| February 2024: "C" Change is Here! |
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February 2024: C Change is Here!
Welcome back to C Change!
This month, we will explore new topics in environmental sustainability. Learn how environmentally-conscious urban planning fosters greener cities and a reduced strain on the environment, and consider the merits and drawbacks of permit trading, one of the leading strategies for pollution control. Additionally, discover a new initiative to bring renewable energy to millions of people on the West Coast with innovative floating wind farms, and its associated costs and benefits. Finally, learn about the effects of wildfires and developing technologies and strategies to fight them. These examples show how we can mitigate our impact on the environment with a concentrated effort, and plan for a more sustainable future!
Here are this month’s topics:
1. Permit trading, otherwise known as cap and trade, is one of the main market-driven initiatives for sustainability. Proponents argue that it is cost-driven, flexible, and cost-effective. However, there are many risks and potential consequences associated with this incentive with concerns such as potential market failures, distributional impacts, and the effectiveness of emission reductions. This article will provide an overview of the pros and cons of emission trading.
2. An innovative plan to harvest wind energy off the West Coast of the US is being conceptualized. It imagines floating wind farms covering expanses of open water, providing renewable energy to millions of homes. Though the wind farms would do much to offset carbon pollution, they come with their own costs too, which designers will have to take into consideration before the plan really kicks off.
3. Wildfires are posing an environmental hazard to the US and other countries around the world. They have a myriad of harmful effects on habitats and generate adverse health effects. With these conflagrations only projected to increase, different strategies and technologies to prevent the worst of the consequences are being developed.
4. The need for sustainable urban development has become more crucial than ever, with over half the global population living in cities. The modern-day city emits extreme environmental harm, with 70% of greenhouse gas emissions coming from cities, 90% city emissions coming from their buildings and transportation, and 66% of the world’s energy use coming from cities. Green cities aim to promote environmental justice and boost the overall quality of urban life, creating spaces that are resilient, inclusive, and ecologically responsible. This article explores the importance of moving towards green urban planning and the aspects that make a city sustainable.
Thank you for joining us this month for February’s C Change articles. Discovering new ways to plan for a greener future is an important source of inspiration for sustainability advocates. It proves change is possible and inspires further action. By fostering efforts to preserve our world, we can slowly but surely revert the damage humanity has caused, and create an Earth where we and nature can mutually coexist.
Sustainably,
Eric Magers
Executive Director
Autumn Marsh
Climate Action Fellow
Soham Arekar
Climate Action Fellow
Jacob Greenlee
Newsletter Department Manager
Sources Cited:
Permit Trading - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.). Www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/... Cart, J. (2023, October 16). “A massive enterprise”: California’s offshore wind farms are on a fast track. CalMatters. https://calmatters.org/environ...; Silva, R. A., West, J. J., Lamarque, J.-F., Shindell, D. T., Collins, W. J., Faluvegi, G., Folberth, G. A., Horowitz, L. W., Nagashima, T., Naik, V., Rumbold, S. T., Sudo, K., Takemura, T., Bergmann, D., Cameron-Smith, P., Doherty, R. M., Josse, B., MacKenzie, I. A., Stevenson, D. S., & Zeng, G. (2017). Future global mortality from changes in air pollution attributable to climate change. Nature Climate Change, 7(9), 647–651. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclima... Sustainable Cities. (n.d.). Www.nrdc.org. https://www.nrdc.org/issues/su...
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| February Highlights |
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| What We Read (and Learned!) This Month |
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| The Pros and Cons of Pollution Permit Trading |
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| Meghan Oh |
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Permit Trading, otherwise known as Emissions Trading or “cap and trade” is a market based approach to reduce pollution from corporations by creating an allowance that can be bought or sold to other agencies. The goal of permit trading is to limit the amount of pollution by creating a “cap” that allows them to pollute a certain amount. While they are proven to be effective in reducing pollution, there are many limitations, advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
Cost-effective: Saving money, and resources
Emission trading is more cost effective than traditional command and control regulations. By creating a market for emission permits and allowing parties to buy and sell, firms can reduce their emissions at the lowest possible cost.
Market-driven incentive: A global framework connected through $$$
Creating a market for trade and incentivizing pollution through an allowance allows for international cooperation and integration by providing a common framework to collaborate in emission reduction efforts. This can lead to greater harmonization of environmental policies and more efficient resource allocation at a global level.
