Climate Change Rapid Research
Do you have a specific question about climate change or global warming? The Pollution Prevention Resource Center is pleased to expand our Rapid Response service to cover questions relating to climate change and global warming issues, and related science, projects, or policies. PPRC will provide up to eight hours of research – as a service to governments and NGOs - into related questions to support work in climate change and global warming.
Please e-mail your Climate Change Rapid Response questions HERE. (Note: if you are outside of the Pacific Northwest, please visit the National P2Rx™ Rapid Response page for this service).
Additionally, we have subject-specific Rapid Response services available on:
This service is funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Here are some of the other topics we have researched but did not respond with a full report. If you're interested in learning more about any of these topics, send us an email and we'll gladly provide you with the information that we have.
- Voluntary Action to Correct Methane Distribution Leaks - Potential for Future GHG Credits
- Is there a list of companies in Washington State required to report under Washington's new greenhouse gas reporting legislation?
Previous Climate Change Questions and Responses
- Brief GHG Accounting Quiz and Answers (Requested for a GHG Accounting Webinar Poll, sponsored by PPRC and the Northeast Waste Management Official's Association (NEWMOA) May 2011
- Resources for Materials Management Approaches for State and Local Climate Protection (Beta Version) (Requested by the West Coast Climate Change Forum) June 2010
- What is the impact of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on global warming? (Requested by EPA Region 10) June 2010
- Can you direct me to some industrial energy efficiency resources, including any specific to Idaho or Region 10? (Requested by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality) May 2010
- Presentation: Resources and Tools for Implementing an Energy Efficiency Program. Covering GHG Inventories, GHG Programs and Tools, Case Studies, Excellent Government and Utility Assistance in Energy and Steam Efficiency, Software Tools, and Incentives (Requested by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality) May 2010
- What is PAS 2050 and how is it being used? (Requested by the West Coast Climate Forum for Waste & Materials) September 2009
- Is there a carbon inventory estimation method specific to my industry? October 2009
Climate Change Overview
Climate change is the long-term, significant change in the anticipated patterns of average weather conditions over a set period of time. Prevailing data suggests that the earth is currently warming and over time, is likely to cause significant changes in other climatic conditions, such as average rainfall and cloud cover, and to increase average sea level.
Climate change is caused by both naturally-occurring and anthropogenic processes. The primary driver of climate change is fossil fuel consumption and the associated generation and release of greenhouse gases, most significantly carbon dioxide (CO2), but pollution, land-use change, and other factors are also important. The release of carbon dioxide and the other major greenhouse gases, including methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, must be controlled to prevent irreversible damage to our way of life.
Some of the major efforts by the scientific, environmental, economic, and policy communities working in climate change focus on the following issues and opportunities:
- studying current causes and impacts of climate change,
- disseminating information on, and implementing measures or incentives to increase energy efficiency and use of renewable energy, reduce fossil fuel consumption, and reduce the use and generation of potent greenhouse gases,
- modeling scenarios for a future world changed by global warming,
- devising protocols to measure and calculate accurate greenhouse gas inventories and emissions from defined sources,
- developing policy and plans, such as Climate Action Plans, reporting protocols and schemes, cap and trade bills, and related
Additional Climate Change Resources
- The Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative is a culmination of a decade-long partnership between the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is a widely used, international accounting tool for government and business leaders to understand, quantify, and manage greenhouse gas emissions.
- The Greenhouse Gas Management Institute offers rigorous training, professional programs, to develop experts in the principles, concepts and techniques to manage and credibly account for GHG emissions(and Network)
- The Climate Registry is a nonprofit collaboration that sets consistent and transparent standards to calculate, verify and publicly report greenhouse gas emissions into a single registry.
- U.S. EPA's Climate Leaders - Climate Change Management Tools for Low Emitters - offers Greenhouse gas inventory guidance, a calculator, and inventory management planning tools.
- PPRC’s Climate Change Topic Hub
- U.S. EPA's WARM Calculator - helps solid waste planners and organizations estimate, track, and voluntarily report greenhouse gas emissions reductions from several different waste management practices.
- U.S. EPA's Recycled Content (ReCon) Calculator - estimates life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy impacts from purchasing and/or manufacturing materials with varying degrees of post-consumer recycled content
- U.S. EPA's Revised Draft 2009-2014 P2 Program Strategic Plan - Goal 1 this five-year strategic pollution prevention plan is to "Reduce the generation of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions to mitigate climate change".
- West Coast Climate Forum for Waste & Materials (website pending) Inventory Workgroup - is working towards better understanding and inclusion of the climate change impacts of waste, resources, and embodied energy in greenhouse gas inventories.