Solve Climate: Daily Climate News and Opinion

Poor Demand Binding Treaty in Copenhagen, as Rich Squash Hope

Stacy Feldman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:39:55 -0800

Reporting from Barcelona, Spain

A new global warming pact coming out of Copenhagen in December must be a legally enforceable treaty, not just promises from politicians, developing nations said at the Barcelona talks on Wednesday.

The statement was in response to rich nations' newest push for a "politically binding" deal, the idea being it's way too late to get a legal one on the books by December.

Political agreements "are worth very little," said Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping (above), the Sudanese chair of the Group of 77 and China.

"Tell me of any politician who delivered on his political manifesto?"

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen started the firestorm on Monday when he said, "We are working very strongly to reach a politically binding agreement in Copenhagen." Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt added to that on Wednesday, stating on Swedish Radio that a legal treaty is "simply not possible to deliver."

Utilities Drop Plans for Big Stone II Coal Plant, Clearing Way for Wind

Guest Writer — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:41:32 -0800

By Jesse Emspak

Renewable energy could get a boost on the Northern Plains after the utilities behind the controversial Big Stone II coal-fired power plant dropped the project this week.

The proposed plant near Milbank, S.D., would have generated 500-580 megawatts. It had been backed by Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., Missouri River Energy Services, Heartland Consumers Power District, Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency and Otter Tail Power Co., but Otter Tail pulled out in September citing cost and an uncertain regulatory climate.

The remaining four utilities announced on Monday that, because of the lack of a fifth, the $1.6 billion project had to be scrapped. Four utilities, they say, is not enough to make efficient use of the power generated.

Michelle Rosier, senior regional organizing manager at the Sierra Club’s Minnesota chapter, says the success of the campaign to stop the coal plant is another step toward making wind power competitive.

Road to Copenhagen: Managing Risk

Bill Becker — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:59:01 -0800

The evidence is irrefutable: Climate change poses enormous risks to economic stability, public health, ecosystem services and national security, as well as to the environment.

How should we manage those risks? The first step is to acknowledge them. The second is to start listening to the experts who manage risks for a living.

Over the past two months, I have attended several meetings of military and civilian experts in security, intelligence and risk assessment. They were unanimous in concluding that 1) the risks of climate change are growing rapidly; 2) those risks are routinely underestimated by policy makers; and 3) little is being done to plan for contingencies, even in those regions of the world likely to suffer the most and even though the suffering already has begun.

Today's Climate: November 4, 2009

SolveClimate Staff — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:53:05 -0800

Kerry, Graham, Lieberman Writing Compromise Climate Bill (Washington Post)

Sen. John Kerry, appearing with Republican Lindsay Graham and Independent Joseph Lieberman, said today that the three would work with business groups and the White House to forge a compromise climate measure that could get 60 votes in the Senate.

Cost Analysis to Delay Senate Climate Vote (Hearst)

Senate Leader Harry Reid has committed to requesting a cost analysis of the climate bill that could take five weeks — a plan that would delay full Senate debate on the proposal until after next month's international climate talks in Copenhagen.

WTO: Climate First, Trade Second (COP15)

Director-General of the World Trade Organization Pascal Lamy warned against a "unilateral, go-it-alone approach to climate change". The climate crisis should be solved by an "everyone aboard" accord in Copenhagen, he says.

EU Ups Climate Pressure at Limp US Summit (EU Observer)

EU leaders upped the pressure on the US at what turned out to be a fairly colorless summit in Washington to show leadership in the battle against climate change.

Buffett Bets on Coal with BSNF (Reuters)

Warren Buffett’s acquisition of the remaining 77.4 percent off BNSF railroad looks like a strategic bet on a massive expansion in coal-fired power generation coupled with carbon capture and storage.

Economists See Threat in Climate Change (USA Today)

Economists believe the "significant benefits from curbing greenhouse-gas emissions would justify the costs of action," a new survey finds. In all, 94% of the 144 economists surveyed believe the U.S. should join climate agreements to limit global warming.

Judge: Activist's Beliefs on Climate Change Akin to Religion (Guardian)

In a significant decision, a judge found that a fired employee’s views on environment were so deeply held that they were entitled to the same protection as religious convictions, and that a tribunal should hear his claim that he was sacked because of his beliefs.

Boxer Offers Compromise To Preserve Clean Air Act Responsibility for CO2

David Sassoon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:07:48 -0800

America has climate legislation on the books already. It is called the Clean Air Act. Since 2007, when the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA that CO2 could be regulated under the Clean Air Act, the EPA has been working to follow court orders. Though slowed by Bush administration delaying tactics, EPA under Lisa Jackson has wasted no time working to make the law stick to CO2 pollution.

That has lit a fire under Congress, and for many lawmakers, particularly from coal states, there's the rub. While trying to craft one of the most sweeping pieces of environmental legislation in history to slow climate change, they are at the very same time working hard to severely restrict what the Environmental Protection Agency can do about global warming.

It is a difficult trick, like trying to lift a board while standing on it.

In the version of the bill that passed the House last June, lawmakers inserted language that would amend the existing Clean Air Act to prevent EPA from regulating coal plants for CO2 emissions. It's a misstep that Sens. Barbara Boxer and John Kerry do not want to repeat in the Senate.

The latest language in the Senate version of the bill shows Boxer's hand, working to provide jittery coal state lawmakers with concessions restricting the overlong reach of the Clean Air Act, while preserving the ability of the EPA to regulate emissions from largest industrial sources and the biggest polluters to protect the public interest.

