Climate Change News - October 19, 2009

Climate Bill Moving Ahead, Hearings to Begin Next Week

On October 13, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, announced that her committee will begin three days of hearings to consider the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S. 1733) on October 27. Witnesses for the hearings will include Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson. Boxer also said the version of the bill the EPW committee will debate is finished and that the bill has been sent to the EPA for analysis, which should be completed by the end of the month. “It’s happening, we’re making progress," Boxer said. "We look forward to a strong, clean energy jobs bill (being sent) to the full Senate as soon as possible."

For additional information see: NASDAQ , Politico , Reuters

Sens. Kerry and Graham Define Bipartisan Agreement for Climate Legislation

On October 10, Sens. Kerry (D-MA) and Graham (R-SC) co-authored an editorial that appeared in The New York Times which described how a comprehensive energy and climate change bill could secure the bipartisan support needed to pass in the Senate. “We refuse to accept the argument that the United States cannot lead the world in addressing global climate change,” Graham and Kerry wrote. "We are also convinced that we have found both a framework for climate legislation to pass Congress and the blueprint for a clean energy future.” Like the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454, ACES) that the House passed in June, their framework includes a cap and trade program for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanded federal support for renewable energy technologies and carbon capture and storage, and a border tax on imports from countries that do not have “stringent environmental standards.” The Senators’ approach differed from ACES by calling for additional government support for nuclear power and offshore drilling, and a fixed price floor and ceiling for emission allowances in order to appeal to Republicans and garner bipartisan support. “We are confident that a legitimate bipartisan effort can put America back in the lead again and can empower our negotiators to sit down at the table in Copenhagen in December and insist that the rest of the world join us in producing a new international agreement on global warming. That way, we will pass on to future generations a strong economy, a clean environment and an energy-independent nation,” they concluded.

For additional information see: Washington Post , Politico , New York Times

Senate Panel Hears Testimony on Economic Impact from Climate Legislation

On October 14, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee heard testimony about the cost of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454, ACES). Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Douglas Elmendorf said that ACES, which the House of Representatives passed in June, would reduce the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) below “what it would otherwise have been” by 0.25-0.75 percent in 2020 and 1-3.5 percent in 2050. He also mentioned that the fossil fuel and other energy intensive industries would cut jobs under ACES, due to a shift in resources to the green economy. “The shifts will be significant,” he said. “We want to leave no misunderstanding that aggregate performance — the fact that jobs turn up somewhere else for some people — does not mean that there are not substantial costs borne by people, communities, firms in affected industries and affected areas. You saw that in manufacturing, and we would see that in response to changes that this legislation would produce.” Elmendorf emphasized that CBO’s analysis did “not include any benefits from averting climate change.” Other witnesses at the hearing included Reid Harvey from the Environmental Protection Agency, Richard Newell from the Energy Information Administration and Larry Parker from the Congressional Research Service.

For additional information see: Wall Street Journal , Washington Post , The Guardian , Bloomberg

Chu Supports Carbon Capture in Next Decade

On October 12, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said that carbon capture and storage (CCS) for coal-fired power plants must be ready for global deployment by 2019. “I believe we must make it our goal to advance carbon capture and storage technology to the point where widespread, affordable deployment can begin in eight to 10 years,” Chu wrote in a letter to energy ministers that were in London for the Carbon Sequestration Forum. He was optimistic that this will be possible, mentioning that the United States could have up to 10 demonstration plants running by 2016. He added that meeting his target “will require an aggressive global effort, harnessing the scientific talent and resources of governments as well as industry.”

For additional information see: Reuters , The Times , The Financial Times

IEA: World Needs 100 Carbon Capture Plants by 2020

On October 13, International Energy Agency (IEA) Director Nobuo Tanaka announced that a new IEA report forecasts that the world will need to build 100 major coal-fired power plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS) by 2020 to combat climate change. “We will need 100 large scale projects by 2020, 850 by 2030 and 3,400 in 2050,” said Tanaka. The IEA estimated that 65 percent of the new CCS projects will be built in developing nations. It also expected that completing 100 CCS plants by 2020 will cost $56 billion, and an additional $646 billion will be required between 2021 and 2030. The full IEA report was released at the Carbon Sequestration Forum this week in London.

