CLIMATE NEWS SCAN – 22 May 2012

ISIS Research Centre — Tue, 22 May 2012 23:10:18 +0000

Some highlights from this weeks News Scan:

Strong Norwegian EV sales throw BC incentives into sharp relief
Life cycle assessments drive consumption towards lower-carbon alternatives
Most mammals too slow for climate change

Authors: Neil Thomson, Neil Salmond, Kristina Welch, Justin Bull

Editors: James Tansey (ISIS), Jessica Worsley (PICS), Tom Pedersen (PICS)

The PICS News Scan is produced by ISIS at the Sauder School of Business and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS). To be added to the News Scan distribution list Subscribe Here or to provide content feedback and/or suggestions about interesting news items, please email: isis@sauder.ubc.ca.

RESEARCH THEME I: THE LOW CARBON EMISSIONS ECONOMY

Food waste a major, but avoidable, source of emissions

May 13, 2012. Every year, 30% of global food production is wasted. Much of this is avoidable and researchers are looking into how consumers can help. In the UK, 360,000 tonnes of milk are wasted each year in the consumption phase, either as a result of too much being served or the product going sour. The nitrous oxide (N2O) associated with this wasted milk has the greenhouse gas (GHG) equivalent of 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2). Avoiding this waste would be similar to removing 20,000 cars from the road. The authorssuggest that, “Eating less meat and wasting less food can play a big part in helping to keep a lid on greenhouse gas emissions as the world’s population increases.” Changing milk consumption patterns, for example, could play a major role in mitigating emissions from agricultural waste.

In BC, approximately 640,000 tonnes of milk are produced each year. If waste patterns are similar to the UK, reducing milk waste here would be equivalent to removing 1,000 cars from the road. While a thousand cars is not a huge number, milk waste is only a fraction of avoidable waste from agriculture. Beyond reducing waste, changing patterns of consumption can also help decrease the footprint of agriculture. In the United States, meat consumption declined 12.2% between 2007 and 2012, the biggest drop in 60 years. However, increasingmeat consumption in China and other developing countries means that any declines in the West are offset. Moving forward, managing emissions from agricultural waste will be central to the efforts of feeding a growing population while mitigating food’s contribution to climate change.

RESEARCH THEME II: SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Strong Norwegian EV sales throw BC incentives into sharp relief

May 1, 2012. Sales of the Nissan LEAF in Norway rose to over 1,000 units in April, six months after the first mass-market release of this electric vehicle (EV). The LEAF was launched in BC at around the same time, but here sales are just over one hundred units. Norway’s population of 5 million, the country’s resource-focused economy and even the Oslo region’s 1.4 million population and density are all comparable to BC and Metro Vancouver. There are nine LEAF dealerships in Norway, the same number as in BC. And while both gas and electricity prices are higher in Norway, the relative cost of energy from each source is comparable to the differential in BC.

Where the jurisdictions diverge is in the consumer price of the vehicle and the available charging infrastructure. In BC, EVs come with a $5,000 pretax rebate, but are still subject to HST and otherwise considered a normal vehicle. In Norway, EVs are exempt from the new car tax (calculated on the basis of fuel efficiency, and rarely less than $5,000). They are also exempt from sales tax, may park at no cost, are exempt from some road tolls and may use bus lanes. Furthermore, there are over 3,500 interoperable charge points in Oslo, making them a common feature of most parking garages and many streets. In Vancouver, charging stations are still considered something of an experimental novelty; the City plans to install 67 charge points from a variety of vendors, forcing EV owners to carry a multitude of member-ship cards. Facilitating EV use both economically and practically, as has been done in Norway, would help BC more easily reach its greenhouse gas emission goals.

RESEARCH THEME III: RESILIENT ECOSYSTEMS

Most mammals too slow for climate change

May 14, 2012. According to a new study, up to 40 percent of mammal species will be unable to keep pace with climate change in the coming decades. Most mammals are not expected to migrate fast enough to suitable habitats as the climate warms, particularly primates, moles and shrews. Researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle have collected information on 493 species of mammals whose future ranges have already been predicted up to approximately the year 2100. Much of the work to date has been done on species’ ranges and projected migrations under future climate scenarios. This new research deals specifically with whether species can move fast enough from where they are today to where the habitat will be suitable. The researchers added: “Our figures are a fairly conservative – even optimistic – view of what could happen, because our approach assumes that animals always go in the direction needed to avoid climate change and at the maximum rate possible for them.”

