Carbon Storage & GHG Fluxes In Ecosystems Of The Western U.S.

Dec 5: A Department of the Interior (DOI) report indicates that forests, grasslands and shrublands and other ecosystems in the West sequester nearly 100 million tons (90.9 million metric tons) of carbon each year. Carbon that is absorbed or "sequestered" through natural processes reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The 100 million tons sequestered in western ecosystems is an amount equivalent to -- and counterbalances the emissions of -- more than 83 million passenger cars a year in the United States, or nearly 5 percent of EPA's 2010 estimate of the nation's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

    Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes said, "This important study confirms the major role that our natural landscapes have in absorbing carbon and helping to counter-balance the nation's carbon emissions. This kind of groundbreaking science not only will help us be more effective stewards of our lands, but it also helps reveal how our forests, wetlands and rangelands in the West -- and throughout the nation -- are positively impacting the carbon cycle."

    The report, authored by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists, is part of a congressionally mandated national assessment of carbon storage and sequestration capacities by ecosystems. This assessment estimates the ability of different ecosystems in the West to store carbon -- information that will be vital for science-based land-use and land-management decisions. The first report, on the Great Plains, was released in December 2011; reports on the eastern United States, Alaska, and Hawaii will follow.

    The area studied extends from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coastal waters, and totals just over 1 million square miles. It includes well-known ecosystems, such as the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, the Pacific Northwest forests and the vast grasslands and shrublands of the Great Basin. The study's results point out that, among their many other ecosystem services, these lands are immensely valuable because of their ability to store carbon.

    USGS Director Marcia McNutt said, "This report contains 12 original chapters of new science that will enable land managers to track and calculate carbon storage and greenhouse gas fluxes over time for the American West's varied ecosystems. With more than 300 references of the latest work relevant to how biological systems cycle carbon, this report is a scientific tour de force."

    The fine level of detail in the report means that decision-makers can examine their region of interest, whether that is a national park, an ecosystem or an entire state. For example, the data in the report allow resource managers to evaluate effects of land-management practices on carbon storage and sequestration in and near Yellowstone and other national parks. It also could be used to understand how the rate of carbon sequestration increases as forests regrow following a large wildfire. The major ecosystems USGS evaluated were terrestrial – forests, wetlands, agricultural lands, and shrublands and grasslands – and aquatic – rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters.

    Although the ecosystems of the West serve as a strong carbon sink now, the study estimates that by 2050 the region could experience a decline of the storage potential, depending on future changes in land-use, climate and wildfires. Future carbon stocks, the USGS authors noted, will be inextricably linked to these drivers because as ecosystems, forests or agricultural lands are converted for other uses, their ability to capture and store carbon is affected. Other major findings of the report included:

• Wildland fires generated significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions in the West, with such emissions equivalent to 13 percent of the estimated rate of the recent annual carbon sequestration by terrestrial ecosystems in the West. This amount could increase to up to 31 percent in the future.
• Water bodies in the western United States emitted even more CO2 than fires. Emissions from water bodies are equivalent to more than 30 percent of the recent annual carbon sequestration rate of terrestrial ecosystems in the West.
• Land-use and land-cover change will continue in the future, but the USGS authors projected a much slower rate of change on an annual basis over the next 45 years than occurred between 1992 and 2005. Such change, one of the primary drivers of regional climate change and the ability of ecosystems to sequester carbon, is mostly the result of demands for forest products, urban development and agriculture.
• The West sequesters nearly one and a half times as much carbon as the Great Plains, the focus of the first DOI carbon sequestration report.

    The report, Baseline and Projected Carbon Storage and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in the Ecosystems of the Western United States, was congressionally mandated by the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. It was peer-reviewed by some of the top USGS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and university scientists in the country on carbon cycling, land use, land cover and wildland fires. The western report is the second in a series of reports produced by USGS for a national assessment of carbon storage and flux, and fluxes of other greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide).

    Access a release from DOI (click here). Access links to the complete 191-page report (22mb) or individual chapters including an executive summary (click here). Access the first 40-page assessment report for the Great Plains (click here). [#Climate]

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NRDC Proposes New Method To Control Power Plant GHG Emissions

Dec 4: The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) unveiled what they say is a "groundbreaking proposal to sharply cut carbon pollution from America's power plants," featuring a unique Federal-state partnership and flexibility for plant owners that will hold down costs and improve Americans' health. NRDC's innovative proposal calls for U.S. EPA to use its authority under the Clean Air Act to set standards for existing power plants -- America's largest source of carbon emissions that fuel climate change -- that will cut millions of tons of carbon pollution, save thousands of lives and create thousands of clean energy jobs.

    According to a release, the proposal enables states and electricity plant owners to use a wide range of existing technologies, including energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, to meet carbon pollution standards in the most cost-effective way. States would also have broad flexibility to design their own plans to meet the standards. NRDC said its proposal shows how the United States can dramatically reduce pollution from power plants that are responsible for 40 percent of the nation's carbon pollution.

    Peter Lehner, NRDC's Executive Director said, "The President put climate change on the national agenda, and NRDC's plan shows how the United States can make big reductions in carbon pollution that drive climate change, with a flexible approach that promotes clean energy investments and delivers big benefits for Americans' health. This year's ravaging heat waves, drought, wildfires and Superstorm Sandy underscore why the nation must tackle head-on the biggest source of dangerous carbon pollution now."

    Dan Lashof, NRDC's Director of Climate and Clean Air programs, and a principal author of the plan said, "We are overturning the conventional wisdom that reducing carbon pollution through the Clean Air Act would be ineffective and expensive. We show that the EPA can work with states and power companies to make large pollution reductions, by setting system-wide standards, rather than smokestack-by-smokestack ones, and by giving power companies and states the freedom to choose the most cost-saving means of compliance. The impact is huge: our proposal would eliminate hundreds of millions of tons of carbon pollution, save thousands of lives and stimulate a surge in clean energy and energy efficiency investments. all at a lower cost than many would expect."

