Woods Hole Research CenterWoods Hole Research CenterAPRIL 2019APRIL 2019

MONTHLY NEWSLETTERMONTHLY NEWSLETTER

WHRC is an independent research organization where scientists study climate change and how to solve it, from the Amazon to the Arctic. Learn more at www.whrc.org.

India trip gives WHRC staff first-hand look at climate challengesby Miles Grant

Visiting a country that’s trying to manage both rapid growth and climate challenges, WHRC staff recently joined several partners to learn more about agricultural practices and soil carbon research in India.

Associate Scientist Jonathan Sanderman and Vice President Alison Smart traveled to the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with colleagues from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, exploring ways WHRC’s scientific expertise can help India meet its Paris Agreement climate goals.

India’s federal and state governments have set Paris climate goals that will push to transform not only energy sources but land use:

• Reduce emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 level.

• Achieve about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030.

• Create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tons of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

India continued on next pageAllies continued on next page

As many of you know, WHRC recently entered into a research initiative with Wellington Management, a prominent Boston investment firm, to investigate and highlight how physical climate risk (extreme weather, etc.) affects asset values and capital markets.

This is part of a broader strategy at WHRC of recruiting groups from across the political spectrum and representing all sectors of society (government, NGO, faith groups, and the private sector) into the fight against climate change. This is founded on the premise that to succeed in conquering climate change we’ll need everyone pulling in the same direction.

I am excited about our work with Wellington specifically because it is a new and important pathway to achieving societal benefit. In particular, WHRC sees huge upside from raising awareness of physical climate risk within the investment industry. We expect that this will prompt a significant reallocation of capital when investors realize that assets have been mispriced because of previous failure to consider climate risk. The beginnings of this are evident, for example, in studies showing that at-risk coastal real estate in Florida is appreciating more slowly than other comparable properties. This reallocation of capital will happen sooner or later, but the societal benefits will be greater if it happens sooner.

Beyond addressing mispricing, we expect our work with Wellington to promote climate action and preparedness in the financial industry and in the broader corporate world, through Wellington’s investors asking companies about their practices in these areas. When an investor or potential investor raises an issue, it is often assessed or addressed. Though our efforts to provide better climate data to investors, they will be increasingly better equipped to offer insightful and pointed questions.

Private sector allies in the fight against climate changeDr. Philip B. DuffyPresident & Executive Director

India continued from front

“As countries look to meet their Paris goals and eventually develop new targets, we know that with our ongoing partnership with the Fletcher School, we can offer a very comprehensive package of expertise and support,” Smart said. “We were eager to learn what’s already happening in India, meet the people doing the work, and find out where they need help expanding capacity.”

India’s climate pollution is a long-term concern, but right now local air pollution is a high priority for politicians and the public. Incredibly, the World Health Organization’s 14 most polluted cities last year were all located in India. Coal-fired power plants and transportation

contribute to the problem, but a large portion of the pollution is due to agriculture when farmers burn rice stubble after harvest, according to Sanderman. This presents an opportunity to address air pollution, economic development, food security and climate by focusing on good policy and practices in agriculture.

Some Indian farmers have started a movement known as Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), hoping to make farming not just more sustainable environmentally but financially as well - expensive seeds, fertilizers and pesticides can make it difficult for small farmers to turn profits.

“We met with a farmer who’s used ZBNF and has seen her income significantly

increase. She’s opened a shop where she sells farm-grown products. We’re interested in finding out if that approach can also help keep India’s carbon emissions in check,” Smart said.

An estimated 61.5% of India’s 1.3 billion people live in rural areas and are dependent on agriculture, according to its 2011 census.

“India provides a huge opportunity to implement sustainable practices on a large scale. Indian states have populations comparable to European countries. If ZBNF and similar practices work on a large scale in India, it can be a role model for other countries looking to grow their economies,” Sanderman said.

Allies continued from front

In addition, one of the world’s largest asset managers, Blackrock International, followed our announcement by recently announcing its own effort to assess physical climate risk. So the potential for climate science work to add value in an asset management context appears to be gaining momentum.

Finally, the investment industry has a powerful political voice. If they understand the risks of climate change better, they are likely to use that voice to good effect.

Much of this is documented in a recent New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/12/business/climate-change-funds-profit-global-warming.html

Unfortunately, the article’s headline emphasizes the potential to increase profits through consideration of climate risk. While this is indeed possible, from the point of view of WHRC it is incidental to the broader societal benefits outlined above. It also seems likely that the downside potential from climate risk exceeds the profit-making potential.

Despite the less than ideal headline, the article is nonetheless helpful by making the point that physical climate risk is affecting asset values now, and should be better reflected in the prices of those assets. That’s an important message because it is often argued that climate change “is too far away” to be relevant on the short time horizons investors care about. If only that were true!

Thanks for your support as we seek to bring new allies into the fight against climate change.

Marathoner runs fundraiser for WHRCEmma DeCamp, a 24-year-old design researcher and strategist in San Francisco, ran the Boston Marathon and decided to use her run to inspire people to support the Woods Hole Research Center. She not only finished the race in 3:38:38, she’s raised more than $4,900 for WHRC.

