Ocean Weather Forecast: It’s Getting Hotter

Scientists have recorded the world’s warmest August ocean surface temperature, a heat wave is heading for Queensland and an El Nino-borne drought looms, while the Arctic’s sea ice pack thawed to its third-lowest summer level on record, continuing an overall decline symptomatic of climate change.

Brian Williams in the Courier Mail (18 September 2009):

SCIENTISTS have recorded the world’s warmest August ocean surface temperature, a heat wave is heading for Queensland and an El Nino-borne drought looms.

The weather bureau expects temperatures in far western Queensland to reach 40C early next week and hit 34C in Brisbane on Wednesday, driven by north to northwest winds.

There should be mostly fine conditions over the weekend for Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold and Sunshine coasts, with the chance of a shower.

Isolated showers and thunderstorms are expected over the Granite Belt, with patchy and thundery rain developing in the Channel Country.

Meanwhile, the US National Climatic Data Centre in Asheville, North Carolina, has found ocean temperatures were the warmest on record averaged for any June to August period in either the Northern Hemisphere summer or Southern Hemisphere winter – 1.03F above the 20th century average of 61.4F. The preliminary analysis is based on records dating to 1880.

 NCDC scientists said large parts of the world’s land mass had warmer-than-average temperatures in August.

The warmest were Australia, Europe, parts of the Middle East, northwestern Africa and southern South America. Australia and New Zealand had their warmest August since records began.

The combined average global land and ocean surface temperature for August was the second warmest on record, behind 1998.

Arctic sea ice covered an average 6.267 million sq km during August, 18.4 per cent below the 1979-2000 average and consistent with a decline of sea ice since 1979.

National Climate Centre climatologist Robyn Duell said unusual drought-bearing El Nino conditions persisted, with tropical Pacific Ocean temperatures warmer than average.

“These conditions are forecast to persist until at least year’s end by most leading climate models,” she said.

Conditions across eastern Australia were dry during July and August, while August and early September have been exceptionally warm.

SEQwater spokesman Mike Foster said catchments had dried out to the point that a minimum 50mm to 60mm of rain would be needed to trigger inflows. Brisbane’s Wivenhoe Dam was on 65.9 per cent, Somerset 92.9 per cent and North Pine 98.4 per cent for an aggregate of 75.7 per cent.

The Australian Conservation Council yesterday said it would start a national campaign, urging governments to strengthen building standards for homes to set zero emissions and water-efficiency standards.

Environment Victoria’s campaigns director, Mark Wakeham, said emissions from the average home could be reduced by more than 75 per cent with energy-efficient design and appliances, while power needs could be supplied by renewable energy.

Source: www.news.com.au

From Reuters correspondents in Los Angeles (18 September 2009):  

THE Arctic’s sea ice pack thawed to its third-lowest summer level on record, continuing an overall decline symptomatic of climate change, US scientists said.

The melt was up slightly from the seasonal melt of the past two years, but still some 20 per cent below the minmum cover for the Arctic summer since satellites began measuring it in 1979.

The range of ocean remaining frozen over the northern polar region reached its minimum extent for 2009 on September 12, when it covered 5.1 million square km, and now appeared to be growing again as the Arctic starts its annual cool-down, the National Snow and Ice Data Center reported.

That level was 24 per cent less than the 1979-2000 average, the Colorado-based government agency said.

This summer’s minimum represented a loss about about two-thirds of the sea ice measured at the height of Arctic winter in March.

By comparison, the Arctic ice shelf typically shrank by a little more than half each summer during the 1980s and 1990s, ice scientist Walt Meier said.

The lowest point on record was reached in September 2007 and the 2009 minimum ranks as the third-smallest behind last year’s level.

But scientists said they do not consider the slight upward fluctuation again this summer to be a recovery.

The difference was attributed to relatively cooler temperatures this summer compared with the two previous years.

Winds also tended to disperse the ice pack over a larger region, scientists said.

“The long-term decline in summer extent is expected to continue in future years,” the report said.

Scientists regard the Arctic and its sea ice as among the most sensitive barometers of global warming because even small temperature changes made a huge difference.

“If you go from a degree below freezing to two degrees above freezing, that’s a completely different environment in the polar region,” Mr Meier said.

“You’re going from ice skating to swimming. Whereas if you’re on a tropical beach and it’s three degrees warmer, you probably wouldn’t even notice it.”

World leaders will meet at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday to discuss a climate treaty due to be agreed on in December.

Source: www.heraldsun.com.au

Seeing REDD? How it works in Papua New Guinea

Carbon Planet takes steps to explain how Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) works and what’s been going on in Papua New Guinea with forestry offset schemes.

