Countries Slow to Pledge Emissions Cuts Ahead of Paris Climate Talks
Less than a third of governments seeking a global climate agreement have submitted plans for reducing emissions, raising concerns over developing countries’ commitment to a deal just months before talks are meant to culminate in Paris. As part of the latest international effort to stave off warming, nearly 200 countries agreed to present their own plans for curbing greenhouse-gas emissions to the United Nations body overseeing the talks. The national plans are meant to be folded into a broader accord aimed at putting the world on track to cap global average temperatures at no more than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels—a goal that U.N. officials now concede is unlikely in this year’s agreement. While the European Union, China, the U.S. and other big carbon emitters have submitted their reduction targets, many major economies haven’t—including Brazil, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and India, the fourth-biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions. The […]
NOAA: July Was Hottest Month Ever Worldwide
July was a scorcher, globally speaking. Last month was the warmest on record worldwide with many countries and the world’s oceans experiencing intense heat waves, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said today in a report . The report found that “the July average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.46°F above the 20th century average.” And since July is “climatologically the warmest month for the year, this was also the all-time highest monthly temperature in the 1880–2015 record, at 61.86°F, surpassing the previous record set in 1998 by 0.14°F.” It comes as no surprise that Arctic sea ice hasn’t fared well with all this warmth. The average Arctic sea ice extent was the eighth smallest since records began in 1979. Click on chart for larger view. Graphic credit: NOAA Click on chart for larger view. Graphic credit: NOAA The report also found that it’s been […]
Global Climate Deal Under Threat
BRUSSELS—A planned global deal to keep average temperatures from rising more than two degrees Celsius to contain climate change is under threat unless more countries submit emission-reduction targets and technical negotiations are substantially accelerated, the European Union’s energy and climate commissioner warned Thursday. “The window of opportunity…is closing fast,” Miguel Arias Cañete said. With just over three months to go until the Paris Climate Conference, which is meant to come up with a follow-up deal for the Kyoto Protocol, just 56 out of more than 190 countries, representing 61% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, have submitted targets for reducing these emissions, Mr. Cañete said. While that is up from the 35 states that submitted targets under the Kyoto deal, proposals are still missing from some big economies, including Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. “There are big economies that should come on board.” Mr. Cañete said. The EU […]
Study Confirms Climate Change Turned California Drought Into Disaster, With Worst Yet to Come
Scientists have calculated how much less severe the drought would be without climate change. You’ve hit your limit of 5 free articles this month. Try our subscription options: Print & Digital 3 Months Transferring your credit card balance is proving to be a very smart move for most Two Banks That Pay 10 Times The Interest On Your Savings 4 in 5 Americans Are Ignoring Buffett’s Warning Is Donald Trump The Best Candidate for 2016? Vote Here. These 119 Rarely Seen Historical Photos Are Pretty Unnerving [Slideshow] Meet The Man Who Is Disrupting a $13 Billion Razor Industry
Shale-rich Colorado welcomes EPA methane proposals
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says EPA proposals for methane emissions for the oil and gas industry model rules on the books for shale companies working in his state. File Photo by UPI/Mike Theiler DENVER, Aug. 19 (UPI) — The proposal to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry models Western state shale rules is already on the books, Colorado’s governor said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency called for the first-ever mandates regarding methane emissions generated by the oil and gas industry. Over the next decade, the industry would need to cut methane emissions by at least 40 percent from their 2012 levels. "We are underscoring our commitment to reducing the pollution fueling climate change and protecting public health while supporting responsible energy development, transparency and accountability," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in a statement. The EPA described methane as the second-most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted from human […]
Report: Groundwater pumping in California has land sinking
AP Photo/Florence Low FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Vast areas of California’s Central Valley are sinking faster than in the past as massive amounts of groundwater are pumped during the historic drought, state officials said Wednesday, citing new research by NASA scientists. The data shows the ground is sinking nearly two inches each month in some places, putting roads, bridges and vital canals that deliver water throughout the state at growing risk of damage. Sinking land has occurred for decades in California because of excessive groundwater pumping during dry years, but the new data shows it is happening faster as the state endures its fourth year of drought. "We are pumping at historic levels," said Mark Cowin, head of the California Department of Water Resources. He added that groundwater levels are dropping to record levels – up to 100 feet lower than previously recorded. Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory […]
Trying to Break the U.S. Energy System for Its Own Good
