Winter 2010
Newsletter
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IN THIS ISSUE
Seasons of Change: New Exhibit
Workshops for Science Educators
Methane Abatement May Save the Arctic
Interview with Our Members
A Tool for Counting Emissions from Food
A New Addition to the Family
Climate Fellowships Announced
Blogs from Copenhagen
Science News from the Web
THE LAST WORD: Snowpocalypse and Global Warming? You bet!
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SEE CLIMATE CHANGE IN YOUR BACKYARD: A NEW EXHIBIT OPENS AT ECOTARIUM
You are invited to attend a special opening of an exhibit on climate change at the EcoTarium in Worcester, Mass. on March 2nd from 10:30 am to 2 pm.
Titled Seasons of Change, this exhibit uses a novel combination of hands-on interactives and interactive simulations to engage visitors in real-life scenarios that explore the relationships between growing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, rising temperatures on earth, and changes to New England's climate and landscapes. The exhibit focuses on the changes that people are already noticing -- shorter winters, earlier springs, more summer heat waves, and less vibrant fall foliages. It relates these changes to how real people will be affected through personal stories of a lobster fisherman and a maple sugar producer. Interactive simulations enable visitors to explore the relationships between energy use and demands, and how their personal decisions affect the environment.
 The exhibit is designed for families with children 8 to 14 years old and small to mid-sized museums. It was produced for the Northeast Science Center Collaborative, which is a program of Clean Air-Cool Planet that teams up research institutions and science centers to educate the public about climate change. This project also includes Citizen Science projects that encourage visitors to walk out onto the campuses of the host institutions and observe how climate change is monitored, data is collected, and even participate in its collection.
The program will include:
* a panel presentation of the thinking behind the exhibit by the designers and scientists,
* a walk-thru, lunch, and
* group discussion of how to incorporate the exhibit into your programming and other informal learning venues.
Please register here.
WORKSHOP FOR SCIENCE EDUCATORS HELD AT BOSTON AQUARIUM
On January 23rd, Clean Air-Cool Planet and the New England Aquarium launched a solutions-focused workshop for both formal and informal educators. This workshop was developed in response to teacher demand that they wanted more hands-on activities that could help their students learn more about the actions that individuals can take to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. A diverse group of twenty educators from across the state, region, and even an international boarder (Ontario, Canada) attended.
 The workshop detailed what is happening with climate change and greenhouse gas emission reductions from the national to local, as well as individual, level. All of the solution-based activities in the Climate Change Backpack and several additional activities were conducted. The workshop covered climate science, policy, and specific examples about what educators can do with their students including a presentation on the New England Carbon Challenge. Feedback from participants indicated that the activities were hands on, practical, and relevant. One educator stated, "I like the ease of use and adaptability, and the ability to personalize each of {the} activities. I also liked the connection to the biological impacts of global climate change." Another educator stated, "I like activities that that let you visualize abstract concepts like clothespins for carbon units, and an actual cube representing 1 lb of CO2." For more information about other climate science and solution focused workshops offered this year, visit our website at www.sciencecentercollaborative.org.
METHANE ABATEMENT INTEGRAL TO THE FUTURE OF THE ARCTIC
Clean Air - Cool Planet and the Clean Air Task Force presented "A Fast-Action Plan for Methane Abatement" at a side event at the Copenhagen climate negotiations at COP-15 in December. The paper outlines an action plan for global methane annulment to get projects started that accelerate reductions in methane emissions around the world over the next five years.
 Methane reduction stands as one of the only short-run options to buffer the warming of the global climate system from more than a century of global carbon dioxide already emitted and future emissions of carbon dioxide which will take time to be felt.
Why methane? Immediate cooling is particularly vital in sensitive regions of the planet, like the Arctic, which are undergoing rapid, and potentially catastrophic, environmental change due to unanticipated rapid warming. Over the twenty year time frame crucial to slowing warming in these areas, methane emissions cause more than half as much warming as all carbon dioxide; reducing them now would have a significant impact.
