Climate Capsule Week of August 3

Highlight of the Week

Lobbying Firm Nabbed for Fraudulent Letters Opposing Clean Energy

It seems opponents of clean energy are increasingly resorting to dirty tactics in their fight against climate legislation.

Washington lobbying group Bonner & Associates recently sent fraudulent letters to U.S. Representative Tom Perriello (D-Va.) purporting to represent the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Creciendo Juntos, a Latino advocacy network, and asserting opposition to the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

The notes first surfaced in June, when, two weeks prior to a House vote on the clean energy bill, Rep. Perriello's office received letters urging the freshman representative not to vote for the legislation, which institutes an emission-limiting system and initiatives to stimulate job growth. Rep. Perriello ultimately supported the bill.

The six letters contained nearly identical language and were 'signed' by fictitious members of each organization.

Bonner & Associates has been accused of so-called 'astroturfing' in the past, and has lobbied on behalf of utility companies and obstructionist groups. This time, the firm did not register to lobby against the clean energy bill for any company or organization, a requirement in many cases.

Victims of the deception campaign have been vocal in their condemnation of the firm.

Tim Freilich, who sits on the executive committee of Creciendo Juntos, claimed the firm "stole (its) name" and criticized the act as an example of "an activity that undermines Americans' faith in democracy."

Leaders at the NAACP, which recently ratified a resolution to fight global warming and its effects, were similarly outraged. Hilary O. Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington bureau, released a statement saying he was “appalled that an organization like Bonner and Associates would stoop to these depths to deceive Congress." Shelton further accused the firm of "exploiting the African-American community to achieve their misdirected goal."

Bill co-sponsor Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), in response to what he calls "an appalling abuse," said that the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming would launch an investigation of the incident. "This fraud on Congress shows that some opponents of clean energy have resorted to forgery and theft to block progress," Markey said.

Report: U.S. Can Cut Half of Transportation Emissions by 2050

According to a report released by federal agencies and environmental and industry groups, the U.S. can cut transportation-related carbon emissions in half by mid-century with the help of strategic regulations.

Among the methods proposed for cutting emissions are changes in travel behavior and land use, and road-pricing techniques.

John Porcari, deputy secretary at the Department of Transportation, said the report shows a combination of policy changes will be needed to seriously reduce fuel use and curb emissions from transportation: "There is no single strategy that can be pursued to help us turn our corner. We need to look at a number of options."

Transportation emissions make up more than a quarter of U.S. emissions, and the rapidly growing sector has accounted for almost half of the nation's total emissions increase since 1990.

Poll Shows Groundswell of International Support for Climate Action

A new poll released by WorldPublicOpinion.org finds that people worldwide want more decisive action to curb global warming.

Respondents were asked what their government is already doing to combat climate change, what it should be doing, and how high a priority battling climate change is to them and their fellow citizens.

In 15 of the 19 nations surveyed, a majority of participants said they wanted their governments to prioritize global warming more.

The poll found that most people underestimate their peers' support for battling climate change: on average, respondents rated their own concern at a 7.33 level out of 10, while estimating the concerns of others as 6.42.

Happening This Week

Tuesday, August 4:

Meeting to consider any pending nominations and legislation, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 2:45 pm, 366 Dirksen

Thursday, August 6:

Quote:

"There's a building base of evidence that global warming is contributing to much of the instability of the world today...if we do nothing, we can be sure nothing else is going to be done of any consequence."

— Former Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), emphasizing the connection between global warming and national security concerns in recent remarks before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Economic Message of the Week
Report: Econ Models Sell Efficiency Boost Short

According to a new report by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, adoption of emissions-limiting public policy could cut U.S. energy bills in half by mid-century.

Investments in energy efficiency versus conventional energy use may lead to up to half of the emissions reductions that analysts say are necessary by 2050 in addition to spurring economic growth and job creation.

The report also suggests that many studies on the economic impact of climate legislation rely on models that underestimate the importance of advances in energy efficiency.

Because it is an "invisible energy source," many economic models have ignored the potential gains arising from energy efficiency improvements, according to John Laitner, director of economic and social analysis at ACEEE. "Energy efficiency is the cheapest and largest resource to satisfy the growing demand services in the U.S. economy."

Climate Change Among Threats Driving 'Sixth Great Extinction'

According to a new review by scientists and conservationists, climate change has been identified as one of the six root causes of mass biodiversity loss.

The review, published in the journal Conservation Biology, singles out the South Pacific region as especially at-risk. In Australasia and Pacific islands, a rapidly growing human population is expected to greatly worsen the strain on wildlife by the year 2050.

The other causes of extinction are also linked to human activity: habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, climate change, overfishing or excessive hunting, pollution and wildlife disease.

The analysis also sets out to offer a few recommendations to right the ship. It suggests that curbing global warming pollution would go a long way toward setting the region—and the planet—on the right track.

According to Richard Kingsford, an environmental scientist at the University of New South Wales, lead author of the report, the extent of the loss is not yet certain:

"The burden on the environment is going to get worse unless we are a lot smarter about reducing our footprint. Unless we get this right, future generations will surely be paying more in quality of life and the environment. And our region will continue its terrible reputation of leading the world in the extinction of plants and animals."

Study: Global Warming Will Bring More Wildfires

According to a new study from Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), climate change will lead to more wildfires in the coming decades.

The study, spearheaded by SEAS Senior Research Fellow Jennifer Logan strengthens the link between future wildfire impacts and manmade climate change.

According to the report, which was published in the June 18th issue of Journal of Geophysical Research, rising temperatures from global warming will lead to dryer underbrush, thus increasing fire conditions. The expected spike in fire events could also negatively affect air quality.

Study: Earth Warming Faster Than Expected

A new study finds that the planet is expected to heat up faster than predicted over the next five years.

The analysis shows that in the last seven years, a decline in incoming sunlight "associated with the downward phase of the 11-year solar cycle" has helped obscure warming caused by carbon emissions, and that immediate analyses of manmade changes have been skewed accordingly. As sun activity increases again, the report suggests, temperatures will rise more quickly than was predicted by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The report, to be published in Geophysical Research Letters, is being jointly released by Judith Lean, of the US Naval Research Laboratory, and David Rind, of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.