December 2015 Climate Change Summary Report

“Oil Has a Reality Check for Those Elated by the Climate Deal”

December 22, 2015: Bloomberg reports: “For anyone elated by the climate-change accord in Paris, the commodity markets have a reality check for you. World leaders may have vowed to wean the world from fossil fuels, but prices for oil, coal and natural gas are at their lowest in years. Crude, which touched an 11-year low Monday, will probably decline even more with the U.S. ending its 40-year ban on oil exports. So is that bad news for people hoping to switch the world to cleaner fuels? The answer is pretty complicated. The International Energy Agency in May analyzed the impact on greenhouse-gas emissions if global oil prices remain below $50 a barrel for the rest of the decade, pulling down coal and natural gas prices as well.” 

“Obama vetoes GOP push to kill climate rules”

December 21, 2015: The Hill reports: “President Obama has vetoed a pair of measures by congressional Republicans that would have overturned the main pillars of his landmark climate change rules for power plants. The decision was widely expected, and Obama and his staff had repeatedly threatened the action as a way to protect a top priority and major part of his legacy.”

“Republicans grope for way to kill Paris climate agreement”

December 21, 2015: The Hill reports: “Republicans are running out of ways to undermine the Obama administration’s commitments as part of the Paris climate agreement. GOP lawmakers acknowledge that they won’t get a vote on the international accord, which they vehemently oppose. But Republicans and their allies are still pursuing channels in each branch of government, as they look to torpedo the agreement.”

“Agency turns over subpoenaed climate documents”

December 18, 2015: The Hill reports: “Federal officials are turning over scores of emails and documents related to climate science research in response to a subpoena from a House committee. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) official said Thursday that the agency provided about 100 documents to the House Science Committee this week. The documents relate to an investigation kicked off by the committee’s chairman, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), into NOAA’s climate science research, specifically a study that concluded there has not been a 15-year ‘pause’ in global warming. Skeptics of climate change, including Smith, have used the idea of a pause to show that higher greenhouse gas emissions have not contributed to global warming. They accuse NOAA of pushing a political study to make a point about climate change, something the agency says isn’t true.”

“Climate deal will require $16.5T in investment – IEA”

December 16, 2015: E&E News reports: “About $16.5 trillion in spending on renewable energy and efficiency through 2030 will be required to meet the targets in the climate agreement reached in Paris on Saturday, according to the International Energy Agency. Governments will need to offer incentives for clean energy creation, roll back fossil fuel subsidies, drive up the costs of emissions and minimize deforestation. ‘Politically as well as technologically, this is no walk in the park,’ said Ottmar Edenhofer, chief economist at Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Institute. The target may cause ‘a fundamental shift of investments towards renewables, energy efficiency, and carbon capture and storage.’”

“Climate Craziness: Eight States Want To Ban What Kind Of Cars?”

December 16, 2015: Investor’s Business Daily reports: “The zealotry of the global warming gang knows no bounds. It’s not enough to hector those of us who prefer to drive cars powered by gasoline — the ultimate goal is to make gasoline-powered automobiles illegal. Officials in eight states — California (of course), Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont — plan to ban the sales of gasoline-powered cars in 2050. Five nations — Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway and the Quebec province of Canada — propose to do the same. Anyone buying a new car in one of these places will have to drive off with a ZEV.”

“Climate Agreement’s Success Hinges on Countries Making Painful Decisions”

December 14, 2015: Wall Street Journal reports: “The landmark climate agreement that more than 190 countries struck over the weekend ushers in a broad, new international effort to wind down the fossil-fuel era. But as two weeks of tumultuous negotiations made clear, the pact’s success hinges on individual countries making painful choices—especially in how they produce and consume energy—that could profoundly shape corporate behavior, financial markets and the global economic landscape. Paul Polman, chief executive of European-based consumer-goods giant Unilever PLC and an outspoken environmental advocate, said the deal sent an ‘unequivocal signal to the business and financial communities, one that will drive real change in the real economy.’”

“Paris Climate of Conformity”

December 14, 2015: Wall Street Journal editorializes: “The moment to be wariest of political enthusiasms is precisely when elite opinion is all lined up on one side. So it is with the weekend agreement out of Paris on climate policy, which President Obama declared with his familiar modesty “can be a turning point for the world” and is ‘the best chance we have to save the one planet that we’ve got.’ Forgive us for looking through the legacy smoke, but if climate change really does imperil the Earth, and we doubt it does, nothing coming out of a gaggle of governments and the United Nations will save it. What will help is human invention and the entrepreneurial spirit. To the extent the Paris accord increases political control over human and natural resources, it will make the world poorer and technological progress less likely.”

“Obama declares victory on climate pact, but some not sold”

December 14, 2015: Energy Guardian reports: “President Barack Obama is declaring a U.S. victory  after world leaders approved a final global deal aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but political opponents and even some environmental groups see the agreement as little more than a charade. ‘Today, the American people can be proud — because this historic agreement is a tribute to American leadership,’ Obama said Saturday at a White House speech. ‘This agreement is ambitious, with every nation setting and committing to their own specific targets, even as we take into account differences among nations.’”

“Now comes the tough part: The world’s carbon diet starts”

December 14, 2015: Energy Guardian reports: “The world is about to go on a carbon diet. It won’t be easy — or cheap. Nearly 200 nations across the world on Saturday approved a first-of-its-kind universal agreement to wean Earth off fossil fuels and slow global warming, patting themselves on the back for showing such resolve. On Sunday morning, like for many first day dieters, the reality set in. The numbers — like calorie limits and hours needed in the gym — are daunting. How daunting? Try more than 7.04 billion tons (if you really want to have your eyes bug out, that’s 15.5 trillion pounds).”

“Paris climate negotiations enter ‘final lap’ as new text issued”

December 11, 2015: The Washington Post reports: “A new draft agreement text emerged from the Paris climate meeting late Thursday that brought the process ‘extremely close to the finishing line,’ said French foreign minister and meeting president Laurent Fabius. Extending the metaphor, he added that the proceedings were in their ‘final lap.’ While the text still featured some bracketed areas — denoting an ongoing dispute about language — and several sections noncommittally listed different options, considerable common ground also appeared to have been found, in comparison with a prior text released Wednesday.”