Keystone XL Decision Will Test President's Climate Change Pledge

Jan 23: Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), John Hoeven (R-ND), Max Baucus (D-MT.) and a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to approve the Keystone XL pipeline following Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman's approval of the route through Nebraska Tuesday [See WIMS 1/22/13]. In one day's time, the letter gained 53 signatures, a majority of the U.S. Senate. Senators in addition to Murkowski, Hoeven and Baucus who attended the news conference included, Mark Pryor (D-AR), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), David Vitter (R-LA), Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND). The full text of the letter reads as follows:

Dear Mr. President:

"Nebraska recently approved a new Keystone XL Pipeline route. Four and a half years after TransCanada first applied for a Presidential Permit, and a year since you denied their original request, the project still awaits your approval. Nebraska has now addressed the outstanding concerns you raised when you denied the permit, and we therefore urge you to finish expeditiously the review process and approve the pipeline. Specifically, the new pipeline route in Nebraska avoids the Sand Hills, which you cited as a concern in your denial. The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality determined the pipeline would have minimal environmental impact and would generate significant economic benefits in the state of Nebraska. This is on top of the thousands of good-paying union jobs and millions of dollars in economic development for our country as a whole, none of which cost any taxpayer money. The pipeline is also a major step toward American energy security. Canada plans to develop this oil resource and the only question is whether we receive the oil from our friend and ally or whether Canada is forced to look for new partners in Asia because we turned them away.

"On March 22, 2012, you directed federal agencies to accelerate approval of vital energy infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL Pipeline.  We strongly urge you to direct the State Department to accelerate the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and quickly complete the National Interest Determination. 

"This should be able to be done quickly since your administration has previously made a National Interest Determination on the same key factors relevant to Keystone XL.  In 2009, with respect to the Alberta Clipper Pipeline, the State Department 'found that the addition of crude oil pipeline capacity between Canada and the United States will advance a number of strategic interests of the United States. These included increasing the diversity of available supplies among the United States' worldwide crude oil sources in a time of considerable political tension in other major oil producing countries and regions; shortening the transportation pathway for crude oil supplies; and increasing crude oil supplies from a major non-Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries producer. Canada is a stable and reliable ally and trading partner of the United States, with which we have free trade agreements which augment the security of this energy supply.'

"The factors supporting the National Interest Determination in 2009 are just as relevant today.  Some constituencies have called on you to deny the pipeline and the jobs and energy security associated with it.  Because the pipeline has gone through the most exhaustive environmental scrutiny of any pipeline in the history of this country, and you already determined that oil from Canada is in the national interest, there is no reason to deny or further delay this long-studied project.  

"We ask you not to move the goalposts as opponents of this project have pressed you to do. We urge you to choose jobs, economic development and American energy security.  It is vital for the country that you promptly finalize the SEIS and the National Interest Determination and approve the pipeline.     "The State Department has said that it would issue the final SEIS before the end of the first quarter of 2013.  After four and a half years of study, we urge you to stick to your deadlines.  The American people need a timely decision on the Presidential Permit.

"Thank you for your consideration."

    Last November, Baucus and Hoeven organized a bipartisan letter signed by 18 senators, nine Republicans and nine Democrats, calling on the president to approve the Keystone XL project once Nebraska's concerns were addressed. They also asked to meet with the president to discuss the project, but to date they are still awaiting a response from the White House.

    On the House side, Energy and Commerce Committee Republican leaders pledged continued action in support of the Keystone XL pipeline following Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman's approval of the proposed reroute of the pipeline through the Cornhusker state. Now that the Nebraska process is complete, the next step is for the president to approve the Presidential Permit. Full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY), and Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Lee Terry (R-NE) issued a statement following the governor's announcement saying:

    "Today marks another milestone on the long and tumultuous road toward the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Nebraska has now given its stamp of approval of the landmark infrastructure project, which should alleviate the president's concerns over the proposed route. The pipeline route has been thoroughly studied and found to be environmentally sound. Keystone XL will help create thousands of American jobs and put us on a path toward North American energy independence. This pipeline is clearly in our national interest and it is critical for our economy and our national security that it be approved immediately. We will continue to fight tooth and nail for this pipeline and the jobs it will create and will pursue additional legislation to ensure it is approved and built to completion."

    Additionally, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued a release calling on President Obama to immediately approve the project. He said, "Nebraska's approval of a new Keystone XL pipeline route means there is no bureaucratic excuse, hurdle, or catch President Obama can use to delay this project any further. He and he alone stands in the way of tens of thousands of new jobs and energy security. Every state along the proposed route supports this project, as does a bipartisan coalition in Congress and a majority of Americans. I recognize all the political pressure the president faces, but with our energy security at stake and many jobs in limbo, he should find a way to say yes."

    The Nebraska approval, combined with the growing Congressional political pressure is setting the stage for a highly controversial decision by the President and his Administration -- particularly in light of the President's Inaugural commitment to address the issue of climate change [See WIMS 1/22/13].

    On February 17, President's Day weekend, 350.org, the Sierra Club and the Hip-Hop Caucus are organizing a demonstration at The National Mall, Washington, DC to protest the further development of the Keystone XL pipeline [See WIMS 1/15/13]. In anticipation of the demonstration, the Sierra Club Board of Directors has approved the one-time use of civil disobedience for the first time in the organization's 120-year history.

    On January 7, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and nearly 70 other national and regional organizations released a letter thanking President Obama for repeatedly raising the threat of climate change and highlighted specific actions he can take after his second inauguration to expand clean energy and curb pollution that is altering our climate. Among the specific actions recommended by the group to address climate change concerns they said, "the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is not in our national interest because it would unlock vast amounts of additional carbon that we can't afford to burn, extend our dangerous addiction to fossil fuels, endanger health and safety, and put critical water resources at risk." [See WIMS 1/8/13].