Cooling towers are reflected in a puddle in Winfield, West Virginia. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg The White House doesn’t want anyone to panic over its new climate rules. Instead of marking a big shift, the Obama team believes the Clean Power Plan is piggybacking on trends already under way in the economy: Natural gas is killing off coal; solar and wind are cheaper than ever; state-level renewable energy and climate policies are spreading. Americans won’t feel a thing. That’s why the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, in her first public appearance since the release of the climate plan, emphasized that the rules wouldn’t cause a disruption for energy companies. "I don’t expect that the energy industry is going to take a right turn," Gina McCarthy said last week . Yet just a short jaunt across the National Mall from the EPA’s headquarters, another part of the executive branch is […]
A Must Read: Guest Post by Ian Walker – ”The End of the Fossil Fuel Age”
THE END OF THE FOSSIL FUEL AGE Big Oil, Saudi Arabia,the merchant banks and markets all think fossil fuel has had its day, a bold statement, where is the evidence for it? If you had been taking any notice you would have seen Big Oilhave been selling of their Oil Fields and getting out of the oil field asset ownership market since September 2011. Is what I am writing true? Why would they believe the Fossil Fuel Age has ended? It is basic due diligence to find out what the big players are doing. So do a Google search for any oil company name and the phrase ”Oil field” and the words divest or sell. You will see evidence like the following: SHELL Shell has been on a massive divestment strategy on its oil field assets, from Africa to the Far East since September 2011, though as it was […]
EPA to Propose Rules Cutting Methane Emissions From Oil and Gas Drilling
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday will propose the first-ever federal regulations to cut methane emissions from the nation’s oil and natural-gas industry, according to people familiar with the move, which is part of President Barack Obama’s climate agenda. The EPA is expected to propose regulations aimed at cutting methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40% to 45% over the next decade from 2012…
Population and climate instability will lead to severe food shortages by 2050
The food industry has become much more efficient in the last few decades as a result of globalization, but also a lot more vulnerable to shocks. Climate change will lead not only to increased temperatures, but the extreme weather it causes in North, South America and Asia are likely to also lead to global food shortages. Severe production shocks, with the food shortages, price spikes and market volatility that come with are likely to become three times as usual than today, according to a joint report by a US-British task force. These are likely to occur every 30 years by 2040. The Task force on Extreme Weather and Global Food System Resilience estimated that due to a rise in the world population from 7.3 billion to 9 billion in 2050, food production will need to increase by more than 60 percent and climate-linked market disruptions could lead to civil […]
Study Links Polluted Air in China to 1.6 Million Deaths a Year
Photo Waiting on a roadside this month for a highway from Beijing to Hebei Province to reopen after it was closed because of low visibility on a day of heavy smog. Credit Damir Sagolj/Reuters BEIJING — Outdoor air pollution contributes to the deaths of an estimated 1.6 million people in China every year, or about 4,400 people a day, according to a newly released scientific paper . The paper maps the geographic sources of China ’s toxic air and concludes that much of the smog that routinely shrouds Beijing comes from emissions in a distant industrial zone, a finding that may complicate the government’s efforts to clean up the capital city’s air in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The authors are members of Berkeley Earth , a research organization based in Berkeley, Calif., that uses statistical techniques to analyze environmental issues. The paper has been accepted for publication […]
New ozone limits unnecessary, 370 state business groups declare
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to reduce ozone limits is both costly and unnecessary, 370 state business groups from across the country—including petroleum councils affiliated with the American Petroleum Institute—told White House Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough. EPA’s current regulations are working, air quality continues to improve, and the United States is leading the world in reducing emissions,” the groups said in an Aug. 13 letter to McDonough. “New ozone standards could significantly damage the economy by imposing unachievable emissions limits and reduction targets on almost every part of our country, including rural and undeveloped areas,” they continued. “Therefore, we strongly urge you to retain the current ozone standards when finalizing this proposal.” EPA proposed reducing allowable ground level ozone limits under the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) from 75 ppb, where they were set in 2008, to a 65-70 ppb range late last year ( OGJ […]
States Move to Block Obama Administration’s New Carbon Rules
WASHINGTON—Fifteen states asked a federal court Thursday to temporarily block Obama administration carbon regulations while they mount a full legal challenge to the rules. The move is the first step in what is expected to be a yearslong court battle over recently completed Environmental Protection Agency rules that call for carbon emissions from power plants to be cut 32% by 2030 from 2005 levels. The rules are the cornerstone of President Barack Obama ’s climate agenda. The states asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to issue an emergency stay blocking the rules, noting that they would be required “to spend significant and irrevocable sovereign resources now” to be in a position to meet the initial deadline of Sept. 6, 2016 for states to submit compliance plans to the EPA. The states are mostly from the South and Midwest, including Ohio, Michigan, Florida Georgia, West […]
EPA Chief Apologizes for Toxic Spill Affecting Rivers in Colorado, New Mexico
