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September 2, 2014
GAO Has No Objection to Social Cost of Carbon Process
On August 25, a report was released by Government Accountability Office (GAO) finding that the “social cost of carbon” estimate done by the U.S. Government was properly developed. The social cost of carbon, an estimate of the indirect damage from the increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels which cause climate change, was originally introduced in 2010 and then increased 50 percent by the Obama administration in 2013. It currently stands at $35 per metric ton of CO2. While the raised estimate was included in the cost-benefit analysis for the Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan, opponents argued it overestimated the costs of carbon emissions, and in turn overstated the benefit of climate policies. The GAO report was requested by several members of Congress, including Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) and Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA). GAO conducted its review by interviewing more than 20 members of the interagency task force which raised the social cost of carbon estimate. GAO said, “None of the participants we spoke with expressed concerns about how their contributions were incorporated into the final Technical Support Document. Many participants confirmed that the working group relied largely on existing academic literature and models to develop its estimates.” Based on the findings, GAO did not recommend that the agencies or the White House change the estimate of the social cost of carbon.
For more information see:
Inside Climate News, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Report
White House Press Secretary Discusses U.S. Policy for U.N. Climate Talks
On August 27, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest stated the White House would consider a non-binding deal on climate emissions instead of a binding international treaty, due to the likelihood that the Senate would not ratify such a treaty. The White House was responding to a New York Times (NYT) article published August 26, “Obama Pursuing Climate Accord in Lieu of Treaty,” which said the White House policy in upcoming United Nations (UN) talks on climate change would likely aim for a “sweeping international climate change agreement . . . without ratification from Congress.” Earnest reminded press that the negotiations have not begun, making Congress’s role unclear, but added, “We would not want to enter a situation where we did try to broker an agreement that did require some sort of Senate ratification and then have that fall victim once again . . . to dysfunction in Congress.” The NYT article posited that the UN deal would “name and shame” countries in a mix of voluntary international pledges for emissions cuts and legally binding domestic policy commitments. The “name and shame” policy would not require Senate ratification. Press Secretary Earnest commented that he “certainly wouldn’t rule out that strategy.”
The Hill, Energy Guardian, The New York Times
Federal Government Protects 20 Species of Coral Threatened by Climate Change
On August 27, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) added 20 types of coral onto the threatened species list, due in part to the detrimental impacts of climate change. Climate change increases the temperature of oceans, makes seawater more acidic and accelerates the development of coral diseases such as bleaching. NOAA originally looked at 66 species, but narrowed it down to 20 after much consideration. The listed species are located off the coast of Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa. Elliott Norse, founder and chief scientist of the Marine Conservation Institute of Seattle, said, “There is a growing body of expert scientists talking about a risk of mass extinction in the sea and on land. . . [Coral] are organisms on the front line of anything that humans do.” Added to the two threatened coral species NOAA listed in 2006, there are in total 22 species of coral now protected by the federal government. Norse added, “I hope this wakes people up and we don't have to lose more coral.”
ABC News, Energy Guardian, New York Times, NOAA
13 States Say EPA Carbon Regulation Is Missing Legally Required Information
On August 25, the Attorneys General from 13 states sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), stating that EPA’s Clean Power Plan, proposed June 2014, violated the Clean Air Act by not providing supportive data for the regulation. Attorneys from Wyoming, Indiana, and Montana wrote in the letter, “These docketing requirements are nondiscretionary. Finalizing a rule without providing parties with the technical information necessary for meaningful comment renders the final rule unlawful.” The letter was written by the Attorney General of West Virginia, with support from Attorneys General from Nebraska, Oklahoma, Alabama, Indiana, South Carolina, Kansas, South Dakota, Louisiana, Wyoming, Montana, Ohio, and North Dakota. The attorneys said EPA could either withdraw the rule, or provide correct data to move the Clean Power Plan forward. Responding to the letter, Liz Purchia, an EPA spokeswoman, said the EPA regulation is legal, and added that many recent federal court cases have been decided in favor of EPA air regulations. This letter comes from the same 12 states which filed suit against the EPA for the Clean Power Plan on August 1 of this year, plus Montana (see Climate Change News August 11).
