UN climate talks begin amid uncertainty over US position, May faces backlash over energy price cap, & more
News
UN climate talks begin amid uncertainty over US position
Negotiators are gathered in Bonn, Germany for two weeks of talks on implementing the details of the Paris Agreement on climate change, reports the Associated Press. The meeting is under a cloud of uncertainty over US participation in the accord, with UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa refusing to speculate on the impact if the US withdraws. Participants at the meeting expressed reservations about making changes to the agreement, just to keep the US in the treaty, reports the BBC. The EU is ramping up diplomatic efforts on climate change in an effort to fill the void left by US inaction, reports Politico. The US has sent just seven delegates to Bonn, the Washington Post notes, compared to 44 at the same meeting last year. The continued participation of the US at the meeting “should not be taken as an indication of the outcome” of the Trump administration’s deliberations over whether to stick with the Paris accord, a US State Department spokesperson tells Climate Home. Many nations are urging the US not to quit the accord, reports Reuters, while ex-military figures in the US are also lobbying for the US to uphold the agreement, says Bloomberg. Trump had been expected to make a decision at a White House meeting today, but the meeting has been postponed due to “scheduling conflicts”, a White House official said, according to another Reuters article. The Associated Press also has the news of postponement.
May faces backlash over energy price cap
British prime minister Theresa May has reiterated a pledge to cap energy prices for 17m households, in an article for the Sun, despite warnings that the move could force up bills for other customers, reports the Times. The energy cap pledge will feature in the Conservative election manifesto, the paper says, describing the move as “arguably the most significant intervention in the market since privatisation”. Energy companies claim the move will “kill competition, deter investment and endanger jobs”, the Times says. Energy company stocks slumped on the news, reports the Financial Times. Some firms have raised prices in advance of the mooted price cap, reports the Telegraph. Policy costs including smart meters and climate should be funded via general taxation, not bills, argues Centrica boss Iain Conn, reports another Financial Times article. The price cap pledge “echoes a pledge made by the opposition Labour party ahead of the 2015 election,” reports Reuters, noting: “Their plans for a cap on price hikes were lambasted at the time by the Conservatives who accused the then Labour leader Ed Miliband of wanting to live in a ‘Marxist universe’.”
Planet could breach 1.5C warming limit within 10 years, but be aware of caveats
A switch in a major natural climate cycle could accelerate global temperatures towards the 1.5C limit, according to a new study, but some scientists are challenging its assumptions, the Guardian reports. The research looks at the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation, an element of natural climate variability that could have an impact on when the world passes warming limits. But some believe those limits should be interpreted in relation to longer time periods than those assessed by today’s research, the Guardian says. The study’s authors explain their work at the Conversation. Carbon Brief also delved into the study’s findings.
Comment
President Trump, stay in the Paris agreement. You’ll regret it if you don’t.
President Trump would make a “huge mistake” if he pulls the US out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, says Todd Stern, US special envoy for climate change from 2009 to 2016. In an article for the Washington Post, Stern says “hardheaded analysis based on the interests of national security and US business leads to the inescapable conclusion that remaining in the agreement is in America’s best interest”. He concludes with a message for Trump: “don’t pull out — it’s a decision you’d live to regret.”
A Parable From Down Under for U.S. Climate Scientists
An upheaval in Australian climate science last year engaged the press and public in defending the importance of basic research, showing “the power of an informed citizenry keeping watch of its government”, says Justin Gillis in the New York Times. The experience “may turn out to be a precursor to an attack on fundamental climate research in the US,” he adds. A second New York Times article, from Coral Davenport, digs into the news that the US Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed a slew of scientists from its scientific review board, with one of the experts telling the Times the move is a “red flag”. The president of the Union of Concerned Scientists tells the paper: “This is completely part of a multifaceted effort to get science out of the way of a deregulation agenda”. The move at the EPA may be a test case for moving pro-industry voices into regulatory positions, says InsideClimate News. The Associated Press also covers the developments at EPA. Separately, Reutersreports on a US pledge to continue participating in Arctic climate research.
Evidence of a Decline in Electricity Use by U.S. Households
Lucas Davis, Energy Institute at Haas
Between 1950 and 2010, US residential electricity consumption per capita increased by 4% per year, says Lucas Davis. Now, that trend has changed, with Americans using less power than they did five years ago. The big change is down to energy efficiency lighting, Davis argues, with more than 70% of households now owning some low-energy bulbs. Other factors, such as energy efficient appliances, changes in prices or incomes, are unable to explain the trend. Carbon Brief has taken a detailed look at similar changes in UK domestic energy use.
Science
Decadal soil carbon accumulation across Tibetan permafrost regions
A new paper raises the possibility that the release of carbon from deeper, older permafrost as the climate warms may be offset by a build up of carbon in the uppermost layer as a result of enhanced vegetation growth. The study took repeated measurements across the Tibetan alps in the early 2000s and 2010s and found that organic carbon accumulated in the top 10-30cm, indicating that Tibetan alpine forest could be a substantial carbon sink in a warming world.
Climate negotiators/’ and scientists/’ assessments of the climate negotiations
Evaluating the outcome of climate negotiations often comes down to the assessment by people directly involved, as there is no objective reference scenario, explains new research. The paper examines the perceived success – or otherwise – of climate negotiations from the point of view of 656 experts. Most were pessimistic on the topic of countries’ voluntary emissions reductions pledges but were more cheery about the wider usefulness of negotiations, report the authors.
Other stories
- Is Pakistan’s solar power poised to take off amid energy crisis? (Thomson Reuters Foundation )
- Japan reports successful gas output test from methane hydrate (Reuters )
- Germans May Face Higher Power Costs on Exit From Nuclear Energy (Bloomberg )
- Trump to nominate two energy regulators (The Hill )
- Tundra May Be Shifting Alaska to Put Out More Carbon Than It Stores, Study Says (New York Times )
- Obama to discuss climate change in Italy (The Hill )