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Latest U.N. Report Highlights Threat of Climate Change to Food Supply
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report on Thursday, painting a dire picture for the future of agriculture and food. The Special Report on Climate Change and Land warns of increasing temperatures resulting in more intense droughts, heat waves, and flooding.
"Governments challenged the IPCC to take the first ever comprehensive look at the whole land-climate system. We did this through many contributions from experts and governments worldwide." said Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC. According to the official
press release, the report "will be a key scientific input into forthcoming climate and environment negotiations, such as the Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (COP14) in New Delhi, India in September and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Santiago, Chile, in December"
The report states that "better land management can contribute to tackling climate change, but is not the only solution. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors is essential if global warming is to be kept to well below 2ºC, if not 1.5ºC . . . . Agriculture, forestry and other types of land use account for 23% of human greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time natural land processes absorb carbon dioxide equivalent to almost a third of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry."
The full report is available
here.
For more information, please contact
Eric Heath, Senior Policy Counsel f
or the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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New Study Finds that the Introduction of Asian Carp to Lake Michigan Would Have an Even Greater Impact than Originally Thought
The University of Michigan, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, released a new study finding that Asian carp would be able to survive and grow in much larger portions of Lake Michigan than previously believed and are a high risk of becoming established in the Great Lakes. Unlike previous studies, the U-M study broadened the potential diet of Asian carp, including phytoplankton, zooplankton, and detritus, and not just phytoplankton alone like previous studies have.
The results yielded an increased habitat volume for Asian carp in Lake Michigan that are 4.6 times greater than the narrowest diet for bighead carp and 2.3 times greater for silver carp. The study also identified key Asian carp establishment hot spots and the potential for cross-lake migration corridors, which will help provide more resources for the continued surveillance of Asian carp in the Great Lakes.
Details of the study, which was mainly funded through the Michigan Sea Grant program and matching funds from the Institute for Fisheries Research at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, can be viewed
here
.
For more information,
please contact
Matthew McKenna, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
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Scheduled Trade Talks with China May Not Take Place in September, Adding Further Uncertainty to U.S.-China Trade War
Negotiations scheduled for September between the U.S. and China entered a state of uncertainty last week when President Trump stated that they might not take place. Speaking to reporters, he said in public comments on Friday that "we're not ready to make a deal, but we'll see what happens." The Dow dipped about 1% after the statement, adding on to a tumultuous week of trading.
A number of issues remain to be resolved by the two economic superpowers. The U.S. has major concerns about Chinese theft of intellectual property from U.S. businesses that have invested in China. The U.S. also has less valid concerns about trade imbalances - which reflect saving and spending habits of countries, not, as the President claims, as a net loss for a national economy. China, meanwhile, wants the U.S. to remove the Chinese tech giant Huawei from a business blacklist that prohibits U.S. businesses from dealing with the firm. The U.S. had made steps towards granting waivers to certain companies, but has slow-walked the process recently as trade tensions increased.
Time will tell if the negotiations ever bare fruit, but the outcome is currently bleak.
For more information,
please contact
Eric Heath
, Senior Policy Counsel for the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
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Senate Committee Approves Massive Highway Authorization Bill
The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee approved America's Transportation Infrastructure Act (ATIA) of 2019 earlier this month. The bill, which is being touted as the largest highway legislation in history, authorizes $287 billion over five years, including $259 billion for formula programs aimed at maintaining and repairing America's roads and bridges. According to the Committee, the bill represents an overall increase of over 27 percent from the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST, Pub. L. No. 114-94) Act authorizing levels. The bill also includes a new subtitle on climate change that is dedicated to reducing carbon emissions by the transportation sector. The new subtitle creates a handful of new formula and competitive grant programs aimed at reducing emissions, while also enhancing the resiliency of the nation's infrastructure system. It remains unknown when the bill might be considered on the Senate floor.
A detailed overview of the ATIA can be viewed here.
For more information,
please contact
Matthew McKenna, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
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This Week in Washington
In the Senate:
The Senate is currently on August recess.
In the House:
The House is currently on August recess.
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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