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With sea levels already climbing and water resources becoming more scarce, towns on the coast of Western Australia are most at risk because of climate change, according to a new report from Australia’€™s Climate Commission. Between 18,700 and 28,900 residential buildings, 2,100 commercial buildings, and 9,100 kilometers of roadway are under threat. The commission report noted that sea levels since 1990 have increased 7.1 to 7.4 millimeters, and that models indicate they could rise 0.5 to 1.0 meters more this century. In addition, the southwest region of the country is particularly vulnerable to higher temperatures and a decline in precipitation, creating serious implications for agriculture and urban water supplies. The dam-flow rate at Perth’€™s has halved since 1975, prompting the state government to double the capacity of its desalination plant at Binningup.

For additional information see: Sydney Morning Herald

Australian climate change minister Greg Combet said that there would be no further delay in moving forward legislation that would create the country’€™s emissions trading scheme (ETS). Some members of parliament oppose the carbon tax scheme on the grounds that the global economy is too volatile and instituting the new scheme would be detrimental to businesses. In response, Combet told Sky News, This is a reform that is in our economic interests to make. . . We have got low debt as a proportion of GDP when you compare it to other economies internationally, and a relatively low unemployment; there are underlying strengths in our economy. €Combet confirmed that the federal government’€™s goals was still to have the ETS laws pass by year’€™s end, and have the fixed carbon price of $23 per ton begin next July 1.

For additional information see: AAP

Newly released documents show that a Conservative cabinet minister in Canada had tried to persuade the province of Alberta to back a national cap and trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Canadian Press. “We believe that a carefully designed cap-and-trade system will send the appropriate price signals to encourage changes and ultimately help reduce emissions,” wrote former environment minister Jim Prentice in a brief targeting Alberta officials. Prentice has since changed his stance on cap and trade and now opposes it. Alberta has remained opposed to a national cap and trade system due in part to its heavy development of oil sands and reluctance to accept wealth transfer to less carbon-intensive provinces in Canada. The western province does have its own cap and trade program in place, which has invested more than $100 million in clean energy technology, according to a spokesman for the Albert premier.

For additional information see: The Canadian Press

University of Wisconsin at Madison researchers estimated that the cisco, a cold water fish and important food source for many of Wisconsin’€™s iconic game fish, could disappear from most of the state’€™s lakes by 2100 because of the warming climate. In a new study in the journal PLoS One, lead author Sapna Sharma found that climate change could pose a greater risk to the cisco than even invasive species such as the rainbow smelt. “By 2100, 30 to 70 percent of cisco populations could be extirpated in Wisconsin due to climate change,” said Sharma. Cisco are found in approximately 170 inland lakes in Wisconsin currently, but face risks above habitat loss from invasive species because it depends on colder water.

For additional information see: Press Release, Abstract

The layer of permanently frozen plant and animal matter in the Arctic, known as permafrost, will turn the region into a major source of carbon emissions if it melts, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Previous predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated that the far north would become a carbon sink as warmer temperatures allowed more vegetation to grow, which would store more carbon. The IPCC prediction, however, did not factor into its model the amount of stored carbon in permafrost that would be released from the warmer temperatures. The study predicted that the Arctic could release as much as 62 billion tons of carbon over the next 100 years, an amount equal to Canada‒s 2009 carbon emissions. “This is just a fraction of the amount of carbon that we emit as a species per year, but it’€™s important,” said lead author Charles Koven. “The big question is whether that’€™s going to continue.€ In addition, annual emissions of methane, a much more potent greenhouse gas, are expected to double, according to researchers.

For additional information see: CBC

A new study published in Nature Climate Change found that increased litterfall, the leaves, bark and twigs that fall from trees, could increase the amount of carbon emissions from tropical forest soils. As warmer temperatures enhance tropical tree growth, the subsequent increase in litterfall would stimulate micro-organisms in the soil that decompose the fresh organic matter. The effect, called €œpriming€ is triggered when fresh carbon from litterfall provides energy to micro-organisms that stimulate decomposition in the soil. Researchers noted, however, that it is unclear how much of an effect this would have on the carbon cycle. “Most estimates of the carbon sequestration capacity of tropical forests are based on measurements of tree growth,” said lead author Dr. Emma Sayer. €œOur study demonstrates that interactions between plants and soil can have a massive impact on carbon cycling. Models of climate change must take these feedbacks into account to predict future atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.”

For additional information see: Science Daily, Abstract

On August 15, the National Science Foundation released a study that found almost half of the warming arctic sea waters and loss of arctic ice is caused by global warming created through human activity. Jennifer Kay, lead author of the report and staff scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research said, “There’s no doubt about it — sea ice is going away. What we found was that about half of that trend is related to the increasing greenhouse gases.” The other half of the sea-ice loss, as observed over the late 20th century, was “just related to variability in the system.” With federal and local governments debating over how to proceed with policy and climate change research, this study could help with key policy decisions. Kay stated, “Our work really demonstrates that the variability in the climate model simulations is not entirely natural by the end of the 20th century,” she said. “That’s why we call it in the paper, ‘internal variability.’ We’re in a warmer state now, so we have different variability than we did before when it was just natural variability.”

For additional information see: Anchorage Daily News, Sydney Morning Herald, Abstract

Two University of California at Irvine research teams published seemingly conflicting findings on why methane concentrations leveled off and stabilized over the previous three decades. One team studied the presence of ethane, a close hydrocarbon cousin to methane, in ice core sampled from Greenland and Antarctica. The decrease in the presence of ethane in the air bubbles of the ice cores led the team to the conclusion that the drop off in ethane coincided with the rise of natural gas, which is primarily methane, as a commodity in the 1980s. Before, natural gas was released into the atmosphere and treated as a byproduct of drilling. The second team studied air sampled collected since the 1980s and focused on certain carbon isotopes, which have a different ratio to one another depending on whether they are microbially-sourced or from deep within the earth. The second team found that there was a higher ratio between the two isotopes, suggesting that there was more microbially-sourced methane in the air than from fossil fuels. The team explained that this finding could be because of changes to farming practices in Asia over the last decades. Both teams acknowledged that their findings only partially explain the leveling-off phenomenon, and noted that their theories can’€™t explain why emissions have started to increase again since 2006. The studies were published in the journal Nature.

For additional information see: NY Times, Study 1, Study 2

In the latest Tahoe: State of the Lake€ report released on August 12, researchers studying the clarity of Lake Tahoe found that the lake’€™s clarity fell to a fraction above the record low measured 14 years ago. In 2009, researchers could see a 10-inch plate 68.1 feet below the surface of the water, yet in 2010, the researchers could see the plate only at 64.4 feet below the water. A $1.5 billion program launched 14 years ago has steadily improved the environment of Lake Tahoe, but researchers noted that climate change may act as an outside force against those efforts. The report stated that algae blooms, increasing because of the gradual warming of Lake Tahoe, are diminishing the clarity of the lake. “While we’re still maintaining the decade long trend of slowing the decline in clarity, the new forces of climate change and the unusual concentrations of algae have us concerned,” said Joanne S. Marchetta, executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, in a news release.

