Climate watch: Winter wildfires, green power growth and other climate topics making news
Here’s a rundown of climate topics in the news.
Winter wildfires
At the end of February, the Canadian Intreragency Forest Fire Centre said there were 92 active wildfires in British Columbia and another 54 in Alberta. In winter? Why? Research suggests that “…powerful wildfires during the summer can lead to deep burning in carbon-rich soils like peat” that continue smoldering during a dry winter. In Texas, hot, dry and windy conditions in the panhandle in February led to the largest wildfire in that state’s history. Fire season now seems to be all year long.
Carbon border adjustment mechanism
U.S. manufacturers typically produce aluminum, cement, iron and steel in ways that involve less carbon pollution than do many other nations. There are two bills (one Democrat and one Republican) before the U.S. Congress that would put fees on imports of those materials when they exceed our carbon pollution standards. This carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) concept has bipartisan backing. Citizens’ Climate Lobby supports it too. The European Union and the United Kingdom also have begun the process of imposing a CBAM to collect a fee at the border from high-polluting countries that undercut their domestic manufacturers with cheaper, carbon-heavy products.
Greenhouse gas emissions falling slowly
The U.S. economy grew by 2.4% in 2023 while greenhouse gas emissions fell by 1.9%, reports the Rhodium Group. It’s the first drop in U.S. emissions since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. And it indicates that less fossil fuel use and economic growth can coexist.
Green power growth in 2024
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published a forecast of what new power generation capacity will be installed in the U.S. this year. Ninety-six percent is expected to be clean (solar, wind, nuclear, and battery storage), with just 4% coming from natural gas.
Climate-smart forestry
The Farm Bill is due for Congressional action this year. Included in the bill is $20 billion for climate-smart conservation practices and healthy forests. These programs help farmers increase storage of carbon through soil and trees. Trees are nature’s vacuum cleaner. They pull 12% of America’s carbon pollution out of the air each year. Despite the fact that the world is losing 25 million acres of forests per year, there is pressure from some in Congress to not allocate the $20 billion for climate-smart forestry. Stay tuned.
Helping the pollinators
Penn State’s Sustainability Institute is bringing to campus Heather Swan, professor, poet and author. She studies the interconnection between people and nature. Swan’s first book from Penn State University Press is “Where Honeybees Thrive,” and it won the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Prize. Her second book from PSU Press, “Where the Grass Still Sings,” comes out this spring. Both spotlight the decline of pollinators and insects globally and work by practitioners, researchers and artists to help insect populations recover. She will deliver a public talk at noon, Friday, March 22 in Foster Auditorium on campus.
Local issues impact national attitudes
Communication campaigns that “…raise awareness of local issues such as pollution and waste disposal…” also will boost awareness of global warming and climate change. That’s one finding from recent research sponsored by Penn State’s Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication. “This study suggests that recognizing the interconnectedness of environmental issues could shape public opinion,” the researchers say. The study is titled “Theories of Segmentation and Effective Strategic Environmental Communication.”