Links
| |
| |
|
| |
|
||
|
Global Warming Links |
|
||
|
||||
|
||||
IEN HOME 
CLIMATE JUSTICE: INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE
CLIMATE JUSTICE DOCS - Page 1 - - p.1 cont - - Page 2 - - Page 3 - - Page 4 - - Page 5 - - Page 6 - - Page 7 - - Page 8 - - Page 9 - - Page 10 - |
|
Materials on Climate Change
We are pleased to announce that the "Renewable Energy Atlas of the West: A Guide to the Region's Resource Potential" is nearing completion. The 70-page full color bound report showcases the opportunities for development of wind, solar, biomass and geothermal resources in the western U.S., highlighting policies that have been effective in driving renewable development as well as areas with strong resources but limited development so far. The draft Table of Contents, the near-final Idaho state section, and additional sample pages and maps can be seen at www.energyatlas.org. By the end of the summer this site will feature easy access to printer-friendly versions of the maps as well as interactive viewer tools (similar to the zoom-in interface available at www.windpowermaps.org). Please note that advance orders are due by Friday, July 19 so that we can determine the appropriate quantity to print. If we receive 400 additional advance orders, we will qualify for a quantity discount from the printer. We'd also like to be able to disseminate this valuable reference material via public and university libraries throughout the region. Let us know if we can count on your organization to chip in! The advance order form is downloadable at www.energyatlas.org. Thanks for your support of NWSEED's work. Sincerely, Alex Compton Northwest SEED - Sustainable Energy for Economic Development To continue receiving updates on the Energy Altas, please send an email to alex@nwseed.org with "Subscribe Energy Atlas" in the subject line. Include your name, affiliation, address, phone, and email. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please send an email to alex@nwseed.org with the subject line "Unsubscribe Energy Atlas"
|
|
|
|
We are pleased to announce that the "Renewable Energy Atlas of the West: A Guide to the Region's Resource Potential" is nearing completion. The 70-page full color bound report showcases the opportunities for development of wind, solar, biomass and geothermal resources in the western U.S., highlighting policies that have been effective in driving renewable development as well as areas with strong resources but limited development so far. The draft Table of Contents, the near-final Idaho state section, and additional sample pages and maps can be seen at www.energyatlas.org. By the end of the summer this site will feature easy access to printer-friendly versions of the maps as well as interactive viewer tools (similar to the zoom-in interface available at www.windpowermaps.org). Please note that advance orders are due by Friday, July 19 so that we can determine the appropriate quantity to print. If we receive 400 additional advance orders, we will qualify for a quantity discount from the printer. We'd also like to be able to disseminate this valuable reference material via public and university libraries throughout the region. Let us know if we can count on your organization to chip in! The advance order form is downloadable at www.energyatlas.org. Thanks for your support of NWSEED's work. Sincerely, Alex Compton Northwest SEED - Sustainable Energy for Economic Development To continue receiving updates on the Energy Altas, please send an email to alex@nwseed.org with "Subscribe Energy Atlas" in the subject line. Include your name, affiliation, address, phone, and email. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please send an email to alex@nwseed.org with the subject line "Unsubscribe Energy Atlas"
|
|
|
|
Student Curriculum on Climate Change developed by the Union of Concerned
Scientists. "The Union of Concerned Scientists is pleased to announce the release of a new curriculum guide designed to bring global warming science and solutions home to students in the Southeast. Based on the findings of the 2001 report "Confronting Climate Change in the Gulf Coast Region: Prospects for Sustaining Our Ecological Heritage," these materials are an invaluable tool for teachers and educators, helping transform climate change from an abstract concept to a real phenomenon with tangible effects on peoples' lives. The activities in the guide are backed by sound science and meet state-specific science education criteria. " Corporate Europe Observatory Issue Briefing - GREENHOUSE MARKET MANIA UN Climate Talks Corrupted by Corporate Psuedo-Solutions http://www.xs4all.nl/~ceo/greenhouse/index.html Tribal Energy Policy Development Meeting April 14 and 15, 1999 Washington, DC. A coalition of inter-tribal groups came together in 1999 to discuss energy development policy in Indian country (United States). The Inter-tribal Energy Network (IEN) was born. This network has no affiliation with the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN). http://www.mnisose.org/energy/apr99.htm In July of 1999, a Indian Energy Summit was held in Wisconsin. http://www.mnisose.org/energy/summit99.htm Environmental News Network (ENN) In-depth Report: http://www.enn.com/indepth/warming/index.asp For anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the U.S. National Assessment Overview of the Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Native America, here is the website where you will find it. http://www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/Library/nationalassessment/overviewnative.htm You can also find the Assessment for your particular region as well at: Climate Change Impacts on the United States The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change Overview: By the National Assessment Synthesis Team, US Global Change Research Program. Published in 2000 http://www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/Library/nationalassessment/overview.htm from: Corporate Watch New Canadian Report on 'Sinks'
NEW REPORT SHOWS "SINKS" EMPHASIS IN KYOTO TALKS AVOIDS REAL GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS |
|
|
|
WWF World Wide Fund for Nature
|
|
|
|
Greenpeace
EcoNet - http://www.igc.org/igc/gateway/enindex.html - "The world's first computer network dedicated to environmental preservation and sustainability and remains the best-known and most comprehensive online network of its kind." Climate Ark - http://www.climateark.org/
- The Premier Climate Change Portal - promotes public policy that addresses
global climate change through reductions in carbon dioxide and other emissions,
energy conservation, renewable energy sources and ending deforestation.
