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Climate Capsule: Week of August 11th

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

(National Wildlife Federation)

Bush Administration Plans Sneak Attack On The Endangered Species Act

The Bush Administration plans to rollback protections for America’s imperiled wildlife by re-writing the regulations of the Endangered Species Act. According to leaked documents obtained by the National Wildlife Federation, the proposed changes would weaken the safety net of habitat protections that have helped protect and recover endangered fish, wildlife and plants for the past 35 years.

The draft rules would also bar federal agencies from assessing the global warming pollution emissions from projects that contribute to global warming.

"Do not be fooled when the Administration claims it is merely tweaking the law," said John Kostyack, Executive Director of Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming at the National Wildlife Federation. "The cumulative impact of these changes equals a full blown attack on America’s premier conservation law. We owe it to future generations to stop this attack and continue our legacy of protecting wildlife on the brink of extinction."

Despite strong public support for the Endangered Species Act, the Bush Administration is moving forward in its waning months to weaken the law's key safeguards. The proposed changes target the Endangered Species Act's consultation process, which serves as the main safety net for species on the brink by allowing scientists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine if listed species will be harmed before moving forward with activities such as logging, mining or filling of wetlands.  The proposed regulations, which don't require the approval of Congress, would reduce both the formal and informal independent consultations government scientists have been performing since the Endangered Species Act was signed into law.

"The Administration's attempt to package these changes as a response to global warming simply adds insult to the injury that climate change already causes to endangered species," said Kostyack.

Increased Risk Of Catastrophic Wildfires: Global Warming's Wake Up Call For The West

"The massive wildfires raging in California this summer are symptomatic of a trend toward more fires burning larger areas in the Western United States over the past few decades," said Dr. Amanda Staudt, climate scientist, National Wildlife Federation.

“Global warming can explain part of this trend," Dr. Staudt said, "because it is feeding longer fire seasons, drier conditions, and more lightning. According to recent studies, the fire season stretches about 78 days longer and individual fires last about 30 days longer."

Increased Risk of Catastrophic Wildfires: Global Warming's Wake-Up Call for the Western United States – to be released by telephone press conference on Thursday – will detail how:

Untouched Forests More Efficient Carbon Storers

Untouched, native forests store three times more carbon dioxide than previously estimated, and 60 percent more than plantation (redeveloped) forests, according to a new Australian study.

Australian National University (ANU) scientists said that the role of Australian natural forests - and their biomass of "green carbon"–had been underestimated in the fight against global warming.

"In Australia, and probably globally, the carbon carrying capacity of natural forests is underestimated and therefore misrepresented in economic valuations and in policy options," the report, called "Green Carbon: The Role Of Natural Forests In Carbon Storage", said.

Currently, forest carbon storage capacity is based on plantation -- rather than native -- forest estimates. Not only do natural forests store more carbon but because they remain untouched, they store the carbon for longer than plantation forests, which are cut down on a rotation basis.

Quote:  "As near as we can tell looking at the historical record, there's been ice in the Arctic in the summer for at least 16 million years."

-- Igor Polyakov, of the International Arctic Research Centre, explains that the loss of Arctic summer sea ice - which could now happen within five years - would be unprecedented in human history.

With Green Energy, Mega Retailers Enjoy Mega Savings

The nation's biggest retail store chains have learned that their massive, flat roofs offer a viable way to power their stores, the New York Times reports.

In recent months, giant retailers including Whole Foods Market, Wal-Mart Stores, Kohl's, and Safeway have installed solar panels to generate electricity on a large scale. 

"It's very clear that green energy is now front and center in the minds of the business sector," said Daniel M. Kammen, an energy expert at the University of California, Berkeley.

Company officials mention as particularly important a federal tax credit for renewable energy that Congress has let expire and then renewed several times.  A Congressional dispute over oil drilling has clogged legislation that would renew the credit for next year.

So far, most chains have outfitted fewer than 10 percent of their stores but will consider a solar construction program to outfit all stores if Congress renews a favorable tax provision and more states offer incentives.

The retailers, in anticipation of America's renewable energy boom, hope to create a bigger market and position themselves as at the forefront of this national shift.  In addition to solar panels, the companies are exploring other renewable energy technologies by testing wind turbines and reflective white roofs, which keep buildings cooler in hot weather.  "It really helps make it economical for the retailer," said Kim Saylors-Laster, Wal-Mart's vice president for energy.

Dell: We Have Met Carbon-Neutral Corporate Goal

The Dell technology company announced its facilities are now carbon neutral, ahead of the goal the Texas-based corporation had set to achieve by the end of this year.

Dane Parker, Dell's director for environment, health and safety, said the company buys renewable energy - including wind, solar and methane gas - directly from utilities to fulfill one-fifth of its energy requirements.

Dell's preference for green energy isn't merely about global warming or public relations strategies. Buying renewable power at a predictable cost can protect the company against rising oil prices.

The company said it has also cut its energy use in other ways, such as the use of more efficient lighting, modern climate control systems and software that shuts off idle computers for a savings of $3 million a year, or about 5 percent of its annual energy bill.

Dell is the world's second-largest computer company, and is ahead of No. 1 Hewlett-Packard Co. on this matter. HP said in 2007 it purchased credits to offset 2 percent of its global energy use, and bought renewable power for a relatively small portion of its operations. The California-based company did say that its energy consumption fell 4 percent in 2007.

The scientists said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Kyoto Protocol did not differentiate between the carbon capacity of plantation forests and untouched forests, yet untouched forests can carry three times the carbon presently estimated, the ANU report said.

Brendan Mackey, a co-author of the report, said protecting natural forests serves two purposes: maintaining a large carbon sink and stopping the release of the forest's stored carbon