Current:Home > StocksHere's what happened on Day 5 of the U.N.'s COP27 climate talks -WealthMap Solutions
Here's what happened on Day 5 of the U.N.'s COP27 climate talks
View
Date:2025-04-16 17:27:37
The war in Ukraine is driving a new push for fossil fuels, putting climate goals at risk
With the war in Ukraine disrupting natural supplies to Europe, many countries have been scrambling to replace gas exports coming from Russia, often from nations much farther away. Those gas supplies are super-cooled into a liquid that can be loaded onto tanker ships. The tankers dock in the importing countries at huge facilities that turn their cargo into gas again to send through pipelines.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, 26 of these massive facilities have been announced in the European Union, according to a new report from Climate Action Tracker, a climate think tank,.
Extracting more natural gas to offset the losses from Russia could lock in fossil fuel use for decades. If the proposed terminals and others under construction now around the world come online, they could more than double the emissions from natural gas by 2030, according to the report. That could jeopardize any commitments that governments make in the COP27 negotiations to rein in the pollution driving global warming.
To keep the world's goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach, there should be no investment in new fossil fuel supplies, the International Energy Agency said.
Members of Congress start to arrive
Nancy Pelosi arrived in Egypt with a delegation of 13 other House Democrats, including the current chairs of multiple committees that work on climate policy.
A delegation of Congressional Republicans are enroute to the talks as well.
Congress passed a massive spending bill that puts more than $1.2 trillion toward infrastructure, including rebuilding roads and bridges to be more resilient to climate change, putting more electric vehicles on the road, upgrading public transit and expanding clean sources of electricity.
But control of Congress is still up in the air after Tuesday's election, and the future of U.S. spending on climate change also hangs in the balance. Among other policies, Republican lawmakers have argued against government funding of renewable energy, and in favor of investments in natural gas and other fossil fuels.
Scientists say reliance on fossil fuels needs to plummet immediately in order to avoid catastrophic global warming later this century.
White House calls for federal contractors to disclose climate information
The Biden administration wants big federal contractors to publicly disclose information about their greenhouse gas emissions and the financial risks they face from climate change, and to set targets for cutting emissions.
The U.S. government is the world's largest buyer of goods and services, the White House said, and the proposed rule would make federal supply chains more efficient and resilient to the impacts of global warming.
"Suppliers understand that you cannot manage what you don't measure — tracking emissions and setting and meeting targets can increase resilience and reduce costs," the White House said in a statement.
The administration made the announcement a day before President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak at the United Nations' annual climate conference in Egypt.
Under the proposed rule, the largest federal contractors — those with annual contracts of more than $50 million — would have to disclose emissions from their own operations and from the energy they buy, as well as certain emissions from their customers and suppliers. They would also have to provide information about their climate-related financial risks, and set science-based targets for cutting emissions.
Companies with annual contracts of $7.5 million to $50 million would only have to provide information about the emissions from their own operations and from their energy purchases. Companies with smaller contracts would be exempt.
"With this proposed rule, the Administration is providing a valuable model for other stakeholders as it becomes increasingly important for governments and corporations to provide visibility into their climate risks and resilience across their supply chains," Pankaj Bhatia, global director of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, said in a statement.
However, the proposal is likely to face pushback, says Arthur Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
"The big question is how the administration will monitor and enforce these restrictions," Wheaton said in a statement.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed its own rule to require companies to disclose information about climate-related risks and greenhouse gas emissions. That proposal has faced fierce corporate opposition.
Climate news from the actor formerly known as Rainn Wilson
Actor Rainn Wilson, who is most famous for his role as Dwight Schrute in the U.S. version of the television show The Office, says he has changed his name.
He says he now goes by Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson.
In a video, Wilson says his goal is to draw attention to the effects of climate change in the Arctic. Indeed, more variable and extreme rain and heat waves are wreaking havoc in the Arctic, where temperatures are rising about four times faster than the global average.
Wilson also suggested new climate-related names for other celebrities, such as:
- Cardi the Arctic B. Melting
- Jack Black Carbon Is Killing Us
- Ty-phoons Are Increasing Burrell
- Amy Poehler Bears Are Endangered
- Harrison Why Not Drive an Electric Ford
veryGood! (46113)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Lululemon's We Made Too Much Section Seems Almost Too Good to be True: $118 Bottoms for Just $49 & More
- Ground cinnamon sold at discount retailers contaminated with lead, FDA urges recall
- These Hidden Gems From Kohl’s Will Instantly Make You Want to Shop There Again
- Average rate on 30
- Are you moving? Don't forget your change of address. Here's how to easily swap info.
- Mason Disick Proves He Can Keep Up With His Stylish Family in New Fit Check
- U.S. charges Chinese national with stealing AI trade secrets from Google
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Avoid seaweed blobs, red tides on Florida beaches this spring with our water quality maps
Ranking
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- New York library won't let man with autism use children's room. His family called the restriction 'callous'
- Tennessee lawmakers advance bill to undo Memphis’ traffic stop reforms after Tyre Nichols death
- Katy Perry's Backside-Baring Red Carpet Look Will Leave You Wide Awake
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- See Brittany Mahomes Vacation in Mexico as She Recovers From Fractured Back
- Horoscopes Today, March 6, 2024
- Conservation groups sue to stop a transmission line from crossing a Mississippi River refuge
Recommendation
Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
Why Elon Musk and so many others are talking about birth control right now
Amy Schumer's Parenting Milestone With 4-Year-Old Son Gene Will Have You Exhausted
Oprah Winfrey to Host Special About Ozempic and Weight-Loss Drugs
The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
West Virginia could become the 12th state to ban smoking in cars with kids present
Maryland revenue estimates drop about $255M in two fiscal years
Oprah Winfrey to Host Special About Ozempic and Weight-Loss Drugs