Climate Change Attorney Blog

The Audubon Society has issued a report, based upon 40 years of study in the United States, entitled "Birds and Climate Change Ecological Disruption in Motion." The report concludes that global warming is having a significant impact on the migratory pattern of birds. It notes: "planned, science-based habitat conservation efforts will be increasingly essential to avoid a growing toll on birds and wildlife, along with the loss of a wide array of ecological benefits, from clean water supplies, insect control and seed distribution provided by birds, to travel and tourism revenues."

In what may signal another break with Bush Administration policy, EPA Administrator Jackson issued a letter in response to a petition from the Sierra Club indicating the EPA would review a Bush Administration memo interpreting the scope of the Clean Air Act. While refusing to stay the Bush era memorandum, the letter states that the memorandum should not be considered the "last word on the appropriate interpretation of the Clean Air requirements."

The memorandum relates to the application of regulations to carbon dioxide emissions. An EPA press release concerning the letter to the Sierra Club states, in part, that the review will ensure that the ultimate interpretation "is consistent with the Obama Administration’s climate change strategy and interpretation of the Clean Air Act." As noted in the press, this review may have significant impacts on the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants.

A New York City panel created by Mayor Bloomberg issued a report predicting significant increases in temperature and sea level in and around New York City over the next 70 years. The report predicts sea level rise of up to two feet and mean annual temperature increases of up to 7.5 degrees.

In a press release summarizing the findings it was noted: "[t]he report also projects that extreme events – such as heat waves, short periods of intense rain, droughts, and coastal flooding – are likely to become more frequent and more intense. In contrast, cold day events, where the temperature drops below freezing, will decrease in frequency."