Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Sea level rises could far exceed IPCC estimates: scientists
Could our coastlines disappear underwater much sooner than we think? The controversial view that sea levels could rise at a rate of more than 1 metre per century has found support from a new study of a long-melted ice sheet.
In reconstructing the events at the end of the last ice age, Anders Carlson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and colleagues found that the Laurentide ice sheet, which covered most of North America between 95,000 and 7000 years ago, rapidly disintegrated.
The researchers began by studying beryllium isotopes in rocks to determine how the outer edges of the two final chunks of the Laurentide ice sheet retreated. They found that the ice retreated rapidly between 9000 and 8500 years ago, stabilised, and then made its final rapid retreat between 7600 and 6800 years ago.
The team calculated the volume of water that would have been released in each of these melting stages, and the rate at which it must have raised sea levels. They concluded that levels would have climbed 1.3 metres per century in the earlier period, and 0.7 metres per century in the final melt.
Carlson then used a sophisticated computer model – one that is used to forecast future climate change – to check the results. The model predicted an average sea level rise of 1.3 metres per century.
Different times
"The forces that led to the demise of the Laurentide ice sheet in a very rapid way are comparable to the forces the same computer models predict we will experience this century if we do not rapidly curb greenhouse gas emissions," says Gavin Schmidt of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, who collaborated with Carlson on the study.
For Mark Siddall of the University of Bristol, UK, and Michael Kaplan of the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory in New York, however, there remain many differences between what happened nearly 10,000 years ago and the climate change Earth is currently experiencing.
"To what extent this dynamic response of the Laurentide ice sheet to past temperature change can be considered analogous to present and future reduction of the Greenland ice sheet remains unresolved," they say in an associated commentary. "But their work suggests that future reductions of the Greenland ice sheet on the order of one metre per century are not out of the question."
If Carlson's estimates are correct, they show that 2007 predictions made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – a sea-level rise of between 18 centimetres and 59 cm by 2100 – are very conservative, as the IPCC acknowledged at the time.
Millions at risk
Sea-level rises of at least a metre per century were also predicted by the head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, James Hansen. Hansen believes that our climate will soon hit tipping points – points of no return – beyond which the ice sheets will rapidly disintegrate.
Carlson says his team's findings are proof that large ice sheets can disintegrate very rapidly. What's more, he says the forces that caused the Laurentide ice sheet to disintegrate are equivalent to the ones that threaten the Greenland ice sheet today.
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Will the US and other industrialized nations then step up to the plate in Copenhagen next year? Will the US Congress do so as well? The way I feel today I would say it would have to take Greenland falling into the ocean before that happens. How irresponsible of them to not be making this the priority issue it must be. Could our coastlines disappear underwater much sooner than we think? The controversial view that sea levels could rise at a rate of mo... more -
Nine polar bears at risk of drowning in global warming meltdown
The bears were spotted in open ocean off the northwest coast of Alaska, miles from their normal hunting area by US government oil survey scientists flying over the Chukchi sea.
Although land was initially only 60 miles away from the bears' former home, they were driven north by their homing instinct towards the edge of the Arctic ice shelf.
Polar bears are renowned as strong swimmers but the 'lost' bears now face an epic 400-mile swim back to shore.
According to WWF, the World Wide Fund for Nature, one group of bears is known to have swum 100 miles but they arrived exhausted and several drowned on the way.
In May, the US Department of the Interior listed polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act because the Arctic ice they hunt on is melting so quickly.
"The Arctic is a vast ocean and to find nine bears swimming in one area is extremely worrying because it means that dozens more are probably in the same predicament," said Margaret Williams, Director of WWF's Alaska office.
Dr Williams said animal groups were considering asking the US government to send a Coast Guard ship, like a modern Noah's ark, to rescue some of the bears.
Arctic scientists said they feared the annual ice-melt had passed its 'tipping point' where not enough freezes each winter to make up for what melted the previous summer.
As less ice freezes, the winter sea remains warmer, and becomes hotter the following summer causing even more ice to melt. Senior scientist Dr Mark Serreze said: "The summer melting used to slow down by the beginning of September.
