Fox Will Have a Field Day with This One
Do you remember when news leaked that Obama said:
So when Brian Williams is asking me about what’s a personal thing that you’ve done [that's green], and I say, you know, ‘Well, I planted a bunch of trees.’ And he says, ‘I’m talking about personal.’ What I’m thinking in my head is, ‘Well, the truth is, Brian, we can’t solve global warming because I f—ing changed light bulbs in my house. It’s because of something collective’.“
during the campaign trail?
Am I the only one who know finds this kind of humorous:
“I know light bulbs may not seem sexy,” Mr. Obama said, “but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7 percent of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and our businesses.”
By Jennifer Jaykins
in the news
Here are some important news items…
Arctic Sea Ice Underestimated for Weeks Due to Faulty Sensor, via Bloomberg
A glitch in satellite sensors caused scientists to underestimate the extent of Arctic sea ice by 500,000 square kilometers (193,000 square miles), a California- size area, the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center said. The recent error doesn’t change findings that Arctic ice is retreating, the NSIDC said. The center said real-time data on sea ice is always less reliable than archived numbers because full checks haven’t yet been carried out. Historical data is checked across other sources, it said.
MIT Group Increases Global Warming Projections, via Washington Post
New research from MIT scientists shows that in the absence of stringent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, 21st century climate change may be far more significant than some previous climate assessments had indicated.
The new findings, released this month by MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, showed significantly increased odds that by the end of the century warming would be on the high end of the scale for a so-called “no policy scenario” as compared with similar studies completed just six years ago. The main culprits: the cycling of heat and carbon dioxide in the climate system are now better understood and projections of future greenhouse gas emissions have increased.
The results also showed that even if nations were to act quickly to reduce emissions, it is more likely that warming would be greater than previous studies had shown. However, the increase in projected temperatures under the “policy scenario” was not as large as for the no policy scenario.
Climate change timetable slips as Obama backtracks on 2008 deadline, via Guardian UK
Barack Obama has been forced to slow down a key green objective of his presidency: early legislation to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming.
Officials now concede that Congress is unlikely to pass such legislation by the end of 2009, a delay that could hurt efforts to reach a global treaty at the climate change conference in Copenhagen this December. It also frustrates hopes that last week’s huge infusion of green investment in the $787 bn economic rescue plan would give momentum to efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Presidential staff say America remains determined to play a leadership role at the climate talks in Copenhagen, but downplay prospects of taking steps to curb its own carbon emissions first.
stimulate this
President Obama and his staff have been working diligently getting a stimulus package approved to jump start the economy. And, as promised, he focused on creating a “green” stimulus package. While some things were cut, in the end, we have $60 Billion going to green initiatives.
Here is the list:
$11 B for a smart energy grid
$8.4 B for public transit system, including high speed train
$6.3 B for state energy grants
$6 B for cleaning up test areas by the Department of Defense
$4.5 B for greening of Federal Buildings
and 1.2 B for EPA clean up programs
The remaining $20 B is a compilation of funds going to our National Parks, aquaculture, and jobs.
What was cut: updated the federal car fleet with hybrids (conflicted with the Buy American part of the stimulus bill), assistance to citizens in weatherizing and greening their homes, and updating of school buses.
the good news… it’s a climate change
The UN Climate Chief, Yvo de Boer, praised the United States in having a night-to-day shift in climate policy and beliefs surrounding climate change.
Speaking from Tokyo where leaders have spent a couple of days laying the ground work for the upcoming international climate change meeting in which the next version of the Kyoto Protocol will be signed, de Boer felt that the change of heart in climate policy will allow for an international agreement on emissions reductions, and the like.
This is a fantastic first step in ensuring this planet is sustainable for generations to come.
epa overhaul
On the heels of Lisa Jackson’s approval as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Government Accountability Office has released a report saying that the EPA is flawed in its ability to assess toxic chemicals, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal.
The report has concluded that the EPA lacks even the “basic information to say whether chemicals pose substantial health risks to the public. It says actions are needed to streamline and increase the transparency of the EPA’s registry of chemicals. And it calls for measures to enhance the agency’s ability to obtain health and safety information from the chemical industry.”
Stating that the EPA needs to be timely in determining health risks to the public but their system “is at serious risk of becoming obsolete because the EPA has been unable to keep its existing assessments current or to complete assessments of important chemicals of concern.” In the last year they completed 8 assessments with 70 uncompleted still pending. That is not fast enough for health and safety.
Strengthening the EPA has been recommended as a top priority for the Obama Administration.
it is real, you know….
January 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under climate change
A new poll done by the Pew Research Center shows a trend that, if continued, does not bode well for the planet. When people were asked what they were concerned with in the United States, the environment was at the very bottom of the list. (The top priorities included domestic policy and economy.)
The study showed that 30% of Americans feel that global warming is a top priority. Protecting the environment had the sharpest decline to 41%, which was a 15% decline in a one year period of time. It should also be noted that the disparity between Republicans and Democrats was quite large. In fact, where 50% of Democrats felt that protecting the environment and global warming were a priority, only 20% of Republicans felt the same way.
These priorities are slightly at odds with the Presidents agenda, as he has placed the environment as a top priority of his administration. However, many have high hopes that Obama can tie in conservation, efficiency and renewable energy to jobs and sustainable economic future for the company, essentially hitting two birds with one stone.
What this also is an indication of, however, is that science is not doing its job in effectively communicating the severity of global warming and the environment to the public. While another survey of 3500 scientists all confirm the global warming is real and a result of humans (via CNN), it seems that the smaller percentage that claims it is false get more press and seem more convincing.
