Global climate action – June update: Australia has catching up to do and global capital moving

In the lead-up to the Paris climate talks in November, countries continue to advance their domestic climate and clean energy efforts and developing their post-2020 emission reduction targets. This June update highlights and summarises: The initial targets of Australia\u27s international peers Will Australia catch up to and even match our peers? Meeting the less then 2ºC goal Domestic policy developments in May Developments in the financial sector in Ma

What “progression” means for Australia’s post 2020 targets

Outlines why progression should be interpreted as increased ambition not just in terms of absolute emission reductions, but also in the rate of emission reductions. In other words, countries’ targets should not just increase the amount of emissions reduced, but the speed at which this takes place. The Climate Change Authority is due to release a draft report on future emissions reductions targets next month. This research brief highlights a key aspect of The Climate Institute’s submission

Going for zero: state decarbonisation strategies for prosperity in a zero-emission world

This paper explains why states should have a decarbonisation strategy and explores some key policy elements. Abstract Across the world, governments at all levels are implementing policies to reduce carbon emissions, address local air pollution, improve energy productivity, grow new industries and address energy security concerns. While these initiatives are as yet insufficient to avoid dangerous climate change or achieve the internationally agreed goal of avoiding 2°C warming above pre-industrial levels, the trend is clear. What is also clear is the ultimate destination or strategic objective that these policies need to have: the progressive phase-out of emissions to reach net zero levels, or ‘decarbonisation’. The OECD, World Bank and latest IPCC report have warned that avoiding irreversible and severe climate change impacts will require the global economy to be decarbonised before the end of the century. This requires energy systems, particularly electricity, to decarbonise well before then. Private sector actors are also moving forward. Leading multinational business groups and corporate leaders have called for action to achieve net zero global emissions by 2050. The financial sector is increasingly aware of the risks of ‘stranded assets’ resulting from both global decarbonisation efforts and the physical impacts of climate change. In Australia recent political and policy turmoil saw state governments retreat from many past climate policy initiatives. However some governments are now reconsidering their position and the risks posed to their economies and communities should they be left behind by this global trend toward decarbonisation. This paper explains why states should have a decarbonisation strategy and explores these key policy elements: Setting binding emission limits on major emitting facilities Incorporating carbon considerations into policy and planning processes Using procurement and management policies to help build markets for lower emission goods and services Continuing to develop and link energy efficiency policy frameworks Providing assistance: funding, technical, regulatory, trainin

Global Climate Action – May Update:

The Climate Institute\u27s May update on the most recent developmentson new targets and other policies. Overview In the lead-up to the Paris climate talks in November, countries are advancing their domestic climate and clean energy efforts and developing their post-2020 emission reduction targets. This is The Climate Institute\u27s May update on the most recent developmentson new targets and other policies. As Australia continues to mull over its post-2020  emissions reductions target, a number of countries and now state governments have started to ramp up their  action to limit pollution. Many major countries announced their initial targets  earlier, but April saw important announcements from  the governments of California and Ontario, as well as  Japan. California has announced it will aim to reduce emissions by 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030 as part of its contribution to avoiding a 2°C increase in global temperature. If Australia were to match California’s target it would need to aim for pollution reductions of around 30 per cent below 2000 levels by 2025 (see more below). Ontario in Canada announced that it will implement an economy-wide cap and trade system, which will link with the similar systems in Quebec and California. Among the less rosy announcements was Japan’s draft post-2020 target of 26 per cent reduction below 2013 levels by 2030 (or 25.4 per cent below 2005 levels). This target would leave Japan on the sidelines of serious international action and clean technology investment

COP 22 – getting to zero: implementation of Paris Agreement for net zero emissions

In December last year, the world negotiated and adopted the historic Paris Agreement on climate change. For the first time, all countries – rich and poor, large and small – agreed to take universal action to limit global warming to 1.5-2°C, to achieve net zero emissions, and to increase resilience to the emerging impacts of climate change. The first formal meeting of parties to the Paris Agreement will take place in Marrakech, Morocco from the 7th to the 14th of November. This brief gives context to this meeting, outlines key issues that will need to addressed, and discusses the implications for Australia