WASHINGTON—U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy apologized Tuesday for a mine spill in Colorado caused by her agency, but she indicated she didn’t know much about what happened and would seek to fix any flaw in the agency’s procedures. “I am absolutely deeply sorry this ever happened,” Ms. McCarthy said at a news conference in Washington. “But I want to make sure we react positively and in a way that’s credible and we move this forward.” An EPA cleanup crew on Aug. 5 accidentally triggered a breach in an abandoned gold mine in the Southwestern part of Colorado, releasing an estimated three million gallons of toxic, mustard-hued sludge through a river system spanning three states. The sludge, which flowed down the Animas River and emptied into the San Juan River in New Mexico, contains such contaminants as lead and arsenic from the Gold King Mine, north of […]
Industry, States Set to Fight EPA Greenhouse Gas Rules
Power plants face new greenhouse gas regulations from the EPA. WASHINGTON—Industry representatives and a group of state attorneys general are preparing to file lawsuits soon to challenge Obama administration rules requiring significant cuts in power-plant carbon emissions. The move, expected in the coming weeks, would open up a legal battle by contesting the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency on a wide range of grounds, some of them little explored by the courts. The EPA issued the regulations last week under a seldom-used section of the Clean Air Act. The agency also is confronting a legislative oddity from 1990, when Congress updated the clean-air law but inadvertently enacted differently worded House and Senate amendments that are relevant to the EPA’s carbon rules. How courts interpret the amendments could determine whether the administration’s power-plant rules survive. Additional legal challenges will focus on whether the agency exceeded its powers by pushing […]
Heat wave hits some European countries, more wildfires reported –
A rampant heat wave has hit some European countries recently, and more wildfires have been reported. In the latest development, Spanish Authorities on Sunday announced a “slight improvement” as they Continue Reading
Obama’s Power Plan May Be Historic But It Won’t Save the World
President Barack Obama’s plan to reduce carbon pollution — acclaimed by supporters, reviled by opponents — won’t be enough to save the planet. That’s the view of scientists, including European researchers who study climate policies. It’s a numbers game: Even if the U.S., China, Europe and other nations meet their commitments on cutting carbon, world temperatures will rise by 3.1 degrees Celsius (5.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on average by 2100, too much to avoid calamity, they say. The latest and toughest version of Obama’s Clean Power Plan and measures already announced by other world leaders aren’t sufficient to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius this century. That’s what’s needed to prevent dangerous changes to the environment, including rising seas, deadly heat waves and disruptions to world food supplies, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , a United Nations-organized panel of thousands of scientists. “It’s worth pointing that […]
EPA releases final Clean Power Plan; 32% reduction in CO2 from power plants by 2030
« MINI Connected app relaunches with greater focus on driving-related functions | Main | DOT releases Connected Vehicle Reference Implementation Architecture v2.0 » The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the final Clean Power Plan (CPP). The rules establish the first national standards to limit CO 2 emissions from fossil-fuel-fired power plants, with a target of a 32% reduction against a 2005 baseline by 2030. The 32% reduction target is 9% more aggressive than in the draft proposal of the CPP released in 2014. ( Earlier post .) The 2030 target is in alignment with the Administration’s earlier economy-wide emissions targets, including the goal of reducing emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and to 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. Under the Clean Power Plan, by 2030, renewables will account for 28% of national capacity, up from 22% in the proposed rule. Carbon dioxide is the […]
Clean Power Plan ignores gas’s potential role, industry groups say
The Obama administration’s final rule to curb US power plants’ greenhouse gas emissions did not acknowledge natural gas’s potential contributions, officials from two national oil and gas associations initially said in separate statements following the regulation’s Aug. 3 release. “America is leading the world in reducing emissions thanks to a revolution in the production and use of gas,” said Howard J. Feldman, senior director of regulatory and scientific affairs at the American Petroleum Institute. “We can continue that progress without costly new regulations that could hurt consumers and stifle economic growth.” America’s Natural Gas Alliance Pres. Martin J. Durbin said while ANGA intends to examine the administration’s plan more closely, initial indications are that the White House discounted gas’s ability to reduce GHG emissions quickly and reliably while contributing to growth and helping consumers. “With the reported shift in the plan, we believe the White House is perpetuating the […]
Obama says no challenge greater threat to U.S. future than climate change
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the Clean Power Plan at the White House in Washington August 3, 2015. President Barack Obama on Monday formally unveiled his administration’s ramped-up plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants and declared climate change the greatest threat facing the world. Speaking to a friendly crowd at the White House a few months before international climate talks in Paris, Obama said the world may not be able to reverse global warming if aggressive action to stop it is not taken. Obama rejected criticism that his plan would increase energy bills for Americans, hurt the poor, and cost jobs. "This is the right thing to do," he said.
