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Could climate change capitalism?
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Economist Nicholas Stern’s latest book is a rare and masterly synthesis of climate-change science and economics. His ‘global deal’ could change capitalism for the better, says Robert Costanza.
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A Changing Climate for Prediction
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Standard climate model projections, which have shown the significance of global warming, must be redesigned to inform climate change adaptation and mitigation policy.
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Massive Forest Dieback SW US
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Summary:
• Tree death is an important ecological process, but we don’t know very much about it.
• MFD (Massive Forest Dieback) is often driven by stress from extreme climate events, rather than equilibrial mean climate conditions.
• MFD occurs naturally in many forest types. However, there are indications that emerging patterns of dieback in some montane areas are being amplified by global climate change, and predictions of more extreme climate events suggest risk of increases in associated forest dieback episodes.
• We cannot accurately predict the effects of climate change on montane forest ecosystems without better field data and model incorporation of species-specific thresholds of stress-induced tree mortality, and the dynamics of amplifying disturbances like insect outbreaks and fire.
• CIRMOUNT could help address these knowledge gaps by fostering regional networks for long-term monitoring and research on: 1) plot-based demographies of multiple tree species across landscape and regional gradients to get data on pulses of mortality and natality; 2) tree growth using straightforward dendrometer band methods; 3) feedbacks between forest dieback, other disturbances, and overall ecosystem patterns and processes; and 4) effectiveness of mitigation strategies (e.g., thinning, prescribed burning).
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Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Incentives: A Summary of Federal Programs
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Summary
Energy is crucial to the operation of a modern industrial and services economy. Recently, there have been growing concerns about the availability and cost of energy and about environmental impacts of fossil energy use. Those concerns have rekindled interest in energy efficiency, energy conservation, and the development and commercialization of renewable energy technologies.
Many of the existing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs have authorizations tracing back to the 1970s. Many of the programs have been reauthorized and redesigned repeatedly to meet changing economic factors. The programs apply broadly to sectors ranging from industry to academia, and from state and local governments to rural communities.
Since 2005, Congress has enacted several major energy laws: the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005; P.L. 109-58); the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA; P.L. 110- 140); the Energy Improvement and Extension Act (EIEA), enacted as Division B of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA; P.L. 110-343); and the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA; P.L. 111-5). Each of those laws established, expanded, or modified energy efficiency and renewable energy research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) programs. The Department of Energy (DOE) operates the greatest number of efficiency and renewable energy incentive programs. The Department of the Treasury and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) operate several programs. A few programs can also be found among the Departments of Interior (DOI), Labor (DOL), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Small Business Administration (SBA).
This report describes federal programs that provide grants, loans, loan guarantees, and other direct or indirect incentives for energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable energy. For each program, the report provides the administering agency, authorizing statute(s), annual funding, and the program expiration date. The appendixes provide summary information in a tabular format and also list recently expired programs.
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Drought in the United States: Causes and Issues for Congress
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Drought is a natural hazard with often significant societal, economic, and environmental consequences. Public policy issues related to drought range from how to identify and measure drought to how best to prepare for, mitigate, and respond to drought impacts, and who should bear associated costs. Severe drought in 2011 and 2012 fueled congressional interest in near-term issues, such as current (and recently expired) federal programs and their funding, and long-term issues, such as drought forecasting and various federal drought relief and mitigation actions. Continuing drought conditions throughout the country contribute to ongoing interest in federal drought policies and responses.
As of April 2013, drought has persisted across approximately two-thirds of the United States and is threatening agricultural production and other sectors. More than 1,180 counties so far have been designated as disaster areas for the 2013 crop season, including 286 counties contiguous to primary drought counties. In comparison, in August 2012, more than 1,400 counties in 33 states had been designated as disaster counties by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Most attention in the 112th Congress focused on the extension of expired disaster assistance programs in separate versions of a 2012 farm bill. Attention in the 113th Congress again is expected to focus on farm bill legislation; however, other bills addressing different aspects of drought policy and response have also been introduced. (For information regarding drought disaster assistance for agricultural producers, see CRS Report RS21212, Agricultural Disaster Assistance. For information on the 2012 bill, see CRS Report R42552, The 2012 Farm Bill: A Comparison of Senate-Passed S. 3240 and the House Agriculture Committee’s H.R. 6083 with Current Law.)
