STUDY BOOSTS CALIF CASE AGAINST EMISSIONS

In its December 19 refusal of California’s petition for the right to set its own emissions limits, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the state had not proved "extraordinary and compelling conditions" that would justify emissions standards more rigid than the EPA’s standards for the rest of the country. California’s legal appeal of that ruling will certainly be bolstered by this scientific evidence of 1000 U.S. deaths (300 California deaths) every year from emissions.

Climate change deniers will no doubt once again have the opportunity to ridicule computer modeling to discredit these findings. In fact, Professor Jacobson’s computer model was built over 18 years and is considered the most sophisticated ever constructed.

Professor Jacobson: "The simulations accounted for the changes in ozone and particles through chemistry, transport, clouds, emissions and other processes that affect pollution…Carbon dioxide definitely caused these changes, because that was the only input that was varied…The logical next step is to reduce carbon dioxide: That would reduce its warming effect and improve the health of people in the U.S. and around the world who are currently suffering from air pollution health problems associated with it."

California and other states joining its case against the EPA are pushing for emissions reductions more significant than the recent compromise energy bill required. (click to enlarge)

Carbon dioxide emissions linked to mortality
Dan Kazak, January 3, 2007 (Palo Alto Weekly)
and
Stanford scientist produces first-ever study linking increased mortality specifically to carbon dioxide emissions
Louis Bergeron, January 3, 2007 (Stanford News Service)

WHO
Stanford University researchers (Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering)

WHAT
On the causal link between carbon dioxide and air pollution mortality, by Professor Mark Z. Jacobson, demonstrates a direct link between increasing emissions and increasing death rates.

WHEN
The release of this study is conveniently proximate to California’s legal battle with the EPA over whether the state can set its own emission limits heats up and underscoring the urgency of California’s argument.

The link between air pollution and deaths is well-established. This study links climate change-inducing greenhouse gas emissions and deaths. (click to enlarge)

WHERE
- The Jacobson study will be published in “Geophysical Research Letters.”
Stanford University is in Palo Alto, CA.
- 30% of the increased US emissions-caused deaths occur in California although the state has only 12% of US population because the state has 6 of the US’ 10 worst air quality cities (Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Visalia, Fresno, Merced, Sacramento).

WHY
- CO2 emissions cause 20,000+ air-pollution-related deaths per year, worldwide.
Each 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature equals 1,000 US deaths/year.
- Other important climate change studies have used complex and sophisticated computer modeling but Professor Jacobson’s study used feedbacks between climate change and air pollution not previously considered.

The new study uses the most sophisticated imaging and computer modelling yet done. (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
Jacobson: "This is a cause and effect relationship, not just a correlation…The study is the first to specifically isolate carbon dioxide's effect from other global-warming agents and to find quantitatively that chemical and meteorological changes due to carbon dioxide itself increase mortality due to increased ozone, particles and carcinogens in the air…"