two things about the ocean

So first, comes a report that if we continue to burn fossil fuels at our current rate, the acidification of the ocean is a certainty and a “planet changer“.  One reason is because the coral life is expected to die off within the half century.

The ocean absorbs about 1/4 of the CO2 released into the atmosphere by human activities each year, which tempers the effect of this greenhouse gas on our climate. Carbonic acid is formed when the CO2 is dissolved in the seawater, which lowers the pH (increases the acidity). An acidic ocean reduces the rate at which corals can produce their skeletons and at which other marine organisms can build their shells. And so many other marine organisms are affected by anything that takes a toll on the corals. It’s estimated that the global economy based on coral (and other related marine life) is about $16 trillion per year.

On the heels of that report, comes this report where the EPA is looking into the idea that ocean acidification is a violation of the Clean Water Act.

 

The United States Environmental Protection Agencyannounced steps to protect U.S. waters from the threat of ocean acidification under the Clean Water Act. Today, EPA issued a notice of data availability to be published in the Federal Register that calls for information and data on ocean acidification that the agency will use to evaluate water-quality criteria under the Clean Water Act.

The notice responded to a formal petition and threatened litigation from the Center for Biological Diversity that sought to compel the agency to impose stricter pH criteria for ocean water quality and publish guidance to help states protect American waters from ocean acidification. EPA’s notice marks the first time that the Clean Water Act will be invoked by the agency to address ocean acidification.

“Ocean acidification is likely the greatest threat to the health of our oceans and is occurring at a frightening rate,” said Miyoko Sakashita, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity’s oceans program. “The federal government has finally acknowledged that ocean acidification is a threat; now it must take the next step and fully implement the Clean Water Act to protect our nation’s waters from ”the other CO2 problem.”

 

All I want to say about this is that this is BIG, HUGE news.  Can you imagine if they find it is in violation and the limitations and restirictions that will then be enforced by everyone from big corporations to the US Navy.  

I like this Lisa Jackson….

in the news, 2.25

 

some news from around the world for today, 2.25.09

E.P.A. Is Told to Reconsider Its Standards on Pollutants, via the New York Times

Bush administration standards for pollutants like soot are “contrary to law and unsupported by adequately reasoned decisionmaking,” a federal appeals court said Tuesday.

The court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider its standards for the pollutants, fine particulates, which are linked to premature death from lung cancer and heart disease and to other health problems including asthma.

Michael Pollan Fixes Dinner, via Mother Jones

MJ: The food activism community is criticized as being elitist, blind to the issues of cost. How do we democratize better quality?

MP: It is the important question. One of the problems is that the government supports unhealthy food and does very little to support healthy food. I mean, we subsidize high fructose corn syrup. We subsidize hydrogenated corn oil. We do not subsidize organic food. We subsidize four crops that are the building blocks of fast food. And you also have to work on access. We have food deserts in our cities. We know that the distance you live from a supplier of fresh produce is one of the best predictors of your health. And in the inner city, people don’t have grocery stores. So we have to figure out a way of getting supermarkets and farmers markets into the inner cities.

West blamed for rapid increase in China’s CO2, via the Guardian

The full extent of the west’s responsibility for Chinese emissions of greenhouse gases has been revealed by a new study. The report shows that half of the recent rise in China‘s carbon dioxide pollution is caused by the manufacturing of goods for other countries – particularly developed nations such as the UK.

Last year, China officially overtook the US as the world’s biggest CO2 emitter. But the new research shows that about a third of all Chinese carbon emissions are the result of producing goods for export.

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.

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. 

last minute gift

In a last minute gift to chemical manufacturers, the Bush Administration issued a controversial health advisory on drinking water contaminated with a toxic chemical released when making Teflon and other non-stick coatings.

The EPA is “advising people to reduce consumption of water containing more than 0.4 parts per billion of perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA — a level critics say is not strict enough. Studies have shown the chemical, which is linked to cancer, liver damage and birth defects, has built up in human blood throughout the world.”

Many had felt that the acceptable limit had to be reduced down to 0.2 parts per billion, which is why many are saying this is another win for companies such as DuPont, who makes the chemical.  It should be noted that Obama’s pick to head the EPA, reduced the acceptable level to 0.04 ppb in her state of New Jersey, ten times lower than the Federal limits.

PFOA and related chemicals concern other scientists and regulators because the compounds don’t break down and they stay in human blood for at least four years. They have also shown up in foods such as apples, bread, beans and ground beef.  More than likely due to a transfer from the contaminated water.

More information is available through the Chicago Tribune.