    NRDC outlined its proposal at the National Press Club in Washington. Joining Lehner and Lashof to discuss the power plant plan was Dallas Burtraw, who is Darius Gaskins Senior Fellow at Resources for the Future. Also participating in the event was Franz Litz, Executive Director of the Energy & Climate Center at Pace Law School. Litz advises states on climate change and energy policy matters, and was instrumental in creating the northeast states' Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

    Using the same sophisticated analytical tools relied on by both industry and EPA, the NRDC analysis shows the plan would:

• Cut carbon pollution from the nation's existing power plants 26 percent by 2020 and 34 percent by 2025.
• Make large reductions in other dangerous pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, from existing power plants.
• At a cost of about $4 billion in 2020, save Americans between $25 billion and $60 billion in lives saved, avoided illnesses and reduced climate change.
• Save 3,600 lives, prevent more than 23,000 asthma attacks, avoid more than 2,300 emergency room visits and prevent nearly 1.2 million restricted activity and lost work days.
• Stimulate investments of more than $90 billion in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in the next eight years.
• Create thousands of jobs, boost local and state economies, and move America toward a clean energy, clean air future.

    NRDC commissioned ICF International to analyze the proposal using the company's proprietary Integrated Planning Model (IPM®). The utility industry and the EPA often use the IPM® model to determine cost-effective ways of meeting the nation's electricity needs, and to assess the effects of new standards. NRDC provided the depiction of the plan and other assumptions required for the analysis.

    Specifically, under NRDC's proposal, the EPA would use Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act to set state-specific carbon emission rates that reflect the diversity of the nation's electricity sector and fuel mix. Broad compliance flexibility would enable power plant owners and states to reduce emissions through cost-effective means that could be accomplished by:

• Reducing an individual plant's carbon emissions by improving combustion efficiency, burning cleaner fuels or installing carbon capture and storage.
• Shifting generation from high-emitting to lower- or zero-emitting plants. Lower emitting sources such as gas, wind and solar would earn credits that other plants could use, to reduce average emissions rates.
• Expanding energy efficiency. State energy-efficiency programs could earn credits for avoiding power generation and its pollution. Generators could purchase those credits to use toward their emissions targets.
• States would have additional freedom to adopt alternative approaches -- such as those already adopted by California, the Northeast states, and Colorado -- as long as they are equally effective in cutting emissions.

    NRDC said it developed its proposal on the heels of two U.S. Supreme Court rulings, in 2007 and 2011, that determined it is EPA's job under the Clean Air Act to curb dangerous carbon pollution from the nation's vehicles and power plants. To date, the Administration has taken important steps by setting fuel efficiency standards for mobile sources such as cars and trucks, and proposing standards for new power plants. But the biggest pollution source remains the hundreds of existing power plants.

    Access a release from NRDC (click here). Access an overview, issue brief and the complete 90-page NRDC report proposal (click here). [#Climate, #Air, #Energy/EGU]

---

House Passes "Modest" Energy Efficiency Bill 398-2 - Dec 4: The U.S. House of Representatives passed by an overwhelming vote of 398-2, H.R.6582, the American Energy Manufacturing Technical Corrections Act, introduced by Representative Robert Aderholt (R-AL). H.R. 6582 amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, providing what Rep. Aderholt said were "important and necessary technical corrections to the law, ultimately increasing domestic competitiveness, supporting more efficient and innovative technologies, and promoting job growth here at home." He said, "Too often bureaucratic red tape and needless federal regulations keep America's innovators and small businesses from creating jobs. This legislation passed by the House today is a common sense solution to what never should have never been a problem to begin with, but unfortunately became another bureaucratic nightmare further stifling job creation."

    He continued, "If we want to see economic growth in this country, it is critical that our nation's policy and laws create a regulatory environment that fosters innovation and job creation. Due to an increase in overreaching, burdensome and unnecessary regulations over the past few years, too many small businesses have had to layoff employees, reduce production or even shut their doors. This is precisely what happened to HH Technologies, an innovative manufacturing company in Cullman County, Alabama. The federal government's embrace of outdated technology prohibited a new and innovative solution to improved energy efficiency."

    "Through House Republicans continued efforts to streamline and eliminate bureaucratic red-tape in Washington, like the legislation passed today, we can begin to jumpstart our nation's economic growth and reinvigorate job creation. I thank my colleagues for supporting H.R.6582 and look forward to seeing the bill become law."

    Back in June, the House passed H.R.4850, the Enabling Energy Savings Innovation Act similar legislation also sponsored by Representative Aderholt, amending the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to allow for the inclusion of walk-in cooler and freezer technologies that are more energy efficient than systems that are currently required in the law's narrow definition. In addition to including the previously passed provision, H.R.6582 makes additional technical corrections to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that would reduce regulatory burdens by correcting clerical errors made and eliminating any problems caused by the errors. These corrections include updating the uniform efficiency descriptor for covered water heaters, clarifying language regarding regulatory treatment for small duct high velocity systems made by U.S. manufacturers, coordinating research and development of energy efficient technologies for the industry, and establishes a separate,less stringent standard for over the counter commercial refrigerators, that due to large glass windows are inherently less energy efficient than other commercial refrigeration products.

    The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued a statement in response to the House passage saying, "Today's action by the House of Representatives is an important step toward reducing barriers to improved industrial energy efficiency, and provides common-sense, bipartisan fixes for federal energy efficiency technical standards. The bill calls for collaborative research and development partnerships across various programs within the Department of Energy (DOE) to promote early-stage energy efficiency technology development. This includes support for the use of innovative manufacturing processes and applied research for development, demonstration and commercialization of new technologies and processes to improve efficiency.

    "Importantly, H.R. 6582 also calls for the study of the legal, regulatory and economic barriers to the deployment of industrial energy efficiency in all electricity markets. Since 31 percent of energy in the United States is used in industry applications, removing barriers to the deployment of energy efficiency technologies will lead to significant energy savings. Chemical makers and many other manufacturers primarily use natural gas to create steam for industrial processes and electricity that can power their facilities. This energy is generated close to where it is needed, so little is lost in transmission, and the process of combined heat and power (CHP) captures excess energy that can then be sold back to the grid as electricity. As a result, CHP generates surplus electricity without requiring any additional energy, while also reducing energy consumption from the grid to meet on-site demand. ACC commends the House for taking an important step toward greater energy efficiency, and encourages the Senate to advance the bill before the end of the year."

