Sea Level Rise: Article on Impacts of Shore Protection and the Issues At Stake in “Stop the Beach Renourishment v. FDEP”

A recent study by 12 authors from governmental, academic and non-governmental organizations highlights what may be at stake in cases such as Stop the Beach Renourishment v. Florida Department of Environmental Protection  (being argued before the US Supreme Court on Wednesday, Dec. 2) and Severance v. Patterson

In addition to the article reporting the study, the researchers have complied planning maps and statewide summaries.

Here is the abstract for the article (“State and local governments plan for development of most land vulnerable to rising sea level along the US Atlantic coast,” Environ. Res. Lett. 4 (2009) ):

“Rising sea level threatens existing coastal wetlands. Overall ecosystems could often survive by migrating inland, if adjacent lands remained vacant. On the basis of 131 state and local land use plans, we estimate that almost 60% of the land below 1 m along the US Atlantic coast is expected to be developed and thus unavailable for the inland migration of wetlands. Less than 10% of the land below 1 m has been set aside for conservation. Environmental regulators routinely grant permits for shore protection structures (which block wetland migration) on the basis of a federal finding that these structures have no cumulative environmental impact. Our results suggest that shore protection does have a cumulative impact. If sea level rise is taken into account, wetland policies that previously seemed to comply with federal law probably violate the Clean Water Act.”

Thanks to Jim Titus for passing along this information, as well as the following list of relevant press coverage of the issues:

Editorials

http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/story/166622.html

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/story/1032197.html

News

Pennsylvania

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/daily/20091028_Wave_of_protection_or_peril_.html

Delaware

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20091105/NEWS08/911050348

Maryland

http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20091029/NEWS01/910290358/-1/newsfront2/Worcester-s-soggy-fate

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/bal-md.gr.sealevel28oct28,0,2629786.story

Washington, DC

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/27/AR2009102703915.html

North Carolina

http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/story/166622.html

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/161334.html

South Carolina

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/nov/14/study-expect-fortifications-in-future-against/

Georgia

http://savannahnow.com/news/2009-11-09/seas-rise-planning-starts

Florida

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-10-27/story/rising_seas_could_soak_taxpayers_study_says

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/1303473.html

New book on justice/CC

Title: World Ethics and Climate Change: From International to Global Justice
Author: Paul G. Harris
Publication Date: Nov 2009
Dimensions: 234 x 156 mm
Length: 224 pages
Series: Edinburgh Studies in World Ethics
http://www.eupjournals.com/book/978-0-7486-3910-6

Summary: More than two decades of international negotiations have failed to stem emissions of greenhouse gases that are causing global warming and climate change. This book identifies a way to escape this ongoing tragedy of the atmospheric commons. It takes a fresh approach to the ethics and practice of international environmental justice and proposes fundamental adjustments to the climate change regime, in the process drawing support from cosmopolitan ethics and global conceptions of justice. The author argues for ‘cosmopolitan diplomacy’, which sees people, rather than states alone, as the causes of climate change and the bearers of related rights, duties and obligations.

Key Features:
–Describes the role of ethics and justice in world affairs and demonstrates that climate change is a matter of extreme injustice.
–Summarizes and critiques the flawed doctrine of international (interstate) justice upon which governments have premised climate change agreements and policies.
–Examines the practical and ethical significance for climate change of growing numbers of new consumers in the developing world.
–Proposes a cosmopolitan approach to climate change that is more principled, more practical and more politically viable than current international policies.
–For lecturers and students, a companion World Ethics and Climate Change learning guide is freely downloadable from www.euppublishing.com
–All of the author’s royalties are directly paid to OXFAM in support of the world’s poor, who are most harmed by – and least responsible for – climate change.

