Adam Dunstan, Department of Anthropology, University at Buffalo
As usual, I have divided this column into three sections, “Tribal Environmental Developments”, “National Environmental Developments” and “International Environmental Developments”.
In tribal issues, we have various stories dealing with the interactions of tribal sovereignty and environmental pollution (see, for example, “Pollution Threatens Treaty Rights, warns Billy Frank, Jr.”, and “Oil Spills near Tribal Lands in Montana”). We have stories of tribes who have won legal victories (“Victory for Native American Activists in Vallejo Case”) and we have stories of tribes who have lost legal battles (“Lax Kw’alaams lose Commercial Fishery Rights Case”). It is a mixed climate across the country for environmental issues among the tribes.
In national issues, we have a number of stories about the easing or delay of new EPA regulations which have come under fire in the legislature and from various states (“ style='color:black;background:white'>Coal Ash Regulations Challenged”, “Coal Rule Deadline Postponed One Month“, “New E.P.A. Smog Rule Eased”, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards Delayed”). Many of the challengers to these rules express concerns over pollution regulations in a time of economic challenge. Conversely, we have a story about California adopting new pollution legislation (“Cap-and-Trade Greenhouse Gas System Adopted in California”).
On the international level, there are many concerns about climate change and how this and other environmental issues might affect the global poor (“Environmental Stress will Cause Migration and Poverty”, “Climate change Expected to Increase Malaria in Himalayas”). Some environmental issues are already impacting peoples’ lives negatively (“Flooding in Thailand”, “Somalia Famine Kills 29,000 Children”). Meanwhile, new research has been released on the directions of climate change, some of which I have summarized here.
Taking a holistic point of view, we see that none of these are isolated issues. Although we can divide a column into tribal, national, and international environmental developments, in reality– common threads run through them all, and decisions in one sphere leave ripples on the other. Climate change in particular is a concern and a reality that does not confine itself to one sphere. It affects tribes (“Climate Change imperils Sacred Foods of Northwest Tribes”), the United States (“Climate Change likely to Cause Water Problems”), and the rest of the planet (“Climate change Expected to Increase Malaria in Himalayas”).
Because these issues are not isolated, we cannot allow our perspectives to be isolated. With that in mind I present this installation of “environmental developments”.
Adam Dunstan
Tribal Environmental Developments
Oil Spills near Tribal Lands in Montana
The EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division is now reviewing a failure by an oil company, FX Drilling, Inc., to report a pipeline spill of oil into the Cut Bank River in Blackfeet Nation land in north-central Montana. EPA requirements are that companies must report waterway oil spills within 24 hours. FX Drilling purportedly did not report the spill into the Cut Bank. Tribal authorities found about the spill from an anonymous caller, and then alerted the federal authorities.
The Blackfeet Tribe admonished the company to be more careful, saying that any oil and gas company working within the exterior boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation needed to communicate with the Business Council and Environmental office of the tribes and other departments when such spills occur to allow for timely “containment, mitigation, and clean-up measures.”
The spill occurred about a week before an ExxonMobil spill on July 1st affecting the Yellowstone River near the Apsaalooke (Crow) Nation territory. An estimated 42,000 gallons of oil were released during this spill, which occurred at Laurel Montana, 20 miles north of Billings. Oil has spread to thousands of acres of wetlands outside the river banks. The polluted portion of the river is home to an endangered Sturgeon.
On July 20th, Montana’s Governor, Brian Schweitzer, established an Oil Pipeline Safety Review Commission. The party being held responsible for the spill is ExxonMobil Pipeline Co. and cleanup is occurring. There are 25 identified spill sites on the Yellowstone, and four sites have been cleaned up so far. A seven-member delegation of the Apsaalooke Nation toured the cleanup of the spill on July 21st. Tribal administrators, according to the EPA, are “entitled to involvement in all aspects of the 440-person EPA-led Unified Command clean-up process, including recommendations and sign-off.” The EPA has agreed to provide training to tribal members to help with the clean up. The EPA noted that “effective cleanup methods are hard to find”. (Talli Nauman, “Criminal probe into oil spill on Blackfeet Nation”, Native Sun News, http://64.38.12.138/News/2011/002462.asp).
Victory for Native American Activists in Vallejo Case
Hundreds recently gathered at Glen Cove, California, to celebrate a victory by Native American activists and others who opposed development of a city park on one of the last San undeveloped ancient burial sites in the San Francisco Bay area. On April 14th, protesters began a three and a half month occupation of an area that was slated to be bulldozed for parking lots, plumbing, and paved paths for a city park. The activists built a sacred fire and erected two 20 feet tall teepees.
The occupation was a last-ditch effort to protect an ancient burial ground from development. Bay Area tribes buried their ancestors in this area for nearly 4,000 years. It was the culmination of a battle between the City of Vallejo and the Greater Vallejo Recreational District (GRVD) and indigenous persons lasting over twelve years. The GRVD and City of Vallejo approached the Vallejo Intertribal Council in 1999. The GRVD owns the title to the land in question, but it is a verified ancient Native American burial ground containing a number of ancient remains and cultural artifacts from numerous tribes, as confirmed by surveyors and UC-Berkeley anthropologists. The activists most opposed to development lacked the official designation as “Most Likely Descendants”, although they are descended from Ohlone and Miwok originally present in the area. They do not form an organized official group with a central authority that could sign a binding agreement, which is why the GRVD instead went to an Intertribal group. In 2003, two federally recognized tribes, the Yocha Dehe and Cortina, were designated as the “Most Likely Descendants” but they were not immediately involved with the activists opposing the park development.
Ultimately, the park development plan stalled. According to Corinna Gould, a Karkin and Chochenyo Ohlon, last April inaction ended when the GRVD abruptly decided to stop discussing the matter and move forward with the plan despite indigenous persons telling them for 12 years that the did not want desecration of the area through parking lots and hill grading, This lead to the occupation. One elder, Wounded Knee Do Ocompo, said “It was time for indigenous people across this country to take a stand and say ‘no more’ to desecrating the sacred sites of our ancestors. No more digging up our ancestors and putting them in garbage cans and in garbage bags, no more digging up our ancestors and putting them in museums and leaving them in cardboard boxes and gym lockers and taking their artifacts and their sacred objects.”
Activists’ occupation and protests pressured city to agree to a cultural easement compromise on July 20th, which established a committee to jointly govern the areas, consisting of the GRVD, City of Vallejo, and the recognized descendants (Yocha Dehe and Cortina tribes). As well, both tribes paid $100,000 to the City of Vallejo to be involved in the Cultural Easement, which most likely motivated the city coming to this decision. As part of the easement, decisions for this part of Glen Cove must be unanimously approved by the newly-established committee.
The committee decided to eliminate the plan for permanent bathrooms, downsize proposed parking lots, change the proposed paved trails to water-permeable pathways, and to not tear up land so that they would not disturb burial remains. Corinna Gould said that in the past, California allowed American Indians to make recommendations but that developers could ignore these, but that this set a new precedent. (Jacob Simas, “Native American Activists Save Sacred Burial Ground from Bulldozers”, 08/04/11, http://newamericamedia.org/2011/08/glen-cove-a-spiritual-victory-for-the-ohlone-people.php).
Climate Change imperils Sacred Foods of Northwest Tribes
Tribal leaders in the Pacific Northwest report that climate change is affecting and hurting food sources essential to their culture. Yakama Tribal Council member Gerald Lewis says that salmon runs are coming in later and with smaller fish. Salmon are not only economically important to the tribe, but culturally important as part of the First Food ceremony, which occurs at certain times of the years and which is affected by delays in salmon runs. Scientists confirm that the Chinook salmon are experiencing later migrations, which may be partly attributable to an ocean affected by climate change and partially attributable to hatcheries and fishing practices.
Meanwhile, harvested roots are much smaller than usual and are dwindling in numbers, according to Mr. Lewis. Lewis attributes this to climate change. Scientists and tribes are now working together to study the effects of climate change on plants. Paul Lumley of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission said “All we can do is try to help these plants and animals adapt. If we don’t, the future of the tribes’ First Foods could be at stake.” (Rob Manning, “Northwest Tribes See Changes in Sacred ‘First Foods’”, Oregon Public Broadcasting, 07/28/2011, http://news.opb.org/article/northwest-tribes-see-changes-sacred-first-foods/)
Pollution Threatens Treaty Rights, warns Billy Frank, Jr.
“Our treaty right to gather shellfish depends on the shellfish being safe to eat,” writes Billy Frank Jr. in a recent issue of Indian County Today. Frank, Jr. is chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. He notes that Samish Bay in Washington State, a traditional shellfish gathering site of the Swinomish and Upper Skagit tribes, has some of the highest levels of fecal coliform pollution in the state. These bacteria can originate from farm animal manure if animals are kept too close to water sources; they can also originate from septic tank drainage. This year, Samish Bay was closed to shellfish harvesting for 38 days. The tribes have asked the federal government multiple times to try to protect this waterway from contamination which damages the shellfish fishery, according to Frank Jr. He notes “Our treaty shellfish harvest rights are threatened because the state and federal governments are failing to hold landowners responsible to keep fecal coliform and other pollutants out of our bays.” Meanwhile, Frank Jr. notes, non-indigenous commercial shellfish growers petitioned for protection of the bay, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responded with $1 million to fix these problems, leading to the Puget Sound Partnership.
Washington Governor Chris Gregoire, remaking on the downgrade of 4,000 acres of shellfish beds last spring despite these government efforts, told state natural resource managers they had until Septembers to make a difference. However, both Frank Jr. and Governor Gregoire call the initiative’s work thus fair “a failure”. The Puget Sound Partnership has come up with a new plan to reopen shellfish beds in Samish Bay by September 2012, using more inspections, education, and assistance to landowners, but Frank Jr. notes “it sounds like an awful lot like more of the same to me.” He notes that the treaty rights to fish shellfish are null without the ability to harvest there. “For decades we were kept off the beaches because the state refused to recognize the rights we reserved with the federal government in treaty. Now, the state’s failure to clean up Samish Bay is doing the same thing.” (Billy Frank, Jr., “Pollution denies our treaty rights”, Indian Country Today Media Network, 08/07/2011, http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ict_sbc/being-frank-pollution-denies-our-treaty-rights/).
Wildlife Management by First Nation
Scientific American recently ran an article on conservation science practices utilized by the Heiltsuk First Nation in cooperation the Canadian federal government. William Housty, director of a nonprofit science and environmental group serving the First Nation said “Our people have been stewarding these lands for 10,000 years and our people already know what it takes to manage our resources…but nowadays you need to have that science side of things.” The article describes the work of members of this First Nation to monitor oyster populations and fishery populations neglected by the Canadian federal government’s monitoring efforts, but which the First Nation had noticed a decline in. Eric Peterson, founder of the Hakai Beach Institute, says in the article “The thing that makes this place unique is the combination of science and culture…We have no choice but to look at the science we do here I the context of our setting which is a first nations setting.” It’s really a fascinating read on how traditional ecological knowledge and science can go hand in hand. One member, Jess Housty, said “ style='background:white'>"What I'm starting to see is indigenous people on the coast realizing that they do have a really powerful voice and starting to think really hard about how they can leverage sound science to protect traditional values, which are often not that different from conservation values." Please read the article at the link below. (Anne Casselman, “First Nations Tribe Combines Science with Legacy of Conservation”, Scientific American, 08/09/2011, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=first-nations-tribe)
Updates on San Francisco Peaks Snowmaking Case
In the most recent news on the San Francisco Peaks controversy, Arizona Snowbowl owners have moved forward with their plans to start using artificial snowmaking at a ski resort located on a mountain sacred to 13 indigenous groups. The plan to use artificial snowmaking has been challenged by various lawsuits over the past several years, none of which have ultimately stopped the snowmaking plan. The Hopi Tribe is now suing the city of Flagstaff. Flagstaff is selling reclaimed water to be used for artificial snowmaking to the Snowbowl ski resort. The Hopi Tribe attorneys have argued that snowmaking goes against public policy, infringes on the water rights of the tribe, and is a threat to public health and the environment. The Save the Peaks Coalition and nine individuals are also challenging the U.S. Forest Service in court, claiming that they did not adequately consider human health risks when they approved the snowmaking from reclaimed water. Despite these lawsuits, snowmaking construction is going forward in preparation for snowmaking next winter, and Snowbowl owner Eric Borowsky is reported to have said “Nobody’s worried about it. We’re moving forward.” (Cyndy Cole, “Snowbowl presses on amid suits”, Arizona Daily Sun, 11/22/11, http://azdailysun.com/news/local/snowbowl-presses-on-amid-suits/article_c3338b4e-b6b9-5a92-835a-55449836f8e0.html).