For additional information see: Contra Costa Times, State of the Lake Report

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Buses and big trucks sold in the United States will have to meet first-of-their-kind greenhouse gas (GHG) and fuel efficiency rules starting in 2014, according to a White House announcement Aug. 9. Heavy trucks and buses currently emit 20 percent of the GHG emissions associated with transportation in the United States, and have an average fuel economy of 6.1 miles per gallon. They have not been subject to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules governing automobiles and light trucks. Under the new program, the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will create specific GHG and fuel efficiency targets for manufacturers to meet based on the type of vehicle and purpose. The rules cover the period of 2014 to 2018. Semi-trucks, for instance, will be required to reduce fuel consumption by 20 percent by 2018. A 10 percent reduction will be required of delivery trucks, buses and certain other trucks. All told, the reduction in fuel consumption during the 2014 to 2018 timeframe is expected to save $50 billion in fuel costs, or 530 billion barrels of oil, and avoid the emission of 270 million metric tons of GHGs.

For additional information see: The Washington Post, The Detroit News

A new lawsuit seeking to compel dozens of fossil fuel companies to pay damages to property owners in Mississippi for the higher insurance premiums they are paying after Hurricane Katrina bears watching, but is unlikely to succeed, legal observers told Greenwire for a story published last week. The original lawsuit was dismissed, but a new complaint was filed in May in federal district court in Mississippi. It claims the companies’ greenhouse gas emissions fueled the destructive hurricane. Its focus on trying to prove a connection between the companies’ emissions and changes in insurance premiums is novel. “This theory of damages based on increased risk, rather than actual harm, bears watching,” J. Wylie Donald of the McCarter and English law firm in Delaware told Greenwire for an Aug. 9 story. However, the case faces many legal hurdles before a judge would weigh the merits of the argument. “It’s very, very unlikely the plaintiffs will succeed,” said William Stewart of Nelson, Levine, de Luca & Horst in Pennsylvania.

For additional information see: The New York Times, Copy of Complaint

A proposal to ratchet down production of a new group of chemicals that harm the ozone layer and contribute to climate change received support from both developed and developing countries at a meeting of the signatories to the Montreal Protocol. The meeting ended Aug. 8 and the proposal to amend the treaty will be discussed again in November. The proposal was developed by a group of low-lying island nations in 2009 that were concerned about rising sea levels. The concept has received support from the United States, Canada and Mexico. It would reduce hydrofluorocarbon production by 85 to 90 percent by 2050, a reduction equivalent to 100 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty that took effect in 1989 to phase out chemicals that reduce the ozone layer. Reducing use of those chemicals also benefits climate mitigation. Also at the August meeting, the protocol’s financing arm reported that it had granted $265 million to China for eventual cuts in its use of a separate category of gases called hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which also contribute to climate change.

For additional information see: PR Newswire, Environmental News Network, Proposed Treaty Amendment, News Release on China Agreement

The price of carbon offsets traded under the Kyoto Protocol fell to near-record lows in August as the global economy continued to impact the international energy sector. In addition, the United Nations has continued to issue new offsets, despite the slackening of demand for them in the European Union’s carbon market. Developed countries and companies in the developed world can buy offsets to supplement actual cuts in emissions to meet the emissions caps outlined in the Kyoto Protocol. The global financial crisis, however, has led to an oversupply of the offsets on the carbon market. Analysts are concerned about the market’s future viability.

For additional information see: Reuters

A study by a Canadian government agency concluded that developing the nation’s oil sands will more than offset any reductions in the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from other economic sectors such as electricity generation. Called “Canada’s Emissions Trends,” the peer-reviewed report was released in July. It tracked changes in GHG emissions since 2005 and predicted GHG emissions in 2020. The report showed that development of the oil sands will undo progress from transitioning the country’s electricity generation away from coal-fired power plants to cleaner-burning natural gas. GHG emissions from oil sands are projected to triple to 92 million metric tons in 2020. Most of the oil produced is shipped to the United States. “This is the first time we’ve seen just exactly the difference between the different sectors, and just how out of line the oil sands emissions are,” said Simon Dyer of the Pembina Institute of Canada. Canada had agreed to cut GHG emissions by 17 percent by 2020 under the Kyoto Protocol, but the current Conservative government previously had announced that it will not meet the target.

For additional information see: Toronto Globe and Mail, The New York Times, Report

The Australian government has lowered its estimate of the number of greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters that will pay a new carbon tax. Climate Change Secretary Blair Comley told members of Parliament on Aug. 10 that “more like 400” emitters will pay the tax. Earlier, the government estimated the tax would be paid by the top 1,000 sources of GHG emissions. The tax will price carbon dioxide emissions at $23 AUD per metric ton beginning in mid-2012. The change in scope was partially attributed to differences in how liquid fuels and synthetic gases are being handled under the carbon pricing mechanism.

For additional information see: The Sydney Morning Herald

Scientists to Probe Ocean Acidification in Arctic

Scientists are heading to the Arctic Ocean to gather data on ocean acidification to understand how marine life might be affected by climate change. United States Geological Survey (USGS) scientists will spend seven weeks aboard a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker to get as close as possible to the waters around the North Pole. Compared to temperate and tropical waters, little is known about ocean acidification in the Arctic Ocean. Rising atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) from human activities affect the chemical balance of the ocean. About one-quarter of CO2 emissions is absorbed by the world’s oceans, raising the pH level of seawater, making it more acidic. “There might be reduced shell formation in some organisms,” said Lisa Robbins, one of the USGS scientists. “That could hinder the growth of numerous forms of sea life, from plankton on up. It will affect the whole food chain.” The research trip is schedule to depart Aug. 15.

For additional information see: Reuters, USGS News Release

Climate change could weaken trees and make them more susceptible to devastating diseases from fungi, say researchers who studied a mass extinction of prehistoric conifer forests. Today’s trees are facing threats from fungi-related diseases, such as Dutch elm disease and sudden oak death. Scientists are interested in any link between changes in temperature and water availability and the resiliency of trees to disease. The study found that a mass die-off of prehistoric forests was aided by a rapid change in climate that weakened trees and made them less able to fight off attacks from fungi. The study was conducted by a biologist at the University of California-Berkeley and colleagues in Britain and the Netherlands who examined fossil records from around the globe. The study was published online Aug. 5 in Geology.