Flexibility: Pollute or pay, reduce and save
Emission trading provides room for flexibility in meeting regulatory targets and requirements by providing agencies with the options of reducing emissions or purchasing permits from other agencies that have reached their emission reduction goals. This flexibility can incentivize and encourage innovation in a cost–efficient manner
Cons
Market Failures
Price volatility, market power, and the potential for market manipulation are all factors that critics claim can subject emission trading to market failure. This would undermine the effectiveness of emission trading and lead to distorted market outcomes.
Distributional Impacts and Environmental Injustice
Emission trading can become a game with winners and losers depending on the initial allocation of permits and the bargaining power of each party involved. Overallocation of permits would lead to insufficient emission reductions. Incentivizing emissions can disproportionately affect lower income populations and lead to increased concentrations of pollution in vulnerable communities. Companies can also pass the costs of purchasing permits to consumers by increasing the prices of goods and services to compensate.
Inconsistencies
The estimates for past, current, and future emission lack reliable data. The risk of untruthful emission reports and inventories is a common challenge for emission trading to work. Additionally, different countries will have various priorities that create difficulties in achieving an international consensus on pollution limits.
Overall, permit trading is found to be a cost-efficient market based approach with certain limitations. By reframing resource conservation and allocation into a money-based framework, agencies will be forced to prioritize sustainability within their practices, but at what cost to the consumer? In capitalist America, incentivizing natural resources to encourage preservation may be the only realistic approach in contrast to everyday lifestyle changes in consumerism. However, the risk of market manipulation and failure due to volatility can undermine the entire point of emission trading due to differing levels of power across different agencies creating room for environmental injustice.
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1. Center for climate and energy solutions. “Cap and Trade Basics | Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.” Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, 21 Oct. 2017, www.c2es.org/content/cap-and-trade-basics/.
2. Environmental Defense Fund. “How Cap and Trade Works.” Environmental Defense Fund, 2023, www.edf.org/climate/how-cap-and-trade-works.
3. July 15, Denny Ellerman |, and 2009. “Cap-And-Trade Addresses Inequity—without Losing Efficiency.” Americas Quarterly, www.americasquarterly.org/fulltextarticle/cap-and-trade-addresses-inequity-without-losing-efficiency/.
4. Kemp, René, and Serena Pontoglio. “The Innovation Effects of Environmental Policy Instruments — a Typical Case of the Blind Men and the Elephant?” Ecological Economics, vol. 72, Dec. 2011, pp. 28–36, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecol.... Accessed 13 Feb. 2019.
5. Kenton, Will. “Cap and Trade Basics: What It Is, How It Works, Pros & Cons.” Investopedia, 5 Dec. 2020, www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cap-and-trade.asp.
6. Woerdman, Edwin. “Chapter 5 - Transaction Costs of Market-Based Climate Policy.” ScienceDirect, Elsevier, 1 Jan. 2004, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927520704800074.
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| The West Coast Energy Project |
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| Autumn Marsh |
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The climate crisis is putting organizations, advocates, and communities under increased pressure to move towards renewable energy as much as possible and as soon as possible. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has an ambitious plan to alter energy production along the entire West Coast by establishing floating wind farms. If things go well, their plan will expand to open waters all over the country to establish even more renewable energy sites.
UN Climate Action discusses how electricity production is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Clean energy sources currently contribute approximately 29% of the energy that’s utilized. This means most electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels. Cal Matters on Humboldt claims that the NREL wind farms can be capable of generating 25 gigawatts of electricity by 2045, providing energy to over 25 million homes and 13% of the state’s power supply. That's 25 million homes that won’t be relying on fossil fuels for their power based on these wind turbines alone. This project is going to require a lot of labor to get going and maintain, so a lot of new jobs will open to work on the necessary port infrastructure that the off-coast wind farms will require. The Office of Energy Efficiency has found that wind power-related jobs already support over 100,000 Americans, with the labor market for it only increasing as more wind plants are created. The Office of Energy Efficiency also claims that the already existing wind turbines are helping America to prevent 336 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. That’s a major decrease in the emissions being produced.
