Climate Action Blog

Last Thursday I had the privilege of listening to a panel of climate change experts at a conference which was moderated by NAF's Climate Policy Director Terry Tamminen.  Among the panel was a diverse group including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate R.K. Pachauri.  At the conclusion of an incredibly stimulating panel discussion each of the participants was asked what they do in their own life to stop global warming.  Dr. Pachauri, without pause, answered "I don't eat meat."

Being a vegetarian I realize food is a sensitive subject. I put it in the category of money, politics and religion.   After all it's one thing to tell someone to change out a light bulb, but another to tell someone to give something up, which for some, brings great pleasure.  However, when you realize the impact meat consumption has in terms of environmental degradation, public health, animal welfare, the poor and yes, climate change, it suddenly makes this American staple a bit less appetizing. 

Friday, August 8, 2008

SOLAR HIGHWAY: Oregon installs first highway solar project. In an attempt to spur the spread of solar power, the Oregon Department of Transportation on Thursday unveiled the nation's first solar panel project on a major U.S. highway. Portland Oregonian, Oregon. 8 August 2008.

EMISSIONS TRADING: Boost for emissions trading scheme. European Union and United Nations systems for tracking the use of carbon credits will be connected before December, a move that should significantly facilitate emissions trading. London Financial Times, United Kingdom. 8 August 2008.

Never in a million years did I think I would be writing my blog about Paris Hilton.  Not because I don't like pop culture-I love it, and am not ashamed to admit I own a Britney Spears cd (or four).  But after McCain's attacks against Obama, calling him a "celebrity" and flashing pictures of Paris and Britney, Paris was savvy enough to shoot a message back to McCain.  What was really interesting to me is that in her message, which can be watched here, she delivered her own energy plan.

Yes, that's right, even Paris Hilton realizes that our planet is in trouble, and that if we don't do something today, her popular catchphrase, "That's hot," will not be used to describe a fantastic new handbag but our planet in general. 

Part of me is ecstatic because energy and environmental issues are finally becoming a major issue for this year's election, but the other part is disappointed that what is making the headlines is the drama: the attacks the two candidates are expending on each other rather than the details of their energy plans.  In fact, when reading the news, I find myself confused -am I reading a story reporting about our presidential election, or am I reading a story in Us Weekly?

Friday, August 1, 2008

WIND ENERGY: Wind energy: Much potential, but also daunting challenges. Pioneers in the emerging wind-power industry are touting their product as The Next Big Thing as they chart a course to produce at least 20 percent of the nation's electricity in just over two decades. McClatchy Newspapers. 1 August 2008.

STATES/EPA - LEGAL: California moves ahead with plan to sue EPA. Fed up with the federal government's refusal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, California announced it will lead five states and New York City in a landmark lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency. Long Beach Press-Telegram, California. 1 August 2008.

CALIFORNIA UTILITIES: L.A. utility wary of California's emissions strategy. Hailed as a step in the right direction to fight climate change, California's proposed greenhouse gas reduction policy has worried some of its most valued customers. Associated Press. 1 August 2008.

I was in Beijing last week and noticed the smog, of course, but as China grapples with Olympics and air quality I also saw something much more important. China is serious about energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gases.

In recent months, the Chinese government has closed over 21 gigawatts of the dirtiest, most inefficient power plants. They didn't do this just for a temporary clean air benefit around Beijing - - it was done permanently all across the country. They also closed inefficient foundries, furnaces, and cement makers in huge numbers.

The government is in talks with major manufacturers, provincial leaders, and experts from places like California's Energy Commission (the agency that is largely responsible for making the Golden State 40% more energy efficient than the rest of America) to squeeze out all of the inefficient machinery, power generators, and heating/air conditioning equipment. They're also doing the obvious - - one official told me that the government will replace 2 billion incandescent light bulbs in the next year with more efficient ones.

  (By Sasha Abelson, Guest Blogger to the Climate Program)

Photo by Ira Meyer - http://irameyer.com/

The original subject for this blog was going to be a commentary on how the White House allegedly pressured the head of the EPA, Stephen Johnson, to reject California's request to implement stricter emission control laws.  Johnson defended himself stating the decision was "mine and mine alone".[1]  Now a group of democratic senators are calling for a perjury investigation into Johnson's comments.

