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Environmental Affairs
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CHINA, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGE.
World Resources Institute. Deborah Seligsohn et al. October 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 19 pages]
The report discusses the successes and challenges to effective regulation in China. It also addresses U.S. competitiveness concerns in relation to the introduction of U.S. cap-and-trade policies, and specific opportunities for enhanced climate change cooperation between the two countries.
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NATIONAL PARKS IN PERIL: THE THREATS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
National Resources Defense Council. Stephen Saunders et al. October 1, 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 64 pages]
Climate change from human activity is the leading threat to wildlife, plants, water and ice in 25 of America's national parks, according to the report. The report outlines climate-related threats in 25 parks spanning 22 states. The top risks include: loss of snow and water, rising seas, more extreme weather, loss of plants and wildlife, and more pollution.
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CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE FUTURE IMPACTS OF STORM-SURGE DISASTERS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
Center for Global Development. Susmita Dasgupta et al. September 24, 2009.
Full Text: [HTML format with a link]
As the climate changes during the 21st century, larger cyclonic storm surges and growing populations may collide in disasters of unprecedented size. As conditions worsen, variations in coastal morphology will magnify the effects in some areas, while largely insulating others. The authors explore the implications of sea-level rise and storm surges for 84 developing countries and 577 of their cyclone-vulnerable coastal cities with populations greater than 100,000.
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MORE EXTREME WEATHER: IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL JUSTICE.
National Wildlife Federation. September 18, 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 4 pages]
Global warming is making hot days hotter, rainfall and flooding heavier, storms stronger, and droughts more severe. As the Senate prepares to take up clean energy legislation, the National Wildlife Federation, Harvard Medical School, the NAACP, and the Apollo Alliance hosted a Congressional briefing to emphasize the public health and social justice issues that any legislation must address.
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WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2010: DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE.
World Bank. September 15, 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 365 pages]
According to the report. developing countries can shift to lower-carbon paths while promoting development and reducing poverty, but this depends on financial and technical assistance from high-income countries, says a new World Bank report released today. High-income countries also need to act quickly to reduce their carbon footprints and boost development of alternative energy sources to help tackle the problem of climate change.
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TAKING UP THE SECURITY CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Department of Defense. Rynn J. Parsons. August 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 26 pages]
Climate change, in which man-made global warming is a major factor, will likely have dramatic and long lasting consequences with profound security implications, making it a challenge the United States must urgently take up. The security implications will be most pronounced in places where the effects of climate change are greatest, particularly affecting weak states already especially vulnerable to environmental destabilization.
CLIMATE CHANGE & NATIONAL WILDLIFE: A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR A WARMING WORLD.
National Parks Conservation Association. August 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 60 pages]
Wildlife and public lands need help surviving the conditions caused by climate change, such as droughts, warmer temperatures, and loss of habitat. The report recommends strategies to help wildlife adapt, including providing land corridors and reducing stress from pollution and invasive species.
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AN ANALYSIS OF CLIMATE ENGINEERING AS A RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
Copenhagen Consensus on Climate. J. Eric Bickel and Lee Lane. August 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 58 pages]
Climate engineering could offer an extremely cheap, fast solution to climate change, according to the authors. They show that we might be able to cancel out this century's global warming by spending no more than $9 billion, and that climate engineering might be able to achieve as much for the planet as carbon cuts at a fraction of the cost.
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INDIAN GOVERNMENT OPENS CLIMATE DEBATE TO YOUTH.
World Watch Institute. Anna da Costa. August 5, 2009.
Full Text: [HTML format, various paging]
India set a new international standard last month for engaging youth on environmental policy by inviting the Indian Youth Climate Network to comment on climate change regulations.
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FIFTY-YEAR RECORD OF GLACIER REVEALS SHIFTING CLIMATE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND ALASKA, USA.
U.S. Geological Survey. August 2009.
Full Text: [HTML format, various paging]
The report shows that glaciers are dramatically changing in mass, length and thickness as a result of climate change. Over the past 50 years, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have monitored the melting of Alaska's Gulkana and Wolverine Glaciers and Washington's South Cascade Glacier, yielding the longest such records in North America.
STATE GREEN ECONOMY PROFILES.
National Governors Association. Mary Jo Waits and Sue Gander. September 29, 2009.
