SSI Report Back, January 2008
SSI members have lent their voices and expertise to a wide variety of topics ranging from climate change to endangered species in 2007. This year we have seen positive action to reduce heat-trapping emissions in the Northeast, the Midwest, in Congress, and internationally! We are excited about the prospects for real progress in 2008. Ensuring that sound science informs policy decision making is integral to developing effective solutions, and we thank you for helping bring scientists' voices to the public arena.
Climate Change in the Northeast
Federal Climate Bills
National Assessment Bills
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
UCS at Bali
Target for U.S. Emissions Reductions
Midwest Governor's Association
Endangered Species Act
Climate Change in the Northeast
A new report from the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment (NECIA) on the impacts of climate change in Northeast was released this summer. The report, "Confronting Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast: Science, Impacts and Solutions," illustrates the effects our choices will have on the Northeast's health, natural resources, economy, and very character by looking at two different futures—one where we remain heavily reliant on fossil fuels, producing high levels of global warming emissions, and one where we begin to reduce our emissions as individuals, industries, and communities. The report also explores actions we can take to reduce emissions. The report covers the Northeast region from Pennsylvania to Maine and looks at climate change impacts on forests, fisheries, health, coasts, winter recreation, and agriculture. NECIA is a collaboration between the Union of Concerned Scientists and more than 50 independent scientists and economists.
The report has educated citizens and policy makers about the dangers posed by climate change on our communities and the many solution opportunities available today. NECIA authors and UCS staff have briefed officials and key constituencies all across the region, including, for example, the governors or staff of all the states covered in the report, business executives, and municipal leaders. A Senate briefing cosponsored by Senators Kerry (D-MA), Snowe (R-ME), Collins (R-ME), and Sanders (I-VT) and a House side briefing sponsored by Representative Markey (D-MA) brought the impacts findings to the Northeast Congressional delegation. Thank you to everyone who helped spread the findings. Learn more at ClimateChoices.org
INVITATION TO NORTHEAST SCIENTISTS WORKSHOP
UCS is hosting a workshop in January on the report to give scientists across the region an in-depth look at the latest findings for the Northeast region, including appropriate solutions that are available today. The workshop will also provide participants with a variety of tools to communicate effectively in your community and classrooms, with the media, and elected officials. The workshop will be at Clark University in Worcester, MA on January 27. If you are interested in learning more about the workshop, please contact Jean Sideris, jsideris@ucsusa.org or 617.301.8032.
Federal Climate Bills
This year saw a number of positive steps towards federal action on climate change. The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act-a promising bill with bipartisan support and a strong framework for reducing global warming pollution-successfully passed out of a Senate committee for consideration before the full U.S. Senate. This is the furthest climate legislation of this scope has ever moved towards becoming law. Other bills in Congress have stronger targets, however, and UCS continues to build support for bills that call for 80 percent reductions by 2050. UCS activists and SSI members together sent more than 18,000 letters and made nearly 1,000 phone calls to EPW Committee members urging them to support the promising bill but also make the improvements necessary to prevent the worst effects of global warming. Thanks to everyone who took action! It is critical that members of Congress are hearing from the scientific community, in addition to citizens, about the importance of strong federal action.
Both chambers of Congress are expected to consider global warming legislation in the months ahead. The Lieberman-Warner bill will hit the floor of the full Senate for debate sometime in the spring and House leaders are also expected to move on some kind of climate legislation, although it's not yet clear how strong that version will be. This year, we will continue to ensure that Congress is hearing from the scientific community and keep SSI up-to-date as action moves forward. Together we will work to ensure a safe climate for our children.
National Assessment Bills
In addition to climate legislation, progress has also been made to ensure the federal government is conducting research on the impacts of climate change on our nation as well as how to adapt to unavoidable changes. The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved three bills that will deploy federal agencies to assess climate change consequences in the United States, conduct research on ocean acidification, and develop a strategic plan for preparing the nation for the already unavoidable consequences of climate change. The bills provide for coordination with local and state agencies and organizations to ensure that information on climate risks and adaptation options help improve the economic resiliency and hazard preparedness of the nation.