"We thought it was slowing this year, but it's suddenly sped up instead.'
The Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast is home to one of two populations of Alaska polar bears. Professor Richard Steiner, of the University of Alaska's Marine Advisory Programme, said: 'The bottom line here is that polar bears need sea ice, sea ice is decaying, and the bears are in very serious trouble.'
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Yet, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska does not believe man is contributing to global warming. She thinks the excelerated and unprecedented melting we are seeing worldwide is a "natural" variance. Yet, she sites no evidence for this. She is simply another person whose family makes money off of oil, so of course, what would she think even with the evidence staring her in the face. How totally ignorant and irresponsible on her part. Perhaps Sarah Palin like all those who believe they shouldn't have to be responsible for others on this planet should actually look beyond their own selfish needs and greed to actually reading a scientific report. Or does she like most flatearthers believe that science is a myth as well? She may be Vice Presidential material to John McCain (well actually, I don't really think she is to him, she was just the convenient choice based on circumstances) but she is certainly not qualified by putting her own needs before those of her state and this planet. There is absolutely no way this could just be a "natural" variance, Ms. Palin and it has been proven. I think you need to do a bit of research on this topic rather than parrotting the political ideology of those who only see the scales tipped with gold bars, because you like them are accomplices in the slow suicide of the human species and those other species powerless to speak out for themselves. Shame on you. The bears were spotted in open ocean off the northwest coast of Alaska, miles from their normal hunting area by US government oil surv... more -
Eat kangaroo to 'save the planet'
Switching from beef to kangaroo burgers could significantly help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says an Australian scientist.
The gas produced by sheep and cows through belching and flatulence is a huge contributor to global warming - much more than carbon dioxide. But kangaroos produce virtually no methane gas because their digestive systems are different.
Dr George Wilson, of the Australian Wildlife Services, urges farming them. He says they have a different set of micro-organisms in their guts to cows and sheep. Sheep and cattle account for 11% of Australia's carbon footprint and over the years, there have been various proposals to deal with the problem.
Now Dr Wilson believes kangaroos might hold the answer. He said: "It tastes excellent, not unlike venison - only a different flavour." The country already produces 30 million kangaroos farmed by landholders in the outback. But Dr Wilson is keen to see that population dramatically increased to produce the same amount of kangaroo meat as that currently produced by conventional livestock. Switching from beef to kangaroo burgers could significantly help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says an Australian scientist. ... more -
How Denmark sees the world in 2012
"In December 2009, the capital of Denmark will host the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, better known as the UN climate change summit... The Kyoto Protocol, which now commits nearly every developed nation except the U.S. to specific cutbacks in greenhouse gas emissions, expires in 2012... If a year or two should pass without a clear international cap on CO2 emissions, both government and industry might lose the incentive to invest in greener technology."
"[T]here may be no country in the world better prepared than Denmark to play host to a climate summit that could — just maybe — decide the fate of the world. As you leave Copenhagen's airport, you see soaring wind turbines along the side of the road, spinning in the nearly always present breeze. Get used to the sight — Denmark is a world leader in wind energy, and produces more than 10% of its power from turbines. That's meant cleaner air and greener jobs."
"Of course, if Denmark really were running international climate negotiations, the world would be in much better — and cooler — shape. But ultimately, the road to a new climate deal runs through one city: Washington." "In December 2009, the capital of Denmark will host the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, better k... more -
California to sue EPA on greenhouse gas emissions
California will sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for "wantonly" ignoring its duty to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from ships, aircraft, and construction and agricultural equipment, state Attorney General Jerry Brown said on Wednesday.
Brown said the lawsuit, to be announced at a news conference at the Port of Long Beach on Thursday and filed in Washington after a 180-day waiting period mandated by the Clean Air Act, was meant to force the EPA into action.
The lawsuit follows two similar ones this year by California in conjunction with other states on car and truck emissions and ozone pollution.
"Ships, aircraft and industrial equipment burn huge quantities of fossil fuel, causing greenhouse gas pollution, yet President (George W.) Bush stalls with one bureaucratic dodge after another," said Brown, a strong advocate for the environment since his two terms as a liberal California governor in the 1970s and 1980s.
