Climate Change News - October 21, 2013

Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to EPA Emissions Rules

On October 15, the Supreme Court announced it will hear arguments that challenge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s new rules regarding greenhouse gases (GHG) from stationary sources. The case will build on the 2007 decision in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, which states that EPA must regulate GHG emissions from vehicles if they were found to impact public health. Subsequently, EPA found that elevated GHG concentrations are a health threat and set new emissions standards for power plants, in addition to vehicles. The utility industry says that new regulations are an unnecessary burden to U.S. manufacturers, citing costs of regulation at tens of billions of dollars per year. The case will question whether the Clean Air Act provides the regulatory structure to mandate GHG emissions from stationary sources such as power plants, but the ruling may also apply to manufacturers, refineries and apartment buildings. According to Thomas Lorenzeen, former Justice Department official on environmental issues, “the power plant standards will go forward,” but perhaps under a different section of the Clean Air Act, depending on the court’s decision. The court rejected a variety of other cases against the EPA that dispute the agency’s power to address climate change. According to Vickie Patton, general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund, the announcement represents a victory for environmental groups, since “ the U.S. Supreme Court make it abundantly clear, once and for all, that EPA has the both legal authority and the responsibility to address climate change and the carbon pollution that causes.” A decision is expected by June 2014.

For additional information see: The New York Times , Washington Post , The Los Angeles Times

Environmental Nonprofit Sues EPA Over Inaction on Ocean Acidification

On October 16, the Center for Biological Diversity, a Tucson based non-profit, filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The suit claims that the EPA is not taking proper measures under the mandate of the Clean Water Act to protect ocean ecosystems from the impact of ocean acidity. This is the second suit regarding ocean acidity from the non-profit against the EPA: their first suit in 2009 was settled out of court, with the EPA agreeing that the Clean Water Act allows them to address ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is one effect of climate change, occurring when excess carbon dioxide (CO2) and nutrient pollution accumulate in the ocean and react to form a mild acid which raises the water’s pH levels. Acidification contributes to coral bleaching and is also harmful to shellfish. Miyokoto Sakashita, spokeswoman for the Center for Biological Diversity commented, “it really affects the entire ecosystem, from the smallest plankton to the biggest whale.”  

For additional information see: Bellingham Herald , San Francisco Gate

European Union to Renegotiate Automotive Emissions Rule

On October 14, European Union environment ministers agreed to seek a revision of the proposed legislation curbing automotive emissions, and to conclude the deal in the coming weeks. In a preliminary deal achieved in June, the European Parliament and European Commission agreed to limit fleets’ average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to 95 grams per kilometer in 2020. German leaders have stated that the restrictions would cost jobs and harm the competitiveness of their domestic automobile industry, including premium carmakers BMW and Daimler (whose less fuel-efficient models will be challenged to meet the goal). Germany proposed a gradual phase-in plan to delay the emission curb for four years, with only 80 percent of the new cars restricted by the CO2 limitation in 2020 and a five percent expansion per year till full implementation in 2024. Germany’s proposal won support from a coalition of countries including the United Kingdom and Poland. Further discussions will be held in order to reach an agreement in the coming weeks, and approval from both member states and the European Parliament will be required to enact the revised draft law. Sweden’s Environment Minister Lena Ek warned that coming elections and institutional changes over the next year could further delay adoption of the legislation until 2015.

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

European Union Proposes Setting Carbon Emissions Rules on Ships

On October 7, the European Commission announced that it will begin to require companies in the European shipping industry to measure their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on all ships greater than 5,000 gross tonnage. Shipping accounts for four percent of Europe’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is the only transportation sector that is not yet regulated under the EU’s GHG emissions reduction targets. Globally, shipping represents three percent of emissions, and is expected to rise to five percent by 2050. This expected increase in GHG emissions is in spite of several efficiency measures in place, such as lower sulfur fuels starting in 2015. European shipbroker Gibson released a statement commenting that “long term, the EU aims to reduce CO2 emissions by ships by up to 75 percent. The EU wants a global approach taken to reduce shipping emissions and proposes that from 2018, large ships using EU ports should report their verified emissions.”

For additional information see: Environmental Leader , Hellenistic Shipping News

Head of United Nations Calls for Financial Action against Climate Change

On October 13, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to the international community to increase its financial investments in technologies, policies and practices that push back against climate change, during his address to the International Development Finance Club (IFDC). Ban explained that the finance community can take an active role in funding the development of low-carbon infrastructure and low-emissions projects. “Addressing climate change is one of our greatest opportunities,” Ban said, “with enlightened action we can create jobs, improve public health and protect the environment.” He asked attendees to double their portfolio of climate adaptation financing, and pointed out that public financing by development banks has played an important role in spurring local and international private investments in climate resilience.

For additional information see: United Nations , Eco Seed

World Bank Report Says Businesses Need to Help Save the Ocean

On October 16, the World Bank released a report urging businesses to take action to reverse damage to oceans that includes depleted fish stocks, ocean acidification, habitat destruction and ocean warming. The report was the product of the Blue Ribbon Panel of the Global Partnership for Oceans, a team of 21 experts from 16 countries which includes government ministers, environmental conservationists, academics and the CEOs of some of the world’s largest seafood companies. The report finds that piecemeal solutions that leave out social, economic, political, and ecological interactions will not be sufficient to solve the current decline of ocean health. Instead, the report recommends a global strategy utilizing public-private partnerships that leverage companies, local communities and governments to both protect and sustainably invest in the ocean. “Getting to healthy oceans is a global challenge that needs the concentrated effort of big and small business, government and science,” said panel chair Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, the director of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland in Australia. The study explains that the ocean has so far hidden the full impact of anthropogenic climate change by absorbing 25 percent of carbon dioxide released by human activities. “Ocean change is climate change and vice versa,” Hoegh-Guldberg remarked. “With looming threats of rising sea levels, warmer waters and a growing human population we need healthy oceans and coasts to mitigate climate change, feed billions and protect coastal communities.”

