Climate Change News - October 29, 2012

No Mention of Climate Change during Presidential Debates

Despite the efforts of many groups and individuals concerned about climate change, the third and final debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney on October 22 did not include a mention of the issue, which means that this presidential debate cycle is the first since 1984 without a climate change reference. After NASA scientist James Hansen briefed Congress about global warming in 1988, the vice-presidential debate that year between Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bentsen included a discussion about how it was time to take action. In response to the dearth of climate change discussion during the debates, Andrew Revkin, senior fellow at Pace University and longtime New York Times environmental reporter, said, “I would have liked for it to have been mentioned, preferably in foreign policy debate. . .But in a way perhaps it's good that it wasn't, because that would cast the issue in terms of a debate. In other words, there would basically be a false polarization of an issue that Obama quietly – and I think Romney, if he got into office – quietly would be working on, which is the root our climate problem, which are our energy policies."

For additional information see: Guardian , Huffington Post , Slate , MTV

U.S. Court Hears Arguments about Listing Polar Bears as “Threatened” due to Climate Change

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard oral arguments on October 19 challenging the federal district court’s ruling that approved the listing of polar bears as a “threatened” species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA, P.L. 93-205) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in 2008. This landmark case is the first time a species with a currently healthy population has been listed as “threatened” due to the possible future effects of climate change on their habitat. The state of Alaska, along with several other groups, argued that the decision by the FWS to designate polar bears as “threatened” was based on faulty science and point to the fact the current population of the bears are “numerous and widespread.” The FWS countered, stating that the designation was based on the “best available science [showing] that sea ice declines cause nutritional stress and weight loss and, ultimately, affect mortality and reproduction,” which will lead to a two-thirds loss of the world’s polar bear population by the year 2050.

For additional information see: E&E Publishing , Reuters

Changing Climate Presents New Security Issue in the Arctic

Once impenetrable, the waters off the coast of northern Alaska are becoming navigable because of global climate change. Thawing ice sheets open up new possibilities for shipping lanes and access to sought-after natural resources (see September 24 issue). Northern Alaska is the least defended coastline of the United States due to its volatile weather, shifting ice conditions, poor radio communication and isolation from supply bases. However, Coast Guard forces are beginning to detect increased shipping activity above the Northwestern Passage. In August, up to 95 ships ranging from fuel barges to sailboats could be seen in one day. U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Thomas P. Ostebo, Commander of the 17th District in Alaska, warns that, “There’s probably 1,500 people out there. It’s kind of spinning a little bit out of control.” While U.S. officials do not see the need for a full-scale military presence in the region for several decades, there is concern that terrorists, drug dealers and arms merchants will use the new passageways. In preparation, the Coast Guard ran its most extensive Arctic patrol mission this summer to set up remote communication stations and temporary operating bases. However, when asked about the ability to withstand the harsh Arctic conditions, former Navy Commander Christopher Gray stated, “Does the Navy have the ability to go up and operate a number of ships, a number of aircraft, for a sustained period of time in this environment, where it’s cold, it’s got bad weather, it’s got a lot of ice, and it’s really far away from everything that supports you? What we found is that the answer is, not really.”

For additional information see: Los Angeles Times

Japan’s Shift from Nuclear Power Increasing GHG Emissions

A Japanese government report released in September stated that Japan will not meet its 2009 pledge to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 25 percent from 1990 levels by the year 2020 due to the government’s decision to shut down 48 of its 50 nuclear reactors in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Japan was planning to rely heavily on nuclear power to meet its Kyoto Protocol goals (a 5 percent cut in GHG emissions per year from 1990 levels from 2008-2012) and its individual pledge of a 25 percent cut in GHG emissions. Japan’s lack of investment in renewable energy has left a gap in electricity production that is being filled with an increase in electricity generation from oil- and gas-fired power plants. This increase in fossil fuel electricity production has led the government to predict that GHG emissions in 2012 will rise to 1.32 billion tons, the highest level since 2007. Government officials estimate that the country will only cut emissions five to nine percent by 2020 and will be unable to achieve the 25 percent goal. Japan also estimates that 2030 emission levels will be 13 percent higher than they would have been with the use of nuclear power. To fulfill its Kyoto Protocol commitments, Japan has purchased emission credit offsets from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Latvia. However, Japan, which represents about four percent of global GHG emissions, has stated that it will not sign on to a renewal of the Kyoto Protocol after the end of the first commitment period in 2012, because the greatest emitters of GHG emissions (including China, Brazil, India, and the United States) refuse to join any global commitment.