I found this story shocking on several levels.  Firstly, the head of the EPA may have let his integrity be compromised by pressure from the executive office, and secondly, the President's (alleged) preference for a single emissions standard trumped the state's attempt to regulate greenhouse gas emissions (remember global warming?).

I began writing and was in midsentence when yesterday the above photo was presented to our office.  I stopped writing.   

Friday, July 25, 2008

STATE POLICY (CA): California adopts stiff pollution rules for ships. California regulators adopted the world's toughest pollution rules for oceangoing vessels Thursday, vowing to improve the health of coastal residents. Los Angeles Times, California. 25 July 2008. [Registration Required]

EPA INVESTIGATION: EPA saw greenhouse gases as threat in squelched document. The head of the EPA told the White House that high levels of manmade heat-trapping gases are causing global warming and endanger the American people, Sen. Barbara Boxer said Thursday after she reviewed the EPA finding. McClatchy Newspapers. 25 July 2008.

WASTE TO POWER: Animal waste may supply cleaner power. Cows, pigs and chickens in the U.S. produce enough manure to supply 2.4 per cent of the nation's electricity if the waste were converted into burnable gas, an energy option overlooked by the government, researchers said. Bloomberg News. 25 July 2008.

Friday, July 18, 2008

HYDROGEN CARS: Hydrogen cars could rule road by 2050, slash oil need. A government-backed study says America could nearly eliminate its need for gasoline for cars, pickup trucks and SUVs by 2050 if the government helps build a market for hydrogen fuel cells and other technologies. McClatchy Newspapers. 18 July 2008.

IMPACTS: Antarctic icebergs scouring seabed are new threat to marine life. Antarctic marine life is coming under increasing threat from icebergs that are scouring the seabed and destroying their habitat, a new study by the British Antarctic Survey has found. London Daily Telegraph, England. 18 July 2008

EPA STUDY - IMPACTS: Climate change puts U.S. way of life at risk: EPA. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under fire for apparently discounting the impact of climate change, on Thursday said global warming poses real risk to human health and the American way of life. Reuters. 18 July 2008.

Scanning the news for stories on climate change can be depressing. For example, I read this week about a report put out by the Green New Deal Group that says that humanity has only 100 months or less to stabilize concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere before we hit a potential point of no return. According to a BBC report the group says that rising greenhouse gas emissions, combined with escalating food and energy costs, mean the globe is facing one of its biggest crises since the 1930s.  When I saw the headline it made me pause. 100 months - that's a little over eight years.  Not much time in my opinion.

Then I read another article (actually several) - that the G8 leaders had agreed to back a 50% cut in GHG emissions by 2050 without identifying any specific or binding medium-term targets. Yikes.  After all, it is widely agreed that we must reduce GHG emissions by at least 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020 if we are to have any chance of beating back the worst of climate change. Based on the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), this consensus holds that preventing global mean temperature from rising above the critical threshold of 2 degrees centigrade in the 21st century will require radical cuts in greenhouse gas emissions of 80-90% by 2050. The 25-40% below 1990 levels reductions is an intermediate target on the path to achieving this goal. The G8 "commitment" of about half of this 2050 target is, quite frankly, a joke.  

Friday, July 11, 2008

U.N CONTROVERSY: U.N. warming program draws fire. A United Nations program designed to combat global warming has started doing something no one expected: It is subsidizing fossil-fuel power plants that spew millions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere annually. Wall Street Journal. 11 July 2008. [Subscription Required]

FEDERAL POLICY: EPA won't act on emissions this year. The Bush administration has decided not to take any new steps to regulate greenhouse gas emissions before the president leaves office, despite pressure from the Supreme Court and broad accord among senior federal officials. Washington Post. 11 July 2008. [Registration Required]

GLOBAL WARMING - SMOG: Study links global warming to more smog. U.S. environmental regulators quietly published a draft study on Thursday that linked global warming to higher levels of smog that could harm human health, a report green groups said stood in contrast to the Bush Administration's slow movement on climate change. Reuters UK. 11 July 2008.