There are significant hurdles to establishing these wind farms off the California Coast. The two most substantial are the costs and infrastructure needed for docks to be able to support the building and sustaining of these farms. NREL is estimating a 5 billion dollar investment for California and a 25 GW goal and a total of between 11-19 billion dollar investment to get the whole West Coast to meet the 55 GW goal by 2045. A large sum of that money would be going towards upgrading or establishing the necessary port infrastructure to integrate the off-coast wind farms adequately. Cal Matters on the Central Coast expresses concern about the unknowns that will come for marine life, with the Central Coast having one of the rarest marine conditions in the world. Additionally, there is far more public backlash from residents on the Central Coast concerning the impacts it’ll have on the quality of the scenery. Cal Matters on the Central Coast reminds us that these wind turbines will be standing 900 feet above the water. This could impact housing costs and tourism which is a large source of community income in Mocco Bay. However, the closest they will come to the coast distance-wise is 20 miles, in some cases the wind farms will be 60 miles off the coast. They won’t be visible during the day from the shore. The concerns about the scenery and the impact on marine life are creating a halt in the Central Coast moving forward with the necessary construction of the ports that will be needed.
Concerns about what this project means for marine life, boating, tourism, housing costs, and fishing are all important to take into consideration. Unfortunately, the climate crisis and greenhouse gas emissions have been pushed to a point where there isn’t enough time to think about limiting these impacts and finding solutions before these projects get started. To get the homes powered by 2045 and be ready to meet California’s net zero goal by 2050 the construction and preparations need to start right away. Ultimately, the move to renewable energy has to happen either way and this is likely to be one of the most effective and least environmentally impacting approaches.
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| Wildfires and Their Effects |
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| Olivia Copeland, Ashley Czermak, Katelyn Hersey, Lucy Diaz |
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Currently, the United States is facing an escalating environmental crisis, as the risk of wildfires is intensifying and in turn causing an increase in pollution. These environmental challenges are reshaping the nation's landscape and posing a significant threat to public health. Historically, the United States has tackled wildfires through a combination of prevention, monitoring, and management methods. This includes ignition management, technological advancements, and the Clean Air Act (CAA). Yet, due to the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires increased support is needed.
Preventative methods include controlled burns, The Smokey Bear Program, and powerline management. Controlled burns are deliberate fires designed to reduce excess plant debris, which can fuel wildfire spread. Historically, forests had regular burns for this reason, but the National Geographic Society (2023) mentions that this tactic due to its risk grew restricted, causing accumulation of debris.
The Smokey Bear program, which similarly functions as a preventative method, educates communities on wildfire prevention. The program teaches campfire safety and how to safely burn backyard debris. This method calls on citizens to take responsibility for their personal fire usage, and raises awareness.
In recent national news, downed transmission lines have been a source of consideration in wildfire prevention. Powerline management implements shutoffs during high-risk periods or active wildfires, keeping additional ignition points from forming. Downed power lines remain energized, igniting fire if they come in contact with vegetation. They can be highly dangerous if not regulated during high-risk periods.
Advancing technology now allows us to track wildfires and ignition areas. EOSDA Forest Monitoring, is a software that uses AI-powered satellite imagery to monitor forest health, notifying the user about recent changes and risks. Then there is the CAA which monitors pollutants like fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), produced by wildfire smoke. This act manages air quality by setting standards for states to meet, assisting with emission reduction programs, and sending public advisories.
Human health is another factor at the forefront of air quality monitoring. Particulate matter (PM 2.5) can cause severe cardiovascular and respiratory issues, including impaired blood vessels and asthma. Children face adverse effects such as exacerbated asthma and increased likelihood for neurologic diseases down the road. Addressing the impact of PM 2.5 on public health is crucial to protect individuals from health complications.
Looking to the future, predictions indicate wildfires increasing 15% by 2030 and PM 2.5 increasing 50% by 2100. Daunting statistics like these demand action. One actionable item which is currently underway is increased support to firefighters. Due to the increasing wildfires in Canada over summer 2023, the U.S. has experienced severe air quality impacts. According to a White House fact sheet, The Biden-Harris administration has tried to prepare citizens and issued a 2024 budget request to increase U.S. firefighter pay, provide health and mental health resources, and firefighter housing.
