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Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Daily Environmental Lectures, Events, and News from COP15
The San Francisco Carbon Collaborative, in partnership with other regional climate leaders, is hosting a local hub for climate outreach, education, and action during COP15, the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The Copenhagen Cafe at the Green Zebra Environmental Action Center is a place to gather, to learn, to deliberate, and to act. It is an open and accessible venue for all levels of environmental interest and commitment, and will maintain a direct link between the Bay Area and Denmark during the conference.
The Copenhagen Cafe will be open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. Each morning, there will be a review of the latest news from the COP15 Climate Conference. The Cafe will host introductory talks on a range of climate related topics during the lunch hour. And there will be panels, discussions, and film screenings during the evening.
The programs are free of charge, but the Cafe encourages registration because space is limited.
The Copenhagen Cafe at the Green Zebra Environmental Action Center is a place to gather, to learn, to deliberate, and to act. It is an open and accessible venue for all levels of environmental interest and commitment, and will maintain a direct link between the Bay Area and Denmark during the conference.
The Copenhagen Cafe will be open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. Each morning, there will be a review of the latest news from the COP15 Climate Conference. The Cafe will host introductory talks on a range of climate related topics during the lunch hour. And there will be panels, discussions, and film screenings during the evening.
The programs are free of charge, but the Cafe encourages registration because space is limited.
Greenhouse Gases Threaten Human and Environmental Health
The EPA today formally determined that greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution endangers human health and the environment. Under a Supreme Court ruling, the endangerment finding is needed before the EPA can regulate carbon dioxide and five other GHGs released from automobiles, power plants, and factories under the federal Clean Air Act. This finding sets the stage for EPA to finalize the GHG standards proposed earlier this year for new light-duty vehicles as part of the joint rulemaking with the Department of Transportation. It also allows EPA to move forward with its "tailoring rule", which will require major sources of GHGs to take steps to limit emissions from new facilities by using Best Available Control Technology (BACT).
Read Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's comments on the endangerment finding here.
Read the Associated Press article about the finding here.
Read Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's comments on the endangerment finding here.
Read the Associated Press article about the finding here.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Proposed Amendments to 'New Source Review of Toxic Air Contaminants'
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) is accepting comments through this Thursday, December 3, on proposed amendments to Regulation 2, Rule 5, New Source Review of Toxic Air Contaminants and the Health Risk Screening Analysis (HRSA) Guidelines for this rule.
Regulation 2, Rule 5 prevents significant increases in health risks resulting from new and modified sources of toxic air contaminants based on preconstruction permit review. The program also reduces existing health risks by requiring updated control requirements when older, more highly polluting sources are modified or replaced.
The proposed amendments incorporate revised California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) health risk assessment methodologies for proposed projects throughout the district. The proposed amendments revise Table 2-5-1 to incorporate changes to risk assessment guidelines that have been adopted by OEHHA as of June 1, 2009. These revisions include cancer potency factors, RELs, and emission trigger levels. The proposed amendments contain a toxics tracking provision for each Priority Community under the BAAQMD’s Community Air Risk Evaluation program. Under this provision, the BAAQMD will track and report emissions changes of toxic air contaminants from permitted stationary sources, mobile sources, and area-wide source over time.
On Wednesday, December 16, 2009, the BAAQMD Board of Directors will conduct a public hearing to consider the proposed amendments and to consider adoption of a CEQA Negative Declaration. The hearing will be held in the 7th floor Board Room of the BAAQMD office, 939 Ellis Street, San Francisco, commencing at 9:45 am.
Regulation 2, Rule 5 prevents significant increases in health risks resulting from new and modified sources of toxic air contaminants based on preconstruction permit review. The program also reduces existing health risks by requiring updated control requirements when older, more highly polluting sources are modified or replaced.