    On January 17, a release from NRDC indicated that scientists and advocates had unveiled new research from Oil Change International showing that the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would damage the climate much more than previously thought, by dramatically expanding tar sands production and because it will lead to increased combustion of a particularly dirty form of oil -- petroleum coke -- known as petcoke [See WIMS 1/17/13]. They said, "The petcoke produced from the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would fuel 5 coal plants and produce 16.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, thus emitting 13% more carbon dioxide than the U.S. State Department has previously considered."

    According to TransCanada, the Keystone XL project developer, the proposed oil pipeline will transport oil from Hardisty, Alberta and Baker, Montana before reaching delivery terminals in Steele City, Nebraska. Keystone XL is estimated to cost about US$5.3 billion to build and will support the creation of 9,000 jobs on the American portion of the pipeline and about 2,200 on the Canadian side. The projected in-service date for Keystone XL is late 2014 or early 2015, subject to approval of the company's Presidential Permit application.

    Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman pointed out in a letter to the President that, "Construction of Keystone XL will result in $418.1 million in economic benefits and support up to 4,560 new or existing jobs in Nebraska. The project will generate $16.5 million in taxes from pipeline construction materials and is expected to yield up to $13 million in local property tax revenues in its first full year of valuation. Normal operation of the pipeline is expected to have no effect on ground or surface water quality or use along the pipeline route in Nebraska. In the unlikely event of a spill from the pipeline, impacts on water resources would be localized and would not impact the Ogallala Aquifer as a whole."

    Access a release from Sen. Murkowski and the letter (click here). Access a release from Sen. Hoeven including the letter and a list of signers (click here). Access the statement from House E&C Republicans (click here). Access a release from Speaker Boehner (click here). Access the release from Sierra Club and link to further details (click here). Access a release from NRDC and link to the complete letter with a list of signers and related NRDC blog postings (click here). Access a lengthy release from NRDC with links to related information (click here). Access the Oil Change International report (click here). Access an announcement from the Nebraska Governor and link to the letter to President Obama (click here). Access a release from TransCanada and link to the Presidential permit application and related information (click here). Access numerous WIMS blog postings on KXL (click here). [#Energy/KXL, #Energy/Pipeline, #Climate]

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International Governments Agree On Minamata Convention On Mercury

Jan 19: International effort to address mercury received a significant boost with governments agreeing to a global, legally-binding treaty to prevent emissions and releases [See WIMS 1/10/13]. Over 750 participants attended the session, representing 137 governments, as well as 57 non-governmental and 14 intergovernmental organizations.

 

    The Minamata Convention on Mercury-named after a city in Japan where serious health damage occurred as a result of mercury pollution in the mid-20th Century-provides controls and reductions across a range of products, processes and industries where mercury is used, released or emitted including medical equipment such as thermometers and energy-saving light bulbs to the mining, cement and coal-fired power sectors. 

 

    The treaty, which has been four years in negotiation and which will be open for signature at a special meeting in Japan in October, also addresses the direct mining of mercury, export and import of the metal and safe storage of waste mercury. Pinpointing populations at risk, boosting medical care and better training of health care professionals in identifying and treating mercury-related effects will also form part of the new agreement.

 

    Mercury and its various compounds have a range of serious health impacts including brain and neurological damage especially among the young. Others include kidney damage and damage to the digestive system. Victims can suffer memory loss and language impairment alongside many other well documented problems.

 

    Initial funding to fast track action until the new treaty comes into force in the expected three to five years' time has been pledged by Japan, Norway and Switzerland. Support for developing countries is also expected from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and a programme once the convention is operational.

 

    Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) which convened the negotiations among over 140 member states in Geneva, said at the close of the session, "After complex and often all night sessions here in Geneva, nations have today laid the foundations for a global response to a pollutant whose notoriety has been recognized for well over a century. Everyone in the world stands to benefit from the decisions taken this week in Geneva -- in particular the workers and families of small-scale gold miners, the peoples of the Arctic and this generation of mothers and babies and the generations to come. I look forward to swift ratification of the Minamata Convention so that it comes into force as soon as possible."

 

    Fernando Lugris, the Uruguayan chair of the negotiations said, "Today in the early hours of 19 January 2013 we have closed a chapter on a journey that has taken four years of often intense but ultimately successful negotiations and opened a new chapter towards a sustainable future. This has been done in the name of vulnerable populations everywhere and represents an opportunity for a healthier and more sustainable century for all peoples." David Lennett from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) representing the Zero Mercury Working Group a global coalition of environmental NGOs said, "This treaty will not bring immediate reductions of mercury emissions. It will need to be improved and strengthened, to make all fish safe to eat. Still, the treaty will phase out mercury in many products and we welcome it as a starting point."

 

The decision to launch negotiations was taken by environment ministers at the 2009 session of the UNEP Governing Council and the final and fifth negotiation took place this week in Geneva. Governments have agreed on a range of mercury containing products whose production, export and import will be banned by 2020 including: batteries, except for 'button cell' batteries used in implantable medical devices; switches and relays; certain types of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs); mercury in cold cathode fluorescent lamps and external electrode fluorescent lamps; soaps and cosmetics; and certain kinds of non-electronic medical devices such as thermometers and blood pressure devices.

    Governments approved exceptions for some large measuring devices where currently there are no mercury-free alternatives including: Vaccines where mercury is used as a preservative have been excluded from the treaty as have products used in religious or traditional activities; and delegates agreed to a phase-down of the use of dental fillings using mercury amalgam.

