November 2015 Climate Change Summary Report

“Everything you need to know about the climate summit”

November 30, 2015: E&E News reports: “Much is riding on the climate change talks that kick off Monday in Paris. After years of planning and months of preliminary negotiations, parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, will converge on the City of Light for a two-week summit they hope will produce a deal on emissions, financial assistance to poor countries, and a plan for future action that will place the world on a trajectory to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels and pave the way for adaptation. Leaders in the talks are keeping expectations managed but high. The agreement that will emerge toward the middle of next month will not be a silver bullet to stem warming, they warn.”

“Paris, RFS drive busy week for energy, climate policy”

November 30, 2015: Energy Guardian reports: “The Obama administration will make big moves on energy and climate policy this week, as President Barack Obama works in Paris to wrangle a global climate agreement and the Environmental Protection Agency plans to release three years’ worth of biofuels-blending mandates. Congress, too, will be busy with its own slate of energy and environment moves as the House plans to vote on an energy reform package and resolutions to block EPA’s power plant carbon rules. Obama on Monday touted close U.S. cooperation with China on climate change as vital to world efforts to slow global warming, even as he acknowledged persistent differences with China’s President Xi Jinping over cybersecurity and maritime security.”

“Electric cars and the coal that runs them”

November 25, 2015: The Washington Post reports: “In this traffic-packed Dutch city, electric cars jostle for space at charging ­stations. The oldest exhaust-spewing vehicles will soon be banned from the city center. Thanks to generous tax incentives, the share of electric vehicles has grown faster in the Netherlands than in nearly any other country in the world. But behind the green growth is a filthy secret: In a nation famous for its windmills, electricity is coming from a far dirtier source. Three new coal-fired power plants, including two here on the Rotterdam harbor, are supplying much of the power to fuel the Netherlands’ electric-car boom.”

“Why are so many Americans skeptical about climate change? A study offers a surprising answer.”

November 25, 2015: The Washington Post reports: “Climate change has long been a highly polarizing topic in the United States, with Americans lining up on opposite sides depending on their politics and worldview. Now a scientific study sheds new light on the role played by corporate money in creating that divide. The report, a systematic review of 20 years’ worth of data, highlights the connection between corporate funding and messages that raise doubts about the science of climate change and whether humans are responsible for the warming of the planet. The analysis suggests that corporations have used their wealth to amplify contrarian views and create an impression of greater scientific uncertainty than actually exists. ‘The contrarian efforts have been so effective for the fact that they have made it difficult for ordinary Americans to even know who to trust,’ said Justin Farrell, a Yale University sociologist and author of the study, released on Monday in the peer-reviewed journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.”

“US agencies look to cut greenhouse gas emissions”

November 25, 2015: The Hill reports: “The Obama administration is pushing federal agencies to cut their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 40 percent by 2025. The White House announced the 41.8 percent reduction target on Monday, pushing government agencies to cut emissions from their buildings and vehicle fleets around the country. Cutting down on the emissions, the administration said, will save up to $18 billion in taxpayer-funded energy costs and increase the federal government’s share of renewable energy to 30 percent.”

“EPA will have to ‘look at refineries’ eventually – McCarthy”

November 24, 2015: E&E News reports: “U.S. EPA’s continuing mandate to implement the Clean Air Act will continue to generate new greenhouse gas emissions reductions that will allow the United States to tighten its future international climate commitments no matter who is next in the White House, Administrator Gina McCarthy said. In an interview with ClimateWire yesterday ahead of next week’s start to U.N. climate talks in Paris, McCarthy said that even if a Republican succeeds President Obama at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., ‘the agency will continue to function as it has before.’ And that means meeting statutory obligations to promulgate new rules and review old ones — a process that will lead it to consider whether to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum refining and other sectors in the future.”

“Greens push for EPA to come down hard on states over climate plans”

November 23, 2015: Washington Examiner reports: “Environmental groups dominated a series of public meetings last week on the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to impose carbon-cutting rules on states if they refuse to enact them voluntarily. The meetings were seen as key milestones in the rollout of some of the more controversial aspects of President Obama’s climate change agenda, the centerpiece of which is greenhouse gas emission rules for power plants called the Clean Power Plan. The meetings also helped

“Powder power: a boost for natural-gas-fueled cars?”