From Carbon Planet:

REDD stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation. REDD is a carbon market-based mechanism to prevent the logging of forests and replace the income from the logging with an income from the earning of carbon credits. The carbon credits are awarded from protecting the forests and as a result stopping the carbon emissions that are released from forest deforestation and degradation.

How are REDD credits awarded?

The only carbon credits that can be awarded are those that have been certified by, validated, verified and registered, under credible independent International Standards bodies such as the Voluntary Carbon Association (VCA), which operates the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS).

VCS carbon credits or Voluntary Carbon Units (VCUs) must be held in a VCS approved independent carbon registry. VCS projects can also be certified to meet the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard which is operated by the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) and the Social Carbon Standard operated by the Ecologica Institute and Social Carbon organisation.

What is the status of REDD projects in PNG?

Papua New Guinea has, for some time, had contracts in place with international timber companies and other resource companies enabling them to harvest the indigenous rainforests. Indigenous landowners signed over their timber rights to the Papua New Guinean Government who in turn offered these landowner areas as timber concession areas to timber companies to harvest or leased the landowner’s areas to resource companies to extract other resources such as gold, oil or gas.

The process whereby the landowners agree to assign the timber rights to their land to the Government is known as the Forest Management Agreement (FMA) Process. A Forest Management Agreement (FMA) is signed by the landowners and the PNG Government. Landowners receive royalties from the timber concession holding company for timber harvested, or from the resource company for minerals extracted from their land.

The royalties represented income for some members of the indigenous community. However, management practice standards in the timber and resource industries in Papua New Guinea have been less than ideal, resulting in deleterious environmental and social impacts locally.

However, Papua New Guinea has taken the lead in identifying the important role rainforests play in providing ecosystem services to the global and local community with the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare calling for and establishing the Coalition for Rainforest Nations with the objective of forested tropical countries collaborating to reconcile forest stewardship with economic development.

What about the so-called “fake” carbon credit certificates the press has reported?

As at September 7, 2009, to the best of our knowledge, no “fake” carbon credit certificates have been created.

In mid 2008 the Office of Climate Change (who is the Designated National Authority (DNA) who authorises carbon market activities) created a “symbolic REDD credit certificate” as a sample certificate with no commercial value.

Carbon Planet has had no involvement with them; we understand the certificates were an internal sample produced by the Office of Climate Change not for any commercial use or purpose. The “REDD credit certificates” were not intended as anything but a symbolic reference of a REDD credit certificate.

The only REDD credits or carbon credits that can be awarded are those that have been, validated, verified and registered or certified, under credible independent international standards or bodies such as the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS), and the issued certified VCS credits known as Voluntary Carbon Units (VCUs) must be held in an independent carbon registry approved by the VCS. VCS REDD projects may also be certified under the Community Climate Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) of the Community Climate Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA).

As far as selling bogus carbon credit certificates, since we were founded in 2000, Carbon Planet has never, and will never sell any carbon credits that haven’t been properly certified by a third party carbon certification body and held in an independent carbon credit registry. In fact, we are one of the only carbon retailers that sells properly certified carbon credits and transfers ownership to all buyers via an independent carbon registry account.

I’ve purchased carbon credits from Carbon Planet in the past, are my carbon credits okay?

Carbon Planet has only ever retailed and wholesaled carbon credits certified by reputable third party carbon credit certification bodies. This means that you can be sure that they were legally created, that payment reached rightful stakeholders, and that they represent real and additional carbon benefits. Furthermore, unlike most other carbon credit retailers, you retain legal ownership of the carbon credit once purchased.

Any carbon credits you have purchased from Carbon Planet have met our stringent procurement policy.

Did Carbon Planet pay $1.2m to the PNG Government to either buy carbon credits or be awarded projects?

As at September 7, 2009, Carbon Planet has never paid any monies to the PNG Government. Carbon Planet paid AU$1.2m in project finance to project developer Nupan Trading Corporation (PNG) Limited. Carbon Planet operates under a strict code of conduct.

What is the relationship between Nupan and Carbon Planet?

Nupan, as well as other project developers, has contracted Carbon Planet to provide the certification and trading services for its carbon projects in Papua New Guinea and other countries around the World. Nupan and Carbon Planet are not joint venture partners in any project.

Who are Nupan and Kirk Roberts?

Kirk Roberts is the principal of Nupan Trading Company Ltd. Mr Roberts has worked for some nine years in PNG, the last three concentrating on educating and informing people about the potential for not logging their forests, but rather preserving them for future generations by using Carbon Trading as a revenue source.