The Hill, Letter
California Raises $331 Million in Recent Carbon Auction
On August 18, multiple companies – including BP, Chevron, Edison International, PG&E, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley – paid $331.8 million of a total 22.5 million carbon credits in California’s quarterly cap and trade auction, according to the California Air Resources Board. The permits can be used this year. An additional 6.47 million credits were also sold as “advance allowances,” and will be available for use in 2017. California’s cap and trade auction keeps companies’ bids confidential, and awards permits first to the highest bidder, continuing until all permits have been accounted for. After all the permits have been awarded, the bidders all pay the price from the lowest winning offer. The state reportedly received 1.14 bids per permit offered in this year’s auction, arriving at a final price of $11.50 per ton. “The results were roughly in line with expectations,” said Lenny Hochschild, who is in charge of global carbon markets at Evolution Markets.
Businessweek.com, Environmental Leader, Sacbee.com
Climate Reality Project to Present “24 Hours of Reality” in September
On August 27, The Climate Reality Project (CRP), one of the world’s biggest organizations “dedicated to mobilizing action around climate change,” announced it would be airing its fourth annual broadcast of “24 Hours of Reality” from Brooklyn, New York on September 16-17 of this year—one week before the United Nations Climate Summit. The 24 Hours of Reality event first aired on the idea that “much can change in a day,” and encourages viewers to dedicate a day to combat climate change. During each hour of the broadcast, former Vice President and Chairman of the CRP Al Gore, along with various other celebrities and public figures, will introduce efforts already underway addressing climate change around the world, and will discuss how the public can help by taking further action. “Climate change is big and complex, but that means there are hundreds of ways to contribute. Whether it’s a parent organizing a renewable energy fair at school, or a young professional pledging to become a Climate Reality Leader, or a student working to elect a clean energy candidate, we all have different ways and different days to contribute,” commented Ken Berlin, the CEO and president of CRP.
PR Newswire, 24 Hours of Reality, Climate Reality Project
Offshore Methane Leaks Discovered
On August, 24, a new study on methane leakage was published in Nature Geoscience, finding that 570 seeps on the seafloor are releasing methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, along the East Coast of the United States. The study estimates 90 tonnes of methane may be released annually, due to the break down of ice on the seafloor with high methane content. The ice is likely thawing due to warming waters on the bottom of the ocean. Adam Skarke, one of the lead authors of this study and professor at Mississippi State University, said, “The discovery of widespread methane seepage on the northern U.S. Atlantic margin was indeed surprising. This is because [it] lacks the geological properties commonly known to be associated with widespread seafloor methane emissions.” Before this study was published, scientists had only identified three methane seeps on the edge of the continental shelf. This means that significant amounts of methane emissions have not been accounted for in carbon budgets for global warming. However, authors of this study also explained that the actual influences on climate change from these methane emissions from the sea floor are unclear. Skarke said, “The methane is dissolving into the ocean at depths of hundreds of meters and being oxidized into carbon dioxide. But it is important to say we simply don’t have any evidence in this paper to suggest that any carbon coming from these seeps is entering the atmosphere.” Scientists suggest that further research is needed on seafloor methane release – the study states, “tens of thousands of seeps could be discoverable.”
Washington Post, Scientific American, New York Times, U.S. Geological Survey, Study
Study Shows Cutting Carbon Emissions Has Health-Benefits that Outweigh Costs
On August 24, a new study was released from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which stated that the rate of health problems, such as asthma, will decrease if carbon emissions decrease. Noelle Selin, an assistant professor engineering systems and atmospheric chemistry at MIT, said, "Carbon-reduction policies significantly improve air quality. In fact, policies aimed at cutting carbon emissions improve air quality by a similar amount as policies specifically targeting air pollution." By studying three policies that reduce the same amount of carbon emissions, the study concluded that savings on health care spending could be up to 10 times more than the cost of implementing a carbon reductions policy. One of the study authors, Tammy Thompson, said, “If cost-benefit analyses of climate policies don't include the significant health benefits from healthier air, they dramatically underestimate the benefits of these policies.” The connections between air pollution and health have been well-established by other reports from institutions such as World Health Organization (WHO), Texas A&M University and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr. Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director –General Family, Women and Children’s Health, said, “Cleaning up the air we breathe prevents non-communicable diseases as well as reduces disease risks among women and vulnerable groups, including children and the elderly.”
