Tiempo Climate Newswatch

The Republican gains in the mid-term elections mean that the United States is not likely to adopt a cap and trade approach to mitigation, but other options are available, according to United States president Barack Obama. "I think the smartest thing for us to do is to see if we can get Democrats and Republicans in a room who are serious about energy independence and are serious about keeping our air clean and our water clean and dealing with issue of greenhouse gases," he said. A raft of energy policies for a cleaner environment, including national standards, might provide common ground. The Republican gains do further erode prospects for a far-reaching deal at the imminent Cancún climate summit. "The... elections confirm what many people already suspected: the next United Nations meeting in Cancún won't be a breakthrough on emission reductions," commented Richard Klein of the Stockholm Environment Institute.

The European Union, planning to cut carbon emissions to 20 per cent below 1990 levels over the next ten years, has agreed its position for the Cancún talks. "The European Union stands ready with an ambitious approach as regards emissions, provided other major emitters also take their responsibilities," said Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council. The European Union wants loopholes closed and other major economies to make deeper emissions cuts. "The goal for Cancún remains a balanced set of decisions which keep up the momentum toward an international framework to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius," said José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.

WWF has published "policy prescriptions" for eleven nations ahead of the Cancún climate summit. "These eleven governments have not done enough to get climate policy out of its sick-bed since Copenhagen," said Gordon Shepherd of the WWF Global Climate Initiative. "WWF is delivering the right policy prescriptions to restore the talks to good health."

For example, WWF is calling on the governments of Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and the United States to come to the climate summit with a commitment, without reservation, to take on legally-binding emission reduction targets that match scientific findings and to putting in place national action plans for a zero carbon economy. Germany or the United Kingdom should promote the need to implement innovative financial instruments, such as a levy on the aviation and shipping sector or a financial transaction tax, to finance developing country efforts. "The Cancún meeting itself might not result in a 'new climate deal' for our planet. But if these governments show political leadership there is room for optimism - all of the building blocks are in place to make the Cancún negotiations a success," Shepherd said.

Higher levels of shipping activity in a warmer Arctic could not only increase greenhouse gas emissions but also worsen other forms of pollution, according to a study completed by a research team from the United States and Canada. "One of the most potent 'short-lived climate forcers' in diesel emissions is black carbon, or soot," reported James J Corbett from the University of Delaware. "Ships operating in or near the Arctic use advanced diesel engines that release black carbon into one of the most sensitive regions for climate change."

The incomplete burning of marine fuel releases tiny particles of carbon that absorb sunlight, both directly from the sun and reflected from snow and ice. The researchers estimate that this black carbon and other forms of pollution from ship engines could increase the contribution of Arctic shipping to global warming in the year 2030 by 17 to 80 per cent over that of carbon dioxide alone. With emission control technologies, though, black carbon from shipping could be reduced in the near term and then held nearly constant through to the year 2050. "Our hope," said Corbett, "is that this study will enable better communication of emerging science with policy makers and aid the eight Arctic Council nations with climate policy."