Dr. Vaughn Bryant Visit plus two lectures

I am requesting funding for Dr. Vaughn Bryant\u27s recent visit (March 19-21) to UMaine where he met with a diversity of researchers across campus and presented two lectures on his areas of expertise. Vaughn is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Palynology Laboratory at Texas A&M University. He is internationally known for his research in forensic pollen analysis, prehistoric diet reconstruction, honey research, and in the reconstruction of paleoenvironments. Dr. Bryant conducts extensive forensic palynological investigations for the CIA, DOE, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). He pioneered efforts in three new and emerging areas of pollen research including: 1 ) the floral sources used by honeybees to produce honey, the use of pollen coefficient data to identify and verify premium grades of honey, and techniques used to identify the geographical origin of commercially-imported and exported honey; 2) the use of pollen data to track and help eradicate agricultural insect pests such as the boll weevil, corn earworm, root worm, and celery looper; and 3) the use of pollen as an important forensic tool used to track and convict criminals. Dr. Bryant has published numerous books, over 150 scholarly publications, and hundreds of presentations around the globe, and he was honored with the prestigious Fryxell Award for Interdisciplinary Research by the Society for American Archaeology, the premiere archaeology society. He has appeared on the Today Show, CNN, Fox Network News, the BBC, CBS News, 3-2- 1 Contact, and the Discovery Channel. His c.v. is attached

2019 Climate Change Institute Organizational Chart

The 2019 organizational chart for the University of Maine Climate Change Institute submitted with the institute\u27s annual report. The chart reveals names of research staff and research themes

People and Nature Adapting to a Changing Climate: Charting Maine’s Course Report

Building on Maine’s Climate Future, in 2009 the Maine Legislature charged the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to bring together a broad group of stakeholders across business, agriculture, forestry, marine, health, conservation, and transportation interests to initiate a climate change stakeholder adaptation process. More than 70 groups representing government, private industry, non-governmental organizations, municipalities, and the University of Maine participated in the discussions and working committees. In February 2010, Maine DEP presented the Legislature with a report on the initial year of work in this stakeholder adaptation process that included a description of findings and recommendations. The summary report is included as supplemental content

Maine\u27s Climate Future Report

Maine’s Climate Future 2020 builds on the Maine’s Climate Future 2009 and Maine’s Climate Future 2015 reports and the Coastal Maine Climate Futures report (below); it is not intended as a comprehensive revision of all aspects of the previous reports. This update demonstrates the progression of accelerating change in the climate in Maine and its effects, reflecting dramatic evidence for accelerating climate change around the globe with the often dire consequences of those changes. This report looks at examples of evidence of effects in Maine drawn from the scientific literature and news media accounts of Maine people and their experiences. MCF 2020 highlights some of the many national and international reports over the past several years demonstrating the urgent need to implement aggressive solutions to what many now call the ‘climate crisis’. This report also highlights the importance of simultaneously investing in science-informed, cost-effective adaptation to accommodate the reality of a changing Maine in which we live, work and play. It goes without saying that the many people who contributed to this report or are referenced in this report share a common experience of the escalating consequences of out changing climate. However, it is the generations to come who will pay the highest price, or benefit the most, from the decisions and actions we take now and in the next several years. To that end, the report also points to resources detailing the many people and organizations who have been working to address the climate challenge in Maine, and to the important framework that Maine state government has launched in 2019 to get the job done

Maine’s Climate Future – An Initial Assessment

This report considers past change over geologic time, recent evidence of accelerated rates of change, and the implications of continued climate change in Maine during the 21st century as a result of greenhouse gas emissions and their associated pollutants. Even if a coordinated response succeeds in eliminating excess greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the century, something that appears highly unlikely today, climate change will continue because the elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) can persist in the atmosphere for thousands of years to come