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Vol. 1, No. 1: February 14, 2006
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Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman from New Mexico unveiled a white paper on February 2 outlining their plan for a program to cap greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., while Senator Richard Lugar, Republican chair of the Senate's foreign relations committee, urged the U.S. to return to a leadership role in combating climate change when addressing the U.N. Security Council on February 6. The paper called for an economy wide approach and staffers for the senators predicted legislation would be put forward this year, though with little chance of success. Senator Lugar meanwhile called for a renewed international approach to climate change that would include developing countries.
California Clean Car Program Spreads Cuts
Thus far, 10 states have agreed to follow California's lead in requiring automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars, starting with the 2009 model year. A new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group released on 8 February predicts that move could save 64 million metric tons of pollution per year by 2020. The potential program also took a significant step forward when California formally applied for a Clean Air Act waiver from the U.S. EPA for its stronger law in late December.
Pew Center Outlines Potential US Approach to Climate Change
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change outlined a "comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States" in a report released on February 8. The environmental think tank also called for an economy wide approach to addressing the problem, including the agricultural and transportation sectors in addition to power producers. The first step, however, would be to establish mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions for companies as the basis of a future trading system.
Midwestern State Legislators Band Together to Fight Climate Change
State legislators from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin pledged to band together to fight climate change on February 7. The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators brought the bipartisan group together and many have introduced legislation ranging from limits on emissions to setting energy efficiency standards in their home states. According to the legislators, the region is responsible for 20 percent of total US emissions and as many as 40 more coal burning power plants could be built in the region in coming years. "We are committed to work with our colleagues in surrounding states to address the serious concern of greatly increased carbon emissions from new power plants being proposed," said Jane Krentz, a former Minnesota State Senator. "Acting regionally, we can send a collective message that state legislators are concerned about how we produce our energy, where we site and how we design new power plants, and the effects these decisions will have on our environment."
Evangelicals and EPA Chiefs Join Climate Change Fight
A group of 86 evangelical Christian leaders joined their voices to the chorus of calls for action on climate change on February 8 with an advertisement in the New York Times. Pastors ranging from bestselling author Rick Warren to Jim Ball, Baptist director of the Evangelical Environmental Network urged their co-religionist George W. Bush to recognize that climate change is real, will hurt the poor the most and therefore requires a response from compassionate Christians. The decision followed a similar rebuke from former heads of the U.S. EPA, including five Republicans, who called on Bush to impose mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
Draft Regulations Set for Kyoto Mechanism
International negotiators reached agreement on the broad outline of a program to allow Kyoto credits for projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Russia and Eastern Europe, according to participants. The so-called Joint Implementation mechanism, or JI, would join the Clean Development Mechanism, which is targeted at developing countries, in producing saleable credits. According to a Reuters interview, the final details should be worked out by early summer.
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by Emily Tyler
Although the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism was created to encourage clean development and support sustainable development projects in the world's poorest countries, in a guest editorial written for the Ecosystem Marketplace, Emily Tyler of SouthSouthNorth, a CDM pioneer, argues that, in SSN's experience, the CDM actually adds little value (indeed, it adds costs) to the very sorts of projects it was designed to encourage.
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