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September 5, 2016
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama ratified the Paris Climate Treaty on behalf of their respective nations on Saturday. The announcement preceded the start of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China. Image courtesy of the U.S. Embassy, The Hague via flickr.com.
On September 3, President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping announced their countries' ratification of the Paris climate accord on Saturday at the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China. China's National People's Congress approved the climate deal Saturday morning, with President Xi stating China will "unwaveringly pursue sustainable development" in support of the Paris treaty. After the signing ceremony, President Obama stated: "Just as I believe the Paris agreement will ultimately prove to be a turning point for our planet, I believe that history will judge today's efforts as pivotal." Referencing recent tensions between China and the United States, Obama added, "Despite our differences on other issues we hope that our willingness to work together on this issue will inspire greater ambition and greater action around the world."
White House press secretary Josh Earnest reiterated that the Paris accord was structured around the President's "existing authority" already granted by Congress, opening the path for the U.S. ratification without additional legislative approval. Ratification by the United States and China is viewed as essential to the climate accord's success, as the two nations account for 38 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions combined. The accord requires at least 55 countries representing 55 percent of global emissions to ratify before the agreement enters into force. Additional climate proposals to be discussed between the United States and China at the summit include the phase-out of HFCs under the Montreal Protocol and a cap on international aviation emissions.
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Reuters, Guardian, Bloomberg
For the first time, China will provide the United States government the opportunity to review its fossil fuel subsidy records. The arrangement will shed light on China's practices and will facilitate a peer-review of domestic energy policy between the world's two largest economies. Fossil fuel industry subsidies have persisted among the G20 nations, despite a 2009 vow by its leaders to transition away from the practice. The agreement between China and the United States signals a breakthrough, three years after a voluntary process for peer-reviewing fossil fuel subsidies was issued by G20 finance ministers. Liu Shuang with Energy Foundation China said the new transparency would allow China to develop "a reform road map [for domestic policies] … [and] a systematic review of its fossil fuel subsidies [to identify] those that are the least efficient."
South China Morning Post
On August 31, the White House announced nearly $40 million in new program funds to assist Pacific Islands in climate adaptation and the development of clean energy resources. The programs include support for 12 island nations through USAID, technical assistance and training for organizations across multiple countries to pursue adaptation planning, and aid to local governments to combat natural disaster risks. The funds will also create a climate risk insurance program for Pacific Islands, in partnership with the World Bank. The clean energy efforts feature a public-private energy technology accelerator program facilitated by the U.S. Navy and the creation of a joint Department of Energy and State Department program to help Pacific Islands overcome their current reliance on fuel imports. The announcement came as President Obama began his trans-Pacific swing en route to the G20 summit in China with stops at Lake Tahoe, Honolulu, and the newly expanded Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
The Hill, Press Release
The current agreement for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a carbon cap and trade system among nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, expires in 2020. The participating states are currently debating how the program will continue into the next decade, if at all. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is proposing to cut the emissions cap by five percent each year from 2020 to 2031, doubling the current annual rate. The governors of New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Connecticut are also in favor of the plan (or something similar). “We think it’s important to get the maximum greenhouse gas reductions we can,” said Commissioner Martin Suuberg of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, “but we still have a lot of work to do with the other states.” The other states — Delaware, Maine, Maryland, and New Hampshire — have reservations. “If the caps are unacceptable, we’ll have to talk about the next steps,” said Maryland environment secretary Ben Grumbles, adding, “pulling out is an option, but it’s not the preferred option. We’re not issuing an ultimatum, but this matters a lot to us.” RGGI states have cut emissions by 37 percent since the program began in 2008.
Boston Herald
On August 31, Australia’s Climate Change Authority (CCA) released a report on how the country can meet its 2030 carbon emissions target of 26 percent below 2005 levels. Formed in 2012, the CCA is an independent panel of ten government-appointed experts that advise the Australian government on climate policy. The CCA report recommends creating two separate emissions trading schemes: a carbon intensity-based program for the electric sector, and a cap-and-trade system for the industrial, manufacturing, and resource sectors. The report also recommends strengthening efficiency standards for buildings and light-duty vehicles, among other regulations. Australia’s energy and environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, responded by calling it a “report to, not by, government” and that there were no plans for the government to follow CCA’s advice. Environmental groups criticized the CCA report for not developing a stricter plan that would help the country meet its commitments to the Paris climate treaty, while two CCA members announced plans to release a dissenting report in the near future.
Sydney Morning Herald, Guardian, Guardian
A study published by University College London and the Carbon War Room found commercial ship owners are typically unable to reap the benefits of more fuel-efficient vessels. In one instance, a large cargo ship saved $1.5 million in fuel over the performance of a similarly-sized ship with a worse efficiency rating. However, the current structure of the charter shipping market meant all the money saved on fuel went to the cargo owner, with none granted to the ship owner. Maritime shipping is responsible for two to three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but is not included in the Paris climate treaty. James Mitchell of the Carbon War Room said, “transparent data on operational efficiency would … help rebalance the power dynamic in negotiations," while Mark Clintworth of the European Investment Bank believes the finance sector is in a position to "reshape the makeup of the global shipping fleet through their investment decisions.”
Climate Change News, Report
According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA), the U.S. energy sector is on track to emit approximately 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from natural gas in 2016, exceeding the 1.4 million metric tons that is projected for coal. This will mark the first year that natural gas eclipses coal on this measure, after being roughly equal in 2015. Oil is still the leading source of CO2 emissions in the U.S. energy sector and is on track to emit 2.3 billion metric tons in 2016. Between 2000 and 2007, annual natural gas and coal CO2 emissions were about 1.2 billion and 2.1 billion metric tons, respectively. But the balance began to shift in 2008, resulting in roughly equal emissions in 2015. Experts point out, however, that the production of natural gas leads to substantial methane emissions, causing a significant climate impact.
Climate Central
Researchers have discovered an inexpensive means of measuring carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by assessing the properties of grass located downwind. The new method is viewed as a breakthrough in independently verifying carbon emissions, which is particularly valuable in cases where power plants are subject only to self-reporting their emissions data. The method revolves around the fact that carbon dioxide produced from fossil fuel combustion contains zero amounts of radiocarbon, while naturally occurring carbon dioxide contains high amounts of radiocarbon. Researchers measured the amount of radiocarbon present in grass samples and compared it with known emission rates obtained from the power plant operator to determine how much carbon dioxide actually originated from the facility. Study author Jocelyn Turnbull of GNS Science explained, "Our next steps are to go out and do this in the 'real world' where we don't know what the emissions should be, and see if the power plant people are emitting what they say they are."
Stuff (New Zealand), PNAS
The state of Alaska is experiencing an influx of invasive tick species, prompting health concerns for humans and wildlife. According to a study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, non-native brown and American dog ticks, Rocky Mountain wood ticks, deer ticks, and Lone Star ticks have all been discovered in the region. Experts are alarmed by the trend, since ticks are a potential carrier of serious diseases like Lyme and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Some of the ticks sampled traveled on humans and animals from more southern regions, but not all. Kimberlee Beckman, a veterinarian with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, described the situation: "It appears the American dog tick is established in Alaska. We've been isolated from these because we've been cold and haven't had these ticks here. We're very vulnerable and tick-borne diseases are the most rapidly spreading diseases in the U.S."
Alaska Dispatch News
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