What are Nupan and Kirk Roberts doing in PNG?

Nupan has considerable indigenous landowner support for carbon trading. Some 6,000 people turned out of their own accord, some having walked for five and six days, to get to Apenda Village to witness the handover ceremony from Timothy Tepi to “Roberts” (as he is known in PNG), on behalf of the 45,000 people of East Pangia.

To the best of our knowledge, at no time has Kirk promised any amount of money for carbon trading. On the contrary, Kirk has always said that the free market overseas will determine what the value of a Wontok Credit (http://www.carbonowontok.org/) is, and this can only be achieved via a rigorous process of consultation, education, and documentation.

For three years “Roberts” and a team of local people have been working to get the first Government sanctioned REDD project up, and they are now very close. The verification process is well underway, and should be concluded within the next two months.

Source: www.carbonplanet.com

Ecolour, Going Green and QWESTnet

QWESTnet presented 10 speakers in an information packed programme on Friday, while the Going Green Expo in Brisbane had hundreds of exhibitors and speakers showing their green wares, including the revolutionary ecolour paints. Going Green Expo continues until Sunday 20 September.

Ken Hickson was one of the speakers in the QWESTnet Programme Friday, as well as giving a  Going Green Seminar talk on Saturday.

The exhibition was one of the best seen in Brisbane for a long time catering for business as well as consumers looking for green solutions.

Everyone who should be there was on hand, including the ever-present Carbon Market and Super Green Me. Sustainable Insight had its bookstore and had a very well-known book ready for selling and signing.

ABC Carbon made its presence felt in many ways, but also went on a search for some new innovations. One of the best we came across was ecolour.  Here’s more about this revolutionary house paint.

PAINT A BRIGHTER FUTURE TODAY

The ecolour story

If you care about the planet and your health, using an eco-friendly paint in the home, school or workplace makes sense.

ecolour is an Australian manufacturer that produces premium quality, climate friendly, water-based paints. With ZERO Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), ecolour paints are entirely non-toxic to people and the environment.

ecolour’s General Manager Stuart McPhee says, when choosing paint, you need to consider the health of your family.

Regular paints release toxic solvents and petrochemicals into the air as they dry. These are known as

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and are proven to contribute to many health conditions including cancer, sick building syndrome, breathing difficulties, dizziness, headaches, fatigue and blurred vision.

VOCs can continue out gassing for many years after application severely reducing the

quality of your indoor air.

But ZERO VOCs are not the only part of the ecolour story. Besides the health benefits, ecolour is the first climate friendly paint on the market to use a waste product as a key ingredient.

Backed by 20 years of research and development, this Australian invention turns recycled re-refined waste engine oil into water-based paint.

Australia currently burns more than 240 million litres of waste oil per year as a furnace fuel, which produces high carbon emissions. Yet for ecolour, the oil acts as a preservative and provides durability, superior coverage and smooth application qualities to the paint.

Once you use our paint you’ll never use anything else.

“Few eco paints can match ecolour’s ZERO VOC status, and none can match our climate friendliness. In addition our paints are competitively priced, making them an affordable alternative. So there is now no need to compromise your health, the environment or your wallet.”

To reduce your carbon footprint and paint a brighter future, get more information (and paint) from ecolour. The company is based at Byron Bay, New South Wales.

Source: www.ecolour.com.au, www.goinggreenexpo.com.au and www.derm.qld.gov.au

Message from the Editor

By nature and by action, I’m obviously far too polite. In my newsletter and in my book, I have consistently and fairly raised issues, reported on the words of prominent people and organisations, and set out opportunities or action. I have been quietly critical of Governments and business leaders from time to time. Did anyone notice? Did anyone in Government stop and think? Maybe I need to stop being so passive and raise my voice louder and harder. Someone told me the other day I’m doing such a good job that it’s what Government should be doing. Educating and informing about climate change awareness and action. Speaking of Government, I offered to personally present the Prime Minister with a copy of my book, but his office said this wasn’t possible. But he had time to launch a book by Paul Kelly on political leaders! I personally presented Penny Wong with a signed copy of my book. So far not a whisper of acknowledgment. What’s wrong with this Government when it cannot even acknowledge the works and words of others who are communicating and campaigning to achieve a satisfactory outcome for the climate and the country? This issue of Express – our 76^th – has some very hard hitting messages. Will someone, somewhere put up a hand and agree to act? – Ken Hickson

Global Priority: Climate Finance

 ABC Carbon Express #76

The Australian Government must use its influence as part of the G20 group to make a clear and immediate commitment of “climate finance” to help developing countries adapt and mitigate climate change, while a poll across 20 countries conducted for BBC World Service shows 72% support investments by Governments in renewable energy and green technology.