"Because Bush's Environmental Protection Agency continues to wantonly ignore its duty to regulate pollution, California is forced to seek judicial action," he said.
Brown said he was filing the lawsuit because he had petitioned the EPA three times to implement such regulations and was met only with a "pathetically weak" proposal that did not conclude greenhouse gases endangered public health. California will sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for "wantonly" ignoring its duty to regulate greenhouse gas emi... more -
Pew Center and Toyota Team Up to Research Energy Efficiency Best Practices
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change and Toyota have launched a project to research energy efficiency strategies among top companies to discover, document and disseminate information about corporate best practices that reduce energy use and related greenhouse gas emissions.
The research and communications project, announced July 16, also will address the market and internal challenges companies encounter while attempting to implement energy efficiency strategies, Toyota and the Pew Center said.
The Pew Center is managing the research and communications for the project, which is being funded with a three-year, $1.4 million grant from Toyota.
"Energy efficiency is the simplest, most cost-effective way for companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions," said Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, in a statement. "This project is designed to give companies the tools to ramp up efficiency efforts and simultaneously address growing concerns about climate change and skyrocketing energy prices."
Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president of Toyota North America, praised the center's long experience in "engaging the business community in the development of pragmatic solutions to climate change."
"We are pleased to work with them to develop this initiative and educate corporations on the most effective ways to reduce energy use," Pineda said in a statement announcing the project. The Pew Center on Global Climate Change and Toyota have launched a project to research energy efficiency strategies among top companie... more -
Al Gore: A Generational Challenge to Repower America
Two major studies from military intelligence experts have warned our leaders about the dangerous national security implications of the climate crisis, including the possibility of hundreds of millions of climate refugees destabilizing nations around the world.
Just two days ago, 27 senior statesmen and retired military leaders warned of the national security threat from an "energy tsunami" that would be triggered by a loss of our access to foreign oil. Meanwhile, the war in Iraq continues, and now the war in Afghanistan appears to be getting worse. Two major studies from military intelligence experts have warned our leaders about the dangerous national security implications of the... more -
Dick Cheney Withholds Evidence About Greenhouse Emissions
Democrats have long alleged that Vice President Dick Cheney played a key backstage role in thwarting U.S. efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but they have had little evidence. Until now.
Jason Burnett, a senior official with the Environmental Protection Agency who resigned June 9, charges that Cheney's office urged him to delete or water down testimony to Congress by top administration officials on the impacts of global warming.
Burnett also said the White House blocked an effort by the EPA to issue an endangerment finding, a conclusion that climate change is a threat to the public. Under a Supreme Court ruling last year, the finding would have forced the administration to cut emissions. Democrats have long alleged that Vice President Dick Cheney played a key backstage role in thwarting U.S. efforts to cut greenhouse ga... more -
G-8 leaders only pledge to halve emissions by 2050
Pledging to “move toward a low-carbon society,” leaders of the world’s richest nations endorsed Tuesday the idea of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050, but did not specify whether the starting point would be current levels or 1990 levels, and refused to set a short-term target for reducing the gases that scientists agree are warming the planet.
The declaration by the so-called Group of Eight — the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Russia — came under intense criticism from environmentalists, who called it a missed opportunity and said it ignores the urgent need to cut emissions more rapidly.
However, European leaders, who have long pressed President Bush to adopt a more aggressive stance on climate change, said they were pleased with the agreement, which is nonbinding. They cast it as an important step toward laying the groundwork for a binding international treaty, to be negotiated in Copenhagen in 2009 under the auspices of the United Nations.
“This is a strong signal to citizens around the world,” the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, told reporters at a news conference near here. “The science is clear, the economic case for action is stronger than ever. Now we need to go the extra mile to secure an ambitious global deal in Copenhagen.”
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To me this sends a strong signal that for the fate of this Earth and our species to be in the hands of these eight countries means that nothing effective will be done to solve this urgent crisis. Again, this is what happens when you make this crisis a political issue. Halving by 2050 is NOT GOOD ENOUGH. The Arctic ice will be melted by then (which of course they probably want to be able to plunder the resources there as well,) coal plants will have spewed millions of tons of toxic gases into the air by then, and many islands in other parts of our world already threatened by sea level rise will be feeling the affects of our behavior. As it stands now we are approaching the third degree of a six degree doomsday scenario. Are these leaders so greedy and blind to scientific reports that they actually think this is good enough? And the fact that it is non binding is simply and honestly, BS.