Contents: Preface; Introduction; Part I: The Challenge; 1. Global Climate Change; 2. Justice in a Changing World; Part II: International Justice; 3. International Environmental Justice; 4. International Justice and Climate Change; Part III: Global Justice; 5. Cosmopolitan Ethics and Justice; 6. Affluence, Consumption and Atmospheric Pollution; 7. Cosmopolitan Diplomacy and Climate Policy; 8. The Unavoidability of Global Justice; References; Index.

Early Review: “Paul Harris argues that affluent people everywhere are, by their contributions to climate change, violating the rights of the poor. He makes a powerful case for focusing on individual rights and responsibilities in the framework of a new world ethic. I hope this book will be widely read, and acted upon.” Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University

Orders (UK): http://www.eupjournals.com/book/978-0-7486-3910-6
Orders (USA): http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-7486-3911-3/world-ethics-and-climate-change

Inspection Copies: Inspection copies are made available to teaching staff and are sent at the discretion of Edinburgh University Press. Only paperback editions of our course books are available for inspection. A maximum of 3 books are available per year. North American customers: please contact the relevant co-publisher or distributor for your area. Details can be found on the Book Home page: http://www.eupjournals.com/book/978-0-7486-3910-6

New Book:World Ethics and Climate Change

Title: World Ethics and Climate Change: From International to Global Justice
Author: Paul G. Harris
Publication Date: Nov 2009
Dimensions: 234 x 156 mm
Length: 224 pages
Series: Edinburgh Studies in World Ethics
http://www.eupjournals.com/book/978-0-7486-3910-6

Summary: More than two decades of international negotiations have failed to stem emissions of greenhouse gases that are causing global warming and climate change. This book identifies a way to escape this ongoing tragedy of the atmospheric commons. It takes a fresh approach to the ethics and practice of international environmental justice and proposes fundamental adjustments to the climate change regime, in the process drawing support from cosmopolitan ethics and global conceptions of justice. The author argues for ‘cosmopolitan diplomacy’, which sees people, rather than states alone, as the causes of climate change and the bearers of related rights, duties and obligations.

Key Features:
–Describes the role of ethics and justice in world affairs and demonstrates that climate change is a matter of extreme injustice.
–Summarizes and critiques the flawed doctrine of international (interstate) justice upon which governments have premised climate change agreements and policies.
–Examines the practical and ethical significance for climate change of growing numbers of new consumers in the developing world.
–Proposes a cosmopolitan approach to climate change that is more principled, more practical and more politically viable than current international policies.
–For lecturers and students, a companion World Ethics and Climate Change learning guide is freely downloadable from www.euppublishing.com
–All of the author’s royalties are directly paid to OXFAM in support of the world’s poor, who are most harmed by – and least responsible for – climate change.

Contents: Preface; Introduction; Part I: The Challenge; 1. Global Climate Change; 2. Justice in a Changing World; Part II: International Justice; 3. International Environmental Justice; 4. International Justice and Climate Change; Part III: Global Justice; 5. Cosmopolitan Ethics and Justice; 6. Affluence, Consumption and Atmospheric Pollution; 7. Cosmopolitan Diplomacy and Climate Policy; 8. The Unavoidability of Global Justice; References; Index.

Early Review: “Paul Harris argues that affluent people everywhere are, by their contributions to climate change, violating the rights of the poor. He makes a powerful case for focusing on individual rights and responsibilities in the framework of a new world ethic. I hope this book will be widely read, and acted upon.” Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University

Orders (UK): http://www.eupjournals.com/book/978-0-7486-3910-6
Orders (USA): http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-7486-3911-3/world-ethics-and-climate-change

Inspection Copies: Inspection copies are made available to teaching staff and are sent at the discretion of Edinburgh University Press. Only paperback editions of our course books are available for inspection. A maximum of 3 books are available per year. North American customers: please contact the relevant co-publisher or distributor for your area. Details can be found on the Book Home page: http://www.eupjournals.com/book/978-0-7486-3910-6

New symposium issue on climate justice

The Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, as part of its occasional paper series, has just published a series of essays on climate justice issues, Contours of Climate Justice: Ideas for Shaping New Climate & Energy Policies. Many of these essays would be excellent student readings, presenting voices from the feminist community and the South that are often not heard by our students, and likely to generate some really good discussion on equity and justice issues associated with international climate regimes. The table of contents for the issue is listed below.