The proposed amendments incorporate revised California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) health risk assessment methodologies for proposed projects throughout the district. The proposed amendments revise Table 2-5-1 to incorporate changes to risk assessment guidelines that have been adopted by OEHHA as of June 1, 2009. These revisions include cancer potency factors, RELs, and emission trigger levels. The proposed amendments contain a toxics tracking provision for each Priority Community under the BAAQMD’s Community Air Risk Evaluation program. Under this provision, the BAAQMD will track and report emissions changes of toxic air contaminants from permitted stationary sources, mobile sources, and area-wide source over time.
On Wednesday, December 16, 2009, the BAAQMD Board of Directors will conduct a public hearing to consider the proposed amendments and to consider adoption of a CEQA Negative Declaration. The hearing will be held in the 7th floor Board Room of the BAAQMD office, 939 Ellis Street, San Francisco, commencing at 9:45 am.
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Copenhagen Diagnosis - Interim Climate Science Report
A team of climate scientists has produced The Copenhagen Diagnosis, a summary of peer-reviewed science on the anticipated impacts of anthropogenic climate change.
The purpose of this report is to synthesize the most policy-relevant climate science published since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). Since then, many hundreds of papers have been published on a suite of topics related to human-induced climate changes. The report serves as an interim evaluation of the evolving science, and as a handbook of science updates that supplements the IPCC AR4. (IPCC AR5 is not due for completion until 2013.)
Despite recent revelations and controversy over some data sets and scientists’ actions, the report authors believe that world leaders still have plenty of topics to discuss during the UN Climate Change meeting that begins next week in Copenhagen.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Protecting Ecosystems Saves Money
Natural capital – ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources – underpins economies, societies, and individual well-being. And, according to a new study hosted by the UN Environment Program (UNEP), protecting ecosystems saves money. For example, the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study puts a $2 to 5 trillion price tag on the ongoing cost of forest loss and estimates that potential rates of return can reach 40% for mangrove and woodlands/shrublands, 50% for tropical forests, and 79% for grasslands.
The study highlights that losses in the natural world have direct economic repercussions that we systematically underestimate. Developing our capacity to measure and monitor biodiversity, ecosystems, and the provision of services is an essential step towards better management of our natural capital. Providing evidence of the value of our natural capital to decision-makers paves the way for more targeted and cost-effective solutions. Developing and strengthening policy frameworks to manage the transition to a resource-efficient economy is the way forward. Investing in natural capital can be a cost-effective response to the climate change crisis, support local economies, and create jobs.
Study leader, Pavan Sukhdev, a Deutsche Bank economist, said "We have now evaluated 1,100 studies ranging across different countries and different ecosystem services. And we find that with protected areas, for example, no matter how you slice the figures up you come up with a ratio of benefits to costs that’s between 25-to-one and 100-to-one."
Sukhdev added, "Now we can say quite confidently that there is a solid benefit from investing in protected areas…Establishing reserves, policing them and so on, would cost about $40-50 billion per year – and the annual benefit would be about $4-5 trillion."
The study highlights that losses in the natural world have direct economic repercussions that we systematically underestimate. Developing our capacity to measure and monitor biodiversity, ecosystems, and the provision of services is an essential step towards better management of our natural capital. Providing evidence of the value of our natural capital to decision-makers paves the way for more targeted and cost-effective solutions. Developing and strengthening policy frameworks to manage the transition to a resource-efficient economy is the way forward. Investing in natural capital can be a cost-effective response to the climate change crisis, support local economies, and create jobs.
Study leader, Pavan Sukhdev, a Deutsche Bank economist, said "We have now evaluated 1,100 studies ranging across different countries and different ecosystem services. And we find that with protected areas, for example, no matter how you slice the figures up you come up with a ratio of benefits to costs that’s between 25-to-one and 100-to-one."
Sukhdev added, "Now we can say quite confidently that there is a solid benefit from investing in protected areas…Establishing reserves, policing them and so on, would cost about $40-50 billion per year – and the annual benefit would be about $4-5 trillion."
Quick Survey = Chance to Win $200
Brighter Planet, a company that helps people manage and mitigate their environmental footprint, is offering folks a chance at winning $200 for completing a short survey.