For additional information see: Washington Post

Governments and Companies Pay to Preserve Oil under Amazon Rainforest

In an effort to protect the Ecuadorian rainforest and avoid greenhouse gas emissions, companies and international governments are contributing to a conservation plan that pays Ecuador not to drill for oil in the Yasuni region of the Amazon Rainforest basin. The initiative has raised $200 million for conservation and renewable energy projects since its enactment in 2010 by Ecuador President Rafael Correa. In addition to protecting wildlife and indigenous people’s livelihoods, the initiative has avoided the release of 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by preventing deforestation and the extraction of oil. The head of the initiative, Ivonne Baki, said that, “Opinion polls show that 90 percent of Ecuador's people favor the current policy.”

For additional information see: Reuters

Despite Some Improvement, the World Bank Urges Further Reductions in Gas Flaring

On October 24, the World Bank reported that flaring of ‘waste’ gas that is emitted during the extraction of oil was reduced 30 percent since 2005, but that $50 billion of natural gas is still flared annually. Countries such as Mexico and Azerbaijan have reducing flaring by more than 50 percent in recent years. Other countries, such as Qatar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, trap the natural gas and use it to generate electricity. Rachel Kyte, the World Bank vice president for sustainable development, called on countries to reduce flaring 30 percent in the next five years, saying, “It's a realistic goal. Given the need for energy in so many countries – one in five people in the world are without electricity – we simply cannot afford to waste this gas anymore.” The World Bank estimates that gas flaring in the top 20 countries combined emits the same amount of greenhouse gases as the nation of Italy. The United States flares the second largest amount of gas, after Russia, and emissions increased nearly 50 percent from 2010 to 2011 due to expanded oil drilling in regions like the Bakken Basin in the Dakotas.

For additional information see: Guardian

Ozone Hole Reduced to Second Smallest Size in 20 Years

The hole in the stratospheric ozone layer over the Antarctic is the second smallest size in 20 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The results indicate progress in efforts to reduce ozone-depleting substances. The ozone layer is on the way to recover by 2065 thanks to the unprecedented success of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development said, “This is the world's most successful environmental treaty. Every country is a party and every country takes mandatory mitigation measures. The result is the complete phase out of nearly 100 chemicals that both destroy the ozone layer and warm the climate.” Proposals are pending to strengthen climate protection under the Montreal Protocol by phasing down production and use of hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs, which are ‘super’ greenhouse gases with warming potential several orders of magnitude greater than carbon dioxide (August 6 issue).

For additional information see: LiveScience

Changing Climate Influencing Caribbean Resorts

Island nations in the Caribbean are grappling with the effects of climate change on the tourism industry. Rising sea levels, hurricanes and severe flooding cause millions of dollars in property and infrastructure damage each year. In Dominica, where villages are often evacuated for severe flooding events, the government has created a climate change department to handle the challenges induced by changing weather phenomena. One solution is to diversify tourism by promoting inland attractions such as biodiversity. Valmiki Kempadoo, hotelier and social entrepreneur, claims, “The climate away from the beaches is much better. It’s an incredibly fertile place where we can grow all these amazing exotic tropical fruits and vegetables that we have a world class collection of.” Kempadoo urges hotels to move further inland to be protected from rising sea levels. Inland activities such as nature hikes and island scenic drives are targeted as potential new tourism ventures. The Jungle Bay Hotel in Dominica is already leading the migration inland. Hotel owner Sam Raphael says, “We are working with the electricity company to produce alternative energy in the form of wind. We are encouraging the hotels to do solar energy to replace fuel costs. But the sustainable tourism thing is where we’re heading.”

For additional information see: InterPress Service

Cement Producers to Reduce Carbon Emissions

Concrete production is responsible for five percent of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted worldwide. On October 4, driven by a desire to reduce energy costs and supply a greener building material, a leading concrete industry group announced plans to cut the sector’s GHG emissions in half by 2030. Robert Garbini, president of the industry group National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, asserts, “We feel that it’s important that producers of this basic building material should be falling in place with sustainable practices.” Concrete is made of four readily available materials: cement, water, sand, and rocks. Half of the concrete GHG are emitted during the production of cement. To make cement, the industry bakes limestone at 1,400 degrees Celsius in coal, natural gas, or oil-fired kilns. In order to improve concrete production efficiency Garbini says that, “The first 90 percent of efficiency gains is achieved by grabbing the low-hanging fruit. The next five percent becomes exponentially more difficult, more expensive.” Target solutions to reduce GHG emissions include reducing electricity and water consumption, lowering fuel costs, and recycling concrete. Additionally, byproducts of coal combustion and steel production – fly ash and silica fume – can also be used as cement replacements to reduce costs and emissions. Meanwhile, scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are using quantum mechanics to explore chemical bonds in cement that will reveal new production methods that are less energy intensive. Hamiln Jennings, head of MIT’s Concrete Sustainability Hub, said that the research is “moving at blinding speed.” Jennings continued, “Things are emerging, and they may provide some breakthroughs.”

