Climate Change News from the Front Line
giving voice and finding solutions to the impacts of climate change in Alaska
Alaska Conservation Solutions
August 2010 newsletter |
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| World 2009 CO2 Emissions Fell 1.3 Percent |
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2009 fell 1.3% in a consecutive two-year decline. The decline was attributed to the global economic crisis and increased investments in renewable energy technologies. However, global CO2 emissions are still 37% above those in 1990, the basis year for the Kyoto Climate Protocol. ( Reuters, 8/13/10). ACTION ALERT: What could happen if we don't continue to reduce our CO2 emissions? Order The Age of Stupid, a new documentary film about climate change, and find out. |
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| Dear Friends, |
This summer has seen extreme weather and climate events with devastating impacts across the globe. Seemingly disconnected, these far-flung events are reviving the question of whether climate change is causing more weather extremes. The collective answer of the scientific community can be boiled down to a single word: probably.
Given the mounting real-world evidence and the urgency of the situation, it is difficult not to be discouraged by climate change denialism and the Senate's failure to act on energy and climate. We must persuade the Senate to hold polluters accountable, fend off attacks on clean air, and counter the effects of climate change. Thank you for continuing to be part of the solution and for taking action when and where you can.
With hope and determination,
Penny Bauder
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| In Alaska, Doubts About Climate Change Rise With a New Politician |
Alaska's cliffhanger primary is poised to propel Republication climate skeptic Joe Miller toward the U.S. Senate, observers say, likely bolstering the number of nominations achieved by conservative candidates who challenge manmade global warming. "[It] may not even exist," Miller said of climate change in a recent interview ( New York Times, 8/26/10). ACTION ALERT: Where do the other Alaskan U.S. Senate candidates stand on climate change? Visit these links to find out: ADN, 7/7/10, McAdams Press Release, 6/16/10). |
| U.S. Senators Talk Climate Change in Barrow |
The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee held field hearings in Barrow on the effects of climate change. The message from the Arctic is that Alaska needs more resources and more understanding from decision-makers in the nation's capital ( KTUU.Com, 8/21/10). ACTION ALERT: Help to develop an Alaska that is resilient and responsive to increasingly rapid global changes. Register for the 2010 Arctic Science Conference: Integrating Health, Habitat, and Economy, held September 13th to 15th, in Anchorage, Alaska. |
| Northwest Passage Open for the Fourth Consecutive Year |
This summer marks the fourth consecutive year--and fourth time in recorded history--that the fabled passage has opened for navigation. This year also marks the third consecutive year--and the third time in recorded history--that both the Northwest Passage and Northeast Passage have melted free ( National Snow and Ice Data Center, 8/25/10). |
| Ice-Free Arctic Ocean May Not Be of Much Use in Soaking Up Carbon |
Scientists have been looking at ways the Earth might benefit from natural processes to balance the rising heat, and one process had intrigued them, a premise that melting ice at the poles might allow more open water that could absorb carbon dioxide, one of the major compounds implicated in global warming. Now, though, new research suggests that that idea may be one more dead end ( Science Daily, 8/3/10). |
| Climate Change Prolongs Alaska's Growing Season |
One hundred years ago, Alaska's growing season lasted three months. Today, the growing season is becoming longer as the snow melts earlier and springs get warmer. The changes have stretched the growing season from 85 days in the early 20th century to 123 days ( ADN, 8/2/10). |
| Forest Changes in Alaska Reveal Changing Climate |
Evidence is mounting that climate change is transforming Alaska's boreal forest. "A biome shift is now occurring. You don't have to wait for the effects. They're happening," said one scientist ( Scientific American, 8/25/10). ACTION ALERT: See for yourself the nature and extent of climate change in Alaska. Visit a special exhibit at the UAF Museum of the North, Then & Now: The Changing Arctic Landscape--Visual Evidence of Climate Change in the North. For more information, call 907-474-7505 or go to www.uaf.edu/museum/exhibits/special/. |
| Climate Change Brings Wasps to Baffin Island |
Researchers collecting bugs in the Canadian Arctic this summer have confirmed wasps are breeding on Baffin Island, which they say is further evidence of climate change ( CBC News, 8/19/10). |
| Acidified Oceans Weakening Coast Creatures | | Human impact is causing lower oxygen and higher carbon dioxide levels in coastal water bodies. Increased levels of carbon dioxide cause the water to become more acidic, having dramatic effects on the lifestyles of the wildlife that call these regions home. Organisms in these new conditions can't fight off infections as well as animals living in oxygen rich, low carbon dioxide environments (Science Daily, 8/5/10). ACTION ALERT: Help raise awareness about ocean acidification by circulating the video The Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification. |
| Polar Bears Face Melting Chemical Cocktail | | Polar bears, the icon of the Arctic, are under threat from the twin challenges of climate change and chemicals that are not breaking down in the region's cold waters. Scientists believe the pollutants, locked in the polar ice for decades, could be released into the ocean as the ice melts due to climate change (ABC News, 8/6/10). ACTION ALERT: Comment on the Environmental Impact Statement for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Emerging issues such as climate change and the recent listing of polar bears as a threatened and endangered species will be addressed. For more information see www.blm.gov/ak or call Jim Ducker at 907-271-3130. |
