Pecologix Political Ecology Blotter

Environmental Damage Assessment of Carbon Capture and Storage

A. Cherson — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:37:12 +0000

An end-point life cycle impact assessment is used to evaluate the damages of electricity generation from fossil fuel-based power plants with carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technology. Pulverized coal (PC), integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants are assessed for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, pipeline transport, and storage in a geological formation. Results show that the CCS systems reduce the climate change-related damages but increase the damages from toxicity, acidification, eutrophication, and resource consumption. Based on the currently available damage calculation methods, it is concluded that the benefit of reducing damage from climate change is larger than the increases in other damage categories, such as health effects from particulates or toxic chemicals. CCS significantly reduces the overall environmental damage, with a net reduction of 60% to 70% in human health damage and 65% to 75% in ecosystem damage. Most of the damage is due to fuel production and combustion processes. The energy and infrastructure demands of CCS cause increases in the depletion of natural resources by 33% for PC, 19% for IGCC, and 18% for NGCC power plants, mostly due to increased fossil fuel consumption.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2012.00461.x

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Ash Tree Killing Insect Now East of the Hudson

A. Cherson — Sat, 19 May 2012 00:26:51 +0000

The discovery of emerald ash borer (EAB) in Dutchess County, directly across the Hudson River from a large infestation found two years ago in the City of Kingston and its vicinity, has been confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). This marks the first discovery of EAB east of the Hudson.

Ash Tree Killing Insect Now East of the Hudson – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

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The Fukushima Nuclear Power Station incident and liability for marine pollution

A. Cherson — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:32:38 +0000

After detailed analysis, the conclusion is that Japan should be responsible for the obligation of immediate notification and since Japan unilaterally discharge the wastes without prior specific permits of other contracting countries, it should also be responsible for the violation of prevention of dumping. Since so far, no material injury has emerged and there would appear to be no culpability as regards the prevention of transboundary harm. Finally, this paper stresses the necessity to develop a worldwide agreement concerning the liability for transboundary harm and to establish an institutional framework for the enforcement of a state’s obligations, and also the great significance of international cooperation between nations and organisations in relation to marine environmental protection.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.01.038

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Climate Change’s Most Serious Impact May Be Water-Cycle Amplification, Not Higher Temperatures

A. Cherson — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:06:24 +0000

The question of how bad global warming will get has long been cast in terms of how hot the world will get. But perhaps more important will be how much rising greenhouse gases crank up the water cycle. Theory and models predict that a strengthening greenhouse will increase precipitation where it is already relatively high and decrease it where it is already low. A new study of the ocean’s changing salinity on page 455 of this week’s issue of Science confirms that this mechanism of water-cycle amplification has been operating for the past half-century. The result also suggests that the water cycle is intensifying quickly under global warming—twice as fast as climate models have been predicting.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.336.6080.405

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Obama Administration Releases US Bioeconomy Blueprint

A. Cherson — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:13:27 +0000

The National Bioeconomy Blueprint describes five strategic objectives for a bioeconomy with the potential to generate economic growth and address societal needs.

1. Support R&D investments that will provide the foundation for the future U.S. bioeconomy.“Coordination of Federal bioeconomy-related research activities can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of those investments and is especially important when budget growth is constrained. Coordinated strategic programs and targeted investments will accelerate progress in biological research and technology areas, and this in turn will drive discovery for an American bioeconomy.”Moving Forward: Coordinated, integrated R&D efforts will help strategically shape the national bioeconomy R&D agenda.

2. Facilitate the transition of bioinventions from research lab to market, including an increased focus on translational and regulatory sciences.“If it is to be successful and thrive, the bioeconomy will be based on a steady flow of new products and services that address American needs. To ensure this flow, policies must be developed and taxpayer dollars must be used responsibly to foster an ecosystem that supports discovery, innovation, and commercialization.”Moving Forward: A dedicated commitment to translational efforts will accelerate movement of bioinventions out of laboratories and into markets.

3. Develop and reform regulations to reduce barriers, increase the speed and predictability of regulatory processes, and reduce costs while protecting human and environmental health.“Regulations are essential for protecting human health and the environment and reducing safety and security risks associated with potential misapplications of technology. When they are not carefully crafted or become outdated, however, they can become barriers to innovation and market expansion and discourage investment.”Moving forward: Improved regulatory processes will help rapidly and safely achieve the promise of the future bioeconomy.

4. Update training programs and align academic institution incentives with student training for national workforce needs.“Many jobs in science and technology-related businesses remain unfilled despite high rates of local unemployment. Opportunities exist to enhance training efforts at all levels to keep pace with changing career pathways.”Moving forward: Federal agencies should take steps to ensure that the future bioeconomy has a sustainable and appropriately-trained workforce.

5. Identify and support opportunities for the development of public-private partnerships and precompetitive collaborations—where competitors pool resources, knowledge, and expertise to learn from successes and failures.“Partnerships enable private industry, government agencies, and academic institutions to pool resources and expertise around an idea, dramatically improving chances for success. Many companies do not invest in early ideas because they are unlikely to pay off immediately.This is one place where the government can play a crucial role.”Moving forward: Federal agencies should provide incentives for public-private partnerships and precompetitive collaborations to benefit the bioeconomy broadly.

Complete Bioeconomy Blueprint (PDF)

High sensitivity of the continental-weathering carbon dioxide sink to future climate change

A. Cherson — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:50:09 +0000

This modelling study shows that chemical weathering of continental surfaces—which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—is highly sensitive to a carbon dioxide doubling for the Mackenzie River Basin, the most important Arctic watershed. The findings highlight the potential role of chemical weathering processes in mitigating global warming.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1419

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