After the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP 21) in 2015, where the historic climate accord was established, it was near impossible to imagine a future COP where the US federal government wouldn’t play a central role. Yet now, at COP 23 in Bonn, Germany, the US government doesn’t have an official presence […]

After the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP 21) in 2015, where the historic climate accord was established, it was near impossible to imagine a future COP where the US federal government wouldn’t play a central role. Yet now, at COP 23 in Bonn, Germany, the US government doesn’t have an official presence […]

COP 23 has been a banner event for subnational actors, and especially for California. Between events and breaking news, our EDF California team has enjoyed visiting informally with representatives from around the world.

By Katelyn Roedner Sutter

America's Pledge event at COP23 | Photo: UNClimateChange

COP 23 has been a banner event for subnational actors, and especially for California. Between events and breaking news, our EDF California team has enjoyed visiting informally with representatives from around the world.

One theme from these conversations is “we’re so glad you are here!”

The presence of American states and NGOs, and the leadership of states like California, has not gone unnoticed, especially when the absence of U.S. leadership on climate is so obvious.

Some have asked if we have received backlash from the United States about being here (so far so good!), and there’s universal enthusiasm for the US Climate Action Center (or “igloo” – nicknamed both for the big white tents and chilly temperatures), sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropy.

It is clear from these announcements and conversations that the leadership of California is more critical than ever.

Here’s a quick round-up of key state-level news:

America’s Pledge – California Governor Jerry Brown and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg shared the first report of their joint initiative, America’s Pledge. A reaction to the United States’ dismissal of the Paris Agreement, this project demonstrates the power of collective action and aims to spur greater climate ambition. If they were one country, the signatory cities and states would have the third largest GDP in the world, and would be home to one-third of the American people. This is a significant rejection of the Trump Administration’s rhetoric on climate, and a testament to Governor Brown and Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership.

Under2 Coalition Signing – A joint initiative of Governor Jerry Brown and the German state of Baden-Württemberg, the Under 2 Coalition commits ambitious states and regions around the world to making commitments on emission reductions consistent with the Paris Agreement and to keeping global warming below 2°C. Virginia became the latest partner in the Under 2 Coalition, solidifying its climate leadership and the state continues to works toward greater electric vehicle infrastructure and reducing carbon emissions from the power sector.

California’s Progress and Promise – Governor Brown, CalEPA Secretary Matt Rodriguez, Assembly Member Cristina Garcia and others have each had speaking engagements at COP 23, and across them all two themes emerge. First, California is leading the way on reducing emissions, cleaning up pollution, and striving for equitable climate policy. But the second theme is that there is much more to do. While celebrating these achievements, the state has further to go de-carbonizing the economy and improving local air quality.

California-Acre Luncheon – One of the most exciting things about COP23 is the opportunity to build connections across countries and cultures on issues of mutual importance. The California Legislative Delegation had the opportunity for lunch with the delegation from the state of Acre, Brazil. They discussed deforestation and its impact on the climate and local communities, as well the need for global partnerships to go further and faster stopping climate change.

2018 Global Climate Action Summit – Want your own COP-like experience? Governor Brown invited attendees to join him and sub-national leaders from around the world at the 2018 Climate Summit in San Francisco! Described as the “COP for subnationals,” one key goal is to establish a San Francisco agreement on sub-national climate action. Businesses, cities, states, investors, and civil society will explore how much more we can do together on climate action, learn from each other, and build positive momentum for COP 24 in Poland.

It is clear from these announcements and conversations (not to mention Governor Brown’s rock star status at COP 23) that the leadership of California is more critical than ever. This is especially true now that the United States is the sole country opposing the Paris Agreement, now that Syria and Nicaragua have joined the agreement.

California’s role as climate champion, success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining economic prosperity, and concerted efforts for greater climate equity are all stories we are proud to be sharing with the rest of the world.

COP 23 has been a banner event for subnational actors, and especially for California. Between events and breaking news, our EDF California team has enjoyed visiting informally with representatives from around the world.

COP 23 has been a banner event for subnational actors, and especially for California. Between events and breaking news, our EDF California team has enjoyed visiting informally with representatives from around the world.