HNGN, Study
New Website Showcases Personal Feelings of Climate Scientists
This month a website was set up by Joe Duggan, a Masters student at Australian National University, to present scientists’ feelings about climate change. Through hand written letters, climate scientists expressed their fears about climate change, and their frustration and disappointment in climate change policies. Andrew Pitman, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science at University of New South Wales, wrote, “In equal measure, climate change makes me feel frustrated that my community cannot overcome ignorance and apathy. I feel scared that I cannot trigger action. I feel scared about what the future brings. But most of all, to be honest, I feel challenged by the science, I feel invigorated by how bright my group is, and I feel very lucky that each day brings new challenges to confront and sometimes to overcome." Joe Duggan hopes that this website can help convince the public that climate change is happening. He said, “If people can't connect with the statistics and data, maybe they can connect with someone who understands that data.”
National Journal, Grist, Site
Women’s Hearts at Risk from Black Carbon Pollution
On August 25, researchers found increased exposure to black carbon, a potent short-lived climate pollutant, significantly impacts the health of women’s hearts, according to a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. The study followed 280 women in rural China and found that exposure to black carbon from traditional wood cookstoves doubles women’s blood pressure, which directly impacts heart disease. Close to half the world’s population still cooks this way. Women living near highways received additional exposures of black carbon from traffic emissions, leading to an almost threefold increase in blood pressure levels. Black carbon, more commonly known as soot, is the second leading cause of global warming after carbon dioxide. It consists of tiny black particles released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels, wood, and waste. Almost 30 percent of waste burned worldwide produces black carbon particulates fine enough to lodge deep into lungs. Black carbon also coats Arctic ice, leaving a dark layer which absorbs heat, accelerating the rate of warming in the Arctic. “Cutting black carbon pollution from stoves and traffic is a win-win for the climate and human health,” said Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development. “In addition, cutting black carbon and the other short-lived climate pollutants can cut the rate of global warming by half and Arctic warming by two-thirds through mid-century. We need a crash course that starts today.”
Washington Post, The China Post, Study
Study Says Climate Change May Happen More Slowly the Next Ten Years
On August 22, the journal Science published a new study, Varying Planetary Heat Sink Led to Global-Warming Slowdown and Acceleration. Main authors Xianyao Chen and Ka-Kit Tung, found that global warming will continue to be slower than predicted rates due to heat transference from the surface to deep water in the Atlantic Ocean. The transfer is part of a 30-year cycle which has one decade remaining. The study authors say this cycle has caused the recently observed “hiatus” or “pause” in global warming, adding that the pause will continue for the next ten years, after which surface temperature rise will accelerate. Tung said, “The finding is a surprise, since the current theories had pointed to the Pacific Ocean as the culprit for hiding heat. But the data are quite convincing and they show otherwise.” John Michael Wallace, a professor emeritus of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington, said, “I’m glad to see that it is attracting attention in the scientific community . . . I hope this will lead to a broader discussion about the contribution of natural variability to local climate trends and to the statistics of extreme events.” Some scientists expressed caution about the study’s findings. Andrew Dessler, professor at Texas A&M University, commented, “I do think that ocean variability may have played a role in the lack of warming in the middle of the 20th century . . . But the argument that the hiatus will last for another decade or two is very weak and I would not put much faith in that.” Joshua K. Willis, who is from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also expressed hesitation about relying on the study findings. He said, “Until we clear up whether there has been some kind of accelerated warming at depth in the real ocean, I think these results serve as interesting hypotheses about why the rate of surface warming has slowed-down, but we still lack a definitive answer on this topic.”
Times, The Guardian, New York Times, Study
Headlines
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1. Documents from ALEC Conference Reveal Climate Change Denial Panels
2. Scientists Find Long Island Sound Seawater Becoming More Acidic
3. Scientists Say Climate Change Will Not Damage Fruit Production for 50 years
4. New Hampshire Senate Candidate Scott Brown Denies Climate Change
5. Japanese Tech Firms Helping Farmers Fight Climate Change
6. Controversy Over Climate-Change Ebola Links
7. Burning Man Starts Initiative “Cooling Man” to Offset Carbon Emissions
Authors: Yi Xu and Emily Jackson
Editor: Laura Small
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