For additional information see: UC Berkeley News Release, Study Abstract

Climate change may allow a venomous spider to spread north and expand its habitat in the United States, researchers concluded in a recent study. The study, led by a researcher at the University of Kansas, provided another example of how human systems will need to adapt to the changing distribution of animals and plants in a warming world. The brown recluse spider has been found as far north as Flint, Michigan, perhaps because it inadvertently hitched a ride in cargo or a vehicle, according to an Aug. 6 story in the Detroit Free Press. But the spider is likely to be a permanent resident of northern states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by 2020, the study found. That poses problems for public health; outside of its endemic habitat, spider bites are routinely misdiagnosed and confused for other serious medical conditions. “These results illustrate a potential negative consequence of climate change on humans and will aid medical professionals in proper bite identification/treatment, potentially reducing bite misdiagnoses,” researchers stated. The study was published online in March by the Public Library of Science.

For additional information see: Detroit Free Press, Study

The Arctic Ocean may be free of sea ice during the summer much earlier than scientists previously believed because the ice is thinning four times faster than computer models have predicted, an Massachusetts Institute of Technology study found. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment Report, which was issued in 2007, predicted a summer ice-free Arctic by 2100. In a new study, Pierre Rampal of MIT said summer ice will disappear much earlier, probably within a few decades. Thinner ice breaks up more readily, and can get carried on currents through the Fram Strait to warmer waters to the south, enhancing melting. The study will be published in a future edition of Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans.

For additional information see: The Vancouver Sun, MIT News Release

The Earth’s forests absorb a staggering amount of carbon from the atmosphere each year, an amount equivalent to one-third of annual fossil fuel emissions, according to a new study. The study is the first to clearly identify volumes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) taken up by tropical, temperate and boreal forests. “What this research tells us is that forests play a much larger role as carbon sinks as a result of tree growth and forest expansion,” said study co-author Pep Canadell of CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. The study also allows scientists to quantify the impact of deforestation, and it’s much bigger than previously thought. Authors say the study shows why re-growing forests and conserving forests are necessary to mitigating GHG emissions. The study was published online in Science.

For additional information see: Science Daily, Study Abstract

Other Headlines

Writers: Dave Gershman, Justin Jones and Matthew Johnson

Please distribute Climate Change News to your colleagues. Permission for reproduction of this newsletter is granted provided that the Environmental and Energy Study Institute is properly acknowledged as the source. Past issues are available here. Free email subscriptions are available here. We welcome your suggestions, comments, and questions.

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A new survey suggests the urgency of climate change can be communicated if the right people engage local constituencies and explain how human activities are impacting local communities. “You can’t talk about preparing for climate change in Seattle the same way you would in Phoenix,” said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, which released the survey results on June 27. The survey suggests many people remain uninformed about climate change but there is an opportunity to close the information gap. The survey found 39 percent of people were alarmed or concerned by climate change. On the other hand, 10 percent were dismissive, and may be unreachable because they distrust any source of data. A large sector of the public is in the middle, looking for information from trusted people who can explain why they are certain that humans are responsible for climate change. If more doctors, military officers, businesspeople or labor leaders speak out, the information gap may close. “We take our cues from key trusted individuals and organizations,” said Leiserowitz. “And different groups tend to trust different messengers.”

For additional information see: Reuters, Study

New Hampshire will stay in a regional carbon market after its governor vetoed a bill that would have led to its withdrawal. Gov. John Lynch said leaving the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) would cost the state $16 million that the program raises through its carbon auctions. “I am vetoing this legislation because it will cost our citizens jobs, both now and into the future, hinder our economic recovery, and damage our state’s long-term economic competitiveness,” said Lynch. The 10-state program requires reductions of carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and established the trading market. Power plants can buy allowances to cover their emissions and sell unneeded allowances on the market if they further reduce their emissions. Republican legislators in New Hampshire said leaving the program would lower costs for utilities and reduce electricity rates. RGGI has faced challenges in several states. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced in May that his state will leave the program later this year.

For additional information see: Reuters

House Republicans are trying another tactic to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases from power plants and oil refineries. Budget writers included a policy rider to the fiscal 2012 spending bill unveiled July 6 that would impose a one-year delay on the EPA’s greenhouse gas regulations, and sharply reduce funding for the agency. “The EPA’s unrestrained effort to regulate greenhouse gases, and the pursuit of an overly aggressive regulatory agenda, are signs of an agency that has lost its bearings,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican and chairman of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. House Republicans may have enough votes to pass the bill, but it is expected to be blocked in the Senate, where Democrats have a majority. EPA rules that took effect in January regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new and modified large industrial facilities.

For additional information see: The Hill Story 1, The Hill Story 2, Platts

Nearly three-quarters of the residents of British Columbia believe their province’s carbon tax has been good for the environment, or feel neutral about it, according to survey results released June 30. Strategic Communications, Inc. conducted the poll of 830 people. It found 69 percent of residents are worried about climate change. This year, the carbon tax, introduced in 2008, costs $25 per ton for carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of oil, natural gas and coal. Next year, it rises to $30 per ton. Future rate hikes have not been determined; 51 percent of those polled do not support an increase in the carbon tax. Similar taxes apply to jet fuel, diesel, propane and other fuels. Both businesses and consumers pay the tax. The tax adds about $142 a year to the home heating bills of the average homeowner. The province claims the tax is revenue neutral because personal, corporate and small business income taxes were lowered.

For additional information see: Vancouver Sun, British Columbia Carbon Tax Website

African leaders are creating a monetary infrastructure and developing a united front to press the international community to fully fund Africa’s share of the proposed Green Climate Fund. The Green Climate Fund was announced at the United Nations (U.N.) climate talks in Cancun in 2010 and is still being developed. Earlier this year, the U.N. announced the selection of a 40-person committee to design the fund, which would raise money from public and private sources to finance mitigation, adaptation, capacity building and other climate projects in developing countries. When the next round of climate change talks begin in November in South Africa, African leaders will advocate for the bulk of their continent’s funds to be allocated to climate adaptation projects. African nations will be some of the most affected by climate change on the globe because of their susceptibility to drought. African leaders have agreed that the African Development Bank would manage their share of the fund; many African nations lack the knowledge and technology to secure their share of international funding. “We want to use the knowledge and expertise of the African Development Bank in managing ad hoc mechanisms to set up that African Green Fund,” said Ibrahima Dia, a senior U.N. and African Union official.

