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Environmental and Energy Study InstituteEnergy & Climate Program
Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)
1112 16th Street
NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20036Map thisEESI’s Energy and Climate Program seeks to “change the political climate for climate change” and to help foster a low carbon energy revolution by supporting policy changes and strategies that will mitigate climate change while reaping the environmental, economic, national security and public health...
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Report on How to Boost Cities’ Resiliency to Climate ChangeOn August 6, the United Nations announced the release of its guide, “Climate Resilient Cities: A Primer on Reducing Vulnerabilities to Climate Change Impacts and Strengthening Disaster Risk Management in East Asian Cities.” The guidebook explains the causes and effects of climate change and multi-hazard risk reduction, and was designed to help cities develop plans for effective disaster recovery and adaptation that can best protect cities during future climate events. This is especially important in East Asia, which the report cited as one of the world’s most vulnerable areas. “Ultimately, the cities hardest hit by climate change will be the ones least prepared,” said Neeraj Prasad, the World Bank’s Lead Environmental Specialist for the region. Some recommended measures include raising awareness of global warming’s impact, improving infrastructure and increasing the use of energy-efficient public transport use.
Global Warming Tied to Flooding RainsThe August 8 issue of the journal Science released a report linking global warming to more severe rainfall. "A warmer atmosphere contains larger amounts of moisture which boosts the intensity of heavy downpours," said Dr. Brian J. Soden, associate professor at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. This could result in harsher floods, destruction of crops and an increased spread of diseases like malaria. “Such changes in extreme rainfall are quite important in my view, as flash flooding is produced by the extreme rain events,” said Dr. Anthony J. Broccoli, the director for the Center for Environmental Prediction at Rutgers University. “In the U.S., flooding is a greater cause of death than lightning or tornadoes, and presumably poses similar risks elsewhere.”
China Launches Environmental ExchangeOn August 5, China launched environment and energy exchanges in Shanghai and Beijing, as part of its efforts to cut emissions and conserve energy. The exchange will be a trading platform for environmental protection technology as well as sulfur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand emission permits. "The establishment of the environment and energy exchange can help transfer the past government-administrated energy allocation into the market," said Luo Xinyu, general manager of the Shanghai United Assets and Equity Exchange.
Study Links Melting Arctic to Climate ChangeOn August 1, scientists linked melting ice in the Arctic to global warming and predicted that combined with natural variability the Arctic could be ice-free within five years. Igor Polyakov, of the International Arctic Research Centre in Fairbanks, Alaska, explained, "A combination of these two forces leads to what we observe now and we should not ignore either force. There have been numerous models run that have looked at (the two forces) and basically they can't reproduce the ice loss we've had with natural variability. You have to add a carbon dioxide warming component to it." Permafrost in Siberia and Alaska are also at risk of melting, which may lead to the destruction of roads, bridges, railways and pipelines.
Report On Climate ModelsUS Climate Change Science Program Issues Report On Climate Models
On July 31, the US Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) announced the release of the report “Climate Models: An Assessment of Strengths and Limitations.” Developed under the leadership of the US Department of Energy (DOE), this report describes computer models of the Earth’s climate and their ability to simulate current climate change. The report also assesses the models’ ability to reproduce observed climate features and their sensitivity to changes in conditions such as atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide.
Investment in Renewable Energy Reaches $100 BillionThe United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) says that new data in its report "Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2007" shows that investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency industries set a new record of more than $100 billion worth of transactions in 2006.