For additional information see: Reuters , New York Times , CBC News

EPA Releases Bush-Era Global Warming Finding

On October 13, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a December 2007 document from the Bush administration which concluded that greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions from motor vehicles endangered the public welfare and therefore needed to be regulated under the Clean Air Act. The Bush administration had prepared the document as part of their response to the Supreme Court’s April 2007 decision in Massachusetts vs. EPA, but it was never made public. The Obama administration chose to distribute the document because the EPA had already proposed a similar endangerment finding in April and wanted to settle the debate over the science of climate change. “This draft finding demonstrates that in 2007 the science was as clear as it is today,” said EPA Spokeswoman Adora Andy. “The conclusions reached then by EPA scientists should have been made public and should have been considered.”

For additional information see: New York Times , AP , Los Angeles Times

Human Migration from Global Warming May Create ‘Climate Exiles’

On October 15, the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development said that between 200 million and 1 billion climate refugees, expected to flee their home countries to escape droughts and floods, may not be protected by international law. “International refugee law . . . was not designed for those who are left homeless by environmental pressures," said the group's director Joy Hyvarinen. The group called for adjustments to the international legal framework to account for these refugees. “The international community needs to prepare for the likelihood that some small island states and low-lying territories will be lost,” said Hyvarinen. “Migration forced by climate change is a tragedy and the international framework needs to be adjusted to help climate exiles and deal with statelessness and compensation.”

For additional information see: Reuters , Bloomberg , COP 15

Airlines Set New Carbon Emission Goals

On October 10, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that airlines have agreed to new carbon emission and fuel efficiency targets at a meeting on climate change in Montreal. IATA, the airline industry’s trade body, said that its members have set a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2020 and reducing CO2 emissions by 50 percent below the 2005 level by 2050. They also pledged to improve fuel efficiency by 1.5 percent annually each year until 2020. IATA Director-General Giovanni Bisignani said, “[The meeting made it] absolutely clear that industry is committed to improving environmental performance.” He added, “It is ironic that industry is setting tougher targets for itself than its regulators are prepared to require.”

For additional information see: Wall Street Journal , AFP , Reuters

Climate Scientists Suggest Revisiting the 1987 Montreal Protocol

In the October 12 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an international team of scientists and policy experts led by Nobel Laureate Dr. Mario Molina, published an article that shows reducing short-term non-CO2 climate change agents, as well as expanding bio-sequestration through biochar production, can forestall fast approaching abrupt climate changes. “Cutting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), black carbon, tropospheric ozone, and methane can buy us about 40 years before we approach the dangerous threshold of 2˚C warming,” said co-author Professor Veerabhadran Ramanathan, from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.

The authors state that using the Montreal Protocol ozone treaty to address HFCs, which are potent greenhouse gases, has the potential to reduce up to 176 billion tons of CO2-equivalent gases by 2050. “The Montreal Protocol has already delayed climate change by seven to 12 years, and put the ozone layer on the path to recovery later this century,” said Dr. Molina. “The Montreal Protocol is critical for avoiding abrupt climate change. We have to take advantage of the proven ability of this legally binding treaty to quickly phase down HFCs.” Additionally, the authors argue that reducing all non-CO2 greenhouse gases can provide climate benefits in the near term. “By targeting these short-term climate forcers, we can make a down payment on climate and provide momentum going into the December negotiations in Copenhagen,” said co-author Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development. “The Obama Administration and other key governments need to take up the fast-action climate agenda before it is too late.”

For additional information see: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , Reuters , Ottawa Citizen , Economic Times

Last Time CO2 Reached Today's Levels Was 15 Million Years Ago

In a study published in the October 8 issue of the journal Science, researchers from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) found that the last time atmospheric concentrations of CO2 were at today’s level was over 15 million years ago. The scientists arrived at their results by analyzing the boron to calcium ratio in the shells of marine algae fossils. Lead author Aradhna Tripati said, “The last time carbon dioxide levels were apparently as high as they are today — and were sustained at those levels — global temperatures were 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit higher than they are today, the sea level was approximately 75 to 120 feet higher than today, there was no permanent sea ice cap in the Arctic and very little ice on Antarctica and Greenland.” Tripati concluded, “Carbon dioxide is a potent greenhouse gas, and geological observations that we now have for the last 20 million years lend strong support to the idea that carbon dioxide is an important agent for driving climate change throughout Earth's history.”