As an environmentalist but more importantly as a citizen of the world I am outraged that these men of rich countries think they can tell the poor of this world who will feel the brunt of this most what they are going to do. I say it is time for people to tell them that they are going to do what must be done. I now have little hope for Copenhagen next year. All I see are political leaders using this crisis as an economic ping pong ball and bargaining chip as droughts become more pervasive and prolonged, glaciers continue to melt, storms become more intense, and the resources that we depend on from our land and oceans become scarcer and more polluted. As it is already the oceans are more acidic than we thought, and should this be the first summer the Arctic is ice free it is only a portent of more to come. We don't have until 2050 for politicians to get around to this!
What will it take to get the message through to these people? A global revolution? Remember this also, all of this opens the doors for government and multi nationals to continue their chokehold on the poor and oppressed. This climate crisis is just what they are looking for to institute a one world government and make the most profit they can from this. So of course, they will take their time. That is why they alone cannot be allowed to dictate to us what our future will be, especially when our survival is on the line. Good enough? No. It is an outrage. Pledging to “move toward a low-carbon society,” leaders of the world’s richest nations endorsed Tuesday the idea of cutting greenhouse... more -
Albuquerque Impressive Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Earn Award
Albuquerque Earns U.S. EPA Climate Protection Award
Our friend Bill Brown reports great news about Albuquerque, New Mexico's reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
"Since 1990, the City of Albuquerque has reduced greenhouse gas emissions from city operations by 58% and from city landfills by 73%. Albuquerque achieved First Place Honors from the U.S. Conference of Mayors' 2007 Climate Protection Awards. Albuquerque achieved these impressive reductions by increasing energy efficiency, implementing renewable energy projects, capturing landfill methane, and utilizing alternative fuels. 20% of the City's energy is derived from wind power; the City fleet ranks fourth in the nation on SustainLane's 2006 list of the 50 largest US cities whose city fleets use alternative fuels; five city swimming pools are installing solar heating systems; and the city landfill converts landfill gas into energy. Albuquerque established the nation's first municipal capital budget set-a-side specifically dedicated to energy reduction and renewable energy implementation. The City is currently working to reduce emissions even further: The City's new Energy Conservation Code requires new buildings and existing buildings undergoing significant alterations to be at least 30% more energy efficient, and Mayor Chavez recently issued an Executive Order ensuring that all new municipal buildings meet green building standards, and established a special forestry program to combat climate change by reducing the heat island effect, sequestering carbon dioxide, and buffering the effects of rapid climate change. "
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Greetings, All -- Albuquerque, New Mexico receives a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Protection Award for its impressive greenhouse gases emissions reductions. Arlington County, Virginia and Austin & Dallas, Texas also demonstrate leadership in climate protection.
Full details on all the award winners are available at: http://www.epa.gov/cppd/awards/2008winners.html
-- Bill Brown
www.nmglobalwarming.org
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From TouchArt.net and OneEarthBlog.blogspot.com. Albuquerque Earns U.S. EPA Climate Protection Award ... more -
2050 greenhouse goals will be too late: EPI head
Pitches to cut worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 are too leisurely and must be brought forward by decades, Lester Brown, president and founder of the Earth Policy Institute in Washington, said Friday at a symposium in Tokyo.
"We are going to have to move much, much faster. I think the game will be over long before 2050," the environment expert said at Sophia University.
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is expected to release a new initiative on environmental preservation Monday in which Japan will propose reducing long-term its own greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent to 80 percent from current levels by 2050. The initiative will not touch on medium-term goals.
But with the pace of global warming and its link to food prices rising worldwide, the world must "cut carbon emission by 80 percent by 2020," Brown said. The environmentalist, who has headed the nonprofit group EPI since 2001, providing reports and visions for a sustainable economy and environmental preservation, was in Tokyo to speak at the Sophia symposium.
