The Politics of Global Warming in the U.S.

Author(s):  
Michael K. Gusmano
Keyword(s):  
2009 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi-Chung Chen ◽  
Bruce McCarl

Hurricanes have caused substantial damage in parts of the U.S. Damages are increasing, perhaps as part of a natural cycle or perhaps in part related to global warming. This paper examines the economic damages that hurricanes cause to U.S. agriculture, estimates the increased damage from an increase in hurricane frequency/intensity, and examines the way that sectoral reactions reduce damages. The simulation results show that hurricanes and associated adjustments cause widespread damage and redistribute agricultural welfare. We find that crop mix shifts of vulnerable crops from stricken to nonstricken regions significantly mitigate hurricane damages.


2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1267-1278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina L. Archer ◽  
Joseph F. Brodie ◽  
Sara A. Rauscher

AbstractThe goal of this study is to evaluate the effects of anthropogenic climate change on air quality, in particular on ozone, during the summer in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region. First, we establish a connection between high-ozone (HO) days, defined as those with observed 8-h average ozone concentration greater than 70 parts per billion (ppb), and certain weather patterns, called synoptic types. We identify four summer synoptic types that most often are associated with HO days based on a 30-yr historical period (1986–2015) using NCEP–NCAR reanalysis. Second, we define thresholds for mean near-surface temperature and precipitation that characterize HO days during the four HO synoptic types. Next, we look at climate projections from five models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) for the early and late midcentury (2025–34 and 2045–54) and analyze the frequency of HO days. We find a general increasing trend, weaker in the early midcentury and stronger in the late midcentury, with 2 and 5 extra HO days per year, respectively, from 16 in 2015. These 5 extra days are the result of two processes. On one hand, the four HO synoptic types will increase in frequency, which explains about 1.5–2 extra HO days. The remaining 3–3.5 extra days are explained by the increase in near-surface temperatures during the HO synoptic types. Future air quality regulations, which have been successful in the historical period at reducing ozone concentrations in the mid-Atlantic, may need to become stricter to compensate for the underlying increasing trends from global warming.


Author(s):  
Toby Bolsen ◽  
James N. Druckman ◽  
Fay Lomax Cook

Numerous factors shape citizens’ beliefs about global warming, but there is very little research that compares the views of the public with key actors in the policymaking process. We analyze data from simultaneous and parallel surveys of (1) the U.S. public, (2) scientists who actively publish research on energy technologies in the United States, and (3) congressional policy advisors and find that beliefs about global warming vary markedly among them. Scientists and policy advisors are more likely than the public to express a belief in the existence and anthropogenic nature of global warming. We also find ideological polarization about global warming in all three groups, although scientists are less polarized than the public and policy advisors over whether global warming is actually occurring. Alarmingly, there is evidence that the ideological divide about global warming gets significantly larger according to respondents’ knowledge about politics, energy, and science.


Eos ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy Showstack

A report by the U.S. Global Change Research Program finds health risks from global warming tied to heat, air quality, vector-borne diseases, water issues, extreme weather, nutrition, and mental stress.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shule Liu ◽  
Joe Proudman ◽  
Frank M. Mitloehner

Abstract Background As the global community actively works to keep temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 °C, predicting greenhouse gases (GHGs) by how they warm the planet—and not their carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalence—provides information critical to developing short- and long-term climate solutions. Livestock, and in particular cattle, have been broadly branded as major emitters of methane (CH4) and significant drivers of climate change. Livestock production has been growing to meet the global food demand, however, increasing demand for production does not necessarily result in the proportional increase of CH4 production. The present paper intends to evaluate the actual effects of the CH4 emission from U.S. dairy and beef production on temperature and initiate a rethinking of CH4 associated with animal agriculture to clarify long-standing misunderstandings and uncover the potential role of animal agriculture in fighting climate change. Methods Two climate metrics, the standard 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP100) and the recently proposed Global Warming Potential Star (GWP*), were applied to the CH4 emission from the U.S. cattle industry to assess and compare its climate contribution. Results Using GWP*, the projected climate impacts show that CH4 emissions from the U.S. cattle industry have not contributed additional warming since 1986. Calculations show that the California dairy industry will approach climate neutrality in the next ten years if CH4 emissions can be reduced by 1% per year, with the possibility to induce cooling if there are further reductions of emissions. Conclusions GWP* should be used in combination with GWP to provide feasible strategies on fighting climate change induced by short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs). By continuously improving production efficiency and management practices, animal agriculture can be a short-term solution to fight climate warming that the global community can leverage while developing long-term solutions for fossil fuel carbon emissions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Lee ◽  
Dominik Stecula

While the U.S. Congress has repeatedly failed to pass national legislation to address climate change over the years, there has been much more progress among state and local governments. But is this progress on climate change policy at the subnational level merely a reflection of the dominance of the Democratic party in certain regions of the country, or does it reflect successful bipartisan action? In this essay, we present novel evidence from two surveys of subnational policymakers, conducted in 2015 and 2017, to demonstrate that there is widespread bipartisan agreement among Republican and Democrat policymakers at the subnational level about (1) the existence of global warming and (2) what to do about it. Specifically, a majority in both parties believe global warming is happening and support the use of renewable energy mandates—rather than cap-and-trade, carbon tax, or emissions standards—to address the problem.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Miller ◽  
Anthony Latino ◽  
Chandana Konidala ◽  
Raymond Patenaude

R-22 (also known as HCFC-22) is one of the most widely used refrigerants in U.S. Army air-conditioning and refrigeration (AC&R) systems since the phase-out of R-12 refrigerant in 1995. The need to phase out R-22 is attributed to its global warming potential and high ozone-depleting capability. The U.S. Army has tens of thousands of aging AC&R systems that will remain dependent on R-22, or one of the recently developed substitutes for R-22, until they reach the end of their operational life. This project conducted a survey to understand the current R-22 usage and types of R-22 AC&R equipment that are in use across U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) installations. This study describes several methods to remove or retrofit R-22 from typical AC&R equipment and implementation strategies to meet the stated goal of eliminating R-22 from IMCOM installations. The scope of this project included the review of BUILDER SMS data for IMCOM installations, which included data on 13,000 pieces of comfort cooling equipment for 31 installations. The report also provides an analysis of several R-22 alternatives and their physical properties and compatibility. Mission critical tactical cooling that uses R-22 refrigerant was not within the scope of this project.


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