For additional information see: E&E Publishing , Press Release

Study Finds that the United States Will Meet 2020 GHG Emissions Goals

A new study released this October by Resources for the Future (RFF) concludes that the United States is on track to achieve the 17 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2005 levels by 2020 to which President Barack Obama committed at the 2009 international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen. The study makes this prediction based on market forces shifting away from coal-fired generation and the implementation of various federal and state regulatory measures, including the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards and state renewable energy portfolio standards. The RFF study predicts that these forces will reduce U.S. GHG emissions more than the proposed federal cap and trade system would have. “This comes as a surprise, and should be seen as good news for those concerned about global climate change,” said lead author Dallas Burtraw, a senior fellow at RFF.

For additional information see: Bloomberg Businessweek , Study

Scientists Link Warmer Climate with Increased Violent Conflict

A study published on October 22 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concludes that, “The relationship between temperature and conflict shows that much warmer-than-normal temperatures raise the risk of violence.” The research team lead by John O’Loughlin, a geography professor at the University of Colorado, analyzed whether temperature and precipitation influenced 16,359 separate violent events across nine East African countries between 1990 and 2009. The findings suggest that warming temperatures threaten crop harvests and grasslands, which forces people to fight for scarce resources. Conversely, increases in precipitation reduce the threat of conflict. O’Loughlin concludes that, “We should expect to see more of these kinds of wars, with climate as the triggering factor.”

For additional information see: USA Today , Study

Study Reveals Mixed Antarctic Ice Changes

A study published October 21 in the journal Nature finds that previous estimates of Antarctica’s ice melt and contribution to global sea rise were overestimated. Previous studies estimated Antarctic ice melt as high as 246 gigatonnes a year. Using new data and analysis from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites, a team from the University of Tasmania found that while the western Antarctic is experiencing glacial melting, the eastern Antarctic glaciers are growing, and the net result is an annual ice loss of 69 gigatonnes. This amount equates to approximately a one millimeter rise per year in ocean water levels. Lead author Matt King, a professor at the University of Tasmania, stated that, “We’re confident that the ice cover is shrinking, and the rate along the Amundsen [eastern] Sea coast is accelerating.” Moreover, Professor King stated that the study found that, “Sea level rise can be expected to change quite sharply if the melt rate continues to increase, on top of what’s already happening.”

For additional information see: Sydney Morning Herald , Study

East Coast Seabed Methane Shows Signs of Destabilizing

A study published October 24 in the journal Nature finds that a shift in the Gulf Stream has caused methane sequestered deep in the Atlantic Ocean off the U.S. East Coast to destabilize. The methane is stored in a frozen mixture with water called methane hydrate. The warmer waters from the Gulf Stream have unsettled the frozen methane hydrates which could weaken sediments and also release methane into the atmosphere. The study estimates that 2.5 gigatonnes of methane hydrate along the U.S. Atlantic Coast could be destabilized. Study co-author Matthew Hornbach, professor of marine geology at Southern Methodist University said, “We know methane hydrates exist here [along the U.S. Atlantic Coast] and, if warming continues, it can potentially lead to less stable sediments in this region.” The study cautions, “It is unlikely that the western North Atlantic margin is the only area experiencing changing ocean currents. Our estimate. . .may therefore represent only a fraction of the methane hydrate currently destabilizing globally.” The climate impact of the melting methane hydrates is still unclear. Carolyn Ruppel, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, states, “We don’t need to worry about any huge blow of methane into the atmosphere.”

For additional information see: Nature , NBC News , Study

Study: Geoengineering Sunshades Could Reverse Climate Change

A study released October in the journal Nature Climate Change suggests that geoengineering sunshades to reflect solar energy could substantially abate climate change. Geoengineered sunshades are created by injecting chemical aerosols that reflect solar energy into the upper atmosphere. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology modeled three different sunshade geoengineering scenarios in their study: a uniform global sunshade, one sunshade over each pole, and a whole-planet sunshade that was thickest over the North Pole and gradually thinned as it spread over the equator and southern hemisphere. The study found that regional sunshades at the poles produced the best results for combating rising global temperatures because universal sunshades resulted in wide climate disparities in various parts of the world. The report concluded that by employing a sunshade over the North Pole that reduced the sun’s rays by 0.5 percent, the entire Arctic sea ice extent could be returned to pre-industrial levels while also bringing average global temperatures and rainfall close to pre-industrial levels.

For additional information see: NewScientist , U.S. News , Study