The survey asks approximately 30 easy questions about your company's environmental commitments.
About Brighter Planet:
Brighter Planet offers a free social web application that allows anyone to measure their climate impact, discover tailored conservation tips to save energy and money, create emission-reducing strategies, and share their ideas and experiences. They offer no-fee Visa credit and debit cards that earn innovative rewards that help build renewable energy projects. They also provide offsets and organize web-based campaigns aimed at finding solutions to climate change.
The survey asks approximately 30 easy questions about your company's environmental commitments.
About Brighter Planet:
Brighter Planet offers a free social web application that allows anyone to measure their climate impact, discover tailored conservation tips to save energy and money, create emission-reducing strategies, and share their ideas and experiences. They offer no-fee Visa credit and debit cards that earn innovative rewards that help build renewable energy projects. They also provide offsets and organize web-based campaigns aimed at finding solutions to climate change.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Mostly Good Intentions, Though...
Poll: Sometimes it isn't easy being green
H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press, November 17, 2009
A survey released today suggests people have largely embraced recycling and are inclined to turn down thermostats to save energy. But it also indicated that some paths toward a greener Earth aren't as easily undertaken.
The telephone poll, conducted for The Associated Press and NBC Universal, tries to gauge attitudes about the environment. It found that 60% of those surveyed felt either a "great deal" or "a lot" of personal responsibility to protect the environment, while 37% rarely, if ever, even thought about the environmental impact of their actions.
Other results:
Read the complete article here.
H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press, November 17, 2009
A survey released today suggests people have largely embraced recycling and are inclined to turn down thermostats to save energy. But it also indicated that some paths toward a greener Earth aren't as easily undertaken.
The telephone poll, conducted for The Associated Press and NBC Universal, tries to gauge attitudes about the environment. It found that 60% of those surveyed felt either a "great deal" or "a lot" of personal responsibility to protect the environment, while 37% rarely, if ever, even thought about the environmental impact of their actions.
Other results:
- 72% were very likely to recycle cans and bottles
- 63% were very likely to turn down thermostats
- 62% were very likely to buy energy-efficient appliances
- 59% were very likely to use cold water for clothes washing
- 59% were very likely to buy recycled paper products
- 65% said it's more difficult to use less energy than to use less water
- only 23% were very likely to eat less meat
Read the complete article here.
New Sustainable Remediation Resources
Several new sustainable remediation resources are available via the SURF website:
New LCA study (in "Links") - Life-Cycle Case Study Comparison of Permeable Reactive Barrier versus Pump-and-Treat Remediation, a November 2009 Environmental Science and Technology article by Monica R. Higgins and Terese M. Olson of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
New conference proceedings (in "Links") - GreenRemediation: Incorporating Sustainable Approaches in Site Remediation - International Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, November 9-10, 2009
New paper/presentation on the application of "sustainability" in site cleanup (in "Library") - Developments in Sustainability Assessment within Contaminated Land Management, Perspectives of SuRF-UK and NICOLE, a 2009 paper and presentation by R. Paul Bardos, r3 environmental technology ltd (copyright r3 environmental technology ltd)
California's Mandatory Reported GHG Emissions for 2008
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) is making available to the public a summary of facility greenhouse gas emissions data reported pursuant to the California mandatory GHG emissions reporting program required by the 2006 California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32).
Under the program, California's largest industrial GHG emitters were required to report their emissions for the first time in 2009.
The 2008 GHG emissions data represent the reported emissions from electricity retail providers and marketers and six industrial sectors: cement plants; oil refineries, hydrogen plants, and stationary combustion sources (emitting 25,000 metric tons CO2 or greater per year); and electricity-generating facilities and cogeneration facilities (≥1 megawatt generating capacity and emitting 2,500 metric tons CO2 or greater per year).
The emissions reported by facilities through the Mandatory Reporting Program represent approximately 40 percent of California's statewide greenhouse gas emissions.
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