Barcelona Climate Talks: Adequate Forest Protection Hinges on 10-Word Phrase

Stacy Feldman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:28:27 -0800

Reporting from Barcelona, Spain

Developing nations could get paid billions to raze forests and build palm oil plantations in their place if current text in the Copenhagen climate treaty sticks, a group of advocates warned at the Barcelona climate talks today.

It's not set in stone. Governments could still reinsert a 10-word phrase requiring natural forest protection that got sliced from the treaty language, the nine-group Ecosystems Climate Alliance (ECA) explained in a statement.

They'll have to do it by Friday, though, the last day of the United Nations Barcelona talks.

European Water Gets Smart

Amy Westervelt — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:21:12 -0800

Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency is launching a nationwide “smart water” program to monitor one of the world's most important resources. Powered by IBM, the program will use a network of smart sensors, wireless transmitters, and analytic software to continuously monitor and manage water quality along the country’s coastline and in swimmable lakes and rivers.

It’s all part of the European Union’s Bathing Water Directive, which on its face may seem like a simple move to preserve beaches for tourists, but is actually a huge first step in the world’s next big climate-change-related resource battle.

The directive — part of the EU’s Water Framework Directive, which calls for the protection of all water sources — mandates that the water quality in “bathing areas,” that is beaches, lakes, and rivers where people swim, be not only constantly monitored but also managed.

These things were being monitored before, but, much in the same way as it is in other countries that monitor such things, that monitoring was traditionally conducted by teams of scientists who would go to the water source, take samples, analyze it and eventually produce water quality reports.

Using IBM’s technology, the Irish EPA is able to continuously monitor and, more importantly, quickly respond to changes in tides, bacteria counts and weather throughout the country.

“Everything from where rain falls to the chemical makeup of the oceans is in flux, and it continues to change in real time,” explains Sharon Nunes, vice president of Big Green Innovations at IBM. “By providing near-real-time access to water conditions, we’re enabling environmental agencies and citizens alike to make smarter decisions.”

read more

Why Is the Media Afraid to Tackle Livestock's Role in Climate Change?

Laura Kiesel — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:29:54 -0800

As the world gears up for the climate talks in Copenhagen next month, the mainstream media is overlooking one important climate change contributor, and it isn’t coal or cars.

Three years ago, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations released a lengthy report entitled “Livestock’s Long Shadow.” Among the plethora of environmental problems the livestock industry is accused of contributing to — water pollution, habit fragmentation and desertification of arable land among them — climate change figured prominently.

In particular, the report concluded that livestock production accounts for 18%, or one-fifth, of global emissions. This figure is higher than all transportation sources combined.

Today's Climate: November 3, 2009

SolveClimate Staff — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:57:17 -0800

Sen. Boxer Starting Markup, but Offers Olive Branch to GOP (ClimateWire)

Hoping to avert a partisan meltdown, Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer extended a deadline for amendments to the climate bill and will suspend markup at 2 p.m. to hear EPA testimony.

Climate Talks Top EU-US Summit in Washington (EurActiv)

Ahead of today's EU-US summit in Washington, President Obama said he hopes an "important deal" can be struck at Copenhagen, but he admits an agreement would be no more than a step forward and would not solve the world's environmental problems.

Africa Boycotts UN Climate Meetings, Demands CO2 Cuts (Reuters)

African nations boycotted U.N. climate talks today in a protest to urge rich countries to set deeper 2020 cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

China's Wen Tells EU to Stick to Current Climate Pact (Reuters)

China will insist key global climate change negotiations next month build on current treaties that limit the obligations of poor countries in controlling greenhouse gas emissions, China’s premier said.

Overturn of CO2 Transport Ban Boosts North Sea CCS (Business Green)

The International Maritime Organization voted to repeal a ban on the cross-boundary transport of CO2, boosting the prospects of developing international CCS networks to take CO2 from Northern Europe and store it under the North Sea.

British Columbia Plans Sweeping Energy Policy Review (Vancouver Sun)

Premier Gordon Campbell announced a sweeping review of energy policy in British Columbia with the intention to make B.C. an international leader in green power development — for Canada and export to the U.S.

Coal Ash Disposal Loophole Feared in New EPA Rules (Tennessean)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering designating coal ash from power plants as hazardous material if it's kept wet, and non-hazardous if it's moved to a dry landfill.

UN Climate Chief Praises China, Says US Must Deliver Concrete 2020 Target

Stacy Feldman — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:44:15 -0800

Reporting from Barcelona, Spain

The United States must deliver concrete mid-term greenhouse gas reduction targets by next month or it will destroy efforts to achieve a framework for a global climate change deal in Copenhagen, United Nations climate chief Yvo de Boer said Monday as a week of international talks on global warming began in Barcelona.

"I do not think the international community will accept an agreement that lacks clarity from the U.S. on targets," de Boer said.

The Barcelona talks are the final five days of two years of global negotiations leading up to the crucial UN Climate Change Conference, from Dec. 7-18, in Copenhagen. De Boer's worst fear now is that the Copenhagen conference will end with a lack of clarity on key issues and lead to a protracted political standoff.

"Negotiations must stop at Copenhagen. Otherwise negotiations will drag on when only the technical work should be going on," he said.

A decision by the Obama administration to put a concrete 2020 target on the table could be the game changer for the world, he suggested.