Methane reduction is very possible, but to date opportunities have been minimally exploited due to lack of mainstream consideration of methane's near-term potential and, more recently, ground almost to a standstill because of the global credit meltdown and uncertainty over outcomes at Copenhagen.
This plan would help to remove current barriers to clear the backlog of methane abatement projects in waiting and re-intensify such programs. A mixture of price floors, prepayment of carbon credits, guarantees and other tools would be employed to jumpstart methane project development, beginning immediately in 2010.
CA-CP DEVELOPING NEW TOOL FOR COUNTING FOOD SERVICE EMISSIONS
Clean Air-Cool Planet is now tackling the environmental impact of food and dining services with the creation of its Charting Emissions from Food Services (CHEFS) tool. CHEFS measures the carbon impact of every aspect of food services, including purchasing, energy, and waste.
Last summer and into the fall, CA-CP worked with pilot schools to help develop and test a prototype, created by the local life cycle analysis experts at Earthshift. Founding sponsor and project partner ARAMARK has been actively involved in collecting data with its ten pilot schools. CA-CP has also been working closely with the Yale Office of Sustainability, which hosted two Climate Fellows during the summer to work on the project and has actively convened departments from across campus to provide input and feedback.
Food has a large impact on the environment. According to the PEW Center on Global Climate Change, one-third of anthropogenic warming can be associated with "worldwide agriculture and land use change." The science behind this impact is basic, but highly varied and has never been done before with such detail. To be precise, biology, chemistry, horticulture, to name a few areas, all must be addressed. The difference between composting in New Hampshire and Virginia, for example, must be considered; or, between grazing cattle and feeding them grain. And can we say that a grass-fed cow in England has the same environmental impact as one in North Dakota?
To maximize its potential benefits, CHEFSv1, due to be released this year, will be designed for use by all institutions with dining services, including hospitals and corporations, with any food vendor. Please visit our CHEFS page for more information.
INTERVIEW WITH OUR MEMBERS
The Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University was established in 2001. The work of ISE focuses on matters relating to the formation of public policy, providing educational outreach, supporting energy solutions and maintaining information resources on energy and sustainability.
 Laurel L. Kohl, is ISEs Energy Technical Specialist for Education & Training. She is responsible for energy education-related projects including: curriculum development and delivery, coordination of workshops, conferences, and education outreach.
1. When it comes to addressing climate change, what do you see as the Institute for Sustainable Energys greatest accomplishment to date?
The Institute supports energy policy, energy information and energy education in Connecticut. We act as an impartial, unbiased resource for legislators and policy makers, municipalities, and educators. Because of this we have been able to effect changes in the state that improve energy use, access to services, and how our students are taught about energy, climate and the environment.
We were a stakeholder in the original Connecticut Climate Action Plan in 2005. Through that work, we have worked with collaborative partners on initiatives including promoting Biofuel production, Green Jobs, Climate Education, supports for municipalities in town energy use and building Green Schools, and promoting Green Campuses in our colleges and universities. All of these areas have positive solutions-based impacts on reducing climate change.
2. What projects are you currently working on regarding climate change education and clean energy?
We are currently working with Bridgeport on a project that will make that community more sustainable. Our part includes creating a workforce development plan for Green Jobs, helping to create the job ladders that will allow workers to grow their skills and advance their careers with family-supporting jobs.
We serve on the Governor's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Taskforce helping Connecticut to plan for low impact transportation of the future.
We are benchmarking municipal and school buildings for towns, providing them with the data and tools to assess their energy use and where best to update and renovate their buildings for energy savings.
We are the Green Schools Advocate for the State's Green Building Council working with districts who are building and renovating their schools, helping them to plan ahead for energy savings and use of renewable energy technologies.