For additional information see: Reuters

The decade of the 2000s was the hottest on record, but average global temperatures could have been hotter, a new study suggests. Pollution from China’s growing appetite for coal actually helped ease the rate at which global temperatures were rising, but that dampening effect won’t last. Burning coal emits large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that causes climate change. But it also emits sulphate aerosol, a cause of acid rain. Researchers say sulphate aerosol helped constrain the increase in temperatures by reflecting solar energy back into space. Chinese coal consumption doubled between 2003 and 2007. China is taking steps to clean up its coal-fired power plants, installing scrubbers to remove particulates from emissions that harm human health. Sulphate aerosol is a relatively short-lived pollutant; it falls out of the atmosphere within a few weeks. CO2, on the other hand, remains in the atmosphere for decades. “What’s going on is, human activities do two things: They cool the planet and they warm the planet. People normally just focus on the warming effect of CO2 (carbon dioxide), but during the Chinese economic expansion there was a huge increase in sulfur emissions,” said Robert Kaufmann of Boston University, the lead author of the study, which was published in the July 4 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For additional information see: BBC, Associated Press

U.S. airlines are fighting a European Union (EU) law that would require them to pay for their carbon dioxide emissions when taking off or landing in Europe, beginning in 2012. An industry group and major airlines that include United and Continental made their case before the European Court of Justice on July 5. The 27-member EU voted to extend its emissions trading system to include aviation emissions. The airlines oppose the cost, given the routes are mostly outside EU airspace, and say there’s no firm guarantee the money will be spent on climate projects, as intended. The EU has offered to waive the costs for flights from countries that it judges to have taken “equivalent” steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “We are not thinking at all about the possibility of changing our legislation,” said José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission. “All the world should unite in some kind of directive like this one.”

For additional information see: The New York Times, The Economist

Federal regulators are considering an increase to fuel efficiency standards that would require cars and light trucks to average 56 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2025, the second round of rules aimed at curbing vehicles’ greenhouse gas emissions. Today’s cars must average 30 mpg and light trucks 24 mpg. The proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would apply to model years 2017 through 2025. Federal officials are emphasizing that the proposal would reduce oil use, consumers’ fuel costs, and emissions of other pollutants. Automakers and their allies say jobs are at risk if new cars become more expensive and consumers defer their vehicle purchases. They also say higher fuel efficiency standards may force automakers to produce vehicles that do not suit Americans’ lifestyles.

For additional information see: The Washington Post, The Detroit News

Researchers say the population of an endangered Australian turtle may suffer further declines as the average global temperature increases in the coming decades, another example of climate change’s detrimental impact on biodiversity. University of Queensland scientists who incubated eggs of the Mary River turtle at different temperatures found physiological and behavioral differences among offspring. Offspring incubated at higher temperatures swam poorly and preferred shallow water, two characteristics that increase the likelihood of being eaten by predators. “Whether climate change has already contributed to the decline (of the turtle) is not clear,” said Mariana Micheli-Campbell, one of the researchers. “But these results show it may be a danger to this species in the future.” The Mary River turtle already is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, a category used to highlight species that face an elevated risk of extinction. The findings were presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual conference in Glasgow on July 3.

For additional information see: Science Daily

The great ice sheets of Greenland and the Antarctic will melt faster than previously believed, leading to a one-meter rise in sea level by the end of the century, a new study found. The study by University of Arizona researchers used 19 climate models to propose a new way that global warming will melt ice sheets near the poles. It looked at what will happen to tidewater glaciers as air and water temperatures warm. Tidewater glaciers flow from the land to the sea, with much of their leading edges submerged deep below the surface of the sea. “Ocean warming is very important compared to atmospheric warming because water has a much larger heat capacity than air,” said lead author Jianjun Yin. “If you put an ice cube in a warm room, it will melt in several hours. But if you put an ice cube in a cup of warm water, it will disappear in just minutes.” Greenland’s glaciers, in particular, are being exposed to increasingly warm subsurface water, partly due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. As the seawater warms, it melts the glacier from below, causing the upper portion to crumble into the ocean, and accelerating the rate at which the rest of the glacier flows from the land to the sea. The study was published online in Nature Geoscience.

For additional information see: Science Daily, Study

With less snow falling in the Arctic during the summer, sea ice is being deprived of protection from bright sunlight, causing it to melt more rapidly, a new study found. The study examined the cascading effects of rising temperatures in the Arctic, which is warming more rapidly than other parts of the globe. Of course, rising temperatures can directly affect sea ice, but they also have follow-on effects. Summer is typically still a time of significant snowfall in the Arctic. But rising temperatures have led to more of the precipitation falling as rain. Snowfall, in fact, is down 40 percent over the last 20 years. Reductions in snowfall affect sea ice, removing its protective covering and exposing it to sunlight. “Snow is highly reflective and bounces 85 percent of the incoming sunlight back into space,” said James Screen of the University of Melbourne. “Snow on top of ice effectively acts as a sunscreen protecting the ice from the power of the sun rays.” Measurements show the sea ice becoming thinner, and less extensive. The study was published in Climate Dynamics.

For additional information see: Science Daily, Study

According to a University of Alberta study, climate change over the past 70 years has pushed the province’s native wildflowers and trees into earlier blooming times, making them more vulnerable to damaging frosts and decreased reproduction. Researchers used phenology, the study of the timing of life cycle events, to determine the historic bloom dates for plant species. The bloom dates for early spring species such as prairie crocuses and aspen trees had advanced by two weeks over the stretch of seven decades, while later-blooming species such as saskatoon and chokecherry bushes pushed ahead by up to six days. The average winter monthly temperature increased considerably over 70 years, with the greatest change noted in February, which warmed by 5.3 degrees Celsius. The study was published in the July issue of the journal Bioscience.

For additional information see: Science Daily, Study

Other Headlines

A bill to fund the Department of the Interior, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the Forest Service, and various independent and related agencies.

Intent: To provide $27.5 billion in spending, a reduction of $2.1 billion below last year’s level and $3.8 billion below the administration’s budget request. The bill also includes a total cut to climate change programs of $83 million, or 22 percent, from last year, and imposes a one-year prohibition on the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of greenhouse gases from large stationary sources such as power plants and oil refineries.

Latest Major Action: On July 7, the subcommittee on interior, environment and related agencies reported the bill to the full appropriations committee.

For more information: Fiscal Year 2012 Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill.

July 12: State and Federal Policy for Biogas

The American Biogas Council will host a webinar to explore federal and state-level policies that affect the development of biogas-producing anaerobic digestion facilities. You will learn from industry legislative experts from: ML Strategies, government relations and consulting experts, Stoel Rives, a leader in energy and renewable litigation, and project developer AgPower Group, a company with hands-on experience dealing with state and federal policy issues. This is your chance to learn from and interact with leading experts. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, July 12, at 12:00 EST. The webinar is free to American Biogas Council members and $100 for non-members. To register for this event, visit American Biogas Council. For more information, contact Josh Lieberman at jlieberman [at] ttcorp.com.