Australia and G20 must commit to climate finance

Joint statement from WWF, ACF, Greenpeace and World Vision:

Australia and G20 must commit to climate finance

Environment and development groups are calling on Australia to make a clear commitment to contributing our fair share of public funds to international climate change action.

Lack of agreement to effectively deliver public finance from developed countries to the developing world to fund greenhouse gas reductions and adaptation to unavoidable and immediate climate change impacts is the major impediment to securing the necessary global consensus at Copenhagen to avoid runaway climate change.

We call on the Australian Government to use its influence as part of the G20 group of nations to make a clear and immediate commitment to the provision of public finance to developing countries at the G20 leaders’ meeting next week.

It is in Australia’s and the world’s interest to commit to delivering transparent, predictable and equitable international climate finance. Helping developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change is critical to getting a deal at Copenhagen.

Australia will be among the worst affected countries in the developed world if climate change continues, to avoid this, we must help developing countries shift to low carbon economies. Investing in tackling climate change now will sow the seeds for resilient and sustainable economies in the future, ignoring the problem will simply mean bigger financial bail outs in years to come.

The following commitments are urgently required to ensure that an effective global deal for rapid and equitable climate change action in Copenhagen in December:

1. Developed countries must commit to provide at least US$150 billion per annum in new and additional public finance to help developing countries reduce emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

2. The G20 members should identify new, predictable and adequate sources of public finance to meet this commitment, including a levy on international shipping and civil aviation, the auctioning of emissions allowances under the Kyoto Protocol, and a fund to prevent deforestation in developing countries.

3. The G20 should affirm that the governance of the finance mechanism will be guided by and accountable to Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC.

4. Australia must publicly indicate that this finance be new and additional to the existing 0.7% commitment of official development assistance, because climate change is compounding and worsening poverty world-wide.

In addition, the G20 nations must mobilise money in the short term to kick-start immediate and effective climate change action.

Money has been committed, but not delivered for agreed adaptation priorities for least developed countries: in the mean time, over 300,000 people die from climate change causes every year. Around 60 million hectares of tropical forest is expected to be lost in the next five years. A public fund is urgently needed to stem the tide of deforestation, the source of one fifth of the world’s greenhouse emissions.

Australia must fulfill its obligations to the developing world and make this financial commitment immediately. The success of the Copenhagen talks hangs in the balance. Australia must not let the opportunity to break the finance deadlock pass.

Source: www.wwf.org.au; www.acfonline.org.au; www.worldvision.org.au; www.greenpeace.org.au

The survey of more than 22,000 people, conducted by GlobeScan/PIPA, found that an average of three in five (60%) citizens—and majorities in 13 of the 20 countries polled—support “significantly increasing government spending to stimulate the economy.”  Support is especially strong for investments in renewable energy and green technology (72%) and for giving financial support to major industries and companies in trouble (62%).

Majorities around the world support governments playing an active role in stimulating and regulating their national economy in response to the current recession, according to a new poll across 20 countries conducted for BBC World Service.

Large numbers (67% overall) also want to see an increase in “government regulation and oversight of the national economy.” Among the major economies, this support was highest in China (94% support) and lowest in the US (50%) and Japan (38%).

The US government’s efforts to address the crisis, which have included far-reaching measures to stimulate the US economy, are being relatively well-received around the world. Nearly half (46%) of all respondents say they are satisfied with what the US has been doing, compared to 39% who are dissatisfied.

In comparison, 44% on average are satisfied with their own government’s response, 36% are satisfied with the actions of the World Bank and IMF, 32% with executives of major banks and 31% with the government of China. Overall people in developed countries show lower levels of satisfaction with all of these groups than do people in developing countries.

People’s satisfaction with their own government’s response varies greatly from country to country. Most express satisfaction in Australia (68%), Egypt (63%), Brazil (59%), Canada (57%), and Indonesia (57%). However, satisfaction is low in France (27%), Mexico (9%), Japan (18%), and the Philippines (24%). Americans are evenly split between those happy and those unhappy with their government’s response.

The results are drawn from a survey of 22,158 adult citizens across 20 countries, conducted for BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan, together with the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. GlobeScan coordinated fieldwork between 19 June and 17 August, 2009.

