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Study undercores unforeseen effects of geoengineered solutions to CO2 pollutionBy Dave Levitan,Mar 16, 2010Ideas involving global-scale geoengineering projects aimed at sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere have already faced their share of criticism, but new research on one such idea, ocean iron fertilization, suggests yet another question: Do we want to geoengineer flocks of killer birds run amok -- the kind made famous by Alfred Hitchcock?
This is clearly taking things to extremes, but a study published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that seeding the ocean with iron results in blooms of tiny organisms called phytoplankton that harbor high levels of a toxin known as domoic acid. Although harmless to the phytoplankton—and in fact, it helps them out-compete other species—domoic acid eventually finds its way into birds and mammals, where it accumulates in the brain and can cause dizziness, disorientation and eventually death.
It has long been speculated that the mass die-off of sea birds that Hitchcock witnessed along the California coast, inspiring his 1963 classic movie, could have been the result of just such a phytoplankton bloom and resultant domoic acid poisoning among the birds.
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Ocean Acidification Lawsuit Opens Another Potential Avenue for ActionBy Dave Levitan,Mar 16, 2010When the front door won’t open, try the back. Try the side door and all the windows, too.
The Environmental Protection Agency last week settled a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity with an agreement aimed at addressing the causes of ocean acidification in coastal states and potentially regulating those causes under the provisions of the Clean Water Act. With the EPA’s intent to regulate large stationary greenhouse gas sources under the Clean Air Act already considered a back door to climate regulation and under fire from some lawmakers, this new avenue represents yet another way into the problem.
The Bureaucracy Requires Consultants to Navigate, Pricing Out Many EntrepreneursBy Ann Danylkiw,Mar 16, 2010Sebastian Foot hadn’t meant to create such a frustrating job for himself.
Last year, he founded a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project finance structuring firm called Frontier Advisors with the “intention to take equity” in the emerging green market space. Instead, he ended up in a constant tussle with an interminably slippery bureaucracy that is the UNFCCC CDM Executive Board.
Foot has watched the debate surrounding its reform, and, in his mind, it doesn’t go far enough.
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'We'll Be Getting Less CO2 Reduction for Our Dollar'By Julia Harte,Mar 15, 2010The climate bill being drafted by U.S. Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is widely viewed as a compromise between lawmakers bent on reducing fossil fuel emissions and those who fear such reductions will cripple the domestic energy industry.
But their approach of applying different types of carbon limits to different sectors of the industry doesn't just downplay the urgency of reducing emissions. Some economists say the sector-specific approach would be costlier to society and less efficient than an economy-wide approach that would limit emissions “upstream” from where fossil fuels enter the economy, such as at companies that supply raw energy.
Federal Building Code Would Have Biggest Impact, Report SaysBy Stacy Feldman,Mar 15, 2010Aggressive federal energy efficiency policies, such as building codes and appliance standards, would put money in consumer wallets in every state.
That's the message of a new report that adds to evidence of the economic potential of curbing energy use. Analysts at the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) calculated that U.S. citizens would save $301 to $451 annually on average on their utility bills in 2030, if the nation slashes projected energy use by 20 to 30 percent, or 1 to 2 percent per year.
The report is one of the first to look at how strong federal efficiency policies would shrink home energy bills.
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California utilities can now purchase some of the benefits of renewable energy without actually purchasing the energy itself.
That’s the gist of a move yesterday by the California Public Utilities Commission to allow utilities to use tradable renewable energy credits (TRECs) to meet the state’s ambitious renewable portfolio standard.
The state’s utilities had previously been allowed to use renewable energy credits (RECs), but those RECs had to be bundled with renewable energy generation. Tradable RECs, on the other hand, can be unbundled from renewable energy generation.
It’s an important distinction.
With opponents of U.S. climate action sowing doubt about science and climate scientists, federal agencies are putting the data online and explaining it in simple language to help the public understand.