    American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) pointed out that H.R.6582 modifies legislation that passed the Senate last month and now returns to the Senate for final approval. Steven Nadel, ACEEE Executive Director said, "At a time that Washington is grid-locked, it is notable that the only energy bill with enough bipartisan support to pass is one that targets energy efficiency. This bill is a modest but bipartisan step forward, one we hope the next Congress can build upon." The bill is the result of negotiations between Republican and Democratic members and builds upon two pieces of legislation that were previously reported out on a strong bipartisan basis by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee -- S.1000 and S.398.

    ACEEE indicated in a release that the bill makes a number of technical corrections to equipment efficiency standards previously enacted by Congress, helping to make the program function better. In addition, the bill includes provisions to better coordinate industrial research and development activities among government agencies, reduce barriers to deployment of industrial energy efficiency, promote best practices for advanced metering among government agencies, and improve data collection for federal energy and water management efforts. 

    Access a release from Rep. Aderholt (click here). Access the statement from ACC (click here). Access the statement from ACEEE (click here). Access legislative details for (click here). [#Energy/Efficiency]

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UN Secretary-General Kicks Off High-Level Climate Change Talks

Dec 4: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged countries to act decisively to tackle the "growing crisis" of climate change, as the negotiations kicked into high gear at the Doha, Qatar 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). At the start of the high-level segment (CMP8) Ban said, "Let us be under no illusion. This is a crisis. A threat to us all. Our economies. Our security. And the well-being of our children and those who will come after.

 

    Pointing to the unprecedented melting of icecaps [See WIMS 11/30/12], rising sea levels, and land degradation and drought in various parts of the world, Ban said, "The danger signs are all around. No one is immune to climate change -- rich or poor. It is an existential challenge for the whole human race -- our way of life, our plans for the future. We must take ownership. We, collectively, are the problem. Then we should have the solutions."

    COP18/CMP8 brings together 195 Parties to the UNFCCC, the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Under the Protocol, 37 States -- consisting of highly industrialized countries and countries undergoing the process of transition to a market economy -- have legally binding emission limitation and reduction commitments. Delegates at the two-week conference -- that ends this Friday -- will, among other goals, try to extend the Kyoto Protocol, whose first commitment period expires at the end of 2012.

    Ban said, "I urge all Parties to work with a spirit of compromise -- to take the long view and avoid getting bogged down in minutiae. Let us ensure that we stay on track for an effective, fair, ambitious and universal climate agreement by 2015." He said he hoped for five key "deliverables" by Governments in Doha this week, beginning with the adoption of a ratifiable second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

    Additionally he said he also expected progress on long-term climate finance, and ensuring that the institutions set up in Cancun and Durban to support mitigation and adaptation by developing countries -- including the Green Climate Fund and the Climate Technology Centre and Network -- are fully equipped and effective. Also, he expected governments to demonstrate, with no ambiguity, that negotiations on a global and legally binding instrument remain on track, and to show how they intend to act on the gap between mitigation pledges and what is required to achieve the two degrees target [See WIMS 11/26/12].  He said, "The gap can be bridged. But time is not on our side." 

    The President of the General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic, told the meeting that addressing the problem of climate change must become a core national interest of every UN Member State. He said, "The window of opportunity to prevent the effects of climate change from spiraling out of our control is closing. When future generations look upon the choices we made, let them not be forced to exclaim that we failed to act in time. Let them not have to suffer the consequences of the inability to answer the clarion call to act with conscientious foresight."

    COP President Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah said, "I welcome all ministers arriving for the final, high-level segment of the Doha climate change conference. The Qatar Presidency of COP 18/CMP 8 will continue to work with all countries in an open, transparent and inclusive process that must reach a timely and successful conclusion." Revised texts from all negotiating groups have now been issued and ministers are beginning to provide guidance to reduce the number of options on outstanding political issues.  At a stock-taking plenary meeting on 3 December, the President announced a series of ministerial outreach consultations to help find the political space that will allow countries to reach common ground on the remaining key issues.

    The COP Presidency invited Ministers and heads of delegation to participate in an Informal Ministerial Round Table on 5 December on the issue of how mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation can be strengthened now and in the future.  The Presidency also announced a series of regular, informal, open plenaries so negotiators are able to assess comprehensive progress and it is providing regular updates on the negotiations on the UNFCCC website (See link below). 

    Access a release from the UN and link to the complete Ban statement (click here). Access a CMP8 update news release (click here). Access the Negotiations Update website (click here). Access the UNFCCC COP18 website for complete information including agenda, documents, statements, and much more (click here). Access on-demand webcasts including briefings and statements from individual countries and organizations (click here). Access daily reporting from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) (click here). Access the U.S. Department of State COP18 website (click here). [#Climate]

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UNEP Guide To Measuring Progress On Policies For A Green Economy

Dec 3: A new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) provides countries with a practical guide on how indicators can measure progress towards an inclusive, resource-efficient, green economy, and support new national policies to assess human well-being and quality of life. The report -- Measuring Progress towards an Inclusive Green Economy -- was released as experts from major institutions and governments meet in Geneva at the first major gathering since Rio+20. Almost 200 delegates are set to explore how they can measure their green economy policies as they shift from supporting carbon-intensive economies to more resource-efficient, sustainable societies.  

    The conference is responding to Rio+20's call for green economy measures to achieve sustainable development and poverty eradication, and is the first step in the process to widen the use of existing metrics and measures and create new ones at a national level. Government officials from Barbados, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Morocco, Thailand and Uruguay, all of whom are engaged in developing a comprehensive set of indicators to inform their national green economic policies, are attending the meeting, along with representatives from academia, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Bank, UN agencies and non-government organizations.

    Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director said, "Green economy indicators provide a mirror on the journey to an environmentally stable, economically sound and equitable society. This publication is intended to help policymakers understand how useful such measurements are for informing policy decisions and advancing their green economy agendas at a national level."

