14 January 2016, The Guardian, Climate change disaster is biggest threat to global economy in 2016, say experts. Global warming heads top economists’ concerns for first time but large-scale forced migration seen as most likely risk to materialise. A catastrophe caused by climate change is seen as the biggest potential threat to the global economy in 2016, according to a survey of 750 experts conducted by the World Economic Forum. The annual assessment of risks conducted by the WEF before its annual meeting in Davos on 20-23 January showed that global warming had catapulted its way to the top of the list of concerns. A failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation was seen as likely to have a bigger impact than the spread of weapons of mass destruction, water crises, mass involuntary migration and a severe energy price shock – the first time in the 11 years of the Global Risks report that the environment has been in first place. The report, prepared by the WEF in collaboration with risk specialists Marsh & McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, comes a month after the deal signed in Paris to reduce carbon emissions. The WEF said evidence was mounting that inter-connections between risks were becoming stronger. It cited links between climate change and involuntary migration or international security, noting that these often had “major and unpredictable impacts”. Espen Barth Eide, the WEF’s head of geopolitical affairs, said there was a risk of Europe fragmenting as a result of “people on the move”. Speaking at a press conference in London to launch the report, Eide said: “I am concerned about the continued support in national politics for keeping Europe together.” Read More here
Yearly Archives: 2016
14 January 2016, New York Times, In Climate Move, Obama Halts New Coal Mining Leases on Public Lands. The Obama administration announced on Friday a halt to new coal mining leases on public lands as it considers an overhaul of the program that could lead to increased costs for energy companies and a slowdown in extraction. “Given serious concerns raised about the federal coal program, we’re taking the prudent step to hit pause on approving significant new leases so that decisions about those leases can benefit from the recommendations that come out of the review,” said Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. “During this time, companies can continue production activities on the large reserves of recoverable coal they have under lease, and we’ll make accommodations in the event of emergency circumstances to ensure this pause will have no material impact on the nation’s ability to meet its power generation needs.” The move represents a significant setback for the coal industry, effectively freezing new coal production on federal lands and sending a signal to energy markets that could turn investors away from an already reeling industry. President Obama telegraphed the step in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night when he said “I’m going to push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet.” Read More here
14 January 2016, Business Green, New York State to phase out coal by 2020 in bid to become ‘international capital’ for clean energy. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s new environmental package also includes $15m fund for training workers in solar installation and technology. New York’s State Governor Andrew Cuomo yesterday announced plans for the US state to eliminate all use of coal by 2020 as part of a new environmental package designed to accelerate New York’s transition away from fossil fuels and towards wind and solar power. The environmental package, which was announced during Cuomo’s State of the State address, will see the state’s remaining coal-fired power stations close or transition to cleaner fuels within the next four years. The package also contains plans for a significant expansion of the State’s solar industry, with the installation of solar panels on more than 150,000 homes and businesses in the state and a $15m funding pot to train workers for solar installation and technology. Last month Cuomo set new clean energy mandates for New York – the new Clean Energy Standard will require the state to source at least 50 per cent of its electricity from renewables by 2030. Cuomo said he wants New York to become the “international capital” for clean energy. “The problem of climate change is finally being recognized by most world leaders, anyway,” he said. “Here in New York we have already been actively working to address it. Now, New York State has a business and an environmental opportunity. Let’s become the international capital for clean and green energy products.” The news was welcomed by New York’s director of the environment Heather Leibowitz, who said the measures would help lead the way in the fight against climate change. “The governor’s action will accelerate New York’s transition away from polluting fuels and towards efficient use of clean power from the wind and the sun. This means cleaner air for families, less global warming pollution, more stable electricity bills, and a stronger economy,” she said. Read More here
9 January 2016, Climate News Network, Ice melt speeds up sea level rise. Scientists have found evidence suggesting that melting icecap water from the interior of Greenland is adding to sea level rise faster than previously realised. Water may be flowing from the Greenland icecapand into the sea more quickly than anybody expected. It doesn’t mean that global warming has got conspicuously worse: rather, researchers have had to revise their understanding of the intricate physiology of the northern hemisphere’s biggest icecap. There is enough ice and snow packed deep over 1.7 million square kilometres of Greenland that, were it all to melt, would cause a rise in global sea levels of about six metres. Climate calculations Since the icecap is melting as the atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide rise, and global temperatures rise with them, as a consequence of the human combustion of fossil fuels, the rate at which summer meltwater gets into the oceans becomes vital to climate calculations. The latest rethink begins not with the pools of water that collect on the surface each summer, or the acceleration of the glaciers as they make their way to the ocean, but with a granular layer of snow just below the surface, called firn. This is old snow in the process of being compacted into glacier ice, and covers the island in a layer up to 80 metres thick. Until now, researchers have understood this firn layer as a kind of sponge that absorbs meltwater and holds it, thus limiting the flow of melting ice into the sea. Read More here