Brown said that while past rises in grain prices were driven by particular events, including droughts and extreme weather, today's food crisis was trend-driven and induced by multiple factors, including population growth and grain being used to make fuel.
In such circumstance each country must work to reconstruct its energy resources, he said, urging Japan to develop its solar- and wind-power technologies and become less dependent on fossil fuels. Pitches to cut worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 are too leisurely and must be brought forward by decades, Lest... more -
Investors demand tougher US climate legislation
An influential coalition of investors has this week called on the US Senate to deliver binding emission reduction targets or risk undermining firms' long-term competitiveness.
The group of more than 50 institutional investors, including Deutsche Asset Management, F&C Asset Management, and the world's largest hedge fund the Man Group, wrote to senate majority leader Harry Reid and senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, calling for a national climate policy to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by between 60 and 90 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050.
The targets are in line with those proposed under the Lieberman-Warner climate bill, which will be debated in the Senate early next month.
The letter also urges Senate leaders to increase pressure on regulatory bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue clear guidance on what climate change risks firms should disclose to investors.
The coalition, which has been organised by ethical investment lobby group Ceres, said there was a strong business case for enacting more stringent carbon targets and legislation.
"Investors hate uncertainty, and that is the problem they face today," said Mindy S Lubber, president of Ceres and director of INCR. "Strong and decisive action from Washington will open the floodgates on large-scale clean technology investments, enabling US investors and businesses to lead instead of lag on climate change solutions."
Oregon state treasurer Randall Edwards, whose office manages $80bn (£40bn) in assets, agreed that far from damaging the economy as its critics claim, the Lieberman-Warner bill would create opportunities for investors. "It is time for Congress to step up to the plate and tackle climate change. Any further delay is inexcusable," he said "The Lieberman-Warner bill would give investors such as myself the ability to see the risks involved so we can begin rebuilding our economy by investing in green technologies."
The calls come in the same week as Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer released an overview of a package of amendments to the Lieberman-Warner bill which are expected to form part of the proposed legislation. The amendments contain a number of measures designed to minimise the financial impact of the planned cap-and-trade scheme, including a mechanism to reduce the price of carbon credits if they hit a certain level and proposals for an $800bn (£400bn) tax relief fund to help consumers cope with rising energy costs.
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Yes, 90% by 2050... That's what I'm talking about.This bill is going to be debated on the floor starting tomorrow. Please contact your senators and tell them that even though this is a start, we need to do much better to pass a more comprehensive bill that truly meets the demands and addresses the adverse effects climate change will have on our country and our world if left unchecked. And that means new forms of energy aggressively brought to market to wean us off the destructive energies that pollute our planet and put us all at risk. An influential coalition of investors has this week called on the US Senate to deliver binding emission reduction targets or risk unde... more -
Cut Co2 To India's level, top scientist warns
Rich nations need to cut per-capita greenhouse gas emissions to India's current levels by mid-century to avoid devastating climate change, Britain's former chief scientific adviser said on Wednesday.
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) levels from burning fossil fuels were already rising quickly and rich nations needed to quickly figure out how to maintain economic growth while committing to deep cuts in emissions, said David King.
"If you (don't want) run-away climate change, you need to be at about 350 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 ... We're currently at 387 ppm CO2, going up at 2 per annum," said King, director at Oxford University's Smith School of Enterprise and Environment.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most common greenhouse gas, and atmospheric levels are sometimes measured as CO2 in parts per million. Collectively, all greenhouse gases can also be expressed as CO2 equivalent (CO2e).
King said that maintaining atmospheric CO2 levels at 450 ppm risked a 20 percent chance of global temperatures rising nearly 4 degrees Celsius.
"If you include all greenhouse gases, we're at around 420 ppm CO2e," he said, speaking at a climate change workshop hosted by Thomson Reuters in London.
He said Europe needed to reduce its annual per-capita emissions by 80 percent, or from 11 tonnes of CO2e, to India's current level of 2.2 tonnes per person by 2050.
The United States, emitting an average of 27 tonnes of CO2e per person every year, also needs to fall to these levels if the world is to avoid a dramatic rise in temperatures, he said.