    The booming price of gold in recent years has triggered a significant growth in small-scale mining where mercury is used to separate gold from the ore-bearing rock. Emissions and releases from such artisanal and small-scale operations and from coal-fired power stations represent the biggest source of mercury pollution world-wide. Workers and their families involved in small-scale gold mining are exposed to mercury pollution in several ways including through inhalation during the smelting. Mercury is also being released into river systems from these small-scale operations where it can contaminate fish, the food chain and people downstream.

    Governments agreed that the treaty will require countries to draw up strategies to reduce the amount of mercury used by small-scale miners. Nations with artisanal and small-scale gold mining operations will draw up national plans within three years of the treaty entering into force to reduce and if possible eliminate the use of mercury in such operations; and, public awareness campaigns and support for mercury-free alternatives will also be part of the plans.

    The new treaty will also control mercury emissions and releases from various large industrial facilities ranging from coal-fired power stations and industrial boilers to certain kinds of smelters handling for example zinc and gold. Waste incineration and cement clinker facilities are also on the list. Nations agreed to install the Best Available Technologies on new power plants and facilities with plans to be drawn up to bring emissions down from existing ones. The negotiations were initially looking to set thresholds on the size of plants or level of emissions to be controlled. But it was decided this week to defer this until the first meeting of the treaty after it comes into force.

    Access a release from UNEP (click here). Access background to the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to prepare a global legally binding instrument on mercury (INC5) (click here). Access a release on the GEF role to fund implementation of a new international treaty (click here). Access opening remarks of the U.S. Department of State at the INC5 meeting (click here). Access a complete 21-page summary of the INC5 meeting from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) (click here). Access the 42-page, latest draft of the Global Mercury Assessment 2013 (click here). Access the 44-page Mercury: Time to Act report (click here). [#Toxics]

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President Highlights Climate Change & Energy In Inaugural Address

Jan 21: President Obama emphasized the need to address climate change and to invest in renewable energy in his second Inaugural Address saying:

"We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity.  We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.  (Applause.)  Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms.  

 

"The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult.  But America cannot resist this transition, we must lead it.  We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise.  That's how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure -- our forests and waterways, our crop lands and snow-capped peaks.  That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God.  That's what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared."

    Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, issued a brief statement saying, "The way the President spoke about climate change in his remarks today was exactly right. Addressing the threat of climate change is about protecting the future for our children and future generations, our most sacred obligation."

 

    Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director, released a statement saying, "The Sierra Club is heartened by President Obama's remarks today in his second inauguration and his renewed vow to respond to the threat of climate disruption. Indeed, in America, our possibilities are limitless, and the Sierra Club's 2.1 million members and supporters urge the president to cement our nation's position as the global clean energy leader by going all in on sustainable energy, holding polluters accountable, and rejecting the dangerous tar sands pipeline. We will work tirelessly to ensure the transition to safe, clean energy sources to fight the most pressing challenge of our time."

   

    Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) commented saying, "The President said it exactly right: 'We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.' We at EDF share the sense of urgency President Obama described. We are fully focused on working with him and many others to achieve climate security and American clean energy innovation." 

   

    Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), issued a statement saying, "This is a call to action against the climate chaos that is sweeping our nation and threatening our future. Now it's time to act. Power plants are our single largest source of carbon pollution. We must cut that pollution. We must do it now, for the sake of our country, our children and the future we share."

 

    Access the complete Inaugural Address (click here). Access the statement from Sen. Boxer (click here). Access the statement from Sierra Club (click here). Access the statement from EDF (click here). Access the statement from NRDC with links to related information (click here). [Climate, #Energy/Renewable]

 

 

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EPA Announces Voluntary Clean Air "PM Advance" Program

Jan 17: U.S. EPA announced a new voluntary clean air program, 'PM Advance,' to help communities continue to meet soot pollution standards, improve air quality and protect public health. PM Advance focuses on working with communities to develop strategies for reducing harmful fine particle emissions.

    Soot, also known as fine particle pollution (PM2.5), can penetrate deep into the lungs and has been linked to a wide range of serious health effects, including premature death, heart attacks, and strokes, as well as acute bronchitis and aggravated asthma among children. On December 14, 2012, EPA updated the national air quality standards for PM2.5 by revising the annual standard to 12 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) [See WIMS 12/14/12]. Updated last in 1997, the revised annual standard will have major economic benefits with comparatively low costs. EPA estimates health benefits of the revised standard would range from $4 billion to over $9 billion per year.

    The PM Advance program is designed to help communities who meet current standards continue to meet the standards. Early work to reduce fine particles, such as PM Advance participation, can be incorporated into required planning. Through the program, participants will commit to taking specific steps to reduce fine particle pollution, such as putting in place a school bus retrofit program or an air quality action day program, while EPA will supply technical advice, outreach information, and other support. While Federal rules are expected to ensure that most areas meet the new standards, areas can participate in PM Advance to help them remain in attainment.

 

    Access a release from EPA (click here). Access more information on the PM Advance program (click here). Access the 40-page PM Advance Memo and Guidance (click here). [#Air]

 

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NAS Report On Security Implications Of Climate & Social Stress

Jan 16: The  National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Research Council (NRC) released a report entitled, Climate and Social Stress: Implications for Security Analysis. The report indicates that "Core features of the climate change situation are known with confidence. The greenhouse effect associated with the carbon dioxide molecule has been measured, as has the dwell time of that molecule and its concentration in the atmosphere. We also know that the rate at which carbon dioxide is currently being added to the atmosphere substantially exceeds the natural rate that prevailed before the rise of human societies. . ."