Full Text: [HTML format with links]
As governors across the country look at ways they can help build a green economy in their state, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) has commissioned Collaborative Economics Inc. (CEI) to prepare a profile of each state's "green" economy. State profiles can be found by clicking on the map. The data is designed to provide a detailed, empirical account of each state's existing assets across multiple green sectors and serve as a foundation for identifying future growth areas and related needs.
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CLIMATE SCIENCE 2008 MAJOR NEW DISCOVERIES.
World Resources Institute. Kevin Levin and Dennis Tirpak. July 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 28 pages]
The report argues that human activity is the primary cause of rising temperatures and that climate change impacts are accelerating. The compilation of peer-reviewed research includes evidence that melting rates for mountain glaciers around the world doubled between 2004 and 2006, and that more than 28,000 plant and animal species are changing habits due to new climatic conditions.
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MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO ENHANCE COOPERATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.
U.S. Department of State. July 28, 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 8 pages]
The first round of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue was held in Washington, DC, from 27 to 28 July, 2009. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner, as special representatives of President Barack Obama, and Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo, as special representatives of Chinese President Hu Jintao, co-chaired the Dialogue, which included Strategic and Economic tracks under this framework. The Dialogue is a reflection of the progress in the U.S.-China relationship over the course of the last thirty years and represents the two sides' shared commitment to build a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship for the 21st century.
THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY AND CLIMATE CHANGE - CONTRIBUTION TO THE GLOBAL DEBATE.
International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics. July 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 152 pages]
The insurance industry is forward-looking by nature, and has a long-term comprehensive approach shared by few other economic factors, says the report. It shows that climate change is about more than just extreme weather events. It analyses what insurance companies are already doing, what they could do in the future and where they need the cooperation of governments and other partners to succeed.
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HOW NOT TO KILL THE OCEANS FOR FISH.
YaleGlobal. Alex David Rogers. September 18, 2009.
Full Text: [HTML format, various paging]
The oceans and the seas, life givers to billions of people through sustenance and subsistence, are being quickly depleted of their fish through wasteful fishing methods, fisher overcapacity, and illegal fishing, writes the author. The degradation not only affects the sustainability of an important food source and the age-old industry of fishing, it also harms the largest ecosystem in the world as coral reefs become more fragile and dead zones proliferate due to lack of oxygen. But this decline can be forestalled, Rogers believes.
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NOAA: WARMEST GLOBAL SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURES FOR AUGUST AND SUMMER.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. September 16, 2009.
Full Text: [HTML format, various paging]
The world's ocean surface temperature was the warmest for any August on record, and the warmest on record averaged for any June-August (Northern Hemisphere summer/Southern Hemisphere winter) season according to data. The preliminary analysis is based on records dating back to 1880.
A CLEAR BLUE FUTURE: HOW GREENING CALIFORNIA CITIES CAN ADDRESS WATER RESOURCES AND CLIMATE CHALLENGES IN THE 21ST CENTURY.
Natural Resources Defense Council. Noah Garrison et al. August 10, 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 56 pages]
The report highlights low impact development, or LID, as a land planning and engineering design approach for storm water management. LID enables cities, states, and individuals to increase access to safe and reliable sources of water while reducing the amount of energy consumed and global warming pollution generated when delivering water to residents.
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THE EASTERN HIMALAYAS: WHERE WORLDS COLLIDE.
World Wildlife Fund. August 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 33 pages]
Over 350 new species including the world's smallest deer, a "flying frog" and a 100 million-year old gecko have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas, a biological treasure trove now threatened by climate change, according to the report.
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FINAL MANDATORY REPORTING OF GREENHOUSE GASES RULE.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. September 22, 2009.
Preamble: [PDF format, 591 pages]
Rule: [PDF format, 711 pages]
On January 1, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will, for the first time, require large emitters of heat-trapping emissions to begin collecting greenhouse gas (GHG) data under a new reporting system. This new program will cover approximately 85 percent of the nation's GHG emissions and apply to roughly 10,000 facilities.
THE USE OF OFFSETS TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GASES.
Congressional Budget Office. August 3, 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 8 pages]
The cost savings to the economy generated by offsets could be substantial, according to the report. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that between 2012 and 2050 average annual savings from offsets could be about 70 percent under ACESA. The intended environmental benefit would be fully realized only if the offsets provided the full reduction in GHGs for which they were credited.
