Each week, I review the papers, studies, reports, and briefings posted over at the RFF Library Blog.
The Costs of Inaction: Recognising the Value at Risk from Climate Change
[The Guardian] Private investors stand to lose $4.2 trillion (£2.7trillion, Dh15.4 trillion) on the value of their holdings from the impact of climate change by 2100 even if global warming is held at plus 2C, a report from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has warned. If firm action is not taken at the forthcoming climate change talks in Paris and the Earth’s temperature warms by a further 5C then investors are facing losses of almost $7trillion at today’s prices, new research shows. This is more than the total current market capitalisation of the London Stock Exchange with impacts on company holdings that will come not just through extreme weather damage but also through lower economic growth… - via Economist Intelligence Unit
Low-Carbon Electricity Pathways for the U.S. and the South: An Assessment of Costs and Options
Since the release of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), stakeholders across the U.S. have vigorously debated the pros and cons of different options for reducing CO2 emissions from existing power plants. By providing energy modeling relevant to these decisions, the authors seek to help policymakers and other stakeholders make well-informed choices. This paper uses the Georgia Institute of Technology’s National Energy Modeling System to evaluate alternative low-carbon electricity pathways. Our modeling suggests that CPP compliance can be achieved cost effectively with a combination of renewable and energy-efficiency policies plus a modest price on carbon that could be expected to result from the Plan’s implementation... - via Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Public Policy / by Marilyn Brown, et al.
Methane Emissions from the Natural Gas Transmission and Storage System in the United States
[Energy Wire] More than $240 million worth of natural gas leaks from the country’s interstate pipeline network each year, according to new research led by Colorado State University…The study suggests a small group of “super-emitters” could be responsible for up to 40 percent of those emissions… - via Environmental Science & Technology (July 21, 2015; DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b01669) / by Daniel J. Zimmerle, et al.
Capacity and Energy in the Integrated Grid
[From Abstract] It is commonly understood that electric energy is generated at power plants and delivered to consumers over a network of power lines. Less familiar are those capabilities required from wires, transformers, generators, and other power-system equipment to constantly meet consumers’ dynamic demand for electric energy. These capabilities are often collectively referred to as capacity. The system, as a whole, must have the capacity to generate and deliver the maximum energy required at every location within. This paper addresses the role of capacity and energy in the Integrated Grid… - via Electric Power Research Institute
Ice Melt, Sea Level Rise and Superstorms: Evidence from Paleoclimate Data, Climate Modeling, and Modern Observations that 2 Degrees C Global Warming is Highly Dangerous
[Washington Post] It has been widely discussed — but not yet peer reviewed. Now, though, you can at least read it for yourself and see what you think.
A lengthy, ambitious, and already contested paper by longtime NASA climate scientist James Hansen and 16 colleagues appeared online Thursday in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussion, an open-access journal published by the European Geosciences Union… - via Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2015, v15, p20059–20179; doi:10.5194/acpd-15-20059-2015) / by James Hansen, et al.
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