    Indicators can be used at all stages of policy interventions: from identifying the key environmental issues; assessing the potential cost and performance of various policy options to understand which investment will yield the highest return in environmental, social and economic terms; and tracking the impact of the policies on human well-being and equity. Steven Stone, Chief of UNEP's Economics and Trade Branch said, "When we put in place a framework to account for and value environmental goods and services, we are making the contribution of nature to our collective well-being more visible, and acknowledging the fact that investing in natural capital is necessary for our continued economic prosperity."

    According to the report, indicators are important for policy implementation because they help determine policy outcomes and measure their impact. This means focusing on policy interventions that result in improved human well-being and social equity, as well as reduced environmental risks and ecological scarcities. UNEP says that currently, most countries concentrate too heavily on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of economic performance, and policy makers do not factor in depreciation of fixed assets such as forests, clean air or water resources. Sheng Fulai, co-author of the new report said, "The idea is to supplement GDP, which monitors macroeconomic activity with other measures that better reflect the multidimensional nature of human well-being and quality of life." The report details a number of indicators that policymakers can use to formulate, focus and track the impact of their green economy policies at the three stages of development, including:

• Indicators for environmental issues and targets - Climate change - Carbon emissions and renewable energy share; Ecosystem management - Forestland and water stress; Resource efficiency - Energy, material and water productivity; and Chemicals and waste management - Waste collection, recycling and reuse
• Indicators for policy interventions - Green investment - R&D investment; Green fiscal reform - Fossil fuel, water and fishery subsidies, and fossil fuel taxation; Pricing externalities and valuing ecosystem service - Carbon price, value of ecosystem services; and Green procurement - Expenditure in sustainable procurement
• Indicators for policy impacts on well-being and equity - Employment - Construction, operation and management, income generated; Total wealth - Value of natural resource stocks, literacy rate; Access to resources - Access to modern energy, water and sanitation; and Health - Level of harmful chemicals in drinking water, number of people hospitalized due to air pollution.

    The report notes there are already several indices and indicators available for countries interested in promoting sustainable development, such as the new UN System of Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA), which sets new statistical standards for collecting and integrating economic and environmental data. 

    The report is intended to contribute to discussions at the three-day conference Measuring the Future We Want, which is the first opportunity post-Rio+20 for experts to identify existing indicators available to countries and discuss how they can be further developed and used to facilitate the transition to a green economy. The Rio+20 Conference, held in June, called on the UN and its partners to advance the work on developing methodologies to evaluate green economic policies.

    The Measuring conference aims to learn from countries and businesses that have developed green economy/green growth related indicators, and provide advice on how to harmonize these approaches, as well as identify the knowledge gaps and research priorities to advance this work. The final day of the conference will focus on the Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP), a partnership between UNEP, the Global Green Growth Institute, OECD and the World Bank, which has identified green growth indicators as one of its priority areas for research. Consisting of a network of researchers and development experts, the GGKP aims to help countries design and implement their green growth policies.

    Access a release from UNEP and link to the complete report (posted soon), and more information on the conference and green economy initiatives (click here). [#Sustain, #Climate, #Energy] 

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Cutting-Edge Study Finds Ice Sheet Loss At Both Poles Increasing

Nov 29: As negotiators meet in Doha, Qatar at COP18/CMP8 [See WIMS 11/26/12] to craft an international response to the issue of climate change and a warming planet, an international team of experts supported by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) has combined data from multiple satellites and aircraft to produce the most comprehensive and accurate assessment to date of ice sheet losses in Greenland and Antarctica and their contributions to sea level rise.

    In a landmark study published Thursday (November 29, 2012) in the journal Science, 47 researchers from 26 laboratories report the combined rate of melting for the ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica has increased during the last 20 years. Together, these ice sheets are losing more than three times as much ice each year (equivalent to sea level rise of 0.04 inches or 0.95 millimeters) as they were in the 1990s (equivalent to 0.01 inches or 0.27 millimeters). About two-thirds of the loss is coming from Greenland, with the rest from Antarctica.

    According to a release, this rate of ice sheet losses falls within the range reported in 2007 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The spread of estimates in the 2007 IPCC report was so broad, however, it was not clear whether Antarctica was growing or shrinking. The new estimates, which are more than twice as accurate because of the inclusion of more satellite data, confirm both Antarctica and Greenland are losing ice. Combined, melting of these ice sheets contributed 0.44 inches (11.1 millimeters) to global sea levels since 1992. This accounts for one-fifth of all sea level rise over the 20-year survey period. The remainder is caused by the thermal expansion of the warming ocean, melting of mountain glaciers and small Arctic ice caps, and groundwater mining.

    The study was produced by an international collaboration -- the Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise (IMBIE) -- that combined observations from 10 satellite missions to develop the first consistent measurement of polar ice sheet changes. The researchers reconciled differences among dozens of earlier ice sheet studies by carefully matching observation periods and survey areas. They also combined measurements collected by different types of satellite sensors, such as ESA's radar missions, NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) and the NASA/German Aerospace Center's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). 

    Tom Wagner, NASA's cryosphere program manager in Washington said, "What is unique about this effort is that it brought together the key scientists and all of the different methods to estimate ice loss. It's a major challenge they undertook, involving cutting-edge, difficult research to produce the most rigorous and detailed estimates of ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica to date. The results of this study will be invaluable in informing the IPCC as it completes the writing of its Fifth Assessment Report over the next year."

    Professor Andrew Shepherd of the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom coordinated the study, along with research scientist Erik Ivins of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. Shepherd indicated that the venture's success is because of the cooperation of the international scientific community and the precision of various satellite sensors from multiple space agencies. Shepherd said, "Without these efforts, we would not be in a position to tell people with confidence how Earth's ice sheets have changed, and to end the uncertainty that has existed for many years," .

