Hot aspirations?

Bryan Walsh, in this week's (July 21, 2008) issue of Time Magazine, makes an important point about reducing greenhouse gas emissions in his brief on the recent G-8 Summit. He writes that President Bush's pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by the year 2050 is not as lofty as it seems. For one thing, there is no baseline year. Are we talking about 50% of 1990 levels, as proposed by the Europeans, or 50% of present day levels, as desired by the Japanese? That's a big difference.

Our goal in Hawaii is much more concrete. It is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at or below the 1990 level by January 1, 2020. According to legislation passed in 2007 and enacted as Act 234, SLH, here's the timetable for accomplishing this goal:

By December 31, 2008, the Department of Health shall have completed an updated inventory of emission sources and categories of sources.

By December 1, 2009, the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Task Force shall have prepared the required work plan and regulatory scheme. This year, the legislature appropriated $140,000 for FY2008-2009 to a temporary, full-time Task Force Program Manager, and Project Assistant/Researcher positions. The bill, HB2507, Act 235, became law without the Gov's signature.

By December 31, 2011, the Department of Health shall have adopted rules to establish emission limits by be achieved by January 1, 2020.

The legislature appropriated $500,000 to the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism to carry out the responsibilites of the measure, including hiring of staff.

Back to G-8, while the 8 members (the world's richest nations) agreed to this somewhat vague target, developing nations such as China and India did not. However, Walsh comments that "next year we will have a new and more environmental President, and the ground is set for substantial negotiations. But we won't get back eight lost years of White House indifference and interference on climate."

Hawaii's green house gas emissions ratings

First Reading, the Legislative Reference Bureau's blog, contained an interesting post on how Hawaii ranks in terms of our state greenhouse gas emissions. The Congressional Research Service conducted a survey and issued a report. Quoting from First Reading:

The report uses three variables, or emissions drivers, to calculate GHG emissions: population, per capita income, and GHG emissions intensity. Of the three, CRS considers GHG intensity the most relevant to climate change policy. GHG intensity is a measure of GHG emissions from state sources divided by the gross state product (GSP). Hawaii ranks 46th in GHG emissions and drivers. The report also covers CO2 emissions intensity, which account for 85% of GHG emissions in the U.S. In a ranking of CO2 emissions intensity and its drivers, Hawaii ranks 34th.

What 9/11 taught us about the environment

As Hawaii struggles with the environmental impact issues surrounding the Hawaii Superferry, and as we approach the 6th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the two events have an interesting nexus. The PBS series NOVA this past week featured a story called "Dimming the Sun" about climate change. In the 3 days following 9/11, when all the planes were grounded, the scientific community saw an unprecedented opportunity -- to measure the temperature of the earth's atmosphere and to determine what impact airplane vapor trails have, if any, on global warming.

The results were significant. From midday 9/11 to midday 9/14, the nights became cooler and the days became warmer by an average overall range of about 2 degrees F, with the assumption of a net warming. They suggest that airplane contrails do have the capability of increasing temperatures to account for a warming trend in the United States, however, there is on-going debate as to whether we should be concerned. The more significant impact of airplanes on our environment is carbon dioxide emissions rather than vapor trails.

Still, the potential impact is being taken seriously, and NOVA reports that the British government is considering requiring planes to fly at lower altitudes (decreasing condensation) over Great Britain, the effect of which will be fewer contrails in the atmosphere.

The point being, Hawaii is currently focused on the environmental impact of the Superferry. Airline carriers have their environmental impacts as well. All might be well considered within a larger context of the scope of our transportation needs, and the environmental impacts of all the various modes of transportation, in our island eco-system.