The Alliance for Green Heat invites you to “Scaling Up Residential Biomass Heating: A Stakeholder Symposium” at the U.S. Forest Service. While residential wood heat is the dominant player in residential renewable energy, most wood heat appliances in America are outdated and emit too many particulates. Robust deployment of modern, high efficiency appliances in Europe has succeeded in helping make substantial strides towards its energy independence. This stakeholder symposium will bring together non-profits, industry, government and forestry and air quality experts to explore how America can maximize the renewable energy potential of wood and pellet heat, and minimize associated drawbacks. The symposium will be held July 13, from 2:00-4:00 PM in the Yates Training Room at the USDA Forest Service Building, 201 14th Street SW. It is free but space is limited and advance registration is required. Please register at The Alliance for Green Heat.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and WIRES (Working group for Investment in Reliable and Economic electric Systems) invite you to a briefing on how the manufacture and construction of electric transmission infrastructure can make a major contribution to reversing the nation’s stagnation in employment and economic activity. The electric transmission system is a critical and strategic asset for our nation. As policymakers focus on infrastructure development as an engine of new jobs and economic activity, this panel is a reminder that electric transmission – developed at the levels that experts project the country will need over the next two decades – can be a center of economic revitalization as more renewable resources are brought online. The briefing will be held on July 15, 10:00-11:30 AM, in Congressional Meeting Room North in the Capitol Visitor Center. This event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Laura Parsons at lparsons [at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1884.

The Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) and Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invite you to a briefing on the energy title of the Farm Bill, with a special focus on the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Big decisions loom in the next Farm Bill, including for key farm energy programs. REAP incentivizes a broad range of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies for all agricultural sectors across the country. As a result, thousands of rural producers and businesses are slashing energy costs with energy efficiency and renewable energy. They also are earning new income from renewable energy and creating new jobs, income, and wealth across rural America. This briefing will provide an overview of the Farm Bill Energy Title, as well as specific examples of dairy and poultry producers, rural electric cooperatives, and other rural producers and small businesses from across the country that have benefitted from the REAP program. The briefing will be held twice on the same day, July 19. The first briefing will be 10:00-11:30 AM in 1300 Longworth House Office Building. The second briefing will be 2:00-3:30 PM, in 188 Russell Senate Office Building. This briefing is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Ned Stowe at nstowe [at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1885.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on the huge potential for solar-reflective roofs and other “cool-roofing” techniques to lower the surface temperature of buildings and entire cities. Cool roofs improve comfort on hot summer days and reduce the amount of energy used for air-conditioning – thereby reducing energy costs and improving air quality. Whitening flat roofs is a low-cost solution which, if implemented in certain cities across the globe, has been estimated to have the potential to offset the carbon emissions of 300 million automobiles. At this briefing, renowned physicist and energy efficiency expert Arthur Rosenfeld will discuss research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) that for the first time quantifies the reflective power (albedo) of urban surfaces that would be necessary to mitigate the urban heat-island effect and offset carbon dioxide emissions. Panelists also will discuss insulated and vegetated (“green”) roofs and how different types of cool roofs may be combined or integrated with solar-roofing systems, photovoltaics (PV) and/or solar thermal technology. The briefing will be held on July 21, 2:00-3:30 PM, in the Capital Visitors Center room SVC 212/210. This event is free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For more information contact Ellen Vaughan at evaughan [at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1893.

Please distribute Climate Change News to your colleagues. Permission for reproduction of this newsletter is granted provided that the Environmental and Energy Study Institute is properly acknowledged as the source. Past issues are available here. Free email subscriptions are available here. We welcome your suggestions, comments, and questions.

EESI’s work, including this free newsletter, is made possible by financial support from people like you. Please help us continue to make it available by making a secure, online donation today by clicking here or mailing a check to Environmental and Energy Study Institute; 1112 16th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036. Please contact Susan Williams at (202) 662-1887 (202) 662-1887 or see www.eesi.org/donate to find out more. Thank you for your support!

On April 29, a federal appeals court rejected a legal challenge from the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that sought to revoke a California regulation meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by forcing automakers to make and sell less polluting cars in the state. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that NADA did not prove the regulation would cause their members future harm, and the Chamber of Commerce could not identify any members affected by the regulation. California’s clean car program implements progressively stricter emissions standards on cars starting with 2009 models until model year 2015.

For additional information see: AP, Court Decision

According to the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the federal government’s 2010 “reducible” emissions totaled 66.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, or 2.5 million metric tons less than its 2008 baseline. On April 30, CEQ released the first report on aggregated federal government and individual agency emissions data. The total 2010 emissions for programs not subject to reduction targets, such as military operations and law enforcement, added 54.9 million metric tons, for a total of 121.3 million metric tons of CO2. The biggest contributor of emissions not subject to reduction targets was the Department of Defense, which emitted 52.2 million metric tons of CO2, or 95 percent of the non-reduction total. Also, its share of reduction-eligible emissions was 34.4 million metric tons of CO2, or 52 percent of the 2010 government total. The release of the data report is mandated by the President’s sustainability goals outlined under Executive Order 13514, which was first announced in October 2009 and updated to less stringent targets in January 2010. The order states that the federal government will reduce its direct emissions, such as those from fuels and building energy use, by 28 percent by 2020 and will reduce its indirect emissions by 13 percent by 2020. According to the CEQ, the planned reductions across agency operations could save $11 billion dollars in energy costs over the next decade and or eliminate the use of the equivalent of 235 million barrels of oil.

For additional information see: Environmental Leader, CEQ Press Release, Executive Order 13514

The Sierra Club and the Louisiana Environmental Action Network have challenged the air pollution permit covering two iron-making plants in southeastern Louisiana, petitioning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt the production of a $3.4 billion complex being developed by Nucor. The groups argue that when the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality approved a final permit for the direct reduced iron plant on January 27, 2011, it combined the project with a pig iron plant that was approved by state regulators last year. According to Joanne Spalding, an attorney at the Sierra Club, Nucor rushed the pig iron facility through the permitting process to avoid subjecting the higher-emitting plant to the new climate regulations put in place in January. Their petition also claims that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions the new plant would be allowed to release is much higher than it should be. The EPA has 60 days to respond to the petition.

For additional information see: NY Times, Court Petition

On May 4, lawyers representing children and young adults filed a series of lawsuits against the U.S. government, claiming that its agencies have neglected their duty to protect the Earth’s atmosphere for future generations. Lawsuits are to be filed in every state and Washington, D.C., according to the plaintiffs, a coalition called Our Children’s Trust. The goal of the lawsuits is to protect the atmosphere by declaring it a public trust, a concept previously used to clean up polluted rivers and coastlines. Judges will need to decide whether or not the Environmental Protection Agency’s existing regulations on greenhouse gas emissions are stringent enough. Although the cases will likely take years to be resolved, if successful they could significantly impact carbon intensive businesses by effectively forcing the government to impose more stringent emissions regulations.

For additional information see: Business Green, AP

On April 30, the global anti-corruption organization Transparency International (TI) issued a report urging governments and businesses to step up efforts to prevent fraudulent practices that undermine confidence in fast-expanding low carbon industries. The report warned that corruption poses a growing threat to green construction projects, the integrity of the carbon market, and wider environmental messaging. TI identified a number of green investment areas at risk of exploitation, such as the United Nations’ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation scheme and the European Emissions Trading Scheme, and offered recommendations to help decision makers combat rising levels of fraud. According to the report, the 20 countries most affected by climate change and set to benefit from international climate change funds often face serious corruption risks. As stated in the report, “Despite significant additional revenue, social inequity and poverty may rise while long-term economic growth falters. In the worst instances, these conditions can contribute to public unrest or civil war.”

