Now's The Time to Speak Up on Global Warming, Editorial, Detroit Free Press, February 1, 2009. "Americans have to get serious about what tools they want deployed to ratchet back emissions of global warming gases... A national solution has become essential... Congress can disguise the costs by mandating efficiency standards for vehicles, appliances, light bulbs and buildings. It can set a price for carbon dioxide emissions and let consumers and companies choose how best to lower that cost in their own lives. It can cap carbon dioxide emissions and let companies figure out among themselves how to keep the country under the cap. Or it can come up with some combination of such methods... A carbon tax that puts the cost directly in the customer's face offers the fastest way to change individual behavior... Manufacturers would have no choice but to respond quickly to what consumers want, be it high-mileage cars and more mass transit, solar hot water tanks and bales of attic insulation, or their own backyard windmills... Complexity is the main drawback to a cap-and-trade system, because it's not very clear how it would operate, especially with Congress subject to intense lobbying from every corner of the energy industry... Because elected officials equate taxes with political death, Congress and President Barack Obama are highly unlikely to tumble for a simple carbon tax and rebate system. Unless Americans speak up loudly, the end result is likely to be a mishmash of mandates and a Rube Goldberg-like trading framework for emissions."
Sen. Corker's Making Sense. Commentary by Bradford Plume, The Nation, January 28, 2009. "I have to admit, one of the more compelling voices on climate policy these days is Bob Corker, the junior Republican senator from Tennessee… Corker doesn't go in for the traditional right-wing knuckle-dragging on climate change. When asked about the issue last year, he just shrugged and said, 'I choose not to debate with scientists'… [On Wednesday,] at Al Gore's hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Corker sounded more like a Greenpeace activist than anything else. He told Gore that his ideal emissions policy would be a carbon tax whose revenues were either returned directly to taxpayers or used to reduce the payroll tax -- a measure, Corker explained, that would be 'transparent' and wouldn't burden taxpayers. That's something Gore himself has backed. Now, over at Grist, Dave Roberts has lashed out against conservatives backing a carbon tax, arguing that cap-and-trade is the only viable climate legislation in Congress, and anyone supporting a carbon tax is just being disingenuous and trying to forestall action. Maybe that's the case here. But I'm not quite convinced. I say that because Corker then insisted that he'd be amenable to a cap-and-trade regime in which 100 percent of the pollution permits were auctioned off, rather than given away to companies for free… If we are going to rely on cap-and-trade to curb carbon-dioxide, then conservatives should, in theory, be demanding it be as simple and market-friendly as possible, without distortionary handouts for companies or devious offsets. Some liberals, like me, will counter that a price on carbon won't be enough, that we'll need additional regulations (for efficiency, especially) to meet our targets. There's ample room for sparring."
Carbon Tax vs. Cap-and-Trade. By Gar Lipow, Grist, January 29, 2009. "Standards-based regulations and public investment are superior to either carbon taxes or cap-and-trade. But we need some form of carbon pricing to reinforce public action, and a carbon tax is superior to carbon trading. The main policy advantage cap-and-traders offer over a carbon tax is certainty. They claim that it is better to fix the ceiling on emissions and let the price vary than to fix the price and hope it produces the reduction you want. However, most cap-and-trade advocates favor an escape clause, a price ceiling which would trigger the issue of more permits, either because they see it as the price you have to pay to get a bill through, or because they honestly favor the policy. In either case, once you have an escape clause, you no longer have the certainty advocates tout so highly... While a perfect cap-and-tax system is better than either cap-and-trade or carbon tax alone, a decent carbon tax is simpler and more workable than a decent cap-and-trade. A mediocre carbon tax is definitely preferable to a mediocre cap-and-trade. A lot of people think we won't get any kind of carbon price this year. Maybe what we should focus on in 2009 is really pushing for green infrastructure, paid for the moment by 10-year bonds with a 3 percent interest rate. As I said at the beginning of this post, public investment and regulation are more important anyway."
