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May 5, 2014
President Obama Asks Young Leaders in Southeast Asia to Speak Out on Climate Change
On April 27, President Obama spoke about climate change at the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Town Hall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The President encouraged the students, many of whom are already working in these issues, to address climate change in Asia. “You have to be a part of the solution, not part of the problem. You have to say, this is important . . . You don’t have to be a climate science expert, but you can educate yourselves on the issue. You can discuss it with your peer groups. You can organize young people to interact with international organizations that are already dealing with this issue. You can help to publicize it. You can educate your parents, friends, coworkers. And through that process, you can potentially change policy. So it will take years. It will not happen next week. But our hope is that through this network that we’re going to be developing that we can be a partner with you in that process.” This is President Obama’s fifth trip to Asia as president in an attempt to foster stronger U.S.-Asia relations.
For more information see:
White House Press Release, Politico
Washington Governor Inslee Signs Executive Order to Reduce Carbon Pollution
On April 29, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington State signed an executive order outlining steps to cut the state’s carbon pollution and encourage the development of clean energy technologies. The executive order calls for the reduction of emissions through a cap-and-market program; terminating the use of coal-generated electricity; developing clean transportation options and cleaner fuels; accelerating the development and use of clean energy technologies; improving energy efficiency; and reducing the government’s carbon footprint. Inslee’s executive order builds on work done by independent consultants that found the state would be unable to meet its climate goals with current legislation. Public comments and hearings also showed that citizens were in support of reducing carbon pollution. According to Gov. Inslee, “this is the right time to act, the right place to act and we are the right people to act . . . we will engage the right people, consider the right options, ask the right questions and come to the right answers—answers that work for Washington.”
OPB News, Press Release, Executive Order
Supreme Court Upholds EPA Cross-State Air Pollution Rules
On April 29, the Supreme Court upheld the authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate cross-state air pollution rules (CSAPR), also known as the Clean Air Act’s “good neighbor” provision or the “Transport Rule.” Under CSAPR, 28 Midwestern and Appalachian states will be required to cut power plant emissions of ozone-forming compounds including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter that become airborne and travel downwind into neighboring states. Power utilities and 15 states had filed suit against the law. The 6-2 decision in the case, EPA v. EME Homer City Generation, L.P., reversed the 2012 decision to vacate CSAPR by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which had stated that the regulations were too costly and arbitrary. The Supreme Court majority opinion found that “EPA’s cost-effective allocation of emission reductions among up-wind States is a permissible, workable, and equitable interpretation of the Good Neighbor Provision.” According to the EPA, exposure to ozone and particulate matter is accountable for one in 20 U.S. deaths, 200,000 nonfatal heart attacks, 90,000 hospital admissions and contributes to 2.5 million cases of childhood asthma. EPA estimates that CSAPR would save $280 billion annually in healthcare costs and avoid 34,000 premature deaths a year. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for a separate case in February 2014 regarding whether EPA’s authority to regulate the greenhouse gas emissions of new motor vehicles also extends to stationary sources, such as existing power plants. A decision in that case, Utility Air Regulatory Group v. Environmental Protection Agency, is expected this summer.
The New York Times, Supreme Court
BlackRock and the FTSE Group Create Investing Index Which Excludes Fossil Fuel Companies
On April 29, London's FTSE Group, along with financial giant BlackRock, unveiled plans for a 'fossil fuel free' investment index, which would help potential investors divest in shares from companies linked to fossil fuels such as oil, coal or natural gas. To be excluded from the index, companies will have a demonstrated involvement in the production or exploration of fossil fuels, receive revenue from their production or extraction, or 'have proved and probable reserves' in fossil fuels in their accounts. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) provided seed investment for the index, which will help investors avoid funding fossil fuel projects, which are directly linked to increasing climate change. According to Mark Makepeace, the CEO of FTSE Group, “We are increasingly seeing demand from our clients for indices that reflect their overall business culture and values." Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, echoed this sentiment, “A fossil fuel-free future is where we see opportunity and promise, and that’s where NRDC wants to direct our financial resources.” Although a full list of excluded companies has not yet been released, expected targets include British Petroleum (BP), and mining company BHP Billiton.