For additional information see: Business Green, Deutsche Welle, Report

On April 28 and 29, the first meeting of the UN-backed ‘Green Climate Fund’ committee took place. The committee is tasked with developing plans for the new fund, capable of distributing up to $100 billion of climate-related investment a year to developing nations by 2020. During the meeting, three co-chairs to the committee were appointed: Mexican finance minister Ernesto Cordero Arroyo, South African minister in the presidency Trevor Manuel, and Norway’s state secretary at the Ministry of Finance Kjetil Lund. According to UN climate change chief Christiana Figueres, the committee will play a key role in international climate change negotiations, as it will deliver a series of recommendations before the UN’s annual climate change summit later this year in Durban, South Africa. “The launch of the Green Climate Fund is one of the significant decisions that nations reached in Cancun, which show that governments can take repeated steps forward, including this year in Durban,” she said.

For additional information see: Business Green

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that production of wind energy in the United States over the next 30-50 years will be largely unaffected by rising global temperatures. According to the study, the areas of greatest wind consistency were over the Great Plains, which are already being used to harness wind, and over the Great Lakes, which the United States and Canada are currently considering as potential locations for wind farms. The majority of the areas where there will be a decrease in wind are limited and off limits for wind farms, say researchers. To conduct the study, researchers predicted future wind density changes by examining three different regional climate models experiencing warming of about two degrees Celsius relative to the end of the last century. Observations taken by all three models concluded most areas would experience little to no change in wind density.

For additional information see: Science Daily, UPI, Study

On May 5, a report commissioned by the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences addressed the widespread loss of snow and ice in mountain glaciers due to climate change. The report listed numerous examples of glacial decline around the world and the evidence linking that decline to human-caused changes in climate and air pollution. According to researchers, the threat to populations dependent on glaciers and snow packs requires immediate attention to mitigate the current and future effects of climate change. The report recommended three measures, including the immediate reduction of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions, reduction of concentrations of warming air pollutants such as soot, ozone, methane and hydroflurocarbons by up to 50 percent, and preparation to adapt to climate changes that society will not be able to mitigate.

For additional information see: Scripps, Study

University of Queensland researchers have found that climate change is likely to push koalas into populated areas where they’ll be vulnerable to habitat loss, dog attacks and vehicle collisions. Researcher Christine Adams-Hosking was called to present her findings to Senate inquiry hearings in Brisbane on the status, health and sustainability of Australia’s koala population. “Under a future hotter and drier climate, current koala distributions will likely shift to eastern and southern regions where koala populations are already under threat due to high human population densities,” she said. The Australian Senate plans to list koalas under The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act by October, protecting the species as a matter of national environmental significance. According to the research, dry inland habitats are likely to become uninhabitable by koalas, increasing the need to protect and restore coastal habitats, which are under threat from urbanization.

For additional information see: Sydney Morning Herald, Research

A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that global climate change is anticipated to bring more extreme weather phenomena, such as heat waves, that could impact human health in the coming decades. Scientists developed three climate change scenarios for 2081 to 2100, based on estimates from seven global climate change models as well as mortality and air pollution data for the city of Chicago from 1987 to 2005. The data were limited to the summers of each year. According to the study, heat waves could cause between 162 and 2,217 excess deaths per year in Chicago by the end of the 21st century. According to the researchers, the calculations of excess deaths could not be explained by projected increases in city population alone, and the exact change in mortality due to global warming is sensitive to the choice of climate model used in the analysis. “It’s very difficult to make predictions, but given what we know now — absent any form of adaptation or mitigation — our study shows that climate change will exacerbate the health impact of heat waves across a range of plausible future scenarios,” said Roger Peng, lead author of the study. Peng added, “We would expect the impact to be less severe with mitigation efforts including lowering CO2 emissions.”

For additional information see: Science Daily, Baltimore Sun, Study

According to a new study published by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, global mercury emissions could grow by 25 percent by 2020 if no action is taken to control them, posing a threat to polar bears, whales and seals and the Arctic communities who hunt those animals for food. The researchers, set up by the eight Arctic rim countries, warn that climate change could accelerate the problem by releasing mercury stored for thousands of years in permafrost, or by promoting chemical processes that transform the substance into a more toxic form. According to the study, polar bears, beluga whales, and seals are among the species that have shown heightened levels of mercury in parts of Arctic Canada and Greenland. The Inuit communities living in the Arctic are at risk due to their diet, which consists mainly of whale, seal, and occasionally polar bear, all animals which have accumulated high levels of mercury.

For additional information see: AP, Study

A study to be published in Global Change Biology found a clear connection between warming and rising extinction rates of the American pika, a small, hamster-looking animal, for the first time. The research shows that the pika began rapidly fleeing lower elevations and dying off in the Great Basin of the Western United States a decade ago, when human-generated greenhouse gas emissions began to affect climate and sea levels. Local extinction rates of American pikas have increased nearly five-fold in the last decade, and the rate at which the species is moving up mountain slopes has increased 11-fold since the 20th century. Scientists recorded more extreme temperatures and less precipitation at sites where the pikas are going extinct than at those where they are thriving, allowing them to become more susceptible to disease, heat stress, or predation. To conduct the study, researchers compared their own population surveys from the periods 1994-1999 and 2003-2008 to historical distribution records of pikas in the Great Basin from 1898 to 1956.

For additional information see: Reuters, Science Daily, Study

A study published in Science found that the world’s rising temperature is slowing production of major food crops, and will eventually disrupt the economies of many countries and impair the health of their people. Farmers will need to change the types of crops they grow, and many crops, particularly corn and wheat, will need to be grown in new regions, according to researchers. To conduct the study, researchers used computer modeling from widely available crop and climate data to examine the past 30 years of production for corn, wheat, rice and soybeans, four of the world’s major food crops. The results found rice and soybeans to be unaffected by climate change. Corn production was four percent lower than normal and wheat was 5.5 percent lower than normal, which possibly caused the six percent rise in global prices for those two crops during the past 30 years. The report stated that millions of people will be forced to consume less food as crop prices get higher, leading to more malnutrition and illness for those least able to pay for the food. However, crops in Mexico, the United States, and Canada remain unaffected, due in large part to the fact that overall temperatures in these areas have not risen significantly in the past 30 years.

For additional information see: Washington Post, SF Chronicle, Candian Press, Abstract

A study published in Geophysical Research Letters found high concentrations of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in seafloor mud at three offshore locations. The findings support larger estimates of how much methane is stored under the world’s oceans. Since the 1960s, researchers have known that some natural deposits of frozen ice lying on the ocean floor contain methane clathrate, or hydrate. The high pressure and cold temperature keep them from melting. However, in addition to the methane stored inside the ice, the author of the study, Peter Brewer, noted there must be a lot of methane in the water saturating the mud in which that ice is buried, or the hydrate would not be stable. “The hydrates in sediments have to be in equilibrium with the water around them, which must contain huge amounts of methane. One would guess it is about the same as the amount in the [hydrate] itself,” he said. Brewer and colleagues used a remotely operated vehicle with a metal probe and a Raman spectrometer to collect samples. The study stated that this technique can be used to check up on areas where it is suspected that a large volume of methane might be released. Researchers agreed that these releases are unlikely to affect climate change, as “the gas is more likely to get chewed up by bacteria or dissolved into the sea water rather than released to the air,” said Brewer.

For additional information see: Nature, Study

Other Headlines

H.R. 1705: On May 4, H.R. 1705 was introduced and referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, chaired by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), as well as to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, chaired by Rep. John Mica (R-FL).
Intent: To require analyses of the cumulative and incremental impacts of certain rules and actions of the Environmental Protection Agency, including rules or guidelines related to climate change under the Clean Air Act.
Previous Action: Referred to House Transportation and Infrastructure on May 4, 2011.
Sponsor: Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK)
Related Bill: None
For more information: THOMAS

S. 46: On May 5, S. 46 was ordered by the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, chaired by Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV), to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Intent: To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and for other
purposes. Part of the Act would develop an action strategy and implementation plan that includes discussion of climate change impacts to coral reefs, among many other factors.
Previous Action: Considered in committee which has recommended it be considered by the Senate as a whole.
Sponsor: Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Related Bill: H.R. 738 (Del. Bordallo, D-GU)
For more information: THOMAS

On June 16, the Sustainable Energy Coalition – in cooperation with Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucus—will host the 14th annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum. This year’s EXPO will bring together over fifty businesses, sustainable energy industry trade associations, government agencies, and energy policy research organizations to showcase the status and near-term potential of the cross-section of renewable energy (biofuels/biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) and energy efficiency technologies. The morning program will feature Members of the U.S. Congress while afternoon speakers will discuss the role sustainable energy technologies can play in meeting America’s energy needs. The EXPO is free, open to the public, and no RSVPs are required. The events will be held on April 16, 9:30am-4:30pm in 345 Cannon House Office Building (Cannon Caucus Room). For more information contact Ken Bossong at kbossong614 [at] yahoo.com.

Writers: Deep Ghosh and Matthew Johnson

Please distribute Climate Change News to your colleagues. Permission for reproduction of this newsletter is granted provided that the Environmental and Energy Study Institute is properly acknowledged as the source. Past issues are available here. Free email subscriptions are available here. We welcome your suggestions, comments, and questions.

EESI’s work, including this free newsletter, is made possible by financial support from people like you. Please help us continue to make it available by making a secure, online donation today by clicking here or mailing a check to Environmental and Energy Study Institute; 1112 16th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036. Please contact Susan Williams at (202) 662-1887 (202) 662-1887 or see www.eesi.org/donate to find out more. Thank you for your support!

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been constructing a new Climate Service that would provide climate information and data in accessible and timely formats to assist people in making decisions. In addition to providing climate information, the Climate Service would develop products, assessments, and tools to aid its stakeholders in preparing for and responding to climate change. However, funding for the program was cut in the Continuing Resolution (CR) for Fiscal Year 2011 that was agreed to by Congress and the White House on April 8. Since the NOAA plans to establish the Climate Service in 2012, this lack of funding does not directly affect the program unless it is carried over into the fiscal 2012 budget. The Department of Commerce and NOAA proposed establishing a NOAA Climate Service in February, 2010.

For additional information see:Washington Post, Spending Bill

On April 12, California officials announced that the state will expand its new carbon-trading program to three Canadian provinces, British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario. The program is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from industrial plants and transportation fuel, allowing companies to buy and sell emissions permits among themselves to cut their costs. Quebec is expected to join the program when it is launched this January, with British Columbia and Ontario joining within a year, creating the largest regional cap-and-trade system in North America. Arizona, New Mexico Washington, Oregon, Utah and Montana were originally part of the initiative but withdrew.

For additional information see: LA Times

On April 13, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former President Bill Clinton announced a plan to merge their global climate groups. C40 Cities, a coalition of international cities run by Bloomberg, will merge with Clinton’s philanthropic foundation, the Clinton Climate Initiative, doubling both groups’ annual budget and staff. Bloomberg and Clinton are scheduled to deliver a joint address next month at an environmental conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Both programs are aimed at reducing carbon emissions in large cities through programs that would make buildings more efficient, promote mass transit, and reuse greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. Jay Carson, former deputy mayor of Los Angeles, will become chief executive of the new organization which will be called the C40-Clinton Climate Initiative. It is expected to have a budget of about $15 million per year and a staff of 70.

For additional information see:NY Times

Sun Cuihua, the vice-director of the climate change department at the National Development and Reform Commission, announced at a conference that China will launch pilot emissions trading programs in the cities of Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai and Tianjin and the provinces of Hubei and Guangdong before 2013, as well as set up a nationwide trading platform by 2015. China has pledged to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 40-45 percent by 2020, compared to 2005 levels. The government plans to cut energy intensity by 16 percent and carbon intensity by 17 percent in the 2011-2015 period to meet this goal. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, provinces and regions have already been issued local targets, but the figures have not yet been released to the public.

For additional information see: Reuters

Three Indian states, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, have begun to implement a pilot emission trading program in an effort to reduce emissions. The Times of India reported on April 12 that the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board began analyzing emissions of industrial units by using online monitoring systems, and will put a cap on emissions within clusters, as well as on individual units. “For the next six months, we will be tracking the emissions of industries such as thermal [plants], cement factories, etc, which are responsible for ambient air pollution. Based on the six-month findings, we will determine the capping limit,” said Environmental Secretary Nair Singh. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MEF) will use the next two years to determine how this market-based pilot program can aid Indian environmental regulations in the future.

For additional information see: Times of India

Research released by Point Carbon indicated that the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) proposed carbon floor price will cut UK energy industry emissions 5.3 percent by 2020. The proposals include a requirement for fuel suppliers to pay a floor tax, regardless of any future changes in the price of carbon through the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The research noted that the carbon price will be set two years prior to the time of the tax taking effect, which could result in a UK carbon price as high as 54 Euros per ton, significantly more than the 36 Euros per ton that is expected throughout the rest of the European Union (EU). The report predicted that this high carbon price will increase investment in renewable and low-carbon energy, although the higher price of carbon in the UK may put it at a competitive disadvantage in comparison to other EU nations.

For additional information see: Business Green

Research conducted by the Research Center for Environmental Changes indicated that a change in global weather will cause Taiwan to experience an increase of floods in the rainy season and droughts in the dry season. Rainfall distribution between wet and dry seasons has shifted 15 percent in the past 30 years. Reservoirs in the area are able to hold six months worth of necessary water supplies each year, but may not be sufficient with an extending dry season, leading to severe droughts. Leading researcher Chou Chia suggested the government re-evaluate how the nation collects and stores water, as well as implement more efficient ways of irrigating crops.