Lawsuit Challenges New York's Participation in RGGI. By Kate Galbraith, NYTimes, January 29, 2009. "The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a carbon-trading system established by 10 Northeastern states and aimed at limiting carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, is the subject of a lawsuit filed Thursday in a county court in New York. The suit, brought by Indeck Energy... challenges the legal authority of New York's agencies to create the cap-and-trade system without legislation. New York, according to a statement released today by Indeck, 'is the only state in R.G.G.I. to create its program by executive action, without legislative authority.' The company also challenges the R.G.G.I. states' ability to take part in the multi-state program without Congressional legislation. A response from the Office of Climate Change in New York's Department of Environmental Conservation is included in a follow-up post."
California Commission Kills Offshore Oil Drilling Deal. By Eric Lindberg, Santa Barbara Daily Sound, January 30, 2009. "Despite a wide groundswell of support from anti-oil environmentalists, the State Lands Commission shot down a proposal yesterday that would have shuttered four oil rigs off the Santa Barbara coast in exchange for permission to drill new wells in state waters... Yesterday's meeting came one day after the anniversary of the 1969 blowout of Platform A. The two requested offshore leases would have been the first leases granted for drilling in state waters since the massive oil spill 40 years ago. The unusual deal, brokered by the Environmental Defense Center (EDC), Get Oil Out! and other local groups, involved a complex tradeoff. The project would have allowed Plains Exploration and Production to slant drill new wells from Platform Irene into an oil-rich area known as Tranquillon Ridge, off the coast of Lompoc... For the environmental groups involved in the deal, the specified end dates of oil production were the most appealing aspect. 'Without this agreement, these facilities can operate indefinitely,' Linda Krop, chief counsel for EDC, told the commissioners."
'A Sister' Takes the Helm at EPA. By Mireya Navarro, NYTimes, January 30, 2009. "The new Environmental Protection Agency chief, Lisa P. Jackson, chose a national conference of environmental justice groups meeting in New York for her first public appearance as a cabinet member of the new Obama administration. Speaking at Fordham University's Lincoln Center Campus in Manhattan, Ms. Jackson assured the audience that the new president understands urban issues and the concerns of low income communities who feel disproportionately affected by pollution and other environmental problems. She pledged 'a listening ear and a heart' and a commitment to address climate change based on sound science. 'That ensures that all communities feel at the end of the day that they are all being protected,' she said."
Taking Aim at CO2 in Infrastructure Projects. By Libby Tucker, NYTimes, January 30, 2009. "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (a k a the economic stimulus bill) passed the House this week with a hefty chunk carved out for infrastructure investments -- including $20 billion to renovate elementary and secondary schools, $6 billion for military construction projects, and $30 billion for highway construction, among other spending, according to the Congressional Budget Office [PDF, 23 pp]. Coincidentally, the bill's passage came just as the Oregon Facilities and Sustainable Buildings Expo kicked off in Portland. Among other innovations on view was a tool that could help reduce the carbon footprint of whatever infrastructure projects might be spurred should the bill pass the Senate in coming weeks. A Portland-based start-up, Ecologistics, has developed a software program to help government agencies calculate the carbon dioxide costs right alongside the capital costs of their purchasing decisions when constructing or remodeling commercial buildings, bridges, roads and other infrastructure."