The researchers expect animals such as armadillos, sloths, coyotes, elk and moose, some of which are found in BC, to be able to keep up with climate change. Frequency of reproduction of different mammal species also has implications for conservation planning, including the work being done by BC’s Species at Risk Task Force.

These new findings help practitioners and conservationists identify where to create corridors for animals that will need to migrate due to climate-induced habitat change. Connectivity, or the linking together of areas that could serve as pathways to new territories, will be of particular importance to conservation planners. For those species that cannot move fast enough, reducing non-climate related stressors could help make them more resilient.

RESEARCH THEME IV: SOCIAL MOBILIZATION

Life cycle assessments drive consumption towards lower-carbon alternatives

May 15, 2012. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has released a report intended to encourage action from business managers and decision-makers at the local level. Life cycle thinking (assessment) (LCA) seeks to better quantify environmental impacts and improve decision-making between alternative products and services, with the intent to select those that emit less carbon and are more environmentally-friendly. Standardizing LCAs of environmental impacts is one way the European Union is tackling climate change and improving resource use. A key component of the Europe 2020 strategy, ‘life cycle thinking’ is being used to understand the full environmental impacts of products and services, from design through produce use and end-of-life. Other relevant research and policy information can be found in theInternational Journal of Life Cycle Assessments.

In BC, Bill 44 introduced the concept of a carbon neutral government and instructs all public sector organizations to report on and offset their greenhouse gas emissions, setting an example for the public to follow. However, unlike LCAs of products and services, the current policy for carbon neutrality in BC only covers scopes 1 and 2, paper emissions, and some business travel, leaving out many other products and services the government consumes. Further details on BC’s carbon neutral government mandate are available in a March 2011 PICS White Paper. The BC Climate Action Toolkit provides some background knowledge on LCAs. Presenting this information to the public in a more accessible manner would help businesses and interested individuals with their environmentally conscious decision-making.

RESEARCH THEME V: CARBON MANAGEMENT IN BC FORESTS

Forest products can help fight climate change

May 14, 2012. Land use change is responsible for 17 to 20% of annual carbon emissions caused by humans.Researchers have found that the bulk of these emissions stems from clearing forests, but the carbon impacts of forestry can vary greatly across the globe. In tropical countries, forests are commonly cleared for agricultural use, to provide wood fuel, or for conversion into paper. In temperate countries like Canada, forests are cleared but immediately replanted, and harvested trees are converted into products like plywood or lumber. These products can store carbon for a long time, impacting how emissions are released. Using wood to produce energy immediately releases carbon back into the atmosphere. Paper, which can be recycled a finite number of times, retains carbon, although it is eventually released through burning or decomposition in a landfill. Semi-permanent wood products, in contrast, can store carbon for decades. According to the authors, “The median carbon stored after 30 years is 2 percent for rest of world and 36 percent for Europe, the United States, and Canada.” This highlights the role of the forest industry in potentially mitigating emissions from land use change.

BC has temperate forests that offer opportunities to store carbon. Companies operating on Crown land are legally required to replant trees to replace those logged, thus helping to mitigate net emissions. Moreover, softwood lumber is ideal for building homes; indeed, wood products from BC act as a semi-permanent sink in construction projects around the world. But more can be done. Recently, a 30 storey wood skyscraper wasproposed in Vancouver, but zoning laws forbid wood structures over 6 storeys. ‘Very tall wood buildings’ offer an opportunity to transform the construction industry. At the provincial level, it is clear that the product portfolio of the forest industry has carbon implications. The more permanent the product, the more carbon is stored, with semi-permanent products being economically viable while providing jobs. Given that economic realities will always shape the products produced in BC, planning for a future where the carbon storage of wood products is recognized and valued will give the province a competitive advantage.

ALSO IN THE NEWS

Model forecasts long-term impacts of forest land-use decisions

Environment Canada’s scientific expertise at risk, report says

Climate change threatens crucial marine algae

Inclusive green growth: The pathway to sustainable development

California takes step toward linking CO2 market to Quebec

Disaster losses set to outpace economic growth – study

Study shows trees absorb less carbon than earlier thought; Leaf activity drops during summer

Peatlands – guidance for climate change mitigation by conservation, rehabilitation and sustainable use

WWF: We will need two Earths by 2030

What the oil industry wants – in charts

Download pdf version: Week 137 PICS News Scan 22 May 2012