GlobeScan Chairman Doug Miller comments, “It is clear that citizens in many countries are still not seeing the kind of economic leadership they think is needed from their national government. Particularly low levels of satisfaction in Europe, Japan and Latin America suggest that stronger consumer confidence—seen as essential for economic recovery—will take more time in these parts of the world.”

Steven Kull, director of PIPA, comments, “People around the world are looking for a dynamic approach to the economic crisis and are giving relatively good marks to the active efforts of the Obama administration.

Source: www.globescan.com

Profile: Amanda McKenzie

First published in Express News letter #76

 “Youth Decide is about giving the generation who will be most affected by the decisions made at Copenhagen the opportunity to vote for the world they want to inherit.” Providing leadership is Amanda McKenzie, the National Co-ordinator Australian Youth Climate Coalition. Voting online continues until 21 September.

Organised by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) and World Vision Australia, Youth Decide is a national campaign allowing 12 to 29 year olds to register to join the movement and then cast their vote online from 14 to 21 September.

Ms McKenzie said the vote results would be shared with Australia’s government leaders and then taken to the United Nations during Climate Week in New York in September and to Copenhagen in December.

Amanda McKenzie is the National Co-ordinator Australian Youth Climate Coalition

Amanda has spent significant time working to inspire, educate and empower young Australians to take action on climate change, in their own lives, schools and communities.

This has included:

• establishing ASCENT, the Australian Climate Change Education Network in 2006, an independent non-profit organisation aiming to bring accurate information about climate change to the average person
• playing a key role in the development of the international youth climate movement, in particular helping organise the International Youth Climate Conference which brought together 200 youth delegates from across the world.

Amanda is currently the National Coordinator of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, the peak youth body on climate change which represents youth organisations across Australia.

The AYCC both coordinates its member groups activities as well as developing collaborative national projects and campaigns to build a generation wide movement to ensure adequate action is taken to avert the climate crisis.

Amanda attended the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali as a member of the Australian Government’s delegation as an official advisor and youth representative.

She represented Australian youth in discussions with Federal Ministers, State Government representatives, Professor Ross Garnaut and business and industry representatives from across the world.

Amanda completed a Law degree with honours at Monash Univeristy after completing a Arts degree from Melbourne University in 2004. Her 15,000 word honours thesis, for which she acheived a High Distinction considering: ‘Designing an Emissions Trading Scheme that is Compatible with the Global Carbon Market’.

 Youth to decide on their climate change future

Australia’s youth, who will be the most impacted by climate change, will for the first time have their say on the action they want global leaders to take, with Youth Decide.

Organised by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) and World Vision Australia, Youth Decide is a national campaign allowing 12 to 29 year olds to register to join the movement and then cast their vote online from 14 to 21 September.

Amanda McKenzie, co-director of AYCC and this year’s winner of the Banksia Young Environmentalist of the Year Award said the future of the world’s youth was at stake.

“Youth Decide is about giving the generation who will be most affected by the decisions made at Copenhagen the opportunity to vote for the world they want to inherit,” Ms McKenzie said.

“Approximately 50 youth from Canberra are here for the launch of Youth Decide to address politicians who will this week be making decisions in Parliament on the CPRS legislation.

“While the government can rescue irresponsible financial institutions and hand consumers cash, the environment won’t respond to stimulus packages. Inadequate action will leave us with an irreversible debt that we won’t be able to spend our way out of,” she said.

World Vision’s CEO Tim Costello said throughout history young people had been at the front of movements for social and political change and had an important role to play in the climate change debate.

“Businesses, unions, resource groups, environmentalists, scientists, governments are all clamouring to be heard, but we need to give voice to the very people who will be most impacted by our decisions,” Mr Costello said.

Alana Smith, National Director of World Vision’s youth movement, Vision Generation, said Youth Decide was sending a message to government’s all around the world that young people cared deeply about the future of the planet and wanted to take part in the solution.

“Many young people are passionate about climate change but feel frustrated that individual voices aren’t being heard,” Ms Smith said. “We’re changing that by coordinating a youth movement that all young people can join.

“We are talking with schools and universities right across Australia and organizing local events run by young people where they can learn how policy will impact climate change outcomes.”

Drawing on research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Youth Decide is working with leading Australian Climate Scientists to summarise likely outcomes for the various emission reduction targets governments are proposing. This will then form part of the vote.

Ms McKenzie said the vote results would be shared with Australia’s government leaders and then taken to the United Nations during Climate Week in New York in September and to Copenhagen in December.

“We are encouraging all young Australians to visit www.youthdecide.com.au to register to vote and to receive news and updates about how they can get involved in their local area.”

Source: www.youthdecide.com.au and www.aycc.org.au