2013 February Environment & Climate News

The February issue of Environment & Climate News reports on the 8th International Conference on Climate Change, held in Munich, Germany and co-hosted by The Heartland Institute and the European Institute for Climate and Energy. The two-day event attracted nearly 200 attendees.

Also in this issue:

• Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants proof taxpayers are benefiting from the $100 million in subsidies given last year to the renewable energy industry.

• Michigan voters sent a strong message to the renewable energy industry, rejecting a proposed state constitutional amendment that would have forced consumers to purchase 25 percent of their electricity from so-called renewable sources by the year 2025.

• Hawaii is cutting back on solar power subsidies, as the spending is consuming an increasingly large chunk of the state budget and the resulting surge in rooftop solar production threatens the stability of the state’s electric grid.

• Global warming will benefit most Arctic species, a team of scientists report in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One. The scientists found global warming will allow most Arctic species to expand their ranges, and no species are expected to go extinct.

• Arizona consumers can expect higher electricity costs because of new EPA restrictions on three eastern Arizona power plants. State environmental officials say the restrictions are too costly and will provide no perceptible environmental benefits.

• Two conservation groups struck a deal with private property owners to preserve 554 acres of land in Sonoma County, California. Analysts say the deal, which creates the Bohemia Ecological Preserve, could serve as a model for future conservation efforts utilizing free-market principles.