UCS will continue to monitor the progress of the three bills—the Climate Change Adaptation Act, Global Change Research Improvement Act, and Climate Change Adaptation Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act. It is not clear exactly what will happen with these bills in 2008, as climate legislation moves forward and the presidential election ramps up. However, we will ensure SSI is kept up-to-date on the progress and given the opportunity to weigh in at strategic times.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Fourth Assessment [www.ipcc.ch] report this year. Summaries for the three working groups—Science, Impacts, and Mitigation—were released early in 2007 and the final Synthesis Report was released in November. To help amplify the findings of the three working groups, UCS held webinars and created PowerPoint presentations for members of the Sound Science Initiative, and developed publicly-accessible fact sheets. Thanks to the hundreds of SSI members who joined our web seminars, downloaded PowerPoint presentations and brochures, and took action to amplify the findings of this latest assessment. These materials are available for SSI members. If you would like hard copies of the fact sheets, please contact ssi@ucsusa.org.
The IPCC reports have played a key role in advancing policies in our federal government and internationally. The final Synthesis Report was released in advance of international negotiations that took place in early December. The world's governments met in Bali, Indonesia for two weeks to establish the international agreement on reducing heat-trapping emissions that will begin in 2012, after the previously agreed-upon Kyoto Protocol (an amendment to the 1990 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC) expires. The report was widely recognized as an important foundation for policymakers as they met in Bali.
UCS at Bali UCS staff scientists and policy experts attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia in December. They worked alongside dozens of colleagues from all around the world to move global climate action forward. Staff posted live-action updates on their activities during the conference on the UCS Bali Bulletin, along with fact sheets and other materials relating to international climate issues.
UCS staff included Doug Boucher, director of the tropical forests and climate initiative; Peter Frumhoff, director of science & policy and chief scientist for the climate campaign; Kevin Knobloch, president; Alden Meyer, director of strategy & policy; and Aaron Huertas, assistant press secretary.
Target for U.S. Emissions Reductions
Most experts agree that to avoid the most severe effects of climate change, the world must stabilize the concentration of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere at no more than 450 parts per million. This limit aims to avoid exceeding a two degree Celsius increase in global average temperature above pre-industrial levels (roughly equivalent to a 3.6 degree Fahrenheit rise above current temperatures).
A new study by the Union of Concerned Scientists and scientists at Stanford University and Texas Tech University suggests that the United States must cut its emissions by at least 80 percent below 2000 levels by 2050 if the world is to stay within the prescribed atmospheric concentration limit. Cutting emissions soon is essential. Read the report.
Midwest Governor's Association
This November nine Midwest states committed to establish a regional heat-trapping emissions reduction program. Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are full participants in the agreement, called the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord. Indiana, Ohio, and South Dakota signed the agreement as observers. Many MGA states also agreed to increase their reliance on renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. In addition to reducing the region's contribution to global warming, these commitments will boost momentum for national action to reduce emissions and is well timed as the U.S. Senate begins consideration of a critical global warming bill and the 2008 presidential election heats up.
SSI members helped encourage their state to become part of the accord and to work to develop a strong and effective regional agreement. Thanks to everyone who took action! As the process moves forward, UCS will continue to keep you up-to-date and ensure the states hear from scientists on the risks of climate change and the need for urgent, deep, reductions. More information on the Summit
Endangered Species Act
High-ranking interior department official Julie McDonald resigned in May 2007 after an internal investigation criticized her for bullying and manipulating the work of federal scientists working to protect endangered species. Her resignation, while welcome, does not solve the broader problem of political interference in federal government science. Following a hearing in the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, where Francesca Grifo, senior scientist and director of the UCS Scientific Integrity Program, testified, members of SSI wrote to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne calling for a systematic review of all recent decisions affecting endangered species in which MacDonald participated to ensure that the distorted science did not lead to an incorrect outcome.
The interior department recently announced it would revise seven ESA decisions (a tiny fraction of the decisions with evidence of interference) in which Julie MacDonald had participated, acknowledging that she had "inappropriate influence" in scientific determinations. Furthermore, the interior department's internal investigator is investigating an additional 18 ESA decisions based on strong evidence of interference in those decisions as well. UCS will continue to monitor these investigations and work to restore scientific integrity and ethics at the interior department.