EPA power act target of potential court action
EPA measure aimed at curbing power plant emissions draws early threats of legal action. Photo by Reinhard Tiburzy/Shutterstock WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (UPI) — The U.S. mining industry said Monday it was considering legal action in response to tighter greenhouse gas rules unveiled by the Obama administration. The final version of the Clean Power Plan, envisioned last year, sets a goal of cutting emissions of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, by 32 percent of their 2005 baseline by 2030, 9 percent more than in the original proposal. The Environmental Protection Agency said the measure will enhance public health in a way to stimulates the economy and leads to a 30 percent increase in renewable energy generation by 2030. For consumers, the EPA said the average family will save about $85 annually once the all reforms are in place. The Clean Power Plan would require states to meet specific emission […]
Obama to unveil more ambitious climate change plan
The proposal under the Clean Air Act to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants is seen before a news conference in Washington June 2, 2014. President Barack Obama will unveil on Monday the final version of his plan to tackle greenhouse gases from coal-fired power plants as he aims to cement his legacy on climate change, a senior administration official said. The revised Clean Power Plan will seek to slash carbon emissions from the power sector 32 percent from 2005 levels in 2030, a 9 percent increase over a previous proposal. The regulation will usher in a sweeping transformation of the U.S. electricity sector, encouraging an aggressive shift toward more renewable energy away from coal-fired electricity. Industry groups and some lawmakers from states that have relied on coal-based energy have said they will challenge it in the courts and through Congressional maneuvers, accusing the administration of a regulatory […]
EPA’s New Emissions Rule to Alter Energy Landscape
The Environmental Protection Agency’s new rules on carbon emissions from power plants will alter the way Americans make and consume electricity, accelerating a dramatic shift to cleaner fuels, renewable energy and consumer choice. Even as the new regulations on greenhouse gases face legal challenges, they will force sweeping changes to the once hidebound electricity business. Utility companies and state regulators will need to rewire the electric grid to accommodate more renewable power, much of it generated by customers. Cutting carbon emissions 32% by 2030 will require billions of dollars in investments to pay for new transmission lines that accommodate more solar and wind power and new pipelines to fuel natural-gas-fired generation, as coal becomes less important as a fuel for power plants. Utilities, which expect to spend more than $100 billion next year on capital projects, will adjust their spending programs to reflect the new rules even as court […]
Florida Leans More on Natural Gas than Renewable Energy
Natural gas is easily Florida’s main source of energy, offering up 1,300 Trillion Btu in 2014. Gas is 62% of Florida’s power generation, compared to 47% in 2008, when the “shale revolution” really took off. Florida is unique in that power generation accounts for nearly 90% of the state’s total natural gas demand, while the national average is 33%. Second place Florida uses around 3 Bcf/day to generate 145 billion kWh of gas-fired electricity, compared to Texas leading at 205 billion kWh and California third at 120 billion kWh. The “Sunshine State,” however, is being criticized by environmental groups for such a dramatic shift to natural gas, despite the known cost and environmental advantages. Florida today has no wind power and solar accounts for less than 1% of the state’s electricity. Natural gas provides 585 times more electricity in Florida than wind and solar combined . Florida though is […]
EPA Emissions Rule Sticks to Tough Targets
WASHINGTON—Final Environmental Protection Agency regulations to cut emissions from U.S. power plants are expected to maintain ambitious emission-reduction targets included in a draft proposal released last year but give companies more time to meet them, according to people familiar with the rule. In another change likely to be welcomed by the electricity industry, the plan is expected to encourage nuclear power generation. The EPA rule, the cornerstone of President Barack Obama ’s climate agenda, will put the first-ever federal limits on carbon emissions from power plants, including those now in operation and those not yet built, forcing operators to move toward cleaner-burning fuels. It is expected to be released as soon as Monday. Republicans and some Democrats on Capitol Hill, along with the coal industry and governors whose states rely on coal for much of their electricity, strongly oppose the rules and are likely to challenge them on Capitol […]
Obama Aide Says Power-Plant Rule Will Be Stronger Than Proposal
The Obama administration’s final plan to cut power-plant emissions will be tougher than was proposed last year, a top White House official said, as a document emerged that showed the government will give states two additional years to comply. White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said the final rule to fight climate change will be released soon, and will have new provisions to boost solar, wind and other renewable energy. President Barack Obama would veto any bill aimed at stopping the plan that would cut carbon emissions, he said. “There really is no overstating how big this year is for climate change,” McDonough said Wednesday at a Washington forum on the issue hosted by the New Republic. “We will finalize a stronger rule.” McDonough, who didn’t answer questions, spoke a day after the Environmental Protection Agency posted a slide on its website showing milestones to implement the standard. […]