November 23, 2015: E&E News reports: “California scientists have come up with a powder that could help more cars run on natural gas. More than 150,000 vehicles in the United States already run off natural gas, but most are trucks and buses. This is because gasoline packs more energy in volume than natural gas, so natural gas tanks require a lot of space. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have found a solution in a purplish yellowish powder. The powder, made from cobalt or iron mixed with other substances, binds tightly with natural gas under moderate pressure, decreasing its volume.”

“Sanders: ‘To hell with the fossil fuel industry’”

November 23, 2015: The Hill reports: “Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Saturday called for Republicans to abandon the corrupting influence of the Koch brothers and other wealthy energy magnates. ‘This is a party that rejects science and refuses to understand that climate change is real,’ he said of GOP during the annual Blue Jamboree in North Charleston, S.C. ‘I understand if you stand up to the Koch brothers and the fossil fuel industry, that you’ll lose your campaign contributions,’ the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate added. ‘[Climate change] is already causing devastating problems all over this world. To hell with the fossil fuel industry. Worry more about your children and your grandchildren than your campaign contributions.’”

“Dems push GOP to get on board with climate talks”

November 20, 2015: The Hill reports: “House Democrats showed their enthusiasm for the upcoming Paris climate talks on Thursday, and condemned Republicans who are wary of the landmark summit. At a forum hosted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats, along with members of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), lawmakers heard from foreign governments on the climate challenges their countries are facing and their expectations for the United Nations talks in December. ‘It’s a very frustrating time in this Congress right now, knowing what we could do and not being able to do it because there are so many of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle who deny the fact of climate change,’ said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). ‘It could be one of the most exciting times and it’s a great opportunity for this Congress to actually take some positive steps.’”

“House panel approves bills undoing Obama climate rules”

November 19, 2015: The Hill reports: “The House Energy and Commerce Committee has approved legislation to block new power plant rules from the Obama administration. The panel passed two resolutions Wednesday from Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) to undo the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan limiting emissions from existing power plants and a similar rule for new power stations. Republicans and some Democrats have rallied against the rules, warning that they will raise energy prices, put grid reliability at risk and hurt the coal sector. The resolutions — which, under the Congressional Review Act, would formally block the rules from taking effect — are their formal response to the regulations. Both passed on 28-21 votes.”

“Greens: GOP support for climate rules rising”

November 19, 2015: Washington Examiner reports: “Environmentalists are putting an interesting spin on this week’s Republican victory in the Senate against far-reaching climate change rules, saying the votes show GOP support for taking action against climate change is rising, not weakening. Republicans patted themselves on the back Tuesday evening after passing not one, but two resolutions that would repeal the Environmental Protection Agency’s contentious greenhouse rules for power plants, including the centerpiece of President Obama’s climate change agenda, the Clean Power Plan. Most scientists say greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, are causing the Earth’s climate to change, resulting in more severe weather, droughts and coastal flooding.”

“Obama tells CEOs climate change offers growth opportunities”

November 18, 2015: Bloomberg reports: “Speaking in a city where air pollution is often visible and palpable, U.S. President Barack Obama challenged governments and businesses in Asia-Pacific nations to keep up efforts to cut emissions that cause climate change.The president’s call to action, delivered to executives from some of the world’s biggest companies at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Manila, was made in anticipation of talks in Paris starting late this month intended to deliver binding targets for each nation to cut carbon emissions. ‘Few regions have more at stake in meeting this challenge,’ Obama said at the summit, after a meeting earlier Wednesday with Philippine President Benigno Aquino. Obama argued that slowing or halting climate change will benefit corporate bottom lines by opening new avenues for investment in renewable energy and other green technology.”

“Gambling the World Economy on Climate”

November 17, 2015: An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by climate author Bjorn Lomborg states: “The United Nations climate conference in Paris starting Nov. 30 will get under way when most minds in the French capital will still understandably be on the recent terror attacks. But for many of the 40,000 attendees, the goal is to ensure that climate change stays on the global economic agenda for the next 15 years. The Paris conference is the culmination of many such gatherings and is expected to produce agreements on combating climate change. President Obama and the dozens of other world leaders planning to be in Paris should think carefully about the economic impact—in particular the staggering costs—of the measures they are contemplating.”

