Transcript Slides: Policy Focus

Why focus on Policy
Catherine Thomasson, MD 9/20/15
Germany-Energiewende
• 25% energy from
renewables 2013
• >50% renewable last
summer
• High demand for
solar-reduced
production costs
• 3% reduction in CO2
despite since 2011
despite closing 8
nuclear reactors
Feed In Tariff
• Payment for energy
production at a fixed rate
• 50% of Germany’s
renewables are owned
by farmers, citizen
groups and 900 energy
cooperatives
• 400,000 new jobs
• Accompanied by a tax on
electricity
CO2 Trends since 1990
Carbon Brief
2015 Lancet Commission
Report
• The effects of climate change are being felt today, and
future projections represent a potentially catastrophic risk
to human health
• Action on climate change could be the greatest global
health opportunity
• Achieving a decarbonized global economy and security
with the public health benefits it offers is no longer a
technical or economic question—it is now a political one.
• Health community has a vital role to play in accelerating
progress to tackle climate change (as it did with sanitation
and smoking)
• “Everyone’s talents and
involvement are needed to
redress the damage caused
by human abuse of God’s
creation”. [22] All of us can
cooperate as instruments of
God for the care of creation,
each according to his or her
own culture, experience,
involvements and talents.
LEFT ON ITS OWN, THE MARKET
WILL NOT SOLVE GLOBAL WARMING
• Climate change is an externality—the emitter does not bear
the direct costs of their action.
• As with any externality without policy interventions, the
emitter has little motivation to consider the costs in their
decision-making.
Theory Of Externalities Suggests Some
Basic Policy Approaches For Reducing GHG
• Tax the emitter equivalent to the marginal external social
costs Ultimately borne by households, raises revenues that can be
used to achieve other goals, provides incentives to economize on the
damaging activity
• The allocation of property rights linked with emissions
trading Provides large emitters the flexibility to trade emission rights
across sectors.
• Direct regulation
Tends to place burden on industry (which generally passes on the costs
to consumers—if they can/will pay)
• Provide financial incentives
Usually popular, sends clear signals, but often suffers from free rider
problem.
Causes of Climate Change in U.S.
• Total Emissions in
2013 = 6,673 Million
Metric Tons of CO2
equivalent
• 13% offset in carbon
sinks in U.S. land and
forests
Electricity
• Efficiency-cheapest,
produces jobs
• Needs incentives,
carbon pricing or
regulation
• Barriers are
transmission,
infrastructure and
demand supply
fluctuations
Renewable Energy Act 2008-MI
Solar
• 4,316 MW in CA
• Powers 1,049,000
homes which is 63% of
homes in OR.
• Solar leasing in OR is
cheaper than current
bills.
• Need for net
metering/subsidies
Haywood Co. solar farm: 5MW.
Memphis Daily News : Lance Murphey
Transportation
• Carbon pricing
• Planning for mass
transit, walk and
bikability.
• Incentives
• CAFÉ standards
• Transform highway
fund to transit
Agriculture• Loss of carbon from
soil
• Low till and natural
fertilizer
• High tillage
• Use of marginal lands
• Animal Agriculture
• Methane –belched
• Concentrated manure
• Cut the beef, then
the goats, sheep,
milk, then the pork,
then the chickens
Best transportation efficiency
is the energy you don’t use
• Average food miles
1,386/item in Iowa
• Interconnected issue
with outsources
carbon emissions
International Treaties
• COP-21
• Lima Conference required all countries to set targets.
• US. 32% below 2005 by 2030
• EU 40% below 1990 levels by 2030
2015 Lancet Commission
Report
• Action on climate change could be the
greatest global health opportunity
• Achieving a decarbonized global economy
and security with the public health benefits
it offers is no longer a technical or
economic question—it is now a political
one.
Solutions—What will you do?
• PERSONAL CHOICE
• ORGANIZATIONAL
• POLICY
• Clean Power Plan
• Carbon pricing
• Ozone Standards
Advocacy
Health Professionals as Natural
Advocates
• Objective and Credible
• Advocates for patients – an
ethical obligation to “do no
harm”
• Healthcare professionals are
educators. Lawmakers and the
public need “translators” of
complicated, scientific issues
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