News, Search, Links director y. Climate Voice Campaign http://www.climatevoice.org/cgi-wwf/cgi/compteur?page=compteur_e.dat Climate Action Network http://www.climatenetwork.org/index2.html
 Sila
Alangotok: Inuit Observations on Climate Change REALTIME
VIDEO Life for the people of Sachs Harbour has become increasingly difficult and unpredictable - a dire warning of the negative impacts of climate change predicted to occur elsewhere in the world.
|
| TOP |
|
RESOURCES:
|
| TOP |
|
The Watchdog on the Web http://www.corpwatch.org This is a good publication to obtain. IEN assisted in editing this report.
January 13, 2000 The report, "Greenhouse Gangsters vs. Climate Justice," reveals that
"All Global Warming is 'Local Warming' first; these toxic gases from oil refineries cook the lungs of communities before they roast our planet," said Denny Larson of Communities for a Better Environment's National Refinery Network Project (NORAN). "We demand justice for the people who live in the oil companies' sacrifice zone." Building on the new coalitions that emerged from the anti-WTO protests late last year, the report's publisher, the Transnational Resource and Action Center (TRAC), calls for an alliance of environmentalists, environmental justice groups, consumers, workers, human rights advocates, indigenous groups and other affected communities to confront these "greenhouse gangsters." "Climate Justice means not only reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses, but also holding the oil companies accountable for the central role they play in contributing to global warming and pollution in low income communities throughout the US," according to China Brotsky, one of the report's authors. The report documents how the companies not only contribute to global warming but also use their enormous power to DENY the problem, DELAY solutions, DIVIDE their opposition, DUMP their problems in the developing world, and DUPE the public into believing the problem is solved. "The individual consumer driving down the street or using a dozen appliances is the fossil fuel addict," said Kenny Bruno, principal author of the report. "But the fossil fuel companies are the pushers, always trying to sell more of a product that is destroying our planet and our health." TRAC launches its campaign for climate justice. The campaign will target the Greenhouse Gangsters in the lead-up to Earth Day 2000 in April. The platform for climate justice includes a just transition for workers and communities hardest hit by changes to our energy systems.
Find out more at: www.corpwatch.org/climate. Greenhouse Gangsters is also available for easy printout in PDF format. Or order printed copies in bulk today at: https://swww.igc.apc.org/trac/donation.html#greenhouse. Hard copies of the full report are available from TRAC: 415-561-6568; tracadmin@corpwatch.org.