 

    The report indicates that in principle the "thermal impulse could be mitigated to a degree that would presumably preserve the current operating conditions of human societies, but the global effort required to do that is not being undertaken and cannot be presumed. As a practical matter, that means that significant burdens of adaptation will be imposed on all societies and that unusually severe climate perturbations will be encountered in some parts of the world over the next decade with increasing frequency and severity thereafter.

 

    "There is a compelling reason to presume that specific failures of adaptation will occur with consequences more severe than any yet experienced, severe enough to compel more extensive international engagement than has yet been anticipated or organized. This report has been prepared at the request of the U.S. intelligence community with these circumstances in mind. It summarizes what is currently known about the security effects of climate perturbations, admitting the inherent complexities and the very considerable uncertainties involved. But under the presumption that these effects will be of increasing significance, it outlines the monitoring activities that the intelligence community should be developing in support of improved anticipation, more effective prevention efforts, and more decisive emergency reaction when that becomes necessary."

 

    Further the report indicates that, "The U.S. intelligence community is expected to monitor and provide warnings about a wide variety of security threats -- not only risks of international wars that might threaten U.S. interests or require a U.S. military response, but also risks of violent subnational conflicts in countries of security concern, threats to the stability of states and regions, and risks of major humanitarian disasters in key regions of the world. This intelligence mission requires the consideration of activities and processes anywhere in the world that might lead, directly or indirectly, to threats to U.S. national security.

 

    "In recent years, the accumulation of scientific evidence that the global climate is changing beyond the bounds of past experience has raised expectations of new stresses on societies around the world, creating possible security risks for the

United States. Those stresses include situations in which climate events (e.g., droughts, heat waves, or storms) have consequences that exceed the capacity of affected countries to cope and respond. The U.S. intelligence and security communities have recognized the need to evaluate possible connections between climate change and U.S. national security concerns, and to increase their ability to consider climate change when assessing possible threats to national security."

 

    Among other conclusions, the report indicates, "Security analysts should anticipate that over the next decade, droughts, heat waves, storms, or other climate events of surprising intensity or duration will stress communities, societies, governments, and the globally integrated systems that support human well-being. These surprises are likely to appear first as unusually severe extensions of familiar experience, and the consequences of at least some of these events are likely to be felt in places remote from the regions in which the events occur. They will include both single extreme events and simultaneous or sequential conjunctions of

events; both types will become progressively more serious and more frequent.

 

    "The conjunctions will likely include apparently unrelated climate events that occur closely in time, although perhaps widely separated geographically, such as simultaneous droughts in the southwestern United States and in Argentina; sequences or cascades of events that precipitate unexpected physical or biological consequences; and shocks to globally connected systems, such as food markets, strategic commodity supply chains, and public health systems. Security risks posed by these climate surprises are unlikely to be anticipated by looking only at climate trends and projections. . .

 

    ". . .the U.S. government should begin immediately to develop a systematic and enduring whole-of-government strategy for monitoring threats related to climate change. This monitoring should be globally applicable and should include climate phenomena, exposures and vulnerabilities, and factors that link aspects of climate and vulnerability to important security outcomes. Analysis based on this monitoring will require integrating quantitative indicators with traditional security and intelligence analytic methods; collecting new and finer-grained data while maintaining critical existing observational systems; analyzing new and existing data; and improving analytic techniques."

 

    Access the complete 253-page report (click here). [#Climate]

 

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U.S. EPA Releases Annual Toxics Release Inventory For 2011

Jan 16: U.S. EPA) released its annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) report today indicating that total toxic air releases in 2011 declined 8 percent from 2010, mostly because of decreases in hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions, even while total releases of toxic chemicals increased for the second year in a row. The annual TRI provides citizens with vital information about their communities. The TRI program collects information on certain toxic chemical releases to the air, water and land, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities by facilities across the country. TRI data are submitted annually to EPA, states and tribes by facilities in industry sectors such as manufacturing, metal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste facilities.

    EPA's outgoing Administrator Lisa Jackson said, "The Toxics Release Inventory provides widespread access to valuable environmental information. It plays a critical role in EPA's efforts to hold polluters accountable and identify and acknowledge those who take steps to prevent pollution. Since 1998, we have recorded a steady decline in the amount of TRI chemicals released into the air, and since 2009 alone, we have seen more than a 100 million pound decrease in TRI air pollutants entering our communities. This remarkable success is due in part to the TRI program and concerted efforts by industry, regulators and public interest groups to clean up the air we all depend upon."

    Among the HAPs showing decline were hydrochloric acid and mercury. Likely reasons for the decreases seen over the past several years include installation of control technologies at coal fired power plants and a shift to other fuel sources. Releases into surface water decreased 3 percent and releases to land increased 19 percent since 2010, with the latter again due primarily to the metal mining sector.

    The 2011 TRI data show that 4.09 billion pounds of toxic chemicals were disposed of or released into the environment (i.e., air, water or land), an 8 percent increase from 2010. The difference is mainly due to increases in land disposal at metal mines, which typically involve large facilities handling large volumes of material. In this sector, even a small change in the chemical composition of the ore being mined -- which EPA understands is one of the asserted reasons for the increase in total reported releases -- can lead to big changes in the amount of toxic chemicals reported nationally. Other industry sectors also saw smaller increases in releases, including the hazardous waste management sector.

    EPA indicated that it has improved this year's TRI national analysis report by adding new information about facility efforts to reduce pollution, insights into why air releases are declining, and an enhanced analysis of releases on tribal lands. With this report and EPA's web-based TRI tools, citizens can access information about TRI-listed toxic chemical releases in their communities and across the country.

    Facilities are required to report their toxic chemical releases to EPA under the Federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) by the beginning of July each year. The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 also requires information on waste management activities related to TRI chemicals. Also, EPA's TRI mobile application, myRTK, geographically displays nearby facilities that report to the TRI program, as well as facilities with EPA air, water or hazardous waste program permits.

 

    Access a release from EPA with links to related information (click here). Access more on the 2011 TRI analysis and TRI web-based tools (click here). Access more on facility efforts to reduce toxic chemical releases (click here). [#Toxics]

 

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Black Carbon Climate Impacts "Seriously Underestimated"

Jan 15: A landmark, four-year assessment report, Bounding the role of black carbon in the climate system, published online in the Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Atmospheres, indicates that black carbon (BC) is the second most powerful climate pollutant, ahead of methane, and second only to carbon dioxide. The assessment was lead by T.C. Bond, S. J. Doherty, D. W. Fahey, and P. Forster, and a multinational team of 27 other experts, including prominent scientists from China and India.

 

    According to the assessment, the direct effects of black carbon are nearly twice as large as the 2007 IPCC Fourth Assessment, and in the past its climate impacts have been seriously underestimated, confirming select earlier studies that were once considered outliers, including a study by Ramanathan and Carmichael (2008). Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development, who served as a reviewer of the assessment said, "This landmark assessment shows that the potential to slow warming by cutting black carbon is even more important than previously understood."

    The assessment indicates that, "The best estimate of industrial-era climate forcing of black carbon through all forcing mechanisms, including clouds and cryosphere forcing, is +1.1 Wm-2. The upper end of possible total climate forcing from black carbon could be as high as 2.1Wm-2, more than the current forcing from CO2, at 1.7 Wm-2." The assessment also calculates that BC causes significantly higher forcing over the Arctic and other vulnerable regions. It can also affect rainfall patterns in areas where emissions are high, such as the Asian Monsoon system, confirming earlier studies by Ramanathan et al. (2005) and Meehl et al. (2007).  In addition, the assessment establishes that black carbon is a significant cause of the rapid warming in the Northern Hemisphere at mid- to high-latitudes, including the northern United States, Canada, northern Europe, and northern Asia.

    The assessment establishes that reducing diesel black carbon emissions along with other key sectors including brick kilns and residential solid fuel burning will quickly reduce warming. Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director said, "This new research provides further compelling evidence to act on short-lived climate pollutants, including black carbon. I would urge more countries, companies and organizations to join the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, which is leveraging several key pathways and new partnerships to manage down these climate, health and crop-damaging emissions." The Coalition has projects underway to reduce black carbon emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles and engines, brick production, and municipal waste disposal, and is considering several new initiatives, including for residential cook stoves.

    Since its founding February last year, the Coalition has grown from six to 25 State partners from both developed and developing countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Bangladesh, Mexico, Norway, Japan, and the U.S.  In May the G8 countries agreed to join, and commissioned the World Bank to prepare a report on ways to integrate reduction of near-term climate pollutants into their activities. Pending completion of the report, the World Bank has already pledged significant increases in funding to reduce black carbon and the other short-lived climate pollutants.  Other members include the UN Environment Programme, which houses the Secretariat, the UN Development Programme, and the European Commission, as well as several NGOs. The Coalition's total membership is 49.

    Black Carbon is one of three short-lived climate pollutants targeted for reduction by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, along with methane and HFCs. Fast action on black carbon and methane has the potential to cut the rate of climate change in half for the next several decades, reduce air pollution-related deaths by as much as 2.4 million a year, and annual crop losses by 30 to more than 100 million tonnes, according to a previous assessment of black carbon and tropospheric ozone by UNEP and the World Meteorological Organization.

    The new assessment is being released at the same time as the US's draft third climate assessment report by 240 scientists [See WIMS 1/14/13], which concludes that climate change is already a major threat, "largely because society and its infrastructure were designed for the climate of the past, not for the rapidly changing climate of the present or the future," with longer periods of extreme heat in summer, longer wildfire seasons in the Western US, increasing coastal erosion, and more frequent flooding.

    Zaelke said, "Fast cuts to black carbon and other short-lived climate pollutants are critical for both mitigation and adaptation because they can quickly reduce the rate of warming by half and reduce impacts significantly over the next several decades. Success also builds the momentum and confidence we need to address carbon dioxide from energy production, which is essential for a safe climate." According to a release, "The new assessment and the Coalition are clear that cuts in black carbon and the other short-lived climate pollutants cannot alone protect the Planet and its people from dangerous levels of climate change over the 21st century unless aggressive reductions are also made in carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas."

    On April 2, 2012, U.S. EPA released its final Report to Congress on Black Carbon which was in the making for several years. The October 2009 Interior Appropriations bill (P.L. 111-88) required EPA, in consultation with other Federal agencies, to prepare a comprehensive report to Congress on the climate effects of black carbon [See WIMS 4/3/12]. Black carbon, or soot, results from incomplete combustion of organic matter such as fossil fuels and biomass. The report to Congress evaluates and synthesizes available information on sources of black carbon, impacts of black carbon on global and regional climate, and the potential utility and cost-effectiveness of mitigation options for reducing climate and public health impacts of black carbon.

    Access a release from the United Nations Regional Information Centre with multiple links to related information (click here). Access the JGR overview and abstract (click here). Access the 232-page report (click here). Access a second release from the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (click here). Access the EPA final Report to Congress on Black Carbon (click here). [#Climate]

 

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More On The Draft National Climate Change Assessment

Jan 11: Administration executives including John Holdren, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Jane Lubchenco, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) authored a posting on the White House website announcing the release of the draft Third National Climate Assessment Report (NCA) [See WIMS 1/11/13].

 

    The posting indicates that a committee of independent advisors to the U.S. Government released its first draft of a new National Climate Assessment (NCA) -- a 400-page synthesis of scientists' current understanding of climate change and its impacts in the United States. The officials indicate, "The Global Change Research Act of 1990 calls for an NCA to be produced at least every four years -- the last came out in 2009. The draft NCA is a scientific document -- not a policy document -- and does not make recommendations regarding actions that might be taken in response to climate change. Today is the first time the Government has been presented with this draft and the administration will be one of a number of entities that will begin the process of reviewing it. When completed about a year from now, however -- after considerable inputs from the public and expert reviewers -- it will represent the most thorough, rigorous, and transparent assessment ever of climate change and its U.S. impacts."

    It is indicated that the new NCA has been years in the making, with the draft version released reflecting the efforts of more than 1,000 individuals from the public and private sectors and academia who have been compiling data since 2010. But the officials indicated, ". . .that's just the beginning of the process. Concurrent with our review of this document, the public, starting Monday [January 14, 2013], is also invited to comment on the draft, which will also be painstakingly reviewed by the National Academies. Ultimately, towards the end of this year, a final NCA will be presented to the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which coordinates global-change research activities across the Federal Government. USGCRP will use the Assessment to help pinpoint knowledge gaps and develop research priorities.

    "But equally important, the NCA -- which as a scientific document makes no policy recommendations -- is expected to be used widely by public and private stakeholders who need information about climate change in order to thrive -- from farmers deciding which crops to grow, to city planners deciding the diameter of new storm sewers they are replacing, to electric utilities and regulators pondering how to protect the power grid. To maximize its practical usefulness, the draft document breaks down the impacts of climate change across eight regions of the United States and more than a dozen sectors of the U.S. economy and society, including: energy, transportation, agriculture, health, urban infrastructure, coastal zone development, and water resources.

    "While the specific findings of the draft NCA are still subject to revision in response to inputs from the public, the National Academies, and the 13 Federal departments and agencies that make up the USGCRP, the document released today deserves credit already for setting a new standard of scientific integrity, user relevance, and stakeholder inclusiveness. It was developed with input from more than 240 contributing authors under the leadership of 60 independent expert advisors. More than 1,000 volunteers across the Nation helped build it from the ground-up by organizing regional workshops and contributing technical reports."

    The posting also notes that in a parallel effort, USGCRP recently launched "NCAnet," a growing network of more than 60 stakeholder organizations committed to engaging broad and diverse audiences on this important topic. NCAnet represents a major step toward building the "sustained assessment" process that has been articulated as a strategic goal for USGCRP -- a process that will aim to inform climate-related decisions on continual basis, rather than just every four years.

    During the winter of 2012-2013, the National Climate Assessment will be hosting town hall meetings in each region of the United States. The meetings will bring together climate change experts and users of climate change information, from academia; local, state, tribal, and federal governments; non-profit organizations; and business and industry. Meetings are currently scheduled for: Southwest - San Diego, CA – January 18; Northeast - Syracuse, NY – January 23; Great Plains - Lincoln, NE – February 4; Alaska & Arctic - Anchorage, AK – February 5; Midwest - Ann Arbor, MI – February 12; Southeast - Tampa, FL – February 19; and Northwest - Portland, OR – March 12.

    Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the a brief statement saying, "This draft report sends a warning to all of us: we must act in a comprehensive fashion to reduce carbon pollution or expose our people and communities to continuing devastation from extreme weather events and their aftermath."

    Daniel Lashof, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC's) Climate and Clean Air Program, commented on the draft  Climate Assessment findings saying, "Climate chaos is sweeping our country, bringing more heat waves, floods, storms and drought, and faster than previously predicted. This report shows that every day we delay action on climate change the costs keep rising for our families, communities, economy and American way of life. Fortunately, the president has the tools at hand now to make big reductions in carbon emissions from largest source of climate-changing pollution: the nation's existing power plants. And he can do so with lower costs and higher benefits than many would expect." He noted that NRDC recently released a proposal that shows how U.S. EPA can team up with the states and use the Clean Air Act to cut carbon pollution by 26 percent by 2020 from existing power plants [See WIMS 12/5/12]. 

    The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) indicated in a release that the report is the "flagship climate change assessment for the United States." Todd Sanford, a UCS climate scientist said, "This could help restart a national conversation about climate change. It gives us a road map for climate change. And the road is much bumpier if we continue along a higher emissions pathway. Climate change is already affecting us and there's a growing demand at the local level for information about what it means for our present and our future. The climate conversation always starts with science. Because policymakers have generally supported policies that increase emissions, successfully adapting to climate change is becoming more difficult."

    Eileen Claussen, President of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) issued a statement saying, "The release today of the draft National Climate Assessment is an important step in credibly documenting and raising awareness of the risks posed by climate change across the United States. As mandated by Congress, the National Climate Assessment draws on experts across many disciplines both in and outside government to compile and evaluate the best available science on climate change and its potential ramifications. Following a period of public comment, the final report will offer the most comprehensive assessment ever of observed and potential impacts on key economic sectors and all regions of the United States. This assessment will provide a critical foundation for informed decision-making in both the public and private sectors on steps to manage climate risks by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening the resilience of communities and critical infrastructure. Following a year of record heat, drought and wildfire, capped by the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, a credible, comprehensive evaluation of the climate risks facings America is more urgent than ever."