Preface ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9
Ulrich Brand, Nicola Bullard, Edgardo Lander and Tadzio Mueller
Radical climate change politics in Copenhagen and beyond: From criticism to action? ……..9
part 1: How did we get here in the fi rst place? ……………………………………………………… 17
Ewa Charkiewicz
A feminist critique of the climate change discourse. From biopolitics to necropolitics? …….. 18
Achim Brunnengräber
Kyoto´s ‘fl exible mechanisms’ and the right to pollute the air ……………………………… 26
Eduardo Gudynas
Climate change and capitalism’s ecological fi x in Latin America …………………………. 36
Walden Bello
The deadly triad: Climate change, free trade and capitalism ……………………………….. 42
part 2 : Wrong turns, dead-ends and cross-roads …………………………………………………… 45
Simone Lovera
REDD realities ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 46
Tadzio Mueller and Alexis Passadakis
Green capitalism and the climate: It’s economic growth, stupid! ………………………….. 54
Anne Laure Constantin
Fixing the world’s climate ‘foodprint’ ……………………………………………………………… 62
Mike Hodson and Simon Marvin
The right to the city – energy and climate change …………………………………………….. 70
part 3 : Mapping (and walking) the terrain of climate justice …………………………………… 79
Gopal Dayaneni
Climate justice in the US ………………………………………………………………………………. 80
Wolfgang Sachs
Climate change and human rights ………………………………………………………………….. 85
Kolya Abramsky
Energy, crisis and world-wide production relations …………………………………………… 92
Enrique Leff
Degrowth, or deconstruction of the economy: Towards a sustainable world ………………101
Alberto Acosta
The rights of nature, new forms of citizenship and the Good Life
– Echoes of the Constitución de Montecristi in Ecuador ………………………………….. 108

Free Webinar on Copenhagen

The Road to Copenhagen: Understanding the Negotiating Table at COP-15 Friday, December 4, 2009 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm (Eastern)

Please visit http://www.ACCOonline.org/events.html to register for this event.

SPEAKERS:

Glenn Prickett – Senior Vice President & Executive Director, Conservation International

Lisa Jacobson – President, Business Council for Sustainable Energy

David Thomas – First Secretary, Energy and Environment, British Embassy, Washington

EVENT DESCRIPTION:

Since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) entered into force, the parties have been meeting annually in Conferences of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with climate change, and beginning in the mid-1990s, to negotiate international accords to establish legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. In December 2009, the 15th Conference of Parties will assemble to revisit the Kyoto Protocol and seek to develop a worldwide consensus on regulating greenhouse gas emissions in developed and developing countries.

ACCO and BNA invite you to a presentation on what to expect from COP-15, with an interactive question-and-answer session, analysis of impacts on industry, and next steps for those who will be participating in activities in Copenhagen. During this 90-minute presentation, the panelists will:

– Review the negotiating process and identify major players;

– Highlight opportunities for success and challenging issues requiring resolution;

– Discuss the anticipated U.S. strategy entering into the negotiations;

– Assess how the activities of subnational governments and other regimes such as the Montreal Protocol may inform these negotiations; and

– Forecast results from the negotiations.

Please visit http://www.ACCOonline.org/events.html to register for this event.

New Article on Aragonite Undersaturation in the Arctic Ocean

Many of the articles on ocean acidification denominate it the “other carbon dioxide problem,” emphasizing that it is a discrete manifestation of rising carbon dioxide levels. However a new article in the journal Science, Yamamoto-Kawai, et al., Aragonite Undersaturation in the Arctic Ocean: Effects of Ocean Acidification and Sea Ice Melt, 326 Science 1098-1100 (2009) (subscription required), emphasizes that one manifestation of warming associated with rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions, sea ice melt, can also exacerbate ocean acidification. The researchers assessed the impacts of accelerating declines of summer sea ice extent in the Arctic Ocean during the 2000s.