"EarthVision Reports" (December 15) and Hearst Newspapers (December 14) say that the average U.S. temperature for 1999 was down slightly from the 1998 record high but should still mark the second warmest year on record since 1900 according to the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). An "Independent News" (December 8) story also notes that 1999 is likely to be the warmest ever recorded in Britain and the fourth-warmest ever for the world. However, Reuters (December 16) reports that this year is likely to be the fifth-warmest since consistent global records began in 1860 which means that seven of the world's 10 warmest recorded years have been in the 1990s according to the World Meteorological Office (WTO). ("Independent News" says that 8 of the 10 warmest years globally occurred this decade while NOAA says five of the warmest years in the U.S. occurred this decade.) WTO also said that it believed the 1990s were the warmest decade of the millenium. Report Outlines Benefits of Emissions Trading: The Pew Center on Global Climate Change has issued a new report, "International Emissions Trading & Global Climate Change: Impacts on the Costs of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation." It argues that an international greenhouse gas emissions trading regime would significantly lower global mitigation costs and that compliance costs for parties limiting their greenhouse gas emissions can be lowered by providing greater flexibility in trading mechanisms, such as allowing trading across emissions sources, and allowing trades to occur over time. The report can be found at http://www.pewclimate.org. |
| TOP |
|
"Global Warming, Climate Change and Native Lands" Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change. The following is a listing of feature articles included in a special double-issue of Native Americas Journal on the theme climate change and its impact on weather and the environment. The issue is the result of a collaboration between Akwe:kon Press and Earth Science Enterprise, a division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). For more information on how to stay informed of emerging trends that impact Native peoples throughout the hemisphere visit our website at http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu. IN A PRESCIENT TIME NATIVE PROPHECY MEETS SCIENTIFIC PREDICTION http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/fall99/fall99johnson.html
By Tim Johnson
NATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON SOUTHWESTERN ENVIRONMENTS http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/fall99/fall99taliman.html
By Valerie Taliman GLOBAL WARMING AND AQUATIC RESOURCE DEPLETION http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/fall99/fall99gough.html
By Robert Gough
A DECADE OF DROUGHT AND BLIZZARD http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/fall99/fall99spears.html
By Patrick Spears
HURRICANE MITCH, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND MESOAMERICA'S CLIMATE DISASTER http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/fall99/fall99weinberg.html
By Bill Weinberg CLIMATE DISRUPTION, CONTAGIOUS DISEASE AND PUBLIC HEALTH http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/fall99/fall99epstein.html
By Paul Epstein THE PROSPECTS AREN'T PRETTY http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/fall99/fall99johansen.html
By Bruce E. Johansen CLIMATE CHANGE AND AGRICULTURAL DIVERSITY http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/fall99/fall99benjamin.html
By Craig Benjamin A CHANGE OF CODES WOULD HELP http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/fall99/fall99suagee.html
By Dean Suagee THE CHUNAH OF A NATIVE CHILDHOOD FLOWS STRONG http://nativeamericas.aip.cornell.edu/fall99/fall99ortiz.html
By Simon J. Ortiz |
| TOP |
|
“Climate News,” is a bi-monthly summary of news stories on climate change and global warming from around the world. The service is offered free of charge from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), based in New York City, NY. To subscribe, simply send a message to chadc@iisd.org or visit http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/climate/climate.html. Here are some samples of the news stories posted to the IISD news stories.
Ottawa -- The fight against global warming is the most profound economic challenge facing the country since the Second World War, says a secret cabinet document that outlines a $1.6-billion, five-year plan to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases Canadians pump into the atmosphere. The scale of change to the Canadian economy will be far greater than the oil shocks of the 1970s or free trade, it says, but it also notes that dealing with global warming will create economic opportunities if the government acts now.The document obtained by The Globe and Mail outlines a presentation to cabinet made by Environment Minister David Anderson and Natural Resources Minister Ralph Goodale in November. Government sources say the plan has been approved in principle by the cabinet, but that doesn't mean it will be implemented. Many memorandums that obtain cabinet approval get no financing in the budget because the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance deem their priority low. Government sources say a scaled-down version has also been prepared in case Finance balks at the cost. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide trap heat in the atmosphere. They are largely produced when oil, coal and gas are burned. Reducing emissions will require dramatic gains in energy efficiency over the next 10 years, the document says. A separate briefing note suggests Mr. Anderson and Mr. Goodale may have difficulty getting some of their cabinet colleagues to agree on the need for immediate action and notes that Industry Minister John Manley "has not been an evident supporter to date." In December, 1997, Canada signed the Kyoto Protocol and agreed to cut greenhouse-gas emissions 6 per cent from 1990 levels by 2012. In real terms, that means a reduction of 26 per cent because of the rise in emissions since 1990. It outlines the proposed federal strategy to achieve that goal, which includes spending $955-million on measures to reduce emissions, but doesn't go into specifics of how the money would be spent. Some of the possibilities being bandied about are said to include incentives to businesses that meet emission-cut targets and efforts to improve energy efficiency. A "carbon tax" on emissions has been ruled out. Another $235-million would go toward improving Canada's scientific capability to understand what is happening to the world's climate and what those changes could mean, and $110-million would go toward figuring out how best to adapt to higher temperatures and the storms and erratic weather that would result. In addition, $335-million was approved in principle in June for an international strategy. Environmentalists who have read the document say it is a strong first step and a sign that Ottawa is taking global warming seriously. But they worried it will lose out to tax cuts or other spending priorities in the February budget. "We are concerned that it will fall through the cracks," said John Bennett of the Sierra Club of Canada. The document makes it clear that those pushing the climate-change issue are frustrated with the lack of progress made so far. In addition to the cabinet infighting, there's a concern the tripartite alliance between government, industry and environmentalists -- who are working together on a series of reports on the country's options for meeting its Kyoto commitments -- might crumble if Ottawa doesn't take a stronger stand on the issue. Provinces and industry are just coming on board, according to the document, with Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia taking the most progressive approaches. Ottawa must, it says, be a leader. "Support is fragile. . . . Most need a clear signal that government is serious before committing to action. Without this signal we lose momentum." The cabinet was also warned that Canada is already falling behind competitors who are making concrete steps to tackle climate change. The European Union has implemented energy-use taxes (which are offset by declines in payroll taxes) and voluntary efficiency-improvement measures for automobiles. Even the United States and Australia, two notorious laggards in recognizing the need for action, have outdone Canada so far. The U.S. is spending $1.4-billion and Australia $1- billion on renewable-energy and energy-efficiency initiatives, the document says. But domestic measures will not be enough to meet the Kyoto target. The document suggests any hope Canada has of meeting its Kyoto target relies heavily on being allowed to buy emission credits from developing countries. Whether or not emissions trading, and other measures that would allow Canada to skirt its own emissions cap, will be allowed under the Kyoto Protocol has yet to be determined. Canada is expected to push hard for such mechanisms at a meeting next fall in The Hague.
EMISSIONS ON THE RISE Environmentalists say that increase shows the government has done nothing concrete to tackle emissions in this country despite giving the climate-change issue plenty of lip service. "This is no surprise -- and those numbers are two years ago. Imagine where we are today," said Steven Guilbeault, a climate-change specialist with Greenpeace. "We haven't put into place any measure of consequence to fight greenhouse gases. "The federal government has to show some leadership on this issue." In the United States, over the same period, emissions increased 11 per cent, Environment Canada said. In Canada, it is estimated that 682 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and equivalent gases were pumped into air in 1997, up from 601 million tonnes at the start of the decade. The primary culprits were increased fossil-fuel production (largely for export), and increases in transportation consumption by Canadians. There may be some good news, though. The rate of increase in greenhouse-gas emissions slowed slightly. Total emissions were up 1.5 per cent from 1996 to 1997, after increasing 2.8 per cent the previous year. Art Jaques, a specialist on greenhouse-gas data with Environment Canada, said even that might not be an indicator of anything. The U.S. showed a similar trend that year and attributed it to a warm winter. Mr. Jaques said the numbers show how much work there is to do in educating the public about the issue.
As international negotiations on climate change accelerate under the mantle of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, pressure on Seoul, the world's 11th largest emitter of carbon dioxide, is increasing. Government officials of environment-related agencies had long said pressure, mainly from the United States, came through working-level channels for Korea to start reducing its CO2 emissions earlier than the proposed 2018. But according to a local news report published Tuesday, pressure is increasing. And coming it's from the top. The report said that U.S. President Bill Clinton on Oct. 15 sent a letter to President Kim Dae- jung, asking Seoul to set its greenhouse gas reduction target at 2008, 10 years earlier than required. The letter was timed just before the latest round of global talks on reducing carbon dioxide emissions held in Bonn Oct. 25-Nov. 15. Seoul responded to the pressure, announcing in Bonn that it would begin reducing emissions on a "voluntary but non-binding" basis in 2008. However, it did not present a reduction target rate as did Argentina, which set its target at 2 to 10 percent CO2 reduction in the period from 2008-2012. Nor was the rate consistent with the U.S. President's request. "Negotiation is not something that is done on a unilateral basis. Our stance is that we will start to make 'binding' obligations in 2018, as initially proposed under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol," said an Environment Ministry official who asked not to be named. The Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry, meanwhile, said that the government takes the "U.S. request" more as an "expectation" than a compulsion. Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change, 38 developed countries would have to meet a binding CO2 reduction obligation starting in 2008. The 38 countries have pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5.2 percent below 1990 levels during the period 2008 to 2012. Korea, along with other developing countries, said that it would agree to binding obligations starting in 2018. The nation has developed an economic structure highly dependent on fossil fuel. This makes Seoul vulnerable to international pressure regarding the CO2 reduction. The high dependency on fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, also enlarges the economic impact of reducing CO2, the greenhouse gas that is emitted when the fuels are burnt. According to the Energy Economic Research Institute, 84 percent of the energy consumed in the nation is produced through the burning of fossil fuels. Under this structure, reducing C02 by 5 percent in 2010 would erode the gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.47 percent in that year, by 0.71 percent in 2015, and by 0.96 percent in 2020. According to another report written by the LG Economic Institute, the GDP will shrink almost in half, to 116 trillion won in 2010 from the 279 trillion won posted in 1996, if Seoul were to start meeting reduction obligations from 2008. Industry analyst said that this would set the economy back to 1985 levels. The government is studying a set of administrative measures to deal with this blow to the economy. The Environment Ministry, for instance, is reviewing the feasibility of a domestic emissions-trading scheme by businesses to be launched sometime after 2001. And since 1998, the ministry has been overseeing a program in which scores of businesses have voluntarily pledged to cut CO2 by 8 percent and take other energy- saving measures over the course of five years. The government is also considering levying an emission tax. The timing of implementing these administrative programs is a vital determinant to the health of the nation's economy, ministry officials say, so Seoul wants to set its own timetable in meeting CO2 reduction obligations. Business analysts said that some sectors, such as automobiles and semiconductors, which are already worldwide industry leaders, may be ready for reduction programs. But industries such as petrochemicals and steel will meet difficulties. "Prime export industries, such as automobiles and semiconductors, are being pushed from the international market side to take action," Chung Ye-mo, chief researcher with the Samsung Global Environment Research Center, said. On the other hand, he said, energy-intensive industries, such as petrochemicals and iron and steel, are neglecting to take appropriate measures. However, the mechanics of the Kyoto Protocol will make it hard for Seoul to completely ignore U.S. pressure. For the Kyoto Protocol to take effect, countries that emit 55 percent of the world's CO2 and 55 signatory nations will have to ratify it. The bargaining power of the United States as it pushes developing countries to set earlier reduction targets ironically comes from the fact that it is the largest CO2 emitter, having emitted 36.1 percent in 1990, making its ratification of the protocol vital. The environmental concerns of the rising level of CO2 emission are another pressure cooker. Seoul reported to the U.N. Framework that its emission of CO2 will rise 76 percent from 1998's 141.3 million total carbon to 249.3 million total carbon in 2020.
A report by the National Research Council and its Chinese counterparts yesterday recommended increased collaboration between the U.S. and Chinese governments on developing cleaner energy technology and increasing energy efficiency to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming. An outgrowth of a presidential summit in 1997, the report recommends that Congress and the president authorize three agencies to work in China that are now barred from doing so. The report noted, however, that the "relationship between China and the United States is currently in a period of some tension over both political and economic issues." Those tensions include the aftermath of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, last May and allegations of Chinese espionage at the U.S. national laboratories. Notwithstanding those differences, according to a summary of the report, "The Agency for International Development, the Trade and Development Agency and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation could apply their expertise in market reform and management" to encourage cleaner, more efficient energy use. The United States, with its high per-capita energy use, and China, with its huge population and growing energy demand, are the two largest energy consumers. Together, they account for more than a third of greenhouse gas emissions, the report said. In 1997, leaders from both countries signed an Energy and Environment Cooperation Initiative pledging to work on energy, environmental and trade issues. The report, which was also funded by the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, suggested that China might provide a market for clean-coal technologies that are in limited demand in the United States because utilities have converted to cleaner natural gas plants.
