Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Solar Energy News .




CLIMATE SCIENCE
Report sees hefty cost of climate change on US economy
by Staff Writers
New York (AFP) June 24, 2014


Both sides claim victory in Supreme Court case on EPA authority
Washington (UPI) Jun 24, 2013 - A Supreme Court decision on the Environmental Protection Agency's authority over emissions earned rare claims of victory from both sides of the debate.

The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision the EPA overstepped its authority in certain provisions of the Clean Air Act that cover emissions from all new or modified power plants and by changing the emissions thresholds for greenhouse gases, an action the court said only Congress could take.

The American Petroleum Institute, which represents the interests of the energy sector, said the high court's decision eases the EPA's grip over refineries and other production sources.

"It is a stark reminder that the EPA's power is not unlimited," API vice president and general counsel Harry Ng said in a statement Monday.

The court's decision means the EPA can still oversee more than 80 percent of all greenhouse gases emitted nationwide from stationary sources.

David Doniger, director of the Climate and Clean Air Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the court upheld the "most important" parts of the EPA's authority under the Clean Air Act, those related to carbon pollution emitted by automobiles and power plants.

Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrote the lead opinion in the case, said the "EPA is getting almost everything it wanted in this case."

The US faces huge economic costs from climate change, including massive property loss from sea-level rise and major declines in some crop yields, according to a bipartisan report released Tuesday.

The report, titled "Risky Business" and backed by former Treasury Secretaries Henry Paulson and Robert Rubin and others, said the price of continued US policy foot-dragging on climate change will vary by region.

Based on current trends, between $66 billion and $106 billion of existing coastal property will be below sea level by 2050, with as much as $507 billion worth below sea level by 2100, the report said. The worst impacts are forecast in the eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast.

More extreme heat will weigh the economy. By the middle of the century, the average American will likely see 27 to 90 days over 95 degrees Fahrenheit each year, two or three times more than the average over the last 30 years.

This shift will hit productivity in construction, agriculture and other outdoor occupations, the report said. The impact will be worst in the southwest, southeast and upper midwest, where demand for air conditioning will surge.

Hotter weather could also result in a fall in average annual crop yields of 50-70 percent in the southeast, lower Great Plains and midwest of such goods as corn, soy, cotton and wheat, the report said.

While food systems are generally resilient at a national level, the shifts "still carry risks for the individual farming communities most vulnerable to projected climatic changes," the report said.

The report, released by Paulson and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and billionaire Democratic donor and climate activist Thomas Steyer, said the response of the agriculture industry, bond markets and other pockets of the economy show climate change is beginning to be addressed by decision-makers.

"But business still tends to respond only to the extent that these risks intersect with short term financial and planning decisions," the report said.

"American businesses should play an active role in helping the public sector determine how best to react to the risks and costs posed by climate change, and how to set the rules that move the country forward in a new, more sustainable direction."

The report called for more muscular US policy to cut emissions and adapt to a changing climate. But it did not include specific proposals or discuss leading controversies, such as the debate on the Keystone pipeline.

.


Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








CLIMATE SCIENCE
Court mostly backs US effort to cut greenhouse gases
Washington (AFP) June 23, 2014
The Supreme Court on Monday nibbled away at President Barack Obama's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions but broadly upheld the effort to fight climate change. Responding to a lawsuit by energy businesses, the top US court took issue with one root argument of the Obama administration - that the Environmental Protection Agency has the power under the landmark Clean Air Act to rest ... read more


CLIMATE SCIENCE
In Austria, heat is 'recycled' from the sewer

Genome could unlock eucalyptus potential for paper, fuel and fiber

More than just food for koalas -- eucalyptus -- a global tree for fuel and fiber

EU agrees plan to cap use of food-based biofuels

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Japan robot firm showcases thought-controlled suits

Japan PM Abe wants to stage 2020 Robot Olympics

Capabilities of unmanned ground vehicles on display

Supercomputer emulates teenager to pass 'Turing Test'

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Offshore wind dominates British renewable power sector

Scotland boasts of financial weight behind climate change fight

Massachusetts to host sixth U.S. lease for offshore wind energy

London signs off on 240-turbine offshore wind farm

CLIMATE SCIENCE
NMSU PACE team develops mobile transportation device

Hybrid Vehicles More Fuel Efficient In India, China Than in US

Google Android software spreading to cars, watches, TV

Toyota names price for new fuel cell car

CLIMATE SCIENCE
New Look At Skyrmions Holds Promise For Spintronics

Researchers developing cheap, better-performing lithium-ion batteries

Light-emitting diode treatments outperform traditional lighting methods

USC scientists create new battery that's cheap, clean, rechargeable...and organic

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Angry scenes as Japan's TEPCO shareholders demand end to nuclearw

Fukushima operator eyes wholesale power market in Europe: report

Russia says Bushehr nuclear expansion contract to be signed by year's end

Hungary approves 10 billion euro Russia loan for nuclear upgrade

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Zimbabwe switches $1.3 bn China power tender: minister

Net energy analysis should become a standard policy tool

Both sides claim victory in Supreme Court case on EPA authority

New voluntary measure aimed at protecting U.S. energy from cyberattacks

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Incentives as effective as penalties for slowing Amazon deforestation

Australian greens hail Tasmanian Wilderness decision

Conifers may give way to a more broad-leafed forest in the next century

Discovery of a bud-break gene could lead to trees adapted for a changing climate




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.