“France to ban rallies near Paris climate talks”

November 17, 2015: The Hill reports: “French officials will ban any rallies, marches, concerts or other outside events related to the United Nations Climate Change Conference starting in two weeks in Paris. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced the new rules Monday, saying the talks will still happen, but new security measures are necessary following Friday’s coordinated terrorist attacks around Paris that killed 129 people, Reuters reported. ‘A series of demonstrations planned will not take place and it will be reduced to the negotiations,’ Valls told a radio station. ‘A lot of concerts and festivities will be canceled.’”

“EPA wraps up climate plan road show”

November 17, 2015: Washington Examiner reports: “The Environmental Protection Agency brings its climate-rule road show to Washington this week, seeking to hear from states and others on the controversial plan it would impose if states don’t comply with its rules cutting carbon emissions from power plants. EPA hits the nation’s capital Wednesday for a two-day round of meetings to hear from groups for and against the emission rules, after finishing marathon sessions in Pittsburgh and Denver. The EPA then will travel to Atlanta for a session that lasts through Friday afternoon.”

“Energy secretary: ‘All of the above’ includes reducing emissions”

November 16, 2015: The Hill reports: “Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said Friday that the Obama administration’s ‘all of the above’ approach to energy sources means it seeks to reduce carbon dioxide from the energy sector. Moniz sought to clarify the “all of the above” policy, saying that while certain energy sources such as wind and solar have no carbon emissions, the administration is truly committed to all forms of energy, including fossil fuels. ‘We say ‘all of the above,’ but let me be very clear: ‘all of the above’ starts out with a commitment to low carbon,’ Moniz said Friday at a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace event. ‘The Department of Energy’s responsibility is to advance the research and development demonstration for all fuels, for a low-carbon world.’”

“US environment protection chief says reforms to outlast Obama”

November 13, 2015: Yahoo!News.com reports: “As Barack Obama’s political foes vow to shred his environmental reforms and foreign allies worry US commitments at Paris climate talks could unravel, EPA administrator Gina McCarthy told AFP the new rules are here to stay. ‘Every decision that we have made has been bounded in climate science and bounded in the laws of the United States,’ said McCarthy, the Environmental Protection Agency boss tasked with implementing the president’s climate agenda. Republicans, from Donald Trump to Jeb Bush, have promised to tear up Obama’s ‘job destroying’ regulations after the 2016 elections.”

“Congress to examine Obama’s plans for climate talks”

November 13, 2015: Washington Examiner reports: “Two congressional committees are set to examine President Obama’s plans for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change next week before he heads to France. On Wednesday morning, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the House Science, Space and Technology Committee will hold hearings on the Paris talks. The House Science meeting, titled ‘The Administration’s Empty Promises for the International Climate Treaty,’ will examine how the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan falls short of the administration’s proposed contributions to the U.N. agreement, according to a committee spokesman.”

“Climate Countdown: When is a warming treaty not a treaty?”

November 13, 2015: Energy Guardian reports: “It’s the elephant in the negotiating room that few officials want to acknowledge: Whatever international deal comes out of Paris climate talks, it likely won’t be a treaty that needs ratification by a reluctant Republican U.S. Congress. That’s not the only complication in Paris. China, the U.S. and India don’t want the international community dictating their carbon dioxide emissions, but they do want to do something about ever escalating greenhouse gas levels and the rising temperatures they cause. So they have to come up with an agreement that doesn’t dictate binding, internationally set targets or require U.S. Senate approval — and yet gets the job done. At least partly.”

“Gore confident Paris talks will lead to climate deal”

November 12, 2015: The Hill reports: “Former Vice President Al Gore says he is optimistic world leaders will reach a climate change deal at a United Nations conference next month. ‘We’re going to win this,’ Gore told The Associated Press in an interview. ‘We need to win it faster because a lot of damage is being done day by day. We continue to put 110 million tons of global warming pollution into the atmosphere every 24 hours, as if it’s an open sewer.’ World leaders will meet in Paris starting on Nov. 30 to work toward a deal cutting carbon emissions around the globe. President Obama will travel to France for the first two days of the conference.”