Lax Kw’alaams lose Commercial Fishery Rights Case
A case on fishing rights before the Supreme Court of Canada highlights some of the important cultural continuity issue at stake in this special issue of Indigenous Policy Issue (“When is a tribe not a tribe?”). Lax Kw’alaams, a First Nation in British Columbia, lost a case before the Supreme Court of Canada regarding commercial fishing rights. The band sought a declaration of entitlement to the right to harvest and sell all species of fish in its traditional territory. The Supreme Court decided that the Lax Kw’alaams were not primarily a trading people before European contact and therefore they do not have a constitutionally-protected right to a modern commercial fishery for any species in these waters.
The band had argued that given the fact that trade in a certain type of fish fat was part of their ancestral way of life, that they should be allowed to do general commercial trade in this fishery. The Court declared that such commercial fishing was not one of their “ancient customs and practices.” Justice Ian Brinne wrote “It is not enough to show that some element of trade was part of the pre-contract way of life if it was not distinctive or integral to that way of life.” He also said that “Such sporadic trade as took place in other fish products was peripheral to the pre-contact society and did not define what made Coast Tsimshian [Lax Kw’alaams predecessor] society what it was.” This decision stands in contrast to a decision by the British Supreme Court in November to give a Vancouver Island native group the right to commercially fish all species within its territories. (Meagan Fitzpatrick, “Ruling denies commercial fishing rights to B.C. First Nation”, CBC news, 11/09/11, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/11/09/bc-aboriginal-fishing-rights.html).
Fish Consumption Estimates too Low for Tribal Groups in Washington?
Experts have voiced concerns that Washington State has set its water pollution standards too low because it is using an assumption of how much fish a Washington resident eats – 8 ounces- which is inaccurate for many Native Americans. The estimate may be inaccurate because seafood is a central part of the diet of many Native Americans in Washington. Washington State is now re-evaluating their figure.
Mercury, cadmium, PCB’s, and other pollutants can accumulate in fish located near the top of a food chain (a process known as bioaccumulation). These pollutants can cause cancer, suppressed child mental development, and other human health issues. Such bioaccumulation is a concern for tribal groups. Jamie Donatuto, an environmental specialist for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Council, said "Traditional families are still very active in the smokehouse. They are still fishing for their primary source of living. Fish are not just a source of nutrients; they have cultural and spiritual meaning for these people."
Standards are set by the government at a level at which 90-95% of people are protected. Mariam Rotkin-Ellman with the Natural Resources Defense Council said “Historically, we haven't done a very good job of ensuring that the most vulnerable are protected. It's essential that we recognize that there's variability in the population and that we set our guidelines, standards and warnings to protect those high-end consumers." Washington has started to reevaluate its standards. This reevaluation is important to industry as raising the estimates of how much fish people consume would probably mean the state government would set lower permissible discharge levels for pollutants. (Lynne Peeples, “Water Pollution Regulations Underestimate Fish Consumption, Endangering Public Health”, Huffington Post, 11/17/11, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/17/water-pollution-regulations-fish-seafood_n_1090928.html)
Offshore Oil Drilling in Chukchi Sea divides Alaska Native village
The New York Times reports that the village of Point Hope in Alaska, home of the Tikigaq Corporation is divided over off-shore drilling in the Chukchi Sea. The Tikigaq Corporation, which is one of 200 million Alaska Native corporations, supports drilling, yet the Village Council of Point Hope has officially come out against drilling. Some residents think new drilling could threaten an already taxed culture, yet others think that their survival as a group depends on trying to profit from off-shore oil drilling, especially as on-shore drilling declines. Sayers Tuzroyluk said “We’re kind of torn apart between development and sustaining our lifestyle.”
The Obama administration has lifted the moratorium on offshore oil drilling, and Shell Oil received preliminary permits to drill exploratory wells off the Coast of Alaska, perhaps as soon as next summer. The federal government says this offshore drilling could produce as many as 27 billion barrels of oil and that 50,000 jobs in the region could be created. On the other hand, these oil rigs would be operating in waters where people have hunted bowhead whales for thousands of year. Regarding this hunting practice, the New York Times notes “[the group is] deliberately doing things traditionally even as they have embraced change in other ways. The whale was why people were able to survive here, and it is still the emotional anchor of the culture.” There is a concern that drilling could hurt the population of the bowhead whales, and that a spill would decimate them. Susi Frankson of the village said “That’s our garden out there. Don’t mess with our garden”. On the other hand Sayers Tuzroyluk, one resident, said “We do love our whale, but it’s such a small percentage of what we live on now.” (William Yardley and Erik Olsen, “Arctic Village is Torn by Plan for Oil Drilling”, New York Times, 10/25/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/us/arctic-village-split-by-oil-drilling-plan.html?pagewanted=1)
National Environmental Developments
Midwest Suffers Extreme Drought
Droughts ravaged the Midwest through the summer. By August 2nd almost 38% of the Midwest was “abnormally dry”, and record highs were being hit throughout the country, with many regions hitting above 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time in over 20 years. Texas was perhaps hit the hardest, with 73.5% of the state suffering from “exceptional drought” in early August. Texas agriculture commissioner Todd Staples said “The damage to our economy is already measured in billions of dollars and continues to mount.” The droughts were particularly bad on soybean and corn crops in the Midwest. (Michael Hirtzer, “Drought worsens in Midwest”, Reuters, 08/04/2011, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/04/us-usa-drought-idUSTRE7735XJ20110804) .
Arctic Drilling gets Preliminary Approval
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement has granted preliminary approval to Royal Dutch Shell to drill for oil off the arctic coast of Alaska, just outside the northwestern edge of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (a much contested possible oil drilling site). The drilling will be done in the Beaufort Sea, a habitat for seals, walruses, polar bears, migrating birds, bowhead whales and beluga whales. Some environmental groups are very upset: Holly Harris, attorney for Earthjustice, said “This is a disaster waiting to happen,”
The approval followed Shell’s completion of an oil spill repose plan, which it said was the “best oil-spill response plan anywhere in the world.” Drilling in this area has been fought both by environmentalists and indigenous groups who feel the extreme arctic conditions of this area make drilling much more dangerous than usual since it would be almost impossible to clean up correctly.
In a twist of irony, it is climate change, partly fueled by rampant fossil fuel consumption, which is causing summer ice to disappear and opening up arctic areas for greenhouse gas exploitation. (Jeremy Hance, “Arctic open for exploitation: Obama administration grants Shell approval to drill”, mongabay.com, 08/08/2011, http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0808-hance_shell_arctic.html).
NOAA Estimates about Warming
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, NOAA, recently reported significant data regarding temperature and precipitation in July. It was the fourth warmest July ever recorded for the US. Average precipitation was slightly less than usual while average temperature was slightly up. Some regions however showed considerably more intense extremes. For example, Texas and Oklahoma had their hottest months ever on record. In Dallas, the temperature was above 100 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 of the 31 days in July. Overall, for the 48 continental states, 41 had above-normal, much-above-normal, and record hot Julys. The seven states to avoid this trend were all west of the Rocky Mountains. High temperatures produced drought conditions when combined with very low precipitation in some parts of the country. Oklahoma and Texas had one of their driest moths on record – there was “exceptional drought” in about 100% of Oklahoma and in 75% of Texas. (David A Gabel, “NOAA Releases July Climate Assessment”, Environmental News Network (ENN), 08/09/2011, http://www.enn.com/climate/article/43056).
Mustang Roundup Blocked by Activists
A government roundup and sell-off of wild horse from Wyoming was delayed from its date of August 16th after a lawsuit was filed by wild horse advocates against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Around 38,500 wild horses and burros roam on BLM land. Herds have the ability to double in size every four years, and the BLM says there is an acute danger of land and water damage if herds overpopulate. Horse advocates challenge that horse roundups violate the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act which required that the BLM protect and manage the animals, which are labeled as “symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the west.” (Molly O’Toole, “Wild mustangs spared roundup in Wyoming for now”, Reuters, 08/03/2011, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/02/world/main20087152.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody).
Bottled Water Vendor Ban at Grand Canyon Tabled
National Park officials were going to ban the sale of disposable water bottles in the Grand Canyon on January 1st due to litter concerns. Discarded plastic bottles make up approximately 30% of Grand Canyon Park’s total waste and are, according to Stephen P. Martin, one of the Grand Canyon National Park’s top officials, “the single biggest trash” in the park. The ban, however, did not go through. Mr. Martin revealed that he was told by his superiors to table the litter-reduction plan two weeks before it was going to go into effect. His superiors allegedly cited concerns by Coca-Cola, produced of Dasani water, which has reportedly donated $13 million to the parks. Susan Stribling, a spokeswoman for Coca Cola said “Banning anything is never the rights answer” and that they would rather increase recycling receptacles.
Mr. Martin said regarding the tabling of the plan, “That was upsetting news because of what I felt were ethical issues surrounding the idea of being unduly influenced by business.” However, Neil J. Mulholland, President of the pro-parks Foundation that Coca-Cola contributes to, said “There was not an overt statement made to me that they [Coca-Cola] objected to the ban. There was never anything inferred by Coke that if this ban happens, we’re losing their support.” A Park official, Jon Jarvis, said the ban was tabled because of overall concessions concerns as well as safety concerns about not selling water given the desert nature of the park, although there were plans for more water filling stations. (Felicity Barringer, “Parks Chief Blocked Plan for Grand Canyon Bottle Plan”, New York Times, 11/09/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/science/earth/parks-chief-blocked-plan-for-grand-canyon-bottle-ban.html?pagewanted=1).
Salmon Anemia Found for First Time in Pacific Northwest Salmon
Fishermen and fishery scientists were very concerned as salmon anemia, a “lethal and highly contagious marine virus,” was found for the first time in wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest. In a study by scientists at Simon Frazer University, two sockeye salmon were found to contain the virus, although not in its active form. There were serious concerns that the virus might spread, as it has in Chile, where it devastated fish farms, and in Scotland and other locations. Lead researcher Richard Routledge said that “No country has ever gotten rid of it [the virus] once it arrive.” He also said the virus could have a “devastating impact” on both wild and farmed salmon in the region, as well as on animals that depend on the salmon for food, such as grizzly bears, wolves, and killer whales. Many species of wild pacific salmon are on the U.S. Endangered Species List due to habitat decline, dams, and other factors. Routledge felt that the virus may have been spread to the wild salmon from fish at a nearby fish farm, but Canadian officials say fish at this farm have not tested positive for the disease. (William Yardley, “Knot of Worry Tightens for Fishermen”, New York Times 10/20/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/science/20salmon.html?_r=1&ref=us; Cornelia Dean and Rachel Nuwer, “Salmon-Killing Virus Seen for First Time in the Wild on the Pacific Coast”, New York Times, 10/17/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/science/18salmon.html).
Hydrofracking Debate Heats Up in New York
The New York state administration of Governor Cuomo is entering into the final phase of an approval process to decide how and where to allow a natural gas extraction procedure commonly known as “hydrofracking”. Hydrofracking involved injecting a mix of water, sand, and chemicals into the ground to break up rock formations and release natural gas. During the government approval process there has been extensive lobbying by both pro- and anti- hydrofracking groups. Companies that drill for natural gas have spent in 2010 and 2011, according to public records, $3.2 million in lobbying the state government. The broader natural gas industry has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaign accounts of lawmakers. Meanwhile, national energy companies are running a series of advertisements to present hydrofracking as “safe and economically beneficial”. Jim Smith, spokesman for the Independent Oil and Gas Association of New York, which has been holding community meetings to answer questions about hydrofracking, said “[The meetings] are meant to say, ‘Listen, it’s not as bad as you’re hearing.’ There are risks involved, but any fuel source has a risk attached to it. We think the rewards outweigh the risk.”
Meanwhile, environmental groups have been working to stop hydrofracking, claiming that it could pollute the water supply and cause environmental disaster. They have petitioned the governor’s office for more time to comment on the plan. Robert Moore, executive director of Environmental Advocates of New York, said “You have people who don’t normally identify themselves as environmentalists who suddenly have real concerns about this.” The environmental groups have lobbied and have done mailing campaigns to politicians and newspapers about the issue. “It’s part of a national debate,” said New York state environmental conservation commissioner Joseph Martens.
In Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio natural gas companies have contributed significantly in lobbying as well in recent years. (Thomas Kaplan, “As Hydrofracking Decision Nears, Industry Spending Skyrockets”, New York Times, 11/25/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/nyregion/hydrofracking-debate-spurs-huge-spending-by-industry.html?pagewanted=1&hp).
Protests over Tar Sand Oil Pipeline
Protests ensued over the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry crude oil 1,700 miles from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast in Texas. The proposed pipeline is also known as the “tar sands pipeline”. The State Department issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement on the project in August. The pipeline would double oil imports from Canada. Advocates of the pipeline have claimed that it would provide a more reliable source of oil.
Multiple environmental groups, such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and National Wildlife Federation, warned of environmental risks in an independent report issues in February. In August, demonstrators gathered for sit-ins at the White House to object to the $7 billion proposal. Environmentalist have multiple concerns, including erosion in the pipeline because of the more corrosive nature of this type of oil, as well as concerns about strip mining in Alberta and the creation of waste ponds. (PBS News Desk, “Proposed Tar Sands Oil Pipeline Elicits Protest”, PBS – The Rundown: A Blog of News and Insight, 08/29/11, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/08/tar-sands-pipeline.html) .
Cap-and-Trade Greenhouse Gas System Adopted in California
On October 20th, California adopted a cap-and-trade system to regulate greenhouse gases, similar to that proposed but rejected in congress last year. The California system, which will begin in 2013, will set limits on greenhouse gas emissions and create market incentives for industries such as oil refineries and electricity generators to produce less greenhouse gas emissions. Cap-and-trade systems set a limit on the amount of a pollutant that can be emitted and then issue permits to companies allowing them to emit a certain amount. Since some companies can more easily cut emissions, these companies benefit by selling their excess pollution permits to companies for which reduction is more difficult. The idea is that this is the lowest cost way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The California plan is a result of 2006 legislation signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger which required California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The cap-and-trade system is considered a critical part of this plan. “We are charting new ground here. The country and the world are watching,” said Lydia H. Kennar, member of the Air Resources Board which approved the system. Mary D. Nichols, chairwoman of the Air Resources Board, said that if California acted first, the rest of the U.S. would come around in time. (Felicity Barringer, “California Adopts Limit on Greenhouse Gases”, New York Times, 10/20/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/business/energy-environment/california-adopts-cap-and-trade-system-to-limit-emissions.html).
Solyndra Bankruptcy Causes Concern over Renewable Energy Subsidies
A political controversy over renewable energy arose when a California-based solar panel company, Solyndra, declared bankruptcy in August after receiving $528 million in federal loan guarantees. These loan guarantees were part of the 2009 stimulus package. The Solyndra failure cost taxpayers a half-billion dollars. This has caused controversy both over President Obama’s stimulus package and clean energy subsidies. Two congressional subcommittees, the Department of Energy’s inspector general, and the Department of Justice are investigating what went wrong in this subsidy case. (New York Times, “Solyndra”, New York Times, 11/17/11, http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/solyndra/index.html).
Climate Change likely to Cause Water Problems
Scientists at the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference held in Erie, PA in October revealed that climate change and population growth in the U.S. are likely to cause fresh water shortages in coming years. Climate experts predict that shorter, warmer winters will translate into less ice and greater air exposure and thus more water evaporation of a finite water source. Robert Glennon of Arizona State University said that “In 1985-1986 there were historical (water level) highs and now in less than 25 years we are at historic lows.” Glennon said that water diversion by pipeline, desalinization, and drilling for water are not long-term answers, and that conservation, water reuse, better agriculture practices, and higher water costs will be more effective. The issues are not just with dry areas like Las Vegas, he noted, but even areas with high rainfall and freshwater which may be exceeding their capacity. Glennon asks “The population of the U.S. is supposed to be 420 million by 2050. Where are we going to get the water to support another 120 million Americans?” (Kim Palmer, “Climate change making country’s water problems worse: expert”, Reuters, 10/26/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/27/us-climate-water-idUSTRE79Q07N20111027) .
Challenges for the EPA in Pollution Legislation
The next several stories detail new EPA pollution regulations which have been delayed, overturned, or otherwise challenged. EPA administrator Lisa Jackson has been a proponent of pollution reduction, but there has been a mixed record so far, with the new rule on ozone delayed to 2013 and a September easing of smog restrictions. Those opposing the rules fear they will destroy jobs and add costs to companies struggling in the current economic condition. Jackson has said that pollution rules will save billions more through lower public healthcare bills than the amount that they cost heavy industry, and that pollution regulations will create clean technology jobs. (Roberta Rampton, “EPA delays pollution rule for coal plants to December”, Reuters, 10/21/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/21/us-usa-epa-idUSTRE79K6J320111021; Timothy Gardner, “House votes to delay pollution rules on boilers”, Reuters, 10/13/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/14/us-usa-pollution-congress-idUSTRE79D0FR20111014)
Coal Rule Deadline Postponed One Month
The EPA announced on October 21st that it will postpone its final rule on coal plant air pollution. It plans to decide on a final rule by December 16th. The EPA said that it needed extra time to review 960,000 comments received on the draft rule. The EPA had previously been sued by environmental groups who are pushing for them to finalize the rule and who claim that regulation is needed to stop illnesses and death from air pollution. The EPA said in a statement that it was opposed “to efforts to delay this historic, court ordered standard by a full year.” 25 states have started litigation over the new rule, seeking at least a year delay in the rule because of a measure which would require many plants to install anti-pollution technology and which the states claim will be expensive and shut down old coal-fired power plants.
The month delay in coal plant rules is seen by the Environmental Defense Fund as a good move, allowing the agency to “finalize the most protective and durable limits on the toxic air pollution from coal plants.” (Roberta Rampton, “EPA delays pollution rule for coal plants to December”, Reuters, 10/21/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/21/us-usa-epa-idUSTRE79K6J320111021; Timothy Gardner, “House votes to delay pollution rules on boilers”, Reuters, 10/13/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/14/us-usa-pollution-congress-idUSTRE79D0FR20111014)
Coal Ash Regulations Challenged
A bipartisan group of Senators on October 20th introduced a bill to overturn EPA regulations on coal ash, a byproduct from coal plants used in cement bricks and other building materials, which the EPA says can pollute water supplies if not contained properly. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and John Hoeven (R-ND) want states to be able to set up their own permit system to deal with the safe storage of coal ash, to ensure “that Congress and the states hold the reins of environmental policy.” The EPA proposed rules for coal ash containment and disposal rules in 2010 after a massive coal ash spill in 2008 in Tennessee which the White House estimated could cost $1.2 billion to treat. (Roberta Rampton, “EPA delays pollution rule for coal plants to December”, Reuters, 10/21/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/21/us-usa-epa-idUSTRE79K6J320111021; Timothy Gardner, “House votes to delay pollution rules on boilers”, Reuters, 10/13/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/14/us-usa-pollution-congress-idUSTRE79D0FR20111014) .
New E.P.A. Smog Rule Eased
On October 6th, the E.P.A. proposed easing its new regulations for smog-causing pollution. The smog restrictions had angered several states. The proposal to ease the rules would allow 10 states, including Texas, Florida, and New York, to emit more smog-causing pollution than would have been permitted under the original regulations. The purpose of the regulations is to decrease smokestack emissions in 27 states which cause downwind unhealthy air. (Associated Press, “E.P.A. Proposes Easing Smog Rules”, New York Times, 10/06/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/us/epa-proposes-easing-smog-rules.html).
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards Delayed
The U.S. EPA announced on September 15th that it would not meet the September 30th deadline for issuing standards on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and other major sources. The agency was under court order to present such rules by the end of September, but was given an extension. In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the agency must regulate greenhouse gas emissions if it found that they were a threat to the environmental and human health, which the EPA found to be the case in 2009. An E.P.A. official said that the decision to delay the standards was due to agency considerations, not political pressure, and that there would soon be a new timetable for issuing regulations. (John M. Broder, “Greenhouse Gas Rule Delayed”, New York Times - Green: A Blog about Energy and the Environment, 09/15/11, http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/greenhouse-gas-rule-delayed/).
Groups Sue over President Obama’s Ozone Decision
President Obama recently struck down a proposal for a stricter ozone pollution standard, a move which prompted five health and environmental groups to sue the EPA. The groups had sued the Bush administration, which had gone against the EPA’s scientific advisory panel by setting the permissible ozone exposure at 75 ppb (parts per billion). However, the groups had dropped the lawsuit when the Obama administration had promised to reconsider the issue. Lisa Jackson, EPA administrator under President Obama, had wanted to set a new ozone standard of 70 ppb, but on September 2nd President Obama rejected this due to concerns that it would be too costly and create regulatory uncertainty. The EPA estimated that the costs of the new standard would be $19 billion to $25 billion, while the resulting health benefits would have saved $13 billion to $37 billion. The groups suing the EPA are Earth Justice, the American Lung Association, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Appalachian Mountain Club, and the Environmental Defense Club (John M. Broder, “Groups Sue After E.P.A. Fails to Shift Ozone Rules”, New York Times, 10/11/2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/science/earth/12epa.html?_r=1&ref=science).
House Passes Bill to Delay EPA Rules on Industrial Boilers
The House of Representatives passed a bill on October 13th which will delay EPA limits on pollutants from industrial boilers. The bill was passed 275 to 142. All present Republicans voted for it, and 41 Democrats voted in the affirmative as well. Representative Ed Whitfield (R-KT) said “We’re not saying ‘Let’s walk away and not protect the American people’. We’re simply saying ‘Let’s hold back for just a moment, let’s go back and revisit this rule’”. The boiler standards were released this year by the EPA under court order, and the agency was scheduled to release revised rules by the end of October to take effect in April. The House bill would push back the rules for 15 months as well as give polluting industries five more years to comply. However, the Senate still remained to pass the bill and President Obama said he would veto the rule. (Timothy Gardner, “House votes to delay pollution rules on boilers”, Reuters, 10/13/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/14/us-usa-pollution-congress-idUSTRE79D0FR20111014) .
EPA Announces Intention to Finalize Mercury Rule by November 16th
“EPA is committed to completing the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards – the first-ever national standards for mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollution from power plants,” the EPA said in a press release on October 11th. The EPA pledged to finalize a rule on mercury emissions by November 16th. The final rule is aimed at older coal and oil based power plants. The EPA has been court ordered to finalize the rule. On October 12th, 25 states started litigation to get the agency to delay the rule until November 16th, 2012 or later, citing concerns about job loss and industry costs at a terrible economic time. The House passed a bill that would delay air rules, including the mercury standard. The EPA has said that the mercury rule would save $5 to $13 in health benefits for every dollar spent on pollution reduction, and that over half of all coal-fired power plants have already implemented the pollution control technology to meet these standards. (Timothy Gardner, “EPA says to finalize air rule on mercury in November”, Reuters 10/11/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/11/us-usa-epa-mercury-idUSTRE79A6BW20111011) .
Wolf Hunts Continue in Idaho and Montana
In April, Congress approved a measure that removed gray wolves from the Threatened/Endangered Species list in Idaho and Montana. Idaho is now seeking to reduce its wolf population by 80% and Montana by 40%, mainly through hunting. The Alliance for the Wild Rockies and other conservationists asked the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for an emergency injunction on wolf hunts in Idaho and Montana but were rejected. The groups are seeking to restore Endangered Species Act protection to wolves in these two states. According to the conservationists, the states had sold nearly 37,000 permits for wolf hunts. The Circuit Court said it would take up the issue of whether or not to suspend wolf hunts next month during the case about the Endangered Species listing. (Laura Zuckerman, “Court rejects stay on wolf hunts in Idaho, Montana”, Reuters, 10/18/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/19/us-wolves-hunts-idUSTRE79I01W20111019).
U.S. Public has Conflicted Feelings on Climate Change
According to a Pew Research Group poll, in 2010 56% of Americans believed the earth was warming – down from 79% in 2006. The doubt about climate change may be partly along party lines. A Pew Poll this spring showed that 75% of Staunch Conservatives, 63% of libertarians, and 55% of “Main Street Republicans” feel that there is no solid evidence of global warming. In contrast, 75% of Democrats believe there is strong evidence of climate change. Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, was quoted in The New York Times as saying “This has become a partisan political issue here in a way it has not elsewhere.”
