an average of 203,000 jobs would be created each year as a result of increased investment in these sectors. Longer term, the analysis found that job gains from the first decade of the bill’s implementation "are clawed back" as energy prices rise and "additional power sector investment becomes more inflationary." Overall, the study found that the legislation would “significantly alter the way the United States produces and consumes energy.” Following the release of the report, Kerry commented, "What greater incentive for action is needed than creating jobs and reducing our foreign oil dependency."

For additional information see: New York Times , Reuters , Bloomberg , Peterson Institute Press Release

Over 6,000 U.S. Companies Back Climate Legislation

On May 19, American Businesses for Clean Energy (ABCE) released its analysis which found that over 6,000 large and small U.S. businesses have called on Congress to enact clean energy and climate legislation. The group compiled data to calculate the number of companies that are a part of one or multiple joint initiatives (such as ABCE, the We Can Lead campaign, U.S. Climate Action Partnership, etc.) and found that the businesses collectively represent 3.5 million U.S. employees, and $3.5 trillion in combined revenue in 2009. Christopher Van Atten, a spokesperson for ABCE said: “This unprecedented outpouring of business support for real leadership from the White House and U.S. Senate on clean energy and climate should be a wake-up call for elected officials in Washington. Thousands of American businesses are saying that they want action on climate and clean energy . . . and they want that action now.”

For additional information see: ABCE Press Release

Montgomery County Passes Nation’s First Carbon Tax

On May 19, Maryland’s Montgomery County Council voted to pass the nation’s first carbon tax and an increase in the county’s tax for homeowners and businesses on their energy consumption. The council voted in support of a measure that would charge $5 per ton for any entity that emits more than 1 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per calendar year. Within the county, this tax would apply to only one facility, Mirant Corp., which owns the Dickerson Generating Plant, estimated to generate about 3 million tons of CO2 per year. “We have taken an action that says those who pollute our environment should pick up after themselves,” said Roger Berliner, the council member who introduced the bill, after the bill passed by an 8-1 vote. County officials said Mirant had notified them that if such a bill passed, the power plant company intended to file a lawsuit against the county, a move that could delay its implementation. The council also voted to enact an 85 percent increase in the county’s tax on energy use, which would sunset after two years. The tax, split between residents and businesses, currently raises about $132 million for the county.

For additional information see: Washington Business Journal

UN Launches Investigation into IPCC Panel

On May 14, a 12-member panel charged with investigating the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) met in Amsterdam for its first hearing. Rajendra Pachauri, the IPCC chairman, addressed the InterAcademy Council, an organization of the world’s science academies, regarding mistakes that were found in the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment report in 2007. He said that mistakes in its 2007 report should not eclipse its progress and detract from a valid body of work on the risks of global warming. "Our procedures are robust but we need to ensure that they are adhered to scrupulously," Pachauri said, telling the panel he would be "grateful for any suggestions to try to make this as foolproof as humanely possible." Pachauri also defended the use of so-called “gray” literature which is not published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Academic work being done by bodies including the International Energy Agency, the World Bank, national governments and charities "cannot be ignored,” he said, but had to be closely examined to make sure it was robust.

For additional information see: Reuters , AFP , Guardian , AP

Warming, Acidic Oceans Create 'Double Trouble' for Marine Life

On May 20, the European Science Foundation issued a report describing the double threat from climate change in the world’s oceans due to rising ocean temperatures and acidification. The oceans have become 30 percent more acidic in the past 200 years, as they absorbed about 430 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), or approximately one-third of human CO2 emissions, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The CO2 produces carbonic acid in the ocean, which makes it more difficult for calcifying organisms such as corals and shellfish, to produce skeletons. "Ocean acidification is already occurring and will get worse. And it's happening on top of global warming, so we are in double trouble,” said Jelle Bijma, the lead author of the report and a biogeochemist at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany. “The combination of the two may be the most critical environmental and economic challenge of the century.” The report urged European governments to do more to understand acidification through research. “Existing research has mainly been initiated by individual researchers or teams, with limited overall coordination," the statement said.

For additional information see: Reuters , ANI

Study Finds Sharp Rise in Ocean Temperatures Over 16 Years

A study in the May 19 issue of Nature found that temperatures in the upper 700 meters of the world’s oceans rose significantly between the years 1993-2008. The study was conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research. An international team of scientists gathered measurements from an array of autonomous free-floating ocean floats that were dropped from ships to obtain temperature data. The study found that over the course of 16 years, oceans absorbed about 0.6 watts per square meter of energy, which is roughly equivalent to the power of 2 billion copies of the atomic bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima during World War II, said lead author John Lyman, an oceanographer at the University of Hawaii.