Forbes, This is Money, Click Green, Energy Live News
Jimmy Carter Says Koch Brothers Have Funded Climate Change Denialism
On April 22, former president Jimmy Carter spoke out against the Koch brothers while at the Paris Institute of Political Sciences (Sciences Po). “The Koch brothers are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into every political campaign to support candidates that will support their position,” Carter said. “The struggle for the hearts and minds of the general public, especially young people, is intense and is going on today, sometimes without their knowledge.” According to Greenpeace, the Koch brothers have donated over $67 million to think-tanks and organizations with anti-climate agendas between 1997 and 2011. Carter lamented the recent Supreme Court decisions to remove electoral spending limits by corporations and individuals on political candidates and parties. He said these rulings had resulted in “very successful” campaigns to undermine the science of climate change. Carter, who opposes the Keystone XL pipeline, also emphasized the importance of the development of clean energy technology. “Don’t let the false debate being put forward by fossil fuel companies deter you from enthusiastic endorsement of this crusade,” he said. “Realize it’s not an economic sacrifice but an economic boon to every country on earth.”
Eco Watch, Responding to Climate Change
New Global Campaign Says Organic Agriculture Can Stop Climate Change
On April 23, the Rodale Institute announced a new global campaign aimed at raising public awareness about the potential for agricultural soils to reverse climate change. As part of the new campaign, Rodale published a white paper, “Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change: A Down-to-Earth Solution to Global Warming,” which states: “We could sequester more than 100 percent of current annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions with a switch to widely available and inexpensive organic management practices, which we term ‘regenerative organic agriculture.’” The “regenerative organic agriculture” model is based on organic practices including: cover crops, residue mulching, composting, and crop rotation. The white paper argues that if management of all current cropland adopted the “regenerative organic agriculture” model, 40 percent of annual CO2 emissions could be sequestered. An additional 71 percent could be sequestered if all global pasture was switched to the model, effectively bypassing the 100 percent mark and thus reversing the greenhouse gas effect fueling climate change. Mark Smallwood, Executive Director of Rodale, said, “The white paper is to encourage new research, new policy and the rapid expansion of regenerative agricultural methods. The media campaign brings the broader vision to the public much faster. By engaging the public now, they build the pressure necessary to prevent this call to action from sitting on the desks of scientists and policy-makers, or worse yet, being buried by businesspeople from the chemical industry.”
For additional information see:
The Rodale Institute, The Rodale Institute, E News Park Forest
ACEEE Report Says Energy-Efficiency Can Cut 26 Percent of GHG Emissions from Power Plants
On April 29, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released a study, Change is in the Air: How States Can Harness Energy Efficiency to Strengthen the Economy and Reduce Pollution, which evaluated four energy efficiency policies which states could use to drastically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ACEEE called for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create its upcoming power plant emissions standard under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act using the following policies: a target for energy efficiency savings, national model building codes, greater construction of combined heat and power systems, and more efficiency standards for products and equipment. ACEEE modeled out a scenario in which every state assumed its recommendations, and found that by 2030 the policies would avert the emission of 600 million tons of GHG emissions, save over 925 million megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity, and make 494 power plants unnecessary. The standard would effectively reduce emissions to 26 percent below 2012 levels, while growing the national gross domestic product (GDP) $17.2 billion and creating 611,000 new jobs. Steven Nadel, executive director of ACEEE, said, “If the Environmental Protection Agency is looking for a way to cheaply cut carbon pollution and boost the economy while giving states the freedom to use their energy resources, energy efficiency is the answer.”
PR Web, Environmental Leader, Study
April Is First Month With Average Carbon Dioxide Concentration Above 400 ppm
The end of April marked the 'first month in human history' that the average atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration was above 400 parts per million (ppm), according to data from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of San Diego. Scientists estimate CO2 concentrations have not been at this level since between 800,000 and 15 million years ago. Levels of atmospheric CO2 first rose above 400 ppm in May of 2013, as measured by the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, which has been keeping records of atmospheric CO2 since 1958. Atmospheric CO2 levels tend to change with the seasons—rising near the end of winter and into the spring, where plants have reached their full blooming period and can pull the CO2 from the atmosphere, before eventually declining in the summer. As the biosphere’s absorption of CO2 remains steady and CO2 atmospheric concentrations rise, un-absorbed CO2 in the atmosphere lingers, at a rate of about 2 ppm each year. Ralph Keeling, the head of the Mauna Loa monitoring project, compared this excess CO2 to 'waves on a rising tide.' He said, "As long as we keep burning fossil fuels at current rates, the concentrations will keep rising like this.” The CO2 concentration is expected to stay above the 400 ppm rate through all of May and part of June, before falling in July.
