Adapting to Climate Change
"Adaptation is the adjustment that society or ecosystems make to prepare for, or adjust to climate change...Adaptation, coupled with actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is essential to limiting the damages from future climate change." This EPA page provides resources for adaptation. The information is also available on the 2016 Actions and Activities Page of the Sustainable Water Resources Site here.
May 2014 National Climate Assessment
In May 2014, the U.S. Global Change Research Program released the Third National Climate Assessment, the authoritative and comprehensive report on climate change and its impacts in the United States. The report is presented on an interactive website - view it here.
NOAA Global Climate Analysis 2013
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their "Global Analysis - Annual 2013," showing the year 2013 has tied with 2003 as the fourth warmest year globally since records began in 1880. The report includes global and U.S. data and covers the state of the climate, temperature, precipitation and more. To read the report, click here.
Carbon Footprint of Supply Chains: A Scoping Study
A study from the Transportation Research Board defines a standardized, conceptual approach to assessing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the transportation component of supply chains, and more.
IEEE-USA Policy Position Statement: 2014 National Energy Policy Recommendations
"This statement, as approved by the IEEE-USA Board of Directors in November 2013, was developed by the IEEE-USA Energy Policy Committee and represents the considered judgement of a group of U.S. IEEE members with expertise in the subject field."
Best Practices for: Public Outreach and Education for Carbon Storage Projects
April 2013 (revised edition; originally published in Dec. 2009) - this manual from the US Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is intended to assist project developers in understanding and adopting best practices in outreach to support CO2 storage projects.
Survey of Low-Carbon Business Innovation
June 2011 - The survey’s principal objectives were to gather key quantitative information and gauge business strategies for low-carbon innovation activities, with a particular focus on how companies perceive the associated risks and uncertainties.
Petroleum industry guidelines for reporting greenhouse gas emissions - update
May 2011 - Recognizing the need to update the original version of the Guidelines to reflect changing practices, IPIECA and API jointly initiated the development of this second edition of the Guidelines to continue to promote credible, consistent and reliable greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and reporting practices from oil and gas operations.
GAO Report on Climate Change Carbon Offset
Publically released March 17, 2011 - The report provides information on key challenges in assessing the quality of different types of offsets and options for addressing key challenges associated with offset quality. This information would be important if the US adopts a program to limit emissions.
Realistic Costs of Carbon Capture
July 2009 - This paper by Mohammed Al-Juaied and Adam Whitmore (Harvard) looks at carbon capture costs by reviewing and comparing the available material on costs of capture for both mature technology and early plants.
PSEG Exceeds EPA Climate Leaders Goal
July 2009 - the New Jersey energy company Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) was recognized by the federal government for meeting its carbon emissions reduction goal.
Civil Engineering and Climate Change Protocol
June 2009 - this document from ICE, ASCE and CSCE discusses roles and priorities for civil engineers in helping mitigate climate change.
Planning and Operating Considerations for a Carbon Constrained Grid
April 2009 - this presentation to Central Virginia IEEE by Harold Adams (Project Director - Business Development, Dominion Resources Services) highlighted basic bulk power system operating characteristics that affect utilization of new resources.
Development of Baseline Data and Analysis of Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Petroleum-Based Fuels
2008 - Timothy J. Skone, P.E., Kristin Gerdes, Office of Systems, Analyses and Planning, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Department of Energy - "This study develops a comprehensive and transparent baseline for the life cycle GHG emissions from conventional petroleum-based transportation fuels sold or distributed in the United States in the year 2005."
Environmental Effects of Increases Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
2007 - this report by A.B. Robinson, N.E. Robinson & W. Soon (Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine) was published in the Journal of American Physicians & Surgeons, Vol. 12, pp. 79-90, 2007
Advanced Technology Paths to Global Climate Stability: Energy for a Greenhouse Planet
2002 - Martin I. Hoffert, Ken Caldeira, Gregory Benford, David R. Criswell, Christopher Green, Howard Herzog, Atul K. Jain, Haroon S. Kheshgi, Klaus S. Lackner, John S. Lewis, H. Douglas Lightfoot, Wallace Manheimer, John C. Mankins, Michael E. Mauel, L. John Perkins, Michael E. Schlesinger, Tyler Volk, and Tom M. L. Wigley, Science 1 November 2002: Vol. 298. no. 5595, pp. 981 - 987
The Road to the New Energy Economy
Sponsored by Discover, IEEE-USA, NSF, and ASME, this is series of video briefings looking towards a lower-carbon energy future.
Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study
Feb. 2011 (Revised) - prepared for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) by EnerNex Corporation, this study was designed to answer questions regarding a range of issues related to a 20% wind scenario for the large portion of the electric load in the Eastern Interconnection.
Expanding Biofuel Production: Sustainability and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Summary of a Workshop
2010 - Book by Patricia Koshel, Kathleen McAllister, and the National Research Council looks at the effects of biofuel production and use on water quality and quantity, soils, wildlife habitat and biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, public health, and the economic viability of rural communities (National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.)
Technologies and Approaches to Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles
2010 - Book by the Committee to Assess Fuel Economy Technologies for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles, the National Research Council, and the Transportation Research Board that evaluates various technologies and methods that could improve the fuel economy of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, transit buses, and work trucks. (The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.)
Discerning the Pathway to Implementation of a National Mileage-Based Charging System
2009 - James M. Whitty and John R. Svadlenak, Oregon Department of Transportation, wrote this section in "Special Report 299: Reducing Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Consumption: A Research Agenda" to explore the technical and political feasibility of road use metering and mileage charging.
Adaptation Research Programs and Funding
2009 - Sue McNeil, University of Delaware, proposed a research program and activities in this segment of "Special Report 299: Reducing Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Consumption: A Research Agenda."
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and Energy Mitigation for the Transportation Sector
2009 - Cynthia J. Burbank, Parsons Brinckerhoff, prepared this paper for "Special Report 299: Reducing Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Consumption: A Research Agenda" to recommend a program toresearch and evaluate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
A Scenario for a Secure Transportation System Based on Fuel From Biomass
2008 - This article presents a scenario to meet the future fuel needs of the U.S. ground transportation system that does not require hydrogen, can use existing technology, and eventually transition to ethanol from biomass.