clair031

We experience weather at the local or regional level.   Here, one person may be in a heavy rainstorm, while there, somewhere else in the world, another could be in an uncomfortable heat wave.   Daily or weekly weather, however, is not the same as long-term regional or global climate; climate relates to yearly, multi-year, and even decade-long behavior.   The world’s climate is affected by the atmospheric accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which continued unabated during 2013.   GHGs in the atmosphere preferentially retain heat radiating from the earth’s surface and prevent its escape to space.   Record High Levels of Carbon Dioxide .   The World Meteorological Organization ( WMO ), an agency of the United Nations, reported recently that the global average concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), a major GHG, reached a record level of 396 parts per million (ppm; volume of CO 2 gas in 1 million volumes of air) in 2013 (see the graphic below).  ...

China recently confirmed its plan   to place the entire nation under a carbon market (cap-and-trade regime) to lower its annual rate of emitting carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), the important greenhouse gas, beginning in 2016.   China intends to continue lowering its carbon intensity, i.e., the amount of CO 2 emitted for each US$ of gross domestic product ( GDP ) that the economy produces.   The goal is to reduce the carbon intensity by 40-45% below the 2005 value by 2020.   Averaged over this 15-year period, this corresponds to a reduction of 2.7-3% per year.   This can arise from increased efficiencies in energy production and use from fossil fuels, and by increased production of energy from renewable sources.   While this accomplishment would be highly significant, the objective does not directly address China ’s total CO 2 emission rate.   China ’s net annual rate of emitting CO 2 is projected to grow between 2014...

Summary .   Last year President Obama stated that approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport as much as 830,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day from Canada to the Gulf Coast , requires a finding that the pipeline be in the national interest.   As part of the approval process the U. S. Department of State released an environmental impact statement earlier this year.   Its findings and arguments suggest that the pipeline would not have a significant effect on the environment, including greenhouse gas emissions.   In a new journal article, however, Erickson and Lazarus conduct a comprehensive lifecycle analysis of the effects of transporting the additional oil, pointing out shortcomings in the Department of State’s environmental analysis.   They find that when operating at full capacity, the XL pipeline would increase global oil consumption by 490,000 barrels per day as of 2020, leading to new greenhouse gas emissions that are four times higher...

Summary .   The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a Proposed Rule - Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units, in June 2014.   It establishes a goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from existing electricity generating plants by 30% nationwide by 2030.   In order to accomplish this with a great degree of flexibility, state-by-state limits were established, which each state is to achieve after submitting a detailed plan to EPA for review, approval, and verification as the plan is implemented. EPA foresees significant reductions in emission of carbon dioxide, as well as other detrimental pollutants that affect human health from the proposed rule.   The costs expected to be incurred in implementing the plans are recovered by the beneficial impacts of the lowered emissions, both climatically (carbon dioxide) and health related. The proposed rule constitutes an important step in achieving Presi...