Among the take-aways from the article:

  1. The Southern Ocean is predicted to become undersaturated with respect to aragonite by 2030, and in the North Pacific by 2100; Arctic surface waters will become undersaturated with aragonite within a decade.  This is attributable to freshening related to sea ice melting and increased carbon uptake related to sea ice retreat;
  2. Aragonite saturation has already decreased in the top 50 meters of the Canada Basin; this is the layer in which rapid uptake of carbon dioxide occurs and increased freshwater inputs take place;
    1. This could have serious implications for many species of marine organisms, including coccolithophore, foraminfera, pteropods, mussels and clams. For example, aragonite shell-forming pteropods are concentrated in the top 50 meters
  3. Populations of both planktonic and benthic calcifying organisms in the Canadian Basin are already being affected by the rapid transition to undersaturation in the Arctic environment, another “canary in the coal mine” in terms of climate impacts.


Participatory Learning in Climate Change Law, Part 2

This is the second in a series of posts about participatory learning activities for a Climate Change Law & Policy course. Several weeks into the semester, I teach a class on state and local efforts to address climate change, and I set up a debate. This post will describe how this class works.

The first half of the class consists of lecture and discussion about the relevant laws and policies being developed at the regional level (i.e. RGGI, WCI); state level (i.e. renewable portfolio standards, net metering, state climate action plans); and local level (i.e. US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement). Then our attention turns to California, which is still the only state with a state-wide program that caps greenhouse gas emissions from major industries and includes enforceable penalties for non-compliance. We talk about the history of California’s leadership in air pollution law, the state’s vehicle emissions standards for greenhouse gases (AB1493), and, of course, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB32).

Then we have the debate:

Resolved: The Governor of California should suspend The Global Warming Solutions Act pursuant to the power given to him to do so by its Section 38599 [which allows the Governor to adjust the statutory deadlines because of “extraordinary circumstances, catastrophic events, or threat of significant economic harm.”]

Debate Format:
– Students who favor the debate resolution sit on one side of the classroom, and those who oppose it sit on the other.
– Two students on each side present initial arguments (I ask for volunteers). I also ask for a volunteer from each side to be a summary speaker. These students’ role is to take notes on the most compelling reasons presented by their side and to give a closing argument.
– Then I moderate the debate to get as many students as possible to speak, helping speakers refine their arguments, eliciting rebuttals, and trying to keep the discussion from meandering.
– The summary speakers give their closing arguments.

This works really well to get students arguing about whether AB32 is good for California (and the country and the world). Those favoring the resolution make a lot of arguments about the need to protect California jobs and cost of living, and the need the address climate change through national and international law rather than state law. Those against the resolution argue that the state will benefit by transitioning early to a low carbon economy; that California can can serve as a “policy laboratory” and spur federal action; and that states have primary jurisdiction over a lot of relevant policy areas like electricity generation, agriculture, and land use. Finally, if we have time, I end the class with a discussion about what has motivated all the regional, state and local action.

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ETFRN Report on Forests & Climate Change

The European Tropical Forest Research Network (ETFRN) recently released a report titled “Forests and Climate Change: adaptation and mitigation.”  Among other things, the report highlights the importance of ensuring that adaptation be considered in the mechanism addressing reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) likely to be a part of a post-Kyoto agreement.  As I’ve said previously and elsewhere several times, REDD presents an incredible opportunity to link issue areas and create regulatory incentives.  To realize this potential, however, much work is required to secure incentives within the REDD mechanism for biodiversity protection (and perhaps other issues).

New Earthscan Earthcast on CC

For those of you who like to include webcasts in your classes, there’s a good one coming up from Earthscan publications.