     World Resources Institute (WRI) President Andrew Steer said, "The evidence is clear and mounting. The United States sits at the center of the climate crisis. Record heat is devastating crops, rivers are drying up, and storms are bearing down on our cities. Climate change is taking its toll on people and their economies, and will only become more intense without a strong and rapid response here in the United States and around the globe. It's not too late to take action, but given lags in policy and geophysical processes, the window is closing."

    Access the White House blog posting with links to related information (click here).  Access an overview and background (click here). Access complete information and link to the draft report (click here). [Note: the report is very large (147MB) and may be downloaded in 30 chapters and appendices.] Access information on the upcoming meetings (click here). Access detailed background information about sea level rise and climate trends (click here). Access detailed information about coastal changes (click here). Access more information on NCAnet (click here). Access the USGCRP website (click here). Access the statement from Sen. Boxer (click here). Access a release from NRDC (click here). Access a release from UCS (click here). Access a release from C2ES (click here). Access a release from WRI (click here). [#Climate, #MIClimate]

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USGCRP Releases Draft National Climate Assessment Report

Jan 11: The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), has announced the latest draft of the Third National Climate Assessment Report (NCA). The NCA is an important resource for understanding and communicating climate change science and impacts in the United States. It informs the nation about already observed changes, the current status of the climate, and anticipated trends for the future. The NCA report process integrates scientific information from multiple sources and sectors to highlight key findings and significant gaps in our knowledge. The NCA also establishes consistent methods for evaluating climate impacts in the U.S. in the context of broader global change. Finally, findings from the NCA provide input to federal science priorities and are used by U.S. citizens, communities, and businesses as they create more sustainable and environmentally sound plans for the nation's future.

 

    The National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC), charged with developing the 2013 report and recommendations, released the draft of the Third National Climate Assessment online today and it will be officially released for public review on Monday, January 14. Comments on the report will be accepted until April 12, 2013.

 

    The NCA is envisioned as an inclusive, nationwide process with many key objectives, including: Evaluating, integrating, and assessing relevant climate science and information from multiple sources; Summarizing and synthesizing the findings of the U.S. Global Change Research Program; Increasing understanding of what is known and not known about climate change; Informing climate science research priorities; Building climate assessment capacity, including vulnerability assessment and documentation of impacts in regions and sectors; and Supporting climate‐literacy and skilled use of NCA findings.

 

    According to an announcement, the NCA process and third report set the stage for more comprehensive assessments in the future. It differs from previous U.S. climate assessments in a variety of ways:

• It is an ongoing process, rather than a periodic report‐writing activity
• The NCA includes climate impacts and projections, but also assesses progress in response activities such as adaptation and mitigation
• Partnerships inside and outside of the government support this effort, including entities in both the public and the private sectors
• National indicators of change within regions and sectors are being developed, along with consistent and ongoing methods for evaluation
• This NCA report will be entirely web‐based and the final report will be submitted as an e‐book; this allows easier access to data for citizens and scientists and transparent "line of sight" between data and conclusions
• This NCA is designed to support decision making processes within and across regions and sectors of the U.S. while also considering the international context of U.S. activities and impacts

    The Global Change Research Act of 1990 requires an assessment report at least every four years. The federal government is responsible for producing these reports through the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), a collaboration of 13 federal science agencies. A 60 member federal advisory committee, the National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC), has been charged with developing the 2013 report and recommendations about the ongoing assessment process. The report itself is being written by 240 authors drawn from academia; local, state, and federal government; the private sector; and the nonprofit sector.

 

    Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director, issued a statement saying, "The Sierra Club welcomes the release of the draft of the National Climate Assessment, and our 2.1 million members and supporters are ready to support and amplify these findings. This report underscores what many of us already know -- climate disruption is here and it is exacting real, human and economic costs. 2012 was the hottest year on record for our nation. It was a year rife with droughts, wildfires and extreme weather events like Superstorm Sandy. In addition, the number of weather catastrophes driven by climate disruption across the world has tripled since 1980, with the greatest increases in North America. The situation is dire and requires nothing short of bold, decisive action by President Obama and our leaders to cut our addiction to fossil fuels and build a clean energy economy."

 

    Access an overview and background (click here). Access complete information and link to the draft report (click here). [Note: the report is very large (147MB) and may be downloaded in 30 chapters and appendices.] Access the statement from Sierra Club (click here). [#Climate]

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Reports & Negotiations Toward Global Treaty On Mercury Releases

Jan 9: the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released what it is calling the most comprehensive assessment ever of global emissions and indicates that communities in developing countries are facing increasing health and environmental risks linked to exposure to mercury. Parts of Africa, Asia and South America could see increasing emissions of mercury into the environment, due mainly to the use of the toxic element in small-scale gold mining, and through the burning of coal for electricity generation. UNEP produced its first Global Mercury Assessment in 2002, and a subsequent study in 2007. The 2013 assessment is the most comprehensive to date, and includes information on the release and impacts of mercury in aquatic environments for the first time.

 

    The Global Mercury Assessment 2013 reports that emissions of the toxic metal from artisanal gold mining have doubled since 2005, in part due to new and better information, but also due to rising gold prices that are expected to lead to further increases. The report indicates that due to rapid industrialization, Asia is the largest regional emitter of mercury, and accounts for just under half of all global releases. The UNEP study assesses for the first time at a global level releases of mercury into rivers and lakes. Much human exposure to mercury is through the consumption of contaminated fish, making aquatic environments the critical link to human health.

    In the past 100 years, man-made emissions have caused the amount of mercury in the top 100 metres of the world's oceans to double. Concentrations in deeper waters have increased by up to 25 percent. The study, which provides a comprehensive breakdown of mercury emissions by region and economic sector, also highlights significant releases into the environment linked to contaminated sites and deforestation. The report says an estimated 260 tonnes of mercury -- previously held in soils -- are being released into rivers and lakes.