Although agricultural losses typically dominate drought impacts, federal drought activities are not limited to agriculture. For example, the 2012 drought raised congressional interest in whether and to what extent other federal agencies have and are using authorities to address drought. Similarly, the President in August 2012 convened the White House Rural Council to assess executive branch agencies’ responses to the ongoing drought. The Administration shortly thereafter announced several new administrative actions to address the drought.
While numerous federal programs address different aspects of drought, no comprehensive national drought policy exists. A 2000 National Drought Policy Commission noted the patchwork nature of drought programs, and that despite a major federal role in responding to drought, no single federal agency leads or coordinates drought programs—instead, the federal role is more of “crisis management.” Congress may opt to revisit the commission’s recommendations. Congress also may consider proposals to manage drought impacts, such as authorizing new assistance to develop or augment water supplies for localities, industries, and agriculture—or providing funding for such activities where authorities already exist. Congress also may address how the two major federal water management agencies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation, plan for and respond to drought.
This report describes the physical causes of drought, drought history in the United States, and policy challenges related to drought. It also provides examples of recurrent regional drought conditions. For information on federal agricultural disaster assistance and related legislation, see the CRS reports noted above.
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Climatic variability and episodic Pinus ponderosa establishment along the forest-grassland ecotones of Colorado
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The primary objective of this study was the detection of possible climatic influences on the recent (i.e., past c. 40 years) establishment of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) at or near forest-grassland ecotones in the northern Front Range of Colorado. Germination dates were precisely determined for >500 juvenile ponderosa pine collected in six widely dispersed sample areas. All sites sampled were open areas lacking an overstory tree cover but located near seed sources. To evaluate the effects of recent climatic variation on recruitment and survival patterns, three types of climate data were used: (1) instrumental climate records from nearby local weather stations; (2) a multivariate index of El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO); and (3) a regional, ponderosa pine tree-ring index sensitive to moisture variation. There is a strong association between episodic recruitment of ponderosa pine and years in which spring and fall moisture availability is high in the instrumental climate record. During the past 40 years, tree establishment was highly episodic and concentrated mainly in four years—1973, 1979, 1983, and 1990. These years are also associated with large-scale warming of sea-surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific (i.e., El Nin ̃o events). These years of abundant seedling establishment also coincide with years of above average radial growth in mature ponderosa pine. Thus, at open sites suitable for the survival of shade-intolerant ponderosa pine, successful establishment of seedlings is highly episodic depending on local moisture availability related to broad-scale climatic variation. This study demonstrates the climatic sensitivity of ponderosa pine recruitment at low elevation sites along forest-grassland ecotones in the northern Colorado Front Range.
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Variability, contingency and rapid change in recent subarctic alpine tree line dynamics
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Summary
1 Boundaries between forest and tundra ecosystems, tree lines, are expected to advance in altitude and latitude in response to climate warming. However, varied responses to 20th century warming suggest that in addition to temperature, tree line dynamics are mediated by species-specific traits and environmental conditions at landscape and local scales.
2 We examined recent tree line dynamics at six topographically different, but climatic- ally similar, sites in south-west Yukon, Canada. Dendroecological techniques were used to reconstruct changes in density of the dominant tree species, white spruce (Picea glauca), and to construct static age distributions of willow (Salix spp.), one of two dominant shrub genera. Data were analysed to identify periods and rates of establish- ment and mortality and to relate these to past climate.
3 Tree line elevation and stand density increased significantly during the early to mid 20th century. However, this change was not uniform across sites. Spruce advanced rapidly on south-facing slopes and tree line rose 65 – 85 m in elevation. Tree line did not advance on north-facing slopes, but stand density increased 40–65%. Differences observed between aspects were due primarily to the differential presence of permafrost. Additional variability among sites was related to slope and vegetation type. Results were less conclusive for willow, but evidence for an advance was found at two sites.