WHRC interviewed DeCamp about what inspired her campaign.

Have you run the Boston Marathon before? Why Boston?

This was my first Boston Marathon and my second marathon overall. I surprised myself last spring with a Boston Marathon qualifying time at the Napa Valley Marathon. I decided that I couldn't pass up the opportunity. No city gets more excited than Boston for Marathon Monday.

How did you get involved in climate activism?

When I was 15, I went on a seven-week backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail. If I had to identify a point of origin for my environmental conscious, I would point here. We learned about the principles of Leave No Trace and the ecology of the Maine and New Hampshire portions of the Appalachian Mountains. At Middlebury College, I majored in environmental studies and nonfiction writing because I wanted to unlock scientific facts and tell stories about the everyday and long-term impacts of climate change on people.

Why support WHRC?

WHRC has large-scale scientific authority, yet the smaller size of the organization allows it to be agile, avoid bureaucracy, and affect change. WHRC is seated at the negotiating table, elevating science in Washington. I was confident that the money I raised would go furthest at WHRC. I connected directly with David McGlinchey and Emily Marshall on the communications team, which made my fundraising effort feel all the more personal.

How do you feel when you think about our climate challenge?

Our climate challenge feels overwhelming. I am discouraged by the current administration's efforts to rollback environmental policy. However, I am encouraged by the fires lit under non-governmental organizations as a result. I hope my generation will commit as a collective to affect policy, live in closer harmony with nature, and ultimately eliminate emissions.

When you think about confronting climate change, is there any particular place you're motivated to protect?

I am infatuated with islands. My family grew up going to the Thousand Islands in Upstate New York every summer. In college, I became interested in island ecologies and how they represent a

microcosm of larger-scale phenomena. Islands, of course, are particularly at risk of sea-level rise. Already, islanders are adapting to sea-level-rise in resilient ways by restoring coastal habitats, floating their farms, and developing natural disaster response plans, but it's heartbreaking to see rising seas encroach their shores. I wrote my senior thesis about early environmentalism in 18th-20th century British island literature. I concluded that by concentrating problems on an island, the authors were making a statement about the relationship between humanity and nature on a larger-scale.

Donate to Emma DeCamp’s fundraising campaign: GoFundMe.com/run-for-WHRC

European shows feature WHRC artist-in-residenceWHRC Artist-in-Residence Justin Guariglia has two shows opening in Europe over the next month. The first is an Earth Day 2019 project commissioned by the Somerset House in London titled REDUCE SPEED NOW!, set to run April 16-28.

Using large solar-powered LED roadside signs, Guariglia highlights the words of poets, writers and philosophers from around the world and explores how people can navigate the complex issues surrounding the global climate crisis. Forming a striking installation in the Somerset House’s neoclassical courtyard, the signs display aphorisms, poetry and excerpts from literature, engaging in ideas of sustainability and innovation. Visitors are invited to submit their own writing for display over the course of the installation.

Next, Guariglia will open EXXTINCTION, an official collateral installation of the Venice Biennale, opening May 8.

Based in New York City, Guariglia works closely with scientists, philosophers, and journalists to inform his work, allowing him to communicate effectively some of the most complex ecological challenges we face on the planet today. Last summer, Guariglia traveled with WHRC scientists to Alaska to get a first-hand look at thawing permafrost, aiming to open an exhibition at the Anchorage Museum in 2021, which will subsequently travel to additional venues.

Follow his latest work at: instagram.com/JustinBriceGuariglia

WHRC and IPAM scientists talk climate with CBS by Dave McGlinchey

Scientists from WHRC and IPAM Amazonia spent four days with a CBS news crew in Brazil this month, to publicize the impacts of deforestation.

The CBS team traveled to the joint WHRC/IPAM research station at Tanguro ranch in Mato Grasso state, a two-hour flight northwest from Brasilia. IPAM and WHRC have worked together closely for 25 years studying Amazonian deforestation and the relationship with agriculture.

In two days of filming at Tanguro, CBS correspondent Vladimir Duthiers interviewed IPAM and WHRC scientists across the 200,000-acre ranch, which is half forested and half used for agri-cultural production.

Duthiers climbed an eddy flux tower at the ranch—designed to measure the transfer of carbon dioxide and water between the rainforest and the atmosphere—to inter-view WHRC scientist Dr. Paulo Brando.

The group also visited the Kamayura tribe, in the Amazon’s Xingu River Basin. WHRC research has shown that forests controlled by indigenous communities have the highest amount of forest carbon. Duthiers interviewed Kamayura community leaders about climate change impacts that they have already seen, and talked to scientists about on-the-ground observations that can be recorded by indigenous community partners.

Watch the news story: cbsn.ws/2vheUrG

Community Lecture Series

Responsible Ownership and Development of Commercial Real Estate in the Era of Climate Action: The Personal and Portfolio Growth of a Green Building StrategistThis series, focusing on climate change action, from the financial to the outdoor industry sector, to the educational and faith-based communities, wraps up in May. Thank you to the Cape Cod Foundation for helping to support our Community Lecture Series.