The problem is that if when those non-believing scientists are proved emphatically wrong, it may well be too late. Many already feel that we have crossed a tipping point of no return. The disservice of this news is that it can have the potential of making people lazy and revert back to bad habits, because they feel hopeless and out of control in the situation.
The best way to solve this issue is to help the general public understand the science behind global warming so they have no doubt that it is real and their daily activities have a global impact. If people know what to do and can track the positive impact that it creates, they will be more likely to continue those behaviors and we may have a fighting chance.
first action: reverse bush
Almost as soon as Obama was inaugurated yesterday, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel sent a memo that stops all pending regulations set forth by the Bush Administration.
Since November, when Obama won the election, the Bush Administration submitted over 100 midnight regulations to be passed prior to the end of his term. It is unclear how many have not taken effect.
Many that have already taken effect are ones that are deleterious to the environment. Most of them contain some version of limiting scientific review for environmental impact, for example in the approval of dams, power plants and timber sales. Most notably was the change to the Endangered Species Act, in which many animals were removed from the listing, as well as the approval leaning towards corporations without regard for the impact to animals.
The Obama Administration has vowed to reverse the rulings made by Bush, however it will take a while as the process has to start all over again, for each and every ruling.
he’s started already
At 9am PST, the White House website transferred over for the Obama presidency.
Aside from being slick with the promise of weekly podcasts and blogs, the first thing we noticed: Obama’s agenda on Energy and Environment.
Here are some bullet points to whet your whistle:
The energy challenges our country faces are severe and have gone unaddressed for far too long. Our addiction to foreign oil doesn’t just undermine our national security and wreak havoc on our environment — it cripples our economy and strains the budgets of working families all across America. President Obama and Vice President Biden have a comprehensive plan to invest in alternative and renewable energy, end our addiction to foreign oil, address the global climate crisis and create millions of new jobs.
The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will
- Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.
- Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.
- Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars — cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon — on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.
- Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
- Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
Go the website. He’s our new president… he deserves to have a lot of hits, today.
Obama’s Dream Green Team
Today, at 12p EST, the United States of America welcomed our 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama. While it is expected that he will assist this country out of its vast inadequacies created by the Bush Administration, the one great hope, is the ‘green’ hope. Many have talked in the weeks past of the Dream Green Team. But, we felt that on this day, it bears reminding who is on this team and welcoming them in their leadership roles of combating climate change.
Dr. Steven Chu – Department of Energy
Nobel Prize winning physicist. He has a sophisticated grasp of the complexities of global warming and a strong belief that it needs to be fought agressively. He has long been an advocate to alternative energy and nuclear power, arguing that a shift away from fossil fuel is necessary for our long term survival.
Lisa Jackson – Environmental Protection Agency
She comes from the post of serving as the New Jersey head of the Department of Environmental Protection. She has been a staunch defender of the environment in her state, setting policy on clean water, clean air, and land preservation. During her confirmation hearings, many heard music when she said, “Science will be the backbone of what the EPA does.”
Jane Lubchenco – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Dr. Lubchenco is a marine ecologist and Professor of Zoology at Oregon State University. Her expertise includes ocean ecosystems and the human/environment nexus: biodiversity, climate change, sustainability science, ecosystem services, marine reserves, coastal marine ecosystems, the state of the oceans and of the planet.
Carol Browner – Asst. to the President for Energy and Climate Change
She was the head of the EPA under President Clinton. She believes that global warming is the greatest challenge we have ever faced. She will act as a coordinator for environmental, energy, climate, transport and related matters for the federal government.
Nancy Sutley – White House Council on Environmental Quality
She is currently serving as the Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment of Los Angeles. She brings with her more than a decade in senior environmental, energy and water policy-making positions in California. She also has experience dealing with budget and legislative matters at the state and federal level.
Dr. John Holdren – White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Dr. Holdren is a professor of Environmental Policy at Harvard University. His work has focused on causes and consequences of global environmental change, analysis of energy technologies and policies, ways to reduce the dangers from nuclear weapons and materials, and the interaction of content and process in science and technology policy.
Office of Urban Policy
On February 11th, 2004, Bill Clinton signed Executive Order #12898, the Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations. The intent of this order was to ensure that each “Federal agency shall make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations.”
This came after numerous studies were released showing the negative effect of air and water pollution were more concentrated in minority communities. Unfortunately, Clinton never fully implemented the order, and Bush ignored it all together, to put it kindly. As a result, we are still seeing a disproportionately high case of adverse effects due to environmental causes in the minority populations. An example would be this publications ongoing research into Bisphenol-A and phthalates.
However, it looks as though the Obama administration is going to deliver on the promise made back in 1994. Not only are his appointments to the EPA, Health and Human Services, White House Council of Environmental Quality, the assistant to the president on Energy and Climate Change, and HUD a significant notice that they are changing the direction of this country, but more compelling is the creation of the Office of Urban Policy.
The office is intended to better coordinate federal efforts to help America’s cities. As we all know, Obama started his career as “community organizer”. As a result, he understands at the local level is really where you can impact change and that local government can play a vital role as we try to jump start our economy.
It also seems that this will have a positive impact on the environment. Adolfo Carrion, the appointee in charge of the OUP, has been a champion of affordable, energy efficient, green quality sustainable housing for low income family.
Add this all together and you have a team that is not only fighting for the environment, but fighting for the people that are the most at risk when something goes wrong in the environment.
The American Prospect has further information.
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