For additional information see: China Post

A study published in the journal Nature found that anywhere from two to six percent of atmospheric reactive nitrogen is converted by forests into nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), and then emitted from forest soil back into the atmosphere. The previous estimate by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was only one percent. Forest deposition of reactive nitrogen has increased about 1.5 million tons per year from 1860 to 2000. The sources for the atmospheric deposition of reactive nitrogen are mainly the volatilization of ammonia from fertilizers used in agriculture, and nitrogen oxide emissions formed by the combustion of fossil fuels or biomass burning. In addition to producing N20, nitrogen deposition on forests also reduces plant and animal diversity, and increases nitrate levels in water. The study identifies which European regions are at the greatest risks for nitrogen pollution and outlines actions to be taken to protect the environment and public health.

For additional information see: Science Daily, Study

A study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters found that long-term climate change has the potential to move the Earth’s tectonic plates. According to the study, intensification of Indian monsoons, which increased rainfall in northeast India by four meters per year, have accelerated the movement of the Indian plate by a factor of 20 percent over the past 10 million years. Although scientists have previously known that tectonic movements influence climate by creating new mountains and sea trenches, this study was the first to show the reverse. The study did not indicate climate change will cause stronger, more frequent earthquakes, but it will contribute to understanding what caused plate motions to change and which regions are currently more prone to large earthquakes.

For additional information see: ANU, AFP, Study

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science found that climate change is affecting both chinstrap penguin and Adelie penguin populations through reductions in their food supply. Krill, the penguins’ main food source, requires sea ice to reproduce. The reduction in sea ice from climate change has led to an 80 percent decrease in krill populations since 1970. Over the past decade, chinstrap penguin populations have fallen by 4.3 percent a year, and Adelie penguin populations have fallen 2.9 percent a year. According to the study, fewer fledgling penguins are surviving to adulthood, causing some penguin colonies to fall by half. The penguins face more danger as krill fisheries in the Southern Ocean expand.

For additional information see: Mongabay, Reuters, NY Times, Study

New research presented at the Society for General Microbiology’s Spring Conference in the United Kingdom indicated that as climates change, plants will become more vulnerable to infectious disease, threatening crop yields and affecting the price and availability of food. The research focused on how changing levels of rainfall, humidity, and temperature all play a role in the predominance of a toxic fungal disease affecting wheat called Fusarium head blight (FHB). Mathematical models have shown that the number of FHB epidemics, as well as the amount of mycotoxin, the harmful toxin released by FHB, will increase across the United Kingdom in coming decades. “Higher temperatures, increasing levels of carbon dioxide, water limitation and quality may all affect existing plant microbes as well as favouring the appearance of new microbes. This may increase the incidence of some diseases and reduce the incidence of others,” said Dr. Adrian Newton, author of the study. He suggested that exploiting plant diversity will increase resilience to disease and other factors associated with climate change. “This means less pesticide use, reliable crop production and sustainable food production systems,” he said.

For additional information see: Science Daily

In a study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, UCLA geoscientists constructed an ancient climate record by analyzing fossilized mollusk shells . The study used two geochemical techniques to determine the summertime Arctic temperatures during the early Pliocene epoch (3.5 million to 4 million years ago), in which the shells were formed, and found that temperatures may have been 18 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than today. Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels from the Pliocene epoch remained near the current value of 400 parts per million (ppm) for thousands of years, possibly indicating how warm the planet may get if CO2 levels are stabilized at modern levels. The results of the study supported previous climate models which predicted summertime sea ice will be eliminated in the next 50 to 100 years. By evaluating the isotopic content of oxygen from both fossilized mollusk and plant samples, scientists were able to determine the temperature at which the specimens originally formed, eliminating the need for ice cores which only provided climate information up to 800,000 years ago, during which CO2 levels were never above 280 to 300 ppm. Scientists created an additional method that determined how much of the rarest isotopes of carbon and oxygen are present in just the mollusk sample, which yielded results consistent with the original method. Data from these methods were in sync with three entirely different approaches, proving them to be reliable.

For additional information see: Science Daily, Study

A study published in Nature Geoscience found that rising surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator and near the International Date Line drive atmospheric circulation that has caused some of the largest shifts in Antarctic climate in recent decades. The warmer surface temperatures cause air to rise, creating a large wave structure in the atmosphere which brings warmer temperatures to the West Antarctic during winter and spring. By using surface and satellite temperature observations, scientists found a strong relationship between central Pacific sea-surface readings and Antarctic temperatures during the winter months of June through August, as well as a less pronounced relationship in the spring months of September through November. The results could also provide clues for scientists as to why the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is thinning.

For additional information see: Science Daily, Study

A Cornell University study published in Climate Change Letters concluded natural gas produced by a drilling method called “hydraulic fracturing,” or “fracking,” could contribute more to global warming than previously thought. The findings are controversial due to previous estimations that natural gas had a fraction of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of coal, and “shale gas” has been widely credited in many circles for keeping energy prices low during the recession. According to the study, however, the production of gas from shale produces much higher methane emissions, a GHG many times more potent than carbon dioxide, which is enough to negate the carbon advantage that it has over coal and oil when they’re burned for energy. “The [greenhouse gas] footprint for shale gas is greater than that for conventional gas or oil when viewed on any time horizon, but particularly so over 20 years. Compared to coal, the footprint of shale gas is at least 20 percent greater and perhaps more than twice as great on the 20-year horizon and is comparable when compared over 100 years,” stated Robert Howarth, one of the authors of the study.

For additional information see: Time, NY Times, Study

Other Headlines

H.R. 910:

Intent: To amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating any regulation concerning, taking action relating to, or taking into consideration the emission of a greenhouse gas to address climate change, and for other purposes.

Previous Action: Passed House on April 7, 2011, 255-172.

Sponsor: Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee

Related Bill: S. 482 (Inhofe, R-NM)

For more information: Bill Summary

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing on a new report from the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) that details for the first time what the anticipated effects of climate change will be per degree of global temperature increase. Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations and Impacts over Decades to Millennia details the impacts of human activities — particularly emissions of carbon dioxide, but also other greenhouse gas emissions — which are so vast they will largely control the future of the Earth’s climate system. A companion piece, Warming World: Impacts by Degree, highlights the main findings of the report. Two authors of the report will discuss its findings and how the future could bring a relatively mild change in climate or an extreme change to entirely different climate conditions that will persist for many thousands of years. This briefing will also include perspective on the value judgments that policymakers face when they deliberate on the risks of climate change. The event will be held Monday, April 25, 2011, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m., in 122 Cannon House Office Building. This briefing is free and open to the public. No RSVP required. For more information, contact Matthew Johnson at mjohnson [at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1892.

Writers: Deep Ghosh and Matthew Johnson

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