MIAMI - The United States is proposing a hemispheric clearinghouse to promote energy projects such as power stations in Latin America and the Caribbean, U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said yesterday. Richardson also said during a speech to a meeting of Caribbean and Latin American trade leaders that he was also campaigning for an initiative to boost development of natural gas projects in the hemisphere. By harmonising legal, regulatory and fiscal policies, the initiative would encourage gas pipelines such as one proposed to deliver Peruvian gas to Brazil through Bolivia. "In simple terms, it would spur the development of projects across borders," Richardson said. The proposed energy-projects clearinghouse would tap existing lending sources such as the Inter-American Development Bank, help governments and entrepreneurs fine tune proposals, and seek private-sector aid for projects, Richardson said. "I am working with the Inter-American Development Bank to promote the creation of a Facility for Energy Sector Initiatives that will help bridge the gap between resources in search of good project ideas, and good project ideas in search of resources," he said. Richardson gave few details and, at a news conference, described the energy-projects proposal as preliminary. But he said he had received an enthusiastic response from President Enrique Iglesias of the IDB, a multilateral lender whose biggest shareholder is the United States. Roughly a third of the resources at the IDB, a 46-state institution with loans out in 26 countries, is now dedicated to infrastructure projects involving energy, transport and communications. Other monies go to health, education, environmental and production projects. "There is no pool of resources from which the IDB, the countries involved, or other interested parties can draw to help put the deals together," Richardson said.
Reuters 10 December http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=5011&newsDate=9-Dec-1999
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman said yesterday the federal government needs to prepare better for the future energy needs of the country, providing environmentally safe fuels and secure supplies. Lieberman, a Democrat from Connecticut, said Department of Energy budgets for developing renewable fuels - wind, solar, biomass, hydrogen and geothermal - need to be increased greatly from present levels at around $320 million a year. Speaking at an energy conference, the lawmaker said people of every political background have strong feelings toward preserving the environment, especially as fears of global warming become more known. "People want to preserve natural resources and want to know the lifestyle consequences of environmental policies," Lieberman said. Besides taking a leadership role in negotiations to settle an international climate change treaty, Lieberman said it was important for the U.S. to take action in a number of areas to keep greenhouse gas emissions under control, including:
Lieberman said he agreed with projections calling for a continued reliance on fossil fuels for world energy needs over the next 20 years, but said unknown environmental factors, like a speeding in the pace of global warming, could alter usage levels for oil, natural gas and coal.
DONALDSON: Well Senator, you say that if you are elected president, you will issue executive orders to take action. Give us one or two of the examples that you have in mind. For instance, the Kyoto Treaty? HATCH: Well actually, the Kyoto — I would revoke the Kyoto agreement, because — Treaty, the accords, because that will cost the average family $30,000 dollars, it would be cost them at least $1,500 to $3,000 dollars in added fuel costs a year. It would cause our manufacturing system to go overseas, and it binds only the United States to these stringent accords, that really there aren't the scientific proofs to sustain. But it's more than that. I would, I would change the White House code of conduct to bring and restore values back into the White House. I would enforce the existing gun laws so that — which this administration is not doing, while upholding the Second Amendment rights of people to keep and bear arms. Get rid of the Kyoto Accords. I would of course, reaffirm our sovereignty throughout the world. We've been eroding our sovereignty through this administration. I would do a lot to combat terrorism by setting up a multi-agency task force. And of course, I would reform the procedures on clemency. And then there are at least five executive orders that this president has ordered, that really fly in the face of the separation of powers doctrine of this country. I'd revoke those so fast, and all — I would do all of this on the first day. It's all doable, and I think the American people would be very pleased with my approach to it.
