Despite tighter international controls on ivory, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warns that African Rhinos may become extinct in 10 years if immediate action is not taken by the international community.  The WWF reports that 588 rhinos and tens of thousands of elephants were killed in 2012. 

There are several reasons for the increased amount of rhino poaching: the demand for rhino horn in Asia continues to increase, and local citizens in Africa can earn a substantial amount of money from just several poaches. 

Dr Joseph Okori, the WWF’s African Rhino Programme leader, states: “Villagers are at the bottom of the chain and can earn several months income through two or three days of poaching.  Huge amounts of money is in circulation.” 

The most demand for illegal ivory is in Asia, and particularly Viet Nam.  Large amounts of illegal ivory reach markets in China and Thailand as well.  There is a market expanding on rhinoceros horns as well.  For example, appliances capable of grinding up rhinoceros horns sell for about $450 in Vietnam. 

Laws and regulations against ivory trade already exist at the federal level and state level in the United States.  For example, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the African Elephant Conservation Act of 1989 specifically outlaw the trading of ivory, and state laws vary between jurisdictions.  The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITIES) also banned the illegal trading of ivory. 

Still, the WWF states that more regulations and stricter penalties need instituted and consuming nations need to decrease their demand for illegal ivory immediately to save the African Rhino. 

Namibia is an example of increasing protection for the African Rhino.  The country’s government works with local populations and developed a management plan to protect the rhinos.  The country has the lowest rate of poaching in all of Africa.  Similar management plans are reaching Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia as well. 

The WWF has also developed a DNA registry for a total of 5,600 rhinos.  The DNA information can help African governments track down and try poachers in court. 

Hakan Wirtén, the Secretary General of WWF Sweden, called out to the international community to help save the African Rhino: “We welcome the fact that the Swedish government has provided increased support for stricter border control, as well as other measures to combat smuggling and poaching.  Both governments and tourists need to take more responsibility.  People should absolutely not buy souvenirs from endangered species or carved ivory souvenirs while on holiday.” 

Source: World Wildlife Fund

On November 28, 2012, the Sierra Club announced it was filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).  The lawsuit states that the TVA failed to operate with transparency while it was taking public comments about a $1 billion project to continue the Gallatin coal plant. 

The TVA announced that it would stop taking public comments after November 30, but the Sierra Club claims that it failed to provide the public about environmental safety information in connection with its plan on the Gallatin coal plant.  The plans include the construction 150-foot ash landfills in wetlands near Old Hickory Lake. 

The Sierra Club admits that the lawsuit is a last-ditch effort to stop reconstruction plans on the aging coal plant.  In addition to the lawsuit, the Sierra Club has purchased online advertisement rights on three local newspaper websites and asked TVA to invest in clean energy solutions instead of focusing on again coal plants. 

Louise Gorenflo, the lead volunteer with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign in Tennessee, stated: “TVA wants to spend more than one billion dollars to keep an aging, obsolete coal plant running.  To add insult to injury, TVA officials are trying to limit public comment so they can plow forward with their expensive and dangerous plan.  We’re taking these steps now to ensure that TVA can’t make billion-dollar decisions without public input.” 

The Sierra Club states that TVA has discouraged public comment since the beginning.  Officials with TVA only allowed 30 days of public comments, but public concern allowed for an extension of 14 days.  TVA is still withholding information that the Sierra Club asserts is public information. 

The Sierra Club partnered with an analysis firm called Synapse Energy Economics in August 2012 to show that the older coal plants operated by TVA were uneconomical to operate.  TVA decided to spend one billion dollars on making the coal plant meet current Clean Air standards, but the Sierra Club claims the renovations will affect ratepayers for decades.  To back up their claim, the Sierra Club has proved that an energy efficiency savings program can reduce enough energy consumption to shut down the Gallatin coal plant for good. 

An analysis by TVA also proved energy savings of 1.2 percent could phase out the Gallatin plant, but TVA still insists on updating the coal-fired plant. 

Vanessa Pierce, the Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in the Eastern Region, states: “TVA has an obligation to its ratepayers and the people who live in the Tennessee Valley.  Rate hike after rate hike – with no real investment in the clean energy future – is no longer acceptable.  TVA has the opportunity to phase out an obsolete and polluting coal plant in favor of energy efficiency.  The right choice is clear.” 

Source: Sierra Club

Countries from all over the world are currently meeting in Doha, the capital city of oil-rich Qatar, to develop a treaty to reduce the progression of global warming.  The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has already indicted drastic and immediate changes are needed in developed and developing countries to meet 2020 emissions goals. 

The current Kyoto protocol, the only international emissions treaty, received pledges from developed countries around the world to dramatically reduce emissions by 2015 in order to meet 2020 goals.

Members of countries’ negotiating teams, especially those of the United States, were mostly optimistic about steps being taken for 2020 goals, but a recent study states developing countries like the United States and Canada will unlikely meet their pledges. 