    The study found variations in the pace of ice sheet change in Antarctica and Greenland. Ivins said, "Both ice sheets appear to be losing more ice now than 20 years ago, but the pace of ice loss from Greenland is extraordinary, with nearly a five-fold increase since the mid-1990s. In contrast, the overall loss of ice in Antarctica has remained fairly constant with the data suggesting a 50-percent increase in Antarctic ice loss during the last decade."

 

    Access a release from NASA (click here). Access more information from ICESat (click here). Access more information from GRACE (click here). Access the IMBIE website which is under development and should contain more documents soon (click here). [#Climate]

 

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EPA On Notice For Suit On GHG Cap-And-Trade Program

Nov 28: The Institute for Policy Integrity (IPI) at New York University School of Law submitted a notice of intent to file suit against U.S. EPA unless the Agency institutes a cap, or limit, on greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions from cars, boats, and planes. IPI indicated that over the past four years, EPA has put several regulations in place to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. But none are as comprehensive and cost-effective as placing a cap on emissions. IPI said, "According to almost all economists, that means companies pay more than necessary to comply."

 

    Richard Revesz, dean of the New York University School of Law said, "The benefits of protecting the public from the threats of climate change outweigh the costs. A cap is the cheapest, best way to address climate change. Why pay more than we must to make necessary cuts to our emissions?"

 

    IPI indicates that the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy was widely linked with the increased risks associated with climate change of intense storms and the particular exposure of low lying areas. The storm, which came at the end of a presidential election in which climate change was not emphasized by either major party candidate, highlighted the policy gridlock on the issue.

 

    Michael Livermore,IPI  Executive Director said, "Climate change must remain on the national agenda. Though legislative action is preferable, if Congress is stalled, EPA has the authority to move forward with a cap, reducing emissions and giving businesses flexibility to comply at the lowest possible price tag."

 

    The filing of the "intent to sue" follows a formal petition by IPI submitted in July 2009 making the same request. The Clean Air Act and Administrative Procedure Act require EPA to respond to petitions within a reasonable amount of time, and allow public petitioners to sue for unreasonable delay. The filing submission serves as the required notice that, unless EPA give[s] the petition prompt consideration, IPI will file suit in 180 days to compel action on the petition. The petition and the potential suit request that EPA regulate greenhouse gases from cars, boats, and planes under Sections 211 and 231 of the Clean Air Act. These sections give EPA broad authority to use a flexible compliance tool like cap-and-trade to rein in GHG emissions.

 

    Access a release from IPI (click here). Access the intent to sue notice (click here). Access the original petition (click here). Access links to a detailed legal analysis of the Clean Air Act, and fact sheets on the legal background and using cap-and-trade(click here). [#Climate, #Air]

 

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Provisional Statement On The State Of Global Climate In 2012

Nov 28: A new United Nations report released today (November 28, 2012) indicates that temperatures this year are the ninth highest on record since 1850 despite the effect of La Niña, a meteorological phenomenon which is supposed to have a cooling influence on the Earth's atmosphere. High temperatures were accompanied by unprecedented melting of the Arctic sea ice and multiple weather and climate extremes which affected many parts of the world. The report also reminds that the last eleven years (2001–2011) were among the top warmest years on record.

    The findings are among the highlights of the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) "Provisional Statement on the State of Global Climate in 2012," released at the UN Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar (COP18), where thousands of representatives from governments, international organizations and civil society are meeting to advance ways to cut global carbon emissions and pollution. The Statement provides an annual snapshot of weather and climate events around the world. In March, WMO will publish final updates and figures for 2012 in its annual statement on the status of the global climate.

    WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said, "Naturally occurring climate variability due to phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña impact on temperatures and precipitation on a seasonal to annual scale, but they do not alter the underlying long-term trend of rising temperatures due to climate change as a result of human activities. The extent of Arctic sea ice reached a new record low. The alarming rate of its melt this year highlighted the far-reaching changes taking place on Earth's oceans and biosphere. Climate change is taking place before our eyes and will continue to do so as a result of the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which have risen constantly and again reached new records."

    WMO indicated that notable extreme events were observed worldwide during the period of January–October 2012, including heat waves in North America and Europe, drought in the United States, China, Brazil and parts of Russia and Eastern Europe, floods in the Sahel region, Pakistan and China, and snow and extreme cold in Russia and Eastern Europe. The Atlantic basin also experienced an above-average hurricane season for a third consecutive year with a total of 19 storms, with 10 reaching hurricane status, the most notable being Sandy, which wreaked havoc across the Caribbean and the U.S. east coast. East Asia was severely impacted by powerful typhoons, the biggest one being Sanba, which impacted the Philippines, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula, affecting thousands of people and causing millions of dollars in damage.

    Access a release from the UN (click here). Access a separate release from WMO with additional information (click here). Access the 14-page Provisional Statement (click here). Access the UNFCCC COP18 website for complete information including agenda, documents, statements, and much more (click here). [#Climate]

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Factoring A Thawing Permafrost Into Climate Negotiations

Nov 26: A new report released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP18/CMP8 meeting in Doha, Qatar focuses on the issue of a thawing permafrost. Permafrost, covering almost a quarter of the northern hemisphere contains 1,700 gigatonnes of carbon -- twice that currently in the atmosphere, and could significantly amplify global warming should thawing accelerate as expected. The report also indicates that a warming permafrost can also radically change ecosystems and cause costly infrastructural damage due to increasingly unstable ground.

    The report -- Policy Implications of Warming Permafrost -- seeks to highlight the potential hazards of carbon dioxide and methane emissions from warming permafrost, which have not thus far been included in climate-prediction modeling. The science on the potential impacts of warming permafrost has only begun to enter the mainstream in the last few years, and as a truly "emerging issue" could not have been included in climate change modeling to date. The report recommends a special IPCC assessment on permafrost and the creation of national monitoring networks and adaptation plans as key steps to deal with potential impacts of this significant source of emissions, which may become a major factor in global warming.

    UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, "Permafrost is one of the keys to the planet's future because it contains large stores of frozen organic matter that, if thawed and released into the atmosphere, would amplify current global warming and propel us to a warmer world. Its potential impact on the climate, ecosystems and infrastructure has been neglected for too long. This report seeks to communicate to climate-treaty negotiators, policy makers and the general public the implications of continuing to ignore the challenges of warming permafrost."