Unilever and Greenpeace Collaborate in Blocking Deforestation for Palm Oil. By Eric Marx, SanFranChron, February 1, 2009. "Unilever, the world's largest buyer of palm oil, has publicly called for a moratorium on deforestation by Indonesian growers of the coveted oil used in food, soaps, detergents, cosmetics and biofuel. The expansion of oil palm plantations is slowly destroying Kalimantan, the Indonesian side of Borneo and the habitat of the endangered Bornean orangutan, environmental activists say. During the past two decades, an estimated two million acres have been felled annually in Borneo, which Indonesia shares with Malaysia and Brunei... But with Jakarta planning to more than double the acreage of oil palm trees by 2011, activists are scrambling to form new alliances with the palm oil industry to stave off more destruction. They say the potential deforestation in Borneo -- which has one of the world's largest standing rain forests -- amounts to a 'climate bomb' in global warming from increased carbon levels released into the atmosphere by fallen trees. 'It's become obvious that climate change is a much bigger and urgent problem than we thought,' said Jan-Kees Vis, head of Unilever's sustainable agriculture program. Greenpeace and Unilever hope their new coalition will eventually limit the expansion of palm oil plantations to already degraded and abandoned agricultural lands, forestalling the need to clear additional forest. 'Even the most optimistic forecasts of global demand could be met from existing land under cultivation,' said Vis. Although many conservationists have applauded Unilever's pledge to purchase 100 percent sustainable palm oil by 2015, some question the company's motives in an industry rife with competition."
Demand for Indonesian Biofuels Crashes. By Terry Lacey, Asia Sentinel, January 30, 2009."Indonesia's massive four-year-old commitment to promote biofuels faces problems in the wake of the 2008 collapse of commodity prices, with at least 17 Indonesian biofuels companies postponing investment as demand has crashed, according to an industry association spokesman."
Davos Plead: Don't Let Financial Crisis Overshadow Climate Change and Needs of World's Poor. By Bradley S. Klapper and Colleen Barry, AP, January 30, 2009. "Political and corporate leaders at the World Economic Forum heard fervent appeals Friday not to forget the bottom billion, the poorest of the world's poor, in the rush to rescue the global financial systems. 'To be sure the economic crisis reduces our resources,' U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon told a news conference. 'It threatens to deflect attention from other global problems: climate change, issues of water and the environment and economic development.' Repairing the world's shattered financial system with taxpayer-funded bailouts should not be allowed to derail those efforts, he said."
Davos to Gore: Keep Your Eye on Copenhagen. By Angela Charlton, AP, January 30, 2009. "Don't put off action on global warming just because times are lean -- that's the message Al Gore, world environmental leaders and U.S. executives sent Friday to President Barack Obama. Worries are mounting that economic troubles are sapping momentum, in the U.S. Congress and in other world capitals, for costly investment in clean energy and cutting carbon emissions. 'The oceans are being choked off of oxygen. They are dying as a result of this process we are seeing before our eyes the melting of the polar ice cap,' Gore said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 'The assumption that we can continue on this path is an assumption that is collapsing'... Gore, U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer and executives were discussing the fate of a U.N. meeting in Copenhagen this December aiming for a global agreement on reducing emissions. Questions remain over the new U.S. government's position on the Copenhagen meeting, which is seen as crucial. 'We need an agreement this year, not next year or some other time,' Gore said." Europe to U.S.: You're a Big Polluter. By James Kanter, NYTimes, January 29, 2009. "On Tuesday Stavros Dimas, the E.U. environment commissioner, published an open letter to the president reinforcing the idea that the United States bears a special responsibility to take swift action to lower emissions. Mr. Dimas highlighted the country's wealth, leadership ability - and its comparatively large carbon footprint."
World's Glaciers Shrink for 18th Consecutive Year. By Jeremy van Loon, Bloomberg News, January 29, 2009. "Glaciers from the Andes to Alaska and across the Alps shrank as much as 3 meters (10 feet), the 18th year of retreat and twice as fast as a decade ago, as global warming threatens an important supply of the world's water. Alpine glaciers lost on average 0.7 meters of thickness in 2007, the most recent figures available, data published Thursday by the University of Zurich's World Glacier Monitoring Service showed. The melting extends an 11-meter retreat since 1980. 'One year doesn't tell us much, it's really these long-term trends that help us to understand what's going on,' Michael Zemp, a researcher at the University of Zurich's Department of Geography, said in an interview. 'The main thing that we can do to stop this is reduce greenhouse gases' that are blamed for global warming. The Alps have suffered more than other regions with half of the region's glacier terrain having disappeared since the 1850s."