The diversity of opinions on the reality of climate change among the U.S. public may be in contrast with other parts of the world. Britain’s special representative for climate change, Mr. John Ashton, said that in the U.K., Europe and “in most places I travel to, the starting point for conversation is that this is real, there are clear and present dangers, so let’s get a move on and respond.” The European Union has a goal, which it is on target to reach, of reducing carbon emissions to at least 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. In its most recent five year plan, China included a limited pilot cap-and-trade system and intensive investment in low-carbon industry. And a 2010 Pew Survey found that over 70% of respondents in China, India, and South Korea were willing to pay more for their energy to address climate change, while only 38% of U.S. respondents were willing to do so. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, “Where Did Global Warming Go?” The New York Times, 10/15/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/sunday-review/whatever-happened-to-global-warming.html?pagewanted=all)
International Environmental Developments
Somalia Famine Kills 29,000 Children
The Horn of Africa region has suffered its worst drought conditions in 60 years, which has precipitated widespread famine not only in Somalia but Ethiopia and Keya as well, putting 11 million human beings at risk of severe malnutrition as of early August. Nancy Lindborg of the U.S. Government’s aid programs reported at that point that 29,000 children below the age of 5 had died due to famine in Somalia between May 4th and August 4th, and that the death toll has continued to mount. Somalia, a nation of 7.5 million inhabitants, had 3.2 million citizens in need of immediate lifesaving assistance, according to the UN. In addition to famine, children in Somalia are also threatened by use as child soldiers. Getting aid into the country has been difficult for a variety of reasons. A variety of aid organizations are trying to help, and could use contributions. Please visit for a list of organizations trying to help: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/02/world/main20087152.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody ( cbsnews.com, “U.S.: 29,000 Somali kids have died I last 90 days”, 08/04/2011, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/04/501364/main20088015.shtml; cbsnews.com, “Horn of Africa famine: How to help”, 08/02/11, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/02/world/main20087152.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody).
World Population Passes 7 Billion
According to U.N. demographer estimates, the world population reached 7 billion on October 31st this year. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 367,000 people are born a day, while 153,000 die, leading to a global population increase of 78.5 million a year – about the same amount of people as the nation of France. Dr. Daniel Goodkind, a demographer for the Census Bureau’s Population Division, notes that both birth and death rates have declined sharply since the 1960’s, but death rates have fallen faster. There is therefore an excess of births, leading to the world population adding another billion about every 12 to 13 years. The U.N. estimates that the world population will reach 8 billion in 2025. (Sam Roberts, “U.N. Says 7 Billion Now Share the World”, 10/31/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/world/united-nations-reports-7-billion-humans-but-others-dont-count-on-it.html).
Climate change Expected to Increase Malaria in Himalayas
According to a paper recently published in Current Science reporting on projections by the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), malaria could spread to parts of India it currently is absent from, such as areas in the eastern Himalayas like Uttarakhad, Aruchal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir over the next 20 years. The periods in which the infection is present in certain districts will also likely lengthen. The researchers noted that higher temperatures increase the rate of malaria-carrying mosquitoes digesting and laying eggs, which could increase malaria in some areas. The paper attributes this to climate change. Conversely, the east coast of India is predicted to have reduced transmission. (T. V. Padma, “Climate change ‘to increase malaria’ in Indian Himalayas”, 08/11/2011, http://www.scidev.net/en/news/climate-change-to-increase-malaria-in-indian-himalayas.html).
MIT Releases Accelerated Estimates of Ice Loss in the Arctic
The Environmental News Networks reports that researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are preparing to publish results regarding arctic ice loss which push up the melting timeline several decades from that produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007. The IPCC, one of the most cited sources for climate change data, has been criticized by environmentalist groups for being too conservative. The MIT researchers feel that the IPCC is incredibly important in policy making, but has failed on the accuracy test according to their own research. Rampal, the lead MIT researcher for this study, feels that the IPCC has not paid enough attention to mechanical forces, such as how wind and ocean currents can break up and move ice to warmer water where, as broken ice pieces, it melts quicker, leading to a feedback loop of more breaking and then more melting. The MIT researchers predict that the arctic will be “ice free” during the summer several decades before predicted by the IPCC. (David A. Gabel, “MIT Researchers Claim UN Arctic Predictions Inaccurate”, Environmental News Network, 08/11/2011, http://www.enn.com/climate/article/43068).
Coral Reef Concerns
Mark Hay, reef biologist, wrote a recent piece in the New York Times outlining some of the current challenges with coral reefs. He writes, “In the 30 years I’ve been working on reefs…we have learned more about reef function and the processes that keep them healthy, but these processes are degrading rapidly and reefs worldwide seem to be in a biotic death spiral.” Throughout the globe coral reefs are changing into “seaweed-covered meadows” much less able to support the biodiversity a reef does, according to Hay. He notes that during his time as a researcher, healthy Caribbean reefs have disappeared, and that while average Caribbean coral reefs were once covered by 50-60% live coral, that percentage is now 5-10%. Meanwhile, over the last 30 years the Great Barrier Reef in Australia has lost around 50% of its coral cover. The reasons for this decline, he writes, are synergistic – overfishing, ocean acidification, pollution, coral disease, and other factors. There are real human effects from this loss. For example, villagers in Fiji that he works with lose food security due to the loss of fish, lose protection from storm surges, lose income that would come from tourists coming to see the reefs, and lose other ecosystem services as well. This is a pressing issue that merits our attention. (Mark Hay, “A Disappearing Underwater World”, The New York Times, 10/12/2011, http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/a-disappearing-underwater-world/?ref=science).
Water Stress to Increase in Future
Water use has been increasing over twice as fast as the population growth rate from last century, according to Kirsty Jenkinson of the World Resources Institute, a Washington think tank. It is predicted that water use will rise 50% between 2007 and 2025 in developing nations, and 18% in developed nations. Much of the increase will be due to urbanization in poorer nations. The increase in water use, along with the impacts that climate change is predicted to bring (such as flooding, droughts, and shifts in precipitation) will cause, according to Jenkinson, a “significant challenge”.
We are already experiencing water distribution issues. Currently, over a billion people do not have access to clean, drinking water, while over 2 billion do not have proper sanitations, leading to the death of 5 million people annually from preventable disease.
Water scarcity and pollution also affects industry. About 77% of freshwater is used for irrigation and 22% for industry, according to Jenkinson. Water scarcity and water stress has already affected water-intensive industries in Russia, China and the southern U.S. For example, The Gap cut its profit forecast by 22% due to Texas droughts.
Some spots of high concern for water risk include the Colorado River basin, the Orange-Senqu basin in Africa, the Yangtze and Yellow river basins in China, and Australia’s Murray-Darling, basin. (Deborah Zabarenko, “Water use rising faster than world population”, Reuters, 10/25/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/25/us-population-water-idUSTRE79O3WO20111025).
Flooding in Thailand
Floods in Thailand starting in July killed 373 people by October 26th, caused billions in damage, and led to factories being shut down. Thailand hopes these will be operating again in three months. Tens of thousands of Bangkok residents fled from the flood-imperiled capital city after the governor of the city ordered evacuations in two districts, although ultimately central Bangkok was not inundated. These have been the worst floods in Thailand in 50 years. (Robert Birsel, “Thais hope flooded factories back up in 3 months”, Reuters, 10/31/11, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/31/us-thailand-floods-idUSTRE79K2XG20111031; msnbc.com news services, “Tens of thousands flee Bangkok as flood threat worsens”, msnbc.com, http://news.mobile.msn.com/en-us/article_wld.aspx?aid=45044305&afid=1).
Environmental Stress will Cause Migration and Poverty
A study released on October 20th by the Foresight group, a think tank which advises the British government, predicts that millions of people will become trapped in places extremely vulnerable to environmental change during this century. The group argues that this issue, which is a product of both migration and changing environmental conditions, must become a top national and international priority. The report warns that reduced options for migration and the damage of environmental change on incomes will likely lead to people migrating in unsafe, unplanned, illegal, and irregular ways as “environmental migrants”. The study says that attempting to block migration will increase poverty and lead to potentially unmanageable migration, and that a better option would be planning for and giving financial assistance to some migration, both within and beyond borders.
The report notes that environmental change can cause people to migrate to even worse (environmentally speaking) areas and can also trap people. For example, by 2060, as many as 552 million people in the Caribbean, Asia, Latin America and Africa may be affected by climate change related flooding. Immigrant populations tend to live in the areas most vulnerable to such flooding.
The World Bank is planning on discussing migration at its London summit meetings in December. (Hillary Rosner, “Millions Will Be Trapped amid Climate Change, Study Warns”, The New York Times – Green: A Blog about Energy and the Environment, 10/20/11, http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/millions-will-be-trapped-amid-climate-change-study-warns/).
Climate Change May Not Be Slowed Much by Switching to Natural Gas
A study released in October by the National Center for Atmospheric Research reveals that natural gas may not be the climate change cure some believe it is. Natural gas-fired power plants emit about 50% of the CO2 that typical coal plants do, but shifting from coal to natural gas will not do much to slow climate change. With a 50% replacement of coal by natural gas, warming would actually increase slightly for 40 years. After that, global warming would only be marginally reduced. (Warming is projected to increase global temperatures by 3 degrees Celsius, 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit, by 2100.)
There are two reasons natural gas does not decrease global warming as much as one might expect given its lower CO2 production. Firstly, natural gas is largely composed of methane, which is a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and which will likely leak from gas wells. This is a particular risk with hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, which releases 30 times that of conventional natural gas extraction according to Cornell research. The other problem with switching to natural gas as a “bridge” fuel between coal and renewable energy is that coal produces sulfur particles this partially offset coals warming by reflecting sunlight through pollution. Methane does not provide this. Reducing sulfate particles, however, lessens air pollution and acid rain. So, there are trade-offs to be taken into account. (Jim Witkin, “Replacing Coal with Gas is No Panacea, Study Says”, The New York Times-Green: A Blog about Energy and the Environment, 10/14/11, http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/replacing-coal-with-gas-is-no-panacea-study-says/) .
Subsidies to Fossil Fuels Continue to Increase
Two years ago in Pittsburg, the G-20 (the group of 20 industrialized and developing nations) acknowledged that subsidies for fossil fuels were wasteful, impeded investment in clean energy, and undermined climate change efforts. They also pledged to increase efforts to get rid of them. Yet these subsidies are hard to get rid of, due to various political factors. These are a diverse set of practices, from tax credits to offset drilling and exploration costs for oil and natural gas companies in Alaska to reduced taxes for heat and power in Britain. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reported recently that such supports were worth up to $75 billion each year in 24 of the 34 (mainly high income) nations it advises.
The International Energy Agency, which is part of the OECD, reported in October that countries including Egypt, Libya, and Venezuela keep their fuel costs at half of the world market prices, while Saudi Arabia subsidizes $1,587 per person by setting energy prices lower than their international market prices. Such subsidizes rose from $109 billion to $409 last year due to government efforts to shield citizens from fuels becoming more expensive. Rolling back such subsidies, according to the OECD’s President,
style='background:white'>Ángel Gurría, could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6% by 2050.
Most types of renewable energy are more subsidized per unit than fossil fuels. However, subsidies for fossil fuels are much greater, in total, than those for wind, solar, and biofuel energies, which received $57 billion in 2009 in subsidies.
Companies and citizens who use fossil fuel also rarely pay the full cost of the resultant environmental problems, according to a New York Times article. These externalities include oil spills, coal sludge, greenhouse gases, and human health problems. A study published in August in The American Economic Review by economists from Yale University and Middlebury College actually found that air pollution from coal-fired power plants cost the United States more in terms of health damage than the amount the plants contribute to the economy. (James Kanter, “Cost of Subsidizing Fossil Fuels is High, but Cutting them is Tough”, New York Times, 10/23/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/business/global/cost-of-subsidizing-fossil-fuels-is-high-but-cutting-them-is-tough.html_).
Belo Monte Dam Goes Forward Despite Indigenous Protests
Hundreds of indigenous persons in the Brazilian Amazon protested the construction of the gigantic Belo Monte hydroelectric dam. The indigenous groups said that they wanted to start a new round of negotiations over the dam and demanded the attendance of a senior Brazilian official. Atossa Soltani of the group Amazon Watch said that the indigenous groups were committed to nonviolent action.
