Obama, making climate policy changes
Posted on 22:15 by Carlos Paniagua
More important than Copenhagen? U.S.-China deal on energy and climate
When the presidents of the two nations that are responsible for 40 percent of Earth's climate-changing greenhouse gases sit down to talk, big things can happen. In the case of Barack Obama and Hu Jintao on Monday and Tuesday, that meant flatly stating that emission reduction targets should be set at an international negotiation on climate change in Copenhagen this December, along with financial assistance figures to help poorer countries mitigate emissions and adapt to a changing climate. Oh, and the world should cut back on deforestation.
Adding those three puzzle pieces together could amount to solving half the globe's climate problem despite involving just four countries—besides the U.S. and China, count in Brazil and Indonesia, which could do plenty by cutting back on their rainforest clearing activities.
But during their summit this week, Jintao and Obama also laid out a comprehensive program to address the clean energy challenge facing both nations, which would go a long way toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To wit:
• the opening of a joint clean energy research center (pdf) with $75 million in funding from China and the U.S. over the next five years. Goals? Energy efficiency, "clean coal" and clean vehicles, among others;
• Electric vehicle demonstration projects (pdf) and the development of joint standards for the new technology;
• Joint building efficiency standards, including inspector and auditor training;
• Renewable energy development roadmaps for both countries, including grid modernization;
• U.S. assessment of Chinese shale gas (pdf) potential as well as help with development of this lower carbon fuel;
• 22 U.S. companies to help develop clean energy projects in China, including alternative energy, a "smart" grid and greater energy efficiency, among others;
• corporate and government cooperation on "21st Century Coal," such as developing carbon capture and storage at the so-called GreenGen plant and gasification of coal to help remove pollution before combustion, among other efforts.
Coal is clearly the linchpin of any efforts to address greenhouse gas emissions from the two countries: the U.S. gets half its power from the dirty black rock and China more than 80 percent. In fact, burning coal is the main reason the two countries lead the world in producing global warming pollution. And coal has now surpassed oil as the fossil fuel producing the most greenhouse gases (ending a 40-year run for petroleum), according to the Global Carbon Project, thanks largely to a rapid increase in its burning in China, India and other developing countries.
But as far as efforts to clean coal go, there is currently only one project in the world that both captures and stores the CO2 that would otherwise be emitted from a coal-fired power plant—Mountaineer Power Plant in West Virginia. And that demonstration project captures just 1.5 percent of that 1,3000 megawatt coal-fired power plant's emissions, or 0.00001 percent of global emissions of the greenhouse gas. China and the U.S. working together to solve climate change is exactly what the planet needs, yet it's clear there is a long way to go. In fact, European and environmentalist commentators have charged Obama with being "dishonest" or "fibbing" about climate change.
However, as an ancient (and possibly apocryphal) Chinese philosopher mused: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Could this historic visit and agreement be that step for climate change?
Fuente: Scientific American, http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=more-important-than-copenhagen-us-c-2009-11-17
Obama and (climate) change: Indian edition
The U.S. launched this week a historic program to advance clean energy in India—where simply moving the 40 percent of the South Asian nation's citizens who still burn coal, dung or wood to electricity could deliver major improvements for development, clean air and climate. Last week, it was a similar historic program to advance clean energy with China as well as a shared commitment to meaningful steps as part of the upcoming Copenhagen climate talks. And, to top it off, Obama has announced plans to swing by the talks on Dec. 9 as well as to publicly commit to U.S. emission reductions "in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels in 2020 and ultimately in line with final U.S. energy and climate legislation."
By negotiating directly with China and India—as well as neighbors Mexico and Canada—to craft a shared strategy on climate change, the Obama administration has both addressed more than half of global emissions of greenhouse gases and made international consensus in Copenhagen more likely. The president has also gotten both developing countries to agree to actively monitor and announce their greenhouse gas emissions going forward—a key aspect of any international verification system for emission reductions. And China has already committed to keeping the intensity of its emissions 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.
"Based on progress made in recent, constructive discussions with China and India’s Leaders, the President believes it is possible to reach a meaningful agreement in Copenhagen," according to a prepared statement from the White House. "The President’s decision to go is a sign of his continuing commitment and leadership to find a global solution to the global threat of climate change, and to lay the foundation for a new, sustainable and prosperous clean energy future."
A big part of that foundation will be developing the kinds of clean energy technologies discussed with China and India—from coal with carbon capture and storage to new nuclear power plants, and from rural electrification abroad to energy efficiency improvements at home. In particular, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab will partner with India's Solar Energy Centre and Centre for Wind Energy Technology to map potential, develop technology and, ultimately, aid in its deployment—potentially allowing rural Indians to "leapfrog" directly to distributed solar energy, without the need for costly transmission lines. And there will also be enhanced cooperation in agriculture—helping to revitalize the Green Revolution in India that dramatically reduced starvation there in the 20th century.
"India is important to the energy and climate change problem for several reasons," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu during a visit to the country this month. For one, "eighty percent of the infrastructure in India has yet to be built. What we have today and what we are going to have by 2030. So this is an incredible opportunity for India to build its buildings, its cities, its highways, its infrastructure, its transportation in the most energy efficient way possible."
Further, the President outlined his vision for pending climate legislation in the U.S. this week—in addition to the target of reducing emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 (a goal already half-achieved thanks to the Great Recession and other factors), a 30 percent reduction by 2025, 42 percent by 2030 and, ultimately, an 83 percent cut by mid-century.
"The U.S. commitment to specific, mid-term emission cut targets and China's commitment to specific action on energy efficiency can unlock two of the last doors to a comprehensive agreement," said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, of the chances for a global agreement in Copenhagen.
Of course, the shape of any final U.S. commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions will be decided by the U.S. Congress, but the President has a final option should legislators fail to act—regulation under the Clean Air Act by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Fuente: Scientific American, http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=obama-and-climate-change-indian-edi-2009-11-27
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