To earn the Energy Star label, a home must meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by DOE and EPA. Those include effective insulation systems, high-performance windows, tight construction and ducts, efficient heating and cooling equipment, and high-efficiency lighting and appliances. In addition, an independent home energy rater conducts onsite testing and inspections to verify that the home's performance meets Energy Star requirements. This year alone, families living in Energy Star-qualified homes will save more than $270 million on their utility bills, while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from about 370,000 vehicles. See the EPA press release and the Energy Star Web site.
Study Says Climate Change Could Displace 150 Million People by 2050
A report from the Environmental Justice Foundation finds that climate change is already responsible over 300,000 deaths a year, and seriously affects another 325 million people each year. Although most populations are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, about 10% of the population is at extreme risk. By 2050, the report says, as many as 150 million people could be forced from their homes due to climate change impacts. The report calls for a new legal framework for such "climate refugees," who are not recognized under the 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees. See the report, "No Place Like Home: Where Next for Climate Refugees?" on the EJF Web site.
While the EJF report highlights severe impacts on mostly developing countries, including Bangladesh, island nations, and most of the African continent, a new report from Oxfam America finds significant vulnerabilities right here in the US, particularly in the Southeast. The report looks at places where climate-change hazards overlap with social vulnerabilities, including poverty, old age, and areas with high percentages of populations with special needs. It found about 60 counties with both high social vulnerabilities and exposure to multiple hazards due to climate change. Most of those counties are located in the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Texas, although all 13 states had some level of vulnerability. See the Oxfam America press release, report, and interactive Web site.
++++
EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