We administer CT Energy Education, a high school science resource for Connecticut educators that provides lessons in the fundamentals of energy, energy efficiency and climate change, all with a Connecticut twist. Keep Connecticut Cool is our contest for students, encouraging them to develop and implement climate change solutions in their schools and communities.
3. What do you think is the most important message to share with youth regarding climate change?
"You can make a difference!" Through Keep Connecticut Cool, we have seen hundreds of students, grades 5-12, make real changes happen in their communities. They choose the projects to work on. They learn how the system works. They get to see the results---and it is astounding! We've had kids improve the energy use of their schools, create community gardens, abolish Styrofoam trays in the lunch room, share information with thousands of people, and much more.
4. What are the benefits of being a member of the Northeast Science Center Collaborative and working with other climate educators across the State?
Being part of the Northeast Science Center Collaborative has given ISE a unique set of partners in several projects. The Science Centers are at the leading edge of educating our citizens about the impact of environmental issues. Each center has a different focus--from water, to land, to animals, and habitats. ISE draws on all of that expertise to support our programs and to get the climate change message out to a yet-broader audience. For myself as an educator, the resources and conversations we have had with Collaborative partners have helped me to grow in my knowledge and skills.
NEWS BRIEFS
ANNOUNCING A NEW ADDITION TO THE FAMILY: WELCOME!
Welcome to the newest addition to the Science Center Collaborative— Boat Camp. BOAT CAMP's mission is to Build Ocean Awareness Through Children, Adults and Marine education Professionals. Ashore inside the ocean education center and afloat aboard the Erica Lee, Boat Camp provides marine and environmental education experiences for all ages that celebrate the diversity of the sea and inspire sound stewardship of the ocean. Visit the website here.
SCIENCE CENTERS ACCEPT THE NEW ENGLAND CARBON CHALLENGE
A New England Carbon Challenge training workshop was held at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Ct. CA-CP's Julia Dundorf, Manager of Community Relations (and founder and co-director of the Carbon Challenge) and Karin Jakubowski, Manager of Science Education and Outreach launched the first of several Carbon Challenge workshops geared toward science centers. Approximately twenty educators working at science centers across the state attended.
The main goal of the workshop was to provide background information on the New England Carbon Challenge (formerly the New Hampshire Carbon Challenge), a joint initiative of the University of New Hampshire and Clean Air Cool-Cool Planet.
The Carbon Challenge is for New England residents and works to educate, inspire and support sustained reductions in residential energy consumption (and save money) by providing simple actions that individuals can take. During the workshop, Julia and Karin introduced the challenge, provided background information on how to effectively communicate climate change, and explained how science centers can build their own challenge. If you are interested in learning more about how your science center or school can get involved contact Julia at jdundorf@cleanair-coolplanet.org or Karin at kjakubowski@cleanair-coolplanet.org. For more information about the program or to take the Challenge go to www.necarbonchallenge.org.
WINTER INDICATORS UPDATE: WARMING TREND CONTINUES
Research shows the traditional cold, snowy New England winters are becoming more of a rarity with every year. Clean Air - Cool Planet's "winter indicators report," a summary of findings from research at the Climate Change Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, has been updated with recent data. It shows a continuing trend in warming winters, especially in the northeastern region of the United States. As stated in the report, entitled "The Changing Character of Winter Climate in the Northeast United States":
"Detailed analysis of meteorological records has determined that global temperatures rose 1.3oF over the past 100 years, and that the rate of warming over the past 50 years has more than doubled the 100-year trend. In addition, the eleven warmest years on record (since 1850) have occurred since 1951. Scientists agree that the increased rate of warming is being driven primarily by increases in levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that originate from the burning of fossil fuel and land use changes."
Download the report here.
CLIMATE FELLOWSHIPS FOR SUMMER 2010 ANNOUNCED
Summer 2010 climate fellowship placements have been announced, and hundreds of qualified college and post-graduate students have applied.