“France to Kerry: Yes, climate deal will be ‘legally binding’”

November 12, 2015: The Hill reports: “Leaders in France and the European Union are sparring with Secretary of State John Kerry, saying that an upcoming United Nations climate change agreement should be ‘legally binding.’ Laurent Fabius, France’s foreign minister, responded Thursday to Kerry’s insistence that the agreement is not a treaty and should not have legal force, saying Kerry might have been ‘confused’. ‘Jurists will discuss the legal nature of an accord on whether it should be termed as a treaty or an international agreement,’ Fabius told reporters in Paris, according to Reuters. ‘But the fact that a certain number of dispositions should have a practical effect and be legally binding is obvious so let’s not confuse things, which is perhaps what Mr. Kerry has done,’ he said.”

“Climate issues deserve an honest debate”

November 12, 2015: Washington Examiner reports: “Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse recently gave an important speech on the Senate floor in which he said, ‘We as a Congress are not shepherding the country through the serious debates we must have about the future of this great nation. We all know deep down that the political class is unpopular not because of our relentless truth-telling, but because of politicians’ habit of regularized pandering to those who already agree with us.’ This is an important message to keep in mind. Democrats love to use the line that ‘Republicans don’t believe in climate change.’ It’s a cheap, albeit pandering, applause line.’”

“These could be the first U.S. states to tax carbon — and give their residents a nice paycheck”

November 11, 2015: Washington Post reports: “In Washington state, a circulating petition might be the key to both permanently cutting down on the state’s carbon footprint and also reforming what is widely considered one of the nation’s most regressive tax systems. If enough signatures are secured, the petition will allow the United States’ first-ever carbon tax a spot on the ballot. Carbon Washington is a grassroots carbon tax campaign founded by environmental economist and stand-up comedian Yoram Bauman. The idea of a carbon tax is pretty simple: It’s a form of carbon pricing that aims to drive greenhouse gas emissions down by requiring people to pay a tax or a fee on either the carbon they emit or the fossil fuels they purchase, and then either returning the revenue to the public or using it for new government programs (Washington state would do the former).”

“The Climate Agenda Behind the Bacon Scare”

November 10, 2015: An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by food writer Julie Kelly and risk analyst Jeff Stier states: “Headlines blaring that processed and red meat causes cancer have made this steak-and-bacon-loving nation collectively reach for the Rolaids. Vegans are in full party mode, and the media is in a feeding frenzy. But there is more to this story than meets the (rib)eye. With United Nations climate talks beginning in a few weeks in Paris, the cancer warning seems particularly well timed. Environmental activists have long sought to tie food to the fight against global warming.”

“A disappointing but long-awaited decision on the Keystone XL pipeline”

November 9, 2015: Washington Post editorializes: “President Obama rejected the Keystone XL oil pipeline on Friday, ending an unseemly political dispute marked by activist hysteria, GOP hyperbole, presidential weakness and a general incapability of various sides to see the policy question for what it was: a mundane infrastructure approval that didn’t pose a high threat to the environment but also didn’t promise much economic development. The politicization of this regulatory decision, and the consequent warping of the issue to the point that it was described in existential terms, was a national embarrassment, reflecting poorly on the United States’ capability to treat parties equitably under law and regulation.”

“Green groups find a new cause”

November 9, 2015: The Hill reports: “Environmentalists hope to use an ambitious bill from presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and others to rally activists to a broad new cause: ending future fossil fuel production on federal land. The effort faces long, if not impossible, odds, especially in the short and medium term. But grassroots leaders insist their push isn’t a quixotic one.  The movement, they say, has flexed its muscles and tallied a share of victories recently, and if they can convince the next Democratic presidential nominee to join their side — and get enough supporters in Congress to push it through — they say they might have a chance of achieving this new goal.”

“GOP bill would stop EPA from regulating greenhouse gases”

November 5, 2015: E&E News reports: “Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) and more than 100 co-sponsors yesterday introduced legislation that would strip U.S. EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases. H.R. 3880 would add language to the Clean Air Act stating that the term “air pollutant” does not refer to greenhouse gases. It would also prohibit EPA from using several other environmental laws to regulate heat-trapping emissions. ‘The Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2015 will reassert that Congress never intended that the EPA would regulate greenhouse gasses,’ Palmer said in a statement.”