COP 23 has been a banner event for subnational actors, and especially for California. Between events and breaking news, our EDF California team has enjoyed visiting informally with representatives from around the world.

The International Energy Agency’s new 2017 World Energy Outlook contains the agency’s strongest language yet about the urgent need to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, and the huge opportunities that exist to do so. Some have taken issue with IEA projections on the overall role of natural gas, suggesting they are […]

The International Energy Agency’s new 2017 World Energy Outlook contains the agency’s strongest language yet about the urgent need to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, and the huge opportunities that exist to do so. Some have taken issue with IEA projections on the overall role of natural gas, suggesting they are […]

The International Energy Agency’s new 2017 World Energy Outlook contains the agency’s strongest language yet about the urgent need to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, and the huge opportunities that exist to do so. Some have taken issue with IEA projections on the overall role of natural gas, suggesting they are […]

The post Whether you love or hate natural gas, stopping methane emissions now is crucial appeared first on Energy Exchange.

The International Energy Agency’s new 2017 World Energy Outlook contains the agency’s strongest language yet about the urgent need to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, and the huge opportunities that exist to do so. Some have taken issue with IEA projections on the overall role of natural gas, suggesting they are […]

The International Energy Agency’s new 2017 World Energy Outlook contains the agency’s strongest language yet about the urgent need to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, and the huge opportunities that exist to do so. Some have taken issue with IEA projections on the overall role of natural gas, suggesting they are […]

By Mark Brownstein

The International Energy Agency’s new 2017 World Energy Outlook contains the agency’s strongest language yet about the urgent need to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, and the huge opportunities that exist to do so.

Some have taken issue with IEA projections on the overall role of natural gas, suggesting they are beyond what is environmentally sustainable. Others think IEA is underestimating growth potential. Whatever you believe the trajectory for gas is — or should be — the benefits of reducing methane emissions are both enormous and irrefutable.

The good news: IEA estimates the industry can reduce their worldwide emissions by 75 percent – and that up to two thirds of those reductions can be realized at zero net cost. “These emissions are not the only anthropogenic emissions of methane,” says the report, “but they are likely to be among the cheapest to abate."

Two paths to meet growing energy challenge

Conveniently, IEA presents two energy pathways. The somewhat confusingly named “New Policies” scenario is actually business-as-usual, reflecting strictures currently in place or pending, while the “Sustainable Development” path assumes additional measures to hold warming by 2100 to 2⁰C while also global energy access goals are met.

Either way, the case in favor of rapid oil and gas methane reductions remains overwhelming.

Under current policies, IEA says global energy demand will grow more slowly than in the past, but will still be 30% higher than today by 2040 (effectively adding an extra China or India). They project average annual economic growth of 3.4 percent, and an increasingly urbanized 2040 population of 9 billion people, up from 7.4 billion now.

Renewables will meet 40% of that projected increase, and account for two-thirds of new power plant investment. Oil demand is predicted to grow, but at a decreasing pace. Significantly, however, natural gas consumption rises 45% by 2040 in this scenario, with much of that in industrial uses. Eighty percent of projected gas growth comes from mainly from China, India and other developing economies.

Gas demand stays strong in sustainable scenario

Even in IEA’s Sustainable Development scenario, where renewables and efficiency rule the day, demand for gas – and hence the urgent need to reduce associated methane emissions – remains strong.

Low-carbon sources double their 2040 share of the energy mix to 40 percent. Coal drops like the proverbial stone, and oil demand peaks much sooner than in the business-as-usual estimates. But there’s a catch: “As oil and coal fall back and renewables ramp up strongly,” IEA says, “natural gas becomes the largest single fuel in the global mix.”

Under this scenario – which is, remember, built around a an energy mix necessary for 2⁰C climate path – natural gas consumption still grows 20 percent by 2030, and holds steady for a decade after that. Gas plays an especially big role in the future transformation of today’s coal-dependent developing countries like China and India.