May 9, 2019 | Responsible Ownership and Development of Commercial Real Estate in the Era of Climate Action: The Personal and Portfolio Growth of a Green Building Strategist with Ben Myers, Director of Sustainability at Boston Properties

Wall Street reckons with climate risk. In an overview article of partnerships between financial firms and climate change groups, President and Executive Director Phil Duffy is quoted in Axios. April 17

Why Green Pledges Will Not Create the Natural Forests We Need. Yale Environment 360’s in-depth look at the challenges of reforestation around the world, Senior Scientist Richard Houghton is quoted. April 16

A permafrost meltdown in Alaska is happening now and rapid changes are coming with it. Anchorage Press quotes Senior Scientist Max Holmes in a Native Nation column/op-ed on the effects of climate change now and in the future in Alaska. April 16

Climate-Change Funds Try to Profit from a Warming World. President and Executive Director Phil Duffy is quoted in a New York Times article about fund management firms investing in companies and organizations addressing climate change and ways to mitigate further damage. April 14

Plum Island study to examine salt marsh recovery from pollution. A Daily News (Newburyport, MA) article on the WHRC-led study set to begin next month quotes Senior Scientist Linda Deegan and Research Assistant Hillary Sullivan. April 10

This faith leader finds the common ground to address a moral emergency. In a Grist article on Reverend Mariama White-Hammond and her work with the Faith Science Alliance, Senior Director of Communications and Government Relations Dave McGlinchey is quoted. April 5

Climate change is accelerating, says a UN report. Here's why. Senior Scientist Jennifer Francis is quoted by The

Print (India) in a news story on the 25th annual UN World Meteorological Organisation report released in March. April 5

Woods Hole Scientist Appears On 60 Minutes. Deputy Director and Senior Scientist Max Holmes is quoted in a Falmouth Enterprise article about his 60 Minutes appearance. April 5

Siberia's Pleistocene Park: Bringing back pieces of the Ice Age to combat climate change. Senior Scientist and Deputy Director Max Holmes was interviewed on CBS’ 60 Minutes for his perspective on geophysicist Sergey Zimov’s ideas on how to keep carbon in Siberian soil. March 31

Arctic ice effects global temperatures, jet streams. Senior Scientist Jennifer Francis was interviewed for a news article in The Daily Targum (Rutgers University). March 31

WHS alum journeys to Alaska to study effects of climate change. Woods Hole Research Center is named in an article on Polaris Project student Natalie Baillargeon in the Community Advocate (eastern Worcester suburbs). March 27

Climate Change: A Hot Topic for Congress. A brief review in The Science Times of the House Science Committee hearing on climate science, held in February, names Senior Scientist Jennifer Francis as a witness speaker. March 24

Tapirs could be key in helping degraded rainforests bounce back. A study co-authored by Postdotoral Researcher Ludmila Rattis, and Assistant Scientists Marcia Macedo and Paulo Brando, is reviewed and Paulo quoted, in Mongabay. March 20

In the news

A new book is reframing the moral dimensions of climate change and Woods Hole Research Center Senior Arctic Policy Fellow Rafe Pomerance plays a central role. Nathaniel Rich’s Losing Earth tells the story of a handful of scientists, politicians, and strategists who were among the first to try to convince the world to act on climate change—and the fossil fuel industry’s fight to stop them.

Rich first told a version of this story last summer in The New York Times Magazine. Pomerance and WHRC founder George Woodwell were featured in the article as two of the leaders who worked to raise awareness of the climate threat and to urge elected officials to take action.

The new book version of Losing Earth dives deeper into Pomerance’s story and also covers the birth of climate science denialism as part of the coal, oil and gas industries’ coordinated effort to block

Losing Earth spotlights WHRC’s Rafe Pomeranceclimate policy through misinformation, propaganda and political influence.

"One of the powerful aspects of Rich’s work is that it really gives people a sense what we knew about climate science four decades ago. This will over time only increase people’s outrage of the warming of the planet and what we have failed to do to stop it. So Rich’s history will have a big impact on the moment,” Pomerance said.

Rich has become an influential voice in the climate debate, appearing on National Public Radio and writing again in the New York Times Magazine on April 14. “Keeping warming to 1.5 degrees above historical averages was possible, [the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] found, provided we immediately began to eliminate carbon-dioxide emissions,” Rich wrote. “This was terrifying only because we have not begun to do any such thing.”

Pomerance has joined Rich on his book tour, most recently April 11 at Politics and Prose in Washington, DC. Their next event is set for April 30 at Books & Books in Miami.

WHRC has a new scientific instrument on campus. This Eddy Flux Tower is being tested at WHRC before it heads north to the tundra of Alaska this summer. WHRC's Sarah Ludwig set up the tower, which measures greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide and methane. If all goes well, the tower will be permanently assembled in Alaska, sending measurements back to the team in Massachusetts.

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