The Little REDD Book
Launched at the UNFCCC climate summit in December 2008 The Little REDD Book is a guide to the UN negotiations on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). REDD aims to help halt deforestation, which causes around 20% of the world’s carbon emissions – more than the entire global transport sector. In addition, the mechanism could help fight poverty while conserving biodiversity and sustaining vital ecosystem services.
REDD has evolved rapidly since it was introduced to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2005. With just days to go until the agreement must be reached, over 30 governmental and non-governmental proposals are on the table. The Little REDD Book aims to bring clarity to this complex and rapidly-evolving area by providing insights and information on the process in non-technical language.
The Little REDD Book has recently been updated to reflect the latest research and submissions on REDD and includes a new analytical framework.
Environmental And Health Impacts Of Canada’S Oil Sands Industry
Development of the oil sands in northern Alberta has become an issue of growing public interest in recent year, with highly polarized views being presented by different stakeholders, including First Nations, environmentalists, industries and governments, about the merits of oils sands development in relation to its environmental and health impacts. Regardless of what any individual chooses to believe about these divergent views, the scale of investment and development in the oil sands is a major factor in Canada’s economy, making the issues involved of vital importance to Canadians. On October 5, 2009, the Royal Society of Canada announced the commissioning of an Expert Panel, consisting of eminent Canadian scientists and chaired by Dr. Steve E. Hrudey, FRSC, Professor Emeritus, Analytical and Environmental Toxicology, University of Alberta. The Expert Panel was given a mandate to review and assess available evidence bearing on these issues and identify knowledge gaps to provide Canadians with a scientific perspective in a summary report.
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Natural Resource Damage Assessment Under the Oil Pollution Act
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Natural Resource Damage Assessment Under the Oil Pollution Act
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill leaked an estimated 4.1 million barrels of oil into the Gulf
of Mexico, damaging the waters, shores, and marshes, and the fish and wildlife that live there.
The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) allows state, federal, tribal, and federal governments to recover
damages to natural resources in the public trust from the parties responsible for the oil spill.
Under the public trust doctrine, natural resources are managed by the states for the benefit of all
citizens, except where a statute vests such management in the federal government.
In particular, OPA authorizes Trustees (representatives of federal, state, and local government
entities with jurisdiction over the natural resources in question) to assess the damages to natural
resources resulting from a spill, and to develop a plan for the restoration, rehabilitation,
replacement or acquisition of the equivalent, of the natural resources. The types of damages that
are recoverable include the cost of replacing or restoring the lost resource, the lost value of those
resources if or until they are recovered, and any costs incurred in assessing the harm. OPA caps
liability for offshore drilling units at $75 million for economic damages, but does not limit
liability for the costs of containing and removing the oil.
The process established by OPA for assessing the damages to natural resources is known as
Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA). In the three steps of the NRDA process, the
Trustees are required to solicit the participation of the responsible parties and design a restoration
plan. This plan is then paid for or implemented by the responsible parties. If the responsible
parties refuse to pay or reach an agreement with the Trustees, the Trustees can sue the responsible
party for those damages under OPA. In the alternative, the Trustees may seek compensation from
the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, but there is a cap of $500 million from the Fund for natural
resources damages. The federal government may then seek restitution from the responsible
parties for the sums taken from that Fund.
The Trustees are not required to adhere to the NRDA process set forth in the OPA regulations.
However, they are accorded a rebuttable presumption in court for any determination or
assessment of damages conducted pursuant to the regulations. Of course, the Trustees and the
responsible parties are permitted to enter into settlement agreements at any point throughout the
NRDA process.
The NRDA process in the Gulf is in the Restoration Planning Phase. The caps on the Oil Spill
Liability Trust Fund and on OPA liability have captured Congress’s attention, as has Gulf
restoration. In 2012, President Obama signed the RESTORE Act, which establishes from Clean
Water Act penalties the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund, which is available for restoration
activities in the Gulf Coast region.