Forecasts vary, but some facts are clear

Energy forecasts, of course, vary, and IEA provides us with one set of views, but most credible estimates for a low carbon future consistent with the Paris Accord suggest that oil and gas will be with us for some years to come. Even assuming a rapid transition to 100% renewable electricity, it’s important to remember that two-thirds of worldwide natural gas production is currently used outside the power sector, including for applications where ready substitutes are harder to come by – like fertilizer, chemicals and plastics.

What we know for certain is that right now, today, oil and gas industry methane emissions are enormous: seventy-six million metric tons of methane a year, according to IEA. Based on today’s gas prices and IEA’s data, as much as 34 billion dollars’ worth of global gas supply is lost each year. This is equal to all of the gas produced by Norway, the world’s 6th largest producer. And that’s likely an underestimate.

So no matter what you think the market for gas looks like 20 years hence, we still have our work cut out for us now.

No room for delay

Some argue that focusing on methane distracts from the greater goal of eliminating fossil fuels, and that reductions could even be taken as license extend our dependence on natural gas in particular. These are reasonable concerns. It’s crucial to slash carbon emissions as much as possible as fast as possible; the expanding clean energy revolution still isn’t happening quickly enough.

But the potent effects of methane – which is responsible for a quarter of the warming we’re experiencing today – combined with the straightforward solutions in the oil and gas sector, make this an opportunity to protect the climate that we simply cannot afford to miss.

In what could be the iconic decision of COP 23, negotiators in Bonn agreed to new future negotiation processes to “jointly address” a number of new agriculture topics, overcoming longstanding hurdles that had blocked progress on the topic in recent years.

In what could be the iconic decision of COP 23, negotiators in Bonn agreed to new future negotiation processes to “jointly address” a number of new agriculture topics, overcoming longstanding hurdles that had blocked progress on the topic in recent years.

In what could be the iconic decision of COP 23, negotiators in Bonn agreed to new future negotiation processes to “jointly address” a number of new agriculture topics, overcoming longstanding hurdles that had blocked progress on the topic in recent years.

By Chris Meyer

Photo by UNClimateChange

In what could be the iconic decision of COP 23, negotiators in Bonn agreed to new future negotiation processes to “jointly address” a number of new agriculture topics, overcoming longstanding hurdles that had blocked progress on the topic in recent years.

Why is this important?

Emissions from agriculture are expected to continue growing as the world’s population continues to expand and consume more meat.

However, a recent journal article by Griscom et al. published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science found activities under the agriculture and grasslands rubric, such as management of fertilizer use, could achieve roughly 6% of needed emission reductions to stay below a 2 degree temperature change. To realize that potential though, farmers need new tools and incentives.

Additionally, farmers are expecting to find their jobs of growing our food harder as climate change makes weather patterns more unpredictable, and makes climatic events such as droughts and flooding more frequent and intense. Farmers will also need new methods and technologies to make their farms more resilient and adapt to the new conditions.

Agriculture has been discussed for years, but progress had been stymied by disagreement related to potential trade implications on key commodity exports, whether to prioritize adaptation or mitigation in the agenda, and UNFCCC process-oriented concerns on what could and couldn’t be negotiated based on the last agriculture decision.

What’s in the decision?

The negotiators agreed to have the Subsidiary Body for Science and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) review issues associated with agriculture by using workshops and technical expert meetings.

Using both the SBI and SBSTA to review a topic “jointly” is not a frequent negotiation strategy pursued by negotiators. That’s because the complexity of the negotiation rises exponentially when a topic is jointly negotiated rather than negotiated in a single process. But this process was used for the set of policy approaches for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+), which ended up being the only sector with its own article in the Paris Agreement.

Regarding topics in agriculture that the processes might first consider, they include:

• How to assess adaptation, adaptation co-benefits (code for mitigation), and resilience
• How to improve soil health, soil carbon in grasslands and croplands, and related water management
• How to improve nutrient management – e.g. more efficient fertilizer use
• How to improve livestock management systems
• Studying the socioeconomic and food security issues associated with climate change in the agriculture sector
• Any of the previous topics discussed in a set of workshops in recent years

Importantly, the negotiators also left other agenda items to be added as needed, which let countries see flexibility in the future to add a topic of more relevance to them.

 What is the timeline for the process?