The results of the study were published by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (NEAA). 

According to the study, climate policies in the United States currently fail to reduce emissions reductions pledged to the UNFCCC—which is 17 percent below 2005 emissions levels by 2020. 

The US emission projections are lower than estimates in the past because the economic crisis and development in the energy sector.  Energy demand is shifting from coal to natural gas and helping to heat homes more than electricity generated from coal.  The recession has reduced consuming and ultimately emissions from consumption, but the United States still fails to meet 2020 pledges because it continues to build inefficient cars and coal-fired power stations.  

With current trends and policies, emissions will range from 6.3 to 6.5 gigatons (not including forestry emissions).  The United States has pledged 6.0 Gt or less by 2020. 

Furthermore, the study predicts that the “New Performance Standard” will have no effect on emissions in the future.  The Standard regulates emission levels at new power plants.  The study sites an impact analysis by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

The same goes for Canada.  The NEAA predicts Canada’s current climate policies will not meet pledges by 2020.  Canada has pledged an emissions target of 610 Megatons by 2020, but current estimates show the emissions ranging from 730 to 780 Mt (excluding forestry emissions). 

NEAA argues that the most important environmental policies in Canada are the standards set for small vehicles and coal-fire power generating plants.  However, Canada is unlikely to meet 2020 levels because existing power plants are allowed to operate for 50 more years under the new standards. 

Source: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency

On November 21, 2012, the Energy Information Agency (EIA) announced the wind energy production tax credit (PTC) may expire by the end of the year unless legislation extends the tax credits.  The PTC is one of the main contributing factors to wind energy growth within the United States in the last decade because it allows more financial return on wind energy investment and allows companies to competitively price their generation. 

The PTC was enacted in the 1992 Energy Policy Act and replaced former incentives for wind investment and generation in the Energy Tax Act of 1978.  The first tax credit amount was 1.5 cents per kilowatthour (in 1992 dollars), and the credit is now valued at 2.2 cents per kilowatthour. 

The PTC contributed to an explosion of wind investment and wind generation over the last 20 years.  In 1992, the United States only generated 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of wind power.  At the start of 2012, the United States was generating 45 GW from wind.  State incentives—like the mandate in Minnesota to produce 425 megawatts of power from wind by 2003—have helped increase wind energy production in the last decade as well, but the PTC has pushed for the most wind energy production overall. 

There is hope legislation may extend the PTC though.  Congress let the PTC expire a total of three times from 1999 to 2004.  During these periods, there is usually a large amount of construction on wind energy projects during the year before expiration of the PTC, followed by a year of lower production as the tax credit is discussed and reinstated. 

The PTC has not expired since the Working Families Tax Relief Act was passed in 2004, and substantial year-to-year growth has occurred from 2005 to 2010.  New generation fell again in 2010 as natural gas prices became competitive, but new wind generation picked back up in 2011. 

Some recent projects have taken advantage of an investment tax credit known as the 1603 Grant.  Projects that began construction before 2011 receive a cash grant in lieu of the investment tax credit by electing the 1603 Grant. 

2012 saw a continuing increase in the generation of new wind production.  In the months up to October, 6 GW of new installations have occurred.  The PTC will expire at the end of this year unless legislation extends the credit, and projects that started construction before the end of 2011 are still eligible for the 1603 Grant. 

Source: Energy Information Agency

On November 15, 2012, the Sierra Club announced that Patriot Coal Corporation will immediately begin to phase out large scale surface mining throughout Appalachia. Patriot is one of the largest mountaintop coal removal companies in Appalachia. 

Patriot Coal filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 9, 2012.  A court order and settlement within certain groups persuaded Patriot to reach an agreement with the Sierra Club, and the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.  Attorneys with Appalachian Mountain Advocates required Patriot to install new pollution controls, but Patriot agreed to cease mountaintop removal mining if granted an extension on the time allowed to install the new controls. 

Michael Brune, the Executive Director of the Sierra Club, stated: “This is an historic moment for people hardest hit by mountaintop removal coal mining.  Tens of thousands of people have worked tirelessly to put an end to this destructive process, and today’s agreement is a major step towards ending this abhorrent form of mining and repairing the damage done to communities and ecosystems across the region.”

Patriot is granted additional time on installing selenium treatment at designated mines if it goes through its plan to stop mountaintop removal mining.  The dragline at the Catenary mine complex will stop immediately, and Patriot will retire the dragline at the Hobet mine complex by 2015. 

As part of the agreement, Patriot is also required to withdraw applications for Clean Water Act section 404 valley fill permits.  The permits—currently under review by the Army Corps of Engineers—allow companies to dump mountaintop removal waste into valleys.  The waste can bury streams and headwaters. 

