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May 31, 2016
UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, UNEP’s Tourism and Environment Programme, and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) authored a report, World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate, detailing the risks of climate change to world heritage sites. According to the report, climate change is "fast becoming one of the most significant risks for world heritage sites worldwide." The Australian government pressured report authors not to include the Great Barrier reef as one of the imperiled sites, despite the extensive coral bleaching that has occurred there. Image courtesy of William Warby.
On May 23, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released new data revealing that the United States continues to be the world's largest producer of natural gas and petroleum, despite its greenhouse gas reduction targets and leadership in the Paris Climate Agreement. U.S. natural gas production surpassed other countries' production in 2011, while its petroleum hydrocarbon production took the top spot in 2013. Jonathan Koomey, a research fellow at Stanford University, commented, "The U.S. can lead the world in both climate action and crude oil production, but not for long. To preserve a stable climate we need to phase out fossil fuel consumption as fast as possible, starting as soon as possible."
For more information see:
Climate Central, EIA
On May 23, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the agency to stop assisting states that are attempting to comply with the Clean Power Plan (CPP). Texas and West Virginia lead a coalition of 27 states currently suing EPA over the Clean Power Plan. The letter is in response to a letter last month from 14 other states asking EPA for CPP technical assistance. In February, the Supreme Court placed a stay on the Clean Power Plan. In their letter, Paxton and Morrisey state, “The entire point of the Supreme Court’s extraordinary action in putting a stop to the Power Plan was to preserve the status quo pending the outcome of the litigation. The EPA should respect that action by leaving things the way they are until the courts have had their say.” Oral arguments before the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals are scheduled for September 27.
E&E, AG Letter
On May 25, the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities program announced 37 new members, bringing the global initiative’s membership to 100 cities. The program aims to help cities become more resilient to physical, social, and economic challenges by providing resources to help them plan for natural disasters and lessen the day-to-day stresses on their resources. Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, said “incorporating resilience planning and principles not only prepares cities for disasters and long-term threats, it also improves everyday living standards for all members of an urban community.” The program said that it has received applications from more than 1,000 cities seeking to join the network. Michael Berkowitz, the president of the 100 Resilient Cities program, says, “We’re using our 100 member cities as a first step – but ultimately we need to get all cities to understand that their differences are not that different.”
Guardian, Announcement
On May 25, ExxonMobil shareholders denied 10 proposals that would have helped the company participate in efforts to combat climate change. Investors voted down proposals that would have required ExxonMobil to publicly support the Paris Climate Agreement, produce annual reports on global warming’s impact on its business, and select a climate change expert to sit on its board. ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson informed shareholders that despite $7 billion in investments in clean energy technology by the company, the breakthroughs required to make these technologies cost competitive with fossil fuels have not yet arrived. He explained, “Until we have those, just saying ‘turn the taps off’ is not acceptable to humanity.” Shareholders did approve a resolution that will allow minority shareholders to nominate outside experts for a board seat, creating the possibility for a climate expert to join company management.
The Hill, Guardian, Reuters
On May 24, Total S.A., one of the largest oil companies in the world, announced that it would now make investments based on a 2 degrees Celsius cap on warming, using a carbon pricing mechanism of $30 to $40 per ton. According to Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne, “COP21 was definitely a watershed… There will be a ‘before’ and ‘after’ COP21.” Total’s $130 billion portfolio will shift to include 20 percent renewables such as solar and biofuels by 2035, with 60 percent of holdings shifting to gas. Total will also reduce its footprint in more expensive oil plays, such as the Arctic and oil sands.
Climate Home, Total
On May 24, the non-profit group Ceres released a report, Assets or Liabilities? Fossil Fuel Investments of Leading U.S. Insurers, examining the risks of U.S. insurance companies, which have a combined total of half a trillion dollars invested in fossil fuels. Ceres reports that investing in fossil fuels could become increasingly risky; credit downgrades have hit 70 percent of publicly traded oil and gas companies in the past two years and global efforts to deal with climate change may further deaccelerate investments in fossil energy. The report finds that major insurance companies have between 4 to 10 percent of assets invested in fossil energy. According to Cynthia McHale, Director of Insurance Programs at Ceres, insurers “cannot afford to overlook this [risk].”
