ENERGY & CLIMATE science-policy-exchange.org @scixpolicy · reached 50,000 twitter users, and...
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Major support for this work was provided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Grantham Foundation. Photos: (left) Jeramey Jannene; (middle) Stephen Sartori / Provided by Syracuse University; (right) Anne Schugart Most people agree that climate change poses a threat to our safety and more must be done to address it. Yet action on climate change has been limited and U.S. greenhouse gas emissions remain higher today than they were in 1990. Now is the time to harness the power of science to demonstrate the benefits of acting on climate change. By quantifying and communicating the added health, ecosystem, and economic benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, science can help overcome climate change denial and accelerate climate change solutions. A study led by Syracuse and Harvard Universities found that reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants can also reduce emissions of other pollutants... We know enough to know that reducing power plant emissions will make a real difference in the health of our children, our parents, and ourselves. – Senator Elizabeth Warren Floor speech on the EPA Clean Power Plan, June 2, 2014 Idea CLEAN AIR BENEFITS PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFITS Change in concentrations of fine particulate matter in 2020 for a strong power plant carbon standard compared to the reference case. Demonstrating Benefits of Clean Power The Science Policy Exchange is shifting the public discourse from a debate about the existence and impacts of climate change to a focus on the positive health, ecosystem, and economic benefits of policy action. In 2013, we brought together top scientists to estimate the co-benefits of U.S. power plant carbon standards for people and the environment. The results demonstrate that strong carbon standards can change the power sector in ways that yield substantial air quality and health benefits in communities across the U.S. The results also show that the economic value of these benefits outweighs the costs nationally and regionally. Co-Benefits of Power Plant Carbon Standards Cleaner air Thousands fewer premature deaths Healthier crops and trees Restored scenic views Impact Motivating Action with Science The Science Policy Exchange is putting the co-benefits research to work for smarter public policy through a strategic “science impact” campaign. We’ve teamed up with policy experts, communication professionals, and graphic designers to connect science with action through outreach and communication. Policy: state and federal policy leaders relied on SPE results to understand air quality and health benefits of power plant carbon standards. Media coverage: SPE earned 600+ unique news stories in mainstream media outlets, reached 50,000 twitter users, and received social media posts by members of Congress and senior White House officials. Outreach: SPE held 16 briefings for policymakers and the public and 14 webinars for citizens groups. Building on Success SPE’s success in connecting science and policy for strong power plant standards is an important start but more must be done to constrain future warming. Our most important next step is to expand the co-benefits science partnership into a full-scale initiative with three main elements: A co-benefits analysis of the final U.S. Clean Power Plan A co-benefits analysis of implementation paths for the U.S. and China Climate Agreement A national assessment of climate change solutions Challenge ENERGY & CLIMATE Change in premature deaths avoided in 2020 for a strong power plant carbon standard compared to the reference case. Accelerating Action on Climate Change Science from Ideas to Impact science-policy-exchange.org @scixpolicy
Transcript of ENERGY & CLIMATE science-policy-exchange.org @scixpolicy · reached 50,000 twitter users, and...
Major support for this work was provided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Grantham Foundation.
Photos: (left) Jeramey Jannene; (middle) Stephen Sartori / Provided by Syracuse University; (right) Anne Schugart
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Most people agree that climate change poses a threat to our safety and more must be done to address it. Yet action on climate change has been limited and U.S. greenhouse gas emissions remain higher today than they were in 1990.
Now is the time to harness the power of science to demonstrate the benefits of acting on climate change. By quantifying and communicating the added health, ecosystem, and economic benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, science can help overcome climate change denial and accelerate climate change solutions.
A study led by Syracuse and Harvard Universities found that reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants can also reduce emissions of other pollutants...We know enough to know that reducing power plant emissions will make a real difference in the health of our children, our parents, and ourselves.
– Senator Elizabeth Warren Floor speech on the EPA Clean Power Plan, June 2, 2014
Idea
CLEAN AIR BENEFITS PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFITS
Change in concentrations of fine particulate matter in 2020 for a strong power plant carbon standard compared to the reference case.
Demonstrating Benefits of Clean PowerThe Science Policy Exchange is shifting the public discourse from a debate about the existence and impacts of climate change to a focus on the positive health, ecosystem, and economic benefits of policy action.
In 2013, we brought together top scientists to estimate the co-benefits of U.S. power plant carbon standards for people and the environment. The results demonstrate that strong carbon standards can change the power sector in ways that yield substantial air quality and health benefits in communities across the U.S. The results also show that the economic value of these benefits outweighs the costs nationally and regionally.
Co-Benefits of Power Plant Carbon StandardsCleaner airThousands fewer premature deaths Healthier crops and treesRestored scenic views
Impact
Motivating Action with ScienceThe Science Policy Exchange is putting the co-benefits research to work for smarter public policy through a strategic “science impact” campaign. We’ve teamed up with policy experts, communication professionals, and graphic designers to connect science with action through outreach and communication.
Policy: state and federal policy leaders relied on SPE results to understand air quality and health benefits of power plant carbon standards.
Media coverage: SPE earned 600+ unique news stories in mainstream media outlets, reached 50,000 twitter users, and received social media posts by members of Congress and senior White House officials.
Outreach: SPE held 16 briefings for policymakers and the public and 14 webinars for citizens groups.
Building on SuccessSPE’s success in connecting science and policy for strong power plant standards is an important start but more must be done to constrain future warming. Our most important next step is to expand the co-benefits science partnership into a full-scale initiative with three main elements:A co-benefits analysis of the final U.S. Clean Power PlanA co-benefits analysis of implementation paths for the U.S. and China
Climate AgreementA national assessment of climate change solutions
Challenge
ENERGY & CLIMATE
Change in premature deaths avoided in 2020 for a strong power plant carbon standard compared to the reference case.
Accelerating Action on Climate Change
Science from Ideas to Impact
science-policy-exchange.org@scixpolicy
Charles Driscoll, Jr, Syracuse University - Project leader
Jonathan Buonocore, Center for Health & the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dallas Burtraw, Resources for the Future
Habibollah Fakhraei, Syracuse University
Kathleen Lambert, Harvard Forest at Harvard University & Science Policy Exchange
Jon Levy, Boston University School of Public Health
Stephen Reid, Sonoma Technology Inc.
Joel Schwartz, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
ENERGY & CLIMATE PARTNERS
US POWER PLANT CARBON STANDARDS:
CLEAN AIR & HEALTH CO-BENEFITS