World’s Oceans Could Rise Higher, Sooner, Faster Than Most Thought Possible
‘Roughly 10 feet of sea level rise—well beyond previous estimates—would render coastal cities such as New York, London, and Shanghai uninhabitable.’ NYC image via joiseyshowaa/flickr. Creative Commons 2.0. license. If a new scientific paper is proven accurate, the international target of limiting global temperatures to a 2°C rise this century will not be nearly enough to prevent catastrophic melting of ice sheets that would raise sea levels much higher and much faster than previously thought possible. Parts of [our coastal cities] would still be sticking above the water, but you couldn’t live there." —Dr. James Hansen According to the new study—which has not yet been peer-reviewed, but was written by former NASA scientist James Hansen and 16 other prominent climate researchers—current predictions about the catastrophic impacts of global warming, the melting of vast ice sheets, and sea level rise do not take into account the feedback loop implications of […]
World’s population to reach 11.2 billion by end of the century
India is set to overtake China and become the world’s most populous country in less than a decade – six years sooner than previously forecast, the United Nations said on Wednesday. Fast-growing Nigeria is on course to outstrip the United States by about 2050 to become the country with the third largest population, the United Nations predicted. The current global population of 7.3 billion is forecast to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, slightly above the last set of U.N. projections. Most growth will happen in developing regions, particularly Africa, according to the report World Population Prospects. The demographic forecasts are crucial for designing and implementing the new global development goals being launched later this year to replace the Millennium Development Goals. John Wilmoth, head of the U.N. population division, said the concentration of growth in the poorest countries would make it harder to eradicate […]
Hillary Clinton Lays Out Climate Change Plan
Photo Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday toured a Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority station with Elizabeth Presutti, general manager, and Keith Welch, building superintendent. Credit Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press DES MOINES — Setting ambitious goals for producing energy from the sun, wind and other renewable sources, Hillary Rodham Clinton seized on an issue Monday that increasingly resonates with Democratic voters and sets up a stark contrast with the Republican presidential field. With many Republican candidates saying they do not believe that climate change is a threat or requires government intervention, Mrs. Clinton assailed their logic, saying, “The reality of climate change is unforgiving no matter what the deniers say.” She set a goal to produce 33 percent of the nation’s electricity from renewable sources by 2027, up from 7 percent today — a higher goal than the 20 percent that President Obama has called for by 2030. Mrs. Clinton’s […]
Hillary Clinton Sidesteps Keystone in Climate Plan Rollout
DES MOINES – Hillary Clinton pledged to make combating climate change a central focus of the 2016 presidential campaign, saying Monday that she would not allow “deniers” to thwart progress or prevent the U.S. from leading on the issue. While Mrs. Clinton cast herself as a crusader for clean energy, she declined to weigh in on a key environmental debate, taking no position on whether to build the Keystone XL pipeline. At an event in Iowa touting her climate plan, Mrs. Clinton said that as secretary of state, she set in motion the review evaluating the pipeline and now would allow her successor, John Kerry , and President Barack Obama to make the final decision. “I will refrain from commenting because I had a leading role in getting that process started,” Mrs. Clinton said. “And I think that we have to let it run its course.” Many Republicans have […]
Warming Planet May Double Odds of New York Flooding, Study Says
New York’s odds of being flooded by a one-two punch of extreme rain and surging seas have more than doubled in the past 80 years, a change scientists say may be linked to global warming. The number of so-called compound flooding events — combining heavy precipitation and a high storm surge — have “increased significantly” for much of the coastal U.S., affecting cities from New York and San Francisco to Boston and Galveston, Texas, researchers said in a paper published Monday by the journal Nature Climate Change. Researchers found an increased connection between storm surges and high precipitation, phenomena that forecasters and urban planners often treat as independent events when preparing for storms , said lead author Thomas Wahl. How much of the change is due to global warming or natural variation is unclear, but the data suggest policy makers should reconsider where they build infrastructure and how flood […]
Companies to Pledge $140 Billion in Efforts to Cut Carbon Emissions