For additional information see: Environmental Leader , World Bank , Reuters , Infozone , Report

Europe’s Urban Residents Breathe Polluted Air

On October 15, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published a report that found 85 - 98 percent of residents in European cities breathe dangerous levels of air pollution. According to the study, “two specific pollutants, particulate matter and ground-level ozone, continue to be a source of breathing problems, cardiovascular disease and shortened lives.” Both industries and individuals contribute to air pollution in Europe, through vehicles, agriculture, homes and factories. The EEA also found a strong correlation between air pollution and climate change. The report states, "Pollutants like particulates and black carbon affect both rainfall and the way that clouds reflect sunlight, but also indirectly via the way they reduce the growth of vegetation which can act as a carbon sink. Air quality and climate change can be cost-effectively tackled together by using an integrated approach when defining policies and measures."

For additional information see: Guardian , BBC , Report

Climate Change is Altering North American Forests

On October 14, a new study found that forests in North America are experiencing multiple changes due to global warming. Researchers at Dartmouth University cite climate change as the agent behind increased insect outbreaks, wildfires, and plant diseases – but they also explain that climate change has caused many forests to grow faster and increase their resilience to pests. “We need to also start focusing on what could be – I don’t want to say ‘benefits,’ but the opportunities here,” said study lead author Aaron S. Weed, a postdoctoral researcher at Dartmouth. The increased tree growth rate may positively impact the timber and wood pulp industries and allow for greater absorption of carbon dioxide, broader forest acreage and water recycling, as well as other benefits. The study authors suggested that while some areas may see forest recovery because temperatures have increased high enough to kill off some insects, warmer winters have allowed other insect species to survive longer and do more damage than expected. The changing distribution of pests presents a challenge to forest management, which the authors regard as “one of our prominent challenges . . . [is] to cope with unprecedented changes in pest pressure.” The research, published in the journal Ecological Monographs, covered 500 scientific studies of forests in North America from the 1950s to today.

For additional information see: Washington Post , Red Orbit , Nature World News , Study

Climate Change is Affecting Outdoor Workers in the Northwest

Researchers from Oregon State University have found that climate change is negatively impacting farmworkers’ health in the Northwest United States. Climate models predict that summer temperatures in the Northwest could increase by nine degrees by 2050. Head researcher Jeffery Bethel explained that “. . . the number of heat extreme events will also increase. It’s likely that these outdoor workers will experience a greater number of heat-related illnesses.” Raymundo Rivas, a Washington State Department of Labor and Industries employee, educates farmworkers and farm owners about regulations that help keep workers healthy. The studies from Oregon State show that rising temperatures will make fieldworkers sick more often. “This summer, we’ve had some record temperatures, days of over 100 degrees,” Rivas said. “You’ve got a lot of crops out here that, once they’re irrigated, the humidity inside there is just tremendous. And then the workload that some of these folks have, puts a strain on their bodies.”

For additional information see: The Daily Astorian

Extreme Weather Most Important Cause of Poverty

On October 15, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) released a report finding that extreme weather, and especially drought, will continue to be a driver of poverty in the developing world. Dr. Tom Mitchell, ODI’s head of climate change, commented on the findings, stating “We've often heard that ill health is the biggest cause for impoverishment [ . . . ] But in the data, in drought prone areas, the biggest cause is the drought - in areas exposed to these hazards, they are the key causes of impoverishment.” Using climate change models and population projections, ODI studied the relationship between extreme weather and poverty, concluding that by 2050, 325 million people will be living in regions with higher than average extreme weather events. Weather events most linked to poverty are drought, heavy rainfall and flooding. The report found that the countries most at risk from extreme weather include Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The report recommends a shift of post-2015 development goals to climate change and weather-related disasters, and suggests that without focusing on these two issues, meeting the 2030 poverty irradiation targets will be impossible. Dr. Mitchell remarked on the link between poverty and weather, stating "if the international community [is] serious about ending extreme poverty they need to get serious about reducing disaster risk for the poorest people [ . . . ] We know that disasters entrench poverty – they don’t just end lives, they destroy shops, roads, crops, houses and hospitals in places where there are no safety nets such as insurance or social security.”

For additional information see: Blue and Green Tomorrow , Study

Study Finds Climate Change Will Affect Entire World Ocean System By 2100

Published October 15 in the journal PLOS Biology, a new study warns that unmitigated global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will cause substantial marine ecosystem degradation and threaten hundreds of millions of people’s lives by 2100. An interdisciplinary collaboration of climate modelers, biogeochemists, oceanographers and social scientists led the study, gathering climate, biological and socioeconomic data to quantify the impacts of ocean biogeochemical changes on marine habitats and organisms, and eventually humans. Camilo Mora, lead author and ecologist at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, said the results suggested that most of the world’s oceans “will suffer simultaneous effects of warming, acidification, and reductions in oxygen and productivity.” Notably, the study also addressed the social ramifications of oceanic changes, and estimated that between 470 to 870 million people who live in coastal areas that depend heavily on oceans for their livelihoods will be severely impacted.

For additional information see: IPS News , Press Release , Study , Synopsis