THE 1990s have been the hottest decade of the millennium, British scientists will confirm today, adding to fears that the globe is in the grip of man-made global warming. Phil Jones, of the University of East Anglia, said yesterday: "Although we do not have instrumental records going back further than the mid-19th century for global temperatures, analysis of tree rings, ice cores, corals and historical records indicates that the 1990s were the warmest decade of the millennium." Figures from the Meteorological Office's Hadley Centre and the university show that seven of the world's ten warmest years since records began were in the 1990s and that they include this year. Dr. Jones said that Central England was expected to have been the warmest this year since observations and records began in 1659. It is set to beat 1990, the area's previous warmest year, although that record might be threatened if there is a very cold snap. It was nevertheless certain that 1999 in Britain and across the globe would be one of the warmest years ever, which was "further evidence that global warming is probably happening". The figures, being released by the World Meteorological Organisation in Geneva, show that 1999 was the fifth warmest year on record based on global observations going back to 1860. Temperatures were 0.33C higher than in 1961-90 and 0.7C higher than those at the turn of the century. David Parker, of the Met Office, said yesterday that the fact that last year was cooler than 1998 was attributable to La Niña, the aftermath of El Niño, which had a warming effect on the globe. "The rapid cooling of temperatures in the equatorial Pacific has contributed to 1999 being significantly cooler than in 1998, the hottest year on record. This large, natural variability is exactly what we expect to see superimposed on a long-term warming due to man-made greenhouse gas emissions," he said. "Our forecast for 2000 shows a high probability of it being warmer than 1999 as the cold Pacific slowly warms," Mr Parker said. The World Meteorological Organisation said that the century was the warmest of the millennium. It said that the high temperature of 1999 was "remarkable because it occurred despite the typical cooling influence of the tropical La Niña". See also-ABC News: http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/Business/reuters19991215_4281.html
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The periodic El Nino warming of the Pacific Ocean also reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the air -- a chemical some say contributes to global warming -- according to a study being published in Friday's edition of the journal Science. In addition, the massive oceanic changes cause a boom and bust cycle for tiny ocean plants called plankton, which are vital food for fish, the study says. A team of researchers led by Francisco Chavez of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute found that the 1997-98 El Nino, and the subsequent ocean cooling called La Nina, had a roller-coaster effect on the oceanic food chain across a vast swath of the Pacific. During the El Nino warm episode, the normal upwelling of cold, deep ocean water was blocked, cutting off the supply of nutrients required by the tiny algae and sharply reducing their numbers, the study found. In past years it was the cutoff of those rising nutrient-rich waters that tended to be the first sign of an El Nino, because fishermen would notice a sharp drop in their catch due to the lack of food for fish and shrimp. That deep water also contains a lot of stored carbon dioxide which it releases at the surface. By stopping it from rising the El Nino can be credited with reducing the amount of that so-called greenhouse gas being added to the atmosphere. The researchers calculated that 700 million metric tons of carbon normally released to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide were kept in the ocean during the year that El Nino conditions dominated the equatorial Pacific. This is equivalent to half of the United States' total annual carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning. A metric ton is 2,205 pounds. Many environmentalists have become concerned about possibility that extra carbon dioxide in the air will help trap heat from the sun, somewhat like a greenhouse, causing global warming. The researchers reported they were again surprised in mid-1998 when chlorophyll levels skyrocketed, revealing the largest plankton bloom ever observed in the equatorial Pacific. They suggested that elevated iron concentrations in the rising water stimulated this bloom. Iron is an essential nutrient for plankton growth. Besides the Monterey Bay institute the team included researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National Marine Fisheries Service.
INTERNATIONAL EMISSIONS TRADING & GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE EARTH NEGOTIATIONS BULLETIN COVERAGE OF THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL REPORT-INTERNET ECONOMY AND GLOBAL WARMING: THE IMPACT OF E- COMMERCE This paper, by the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions at http://www.cool-companies.org/ecom/index.cfm explores the impact of the growing Internet economy on current and future trends in energy consumption. The study notes that the world is only beginning to come to grips with the consequences of the exploding growth of e-commerce and the Internet economy. It notes the need to understand the potential created for environmental gains and structural reductions in energy and resource use, as well as the need for certain industries to adapt to very large strategic challenges and opportunities. This paper reflects an analysis of currently available but incomplete data, and begins to construct some rough scenarios. Hopefully these scenarios begin the process of identifying opportunities and challenges for business leaders and policy makers and suggesting the directions of future research and initiatives.