“The ocean is the biggest reservoir for heat in the climate system,” said Josh Willis, an oceanographer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and one of the scientists who contributed to the study. “So as the planet warms, we’re finding that 80 to 90 percent of the increased heat ends up in the ocean.”

For additional information see: New York Times , Independent , NOAA Press Release

Arctic Team Reports Unusual Conditions near Pole

A team of scientists that traveled across the North Pole to study carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the Arctic reported thinner ice and further ice drift than was anticipated. One possible reason for the rapid drift was a lack of ice, suggested Ann Daniels, as scientists are reporting that the Arctic region is heating up three times more quickly than the rest of the Earth as a result of climate change. She also said the ice drifted so much that the three-member team eventually covered 500 nautical miles (576 miles) rather than the 268 nautical miles initially planned. "None of us had ever experienced that amount of southerly drift on our previous expeditions, and it continued for such a long period of time,” Daniels said. "At the end of the expedition we were losing three nautical miles a night . . . it was quite a major factor.” Martin Hartley, a member of the team, said the condition of the ice was unpleasantly bad. "We spent a couple of days walking on ice that was three or four inches thick with no other thicker ice around, which was a big surprise to us," he said.

For additional information see: Reuters , Vancouver Sun

Study Finds Higher CO2 Levels Do Not Help Plant Growth

In the May 14 issue of Science, scientists reported that increased carbon dioxide (CO2) levels ultimately hinder plant growth as it inhibits plants’ ability to assimilate nitrates from the soil, which are needed to make enzymes and other essential proteins. Scientists had earlier proposed that increased CO2 levels, which accumulate in the atmosphere in part from the burning of fossil fuels, might increase photosynthesis. The study found that an initial increase in the production of sugar soon levels off and plant growth slows.

The scientists who conducted the study said these findings have significant implications for agriculture as CO2 levels rise and temperatures warm. Should food become poorer in quality and nutrition, farmers will have to shift their use of fertilizers. “This indicates that as atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations rise and nitrate assimilation in plant tissues diminishes, crops will become depleted in organic nitrogen compounds, including protein, and food quality will suffer,” said lead author Arnold Bloom from the University of California Davis. “Increasing nitrogen fertilization might compensate for slower nitrate assimilation rates, but this might not be economically or environmentally feasible.”

For additional information see: Los Angeles Times , UC Davis Press Release , Study Abstract

Lizards Driven to Extinction Due to Global Climate Change

In the May 14 issue of Science, researchers reported that 12 percent of Mexico’s lizard population has been driven to extinction as a result of higher temperatures. Rising temperatures leave lizards unable to spend sufficient time foraging for food, as they have to rest and regulate their body temperature. "These lizards need to bask in the sun to warm up, but if it gets too hot they have to retreat into the shade and then they can't hunt for food," said lead author Barry Sinervo of the University of California Santa Cruz.

Based on these data, researchers used an “extinction model” to predict that 40 percent of all lizard populations globally and 20 percent of all lizard species could become extinct by 2080 if warming continues. As a vital part of the food chain, their reduced populations could impact the viability of others species as well. The researchers "deliver a disturbing message," biologist Raymond B. Huey of the University of Washington and his colleagues wrote in an editorial accompanying the report. "Climate-forced extinctions are not only in the future, but are happening now."

For additional information see: Los Angeles Times , BBC , San Jose Mercury News , Study Abstract

May 24: The Health Costs of Energy

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on the public health implications associated with different energy sources and technologies. This briefing will examine recent research on the nature and magnitude of these health costs, and discuss their implications for federal energy policy. The briefing will take place on Monday, May 24, from 1:00- 2:30 p.m. in 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building. This briefing is free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For more information, contact us at (202) 662-1883 or policy [at] eesi.org.

May 27: 13th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum

Please join the Sustainable Energy Coalition - in cooperation with Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucuses - for the 13th annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum on Thursday, May 27, from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. in Cannon Caucus Room. This year’s EXPO will bring together over 50 businesses, sustainable energy industry trade associations, government agencies, and energy policy research organizations to showcase the status and near-term potential of the cross-section of renewable energy (biofuels/biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) and energy efficiency technologies. An 11:00 a.m. news conference will feature Members of the U.S. Congress while panels of speakers (in 340 Cannon House Office Building) will discuss the role sustainable energy technologies can play in meeting America’s energy needs from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. The EXPO is free, open to the public, and no RSVPs are required. For more information, please contact Ken Bossong at the Sustainable Energy Coalition by phone at 301-270-6477 ext. 11 or email at [email protected].