NASA recently launched its latest site, “A Warming World,” with a series of videos, images and articles looking at the bigger picture of Earth’s warming trend. It’s part of NASA’s larger "Global Climate Change: NASA's Eyes on the Earth" site, which opens with a glance at the planet’s vital signs, clearly highlighting the reason for global concern:
In the launch yesterday of their Earth Day Revolution for climate action, the Sierra Club and more than 40 other groups talked about the need for “Congress to finally push aside the obstruction of the polluter lobby.”
The Sunlight Foundation shed some light this week on that anti-climate action lobby and just how tightly it is woven into the fabric of Capitol Hill.
The foundation used Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln as an example.
Today's Climate
March 16, 2010
White House Report Cites Gaps in Climate Change Strategy (Los Angeles Times)
The federal government has "significant gaps" in its strategy to cope with the increasing effects of climate change on the country, according to a White House report scheduled to be released Tuesday.
29 Governors Seek Wind Energy Boost (AP)
A coalition representing governors of 29 states is urging the federal government to take steps to boost wind energy, such as a renewable electricity standard requiring utilities to produce at least 10% of their energy from renewable sources by 2012.
EPA Studying Own Carbon-Trading System, Official Says (Bloomberg)
The Obama administration is considering a carbon-trading system under existing law if Congress doesn't pass cap-and-trade legislation, an EPA official said.
USDA's Vilsack: Proper Carbon Bill to Help Farmers (Reuters)
The U.S. agriculture secretary told a farm group on Monday that a well-designed climate bill would provide opportunities for farmers and ranchers to make money in contracts for carbon offsets.
Health Care Push Will 'Poison the Well' for Obama's Climate Bill Efforts, Graham Says (Climatewire)
Democrats are putting President Obama's energy and climate agenda in peril by making a partisan push this week to pass health care, Sen. Lindsey Graham warned yesterday.
Race for Climate Top Job Hots Up (The Economic Times)
After India and South Africa nominated candidates for the UN's top climate change job, Indonesia and Costa Rica have too made known their ambitions for the post of UNFCCC executive secretary.
Mexico Tells EU to Unblock Climate Funding (EUobserver)
Mexico, the host of the next UN climate summit, has called on the EU to begin to release the $10 billion in fast-start climate funds for developing countries that it promised in Copenhagen.
UK Faces a Major Skills Shortage as Renewable Energy Deadline Looms (Climatewire)
The UK is facing a shortage in energy-related jobs that could cripple its efforts to massively boost the amount of electricity it gets from renewable energy sources.
Climate Activists Predict Direct Action Against Scotland's 'Kingsnorth' (Guardian)
Climate activists are predicting a campaign of direct action against a new coal-fired power station in Scotland that could be the UK's first to fit carbon-capture technology.
Germany May Delay Some Solar Incentive Cuts (Reuters)
Germany may delay some proposed cuts in solar incentives, granting a longer-than-expected grace period to players in the world's biggest solar market, according to a draft law.
First Solar lands 30 MW project in New Mexico (Reuters)
Thin-film solar maker First Solar has struck a deal to sell a 30-MW power project to utility owner Southern Co and Ted Turner's Turner Renewable Energy, the panel maker said.
Port of West Sacramento Powered 100% by Solar Energy (Environmental Leader)
A newly installed 637-kilowatt solar power system will supply the Port of West Sacramento with 100% of its electricity needs, saving $20,000 annually and eliminating more than 34 million pounds of CO2 emissions over 25 years.
BP Takes Stake in Planned Oil Sands Project (Reuters)
BP will take a majority stake in a Canadian oil sands property owned by closely held Value Creation, marking the British oil major's second oil sands deal in a week as it looks to build a presence in the region.
Climate 'Fix' Could Poison Sea Life (BBC News)
Fertilizing the oceans with iron to absorb CO2 could increase concentrations of a chemical that can kill marine mammals, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found.
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