300 people arrived at 6 a.m. on October 27th. They entered a place where a workers site will be constructed, but left later that day. According to officials and police, security officials did not try to prevent the demonstrators from coming onto the property. An indigenous leader, Juma Xipaia, said “Belo Monte will only succeed if we do nothing about it. We will not be silent. We will shout out loud, and we will do it now.” North Energy said that they would not halt their construction work on the dam. Judge Cristina Collyer style='background:white'>Damásio in Altamira, ordered the demonstrators to leave the site, threatening fines of $290 a day, and they left later in the day on October 27th.
Legal challenges from Amazonian groups with backing from international environmental groups have not halted the government from working on the Belo Monte dam. . Environmental activists say the dam, which will take $11 billion to build, will dry up 60 miles of the Xingu Rive, affecting indigenous ways of life, and will flood 200 square miles. The dam will be the third largest in the world if it is built. Officials from Brazil say it is sorely needed for meeting future energy needs.
On November 9th, district federal court Judge Maria de Carmo Cardoso ruled that construction should go ahead, claiming there was no need for prior consultations with indigenous communities on the dam construction and denying environmentalist claims. The federal prosecutors said they were “surprised”, releasing a statement saying “All the studies made arrive at the same conclusion: the dam will produce drastic changes in the food chain and livelihood of the indigenous communities.” (TheFreshOutlook, “Brazilian Judge Approves the Belo Monte Dam, 11/10/11 http://www.thefreshoutlook.com/?p=6653; Alexei Barrionuevo, Brazilian Amazon Groups Invade Site of Dam Project, The New York Times, 10/27/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/28/world/americas/brazilian-amazon-groups-try-to-stop-dam-project.html) .
50% of Canadian Ice Shelves Lost in Last 6 Years
According to a September 27th press release by Carleton University, almost 50% of Canadian Arctic ice shelves have disappeared in the last six years. Derek Mueller of the school of geography and environmental studies said that “The ice shelves were formed and sustained in a different climate than what we have now. As they disappear, it implies we are returning to conditions unseen in the Arctic for thousands of years.” He also notes that “ style='background:white'>These unique and massive geographical features that we consider to be part of the map of Canada are disappearing and they won’t come back.” He says that this is an area of the world where temperatures are rising extremely rapidly and we are seeing a response in the ice shelves. Mueller warns that oil companies need to be aware that more icebergs will be floating south and could threaten rigs in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. “Since the end of July, pieces equaling one and a half times the size of Manhattan Island have broken off,” Mueller said. (Ian Austen, “Arctic Shelves Have Lost Half Their Size in Six Years”, New York Times Green: A Blog about Energy and the Environment, 09/28/11, http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/arctic-shelves-have-lost-half-their-size-in-six-years/; Carleton University, “Canadian Ice Shelves Breaking up at High Speed”, 09/27/11, http://www1.carleton.ca/newsroom/news-releases/canadian-ice-shelves-breaking-up-at-high-speed/).
Climate Change Causes Animal and Plant Species to Move North
A recent study by University of York scientists, published in the journal Science, tracked the movement of 2,000 animal and plant species over the past decade, and found that the species’ ranges had moved an average of 13.3 yards higher in altitude and 11 miles higher up in latitude. These shifts occurred most rapidly in areas with the most climate warming. The altitude increase is twice the predicted rate, and the altitude increase is three times the expected rate. (New York Times, Climate Change and the Exodus of Species, New York Times, 09/26/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/opinion/climate-change-and-the-exodus-of-species.html)
Additional Environmental Developments
Steve Sachs
John M. Broder, “Climate Talks in Durban Yield Limited Agreement,” The New York Times, December 11, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/science/earth/countries-at-un-conference-agree-to-draft-new-emissions-treaty.html?_r=1&ref=world), reports, “After 72 hours of continuous wrangling, the 17th conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change wrapped up early Sunday with modest accomplishments: the promise to work toward a new global treaty in coming years and the establishment of a new climate fund. The deal on a future treaty renews the Kyoto Protocol, the fraying 1997 emissions agreement that sets different terms for advanced and developing countries, for several more years . But it also begins a process for replacing the Kyoto agreement with something that treats all countries — including the economic powerhouses China, India and Brazil — equally. The deal on a future treaty was the most highly contested element of a package of agreements that emerged from the extended talks among 200 nations here.” Most environmentalists believe that rapid action on global warming and the climate change it is inducing needed to begin several years ago, and are extremely concerned that little concrete action took place at Durbin, putting off the promise of further action until at least 2020, when the Kyoto Protocol expires. The delegates did agree on the creation of a fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change, though the precise sources of the money have yet to be determined. —The reserve, called the Green Climate Fund, would help mobilize a promised $100 billion a year in public and private financing by 2020 to assist developing countries in adapting to climate change and converting to clean energy sources. Some agreement was achieved on measures involving the preservation of tropical forests and the development of clean-energy technology. Observers and delegates said that the actions taken at the meeting, while sufficient to keep the negotiating process alive, would not have a significant impact on climate change. Alden Meyer, director of policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, noted, “While governments avoided disaster in Durban, they by no means responded adequately to the mounting threat of climate change.” “The decisions adopted here fall well short of what is needed.” The European Union had pushed hard for what it called a “road map” to a legally binding treaty, against fierce resistance from China and India, whose delegates argued passionately against it. They said that mandatory cuts would slow their growth and condemn millions to poverty.
“Indigenous Peoples Say No to REDD+ and Durban Climate Agreement,” Cultural Survival, December 13, 2011, http://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/none/indigenous-peoples-say-no-redd-and-durban-climate-agreement, comments, “Indigenous leaders returning from Durban, South Africa condemn the fiasco of the United Nations climate change talks and demand a moratorium on a forest carbon offset scheme, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, called REDD+ which they say threatens the future of humanity and Indigenous Peoples’ very survival. During the UN climate negotiations, a Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities against REDD+ and for Life was formed to bring attention to the lack of full recognition of Indigenous rights being problematic in the texts of the UN climate negotiations . Alberto Saldamando, legal counsel participating in the Indigenous Environmental Network delegation stated, “It was very disappointing that our efforts to strengthen the vague Indigenous rights REDD safeguards from the Cancun Agreements evaporated as the Durban UN negotiations went on. It is clear that the focus was not on strong, binding commitments on Indigenous rights and safeguards, nor limiting emissions, but on creating a framework for financing and carbon markets, which they did. Now Indigenous Peoples’ forests may really be up for grabs.” Berenice Sanchez of the Mesoamerica Indigenous Women’s Biodiversity Network said, Instead of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 80% like we need, the UN is promoting false solutions to climate change like carbon trading and offsets, through the Clean Development Mechanism and the proposed REDD+ which provide polluters with permits to pollute. The UN climate negotiation is not about saving the climate, it is about privatization of forests, agriculture and the air.” Tom Goldtooth, Director of Indigenous Environmental Network based in Minnesota, commented, “By refusing to take immediate binding action to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gas emissions, industrialized countries like the United States and Canada are essentially incinerating Africa and drowning the small island states of the Pacific. The sea ice of the Inupiat, Yupik and Inuit of the Arctic is melting right before their eyes, creating a forced choice to adapt or perish. This constitutes climate racism, ecocide and genocide of an unprecedented scale.” “At Durban, CDM and REDD carbon and emission offset regimes were prioritized, not emission reductions. All I saw was the UN, World Bank, industrialized countries and private investors marketing solutions to market pollution. This is unacceptable. The solutions for climate change must not be placed in the hands of financiers and corporate polluters. I fear that local communities could increasingly become the victims of carbon cowboys, without adequate and binding mechanisms to ensure that the rights of indigenous peoples and local forested and agricultural communities are respected,” Indigenous peoples are very concerned that the forest offset scheme known as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), hyped as a way of saving the climate and paying communities to take care of forests as sponges for Northern pollution, is rife with fundamental flaws that make it little more than a green mask for more pollution and the expansion of monoculture tree plantations. The Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities against REDD+ and for Life, formed at the Durban UN climate negotiations, call for an immediate moratorium on REDD+-type projects because they fear that REDD+ could result in “the biggest land grab of all time,” thus threatening the very survival of indigenous peoples and local communities. Joseph K. Towett, stated “We call for an immediate moratorium on REDD+-type policies and projects because REDD is a monster that is already violating our rights and destroying our forests,” said “We support the moratorium because anything that hurts our cousins, hurts us all.” Monica González of the Kukapa People and Head of Indigenous Issues of the Mexican human rights organization Comision Ciudadana de Derechos Humanos del Noreste, stated, The President of the Ogiek Council of Elders of the Mau Forest of Kenya, said, “We will not allow our sacred Amazon rainforest to be turned into a carbon dump. REDD is a hypocrisy that does not stop global warming,” said Marlon Santi, leader of the Kichwa community of Sarayaku, Ecuador and long time participant of UN and climate change meetings.” NO REDD Resources are at: http://noredd.makenoise.org/.
Canada announced, December 13, 2011, that it will not renew its commitment to the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 when the existing agreement expires, becoming the first country ever to formally withdraw from the accords , Canada’s own greenhouse gas emissions are increasing, the Alberta oil sands its fastest-growing source of emissions (“ Merry, Tarry Christmas: Canada Exits Kyoto,” Indian Country Today, D ecember 13, 2011, http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/12/13/merry-tarry-christmas-canada-exits-kyoto-67316).
Global emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning increased at a record amount of 500 million tons during 2010, an increase of 5.9% over 2009, and the largest percentage increase since 2003. This followed a temporary, recession related drop of 1.4% in 2009. It is clear that attempts to reduce carbon emissions worldwide are very far from sufficient (Justin Giles, “Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions in 2010 Show the Biggest Jump Ever Recorded,” The New York Times, December 5, 2011).
Recent scientific studies show that as temperatures continue to rise in and near arctic regions permafrost, which underlies nearly a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere, is warming, melting, and at times burning, releasing huge amounts of highly global warming methane and carbon dioxide. It is estimated that permafrost in the north contains twice as much carbon as the entire atmosphere, so that as the as the permafrost melts and sometimes burns global warming is being greatly accelerated, bringing increasing climate change and faster rising oceans (Justin Gillis, “As Permafrost Warms, Scientists See a Threat,” The New York Times, December 17, 2011).
World wide, as a result of climate change, forests are in serious decline that absorb 25% of the carbon dioxide produced by human activity, slowing global warming. For example, Justin Gillis, “With Deaths of Forests, a Loss of Key Climate Protectors,” October 1, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/science/earth/01forest.html?ref=todayspaper, reports, “The trees spanning many of the mountainsides of western Montana glow an earthy red, like a broadleaf forest at the beginning of autumn. But these trees are not supposed to turn red. They are evergreens, falling victim to beetles that used to be controlled in part by bitterly cold winters. As the climate warms, scientists say, that control is no longer happening. Across millions of acres, the pines of the northern and central Rockies are dying, just one among many types of forests that are showing signs of distress these days. From the mountainous Southwest deep into Texas, wildfires raced across parched landscapes this summer, burning millions more acres. In Colorado, at least 15 percent of that state’s spectacular aspen forests have gone into decline because of a lack of water. The devastation extends worldwide. The great euphorbia trees of southern Africa are succumbing to heat and water stress. So are the Atlas cedars of northern Algeria. Fires fed by hot, dry weather are killing enormous stretches of Siberian forest. Eucalyptus trees are succumbing on a large scale to a heat blast in Australia, and the Amazon recently suffered two “once a century” droughts just five years apart, killing many large trees” (This extensive New York Times article is one of a series examining the evidence for and the effects of climate change).