WASHINGTON—More than a dozen U.S. companies on Monday will pledge to invest more than $140 billion in efforts to cut carbon emissions as part of a new Obama administration initiative leading up to the United Nations climate-change summit later this year. As soon as next week, the Environmental Protection Agency is set to issue final rules cutting carbon emissions from U.S. power plants. These regulations are the biggest driver behind the administration’s efforts to forge a global agreement at the U.N. conference in Paris to cut carbon emissions. Monday’s event is important because the administration sees corporate support for climate action as key to building momentum for the Paris talks in December. “It’s significant because they are carbon-intensive, energy-consuming companies making a bottom-up commitment to address climate change,” said Kevin Book, managing director at ClearView Energy Partners, a Washington-based analysis firm. None of the companies taking part in Monday’s […]
US EPA unveils Methane Challenge to entice ‘ambitious’ emissions reductions
A proposed framework for a program seeking voluntary methane reduction and reporting commitments from oil and natural gas companies was met with cautious optimism by industry groups, while environmentalists said the program would not do enough to curb emissions. The voluntary Natural Gas STAR Methane Challenge Program, which the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed, is designed to recognize companies going above and beyond existing voluntary actions. EPA said Thursday that participation would be limited to those looking to achieve "ambitious" methane reduction goals, transparently track and account for their progress and demonstrate continuous improvement over time. The agency touted the program’s emphasis on meaningful and transparent commitments yielding "significant methane emissions reductions in a quick, flexible, cost-effective way." But industry groups are more skeptical about the proposal. Oil and gas groups expressed interest in working with EPA on the program, but also noted emission-reduction successes already seen, based on […]
Nonlinear: New York, London, Shanghai underwater in 50 years?
Those under the impression that climate change is advancing at a constant and predictable rate don’t understand the true dynamics of the issue. The rate of increase of the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, the main driver of climate change, went from 0.75 parts per million (ppm) per year in 1959 to about 1.5 ppm each year through the 1990s, to 2.1 ppm each year from 2002 to 2012, and finally to 2.9 ppm in 2013. The fear is that the ability of the oceans and plants to continue to absorb half the carbon dioxide human civilization expels into the atmosphere each year may have become impaired. That means more carbon dioxide is remaining in the atmosphere where concentrations are building at the fastest rate ever recorded in the modern era. Permafrost across the most northern reaches of land on the globe wasn’t expected to start melting until […]
Outrage over EPA emissions regulations fades as states find fixes
HAZARD, Ky. — Even after years of talk about a “war on coal,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell startled some of his constituents in March when he urged open rebellion against a White House proposal for cutting pollution from coal-fired power plants. The Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan is “extremely burdensome and costly,” the Kentucky Republican said in letters advising all 50 states to boycott the rule when it goes into effect this summer. The call for direct defiance was unusual even for McConnell, who has made a career of battling federal restrictions on coal. Yet more striking is what has happened since: Kentucky’s government and electric utilities have quietly positioned themselves to comply with the rule — something state officials expect to do with relatively little effort. In this coal-industry bastion, five of the state’s older coal-burning power plants were already scheduled to close or switch to natural […]
China War on Pollution Benefits From Economic Slowdown
SHAHE, China—A “war against pollution” declared by China’s leaders is getting a boost from the slowing economy as the government forces bloated industries like steel, cement and glassmaking to slim down. The results of cuts in overcapacity are already visible in notoriously smoggy Beijing. Official air-pollution data released by China’s government and monitoring by the U.S. embassy show levels of fine-particulate matter damaging to human health—known as PM2.5—fell more than 15% in the capital in the first half of 2015, compared with a year earlier. The city’s 21 million residents have been greeted with unusual stretches of blue skies. While measures taken by Beijing are partly behind the change, just as important is what’s happening in the sprawling industrial areas that encircle it. The bleak industrial city of Shahe, 200 miles south of the capital, boomed for much of this century. These days, small glass producers there that haven’t […]
Sea Ice Might Be More Resilient Than Thought