GREENHOUSE GAS LEGISLATION: SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF H.R. 2454 AS PASSED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Mark Holt and Gene Whitney. July 27, 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 164 pages]
Among other items, the bill provides for smart grid technologies, including products that can be equipped with smart grid capability, requirements for electric power retailers to reduce their peak loads using smart grid and other energy efficient technologies, and requirements that power suppliers ensure that utility smart grid systems will be compatible with plug-in electric drive vehicles.
WATER SCARCITY LOOMS.
Worldwatch Institute. Gary Gardner. August 6, 2009.
Full Text: [HTML format, various paging]
Water scarcity is increasing in many regions as factors including population growth, climate change, and pollution restrict the amount of water available relative to demand. In 2008, 1.4 billion people lived in "closed basins"-regions where existing water cannot meet the agricultural, municipal, and environmental needs for all. This number is expected to grow to 1.8 billion by 2025.
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TESTING THE WATERS: A GUIDE TO WATER QUALITY AT VACATION BEACHES.
Natural Resources Defense Council. Mark Dorfman and Kirsten Sinclair Rosselot. July 29, 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 453 pages]
Natural Resources Defense Council's water quality and public notification at U.S. beaches finds that pollution caused the number of beach closings and advisories to hit their fourth-highest level in the 19-year history of the report. Aging and poorly designed sewage and storm water systems hold much of the blame for beach water pollution.
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ADVANCING THE NATIONAL PARK IDEA.
U.S. Department of Interior. September 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 52 pages]
The report conveys the message that the National Park System is at a crossroads, facing challenges such as urgent environmental problems, a burgeoning population and critical needs in education. It calls for a new vision recognizing the interrelationships between human beings and the natural world and the need for a sustainable relationship between people and the planet.
TWENTIETH-CENTURY DECLINE OF LARGE-DIAMETER TREES IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA, USA.
U.S. Geological Survey. J.A. Lutz et al. July 29, 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 12 pages]
Large trees have declined in Yosemite National Park during the 20th century, and warmer climate conditions may play a role. A decline in large trees means habitat loss and possible reduction in species such as spotted owls, mosses, orchids and fishers, a carnivore related to weasels. Fewer new trees will grow in the landscape because large trees are a seed source for the surrounding landscape. Large-diameter trees generally resist fire more than small-diameter trees, so fewer large trees could also slow forest regeneration after fires.
EUTROPHICATION: SOURCES AND DRIVERS OF NUTRIENT POLLUTION.
World Resources Institute. Mindy Selman and Suzie Greenhalgh. Web posted July 21, 2009.
Full Text: [PDF format, 8 pages]
Greater meat consumption and demand for fossil fuels worldwide are expected to cause increasingly more harmful algal blooms and dead zones in coastal and freshwater areas. "Nutrient pollution in aquatic ecosystems, or eutrophication, is a rapidly growing environmental crisis," said Mindy Selman, the lead author of the report.
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DAMS IN CHINA TURN THE MEKONG INTO A RIVER OF DISCORD.
Yale Global. Michael Richardson. July 16, 2009.
Full Text: [HTML format, various paging]
The Mekong, one of the world's major rivers, starting in Tibet and flowing through south China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, provides sustenance through irrigation and fishing to those living in its basin. But it also provides hydroelectric power through dams, three of which were built in China and with more planned. And it is precisely these dams that are now threatening the water supply, the livelihood of those living downstream, and the relations between China and its southern neighbors, according to the author.
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TROPHIC GARNISHES: CAT-RAT INTERACTIONS IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT.
PLoS One. Gregory E. Glass et al. July 2009.
Full Text: [HTML format, various paging]
Synanthropic community members are of increasing practical interest for their effects on biodiversity and public health, says the report. The report characterizes house cat (Felis catus) predation on wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), and its population effects in an urban area as a model system and its effects on prevention of transmission of pathogens.
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MOVE TO END HARASSMENT OF FLORIDA MANATEES.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. July 15, 2009.
Full Text: [HTML format, various paging]
Petition: [PDF format, 15 pages]
The endangered Florida manatee is being illegally besieged by hordes of tourists who are allowed to swim with the animal, according to a formal petition for rulemaking filed today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) which issues permits sanctioning the practice. PEER is demanding that the federal agency stop giving out commercial swim-with permits, adopt rules that forbid swimming with the manatees and safeguard key manatee breeding and resting areas.
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