Climate Capsule Week of April 6, 2009

Highlight of the Week
Clean Energy and Security Act Answers Call for Climate Action Now

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has released a discussion draft of the American Clean Energy and Security Act that sets national standards for energy efficiency, renewables, and global warming pollution.

The proposal by Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) positions Congress to answer President Obama's call for comprehensive energy legislation. The discussion draft recognizes that America must lead a new energy economy.

By repowering the country with clean energy solutions, the country can create jobs, end our dependence on oil, and help avoid the consequences of global warming. The United States must move forward from its dependency on fossil fuels which pose a threat to national security, the economy, and the environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed the first national system for reporting emissions of greenhouse gases produced by major sources in the United States. This system is a critical piece of the puzzle, but enacting comprehensive climate and energy legislation this year is necessary to ultimately give meaning to this new emissions reporting system.

Public hearings for this proposal were held yesterday and today, with another hearing to be held on April 16 in California.

For more details on the true costs of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases to America's economy, read NWF’s new 5 Facts to Know About the Oil Industry’s Campaign Against a Clean Energy Recovery.

Arctic Sea Ice Melting Faster Than Expected, New Study Warns

Arctic sea ice is melting so fast most of it could be gone in 30 years. A new analysis of changing conditions in the region, using complex computer models of weather and climate, says conditions that had been forecast by the end of the century may occur much sooner.

The new report is by scientists at the Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.

The scientists expect the area covered by summer sea ice to decline from about 2.8 million square miles normally to 620,000 square miles within 30 years. Since 1979, the six lowest winter maximum ice covers have all occurred in the last six years.

Arctic sea ice is so important because it helps cool the planet by reflecting sunlight back into space. As the ice melts, the sun’s warmth is instead absorbed, increasing water and air temperatures.

Happening This Week

Congress is on recess this week.

Quote:

“Providing federal support for climate change education is a critical strategy in securing our new clean energy future and preparing the next generation for the challenges and opportunities ahead.”

—Kevin Coyle, NWF’s VP for Education and Training, during his testimony on Capitol Hill to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science & Related Agencies, Committee on Appropriations.

Economic Message of the Week

Report: More Insurers Work To Protect Clients From Effects Of Global Warming

Ceres, a U.S. coalition of investors and environmental groups, has released a report looking at insurance initiatives related to climate change.

“From Risk to Opportunity: Insurer Responses to Climate Change” looks closely at more than 600 products and services from 244 insurers, reinsurers, brokers and insurance organizations in 29 countries.

These new insurance initiatives include coverage for green buildings, renewable energy, carbon risk management, and other products to tackle global warming and rising weather-related losses.

Twenty-four companies are now offering pay-as-you-drive insurance, giving discounts up to 60 percent for those who drive less than average drivers.

Green building-related insurance now comes from 22 companies, and their 39 products cover both new buildings and upgrades related to losses or regular renovations.

The report comes on the heels of more than $200 billion in global losses from catastrophes in 2008, the third highest losses ever reported, including $40 billion from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav. Many of these losses were uninsured.

A warming climate exacerbates extreme weather events, even though no single weather event can be blamed on global warming alone. To learn more about weather-related catastrophes and the changing climate, visit nwf.org/ExtremeWeather.

Salazar: Offshore Wind Resources Could Lead Clean-Energy Revolution

The wind potential off the coasts of the continental United States actually exceeds the country’s entire electricity demand, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recently said.

U.S. offshore areas hold enormous potential for wind energy development. More than three-fourths of the nation’s electricity demands come from coastal states, Sec. Salazar told a meeting of 25X’25 America’s Energy Future, a group working to lower America’s carbon emissions.

Salazar said information from the U.S. Geological Survey-Minerals Management Service Report will be a starting point for public comment meetings around the country in the next few weeks, starting in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and New Orleans, Louisiana, next week.  

“For too long we have ignored the true costs of our energy use. Building America’s clean energy future is front and center on President Obama’s agenda," Sec. Salazar said.