Additionally, Patriot will not apply for new large-scale surface mine permits and will not open any new stand-alone surface mines.  Patriot is still allowed to continue with the opening of a new metallurgical coal mine under its pending 404 permit application, but groups have the right to challenge the pending application. 

The court order for selenium controls by Patriot at the Hobet mine has been extended 15 months.  The installation of selenium controls at 42 other mines is extended 12 months. 

Cindy Rank with the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy stated, “We've been saying for many years that if companies had to pay the real costs of mountaintop removal, it would not be economically feasible.  Hopefully, it’s now become clear that when coal companies are required to prevent illegal selenium pollution and pay the costs for cleanup themselves it’s simply doesn’t make economic sense to continue this destructive form of mining.”

Source: Sierra Club

On November 28, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) temporarily suspended BP Exploration and Production Inc, BP PLC and all affiliate companies from entering into new contracts with the federal government.  The EPA has decided to take such action because it states BP lacked business integrity and showed poor conduct after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the following oil spill, and overall response. 

BP was subject to a private class action lawsuit by individuals and businesses affected by the oil spill, and the federal government also filed a criminal lawsuit against BP. 

The BP Claims Program accepted claims filed by the private sector under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 in June of 2012.  BP agreed to a settlement of approximately $7.8 billion for the class action lawsuit, but the federal government also charged BP with gross negligence, willful misconduct, violation of the Clean Water Act, breach of federal safety and construction regulations, and more. 

BP agreed to pay the largest criminal fine ever issued by the federal government on November 15, 2012.  The EPA reports that the company pled guilty to 11 counts of Misconduct or Neglect of Ship Officers, one count of Obstruction of Congress, one misdemeanor of violating the Clean Water Act, and one misdemeanor of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 

BP agreed to pay a criminal fine around $4.5 billion on top of the $7.8 billion settlement with private businesses and individuals affected by the oil spill.  The criminal fines and compensatory settlement are being paid from BP’s $20 billion Trust.  BP was exempt from securities and shareholder claims as part of the settlement. 

The BP oil spill was the worst environmental disaster in U.S. History.  The suspension of new contracts with the federal government was not announced at the time of the settlement on criminal fines, and the recent announcement showcases stronger enforcement by both the federal government and environmental agencies. 

The EPA was declared the head agency in charge of actions for suspension and debarment.  Such actions are taken to protect the integrity of federal programs and make sure the programs are only operated by responsible companies and individuals. 

All new federal government contracts, grants, and other transactions are suspended until BP can prove to the EPA that it meets all federal business standards.  Past agreements still in operation are not affected by the suspension. 

Source: Environmental Protection Agency

On November 27, 2012, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned that thawing permafrost will likely increase the effects of global warming in the coming years.  During discussions at Doha, UNEP issued a new report that permafrost in the northern hemisphere contains about 1,700 gigatonnes of carbon.  1,700 Gt is twice the amount currently in the atmosphere, and accelerated thawing could have devastating effects. 

Greenhouse gas emissions from melting permafrost are not currently factored into greenhouse estimates.  The report by UNEP encouraged a special IPCC assessment to help create monitoring networks and plans for adaptation. 

The UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner, stated: “Permafrost is one of the keys to the planet's future because it contains large stores of frozen organic matter that, if thawed and released into the atmosphere, would amplify current global warming and propel us to a warmer world.”

According to current estimates, warming permafrost may emit 43 to 135 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide by 2100 and even 246 to 415 gigatonnes by 2200.  Ultimately, permafrost emissions could account for 39 percent of the world’s emissions. 

The lead author of the UNEP’s report warned that warming permafrost emissions need to factor into the new treaty on climate change at Doha that may replace the former Kyoto Protocol. 

The report recommends the following to address economic, social, and environmental factors associated with global:

·   the IPCC report needs to address how carbon dioxide and methane emissions from permafrost influence trends in global warming in order to further support discussion on policy and treaty negotiations

·  countries should start operating their own monitoring sites, increase funding for these monitoring sites, and expand testing

·  expansion of monitoring needs to occur particularly in Russia, Canada, China, and the United States

·  the International Permafrost Association should encourage national monitoring networks but remain part of the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost as well

·  countries, especially the four listed above, need to evaluate how melting permafrost damages and degrades infrastructure

Thawing permafrost can make building foundations, roads, pipelines, railways, and power lines weak.  The world’s largest terrestrial oil spill in Northern Russia in 1994 was a powerful example of the damage thawing permafrost can cause. 

Kevin Schaefer with the University of Colorado National Snow and Ice Data Center stated, “Thawing permafrost represents a dramatic physical change with huge impacts to ecosystems and human infrastructure.  Individual nations need to develop plans to evaluate the risks, costs, and mitigation strategies to protect human infrastructure in permafrost regions most vulnerable to thaw.” 

Source: UN Environment Programme