    Along with a parallel UNEP publication Mercury: Time to Act, the new assessment will be formally presented at the International Negotiating Committee on Mercury (INC5), to be held in Geneva on January 13-18, 2013. Governments attending the major conference are aiming to conclude discussions on a global legally binding treaty to minimize risks to people and the environment from exposure to mercury. The treaty would reduce cases of neurological and behavioral disorders, and other health problems linked to mercury, as well as the contamination of soils and rivers caused by man-made emissions of the metal. Governments gave the green light to negotiations towards a global treaty back in 2009 at the UNEP Governing Council held in Nairobi, Kenya. Following the conclusion of the INC5 negotiations, the text will be open for signature at a diplomatic conference (Conference of Plenipotentiaries), which will be held in 2013 in Japan.

    United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, "Mercury, which exists in various forms, remains a major global, regional and national challenge in terms of threats to human health and the environment. In 2009 at the UNEP Governing Council, nations agreed to launch negotiations for a legally binding treaty aimed at bringing down releases from sources such as industry and mining, address mercury-containing products, and tackle historical pollution sites -- the final negotiations begin in just a few days' time. Mercury has been known as a toxin and a hazard for centuries-but today we have many of the alternative technologies and processes needed to reduce the risks for tens of millions of people, including pregnant mothers and their babies. A good outcome can also assist in a more sustainable future for generations to come."

    Mercury released from industry and other man-made sources can circulate in the environment for up to centuries at a time. This means that it is likely to be several years or decades before reductions in mercury emissions have a demonstrable effect on mercury levels in nature and the food chain. The UNEP studies say this reinforces the need for swift action by governments, industry and civil society to strengthen efforts to reduce mercury emissions and releases. The report says delays in action will lead to slower recovery of ecosystems and a greater legacy of pollution.

    The report also highlights the rising levels of mercury present in the Arctic. An estimated 200 tonnes of mercury are deposited in the Arctic each year, generally far from where it originated. Studies have shown a ten-fold increase in levels of mercury in certain Arctic wildlife species in the past 150 years, due mainly, it is thought, to human activity.

    The UNEP reports state that global emissions of mercury have remained relatively stable in the last twenty years, with 2010 emissions from human activities thought to be just under 2,000 tonnes. Despite improved availability of data on mercury, the emissions estimate is still subject to uncertainty, and covers a range of 1010 to 4070 tonnes. Along with coal burning, the use of mercury to separate metal from ore in small-scale gold mining remains the chief source of emissions worldwide. 

    Annual emissions from small-scale gold mining are estimated at 727 tonnes, or 35 percent of the global total. Greater exposure to mercury poses a direct threat to the health of some 10-15 million people who are directly involved in small-scale gold mining, mainly in Africa, Asia and South America. An estimated 3 million women and children work in the industry. Mercury-free methods and other low-cost solutions for reducing emissions during gold extraction are available, but socio-economic conditions, and low awareness of the risks of mercury, are barriers to adopting safer techniques.

    Coal burning is responsible for some 475 tonnes of mercury emissions annually, or around 24 percent of the global total. Despite increased coal combustion in certain regions, more stringent regulations on pollution in several countries have contributed to reducing overall mercury emissions from coal burning and off-setting part of the emissions arising from increased industrial activity.

    Other sources of mercury highlighted in the UNEP publications include: Metal and cement production, through fuel extraction and combustion of fossil fuels; Consumer products such as electronic devices, switches, batteries, energy-efficient light bulbs and cosmetics such as skin-lightening creams and mascara. Mercury contained in such goods can also enter the waste stream; Dentistry: Around 340 tonnes of mercury are used annually to make fillings and other dental products, of which up to 100 tonnes are likely to enter the waste stream; Plastic production -- particularly the manufacture of poly vinyl chloride (PVC). PVC is in high demand in many countries where there are extensive building projects; Chlor-alkali industry (production of chlorine and caustic soda from salt); and Primary mining -- although the practice is now limited to a handful of countries with only one (Kyrgyzstan) still exporting.

    Efforts to tackle the environmental and health threat posed by mercury have grown over recent decades, according to the reports. Notable actions include:

• The UNEP Mercury Products Partnership has set the goal of reducing demand for mercury-containing thermometers and blood pressure devices by 70 percent by 2017
• USA has finalized the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard which predicts to reduce mercury emissions by 20 tonnes by 2016
• European Union banned mercury exports in 2011 and the USA has just started an export ban from 1 January 2013
• UNEP has supported National Action Plans by Argentina, Uruguay and other countries to find environmentally-sound solutions for the storage and disposal of excess mercury and waste products

    Yet despite such steps, coordinated action on a global level to reduce environmental and health risks posed by exposure to mercury has been comparatively slow. The UNEP studies state that accelerated action, such as finalizing a global, legally binding treaty, promoting the availability of low-mercury technologies, and other measures, can support a sharp decline in demand for mercury. The reports recommend that to achieve this, "primary mining of mercury should be ceased as soon as possible, and demand met by investing in improved recycling measures. Governments should ensure regulatory frameworks and incentives to promote the transition to viable, safe and commercial alternatives, resulting in reduced releases of mercury and other pollutants."

    Access a release from UNEP (click here). Access the 42-page, latest draft of the Global Mercury Assessment 2013 (click here). Access the 44-page Mercury: Time to Act report (click here). Access complete information on the Negotiating Process, the upcoming INC 5 meeting and previous INC meetings (click here). [#Toxics]

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