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Sources:
About the campaign. Smokey Bear. (2021, August 4). https://smokeybear.com/en/smok... Borotkanych, N. (2021, July 20). EOSDA to launch forest management software EOSDA Forest Monitoring. EOS Data Analytics. https://eos.com/blog/eosda-to-... Congressional Research Service. (2022, September 13). Clean Air Act: A summary of the ACT and its major requirements. https://crsreports.congress.go... National Geographic. (2023). https://www.nationalgeographic... Panossian, N., & Engidy, T. (2023, June). Power system wildfire risks and potential solutions. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy23... Silva, R. A., West, J. J., Lamarque, J.-F., Shindell, D. T., Collins, W. J., Faluvegi, G., Folberth, G. A., Horowitz, L. W., Nagashima, T., Naik, V., Rumbold, S. T., Sudo, K., Takemura, T., Bergmann, D., Cameron-Smith, P., Doherty, R. M., Josse, B., MacKenzie, I. A., Stevenson, D. S., & Zeng, G. (2017). Future global mortality from changes in air pollution attributable to climate change. Nature Climate Change, 7(9), 647–651. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclima... U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2024). Air pollution and your health. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/heal... The United States Government. (2023, June 8). Fact sheet: The biden-harris administration supports communities impacted by wildfires and Smoke. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/bri...;
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| The Importance of Sustainable Cities |
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| Laila Salgado |
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As our world becomes increasingly urbanized, with over half of the global population residing in cities, predicted to reach 70% by 2050, the need for sustainable urban development has become more crucial than ever. The modern day city emits extreme environmental harm, with 70% of greenhouse gas emissions coming from cities, 90% city emissions coming from their buildings and transportation, and 66% of the world’s energy use coming from cities. Green cities aim to promote environmental justice and boost the overall quality of urban life, creating spaces that are resilient, inclusive, and ecologically responsible. This article explores the importance of moving towards green urban planning and the aspects that make a city sustainable.
Urban Planning and Green Infrastructure:
Urban planning and design play key roles in building sustainable cities. Compact and mixed-use urban layouts reduce the need for extensive transportation, promote walkability, and foster a sense of community. By integrating green spaces and prioritizing public transport, cities that implement green infrastructure aim to minimize their carbon footprint while improving the quality of life and mental health of their residents.
Renewable Energy:
Transitioning to renewable energy sources is a cornerstone of sustainable urban development. Cities are increasingly adopting solar, wind, and other clean energy solutions to power homes, businesses, and public infrastructure. A prime example of sustainable urban investment is solar farms, which not only spur renewable energy use but also boost the economy by creating new jobs with great wages. The U.S. added 110,000 net new clean energy jobs in 2018, exceeding the new jobs provided by fossil fuel industries by 3 to 1. By investing in smart grids, energy-efficient buildings, and decentralized energy systems, sustainable cities reduce reliance on fossil fuels, mitigating the impact of climate change.
Transportation:
Efficient and sustainable transportation systems are essential in reducing carbon emissions and alleviating congestion in urban areas. Sustainable cities promote the use of public transportation, cycling, and walking, complemented by electric and hybrid vehicles. Some initiatives that sustainable cities have implemented are electric trolleybuses, metro systems, underground railways, and maglev trains. Sustainable cities investing in smart traffic management systems and developing extensive public transit networks to reduce air pollution and enhance mobility.
Waste Management and Circular Economy:
Waste management is a pressing issue for urban areas, and sustainable cities prioritize the reduction, reuse, and recycling of waste. Implementing circular economy principles involves designing products with longevity in mind, reducing single-use items, and creating closed-loop systems for resource utilization. Sustainable waste management practices not only minimize environmental impact but also create economic opportunities through the recycling industry.
Green Building Practices:
The construction and maintenance of buildings play a significant role in the ecological footprint of a city. Sustainable cities prioritize green building practices, such as energy-efficient designs, use of sustainable materials, and integration of green roofs and walls. These initiatives enhance energy efficiency, reduce water consumption, and contribute to the overall well-being of city dwellers.
Inclusive and Equitable Communities:
Sustainability goes beyond environmental considerations; it encompasses social and economic dimensions as well. Sustainable cities strive to create inclusive and equitable communities, addressing issues of affordable housing, social justice, and accessibility. By fostering diverse and vibrant neighborhoods, sustainable cities aim to provide opportunities for all residents to thrive.
Conclusion:
The shift towards sustainable cities is a global necessity, driven by the urgent need to address climate change and ensure a high quality of life for future generations. By adopting principles of urban planning, renewable energy, sustainable transportation, waste management, and green building practices, cities can foster happier, healthier, and greener environments.
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