Arctic sea ice is so sensitive to changing temperatures that a single cool summer briefly reversed the decline in the ice cap around the North Pole, says a new study released Monday. Using new satellite data, researchers at University College London reported in Nature Geoscience on Monday that the total volume of sea ice in the Northern Hemisphere was well above average in the autumn of 2013, traditionally the end of the annual melt season, after an unusually cool summer when temperatures dropped to levels not seen since the 1990s. “We now know it can recover by a significant amount if the melting season is cut short,” said the study’s lead author Rachel Tilling, a researcher who studies satellite observations of the Arctic. “The sea ice might be a little more resilient than we thought.” A steady decline in the extent of Arctic sea ice since the late 1970s […]
All that record-breaking rain in California still isn’t enough to dent the drought
West Coast weather was turned upside down this weekend when Southern California saw more rain in one day than it saw in all of January — one of the region’s wettest months on average. But even with the historic summer rainfall, California’s multi-year drought will likely endure past its next rainy season for much of the state. The anomalous summer rains came to California thanks to Hurricane Dolores, which surged to a powerful category 4 last week. Since then, the remnant storm has tracked north parallel to to the coast, pumping tropical moisture into the Southwest U.S. On Saturday, 1.03 inches of rain fell in San Diego, setting a new record for wettest day in July and pushing the month to the wettest July on record. An additional 0.66 inches fell Sunday, and as of Monday morning, the monthly rainfall total was an incredible 1.7 inches. The previous wettest […]
Climate Scientist Warns Sea Levels Are Rising Faster Than We Thought
Half the world’s population lives within 60 km of the ocean. Limiting climate change to 2°C is not going to protect us from devastating sea level rise, a new report has found. According to the research, freshwater from land-based ice sheets melting into the oceans is inducing feedback that is accelerating the melting of ice shelves — a loop that indicates sea level rise will continue and could be devastating at much lower temperature changes than previously thought. The study, authored by well-known climate scientist James Hansen and 16 other researchers , will be published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics this week. The research explains that there is an “amplifying feedback” as polar ice melts, because as more freshwater enters the ocean, it traps warmer sea water, which melts more ice. The effect is not included in the current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) modeling but “extensive data […]
El Nino intensifying, could rival strongest in recorded history
The present El Nino event, on the cusp of attaining “strong” intensity, has a chance to become the most powerful on record. The event — defined by the expanding, deepening pool of warmer-than-normal ocean water in the tropical Pacific — has steadily grown stronger since the spring. The presence of a strong El Nino almost ensures that 2015 will become the warmest on record for Earth and will have ripple effects on weather patterns all over the world. A strong El Nino event would likely lead to enhanced rainfall in California this fall and winter, a quieter than normal Atlantic hurricane season , a warmer than normal winter over large parts of the U.S., and a very active hurricane and typhoon season in the Pacific. [ A strong El Niño could flourish by fall: Five ways it could affect our weather ] Some of these El Nino-related effects have […]
For G.O.P., Pope Francis’s Visit to Congress Comes With Tensions
Photo Speaker John A. Boehner at a news conference this month. The pope’s visit will fulfill a long-held dream of Mr. Boehner, who has extended offers to popes for the last 20 years. Credit Zach Gibson/The New York Times WASHINGTON — In the Reading, Ohio, neighborhood where Speaker John A. Boehner grew up, nearly every house had two things on the wall: a crucifix and a photo of the pope. “You never ever expected to meet the pope,” said Jerry Vanden Eynden, a lifelong friend of Mr. Boehner’s. “In all of our minds, the pope was the closest thing to meeting God in person here on earth.” When Pope Francis comes to Capitol Hill in September, he will be the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of Congress, where more than 30 percent of the members are Catholic. The visit will fulfill a long-held dream of Mr. Boehner, […]
California drought makes quest for water a consuming grind
PORTERVILLE, Calif. — Their two peach trees had turned brittle in the heat, their neighborhood pond had vanished into cracked dirt and now their stainless-steel faucet was spitting out hot air. “That’s it. We’re dry,” Miguel Gamboa said during the second week of July, and so he went off to look for water. He had a container in the bed of his truck from the dairy where he worked, a 275-gallon tank that had been used to treat milk with chemical preservatives. Now he rinsed it with bleach and drove out of the suburbs, passing rows of tract houses with yellowed front lawns. He went to see a friend who still had a little water left in his well, and the friend offered Gamboa his hose. They stood together and watched the tank begin to fill with water that looked hazy and light brown. “You really want this?” the […]
Canada Provinces Agree To Strategy On Pipelines, Climate Change