InsideClimate News, Ceres
On May 24, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a U.S. service union organization with two million members, adopted a measure to prioritize climate change and environmental justice in both state and federal elections this year. SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry commented on the policy change, “SEIU members live and work in some of the most polluted zip codes in America and are part of communities that are most impacted by climate change. We know first-hand that our fights for economic, racial and immigrant justice are inextricably linked to the fight for environmental justice.” The news comes on the heels of a dispute between labor unions and the AFL-CIO, with some member organizations calling for the AFL-CIO to cut ties with Tom Steyer, who has invested millions in making climate change a priority in the 2016 elections.
The Guardian
On May 23, a study published in Nature Geoscience found that the slowdown of the Atlantic Ocean current over the past decade was not primarily due to climate change. The slower current led to warmer ocean surface temperatures and sea level rise along the North American Atlantic coast. According to the British study, the slowdown from 2004 to 2014 was the result of natural variability, following a period of faster currents. However, the study also suggests that climate change will cause the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) to slow overall, with far-reaching impacts on weather and sea levels. Laura Jackson, a Met Office scientist who led the research, explained, “Our results suggest that there hasn’t been a persistent weakening of the AMOC over the last 20 years … this does not change the view that it is very likely that AMOC will weaken over the 21st century.” Research has found that the slowdown of the Atlantic circulation has contributed to more intense floods, hurricanes, and cold winters, especially along the eastern coast of North America.
Climate Central, Nature Geoscience
On May 24, the United Nations (U.N.) released a report urging more extensive research into the resiliency of deeper reef structures. Scientists hope coral species located in deeper waters (40-150 meters deep) will be less impacted by mass bleaching events. A spike in global ocean temperatures over the past year, the result of climate change and a record El Niño, has led to bleaching events that have affected 93 percent of the Great Barrier Reef. According to the University of Sydney’s Elaine Baker, one of 35 authors of the U.N. report, “More research needs to be done to firmly establish the role of mesospheric coral ecosystems (MCEs) in preserving our reefs; they aren’t a silver bullet but they might be able to resist the most immediate impacts of climate change.”
In related news, on May 26 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released a report, World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate. The report names 31 World Heritage sites at particular risk due to climate change. According to The Guardian, the Australian Department of Environment objected to the inclusion of the Great Barrier Reef in a draft of the report, forcing that section to be removed from the final report. An Australian government spokesman explained, “Recent experience in Australia had shown that negative commentary about the status of world heritage properties impacted on tourism.”
Sydney Morning Herald, Guardian, U.N. Coral Report, UNESCO Report
On May 23, Nature Climate Change published a study which models the climatic impact of emitting five trillion metric tons of carbon – the amount contained in a conservative estimate of Earth’s fossil fuel reserves. Led by researchers from the University of Victoria in Canada, the study was designed to model a true worst-case scenario. The authors found that releasing this amount of carbon in the atmosphere would raise average global surface temperatures by 8 degrees Celsius (14.4 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2300. The impact would be more pronounced in the Arctic, where average temperatures would rise by 17 degrees Celsius (30.6 degrees F). The most severe projection from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assumes only two trillion metric tons of carbon released by 2100, raising global temperatures by 2.6-4.8 degrees Celsius. "The fixation on what happens by the year 2100 is unhealthy and ignores the large risks that become apparent when thinking on longer time scales and with a more complete treatment of real physical and biological processes," said Matthew Huber, an Earth scientist unaffiliated with the study.
Guardian, National Geographic, Study
On May 23, the journal Current Biology published a study finding global populations of cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish, and squid) have grown significantly over the past 60 years. This is in contrast to most fish populations, which have been negatively impacted from warming oceans, overfishing, and other factors. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia. Study co-author Zoë Doubleday explains, "Cephalopods are often called 'weeds of the sea' as they have a unique set of biological traits, including rapid growth, short lifespans and flexible development. These allow them to adapt to changing environmental conditions (such as temperature) more quickly than many other marine species, which suggests that they may be benefiting from a changing ocean environment." However, the study also cites early indications that cephalopods may be susceptible to ocean acidification resulting from higher carbon concentrations in the ocean.
Washington Post, Atlantic, Study
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