“GOP chairman: Agency obstructing climate science probe”

November 5, 2015: The Hill reports: “A top House Republican is accusing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of obstructing its investigation into controversial climate change research. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Science Committee, said NOAA’s assertion of confidentiality over scientists’ internal communications is not legally valid. In a Wednesday letter, he again demanded records of communications between scientists involved in a study that concluded that there has been no recent pause in global warming. Smith threatened NOAA head Kathryn Sullivan with civil or criminal action if she does not comply with his previous subpoena.”

“States ask to defend Obama’s climate rule in court”

November 5, 2015: The Hill reports: “Eighteen liberal states are asking to join in federal litigation to help the Obama administration defend its climate change regulation for power plants. The states, led by New York, plan to argue to federal judges that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is both allowed and obligated to set limits on carbon dioxide pollution that comes from power plants. They will be opposing 26 states, led by West Virginia, that filed lawsuits challenging the rule in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, along with dozens of corporations and industry groups.”

“McKibben sees political shift on climate”

November 5, 2015: E&E News reports: “The environmentalist who spearheaded the grass-roots fight against the Keystone XL pipeline said yesterday that the political winds on climate change are starting to shift. Bill McKibben, co-founder of the group 350.org, credited Democrats for raising the profile of climate change on the presidential trail. ‘Four years ago, neither Obama nor Romney thought it was in their interest to even mention climate change, for various reasons,’ McKibben told E&E Daily after appearing at a Capitol Hill rally with Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is challenging Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president.”

“Dem bill blocks new fossil fuel leases on federal land”

November 4, 2015: The Hill reports: “Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2016 contender, are launching a long-shot effort to block the federal government from issuing fossil fuel extraction leases on public land. The pair will introduce a new bill Wednesday that prevents the government from issuing new fossil fuel leases on federal land and denies the renewal of unused leases when they expire. The bill, Merkley said Tuesday, is designed to combat climate change. Scientists say keeping the large stores of untapped fossil fuel reserves underground will help keep the Earth from warning more than 2 degrees Celsius, the threshold they predict will usher in the worst of global warming.” 

“As scientists worry about warming world, US public doesn’t”

November 4, 2015: Energy Guardian reports: “Americans are hot but not too bothered by global warming. Most Americans know the climate is changing, but they say they are just not that worried about it, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. And that is keeping the American public from demanding and getting the changes that are necessary to prevent global warming from reaching a crisis, according to climate and social scientists.”

“Surprising study finds that solar energy can also cause climate change (a little)”

November 3, 2015: Washington Post reports: “Large solar arrays could have some surprising side effects, according to a new study, including causing changes in the local climate. On a global scale, these changes will be minor compared to what would happen if humans continue to burn fossil fuel for energy instead, but are still worth watching, scientists say. Figuring out how renewable energy sources will affect their local landscapes is an increasingly relevant challenge for scientists, as more and more nations are vowing to slash their carbon outputs and switch to alternatives, such as solar and wind energy.” 

“Ethanol is a failure”

November 3, 2015: A blog in The Hill by University of Michigan professor Mark Perry states: “Only in the skewed reality of an industry-funded special interest lobbying group could a government-mandated policy forcing an artificial market for corn ethanol on the American public be passed off as a conservative, free market policy. And yet, corn ethanol’s newest cheerleader – a lobbying group called Americans for Energy Security and Innovation — is attempting to make the case that this failed mandate is a silver bullet for achieving energy security, improving our environment, and saving consumers pain at the pump. It’s a flawed position that isn’t supported by the scientific and economic facts.”

“Business leaders will bring politicians to the table on climate change”

November 2, 2015: A blog in The Hill by Cornell University professor David Wolfe states: “Now that the majority of people in both political parties accept that climate change is occurring, Washington’s top task is to catch up with the rest of the country — particularly business and farming communities — and engage in a real debate about practical solutions. In a recent op-ed in the Miami Herald, Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R) said lawmakers need to do a better job of focusing on ways to cut carbon emissions, invest in clean energy and combat climate change.”

“UN: Paris pledges not enough to stop worst climate impacts”

November 2, 2015: Energy Guardian reports: “A United Nations analysis of national pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions says they won’t be enough to keep global temperatures from rising to the critical threshold of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The report, released Friday by the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, analyzed 119 national pledges—formally known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions. ‘The INDCs have the capability of limiting the forecast temperature rise to around 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100, by no means enough but a lot lower than the estimated four, five, or more degrees of warming projected by many prior to the INDCs,’ Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said in a statement.”