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NEWS Wallowa.com Wednesday, December 25, 2019 A5 Study: the Arctic has warmed 0.75 degrees C in past decade Pole feeling eff ects faster than predicted Kat Kerlin U.c. Davis With 2019 on pace as one of the warmest years on record, a new international study reveals how rapidly the Arctic is warming and exam- ines global consequences of continued polar warming. The study, published Dec. 4 in the journal Sci- ence Advances, reports that the Arctic has warmed by 0.75 degrees C in the last decade alone. By compari- son, the Earth as a whole has warmed by nearly the same amount, 0.8 C, over the past 137 years. “Many of the changes over the past decade are so dramatic they make you wonder what the next decade of warming will bring,” said lead author Eric Post, a Uni- versity of California, Davis, professor of climate change ecology. “If we haven’t already entered a new Arc- tic, we are certainly on the threshold.” What 2 degrees global warming means for the poles The comprehensive report represents the efforts of an international team of 15 authors, including Kris- tin Laidre at the University of Washington, who spe- cialize in an array of disci- plines, including the life, Earth, social and political sciences. They documented widespread effects of warm- ing in the Arctic and Antarc- tic on wildlife, traditional human livelihoods, tundra vegetation, methane release, and loss of sea- and land-ice. “What’s happening in the Arctic is profound and unprecedented,” said Laidre, Daniel J. Cox/Arctic Documentary Project Four male polar bears stand on a fl oating whale carcass shortly after it drifted ashore on the island of Svalbard. a UW research scientist at the Polar Science Center and associate professor in the School of Aquatic and Fish- ery Sciences. “Marine mam- mals rely on the sea ice plat- form for most aspects of their life and it is rapidly dis- appearing. This has cascad- ing impacts on the ecosys- tem, species interactions, and indigenous humans who rely on these animals for nutritional, cultural and eco- nomic purposes.” Laidre served as the team’s expert on Arctic marine mammals, bring- ing together the recent liter- ature on profound changes observed related to species and populations, and linking them to other physical and biological components cata- logued by other co-authors. The research team also examined consequences for the polar regions as the Earth inches toward 2 C warm- ing, a commonly discussed milestone. “Under a business-as- usual scenario, the Earth as a whole may reach that mile- stone in about 40 years,” said Post. “But the Arctic is already there during some months of the year, and it could reach 2 C warming on an annual mean basis as soon as 25 years before the rest of the planet.” The study illustrates what 2 C of global warming could mean for the high latitudes: up to 7 C warming for the Arctic and 3 C warming for the Antarctic during some months of the year. The authors say that active, near-term measures to reduce carbon emissions are crucial to slowing high latitude warming, especially in the Arctic. Beyond the polar regions Post emphasizes that major consequences of projected warming in the absence of carbon mitiga- tion are expected to reach beyond the polar regions. Among these are sea level rise resulting from rapid melting of land ice in the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as increased risk of extreme weather, deadly heat waves, and wildfi re in parts of the Northern Hemisphere. “What happens in the Arc- tic doesn’t stay in the Arc- tic,” said co-author Michael Mann, a distinguished pro- fessor of atmospheric sci- ences at Pennsylvania State University. “The dramatic warming and melting of Arc- tic ice is impacting the jet stream in a way that gives us more persistent and damag- ing weather extremes.” Other co-author institu- tions are Aarhus Univer- sity; University of Oxford; University of Lapland; Uni- versity of Colorado, Boul- der; Chicago Botanic Gar- den; Dartmouth College; Umea University; Univer- sity College London; U.S. Arctic Research Commis- sion; Harvard University; and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Funding for the study is from the National Sci- ence Foundation, Academy of Finland and JPI Climate, National Geographic Soci- ety, Natural Environment Research Council, the Swed- ish Research Council, NASA and NOAA. Clean-energy initiatives rejected by Oregon secretary of state Sam Stites Oregon Capital Bureau Secretary of State Bev Clarno has rejected two pro- posed ballot initiatives that aimed to move Oregon to carbon-free energy by 2045. Her move was the second time in recent weeks that she has rebuffed