The highly competitive Clean Air-Cool Planet Climate Fellowship program pairs outstanding students with challenging real-world opportunities to propel society toward a low-carbon future. Highly qualified graduate and undergraduate students in fields such as environmental policy, economics, statistics, engineering, physical and biological sciences complete such challenging, in-depth projects as creating or updating greenhouse gas inventories, conducting feasibility studies or implementing operational and process changes to reduce GHG emissions, creating and updating web-based tools and resources, and others identified by partner organizations. The selection process is underway and the new fellows will be announced on the Clean Air-Cool Planet website in the coming months.
CA-CP's BROOKS YEAGER ATTENDS COPENHAGEN CLIMATE TALKS AND BLOGS DAILY
 Clean Air-Cool Planet's Executive Vice President for Policy Brooks Yeager attended COP-15 in Copenhagen in December and wrote daily blogs of his impressions of the international negotiations. Read his blogs and other blogs about the climate negotiations here.
EDUCATOR WORKSHOP SCHEDULED
April 8, 2010
The SEE Science Center,
Manchester, NH
Our successful, K-12 teacher-preferred Climate Change Backpack™ has returned with extensive updates. The Backpack is a CA-CP original climate change curriculum tool designed for use in both the classroom and the field. The next Climate Educators' Workshop, which will feature this new version, is scheduled forApril 8 at the SEE Science Center in Manchester, NH. Learn more and register online here.
April 8, 2010: 9:30-3:30 
Manchester, New Hampshire
Registration Rates
Training registration only- $30
Training + Climate Change Backpack - $130
Your registration fee includes beverages and light snacks as well as the day's program. |
Science News from the Web
T H E L A S T W O R D
Snomageddon, Snowpocalypse, Snoverkill…and global warming? You bet!
By Bill Burtis, Clean Air-Cool Planet
Been hearing “So where’s your global warming now?” much?
It never fails. A little cold weather, a few big snow storms, and poof, 150 years of warming is history! Nothing like frost in Florida to the put the screws to the global warming “hypothesis.”
But, speaking of hypotheses, it turns out climate science – observation, data, and, yes, theory, has some answers. We thought we’d share a few with you in case you are tempted to answer those who challenge long-term trends with near-term anecdotes.
First, for those who’ve been tempted by this cold, cold winter to think we’re entering some kind of global cooling period, comes the news from space (satellite measurements) that January, 2010 was a record breaker for warmth, the warmest in the 32 years since satellite measurements began. In fact, the .78 degree C increase represents a spike not seen since April of 1998, when that year’s El Nino caused record-breaking warmth.
Source: www.drroyspencer.com/2010/02/january-2010-uah-global-temperature-update-0-72-deg-c
Have you heard it’s been snowing in Washington, DC? It’s been hard to miss – the Federal Government shut down, for gosh sake. More than one skeptical pundit has been lured by this outburst of inclement weather to opine that this must, at least, be evidence that the Obama Administration ought to change course on climate.
So what would it mean if these storms were actually evidence that things are getting worse, in climate terms?
Well, in this piece by Weather Underground Chief Meteorologist Jeff Masters, he notes that science suggests “as the climate warms, evaporation of moisture from the oceans increases, resulting in more water vapor in the air. This extra moisture in the air will tend to produce heavier snowstorms, assuming it is cold enough to snow. Groisman et al. (2004) found a 14% increase in heavy (top 5%) and 20% increase in very heavy (top 1%) precipitation events in the U.S. over the past 100 years, though mainly in spring and summer. However, the authors did find a significant increase in winter heavy precipitation events have occurred in the Northeast U.S.” [Emphasis mine. BB]
Imagine that! Rather than being evidence that global warming is a hoax or anyway is ending, all that snow may be just the opposite: evidence that global warming is alive and well and underway.
But, in fact, it can only be interpreted, by itself, as proof that sometimes it can snow a lot in Washington, DC and other places we don’t usually think of as snowy.
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