“The world's original scientists' observations of climate change,” Survival International, November 28, 2011, http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/7908, reports, “The Innu of northeast Canada say climate change has affected wildlife. As the UN’s climate change conference begins in Durban, Survival International calls for the ecological knowledge and insights of tribal peoples to be heeded in global decisions concerning climate change. From the Amazon to the Arctic, tribal peoples typically have the smallest ecological footprints, having practiced sustainable ways of life for thousands of years, but they are also more vulnerable to climate change than anyone on earth, and bear the brunt of mitigation measures such as biofuels, hydroelectric dams and conservation projects. Most tribal peoples have developed an intimate knowledge of their surroundings, and observe minute changes in their ecosystems. Inuit hunters of northwest Canada report thinning sea ice, shorter winters and hotter summers, change to the permafrost and rising sea levels. Innu people of northeast Canada report observing birds in Northern Labrador such as blue jays that are typically only found in southern Canada or the U.S., less snow during the coldest months of the year and fewer mosquitoes during the summer. Nenet reindeer herders of Siberia report that frozen rivers are melting earlier in the season, which hinders their reindeer’s spring migration, forcing them to swim instead of walk across the ice. They also report fewer mosquitoes. Tsaatan reindeer herders of Mongolia report that the growth of lichen and moss that nourish their reindeer is being adversely impacted. Yanomami of the Brazilian Amazon report a change in the pattern of rainfall in the rainforest. They urge the world to recognize the vital role of the Amazon in the regulation of the world’s climate, and the contribution of deforestation to global warming.” Davi Kopenawa, spokesman for the Yanomami people points out, “Climate change has started in our country. The rich countries have burned and destroyed many kilometers of Amazon forest. If you cut down big trees and set fire to the forest, the Earth dries up. The world needs to listen to the cry of the Earth, which is asking for help.” Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Inuit activist, said, ”Hunters have fallen through the sea ice and lost their lives in areas long considered safe. The Arctic is considered the health barometer for the planet. If you wish to see how healthy the planet is, come and take its pulse in the Arctic.” Saami reindeer herder commented, “Traditional weather reading skills can’t be trusted any more. In the olden times one could see beforehand what kind of weather it will be. These signs and skills hold true no more.”
The Navajo Council Resource and Development Committee heard reports of the negative impacts of climate change on the reservation, bringing “the longest longest drought,” causing continuing land deterioration since the 1970s, as the land dries. Streams that used to run year round now are intermittent, as the average temperature on he reservation has increased by 4 degrees Farenheight, while average rain and snowfall has diminished. Particularly worrisome are sand dunes that began to appear on the reservation in the 1950s and now cover about one third of the reservation, and are spreading, in one area on the western part of the reservation by 160 feet a year. Long range forecast indicate that the U.S. Southwest could become 40% drier, along with becoming hotter. All public water and all of the Navajo livestock are now under siege (Cindy Yurth, “The longest drought,” Navajo Times, September 1, 2011).
“It’s official – the key to conservation lies with indigenous peoples,” Survival International, November 10, 2011, http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/7870, reports that “India's Soliga tribe recently secured unprecedented rights to a tiger reserve. Indigenous peoples are key to preserving the world’s forests, and conservation reserves that exclude them suffer as a result, according to a new study from the World Bank. Its analysis shows how deforestation plummets to its lowest levels when indigenous peoples continue living in protected areas, and are not forced out. Across the world millions of tribal people are conservation refugees, but the World Bank says its evidence shows ‘forest conservation need not be at the expense of local livelihoods.’ Using satellite data from forest fires to help indicate deforestation levels, the study showed rates were lower by about 16% in indigenous areas between 2000-2008. 80% of the world’s protected areas are the territories of tribal communities, who have lived there for millennia. This is no coincidence: increasingly, experts are recognizing the link between the presence of tribal peoples and their ability to benefit forests by inhibiting deforestation. Scientist Daniel Nepstad describes indigenous lands as, ‘currently the most important barrier to Amazon deforestation.’ But despite the World Bank acknowledging the benefits indigenous peoples give to the land, it has backed several controversial projects directly threatening their existence. Brazil's Awá tribe were devastated by the World Bank's Carajás program. Most famously, in the 1970s the World Bank helped fund the Great Carajás Program after huge iron ore deposits were discovered in Brazil. The development project had fatal consequences for Brazil’s Awa tribe.” Stephen Corry, Director of Survival International, commented, November 10, 2011, “Experts are finally waking up to the fact that upholding indigenous peoples’ right to remain on their land is the best way to guarantee forest conservation. It's a shame that not all conservation organizations have caught on. Aside from the human rights violation that their evictions represent, such action is also counterproductive.”
Global warming has, and is continuing, to cause the arctic ice to melt so that new sea lanes have and will continue to open up across the arctic, while others that were closed by ice part of the year are either now open, or open for longer periods and if current trends continue will soon be open all year (Andrew E. Kramer, “Amid the Peril, a Dream Fulfilled,” The New York Times, October 18, 2011).
California adopted limits on greenhouse gas emissions in the state , in October, using a system of cap and trade market incentives to move polluters to reduce carbon emissions (Felicity Barringer, California Adopts Limits on Greenhouse Gasses,” The New York Times, October 23, 2011).
Simon Romero, “ New Fields May Propel Americas to Top of Oil Companies’ Lists,” The New York Times, September 19, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/world/americas/recent-discoveries-put-americas-back-in-oil-companies-sights.html?ref=world, reports, “Brazil has begun building its first nuclear submarine to protect its vast, new offshore oil discoveries. Colombia’s oil production is climbing so fast that it is closing in on Algeria’s and could hit Libya’s prewar levels in a few years. ExxonMobil is striking new deals in Argentina, which recently heralded its biggest oil discovery since the 1980s. Up and down the Americas, it is a similar story: a Chinese-built rig is preparing to drill in Cuban waters; a Canadian official has suggested that unemployed Americans could move north to help fill tens of thousands of new jobs in Canada’s expanding oil sands; and one of the hemisphere’s hottest new oil pursuits is actually in the United States, at a shale formation in North Dakota’s prairie that is producing 400,000 barrels of oil a day and is part of a broader shift that could ease American dependence on Middle Eastern oil.” But it also is creating serious environmental and human problems, especially in the Amazon where Indigenous people have been, and are being, seriously injured and threatened by oil and other extraction.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced, October 20, that it would devise stricter rules for the treatment and disposal of toxic wastewater used in natural gas drilling, with standards to be set by 2014 for the management of wastewater used in the drilling tactic known as hydrofracking, which involves injecting huge amounts of water to break up shale or coal bed formations and release the gas (Robbie Brown, “E.P.A. to Tighten Rules on Wastewater Disposal,” The New York Times, October 20, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/us/epa-to-tighten-rules-on-wastewater-disposal.html?ref=todayspaper). The problem is not serious in the older style of drilling straight down, but the newer tactic of drilling horizontally often causes massive water and air pollution.
A British seismologist, Brian Baptie, seismic project team leader with the British Geological Survey, said, in late October, that two minor earthquakes in northwestern England “appeared to correlate closely” with the use of hydraulic fracturing in extracting natural gas from wells. Data from the two quakes near Blackpool — one of magnitude 2.3 on April 1, the other of magnitude 1.5 on May 27 — suggested the tremors arose from the same source. Cuadrilla Resources, a British energy company, was conducting hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, operations at a well nearby when the quakes occurred (Henry Fountain, “Expert Says Quakes in England May Be Tied to Gas Extraction,” The New York Times, October 21, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/22/science/earth/22fracking.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper).
The Tribal Council of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, sitting on a major oil rich shale formation, preemptively banned the oil extraction process known as fracking on reservation lands, in November. The move followed a presentation to the Tribal Council by a group called No Fracking Way Turtle Mountain Tribe (“Turtle Mountain Tribal Council Bans Fracking,” Indian Country Today, November 27, 2011, http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/11/27/turtle-mountain-tribal-council-bans-fracking-64866 ).
Following numerous complaints about serious health effects from the Alberta tar sands oil mining, and numerous protests against various aspects of it (see Ongoing Activities, above), the Fort McKay First Nation, the Fort McKay Métis Community, Alberta Health and Wellness and Alberta Aboriginal Relations, agreed, in September, to study health in communities downstream from the oil sands, with the First Nations, for the first time in Canada, taking the lead, and Alberta Health playing a supporting role. This will be the first time the province has studied the health of an entire community. The groups will interview residents of 600-population Fort McKay to gauge health priorities and create new programs if necessary (“Alberta Government to Study Health Downstream from Oil Sands,” Indian Country Today, September 30, 2011, http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/09/alberta-government-to-study-health-downstream-from-oil-sands/).
The Japanese nuclear crises has been continuing . In mid June, the Fukushima Daiichi power plant began operating a huge filtration system to ease the amount of contaminated water produced at its damaged reactors, but the filtration system had to be shut down after just five hours when a filter expected to last several weeks filled up with radioactive cesium, suggesting the presence of far greater radioactive material than anticipated. As the plant was running out of storage space for the highly radioactive water, unless it could get and keep the filtration system running it would have to dump large amounts of radioactive water into the ocean (Ken Belson, “Utility Starts Filtering Water at Stricken Japanese Nuclear Plant,” The New York Times, June 17, 2011 , http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/18/world/asia/18tepco.html?_r=1&hp; and Ken Belson, “Tepco Halts Filtering of Tainted Water at Japanese Plant,” June 18, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/world/asia/19tepco.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper). At the end of September, Japan ended the required (but by many no longer followed) evacuation of five towns outside the 12 mile evacuation zone surrounding the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear generating plant, despite fears that dangerous radiation may still exist in those towns , at least in some possible unidentified hot spots (Hiroko Tabuchi, “ Japan Lifts Evacuation Advisories Near Nuclear Plant,” September 30, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/world/asia/japan-lifts-evacuation-advisories-near-damaged-nuclear-plant.html?ref=todayspaper).
As of December: The Daichi nuclear catastrophe is far from over. In early November, nearly nine months after the earthquake and tsunami began the Japanese atomic crisis, it was found that recently at least 45 tons of highly radioactive water had leaked from a purification facility at the plant, some of which may have reached the Pacific Ocean (Hiroko Tabuchi and Martin Fackler, “More Radioactive Water Leaks at Japanese Plant,” The New York Times, November 5, 2011). Moreover (as discussed on Thom Hartmann’s Progressive Radio program, December 19), while the Japanese government has declared the reactors at the Fukashima nuclear plant stable, the disaster is hardly over, as even if nothing serious happens, it will take decades to end the problem. The melted cores of three of the reactors, which are still exceedingly hot, melted out of their reactor vessels and at least three quarters of the way through the concrete floor. It is unclear if they are still melting further through the floor, and if they break through into the earth, clouds of radioactive steam could be sent up. The building of reactor 4, whose shut down core is stored on its roof, has been leaning. Engineers are moving to shore it up, which they likely will succeed in doing. But the building, and the ad hoc cooling that have been established are vulnerable – and may continue to be for a great many years until improvements are made, if there is another major earthquake, tsunami, or even a severe storm.
The Niaqually River, that the Nisqually Indians have been relying on for 10,000 years, especially for its salmon, is expected to become shallower and warmer in the next hundred years as annual snowpack and the glacier that feeds the river decline, and rock held by the glacier falls into the river, worsening winter flooding. Therefore, the Nisqually tribal government formed a coalition with private partners and federal and local agencies to help the watershed and its inhabitants adapt, reserving land farther in from wetlands so that when the sea rises, the marsh will have room to move as well, promoting hundreds of rain gardens to absorb artificially warmed runoff from paved spaces and keep it away from the river, and it is installing logjams intended to cause the river to hollow out its own bottom and create cooler pools for fish (Leslie Kaufman, “Looking Ahead to Lead A River Through Hard Time to Come,” The New York Times, July 2, 2011).
There is controversy over whether the virus that has been killing farmed salmon has escaped into the wild and is spreading. There were reports of the infectious salmon anemia in salmon (which has been killing up to 70% of farmed salmon in Chile) caught off British Columbia, but Canadian fisheries and food safety officials say their tests have not found evidence of the deadly virus in caught fish (in the New York Times: Cornellia Dean and Rachael Nuwer, “Salmon Killing Virus Seen for First Time in the Wild on the Pacific Coast,” October 18, 2011; William Yardley, “Knot of Worry Tightens for Fisherman,” October 20, 2011; and William Yardley, “Further Tests Fail to Detect Salmon virus,” November 11, 2011). There has been a major drop in the number of shrimp off the U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico since last summer, as shrimp fisherman are reporting catches down by as much as 80%, which many say is the worst season in memory. The reasons for the shrimp decline are unclear with factors being considered including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, other pollution and climate change (“Gulf Shrimp Are Scarce This Season; Answers, Too,” The New York Times, October 11, 2011). The Atlantic States Marine fisheries Commission, representing 15 states and the U.S. government, decided, in November, to put a limit on the fish catch of menhaden, not regularly eaten by people, but as it is eaten by many fish, is a critical support for Atlantic ocean fish stocks (Abby Goodenough, “Panel Votes to Reduce a Forage Fish Catch,” The New York Times, November 10, 2011).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced, September 29, 2011, it will clean up approximately 1.4 million tons of radium and uranium contaminated soil at the Northeast Church Rock Mine, the largest uranium mine on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico (“EPA to Clean Up Largest Abandoned Uranium Mine on The Navajo Nation,” Cultural Survival, October 4, 2011, http://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/united-states/epa-clean-largest-abandoned-uranium-mine-navajo-nation).