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And I agree, except I think those percentages should be by at the least 2030. I don't think we have until 2050. Certainly not in the Arctic. Rich nations need to cut per-capita greenhouse gas emissions to India's current levels by mid-century to avoid devastating climat... more -
I can see my house from here...and it's under water!
Google Earth has teamed up with the U.K. government to produce a new layer that shows vividly how the Earth will change this century due to global warming.
Over the course of the century, you can watch the earth heat up in an animation that ultimately leaves the Arctic nearly 20 degrees (C) warmer than in 1999. Most areas across the United States appear somewhere between 4 and 10 degrees warmer.
Specific predicted impacts are shown, such as extreme summer heat waves and choking air pollution in Northeastern cities, decreasing water supply in California and increasing wildfire risk across the West.
These projections represent a middle-path scenario. They assume that something is done to curtail emissions of greenhouse gases, but not as much as the scientific community and United Nations has said is necessary.
“Climate change is redrawing the maps of the world. Its impacts will be felt everywhere, as sea levels rise, crops fail, extreme weather increases and more areas are at risk of drought and flooding," said U.K. Environment Secretary Hilary Benn. "This project shows people the reality of climate change using only moderate estimates – both the change of the average temperature where they live, and the impacts it will have on people’s lives all over the world – including here in Britain. Only by enabling people to understand what climate change means for them and for the world can we mobilize the action we need to avoid the worst effects of a changing climate."
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And as stated, this is only a moderate estimate placing faith in the human race to get its act together in time. Google Earth has teamed up with the U.K. government to produce a new layer that shows vividly how the Earth will change this century d... more -
Climate 'accelerating bird loss'
Climate change is "significantly amplifying" the threats facing the world's bird populations, a global assessment has concluded.
The 2008 IUCN Bird Red List warns that long-term droughts and extreme weather puts additional stress on key habitats.
The assessment lists 1,226 species as threatened with extinction - one-in-eight of all bird species.
The list, reviewed every four years, is compiled by conservation charity BirdLife International.
"It is very hard to precisely attribute particular changes in specific species to climate change," said Stuart Butchart, BirdLife's global research and indicators co-ordinator.
"But there is now a whole suite of species that are clearly becoming threatened by extreme weather events and droughts."
In the revised Red List, eight species have been added to the "critically endangered" category.
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED - NEW ADDITIONS
Tristan albatross
Spoon-billed sandpiper
Tachira antpitta
Reunion cuckooshrike
Mariana crow
Floreana mockingbird
Akekee
Gough bunting
(Source: Bird Red List 2008 update)
One of these was the Floreana mockingbird (Nesomimus trifasciatus), which is confined to two islets in the Galapagos Islands.
From an estimated maximum of 150 in the mid-1960s, the population has fallen to fewer than 60.
Conservationists listed the mockingbird as Critically Endangered because it experienced a high rate of adult mortality during dry years that have been linked to La Nina events.
Dry years have become more frequent in recent years, and have been blamed as the main driver of the current decline.
"Another threat for small island species, such as the Floreana mockingbird, is the threat from invasive species, in particular mammals and plants," Dr Butchart told BBC News.
"They are having a devastating effect on habitats. For example, goats and donkeys on Floreana are changing the ecological structure.
"Eliminating or controlling invasive species is a very tractable conservation action that can help these birds hang on in the face of these additional pressures from climate change. Climate change is "significantly amplifying" the threats facing the world's bird populations, a global assessment has c... more -
U.S. environmental official admits White House influenced emissions decision
A top official at the US Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that the agency denied strong carbon emissions limits proposed by California after the White House intervened, it emerged today.
But the official, who resigned from the agency earlier this month, told congressional investigators that he was instructed not to reveal whether George Bush or other White House officials played a personal role in the controversial blockage of California's pollution rules.
The EPA associate deputy administrator, 31-year-old Jason Burnett, told the oversight committee of the House of Representatives that agency chief Stephen Johnson was prepared to approve a waiver allowing California to set strong limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
Trained staff members at the EPA had unanimously advised Johnson that US clean air laws supported California's plan and that the Bush administration should support it.
Burnett agreed, according to an interview summary the oversight panel released today. He told Congress that "all EPA recommendations that I am aware of … were either supporting granting the full waiver or granting partial waiver".
However, Johnson shifted from support for at least a partial waiver in the autumn of last year to a denial of California's request in December. The state would have required a 30% reduction in tailpipe emissions from cars by 2016, dealing a blow to auto industry profits.
When asked whether Johnson spoke with the White House before his position changed, Burnett said: "I believe the answer is yes." Bush aides also had "input into the rationale" for the December denial, according to Burnett.
California has sued the Bush administration to force an acceptance of its environmental standards, with 16 other states waiting in the wings to join in the new emissions limits. A top official at the US Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that the agency denied strong carbon emissions limits proposed by C... more -
Clinton, Obama talk up clean coal
US Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are talking more about "clean coal" and less about global warming as they woo voters in West Virginia and Kentucky - two states that sit at the heart of the nation's coal economy.
In a bid to draw voters ahead of Democratic primaries in West Virginia tomorrow and Kentucky on May 20, both candidates are playing up the ascendant role of commercially untested and so far economically nonviable ways of converting America's plentiful coal supplies into electricity without spewing massive quantities of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.
"We need some big investments right now in figuring out how to capture and store carbon dioxide from coal," Senator Clinton told a rally in the rural town of Clear Fork.
To get there, she took a windy road through the Appalachian Mountains that passed at least four big coal mines cut into the mountainside.
Not to be outdone, Senator Obama's campaign has distributed flyers in Kentucky stating that "Barack Obama believes in clean Kentucky coal." The flyers show a picture of giant barges carrying coal down the Ohio River.
Coal-fired power plants generate about half of US electricity supplies, and account for about 40 per cent of US greenhouse gas emissions - the biggest single industrial source. US Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are talking more about "clean coal" and less about glob... more -
Bush's announces new climate goals; environmentalists say 'Screw that!&#...
President George W. Bush announced Wednesday what the White House calls "realistic long-term and intermediate goals" for stopping the growth of greenhouse gas emissions -- which scientists say are responsible for warming the planet.
"I am announcing a new national goal: to stop the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025," Bush said during a speech at the White House Rose Garden Wednesday.
Bush did not, however, propose specific legislation requiring reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Instead he offered a broad goal of reducing the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 without specifying how the goal should be reduced. President George W. Bush announced Wednesday what the White House calls "realistic long-term and intermediate goals" for sto... more -
I want to be part of the solution
Al Gore Launches Ambitious Advocacy Campaign on Climate
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 31, 2008
Former vice president Al Gore will launch a three-year, $300 million campaign Wednesday aimed at mobilizing Americans to push for aggressive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, a move that ranks as one of the most ambitious and costly public advocacy campaigns in U.S. history.
The Alliance for Climate Protection's "we" campaign will employ online organizing and television advertisements on shows ranging from "American Idol" to "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." It highlights the extent to which Americans' growing awareness of global warming has yet to translate into national policy changes, Gore said in an hour-long phone interview last week. He said the campaign, which Gore is helping to fund, was undertaken in large part because of his fear that U.S. lawmakers are unwilling to curb the human-generated emissions linked to climate change.
Link:
http://www.wecansolveit.org/content/pages/78/
BBC Climate Change Website
Plenty of information about climate change, including television programmes about the subject
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/portal/climate_chan...
and
Gives you the chance to be involved in the largest simulation of global climate change ever conducted
http://www.climateprediction.net/
Oxford University Centre For the Environment
Includes examples of current UK climate change research
http://www.ouce.ox.ac.uk/
United Nations Environment Programme, Java Climate Model
The model that was used to provide much of the data in the game. You can try out different future climate scenarios and look at the outcome in terms of temperature, GDP etc.
http://climatechange.unep.net
The Ice-age is coming - Sleeping giants
Sleeping giants - The Ice-age is coming
What happens when the large Ice sheets wake up?
http://climatechange-klimawandel.blogspot.com/ Al Gore Launches Ambitious Advocacy Campaign on Climate By Juliet Eilperin Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, March 31, 2008 ... more
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