President Obama commits to a 28% reduction goal in U.S. carbon emissions by 2025. This week in CIB.
Washington Watch: The 28% Solution
The White House last week announced what it described as an “economically sound, ambitious but achievable” target for greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade. As the U.S. commitment to international climate change control efforts, the Obama Administration committed to a target of 26-28% reduction from 2005 emission levels by 2025. The announcement quantifies the Administration’s pledge tied to the joint U.S.-China emissions control announcement last fall.
The announcement points to several sources of the expected reductions, including the Clean Power Plan, standards for heavy-duty engines and vehicles, energy efficiency standards, and other “economy-wide measures to reduce other greenhouse gases.”
This plan is part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to leverage other international commitments as part of the ramp-up to the next round of international climate talks. Other commitments are beginning to come in as well, including a recent announcement from Mexico. Administration sources noted that the U.S. plans will also provide clean air, public health, energy efficiency and other economic benefits to Americans.
Reaction to the announcement was mixed. Republican Congressional leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, immediately pledged to fight the emissions reduction plan. National environmental advocates praised it,although some also called for more to be done.
“This commitment sends another important signal to the world that tackling climate change is a very top priority for President Obama,” said national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) President Gene Karpinski. “The need to act on climate change has never been more obvious or more urgent, and we are thrilled that the president continues to lead the charge both at home and abroad.” You can read LCV’s entire statement here.
Coast Watch: Sea Level Rise, Redux
Conservationists should recall the foolish interference of legislators just a couple of years ago in the development of a scientific estimate of long-term sea-level rise on the North Carolina coast. Certain coastal real estate and other interests preferred that policy-makers and the public turn a blind eye to the real threat of rising waters and storms to unwisely developed shoreline communities. At their behest, NC lawmakers directed that official policies could be based only on historical rise measures, not on scientific evidence showing that the rate of rise is likely to accelerate. Preliminary estimates showing sea level rise of up to a meter over the next century were effectively officially buried.
The Coastal Resources Commission Science Panel was ordered to reconsider the issue, limiting its projection to a 30-year future. Operating within those strictures, the Science Panel (composed of genuine and knowledgeable experts) hasprepared a new analysis, just released last week.
Under all scenarios studied, sea level will continue to rise along the North Carolina coast, although the amount of rise is expected to differ somewhat based on local factors related to land subsidence and current patterns. A wider element is introduced by the yet-uncertain extent of global climate change. Even within this shorter 30-year time frame, sea level rise could increase to almost a foot along parts of the state’s coast.
Along a low-elevation coast like our state’s, the horizontal impact of small vertical rises in average sea level is greatly magnified. Add in the impacts of greater storm surges, and areas once considered safe for building or good for crops are in jeopardy. Foolhardy development at locations already known to be risky gets wiped out.
The even greater danger picks up down the road past the artificial limits of the 30-year study time. By then, either national and global policy-makers will have acted to limit human-caused carbon emissions and resulting climate change, or the impacts of our failure to do so will be accelerating, with coastal communities washing away under the flood.
Elsewhere on coastal issues, those who find themselves in Raleigh on weekdays may be interested in a lunch program tomorrow, Tuesday, April 7 at noon, on the topic of the potential impacts of oil and gas drilling off the North Carolina coast. The event is sponsored by NC Policy Watch, and preregistration is required. Click here to register.
Legislative Watch: Spring Break
The NC General Assembly is on its version of ‘spring break’ this week, holding only skeleton meetings to keep the year’s session from formally expiring. Limited legislative action last week dealt primarily with matters other than the environment.
In the meantime, conservationists are promoting the forward-looking energy legislation filed earlier by Rep. John Szoka (R-Cumberland) and 29 other representatives: HB 245, the “Energy Freedom Act” which would allow third-party solar energy financing and leasing. Szoka, once strongly skeptical of the value of solar energy, has shown the prized quality of intellectual honesty. After coming to the legislature as a solar opponent, he studied solar development further, and reached the conclusion that it has grown to become a viable and useful tool for energy generation and job creation.
For more details on the Energy Freedom Act and how it will boost clean energy development and job creation in North Carolina, see the NCLCV blog entry here.
Executive Watch: McCrory’s Energy Plans Limit Jobs
If there’s one thing the McCrory Administration likes to talk about, it’s jobs and employment. Unfortunately, the energy and environmental plans of the administration don’t live up to the billing: They would jeopardize key natural resources and the jobs which depend on them, and leave other cleaner opportunities on the table.
For a more detailed critical analysis, see the article written by NCLCV’s Aiden Graham, Field and Mobilization Director, for Progressive Voices at NC Policy Watch.
Education & Resources: Natural Gas Overreliance
What are the potential consequences of America’s growing reliance on natural gas for electricity production? To explore that question, tune in to a webinar tomorrow, Tuesday, April 7, at 1 p.m. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) is sponsoring “The Natural Gas Gamble: Addressing Our Growing Reliance on Natural Gas for Electricity” at that time.
There is no charge, but registration is required.
That’s our report for this week.