4 Increases in stand density were strongly correlated with summer temperatures. The period of rapid change coincided with a 30-year period of above average temperatures, beginning in 1920. The highest correlations were obtained using a forward average of 30 – 50 years, supporting the hypothesis that tree line dynamics are controlled more by conditions influencing recruitment than by establishment alone.
5 The changes observed at several sites are suggestive of a threshold response and challenge the notion that tree lines respond gradually to climate warming. Overall, the results provide further evidence to support the idea that the pattern and timing of change is contingent on local, landscape, and regional-scale factors, as well as species’ biology.
Key-words: climate change, dendroecology, ecotones, forest-tundra, non-linearity, Picea glauca, Salix glauca, stand dynamics, timberline, Yukon
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Phylogenetic trees and the future of mammalian biodiversity
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Phylogenies describe the origins and history of species. However, they can also help to predict species’ fates and so can be useful tools for managing the future of biodiversity. This article starts by sketching how phylogenetic, geographic, and trait information can be combined to elucidate present mammalian diversity patterns and how they arose. Recent diversification rates and standing diversity show different geographic patterns, indicating that cra- dles of diversity have moved over time. Patterns in extinction risk reflect both biological differences among mammalian lineages and differences in threat intensity among regions. Phylogenetic com- parative analyses indicate that for small-bodied mammals, extinc- tion risk is governed mostly by where the species live and the intensity of the threats, whereas for large-bodied mammals, eco- logical differences also play an important role. This modeling approach identifies species whose intrinsic biology renders them particularly vulnerable to increased human pressure. We outline how the approach might be extended to consider future trends in anthropogenic drivers, to identify likely future battlegrounds of mammalian conservation, and the likely casualties. This framework could help to highlight consequences of choosing among different future climatic and socioeconomic scenarios. We end by discussing priority-setting, showing how alternative currencies for diversity can suggest very different priorities. We argue that aiming to maximize long-term evolutionary responses is inappropriate, that conservation planning needs to consider costs as well as benefits, and that proactive conservation of largely intact systems should be part of a balanced strategy.
extinction risk latent risk mammals
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DOES WOOD SLOW DOWN “SLUDGE DRAGONS?” THE INTERACTION BETWEEN RIPARIAN ZONES AND DEBRIS FLOWS IN MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPES
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Conservation measures for aquatic species throughout the Pacific Northwest rely heavily on maintaining forested riparian zones. A key rationale for this strategy is that the presence of standing and downed trees next to streams will provide a continuous source of wood, which is an important structural component of aquatic habitat. Yet little is known about the interactions between wood and debris flows, which are an important way that wood enters streams.Researchers from the PNW Research Station and Oregon State University created a physics-based simulation of debris flow dynamics in a headwater basin within the Oregon Coast Range. They found that the presence of wood funda- mentally changes the behavior of debris flows by reducing the momentum and distance that they travel. Because debris flow deposits are primary storage sites for sediment within headwater catchments, a shift toward shorter flows means that more sediment is stored higher up in watersheds. In addition, they found that zones with high densities of wood and sediment are relatively fixed in space and do not migrate downstream. This suggests that management strategies could specifically target achieving habitat objectives within these high accumulation zones, and there may be multiple management pathways for achieving these objectives.
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Exponential Decline of Deep-Sea Ecosystem Functioning Linked to Benthic Biodiversity Loss
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Here, we present a global-scale study based on 116 deep-sea sites that relates benthic biodiversity to several independent indicators of ecosystem functioning and efficiency. We show that deep-sea ecosystem functioning is exponentially related to deep-sea biodiversity and that ecosystem efficiency is also exponentially linked to functional biodiversity. These results suggest that a higher biodiversity supports higher rates of ecosystem processes and an increased efficiency with which these processes are performed. The exponential relationships presented here, being consistent across a wide range of deep-sea ecosystems, suggest that mutually positive functional interactions (ecological facilitation) can be common in the largest biome of our biosphere.Conclusions: Our results suggest that a biodiversity loss in deep-sea ecosystems might be associated with exponential reductions of their functions. Because the deep sea plays a key role in ecological and biogeochemical processes at a global scale, this study provides scientific evidence that the conservation of deep-sea biodiversity is a priority for a sustainable functioning of the worlds’ oceans.
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