Climate Change Attorney Blog

This week the Department of Interior announced the establishment of the second and third of eight planned regional Climate Science Centers(CSC). The Southeast CSC will be hosted at North Carolina State University and the the Northwest CSC will be a consortium of three universities–Oregon State University, University of Washington and the University of Idaho.

As noted in a press release announcing the two new centers it was stated in part that the centers: “will provide the science needed to understand which resources are most vulnerable to climate change and will work closely with natural and cultural resource managers faced with planning for those changes.”

The CSC program is part of what the Department of the Interior has termed a “Strategic Response to Climate Change.“

In the most recent issue of Science, a report concludes that the development of future sources of carbon emissions pose a greater threat of climate change than existing sources. As reported by the Carnegie Institution of Science, if no additional sources of carbon emissions are built, existing sources would increase global warming, but probably not beyond a critical tipping point. However, the authors of the report note: “Because most of the threat from climate change will come from energy infrastructure we have yet to build, it is critically important that we build the right stuff now – that is, low carbon emission energy technologies,…We cannot be complacent just because we haven’t yet reached a point of no return.”

-Steven Silverberg

In a study prepared for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Tetra Tech noted the potential risk to water resources resulting from global warming. The study finds that half the counties in the lower 48 states face potential water shortages by 2050.

The study concludes in part that “as this analysis highlights, the impacts of climate change will greatly increase the number of areas where renewable water supply will be lower than withdrawal, therefore increasing the number of areas vulnerable to future water shortages.”

-Steven Silverberg

I report prepared by the Zoological Society of London for release next week focuses on the potential impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change on migratory species.

A release summarizing the report notes:

“Research by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) for the United Nations Environment Programme’s Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS) shows that even the subtle changes in environmental conditions that could be caused by climate change could have catastrophic consequences for animals that migrate.”

On June 3 a report was released by the Joint Working Group of the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Advisory Councils concerning the impacts of climate change along the California coast in and around the San Francisco Bay area. The report summary states it “does not assess current conditions, or predict future changes. It presents scientific observations and expectations to identify potential issues related to changing climate – with an emphasis on the most likely ecological impacts and the impacts that would be most severe if they occur.”

Among the issues noted in the report are:

“an observed increase in sea level as recorded at the mouth of San Francisco Bay; extreme weather events (winds, waves, storms) and resultant coastal erosion; an increase in ocean acidity and more extreme weather patterns. Bay area roadways and sewage systems have been flooded by unusually heavy rainfall. It is noted that some animals, such as Humboldt squid, gray whales, and bottlenose dolphins have experienced a northward shift, which can affect other species in their changing range. In the case of the gray whales, they now must travel much farther north and longer to find food.”

The National Research Council issued three reports on May 19 calling for action to reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) and to begin adapting to climate change. The three reports, Advancing the Science of Climate Change, Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change and Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change are summarized in a press release which notes the significant issues facing the country.

Included among the recommendations in the three reports are:

“The report recommends that a single federal entity or program be given the authority and resources to coordinate a national, multidisciplinary research effort aimed at improving both understanding and responses to climate change. The U.S. Global Change Research Program, established in 1990, could fulfill this role, but it would need to form partnerships with action-oriented programs and address weaknesses that in the past have led to research gaps, particularly in the critical area of research that supports decisions about responding to climate change.”

“An inclusive national policy framework is needed to ensure that all levels of government, the private sector, and millions of households and individuals are contributing to shared national goals. Toward that end, the U.S. should establish a greenhouse gas emissions “budget” that sets a limit on total domestic emissions over a set period of time and provides a clear, directly measurable goal. However, the report warns, the longer the nation waits to begin reducing emissions, the harder and more expensive it will likely be to reach any given emissions target.”
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In a letter from 255 members of the National Academy of Scientists, published in Science Magazine, they claim that climate change is a fact, as is the contribution of human activity to global warming. In a sharply worded letter decrying “McCarthy-like threats” the letter states in part:

“But there is nothing remotely identified in the recent events that changes the fundamental conclusions about climate change:

(i) The planet is warming due to increased concentrations of heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere. A snowy winter in Washington does not alter this fact.

The United States Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) issued a report today listing 24 indicators of the effects of climate change on the U.S. and its citizens. The report contains a number of significant findings including:

“• Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are increasing. Between 1990 and 2008, there has been about a 14 percent increase in emissions in the United States.

• Average temperatures are rising. Seven of the top 10 warmest years on record for the continental United States have occurred since 1990.