clair031

Summary .   President Obama is weighing a decision whether it is in the national interest to approve the Keystone XL pipeline.   It would carry bitumen from Alberta ’s tar sands to refineries on the U. S. gulf coast.   He has said he would not approve the pipeline if it would make climate change “significantly” worse. Tar sands oil, being very different from conventional petroleum, requires far more energy, derived by burning fossil fuels, to extract it for shipment and to refine it for final use.   The high capacity of the pipeline would transport so much bitumen that, once burned as refined fuel, it would add between 82.5 million tons and 181 million metric tons per year of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, corresponding to at least 1.4% of all emissions from the U. S. The pipeline would commit the U. S. to these emissions for each year of its operational lifetime, perhaps 40 years or more.   Officials of the Canadian government have visited Washington se...

Summary .   The world’s use of energy is expanding.   Much of this demand is concentrated in developing countries of the world, especially China .   Their energy needs are furnished primarily by fossil fuels, leading to high annual rates of emission of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, increasing in China historically by 6.4% per year.   Coal is its principal fuel. Jiang Kejun, a scientist at China ’s Energy Research Institute, is urging its national energy policymakers to limit CO 2 emissions more aggressively by emphasizing expanded renewable energy sources and energy efficiency.   Mr. Jiang notes that “time for effective action is very limited.” The drastic, yet feasible, measures promoted by Mr. Jiang are resisted by energy and industrial interests in China , since they adversely affect China ’s economic growth rate and threaten the viability of existing energy investments.   In the meantime, China is starting a handful of pilot projects using a c...

Summary .   The worldwide need to abate emissions of greenhouse gases is becoming more important with every passing year.   Nevertheless, the U. S. has never enacted federal legislation that would limit its emissions.      This post describes a proposal for a cap-and-trade market mechanism to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the U. S. , presented in a recent op-ed article.   Then cap-and-trade is compared with a direct tax or fee on carbon fuels.   It is concluded that a carbon tax or fee is far more advantageous than a cap-and-trade mechanism, for its effectiveness, efficiency and freedom from the need to create a new bureaucracy to oversee its operation.   The revenues generated can be applied in a variety of ways that would be politically acceptable.   Adoption of a carbon tax or fee in the U. S. is strongly recommended.   Introduction .   The nations of the world are currently on a path of emitting greenhouse gases (GHGs)...

Summary .   Four former Administrators of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, all of whom served under Republican presidents, are urging the members of the U. S. Congress to overcome partisan divisions and pass meaningful legislation to combat global warming.   They state that science clearly shows the planet is warming, and point out that further inaction is harmful because the window of time remaining for action is shrinking.   They observe that President Obama’s Climate Action Plan is noteworthy and should be endorsed by the Congress.   Additionally they propose a fee on use of carbon fuels as an effective means for abating the rate of emissions and consequent worsening of global warming.   Here, we present an example of the effectiveness of a tax on gasoline fuel in reducing consumption. Carbon dioxide accumulates in the atmosphere, once emitted, and remains for very long times without being removed by natural processes or human technology.   Th...