The EPA ruled, August 5, 2011, that the San Juan Generating Station’s coal powered electric plant in western New Mexico must install new pollution controls to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions within five years. The plant manager, Public Service Company of New Mexico said it would coast $750 million to install the catalytic scrubbers, and said it would appeal the decision (Diane J. Schmidt, “EPA imposes maximum cleanup for San Juan power plant,” Navajo Times, September 1, 2011).
Under an agreement with the with the Southern Ute Tribe’s Environmental Protection Agency, Williams Four Corners will reduce harmful air polluting emissions at its Ignacio, CO natural gas plant by replacing ten old compressors with new, improved ones (Ace Stryker, “Tribe, Williams pen deal that will improve local air quality,” Southern Ute Drum, October 7, 2011).
While it is impossible say whether any one storm or weather occurrence is related to global warming and the climate change it induces, and there are debates among scientists as to whether enough time has elapsed to say recent trends towards more and stronger storms are indeed a direct indication of the impact of global warming, there is no question in the mainstream of climate science that the current trend is consistent with global warming induced climate change. One example was end of August Hurricane, later tropical storm, Irene extending on the U.S. East Coast from North Carolina to Connecticut and inland through the rest of New England to Canada, though not intense, at category 1, was extremely large – covering about as much area as the state of California. The threat of flooding from its very large expected storm serge, for the first time brought the city of New York to evacuate low lying areas, and also for the first time, to close its subways. While New York City suffered limited flooding, and none in its subways, there was extensive flooding and power outages, including in inland areas of upstate New York and New England overwhelmed by huge amounts of rain, and other cities, including Philadelphia experienced flooding. Particularly in Vermont – where Senator Sanders stated that this was the worst natural disaster in the history of the state, and upstate New York, damage was very wide spread to houses, businesses, infrastructure and crops, and total damage in dollars estimated from Irene to be among the top 10 of all storms battering the United States in its history. Then when the remnants of tropical storm Lee worked its way from the Gulf coast to the Northeast less than two weeks later, many areas received a second round of horrendous flooding – some at record levels - the evacuation of at least 120,000 people while surging waters threatened major population centers, including along the Susquehanna River, which stretches more than 400 miles from upstate New York to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Then, in November, Western Alaska experienced its one of its worst storms in 40 years, causing flooding in some costal villages (Kim Severson, Dan Barry and Campbell Robertson, “ Damage and Flooding Scar Atlantic Seaboard,” The New York Times, August 27, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/us/28hurricane-irene.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper; Justin Gilils, “Seeing Irene as Harbinger of a Change in Climate,” The New York Times, August 27, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/us/28climate.html?ref=todayspaper; Peter Applebome, “ From Coastline to Mountains, Water Fast and Lethal,” The New York Times,” August 28, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/nyregion/hurricane-irene-with-shocking-speed-floods-turn-deadly.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper; Michael cooper, “Hurricane Cost Seen as Ranking Among Top Ten,” The New York Times , August 30, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/us/31floods.html Matt Flegenheimer, “ Northeast Is Soaked Again, Forcing Evacuations, T he New York Times, September 8, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/09/nyregion/remnants-of-tropical-storm-soak-an-already-battered-northeast.html?ref=todayspaper; and “Battened Down Western Alaska,” The New York Times, November 10, 2011).
Over all, the weather in the United States had already caused record economic loss in 2011, by August, with nine as opposed to the normal three or four $1 billion weather disasters (and there have been more since) (Katharine Q. Seelye, “Year Packed With Weather Disasters Has Brought Economic Toll to Match,” The New York Times, August 20, 2011).
The extreme dryness in the U.S. Southwest had already sparked a record fire season, by mid-June. As of June 16, more than 700 square miles of Arizona and more than 4,300 square miles of Texas have been swept by huge wildfires, while the largest wildfire in Arizona history is burning into New Mexico, whose numerous wildfires this spring include the largest in the state’s history. Containment of the spreading fires has been extremely difficult in hot windy weather in drought suffering areas (Chip Ward, “ How the West Was Lost: The American West in Flames,” TomDispatch.com , June 16, 2011, http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/06/16-3). By September, late annual ‘monsoons’ have begun to ease the drought and wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico, the extremely harsh drought and accompanying wildfires have continued in West Texas. In early September, a huge series of wildfires in Bastrop and Travis Counties and other parts of Central and East Texas , had burned 34,000 acres, the largest fire in Texas history, destroying nearly 500 homes, with at least 5,000 people being evacuated, an at least two deaths , September 4 and 5, 2011, and as the fire continued, as of September 11, 1500 homes had been destroyed by this one set of fires. In Bastrop County, school district officials canceled classes for September 6 and transformed the local middle school into a shelter for evacuees. In the worst fire season in Texas history, since November, 2010, continuing fires had burned more than 2500 homes, as of September 6, with fires still spreading. Texas had the hottest June through August on record for any state in the United States, with an 86.8 average temperature that exceeded Oklahoma’s 85.2 degrees in 1934 (Manny Fernandez, “Wildfires in Parched Texas Kill 2 and Destroy Homes,” The New York Times, September 5, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/us/06wildfire.html?ref=todayspaper; and Manny Fernandez, “With Calmer Winds, Texas Firefighters Make Progress Against Vast Blaze,” The New York Times,September 6, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/07/us/07wildfire.html?ref=us; “ Texas: Heat Is a Record,” The New York Times, September 8, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/09/us/09brfs-recordheat.html?ref=todayspaper; and “ Texas Wildfire Destroys More Than 1,500 Homes,” The New York Times, September 11, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/12/us/12wildfire.html?ref=todayspaper).
Central and northernmost California, after having experienced heavier than normal rains earlier in the year, have more recently been drier. On September 12, lightning-caused wildfires became serious in three groupings of fires in Kern County, covering a total of 87 square miles on September 13 . Two fire complexes were southeast of Bakersfield, near Arvin and Tehachapi, and a third complex in the northern part of the county had reached Sequoia National Forest. Several hundred homes faced mandatory evacuations in parts of Stallion Springs, and the Caliente School District was closed because the fire conditions. To the north, fires in Tehama and Shasta Counties were contained (“ California: Fires Threaten Kern County,” The New York Times, September 13, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/us/13brfs-fires.html?ref=todayspaper).
As of the beginning of October, some Manitoba First Nations remained displaced from unusually heavy spring flooding, bringing the Peguis and Ebb and Flow First Nations to file lawsuits against the federal Canadian government, in mid-September, claiming that dislocation and other effects from last spring’s record flooding had not been addressed. Both First Nations allege that floodwaters were diverted into Lake Manitoba to keep cities like Port La Prairie dry, but at the expense of their agricultural land, residential areas and sacred sites. The two First Nations are suing Manitoba Hydro, the federal government, the province and the Crown utility. In one of the suits the nation is requesting barracks housing through the winter. Hundreds of people, many of them First Nations citizens, were forced from their homes by the April flooding. Although vacation-home owners and farmers can apply for compensation from the province, First Nations do not qualify because they are the responsibility of the federal government (“Fallout Persists from Spring Floods in Manitoba,” Indian Country Today, October 1, 2011, http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/10/fallout-persists-from-spring-floods-in-manitoba/).
Unusually heavy rains across Central America , in mid-October, brought deadly, damaging, flooding and mud slides killing at least 66, destroying property and infrastructure across Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua (“Heavy Rains Wreak Havoc Through Central America,” the New York Times, October 16, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/17/world/americas/heavy-rains-wreak-havoc-through-central-america.html?ref=todayspaper; and “Central America Death Toll at 45 From Heavy Rains,” The New York Times , October 15, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2011/10/15/world/americas/international-us-storms-centralamerica.html?_r=1&ref=world).
Possibly showing a new pattern as part of climate change (though it is too early to know), for the Second year in a row Pakistan has received disastrously heavy monsoon rains, again causing wide spread flooding. As of September 20, 2011 at least 220 people had died in the monsoons, some 665,000 homes were destroyed and more than 1.8 million people displaced (“In Pakistan, Monsoon Rains Bring Disaster for a Second Year,” The New York Times, September 20, 2011). This coincides with two consecutive years of more sever weather, and a shifting weather pattern, in North America, especially in the winter, reported in these pages. While it will take a longer period of time to know if such changes are climate change, and not just a temporary phenomenon, they are consistent with global warming induced climate change. Meanwhile, in Late July, a month of unusually heavy rains set off mudslides in Korea killing at least 32 people (Choe Sang-Hun, “Heavy Rain in South Korea Sets Of Deadly Mudslides,” The New York Times, July 28, 2011). In Southern Brazil, in mid-March, heavy rains bringing floods and landslides forced 31,000 people from their homes and caused some deaths (“Brazil: Floods Ravage Southeast,” The New York Times, March 15, 2011).
A Heat wave in Iraq, with temperatures over 120 degrees F., caused the government to take the unprecedented step of taking a heat holiday, August 2 (Michael S. Schmidt, “Heat Wave and Fasting Ass to Woes of Iraqis,” The New York Times, August 3, 2011).
Typhoon Talas dropped record quantities of rain in western and central Japan, September 4, 2011, bringing extensive destructive flooding and mudslides, leaving at least 25 dead, at least 50 missing and displacing 460,000 people (“ Typhoon Rains Kill at Least 25 and Maroon Thousands in Japan,” The New York Times, September 4, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/world/asia/05japan.html?ref=todayspaper). Later in September, Japan was again hit by a major storm, Typhoon Rorke, which went up Japan’s main island, through Tokyo and drenching the Fukashima nuclear plant and the area around it, possibly washing large quantities of radioactivity into the ocean. At least six people were killed, perhaps a million people dislocated, and thousands of commuters were stranded as transportation was disrupted (Martin Fackler, “ Typhoon Headed for Stricken Japanese Nuclear Plant,” The New York Times, September 21, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/world/asia/typhoon-roke-hits-japan-headed-for-stricken-nuclear-plant.html?ref=world).
The Philippines was hard hit, in late September, by Typhoon Nesat, which caused the worst flooding in Manila in a great many years, and brought about the deaths of at least 16 people. Another major storm was expected to strike the island nation in a few days (“The Philippines: 16 Die in Typhoon,” The New York Times, September 28, 2011; and “ The Philippines: 20 Die in Typhoon,” The New York Times, September 27, 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/world/asia/in-the-philippines-18-die-in-typhoon.html?src=recg). The Southern Philippines was struck by tropical storm Washi, the 19th major storm to hit the countries, in mid December, in a pat of the country that such storms have not hit in historical times, causing severe flooding, hundreds of deaths and displacing several hundred people (Floyd ,Whaley, “ Flooding Kills Hundreds in Southern Philippines,” The New York Times, December 17, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/world/asia/flooding-kills-scores-in-southern-philippines.html?ref=world).
Cambodia and southern Vietnam suffered the worst flooding in over a decade on the Mekong Riverfrom heavy rains, in late September, that killed at least 150 people (“Cambodia: Mekong Floods Kill 150,” The New York Times, September 30, 2011, ttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/world/asia/cambodia-mekong-floods-kill-150.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper).
Thailand, in October was suffering from a 100 year flood after three months of heavy, and continuing, rain, who’s terrible effects have been made worse by deforestation and inappropriate management of waterways. With Bangkok facing flooding, on October 21, the reported death toll across the nation was well over 300, with some nine million people affected and tens of thousands driven from their homes. The catastrophic rainfall, augmented by runoffs from overflowing dams in the north, have created floods that have inundated cities, obliterated rice fields and forced the closing of at least 1,000 factories, bringing a huge economic cost not only to Thailand, but also to international manufacturers, especially automakers and technology companies, which rely on the country to supply parts for products. Meeting the flood emergency is also a challenge to Thailand’s new government, and inexperienced prime minister (Seth Mydens, “ For Thailand’s New Leader, Floodwaters Present a Political Test,” The New York Times, October 20, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/world/asia/floods-test-new-thai-leader-on-many-fronts.html?ref=todayspaper).