The decision asks for reports back in three years at COP 26 in 2020. If the process is successful, countries should then have more knowledge and methodologies at their disposal to take action in their respective agriculture sectors in the post-2020 climate regime. At the moment, there is no clear guidance for them on how they might take such action, nor are there incentives for them to do so.

With this momentous decision on agriculture at COP 23, we now have a great opportunity for making our food supply and farmers’ livelihoods more resilient while also contributing to mitigating climate change.

4 smart investments helped these communities weather extreme storms

Designing safer and smarter communities that can cope with flooding and other extreme weather is cost-effective and often easier than we assume.

By taking meaningful steps to protect themselves, these vulnerable cities and states became more resilient to storms, while saving tax dollars long-term.

1. Stricter codes, better design deliver for South

After the destruction from Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Florida became the nation’s leader for implementing and enforcing superior building codes to reduce the impact of hurricanes. These codes proved their worth during Hurricane Irma this September when buildings were better able to withstand the storm, likely savings millions in damages

Elevating new buildings, as the Florida codes required in flood-prone areas, typically costs less than 1 percent of the total building cost for each foot a building is raised.

Such investments pay for themselves in as little as one or two years in areas with the highest risk of flooding, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has found.

Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish invested $2.4 million to elevate 23 homes after Hurricane Katrina – a significant, but worthwhile, investment. When Hurricane Isaac struck in 2012, none of these homes were flooded, avoiding some $2.2 million in losses.

The upgrades to these homes nearly paid for themselves after a single storm event. With more storms in the offing, the return on this investment will continue to grow.

2. Wetlands saved NJ $425 million in damages

Preserved salt marshes, mangroves, reefs and other natural wetland defenses prevented $425 million in damages in New Jersey during the 2012 superstorm, a Lloyd’s of London study found.

On average, wetlands in the northeast can reduce property damages from storms and flooding by 20 percent, Lloyds reported. New Jersey’s Cape May Point, for example, suffered virtually no damage during Sandy after a $15-million project to rehabilitate wetlands and dunes in the area in the early 2000s.

Other countries see similar advantages to protecting and restoring their natural coastal infrastructure.

In seven out of eight Caribbean nations, for example, reef and mangrove restoration proved to be one of the most cost-effective approaches for building coastal resilience.

3. $13-million dune project kept Fla. homes safe

Dunes successfully protected Jacksonville’s beach-front homes during Hurricane Matthew in 2016, except for where gaps between dunes allowed floodwaters into the streets.

After taking the brunt of Matthew’s waves, the eroded dunes needed to be restored quickly before the inevitable next big event. Fortunately, the Army Corps of Engineers finished a $13.5-million project to repair the dunes just a week before Hurricane Irma hit in September 2017.

While other parts of Jacksonville experienced flooding, homes along this 6.5 mile stretch of beach were protected.

Healthy dunes are one our best natural means to protect built infrastructure from storm waves and can even thwart storm surges. 

The 600,000 newly planted sea oats along Jacksonville Beach, which also survived Irma, will expand to strengthen and grow these critical dunes.

4. NC city buys out flood-prone homes, saves $25M

Since 1999, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina have gradually removed 400 homes, apartment buildings and businesses from flood-prone areas, saving taxpayers $25 million in the process.

The voluntary buy-out program has created a safer building stock in the area while recreating an open floodplain. This, in turn, expanded recreation and public space in the rapidly growing Charlotte metropolitan area.

By making room for rivers to expand temporarily during heavy rains, these actions will reduce downstream flooding. Such investments, expected to help the community avoid $300 million in future flooding costs, will boost Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s economic competitiveness long-term.

Resilience planning must be prioritized

Beyond the investments that states and cities are making today to protect citizens from extreme weather, there are steps we should take as a nation.

Rethinking and expanding regular use of flood insurance far beyond the traditional 100-year floodplain is one – creating regional plans to prevent upstream flooding is another.

It will require states and the federal government to make comprehensive resilience planning a priority – work we think should begin now.

Bad storm coming your way? We already know which grid fixes can keep the lights on. Here are 3. krives November 15, 2017 - 02:05

See comments

Intellligent, forward-thinking and based on good common sense.

judy hatfield December 16, 2017 at 10:20 pm