Worst Drought Ever Expected in California. By Kelly Zito, SanFranChron, January 30, 2009."California teeters on the edge of the worst drought in the state's history, officials said Thursday after reporting that the Sierra Nevada snowpack -- the backbone of the state's water supply -- is only 61 percent of normal... In Sonoma County, water managers are expected to take a bold step Monday -- telling residents to prepare for severe rationing within weeks... After two consecutive dry years and with a third on the way, Lake Mendocino, one of two main reservoirs that supply 750,000 residents in Marin and Sonoma counties, contains only 32,000 acre-feet of water - about one-third of its capacity of 90,000 acre-feet. The picture is similar around the state. Lake Shasta, the largest reservoir in California, is at 31 percent of its capacity, down from 74 percent in 2007."
Australia Faces Worst-Ever Heat Wave. By Geoffrey Lean and Kathy Marks, London Independent, February 1, 2009. "Leaves are falling off trees in the height of summer, railway tracks are buckling, and people are retiring to their beds with deep-frozen hot-water bottles, as much of Australia swelters in its worst-ever heatwave. On Friday, Melbourne thermometers topped 43C (109.4F) on a third successive day for the first time on record, while even normally mild Tasmania suffered its second-hottest day in a row, as temperatures reached 42.2C. Two days before, Adelaide hit a staggering 45.6C. After a weekend respite, more records are expected to be broken this week. Ministers are blaming the heat -- hich follows a record drought -- on global warming. Experts worry that Australia, which emits more carbon dioxide per head than any nation on earth, may also be the first to implode under the impact of climate change. At times last week it seemed as if that was happening already."
Rising Acidity Threatens Food Web of Oceans, Science Panel Says. By Cornelia Dean, NYTimes, January 30, 2009. "The oceans have long buffered the effects of climate change by absorbing a substantial portion of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. But this benefit has a catch: as the gas dissolves, it makes seawater more acidic. Now an international panel of marine scientists says this acidity is accelerating so fast it threatens the survival of coral reefs, shellfish and the marine food web generally. The panel's blunt language and international backing give its assessment unusual force. It called for 'urgent action' to sharply reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. 'Severe damages are imminent,' the group said Friday in a statement summing up its deliberations at a symposium in Monaco last October. The statement, called the Monaco Declaration [PDF, 4 pp], said increasing acidity was interfering with the growth and health of shellfish and eating away at coral reefs, processes that would eventually affect marine food webs generally. Already, the group said, there have been detectable decreases in shellfish and shell weights, and interference with the growth of coral skeletons."
Gore Finds a Receptive U.S Senate. By Bryan Walsh, Time, January 28, 2009. "It's always a warm bath of mutual admiration when the U.S. Senate welcomes back one of its former members for a hearing. But when former Vice President (and Senator) Al Gore showed up today to testify at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the event was a full-blown lovefest. New Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry expressed his deep respect for Gore's post-Senate career and noted in an aside, 'It's well-known that we have a certain political experience in common.' (Hint: it doesn't involve winning.) Christopher Dodd hailed Gore as having been for years a 'lonely voice in the wilderness' and pointed out that the Nobel Peace Prize winner had been warning about climate change ever since he was a member of the House of Representatives decades ago. Even Republican members like Bob Corker and Richard Lugar hastened to add their admiration for Gore, who was appearing before Congress for the first time in nearly two years. The happy atmosphere wasn't just senatorial clubbiness. The fact that Kerry chose to make global warming the subject of his first hearing as chairman of the committee signals that in President Barack Obama's Washington at least, Gore's views on the severity of climate change and the need for action are gaining clout -- and not just for environmental reasons. 'Climate change will be increasingly central to our foreign policy,' said Kerry."
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