One impact of climate change in tropical forests, such as in Panama, is that there has been increase in the growth of woody climbing vines, that are choking trees and reducing their transformation of carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbon (Henry Fountain, “A Tree hugger with a Twist,” The New York Times, May 24, 2011). Meanwhile, in an area of Russia’s northern east coast, in which shark attacks were previously unknown, several such attacks took place, in May, bringing authorities to ban swimming on some beaches in the region, costal Primorsky Krai, along the Sea of Japan (Michael Schwirtz, “Russia Stunned by Shark Attacks in East,” The New York Times, August 19, 2011).
The Federal Department of Energy Natural Gas Subcommittee, noting serious water and air pollution problems from fracking to extract natural gas and oil, recommended much stricter rules for natural gas drilling, including eliminating diesel fuel from the fracking fluids injected into the well, making public all chemicals used in fracking, better tracking and more careful disposal of waste that comes up in fracking, and tighter air pollution and greenhouse gas emission standards in gas drilling (Robbie Brown and Ian Urbina, “Panel Seeks Stiffer Rules For Drilling of Gas wells,” The New York Times, August 11, 2011). In December, EPA released scientific studies showing that hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in central Wyoming probably is the cause of contaminated local water supplies (Kirk Johnson, “E.P.A. Links Tainted Water in Wyoming to Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas,” The New York Times,” December 9, 2011). In Pennsylvania (as elsewhere) where a natural gas boom is underway short term financial gains are being off set by other problems, including contaminated water, infrastructure detraining from over use (while little tax revenue goes to local governments), and long term difficulties for property owners who lease to drillers, as often the drilling makes it impossible to get mortgages in the future because of the likely contamination on the property for which the owner (who could become the mortgage lender) is responsible (Katharine Q. Seelye, “Gas Boom Aids Pennsylvania, But Some Worry Over Risks,” The New York Times, October 15, 2011).
A number of earthquakes in numerous localities have been found to be either directly related to fracking, or to be a highly likely result of fracking. It was noted in late November that a continuing series of mild earth quakes in Oklahoma is quite likely related to fracking in oil and gas drilling in the area (Elizabeth A. Harris, “Oklahoma Continues String of Recent Mild Earthquakes,” The New York Times, November 28m 2011).
One third of the natural gas extracted in North Dakota is burned off, as companies pumping out oil say they have no economic incentive to capture and distribute the gas that also comes up at oil wells. Thus they produce huge waste and a great contribution to global warming (Clifford Krauss, “ In North Dakota, Flames of Wasted Natural Gas Light the Prairie,” The New York Times, September 26, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/business/energy-environment/in-north-dakota-wasted-natural-gas-flickers-against-the-sky.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper).
A number of recent oil pipeline ruptures have occurred with resulting serious pollution in the United States, with evidence of inadequate safety practices, while the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is chronically short of inspectors and lacks the resources needed to hire more, leaving too much of the regulatory control in the hands of pipeline operators. This has raised major questions about oil pipeline safety and regulation on the 167,000-mile system of hazardous liquid pipelines crisscrossing the United States. In July, an Exxon Mobil pipeline carrying oil across Montana failed, sending an estimated 42,000 gallons of crude down the Yellowstone River, just weeks after a company inspection and federal review had found nothing seriously wrong. In Michigan, near Marshall, a 35 miles of the Kalamazoo, popular with swimmers and boaters, remained closed, in early September, nearly 14 months after an Enbridge Energy pipeline broke, spilling 843,000 gallons of oil that will cost more than $500 million to clean up. Secretary of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who oversees the pipeline agency, acknowledges weaknesses in the program and has requested Congress to pass legislation that would increase penalties for negligent operators and authorize the hiring of additional inspectors, which is not likely with the Republican dominated house opposed to both new spending and stricter regulation. Federal records show that although the pipeline industry reported 25% fewer significant spills from 2001 through 2010 than in the prior decade, the amount of hazardous liquids being spilled, though down, remains substantial. There are still more than 100 significant spills each year — a trend that dates back more than 20 years. And the percentage of dangerous liquids recovered by pipeline operators after a spill has dropped considerably in recent years (Dan Frosh and Janet Roberts, “ Pipeline Spills Put Safeguards Under Scrutiny,” The New York Times, September 9, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/10/business/energy-environment/agency-struggles-to-safeguard-pipeline-system.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper).
The State Department gave approval, August 26, 2011, to a proposed 1,711-mile pipeline that would carry heavy oil from oil sands in Canada across the Great Plains to terminals in Oklahoma and the Gulf Coast (John M. Broder and Clifford Krauss, “ U.S. Offers Key Support to Canadian Pipeline,” August 26, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/27/business/energy-environment/us-state-department-to-allow-canadian-pipeline.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper). President Obama has since put off a final decision on the pipeline until 2014, to give time for further review, but the Republicans in Congress, in December, forced through a measure requiring the President to decide in 60 days whether or not to approve the pipeline.
Judge Carl J. Barbier of United States District Court in New Orleans ruled in relation to thousands of cases relating to the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, that plaintiffs can seek punitive damages in some claims related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The judge dismissed claims filed under state law because they were “pre-empted by maritime law,” which can be refilled under federal maritime law. Barber also dismissed some maritime claims that “don’t allege physical damage to a proprietary interest” (“Punitive Damages Ruled Possible in Gulf Oil Spill,” The New York Times, August 26, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/27/business/punitive-damages-ruled-possible-in-gulf-oil-spill.html?ref=todayspaper).
The environmental affairs division of Brazil’s Federal Police accused Chevron Corp. of San Ramon, CA, in mid-November, of covering up the scope of an offshore oil leak. Chevron had said it was between 400 and 650 barrels, that it had contained the spill, which was down to 65 barrels. The National Petroleum agency said that the spill was about 1000 barrels, and it was unclear whether the leak had been sealed. At the time, SkyTruth, an environmental nonprofit said that the spill extended over 918 square miles and was spreading, fed by a continuing leak of at least 3738 barrels a day (Stan Lehman, “chevron accused of hiding the scope of offshore spill,” San Francisco Chronicle,” November 18, 2011).
China admitted, July 5, that oil that leaked from a drilling rig offshore of Northeastern China, in the Bohai Sea, for two weeks in June had spread over 320 square miles (Andrew Jacobs, “China Admits Extent of Spill From Oil Rig,” The New York Times, July 6, 2011). In the North Sea, 112 miles east of Aberdeen Scotland, Royal Dutch Shell estimated, in mid August, that 54,600 gallons of crude oil had spilled (“Scotland: Oil Spill in the North Sea,” The New York Times, August 16, 2011). Previously reported demonstrations over environmental issues have continued in China, including increasing outrage and protest over serious air pollution (Edward Wong, “Outrage Grows Over Air Pollution and China’s Response,” The New York Times, December 7, 2011).
The massive Myitsone Dam under construction in Myanmar, or Burma, generated a great deal of concerns and debate, among government officials as well as people . This would have been the first dam across the Irrawaddy River, the iconic, even mythic waterway that has given life to centuries of Burmese civilization. Supporters say the project will generate needed electricity and money. Opponents complained that flooding an area four times the size of Manhattan would displace thousands of villagers, disrupting their lives and culture, while causing irreparable damage to the Irrawaddy, the lifeline of millions of Burmese downstream. Moreover, in an authoritarian country that has begun to experiment with looser controls on the news media, the controversy has raised the rare prospect that public outrage might actually force the government to reconsider its plans (“ Controversy Over Dam Fuels Rare Public Outcry in Myanmar,” The New York Times,” September 21, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/world/asia/controversy-over-dam-fuels-rare-public-outcry-in-myanmar.html?_r=1&ref=world). At the end of September, the government yielded to protest, and canceled the Myitsone Dam project (Thomas Fuller, “ Myanmar Backs Down, Suspending Dam Project,” September 30, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/world/asia/myanmar-suspends-construction-of-controversial- dam.html?ref=todayspaper).
President Obama , on September 2, 2011, rejected a proposed rule from the Environmental Protection Agency that would have significantly reduced emissions of smog-causing chemicals, saying that it would impose too severe a burden on industry and local governments at a time of economic distress, and should be put off until a scheduled reconsideration of acceptable pollution limits in 2013. The E.P.A., following the recommendation of its scientific advisers, had proposed lowering the so-called ozone standard of 75 parts per billion, set at the end of the Bush administration, to a stricter standard of 60 to 70 parts per billion. The change would have left hundreds of counties in the U.S. out of compliance with the Clean Air Act and required a major enforcement effort by state and local officials, as well as new emissions controls at industries across the country. While business groups and republicans in Congress had pressured heavily against the proposal, enironmentalists were sharply critical of the administration for not following good science, and some dismay was expressed within the E.P.A. (John M. Broder, “ Obama Administration Abandons Stricter Air-Quality Rules,” September 2, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/03/science/earth/03air.html?ref=todayspaper).
The Canadian government, in late August, accepted Taseko’s Mines Ltd.’s project description for the New Prosperity mine that the nearby Tsilhqot’in First Nation calls the worst mine ever proposed. Canada rejected the original proposal, which called for the destruction of Fish Lake by turning it into a tailings pond. Taseko’s new plan isn’t much better, the Tsilhqot’in National Government (TNG) said in a counter statement. The federal environmental review of the proposal was to begin by November 7 and could take up to a year (“ Prosperity Mine Rearing Its Ugly Head, Again,” Indian Country Today, September 4, 2011, http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/09/04/prosperity-mine-rearing-its-ugly-head-again-47717).
Fisherman in the U.S. Northeast have agreed with researchers, regulators and engineers to change fishing equipment to reduce bycatch in which species other than the one being fished are caught, killed or injured in the fishing process (Cornella Dean, “Fishing Gear Altered to Ease Collatral Costs to Marine Life,” The New York Times, August 23, 2011).
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that it has been learning valuable information from interviews conducted with Alaska Natives in the Yukon River Basin . USGS social scientist Nicole Herman-Mercer noted, “Many climate change studies are conducted on a large scale, and there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding how climate change will impact specific regions. This study helps address that uncertainty and really understand climate change as a socioeconomic issue by talking directly to those with traditional and personal environmental knowledge” (Nico le Herman-Mercer, Paul F. Schuster, Karonhiakt'tie Bryan Maracle, “ Indigenous Observations of Climate Change in the Lower Yukon River Basin, Alaska ,” Human Organization, Vol. 70, No. 1, Fall 2011, http://sfaa.metapress.com/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,4,10;journal,2,279;linkingpublicationresults,1:113218,1).
A study from the National Wildlife Federation, “Facing the Storm: Indian Tribes, Climate-Induced Weather Extremes and the Future for Indian Country,” released in early August, 2011, American Indians suffer more from climate change than other groups. The report finds that “The high dependence of tribes upon their lands and natural resources to sustain their economic, cultural and spiritual practices, the relatively poor state of their infrastructure and the great need for financial and technical resources to recover from such events all contribute to the disproportionate impact on tribes.” Moreover, Amanda Staudt—a scientist at the National Wildlife Federation and a contributor to the report noted, “Extreme weather events can be very destructive for tribes, many of whom are already suffering from lack of resources to begin with” (“ American Indians Feel the Effects of Climate Change at Higher Rate Than Other Groups,” Indian Country Today, August 9, 2011, http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/08/09/american-indians-feel-the-effects-of-climate-change-at-higer-rate-than-other-groups-46365).
Blackfeet Community College in Browning, Montana became the first Indian nation in the U.S. to have a building to be awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum status, with the completion of its new math and science building (Carol Berry, “Tribal College Goes Ultra-Green with New Building,” Indian Country Today, August 10, 2011, http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/08/10/tribal-college-goes-ultra-green-with-new-building-46066)
The Canadian government listed polar bears as a “species of special concern” under the Species at Risk Act , in November. Inuit people are wary of any more restrictions being placed on the hunting of this spiritually revered animal and are worried about public safety given an increasing number of bears wandering through communities, while environmentalists think the ruling does not go far enough in protecting the bears (“ Canada Declares Polar Bears a ‘Species of Special Concern,” Indian Country Today , November 14, 2011, http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/11/14/canada-declares-polar-bears-a-species-of-special-concern-62784).
Subscribe