    The report indicates that most of the current permafrost formed during or since the last ice age and extends to depths of more than 700 meters [nearly 2,300 feet] in parts of northern Siberia and Canada. Permafrost consists of an active layer of up to two metres in thickness, which thaws each summer and refreezes each winter, and the permanently frozen soil beneath. Should the active layer increase in thickness due to warming, huge quantities of organic matter stored in the frozen soil would begin to thaw and decay, releasing large amounts of CO2 and methane into the atmosphere. Once this process begins, it will operate in a feedback loop known as the permafrost carbon feedback, which has the effect of increasing surface temperatures and thus accelerating the further warming of permafrost -- a process that would be irreversible on human timescales.

    Arctic and alpine air temperatures are expected to increase at roughly twice the global rate, and climate projections indicate substantial loss of permafrost by 2100. A global temperature increase of 3°C means a 6°C increase in the Arctic, resulting in an irreversible loss of anywhere between 30 to 85 per cent of near-surface permafrost. Warming permafrost could emit 43 to 135 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2100 and 246 to 415 gigatonnes by 2200. Emissions could start within the next few decades and continue for several centuries.

    Permafrost emissions could ultimately account for up to 39 per cent of total emissions, and the report's lead author warned that this must be factored in to the treaty to address global climate change expected to replace the Kyoto Protocol. Lead author Kevin Schaefer, from the University of Colorado's National Snow and Ice Data Center said, "The release of carbon dioxide and methane from warming permafrost is irreversible: once the organic matter thaws and decays away, there is no way to put it back into the permafrost. Anthropogenic emissions' targets in the climate change treaty need to account for these emissions or we risk overshooting the 2°C maximum warming target."

    The report indicates that most of the recent climate projections are biased on the low side relative to global temperature because the models do not at this time include the permafrost carbon feedback. Consequently, targets for anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions based on these climate projections would be biased high. The report issues the following specific policy recommendations to address the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of permafrost degradation in a warming climate:

• Commission a Special Report on Permafrost Emissions: The IPCC may consider preparing a special assessment report on how carbon dioxide and methane emissions from warming permafrost would influence global climate to support climate change policy discussions and treaty negotiations.
• Create National Permafrost Monitoring Networks: To adequately monitor permafrost, individual countries may consider taking over operation of monitoring sites within their borders, increasing funding, standardizing the measurements and expanding coverage. This applies particularly to countries with the most permafrost: Russia, Canada, China and the United States. The International Permafrost Association should continue to coordinate development and the national networks should remain part of the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost.
• Plan for Adaptation: Nations with substantial permafrost, such as those mentioned above, may consider evaluating the potential risks, damage and costs of permafrost degradation to critical infrastructure.  Most nations currently do not have such plans, which will help policy makers, national planners and scientists quantify costs and risks associated with permafrost degradation.

    Access a lengthy release from UNEP with more details and links to related information (click here). Access the complete 38-page report (click here). [#Climate]

 

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2-Week International Climate Change Conference Begins In Doha

Nov 26: The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, COP18/CMP8), in Doha, Qatar began today with calls for governments to focus on essential tasks ahead of them so that the meeting can deliver agreed outcomes and constitute another step forward in the global response to climate change. The newly elected President of COP18/CMP8, H. E. Mr. Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Chairman of Qatar's Administrative Control and Transparency Authority, urged the conference to stick to agreed timetables and speedily implement already agreed decisions.

 

    He said, "Climate change is a common challenge for humanity. We must work in earnest for a better future for present and for future generations. We have a precious opportunity over the coming days, and we must make full use of it. Many delegates have stressed the importance of finalizing work on time, and that requires that we all show flexibility." Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, highlighted an important set of reports published shortly before Doha, which all point to the urgency to act to keep global average temperatures from rising beyond an internationally agreed level of 2 degrees Celsius degrees centigrade, beyond which climate impacts become extremely serious.

• Analysis published by the World Bank shows the world remains firmly at risk of seeing temperatures rise towards 4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, creating devastating effects, if current levels of ambition to curb greenhouse gas emissions are not raised [See WIMS 11/19/12].
• The World Meteorological Organization says greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere have reached yet another record high at 390.9 parts per million, with no identified change in the upwards trend [See WIMS 11/20/12].
• The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that the gap between what is needed in terms of emission reductions to stay below 2 degrees Celsius and what is so far promised by countries is still widening, not decreasing [See WIMS 11/21/12].
• [Additionally, and not mentioned by Figueres] PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) released its annual Low Carbon Economy Index indicating that even doubling the current rate of decarbonization, would still lead to emissions consistent with six degrees of warming -- far beyond the 2 degree goal [See WIMS 11/5/12].

    However, she indicated that all reports underline that the technology, the funding and the policy options to remain below the 2 degrees Celsius goal are already available, provided that governments and societies take the necessary action rapidly enough. Figueres said, "Expert analysis consistently says that we do have the possibility to keep on track and that to act now is safer and much less costly than to delay. In the last three years, policy and action towards a sustainable, clean energy future has been growing faster than ever. But the door is closing fast because the pace and scale of action is simply not yet enough. So Doha must deliver its part in the longer-term solution. Governments have said they intend to work hard to advance their decision texts before the high-level segment [i.e. CMP8, which begins December 4], so they can hand over a very limited set of options to ministers and close successfully at the end of next week."

 

    The UN Climate Change Conference in Doha (26 November to 7 December) is currently being attended by government delegates, representatives from business and industry, environmental organizations, research institutions and the media. More than 100 Ministers are scheduled to attend the high-level segment of the meeting, which ends with a decision-making plenary on December 7. The opening of the high-level segment will also be attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

 

    As examples of momentum for change which is already building at all levels of society, and to highlight the scope for action, the UNFCCC secretariat will be showcasing so-called "lighthouse activities" in Doha. These are prime examples of public-private climate initiatives in developing countries which have already improved the lives of the urban poor, and which can inspire governments and businesses to do more. Two further pillars of the secretariat's Momentum for Change Initiative will be launched during the conference -- one highlighting the role of women in providing solutions to climate change, and the other drawing attention to innovative approaches to climate finance. 

