Author: r.charney

The Trump administration pushed back their decision about whether to stay in the Paris Climate Agreement again, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed an international declaration  acknowledging climate change in the arctic this week.  Tillerson and Matthis have both made statements that climate change is not only an environmental issue, but a security and world order issue as well. Hopefully the Trump administration follows their advice.

The Trump administration is debating whether to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement today. Regardless of whether the U.S. stays in the pact or not, the administration’s current policies of rolling back the EPA, fuel emission standards, and the Clean Energy Power Plant legislation will inevitably make the U.S. miss its reduction targets under Paris. It’s clear the U.S. has given up its leadership role in the climate change, but by staying in the agreement, is signaling it is not quite ready to disregard it diplomatic ties to the 194 signatories of the agreement.

Some argue it would be better for the environment if the U.S. pulled out of the agreement. That way other countries can put a carbon tax on our products and place economic sanctions on us that would encourage the U.S. to reduce emissions for economic reasons.

 

Dong Energy, who I’ve posted about in the past, is a Danish wind energy company with work in Northern Europe that is quickly expanding. It is one of many energy companies that are bidding down the costs of wind farms. In Germany, there was a first no-subsidy bid awarded to the company EnBW. Critics of wind energy are skeptical if renewables can exist without government subsidies. Hopefully Dong Energy and other traditional energy companies like Royal Dutch Shell who have wind deals can prove that wind is a viable, long term energy source.

The costs of wind and other renewables are being driven down by technology from multinational companies like GE and Siemens, and installed by global companies like Dong Energy. The transition to renewables is a global affair with the cooperation of technology, innovation, and policy from companies and governments.

The New York Times is running a series on climate change and cities. It’s latest article focuses on Guangzhou, China, which is highly susceptible to rising sea levels and flooding due to climate change. Guangzhou’s environmental problems are compounded with its population of 42 million and its huge role in development and industrialization. Climate change and development go hand-in-hand. China’s economic success has lead to urbanization and population growth in areas like Guangzhou, but it has also caused China to be the number 1 contributor of greenhouse gasses, which threatens the health and livelihood of these booming cities.

Geoengineering has become a bigger part of the climate change conversation. Geoengineering focuses on adjusting the environment to mitigate climate change’s effects, like whitening clouds to reflect the sun and reduce warming. This poses huge governance questions since the engineering will effect all aspects of the environment beyond borders.

The Paris Climate Agreement was historic in part because both China and the U.S. agreed to participate and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. China and the U.S. are the top two emitters of greenhouse gasses. This is a huge step from the Kyoto Protocol in the 1990’s, where neither China, nor the U.S. participated, even though the U.S. has consistently been a top emitter and China’s emissions were increasing exponentially at that time.

As the Trump administration rolls back climate regulations, making it nearly impossible for the U.S. to hit our reduction targets under Paris, China is taking the lead in reaffirming its commitments and even hitting benchmarks ahead of schedule in fossil fuel reduction and the incorporation of renewables into its energy supply.  As the U.S. recedes from its global leadership role, China is ready to take the lead on multiple fronts.

 

ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) is a 30+ year multinational project in the making. It’s goal is to harness nuclear fusion and turn it into energy. It was first discussed in 1985 in the U.S.-Soviet Union summit, and is now based in France. The project is heavily financed by the EU, who has a 45% stake. The U.S., Russia, and China each contribute 9% to the project. The support of the U.S. remains in doubt in light of the Trump administration. This project is expected to produce energy in 2035 and is a decades-long project due to its complexity and various support of stakeholders over the years.

A recent study by the Yale Program on Climate Communications  shows that Americans view climate change as an issue that will effect the country, but not them personally. This disconnect is especially worrying in states like Texas and Florida, that will be hit by climate change the most, yet only 57% of its residents view it as an imminent threat.

This relativist mindset is actually understandable. The U.S. will be impacted by climate change, but the countries that will be hit the hardest are China, India, Bangladesh, Somalia, etc. The urgency of climate change is hard to grasp anyway because of how large the scope is, but seeing research that developed countries won’t be impacted as much is very dangerous since it will undermine their efforts to reduce emissions.

 

 

 

There are many ways to reduce our carbon footprint to keep the Earth’s temperature under 2 degrees celsius per the Paris Climate Agreement, but we often talk about reducing emissions through energy sources like transitioning away from coal and gas to renewables.

In good news for the U.S., even as the current administration is poised to gut the EPA and roll back emissions levels set by the Obama administration, the U.S. population has cut 591 megatons of carbon by eating 19% less beef over the past 10 years. This is the equivalent of cutting emissions from 39 million cars. Cows are huge methane gas producers and methane traps 25 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon.

Many countries are addressing the connection between food and climate change. India has been on the forefront of working with livestock to do so. India has bred dwarf cows that are drought resistant, while creating feed that limits the amount of gas cows produce.  These cows produce one tenth of methane gas emissions, while being able to withstand extreme heat and drought conditions that are already happening in India due to climate change.

This week, Defense Secretary James Matthis, cited climate change as a imminent security threat to the U.S. and abroad. Climate Change has already destabilized many regions, including Syria, and caused famine in places like Sudan, Yemen, and Somalia. Climate Change is not only an environmental and humanitarian threat, but poses instability world wide as climate patterns change our way of life.