OTTAWA, July 17 (Reuters) – Canada’s provinces reached a long-sought deal on Friday over an energy plan for the country, agreeing broadly to curb greenhouse gas emissions while also promoting the use of pipelines. The oil-producing province of Alberta originally conceived the strategy as a way to ensure that it could move its fuel to market. The plan was changed at the insistence of some of the provinces to reflect their desire to fight climate change. Alberta and Saskatchewan have limited markets for their land-locked oil, with environmentalists opposing pipelines that have to go through other provinces to reach the Pacific or Atlantic oceans. These include the Energy East pipeline proposed by TransCanada Corp, which is also trying to build the controversial Keystone XL pipeline through the United States. Canada’s provinces agreed to ensure that regional, Canadian and international infrastructure exists for sending energy products to domestic and international […]
Muslim scholars say climate change poses dire threat
The sacred mosque at Mecca in Saudi Arabia, one of the oil-rich countries urged to refocus on the environment. Photo by XXXshatha via Wikimedia Commons LONDON, 15 July, 2015 − Human beings could cause the ending of life on the planet, says a group of Islamic scholars − and countries round the world, particularly the rich ones, must face up to their responsibilities. Climate change, they say, is induced by human beings: “As we are woven into the fabric of the natural world, its gifts are for us to savour – but we have abused these gifts to the extent that climate change is upon us.” The views of the scholars – some of the strongest yet expressed on climate from within the Muslim community – are contained in a draft declaration on climate change to be launched officially at a major Islamic symposium in Istanbul in mid-August. Allah, […]
To Clean Up Oil Sands’ Dirty Image, Alberta May Try Emission Tax
Alberta’s new government is engaged in a balancing act. It’s trying to cut carbon emissions while protecting an oil-sands industry that supports hundreds of thousands of jobs. Tar sands are found almost exclusively in the western Canadian province. They produce a product that generates about 17 percent more carbon dioxide on average than conventional oil, and emissions in Alberta have risen by more than 53 percent since 1990. At the same time, they’re the nation’s single most valuable export, making up nearly a fifth of total foreign sales. The challenge for the government is to work with an industry, already struggling with price cuts, on ways to hold off environmental criticism of the tar sands. Opponents have so far blocked the Keystone XL pipeline that would carry the oil to the U.S., and limited the world’s third-largest reserve from reaching new buyers. “If Alberta wants better access to world […]
Diesel cars: Is it time to switch to a cleaner fuel?
Car exhaust In the 1920s, pregnant women were encouraged to drink Guinness to increase their iron intake. For decades we were all told to avoid fatty butter and eat synthetic margarine. Both pieces of so-called health advice have since been totally debunked. We are now learning that millions of motorists who’ve bought diesel cars believing they were less harmful to the environment have been equally misguided. Diesel cars emit less carbon dioxide (CO2) than their petrol equivalent, we were told. In fact, not only are CO2 emissions almost indentical on average, but they also produce large quantities of other pollutants linked with thousands of premature deaths . Carmakers say they have already taken action to reduce emissions greatly in the past decade and regulators are beginning to acknowledge the problem, but the challenge remains enormous. The reason is simple: about half of all cars currently sold in Europe are […]
Water diversion project increases supply to parched Beijing
BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhua) — A new pumping station has increased the capacity of the massive project bringing water from the Yangtze River to Beijing, just as the city’s water demand soars under a heat wave. Huinanzhuang, a major pumping station on the middle route of the south-to-north water diversion project, went into operation on Monday, pushing up the water inflow of the route from 24 to 38 cubic meters per second, according to the Beijing south-to-north water diversion office. As a result, the project’s water supply capacity has been increased from 2.07 to 3.28 million cubic meters per day, with its daily supply to the city’s water plants growing from 1.77 to 2 million cubic meters. Beijingers have been thirsty as the Chinese capital has baked under temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius since Saturday. Daily water supply in the city has been kept above 3 million cubic meters […]
Environmental Activists Can’t Intervene in Exxon Case, Judge Rules
A judge on Monday rejected an attempt by environmental activists and a state lawmaker to intervene in New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to settle a contamination case with Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM 0.24 % for $225 million, a significant setback in the effort to scuttle the deal. Superior Court Judge Michael Hogan ruled that the interests of the environmental groups and Sen. Raymond Lesniak were adequately represented by the state Department of Environmental Protection, the original party in the 11-year dispute. The environmental groups say the proposed $225 million settlement doesn’t cover the damage caused by Exxon’s refineries to an area spanning more than 1,500 acres of wetlands, meadows and waterways near Bayonne. The state initially sought $8.9 billion from Exxon. The groups and Mr. Lesniak “have done nothing to overcome the presumption of adequate representation that arises when they share the same ultimate goal with an original […]