Roll Call http://www.rollcall.com/policybr/pbstory9.html By Rep. Bruce Vento Today's national energy policy stands in stark contrast to the comprehensive policies enacted 20 years ago. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, our national energy policy debate sparked the furor and passion of every American to the same extent as today's debate on health care reforms. However, the days of waiting in long lines for gas, shortages of heating oil and a darkened Washington Monument are gone. In their place are lower crude oil prices, the popularity of gas guzzling sports utility vehicles and the explosion of polluting personal recreation vehicles from snowmobiles to jet skis. Today, our energy policy is driven by personal convenience, not conservation. Profit, cheap gas and the bottom line are the major factors that are considered. The drive to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels has dissipated and been replaced by a drive to get the government out of energy policy. The effects of this shortsighted policy are all too evident on our lands, air and water, to our health and potentially, in our pocketbook. We are importing more oil than ever before - nearly 50 percent of all oil that we consume. Our health is at risk and our natural resources are being plundered. The impact of fossil fuels on the environment and on the public's health gives ample evidence that the industrialized world should wean itself from over-reliance on fossil fuels. Although some argue that we lack the "sound science" to irrefutably quantify global warming trends, the fossil fuel-environment connection is apparent and global warming and pollution are increasing. This century alone, carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases have increased 30 percent. The glaciers at Glacier National Park will be nothing but till in 30 years, and this spring we had the report that 1998 was the warmest year of the millennium. The health effects are also evident. We have all heard the summer warnings for asthmatic children and the elderly to stay inside because of excess air pollutants. One study estimated that 64,000 people in the United States die prematurely from heart and lung disease each year because of particulate air pollution. Among children, air pollutants are associated with an increase in acute respiratory illness. Unfortunately, the momentum of the early 1980s is being squandered. Both Congress and utilities have reduced spending for electricity research and development. Congress has done so in its quest to reduce the federal budget, or, some may argue, to stymie "backdoor" attempts to implement the Kyoto Protocol, while utilities streamline for a deregulated environment. If this trend continues, air quality will continue to decline because there is no incentive to upgrade old, operationally cheap coal-fired power plants that are exempt from clean air standards. The Clean Air Act, although effective in specific areas, has failed to force the nation's oldest, most polluting power plants to conform with modern clean air technology. As a result, 10 percent of the plants burning fossil fuels today release upwards of 50 percent of the pollutants released by power plants. Nuclear power, once touted as the "clean" energy solution for our nation, has been exposed as a flawed technology leaving a waste legacy that will last millennia. If action is not taken now to store our nation's growing stockpile of nuclear waste, we will face a national crisis in 10 short years when 78 of the nuclear power plants operating in the United States will have no room left to store their nuclear waste. It is time to refocus our energy policy. This policy should be about more than cheap gas. It should be about the long-term viability of our natural resources and the physical and economic health of the American public. When we look to the past to develop policies for the future, what has become clear is that Congress has spent too much time addressing the short-term energy needs at the expense of a long-term energy policy that would be less reliant on fossil fuels. Although industrialized society's reliance on energy will not decrease, Congress has the ability to mitigate its effects by pledging to protect the people and the land in the short-term, and by investing in alternative energy solutions to meet future energy needs for the long- term. To accomplish those goals, Congress should: End the exploitation of our public lands and natural resources as a quick energy fix. Upholding the primacy of the Clean Water Act over strip mining practices that dump tons of waste in our streams and rivers is a first step. Congress can demonstrate its commitment to reducing this nation's reliance on fossil fuels by permanently protecting a fragment of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain as wilderness. At best, this area would provide a 51-day supply of oil. But at what cost? The destruction of the last remaining five percent of fragile arctic tundra, the splintering of the 130,000-strong Porcupine River caribou herd and the loss of a 1,000-generation-old Gwich'in Indian culture. Cut emissions. Air pollution knows no boundaries. It is a global problem that requires international cooperation and a national commitment to protecting the global community. The first step toward making that commitment a reality occurred in 1997 when the United States and more than 160 other nations signed the Kyoto Protocol. As one of the leading producers of greenhouse gas emissions (20 percent of all emissions), the United States should be a leader in ratifying and implementing this agreement. It's time for Congress to force the utilities to clean up their act by forcing old power plants to comply with the Clean Air Act. Develop alternative energy sources. The stranglehold of foreign oil can only be broken through conservation and the development of alternative sources. Green power, including biomass, solar and wind, increasingly offer a cost-efficient, clean and viable alternative to fossil fuels. The solar silicon cells manufactured from one ton of sand could produce as much electricity as burning 500,000 tons of coal. Encourage energy conservation. Energy conservation efforts offer the best hope for businesses and individuals. A simple step of replacing an incandescent light bulb with a compact florescent bulb reduces electric bills by $67 over the life of the bulb and will save 400 pounds of coal from being burned. Holding SUVs, minivans and pickups to the same fuel efficiency standards as cars would save one million barrels of oil every day and would cut U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 240 million tons once the standards are fully phased in. Although Congress cannot foresee the stability of the energy market, it can and should prepare to develop a clean and efficient energy sector that, if thoughtfully planned, can improve our environment with little harmful effect to the consumer. Investment in clean air technology, the development of alternative energy sources, the revitalization of our national conservation efforts and a resolution to the nuclear waste storage problem now will lay the foundation for a sound energy policy in the new millennium. Rep. Bruce Vento (D-Minn.) is a member of the Resources Committee. |
| TOP | Page: 1 , 1 cont. , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 TOP
|