For additional information see: Science Daily , BBC , Xinhua

Study: Arctic Ice-Cap to Disappear Within 20-30 Years

On October 14, the results of the three month Catlin Arctic Survey led by explorer Pen Hadow and analyzed by Cambridge University’s Polar Ocean Physics Group were released in London. The explorers found that most of the ice in the Beaufort Sea, a region that has historically contained thick, multi-year ice, is now only six feet thick and will continue to melt during future summers. The scientists concluded that the Arctic will be ice-free during summers within 20 years, and that most of the remaining melting will take place in the next 10. “With a larger part of the region now first-year ice, it is clearly more vulnerable,” said Cambridge Professor Peter Wadhams. “The Catlin Arctic Survey data supports the new consensus view — based on seasonal variation of ice extent and thickness, changes in temperatures, winds and especially ice composition — that the Arctic will be ice-free in summer within about 20 years, and that much of the decrease will be happening within 10 years.”

For additional information see: BBC , AP , The Telegraph , Xinhua

Greenpeace Report Questions Effectiveness of Forest Carbon Offsets

On October 15, Greenpeace released a new report which found that preventing deforestation at Noel Kempff Mercado National Park in Bolivia was less effective at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than originally thought. In 1997, three American electric utilities agreed to pay the Bolivian government to preserve the forest in return for carbon offsets that could be sold on the voluntary carbon market. This project was one of the first large-scale attempts to use carbon markets to prevent deforestation and utilities initially believed it would result in 55 million metric tons of avoided CO2 emissions. The utilities have since revised down their actual emission reductions to just 5.8 million metric tons of CO2. In their report, Greenpeace noted this reduction and rationalized that quantifying additional reductions in GHG emissions was extremely difficult because the project could not ensure that deforestation was not simply moving elsewhere. “At this crucial time, with the [climate] negotiations in Copenhagen and U.S. legislation, can we afford to take a gamble on what the backers of these programs say haven't been as effective as they anticipated?” said Greenpeace Spokesman Daniel Kessler.

For additional information see: Washington Post , New York Times , The Oregonian , Greenpeace

Healthy Oceans Key to Fighting Climate Change, UN Report Says

On October 14, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) released a report called “Blue Carbon” which concluded that preventing the destruction of marine ecosystems could be one of the easiest ways to reduce carbon emissions. The researchers discovered that 1,650 million tons of CO2 are held by marine flora and fauna, which is half of all biological carbon. “We already know that marine ecosystems are multi-trillion dollar assets linked to sectors such as tourism, coastal defense, fisheries and water purification services," said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. “Now it is emerging that they are natural allies against climate change.” The report noted that 2-7 percent of the CO2 sequestered by marine ecosystems is released each year because of pollution and the deforestation of coastal wetlands. UNEP concluded that halting the emission of marine-sequestered CO2 would be one of the most effective ways for reducing CO2 emissions and recommended a special “blue carbon” fund be developed to do so.

For additional information see: The Times , Reuters , United Nations Press Release

Melting Alpine Glaciers Bring Along Highly Toxic Pollutants

A study published in the October 16 issue of Environmental Science and Technology warned of the "dire environmental impact" of highly toxic pollutants being released into the atmosphere from Alpine glaciers melting as a result of climate change. Banned chemical compounds from industry and farming, including dioxins and pesticides such as DDT, were absorbed by sediment under the ice when they were still in use. Now, increased melting is leading to their release into nearby lakes and the atmosphere. The study indicated that “accelerated glacier melting due to global warming may also account for enhanced release of legacy organic pollutants at historically high levels." The release of these toxins, regarded as very durable and carcinogenic, in an Alpine setting could lead to "short but intense pulses" of pollution in spring and summer, the scientists concluded, affecting drinking water, local fish, the food chain, and irrigation facilities.