 

    The key objectives that governments have set themselves for COP18 in Doha include:

• To ensure the seamless continuation of the Kyoto Protocol as of 1 January 2013
• To plan the work under the Durban Platform
• To complete the Bali Action Plan
• To complete new infrastructure and chart the way forward on long-term climate finance
• Adaptation Support of developing country action
• Actions on forests
• Carbon Capture and Storage
• Agriculture Development and transfer of technology
• Avoiding negative consequences of climate action

    Access a lengthy release from UNFCCC with further details on each of the objectives (click here). Access the UNFCCC COP18 website for complete information including agenda, documents, statements, and much more (click here). Access on-demand webcasts including briefings and statements from individual countries and organizations (click here). Access daily reporting from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) (click here). Access the U.S. Department of State COP18 website (click here). [#Climate]

 

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Subscribers & Readers Notice

WIMS will not be publishing today as we continue our Thanksgiving Day holiday break. We'll be back on Monday, November 26, 2012.

 

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Another Report Highlights Struggle To Meet 2°C Warming Goal

Nov 21: Yet another report -- The Emissions Gap Report -- coordinated by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the European Climate Foundation warns that international action on climate change needs to be scaled-up and accelerated without delay if the world is to have a running chance of keeping a global average temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6°F) this century. The report, released days before the convening of the Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Doha (COP18, Monday,  November 26 to Friday, December 7, 2012), shows that greenhouse gas emissions levels are now around 14 per cent above where they need to be in 2020. Instead of declining, concentration of warming gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) are actually increasing in the atmosphere-up around 20 per cent since 2000.

 

    On November 18, the World Bank released its report, Turn Down The Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must Be Avoided [See WIMS 11/19/12]; and on November 4, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) released its annual Low Carbon Economy Index [See WIMS 11/5/12]. Both reports indicated that the global community is not on track to keep warming below the 2°C warming target.

    Emission scenarios analyzed in the report and consistent with a "likely" chance of meeting the 2°C target have a peak before 2020, and have emission levels in 2020 of about 44 GtCO2e (range: 41-47 GtCO2e). However, the report, which has involved 55 scientists from more than 20 countries, warns that if no swift action is taken by nations, emissions are likely to be at 58 gigatonnes (Gt) in eight years' time. This will leave a gap that is now bigger than it was in earlier UNEP assessments of 2010 and 2011, and is in part, as a result of projected economic growth in key developing economies and a phenomenon known as "double counting" of emission offsets. Previous assessment reports have underlined that emissions need to be on average at around 44 Gt or less in 2020 to lay the path for the even bigger reductions needed at a cost that is manageable.

    The 2012 Report points out that even if the most ambitious level of pledges and commitments were implemented by all countries -- and under the strictest set of rules -- there will now be a gap of 8 Gt of CO2 equivalent by 2020. This is 2 Gt higher than last year's assessment with yet another year passing by. Preliminary economic assessments, highlighted in the new report, estimate that inaction will trigger costs likely to be at least 10 to 15 per cent higher after 2020 if the needed emission reductions are delayed into the following decades.

    Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director said, "There are two realities encapsulated in this report -- that bridging the gap remains do-able with existing technologies and policies; and, that there are many inspiring actions taking place at the national level on energy efficiency in buildings, investing in forests to avoid emissions linked with deforestation and new vehicle emissions standards alongside a remarkable growth in investment in new renewable energies worldwide, which in 2011 totaled close to US$260 billion."

    "Yet the sobering fact remains that a transition to a low carbon, inclusive Green Economy is happening far too slowly and the opportunity for meeting the 44 Gt target is narrowing annually. While governments work to negotiate a new international climate agreement to come into effect in 2020, they urgently need to put their foot firmly on the action pedal by fulfilling financial, technology transfer and other commitments under the UN climate convention treaties. There are also a wide range of complementary voluntary measures that can that can bridge the gap between ambition and reality now rather than later."

    The report estimates that there are potentially large emissions reductions possible-in a mid-range of 17 Gt of CO2 equivalents-from sectors such as buildings, power generation and transport that can more than bridge the gap by 2020. Meanwhile, there are abundant examples of actions at the national level in areas ranging from improved building codes to fuel standards for vehicles which, if scaled up and replicated, can also assist.

    Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said, "This report is a reminder that time is running out, but that the technical means and the policy tools to allow the world to stay below a maximum 2 degrees Celsius are still available to governments and societies. Governments meeting in Doha for now need to urgently implement existing decisions which will allow for a swifter transition towards a low-carbon and resilient world. This notably means amending the Kyoto Protocol, developing a clear vision of how greenhouse gases can be curbed globally before and after 2020, and completing the institutions required to help developing countries green their economies and adapt, along with defining how the long-term climate finance that developing countries need can be mobilized. In addition, governments need to urgently identify how ambition can be raised."

    In a separate release on the upcoming Doha COP18 meeting, Figueres said, "Doha is as important as any COP before it. Governments have agreed it is imperative to stay at least below a two degree average global temperature rise to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. But they know this cannot be achieved without further dramatic transformation in energy production and use, and without effective support to developing nations so they can build their own sustainable futures. A faster response to climate change is necessary and possible, both in terms of the international policy response and increasing action at national and sub-national policy level and from global business. Doha must make sure the response is accelerated."

     The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) issued a release drawing attention to the "string of recent reports" which they said, "paints a clear picture that the world is not on track to fulfill leaders' stated goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees C (3.6 F)." Alden Meyer, Director of Strategy and Policy at UCS said, "The alarm bells scientists have been ringing for years are turning into a chorus. World leaders set a goal of avoiding 2 degrees of warming, but the commitments they've made to meet that goal are inadequate. Without much more aggressive action, we will lose the fight to avert the worst consequences of climate change."