petitioners try- ing to get measures on the Oregon ballot next year. In a pair of letters sent to petitioners, Clarno cited pro- visions setting guidelines for labor standards in energy construction projects as vio- lating Oregon’s requirement that ballot measures focus on a single subject. Rich Vial, deputy secre- tary of state, said Friday that the letters “speak for them- selves” and wouldn’t com- ment on Clarno’s interpre- tation of the single-subject rule. Renew Oregon, the clean-energy coalition, was seeking two measures that would require all retail elec- tricity in Oregon to be car- bon free and mandate the state invest in carbon reduc- tion measures. The propos- als were seen as a safety net should legislators again fail to pass a carbon reduction bill in 2020. Executive Director Tera Hurst, Renew Oregon execu- tive director, called Clarno’s ruling a “fl agrant abuse of power” unseen from any pre- vious secretary of state. “The secretary of state is siding with the oil industry, corporate polluters, and anti- worker special interests to block the ability of the vot- ers to decide their clean air future. It is unconscionable how far special interests will go to protect their profi ts,” Hurst said in her statement. The initiatives were fi led back on Oct. 7, and more than 1,500 sponsorship sig- natures were submitted for each just a few weeks later. The draft ballot title issued by the Attorney General’s offi ce on Nov. 20 was then opened for public comment where it received opposition over the same issue Clarno pointed out in her ruling. This is the second time this election cycle that Clarno has cited the sin- gle-subject rule in throwing out initiatives. In October, Clarno used her interpretation of the law to reject three petitions seek- ing to restrict certain forestry practices on lands that feed watersheds. Clarno’s offi ce hired Port- land law fi rm Schwabe, Wil- liamson & Wyatt to defend her decision against the legal challenge brought by Oregon Wild after Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, a Democrat, declined to pro- vide legal help. The petitioners in that matter submitted petitions with revised language and currently are going through the process again. If approved by voters, Renew Oregon’s petitions would have required all retail electricity to come from renewable sources by 2045 and required investments to reduce greenhouse gasses. Clarno zeroed in on a provision of each petition that would require construc- tion projects spurred by the new mandate to meet cer- tain labor standards, includ- ing paying prevailing wages, offering benefi ts and other regulatory guidelines. The secretary of state did allow a third petition from Renew Oregon that would require Oregon to eliminate all greenhouse gasses from its economy by 2050. Lisa Adatto, former Ore- gon director of Climate Solu- tions and a chief petitioner for the two rejected propos- als, said Clarno’s interpre- tation of the single-subject rule is a major shift from how prospective ballot ini- tiatives are vetted and poses a threat to the way Oregon’s citizens participate in their democracy. “Legally, I think it’s out of line and inconsistent with many years of practice and law,” Adatto said. “Underly- ing it all for me is to protect our children and our envi- ronment to have a safe and healthy future.” Renew Oregon’s rebuke of the decision was sharp and included comment from Oregon attorney Margaret Olney. Olney spent years in private practice represent- ing groups like Basic Rights Oregon working on issues related to the state’s initia- tive process before serving two years as special counsel to former Attorney General John Kroger on election and administrative law. Accord- ing to Olney, Clarno’s ruling narrows citizen access to the ballot and is not legal. “Until this election cycle, the single subject rule has rarely, if ever, been used to reject a proposed initiative,” Olney said. “By ignoring the analysis of the attorney gen- eral, legislative counsel, the Oregon Supreme Court and inserting an exceptionally partisan review into a pre- viously unbiased process, Secretary of State Clarno is undermining our initiative process and crippling the power of Oregonians to take their concerns directly to the voters.” According to Renew Ore- gon Communications Direc- tor Brad Reed, the group is currently exploring its legal and electoral options to continue fi ghting for these initiatives. Reed said the group is in the process of gather- ing information on ways to move forward whether that’s in the court or refi ling modi- fi ed measures. SPACE RESERVATION DEADLINES New Year’s Deadline Thursday Dec. 26th at NOON. 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