Tillerson gives nod at Arctic meet to climate change action, UK Green Party: ‘retain environmental laws post-Brexit’, & more
News
Tillerson gives nod at Arctic meet to climate change action
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson signed a statement recognising the Paris Agreement on climate change at a meeting of Arctic nations in Alaska yesterday, reports Reuters, but Tillerson said the US was not rushing to decide whether to leave or weaken its commitment to the climate accord. The US will consider its interests first as it reviews its climate change policy, Tillerson said, according to the BBC. He gave no signal on which way the US would land on Paris, says the New York Times. The nine-page joint Arctic Council statement, called the “Fairbanks Declaration 2017” and signed by Tillerson, renewed calls for the world to address climate change, says the Associated Press. Finland, which has taken over from the US as chair of the council, voiced concern over the US and Russia “not sharing the view that climate change is happening or is manmade”, reports the Guardian. In comments made in Fairbanks, Tillerson said the Arctic “has been facing unprecedented change and challenges”, reports Bloomberg. The wire, noting that Tillerson assured Arctic Council members “we are taking the time to understand your concerns”, says his comments “are somewhat of a departure from Trump’s ‘America First’ doctrine”. The Times, AFP and Climate Home also report on the news from Fairbanks.
UK Green Party: ‘retain environmental laws post-Brexit’
The Green Party wants to ensure that existing environmental laws are retained no matter what future relationship the UK negotiates with the EU post Brexit, reports Politico. The manifesto includes a ban on fracking and a phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies, Politico adds. BusinessGreen and Energy Live News also cover the Green Party launch. Meanwhile the Times looks more closely at the leaked draft of Labour’s manifesto. It says tackling energy bills “is a priority for all parties” but argues that Labour’s proposed price cap would make energy firms “loss-making”. Separately, the Times reports warnings that the Conservatives’ price cap will see the Big Six energy suppliers “cut thousands of jobs”. Look out for Carbon Brief’s forthcoming election manifesto tracker, which will compare the energy and climate pledges made by each party (see also our 2015 tracker).
EU and China to hold summit on June 2, focus on climate
The EU and China will hold a summit in Brussels on 2 June, with the aim of delivering a strong statement in support of the Paris Agreement on climate change, reports Reuters, citing “four EU officials”. China asked that the annual summit, usually held in mid-July, be brought forward in order to defend open trade against president Trump’s protectionist stance, Reuters adds. It quotes one EU official saying: “The EU and China will send a very, very clear message that we will stick to the Paris climate agreement regardless of what the United States does…Climate is a big part of the summit…It is very high on the agenda.”
China, India plans for electric cars threaten to cut gasoline demand
Demand for gasoline in Asia could peak much earlier than expected, reports Reuters, as millions in China and India buy electric vehicles over the next decade. A second Reuters article says a leading Indian thinktank wants the country to limit registration of petrol and diesel cars. India’s plans to only sell electric cars by 2030 is “ambitious” according to a Bloomberg report based on comments from the International Energy Agency. Separately, Carbon Commentary looks at when global oil demand for cars might start falling.
Trump’s intel agencies tell Congress that climate change poses national security threats
The US intelligence community’s annual “Worldwide Threat Assessment”, published yesterday, warns that climate change is raising the risk of instability and conflict around the world, reports Mashable. The assessment makes a series of statements regarding known climate change impacts, despite the Trump administration’s hostility towards climate science, Mashable notes. However, the report also says: “We assess national security Implications of climate change but do not adjudicate the science of climate change.”
Comment
To Simulate Climate Change, Scientists Build Miniature Worlds
Climate change will alter the ecosystems that humanity depends on, writes Carl Zimmer in the New York Times. He describes efforts by a team of Australian scientists to recreate miniature ecosystems that simulate the impact of climate change, using experiments “that are already revealing dangers that would have been missed had researchers tried to study individual species in isolation”.
Perspective: Saying goodbye to glaciers
Glacier volume is shrinking, a loss of land ice that is “of international concern”, writes Twila Moon in a perspective for Science magazine. As well as contributing to sea level rise, glacier loss affects water sources, ecosystems and unique landscapes, Moon says, and glacier loss is set to continue. Separately, several outlets have covered research showing that the US Glacier National Park has lost all but 26 of its 150 glaciers. The Guardian, Mail Online, Independent and Grist all cover the news, which also appeared yesterday. Meanwhile the Mail Online reports that the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf in Antarctica could reach a “point of no return” before the end of the century, which would ultimately lead to its loss.
Science
The extent of forest in dryland biomes
A new estimate of dryland forests suggests that the global forest cover could be 9% higher than previously thought. Dryland areas cover two-fifths of Earth’s land surface, but how much is covered by forests is poorly known. Using satellite data, the researchers estimate that dryland forest is 40 to 47% higher than previous estimates, corresponding to 467m hectares of forest that have never been reported before. The finding will help give more certainty to the amount of carbon held by plants and trees on the land surface, the study concludes.
Substituting beans for beef as a contribution toward US climate change targets
A “beans for beef” policy in the US – in which beans replace beef in the national diet – could achieve 46-74% of the cuts in greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions needed to meet their 2020 target, a new study says. The researchers calculate the difference in GHGs resulting from the replacement of beef with beans in terms of both calories and protein. The shift would also free up 42% of US cropland – equivalent to almost 700,000 square kilometres of land.
Characterizing the climate issue context in Mexico: reporting on climate change in Mexican newspapers, 1996–2009
A new paper explores how climate change was reported in the Mexican media between 1996 and 2009, and the insights that gives into Mexico’s climate policy leadership. Climate change news coverage increased steadily over the 15-year period, the researchers say, with a significant increase in attention in 2007. The coverage was initially framed around changing weather patterns, the study finds, before shifting to the links between climate change to domestic economic and energy concerns.
Other stories
- There Must Be More Productive Ways To Talk About Climate Change (NPR )
- El Nino likely to develop by summer and fall 2017: weather forecaster (Reuters )
- Tories are accused of being ‘allergic’ to onshore energy (The Herald Scotland )
- Maryland approves two offshore wind farms (The Hill )
- China suspends new coal-fired power plants in 29 provinces: report (David Stanway )
- EPA chief: Obama was no ‘environmental savior’ (The Hill )
- California set an ambitious goal for fighting global warming. Now comes the hard part (LA Times )
- Pipelines: New York Threatens to Spoil Trump’s Push for Fossil Fuels (Bloomberg )
- Video: Chomsky: Republicans ‘extremely dangerous’ on climate (BBC News )
- Energy cap ‘will cost thousands of jobs’ (The Times )
- Georgia May Seek White House Help to Get Nuclear Reactors Done (Bloomberg )
- UK’s Dyson wins appeal in vacuum cleaner energy labeling (Reuters )
- Japan’s Tepco to seek partners for nuclear business (Reuters )