 

    UCS said the latest UNEP Gap Report echoes two others including: the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook 2012, that concluded, "if action to reduce CO2 emissions is not taken before 2017, all the allowable CO2 emissions would be locked-in by energy infrastructure existing at that time." The agency found that two-thirds of known fossil fuel reserves would have to stay in the ground to retain the possibility of limiting warming to no more than 2 degrees [See WIMS 11/13/12]; and the World Bank report that said without further action, "the world is likely to warm by more than 3 degrees C [5.4 F] above the preindustrial climate." It further found, "Even with the current mitigation commitments and pledges fully implemented, there is roughly a 20 percent likelihood of exceeding 4 degrees C by 2100. If they are not met, a warming of 4 degrees C could occur as early as the 2060s." [See WIMS 11/19/12].

 

    In a related matter, House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Energy and Power Subcommittee Ranking Member Bobby Rush (D-IL) sent a letter to Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Energy and Power Subcommittee Ranking Member Ed Whitfield (R-KY) requesting a hearing on the World Bank report which they said details the "devastating" impacts of climate change. In the letter, the members write, "This is an alarming and sobering report from an organization not known for its environmental activism. As we develop our energy agenda for the next Congress, members of the Committee should have the opportunity to examine the latest information about climate change and the very serious global consequences of inaction."

 

    Access a lengthy release from UNEP with links to related information (click here). Access the complete report, executive summary and appendix (click here). Access a release from UNFCCC on the upcoming COP 18 meeting (click here). Access complete information on the COP18 meeting (click here). Access a release from UCS (click here). Access a release and the letter from the House Democrats (click here). [#Climate]

 

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CARB & EDF Say First Cap-And-Trade Auction A Success

Nov 19: A release from Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and a summary information from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) provide and overview and results from California's first cap-and-trade auction held last Wednesday, November 14 [See WIMS 11/14/12]. EDF indicates that the CARB summary report demonstrates that the auction was transparent and fair, with oversight mechanisms in place to ensure the integrity of the auction. The California cap-and-trade program [See WIMS 12/17/10]. California's program will be second in size only to the European Union's Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS) based on the amount of emissions covered [See WIMS 10/31/12].

    According to the information, both vintage years 2013 and 2015 carbon allowances were available at auction at a floor price of $10.00 per allowance. One hundred percent of the 23,126,110 vintage 2013 carbon allowances were sold at a settlement price of $10.09 each, while 5,576,000 of the 39,450,000 vintage 2015 carbon allowances were sold at a settlement price of $10.00 each.

    Nathaniel Keohane, Vice President (and former Chief Economist) for EDF said, "This inaugural auction was a successful first step in setting a fair price on carbon. The demand for 2013 allowances was greater than the supply, showing that businesses are ready to be active participants in cleaning up California's air." The auction set into motion a robust carbon market that will aid California in achieving its climate change pollution goals in a cost effective manner. By establishing a price on carbon, the new market gives regulated industries a market incentive to find innovative solutions to reduce their pollution.

    Timothy O'Connor, EDF's Director of California Climate and Energy Initiative said, "The smooth execution of this first auction paves the way for a cleaner California. With cap and trade, Californians don't have to choose between the environment and the economy. It will attract more investments in clean energy, keep California competitive, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil."    The next allowance auction is scheduled for February 2013. Quarterly auctions, combined with as needed cost containment reserve sales of allowances, will ensure sufficient opportunity for bidders to obtain the allowances they will need for compliance.

 

    CARB Chairman Mary Nichols issued a brief statement on the auction saying, "The auction was a success and an important milestone for California as a leader in the global clean tech market. By putting a price on carbon, we can break our unhealthy dependence on fossil fuels and move at full speed toward a clean energy future. That means new jobs, cleaner water and air -- and a working model for other states, and the nation, to use as we gear up to fight climate change and make our economy more competitive and resilient."

 

    On November 16, the Los Angeles Times published an article indicating that a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll of 1,520 registered California voters indicated strong support for the State's ambitious program to limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The poll, conducted from Nov. 7 to 12, indicated 63% said the law is needed and 32% said the state can't afford it, while 5% had no opinion. The poll was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a Democratic firm, and American Viewpoint, a Republican company. The margin of sampling error is 2.9 percentage points.

 

    On November 13, the California Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate California's "cap and trade" auction arguing that CARB exceeded the authority granted to it under AB 32 in establishing the revenue raising program. The complaint, filed in Sacramento Superior Court, asserts that AB 32 does not authorize CARB to impose fees other than those needed to cover ordinary administrative costs of implementing a state emissions regulatory program. The complaint states, "What was not authorized by AB 32 is the Board's decision to withhold for itself a percentage of the annual statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions allowances and to auction them off to the highest bidders, thus raising from taxpayers up to $70 billion or more of revenue for the state to use."

 

    According to a release, CalChamber, other members of the business community, members of the Legislature, the Legislative Analyst's Office and CARB have all highlighted the fact that the auction is not needed to achieve the goals of AB 32. The business community has repeatedly underscored the fact that the auction will raise energy costs significantly in the state, harm the economy and impact California's competitiveness, without providing any additional environmental benefits. Allan Zaremberg, President and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce said, "AB 32 gives California the opportunity to be the leader in reducing carbon emissions. Unless we adopt the most cost effective way of reducing carbon emissions, other states will not follow us. The current CARB proposal is the most costly way to implement AB 32 and it will hurt consumers, the job climate, and the ability of businesses to expand here."

 

    In a related matter, the Carbon Price Communiqué was officially presented to policymakers and representatives of key governments at an event on November 19, in Brussels, co-hosted by the European Commission and The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change. The Communiqué, signed by over 80 international companies, calls on policymakers to focus on achieving a clear and effective global carbon price as a way of driving substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It cites the progress made in some advanced developing countries and regions that are starting to implement cap and trade programmes alongside other measures and calls for such measures to be expanded.

 

    Access a release from EDF (click here). Access the statement from CARB (click here). Access complete information on the auction and the summary report from CARB (click here). Access the LA Times article and link to the details of the poll (click here). Access a release from CalChamber and link to the complaint and other legal documents (click here). Access complete information on the Carbon Price Communiqué including signatories (click here). [#Climate, #Air]

 

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