For additional information see: AFP , The Daily Inquirer

Kashmir Glaciers Shrinking at 'Alarming' Speed

On October 12, India’s Kashmir University released a new study that found that the Kashmir glaciers in the Himalayas are rapidly melting and threatening the water supply of millions in the region. The scientists discovered that the Kolahoi glacier, the area’s largest, has shrunk by over 18 percent in the last 40 years. “Other small Kashmir glaciers are also shrinking and the main reason is that the winter temperature in Kashmir is rising,” the report said. The temperature of the area has risen by 1.1°C over the past 100 years. Lead author Shakil Romshoo called the rate of melting “alarming.” He also warned that the melting of the region’s glaciers has endangered over two thirds of the region’s ten million people because they depend on the glaciers for water and food production.

For additional information see: AP , AFP , Reuters

Developing Countries Drop Demand for Free Access to Clean Tech

On October 15, European Union (EU) officials told The Financial Times that developing countries have dropped their demand for free access to clean technology as part of a new international climate change treaty. The free transfer of clean technology from developed nations to developing ones has been a key issue during climate negotiations. An EU official said the “language of the discourse” had finally changed: developing nations agreed to accept softer language for technology transfer, based on collaboration between private companies and developing nations instead of the free transfer of intellectual property. This removes an important roadblock on the path to a new climate change treaty being produced at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December.

For additional information see: Financial Times , Business Green

Africa Needs $65 Billion to Adapt to Climate Change

On October 9, Burkina Faso Environment Minister Salifou Sawadogo told the World Forum on Sustainable Development that Africa needs $65 billion annually to adapt to climate change. Sawadogo said, “We think 65 billion dollars are needed to deal with the effects of climate change on a continental scale. That is to say that our expectations are very high.” Financial assistance for climate change adaptation from developed nations to developing countries has been a key issue at negotiations to produce an international climate change treaty at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December. Sawadogo said African nations should receive financial aid because, “we are all on the same planet so there is a duty of solidarity to help the most vulnerable countries, like we are, implement policies to adapt to climate change.”

For additional information see: AFP , Xinhua

Brazil Pledges to Reduce Deforestation, Possibly Capping Emissions

On October 13, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he will pledge at the climate negotiations sponsored by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December to reduce the rate of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest by 80 percent by 2020. “I foresee that by 2020 we will be able to reduce deforestation by 80 percent, in other words we will emit some 4.8 billion fewer tons of carbon dioxide gas,” said the President. The Amazon rainforest is loosing an average of 7,528 square miles each year, which accounts for 70 percent of Brazil’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and is the major reason why Brazil is the third largest emitter of GHGs in the world.

For additional information see: AFP , Reuters

October 20: Looking Ahead to Copenhagen and Beyond - Finding Common Ground and Adjusting Expectations

The German Embassy and Johns Hopkins University invite you to a panel discussion that focuses on how the U.S. and the E.U. are preparing for the 15th Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen in December 2009 to address climate change within the framework of the Kyoto Protocol. As major emitters of greenhouse gases, the United States and Europe are key players in international climate negotiations. Yet, their approaches to controlling emissions remain widely divergent. The event will take place on Tuesday, October 20, from 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. in Room LL7 at Johns Hopkins University at 1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW. Coffee and breakfast pastries will be served at 8:30 a.m. and the panel will start at 9:00 a.m. Attendance is open to all, but RSVP is required at http://advanced.jhu.edu/rsvp/index.cfm?ContentID=1630 by October 15th.

October 21: Transportation Strategies to Cut Carbon Emissions

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on strategies to reduce oil consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from the surface transportation sector. Energy and climate legislation pending before the Congress contains measures to enhance the efficiency of the overall transportation system as well as measures to promote more efficient vehicles and fuels. Implementation of these measures, however, will face technical, logistic, and institutional challenges. The briefing will address these challenges and explore ways that they can be overcome. This briefing will take place on Wednesday, October 21, from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. in 562 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.

October 22: Clean Energy Jobs - Trends and Potential Growth

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing to examine employment trends and other economic indicators related to growing investment in clean energy and clean transportation. The panel will present two new reports—Estimating the Jobs Impacts of Tackling Climate Change and Economic Impact of Public Transportation Investment—that analyze data for a variety of job types, skill levels, and industries related to renewable energy and energy efficiency, including investments in public transportation infrastructure. This briefing will take place on Thursday, October 22, from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. in SVC 209/208 Capitol Visitor Center. 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.