Tim Jackson, who developed the first Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare for the UK, has published a new book entitled Prosperity Without Growth, which focuses on the climate issue. Earthscan will be featuring him in a panel discussion, which will include ecological economists Robert Costanza of the University of Vermont and Peter Victor of York University.

The webcast will tale place at 12.00pm EST on November 25. To register for the webcast, go to: www.earthscan.co.uk/earthcasts. You’ll also find an archive of past webcasts there and some excellent Power Point slides from past presentations, three of which focused on climate change topics.

Current negotiating positions of major emitters pre-Copenhagen

FACTBOX: Climate Negotiating Positions Of Top Emitters

Date: 19-Nov-09
Country: US
Author: Reuters

Russia toughened on Wednesday its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, saying it would target a 25 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2020 compared with a 10-15 percent pledge previously.

Following are the negotiating positions of the top greenhouse gas emitters before a U.N. meeting in Copenhagen in December due to agree a new global climate deal.

1) CHINA (annual emissions of greenhouse gases: 6.8 billion tonnes, 5.5 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – President Hu Jintao promised that China would cut its carbon dioxide emissions per dollar of economic output by a “notable margin” by 2020 compared with 2005. The “carbon intensity” goal is the first measurable curb on national emissions in China. Hu reiterated a promise that China would try to raise the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to 15 percent by 2020.

* Demands – China wants developed nations to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 and to promise far more aid and green technology.

2) UNITED STATES (6.4 billion tonnes, 21.2 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – President Barack Obama wants to cut U.S. emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020, a 17 percent cut from 2005 levels, and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

* Obama says he wants an accord in Copenhagen that covers all the issues and that has “immediate operational effect.

Legislation to cut emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels had been approved by a Senate Committee but people few think it can become law before the Copenhagen talks.

* Finance – The United States says a “dramatic increase” is needed in funds to help developing nations.

* Demands – “We cannot meet this challenge unless all the largest emitters of greenhouse gas pollution act together,” Obama said.

3) EUROPEAN UNION (5.03 billion tonnes, 10.2 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – EU leaders agreed in December 2008 to cut emissions by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and by 30 percent if other developed nations follow suit.

* Finance – EU leaders have agreed that developing nations will need about 100 billion euros ($147 billion) a year by 2020 to help them curb emissions and adapt to changes such as floods or heatwaves. As an advance payment, they suggest 5-7 billion a year between 2010 and 2012.

* Demands – The EU wants developing nations to curb the rise of their emissions by 15 to 30 percent below a trajectory of “business as usual” by 2020.

4) RUSSIA (1.7 billion tonnes, 11.9 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – Cut greenhouse gases by 22-25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. That means a rise from now — emissions were 34 percent below 1990 levels in 2007.

5) INDIA (1.4 billion tonnes, 1.2 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – India is prepared to quantify the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it could cut with domestic actions, but will not accept internationally binding targets, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said. [ID:nDEL381436]. India has said its per capita emissions will never rise to match those of developed nations.

* Demands – Like China, India wants rich nations to cut emissions by at least 40 percent by 2020. But Ramesh signaled room to compromise: “It’s a negotiation. We’ve given a number of 40 percent but one has to be realistic.

6) JAPAN (1.4 billion tonnes, 11.0 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – Cut Japan’s emissions by 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 if Copenhagen agrees an ambitious deal.

* Finance – Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told the United Nations that Tokyo would also step up aid.

7) SOUTH KOREA (142 million tonnes, 2.9 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – Cut emissions by 30 percent below “business as usual” levels by 2020, which is equivalent to a 4 percent cut from 2005 levels.

8) BRAZIL (111 million tonnes, 0.6 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – Will cut its emissions by between 36.1 percent and 38.9 percent from projected 2020 levels, representing a 20 percent cut below 2005 levels.

9) INDONESIA (100 million tonnes, 0.4 tonnes per capita)

* Emissions – Aims to cut emissions by 26 percent by 2020 below “business as usual” levels.

Taking CO2 from deforestation into account, Indonesia is the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases.