This morning, the Union of Concerned Scientists hosted another webinar from the National Academy of Sciences presenting the results of their work on climate change. This one addressed 'Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change.'
I posted a diary last week about the first webinar. In it, I provided the background for the studies, and links to the reports that came out of the work.
Today, I will summarize the conclusions of this second report presented in the webinar. You can read a brief summary of it here.
But, first, a personal note.
When I posted last Friday afternoon, I didn't know that the Senate was on the verge of kicking the climate legislation can down the road and out of sight. All I knew was that I had been so impressed with the UCS effort to set up these webinars. The work the NAS had done is incredible. The reports are informative, compelling, and accessible to readers from any background. I was so jazzed that this information was coming out at this precise time...when the Senate was about to pull together at least some legislation that would at least begin to address the issue of climate change.
I went off with my family, and just had a fine summer weekend, (car) camping at the 'Hardtimes Bluegrass Festival'. Great music, great people-watching, great weather.
Good thing I got 'refueled'; I returned to civilization to find that everything we had been banking on from the Senate was kaput for now and the foreseeable future.
Everything I care about on this earth, all the natural systems that keep everything chugging along in sync, all the plants and animals I love both here around me and everywhere else on this diverse planet, is in greater peril of disappearing or being reduced to something unrecognizable because of the Senate's inaction. Incredible.
I'm furious, worried, disappointed. But I'm not done trying to push for something to be done at the federal level. Because it will only be when we as a nation develop a strategy to address the threat of climate change that truly significant, meaningful steps can be taken. Until it happens, there is still work to be done. Personal efforts to reduce my carbon footprint. Local steps that can be taken. And, always, pushing the message...climate change is occurring, fossil fuels are the culprits, and we can and must reduce their use.
So it is heartening to me that we just keep going with our planned events. Getting the message out. Continuing the conversation. And today, UCS and the NAS did just that. I feel reinvigorated. These folks didn't dwell on what didn't happen in the Senate last week. (In fact, not a word was mentioned.) They have a role to play in developing a response to climate change, and they're continuing to do it. And, I might add, the service on these 4 panels by experts from around the nation is volunteer.
So, to the meat of the report. From the news release at the time of publication in May:
Substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions will require prompt and sustained efforts to promote major technological and behavioral changes, says Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change, another of the new reports. Although limiting emissions must be a global effort to be effective, strong U.S. actions to reduce emissions will help encourage other countries to do the same. In addition, the U.S. could establish itself as a leader in developing and deploying the technologies necessary to limit and adapt to climate change.
Robert Fri and Laurie Gellar were the presenters today, panel leader and director, respectively. In introductory remarks, Ms. Gellar noted that scientists don't normally do policy. In this case, however, for this report, they did.
A 'robust' U.S. response to climate change is necessary. It needs to include
- a prompt and sustained effort to reduce greenhouse gases,
- a national framework for aligning the goals and efforts of actors at all levels, and
- be durable but at the same time adaptable, so change can be incorporated as we learn and innovate.
The report identified 7 core strategies for policy-makers. You can find them in the report. They include the need for some type of economy-wide carbon pricing system, and complimentary policies that range from energy efficiency to investment in new technologies.
I was disappointed to see that carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)was given strong support. To me, this is an unproven, expensive boondoggle, the coal industry's last chance to make huge amounts of money before it disappears. However, this panel believes a huge infusion of R&D money is necessary to demonstrate either that CCS won't work or to develop a way to make it work in a cost effective manner.
They do recommend that accelerated retirement of GHG-intensive (i.e. coal) infrastructure occur. However, their stance is that coal is going to continue to provide energy for a long time. Even if we shift to natural gas, with one half the GHG emmissions of coal, that's still a lot of carbon that we need to get out of the atmosphere. (I'm still unconvinced.)
In any case, I've provided a link to the report in brief. You can also access the full report, and read it online or buy it here.
We need to keep pushing for what we know we need to do. We need to stay informed. Keep the faith!