Climate Central, USA Today
EIA Says Future Carbon Dioxide Emissions Will Depend on the Retirement of Coal and Nuclear Plants
On April 28, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released information showing that retiring nuclear and coal power plants could have a significant impact on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States. EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2014 projects several future scenarios of accelerated retirement of nuclear and coal plants, finding that increasing the retirement of coal power plants would significantly reduce CO2 emissions, while accelerated retirement of nuclear power plants would increase CO2 emissions. As nuclear and coal are used less often, EIA predicts most gaps in electric capacity needs will be met with natural gas. Replacing nuclear power, which does not emit CO2, with natural gas will cause a net increase in CO2 emissions; but natural gas releases less CO2 than coal, so emissions will drop as natural gas takes coal’s place. EIA also projected the increased use of renewable capacity, primarily due to state and federal policies, such as the renewable portfolio standards (RPS) and tax incentives.
The Hill, EIA Today in Energy
Air Quality Threatened by Climate Change
On April 29, the American Lung Association released its 2014 State of the Air report, which found that trends of improvement in air quality across the country are threatened by climate change impacts. Rising temperatures create conditions ripe for the formation of ground-level ozone, a harmful gas formed by sunlight interacting with the nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds released from vehicles, industrial facilities and chemical solvents such as paint. Climate change also lengthens the duration of wildfire seasons and increases the severity of droughts, both of which cause the release of particulate matter into the air, further degrading air quality. Janice Nolan, assistant vice president of the American Lung Association, commented, “While the nation continues to clean up air pollution, we also see a change in climate that will make it harder for us to protect human health.” The report covered national air quality through 2012, stating that 47 percent of the United States – 147 million people – live in places where air quality threatens public health. Next year’s report, with information through 2013, is expected to reflect some further air quality degradation from incidents such as the prolonged drought and large wildfires in the Southwest.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Study
China on Path to Triple Industrial Emissions of Potent Greenhouse Gas, Nitrous Oxide
On April 7, journal Environmental Science and Technology published a report from Peking University, which projects that industrial emissions of nitrous oxide in China will triple by 2020, unless significant controls are imposed. From 1990 to 2012, nitrous oxide emissions from chemical production processes increased 37 times, from 5.07 gigagrams (Gg) annually to 174 Gg. The researchers predict emissions could reach 561 Gg annually by 2020 under current policies, five times the annual emissions of the United States, which is currently the world’s second largest producer of nitrous oxide. The production of adipic acid, used to make nylon, is the source of 80 percent of industrial emissions in China, and presents the main opportunity for nitrous oxide reduction (representing 96.2 percent of mitigation opportunities in China’s industrial sector). If mitigation measures were put in place, the scientists estimate reductions from the industrial sector could be “the equivalent of reducing all the 2011 greenhouse gases from Australia or halocarbon ozone-depleting substances from China.” According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change WGI 5th Assessment, nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas (GHG) which warms the atmosphere 265 times more than carbon dioxide over a 100 year timescale, and depletes the ozone layer. Industrial emissions from chemical production account for 10 percent of China’s nitrous oxide emissions.
Environmental Health News, Study
Scientists Find Evidence Ocean Acidity Is Dissolving Shells of Key Ocean Species
On April 30, Proceedings of the Royal Society B published a study on the effects of ocean acidification on the dissolution of a key shell species: tiny, free-floating snails called pteropods which are important food sources for many other species, including salmon, herring, and mackeral. The study revealed that 53 percent of pteropods are experiencing moderate to severe dissolution damage to their shells. "These are alarm bells," said Nina Bednarsek, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Seattle who helped lead the research. "This study makes us understand that we have made an impact on the ocean environment to the extent where we can actually see the shells dissolving right now." For the study, researchers conducted biological sampling along the Washington-Oregon-California coast in August of 2011. The researchers said the increased level of ocean acidification is not killing the pteropods outright, but rather causing their shells to dissolve, which makes them more vulnerable to disease, slows their ability to evade predators, and reduces their reproductive rates. Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans retired researcher, Dave Mackas, who was not related to the study, said, “It’s a bit scarier than you might have expected. It’s an outcome you expected to happen eventually, but it’s surprising how severe it is so soon.”
Mercury News, Seattle Times, Study
Headlines
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1. Canadian First Nation Tla-o-qui-aht Discusses Climate Change Impacts in Their Region
2. Residents of Acapulco, Mexico Face Effects of Rising Sea Levels
3. Rep. Tonko Applauds European Union “Co-Benefit” Approach to Climate Change
4. Winter Olympians in Vermont Call for a Price on Carbon Emissions
5. Is Climate Change Causing An Increase in Tornadoes?
6. Top EPA Official to Keynote a Climate Change Conference in Keene, New Hampshire
7. China Considering Adding High-Polluting Regions to Its Carbon Market
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