Kyoto Protocol To The United Nations Framework Convention On Climate Change
United Nations Framework Convention On Climate Change
Global climate change: National security implications – 2008
Global climate change: National security implications – 2008
On March 30-31, 2007, the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) and the Triangle Institute for Security Studies (TISS) held a colloquium on “Global Climate Change: National Security Implications.” The 2-day event took place in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and was well- attended by both academics and members of the U.S. Government and the Armed Forces. This edited volume is based on this event. It reflects, as closely as possible, the form and content of the conference. Each chapter is based on a conference panel. The final chapter contains a keynote talk by General Paul Kern (USA-Ret.) and concluding remarks by Dr. Richard Weitz. The first seven chapters each contain three essays, a comment, and a discussion. The essays are not exact reproductions of the talks given at the conference. They remain true in spirit and length to the originals but have been adapted to be read. The question and answer sessions have been abbreviated in the interests of space. The reader who would like to hear exactly what was said at the conference is invited to turn to the video-taped proceedings which are posted on the TISS web site at www.tiss-nc.org.
Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States – 2009
Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States – 2009
What is this report?
This report summarizes the science of climate change and the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. It is largely based on results of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP),a and integrates those results with related research from around the world. This report discusses climate-related impacts for various societal and environmental sectors and regions across the nation. It is an authoritative scientific report written in plain language, with the goal of better informing public and private decision making at all levels.
Who called for it, who wrote it, and who approved it?
The USGCRP called for this report. An expert team of scientists operating under the authority of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, assisted by communication specialists, wrote the document. The report was extensively reviewed and revised based on comments from experts and the public. The report was approved by its lead USGCRP Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the other USGCRP agencies, and the Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources on behalf of the National Science and Technology Council. This report meets all Federal requirements associated with the Information Quality Act, including those pertaining to public comment and transparency.
The National Global Change Research Plan 2012-2021
The National Global Change Research Plan 2012-2021, NRC 2012
From the transmittal letter:
I am pleased to transmit a copy of The National Global Change Research Plan 2012-
2021: A Strategic Plan for the U. S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). The
USGCRP coordinates and integrates scientific research across thirteen agencies of the United
States Government whose missions focus, to some degree, on changes in the global environment
and their implications for society.
This plan was mandated by the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (GCRA, P.L. 101-
606) and will serve as the guiding document for USGCRP for the next decade. It is built around
four strategic goals: advance science, inform decisions, conduct sustained assessments, and
communicate and educate.
In addition to these four goals, the Plan emphasizes the importance of national and
international partnerships that leverage Federal investments and provide for the widest use of
Program results. This Plan builds on the Program’s strengths in integrated observations,
modeling, and information services for science that serves societal needs and fully addresses the
GCRA’s mandate to “understand, assess, predict and respond to human-induced and natural
causes of global change.”
In accordance with the GCRA, the Plan was developed by a team of over 100 Federal
scientists in collaboration with the USGCRP leadership. The team drew on the advice of the
National Academies and feedback from public sessions with stakeholder groups.
The USGCRP is committed to building a knowledge base that informs human response to
global change through coordinated and integrated Federal programs of research, education,
communication and decision support. I look forward to working with the Congress in the
continued development and implementation of this essential National program.
Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation
U.S. Energy Sector Vulnerabilities to Climate Change and Extreme Weather
This report—part of the Administration’s efforts to support national climate change adaptation planning through the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force and Strategic Sustainability Planning process established under Executive Order 13514 and to advance the U.S. Department of Energy’s goal of promoting energy security—examines current and potential future impacts of these climate trends on the U.S. energy sector.
U.S. Energy Sector Vulnerabilities to Climate Change and Extreme Weather
New York City Plan for Climate Change
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On June 11, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced “A Stronger, More Resilient New York”, a comprehensive plan that contains actionable recommendations both for rebuilding the communities impacted by Sandy and increasing the resilience of infrastructure and buildings citywide. If you would like a hard copy of the report, it is available for purchase by accessing the CityStore website. You can also download the report for free below. Due to the size of this report, several options are available for those who wish to print the report, including both single pages and two-page spreads. Single pages print best on Letter-sized paper, while two-page spreads print best on Ledger-sized paper. You can read the entire report by clicking one of the links below (in PDF): Whole Report – Low-Resolution (Single Page) Whole Report – Low-Resolution (Spread) Whole Report – High-Resolution (Single Page) Whole Report – High-Resolution (Spread) High-resolution versions of individual chapters are available as single-page PDFs by clicking on the links below. Citywide Infrastructure and the Built Environment
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