| Geoengineering 'Not a Solution' to Sea Level Rise |
Even the most extreme geoengineering approaches will not stop sea levels from rising due to climate change, a new study suggests. "Substituting geoengineering for greenhouse emission control would be to burden future generations with enormous risk," said a co-author of the study ( BBC, 8/24/10). ACTION ALERT: Help your community adapt to rising sea levels by registering for the Climate Solutions University for Rural Communities: Forest and Water Strategies program. This webinar-based program guides communities to assess their local climate-related risks and opportunities and create and implement a customized local climate action plan. |
| EPA Seeks to Regulate Carbon From Trucks, Buses | | The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Transportation sent draft rules to the White House that would limit heavy-duty vehicles' emissions under the Clean Air Act. The EPA said the new rules would "significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from future heavy duty vehicles" by setting standards that would lead to the introduction of vehicle and engine technologies (Reuters, 8/16/10). |
| Administration Backs Utilities in Climate Case |
The Obama administration sided with major utility companies in a Supreme Court case about climate change, angering some who say that the administration's broad argument could hurt their ability to force reductions in greenhouse gas emissions or even to bring other lawsuits ( Washington Post, 8/27/10). |
| U.S. Chamber Sues EPA Over Greenhouse Gas 'Endangerment' Decision |
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the advocacy group Coalition for Responsible Regulation each filed petitions asking the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review the Environmental Protection Agency's decision that greenhouse gases endanger human health and welfare ( New York Times, 8/16/10). |
| Carbon Capture Will Work |
A task force established by President Obama concluded that carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is viable, but needs a price on carbon emissions and substantial federal incentives to reach its full potential. CCS technologies trap carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants and store them underground ( United Press International, 8/13/10). ACTION ALERT: Join the National Climate Seminar for a chance to hear top scientists, analysts and political leaders discuss other climate and clean energy solutions. The National Climate Seminar is available live to educators, students, and the public by telephone. |
| Pakistan Floods, Russia Heat Fit Climate Trend | | Devastating floods in Pakistan and Russia's heat wave match predictions of extremes caused by global warming, scientists say. "We will always have climate extremes. But it looks like climate change is exacerbating the intensity of the extremes," said one scientist (Reuters, 8/9/10). ACTION ALERT: Strengthen your agency or organization's ability to respond to a climate crisis. Partner with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy in co-hosting a postdoctoral Fellow in 2011-2013. This program matches early-career PhDs with decision-making institutions to research and develop tools that will apply climate prediction information to climate-impacted decisions. Call 907-474-7812 for more information. |
| Climate Change Threatens Up to 80% of Rainforests by 2100 |
A new study found that, by 2100, only 18 to 45 percent of plant and animal species living in rainforests may survive. "This study is the strongest evidence yet that the world's natural ecosystems will undergo profound changes through the combined influence of climate change and land use," said one researcher ( United Press International, 8/6/10). ACTION ALERT: Spread the word about the recently established Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center. One objective of the center is to disseminate regional, long-term, predictive climate models. |
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| Traveling by Car Warms Planet More Than by Plane |
A new study has found that traveling by car is more damaging to the environment than making a trip by plane. Though plane trips are more damaging in the short run, the long-term global temperature increases from a car trip are higher than from a plane trip of the same distance on average ( Science Daily, 8/5/10). ACTION ALERT: Find out how one Alaska business is reducing emissions by running their trucks on biodiesel. Large Scale Biodiesel in Anchorage is the topic for the September Renewable Energy Alaska Project Forum, which will be held 6 to 8 at the Anchorage Museum on Sept. 8. For more information or to sign up for the live podcast, call 907-929-7770 or email s.nowers@REalaska.org. |
| Rice Yields Falling Under Global Warming |
Global warming is cutting rice yields in many parts of Asia, according to research, with more declines to come. Yields have fallen by 10-20% over the last 25 years in some locations. This is the latest study to suggest that climate change will make it harder to feed the world's growing population ( BBC News, 8/9/10). |
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This newsletter is produced by Alaska Conservation Solutions, a program of the Alaska Center for the Environment, Alaska's largest home-grown citizen's group working to enhance Alaskans' quality of life by protecting wild places, fostering sustainable communities, and promoting recreational opportunities. Alaska Conservation Solutions was founded in 2005 to draw attention to the pervasive consequences of climate change in Alaska and to pursue solutions and responses to the problems. Please join ACE to support our work. |
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