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☆ One Thing Most Countries Have in Common: Unsafe Air
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Delger Erdenesanaa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Only 10 countries and territories out of 134 achieved the World Health Organization’s standards for a pervasive form of air pollution last year, according to air quality data compiled by IQAir, a Swiss company. The pollution studied is called fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, because it refers to solid particles less than 2.5 micrometers in size: small enough to enter the bloodstream. PM2.5 is the deadliest form of air pollution, leading to millions of premature deaths each year. “Air pollution and climate change both have the same culprit, which is fossil fuels,” said Glory Dolphin Hammes, the CEO of IQAir’s North American division. The World Health Organization sets a guideline that people shouldn’t breathe more than 5 micrograms of fine particulate matter per cubic meter of air, on average, throughout a year.

Persons: IQAir, ” Organizations: Health, IQAir’s North, World Health Organization, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: Swiss, U.S

☆ EV euphoria is dead. Automakers trumpet consumer choice for U.S. car shoppers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Andrew Merry | Moment | Getty ImagesDETROIT — The buzz around electric vehicles is wearing off. U.S. EV sales were a record 1.2 million units last year, representing 7.6% of the overall national market, Cox Automotive estimates. "Moving on to less tech-savvy buyers will slow the EV market share growth over the next few years." Automakers wanted to emulate Tesla's success, with some promising to exclusively offer EVs in the not-too-distant future. "Toyota is almost completely absent from the [battery electric vehicle] market yet will gain more U.S. market share than any other car company this year.

Persons: hasn't, Andrew Merry, Aston Martin, Tesla, Elon Musk, Marin Gjaja, Ford, Pablo Di Si, Sam Fiorani, Romeo, Bentley, Mary Barra, there's, Cadillac, John Roth, We've, Gjaja, Jim Farley, Rebecca Cook, Oliver Blume, Akio Toyoda, Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, It's, Biden, Cox, Michelle Krebs, EVs, Trisha Jung Organizations: DETROIT, EV, Ford Motor, General Motors, Mercedes, Benz, Volkswagen, Jaguar, Rover, CNBC, GM, Hyundai Motor, Kia, Toyota Motor, VW, U.S, Cox Automotive, AutoForecast Solutions, Volvo, Buick, Cadillac, Honda, Ford Motor Co, Ford, Amperex Technology, Toyota, Cox, Tesla, Nissan, Nissan U.S, Environmental Protection Agency, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, American Automotive, Detroit automakers Locations: EVs, Europe, U.S, North America, Warren , Michigan, Detroit, Marshall , Michigan, Romulus , Michigan

(AP) — The U.S., Canada and several indigenous groups announced a proposal on Monday to address the pollution from coal mining in British Columbia that's been contaminating waterways and harming fisheries on both sides of the border for years. The proposal would be executed through a century-old U.S.-Canada boundary waters treaty, establishing independent boards to study the pollution’s extent and make cleanup recommendations. It comes after indigenous groups in British Columbia, Montana and Idaho lobbied for more than a decade for the federal governments in the U.S. and Canada to intervene and stop the flow of pollution. The proposal calls for no more than two years of study to gauge the extent of pollution. Investigators in Canada found Teck Resources Limited discharged hazardous amounts of selenium and calcite from two coal mines north of Eureka, Montana.

Persons: ”, Tom McDonald, Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Stephenne Harding, Gary Aitken Jr, “ It’s, Rachel Poynter, ” Poynter Organizations: The Associated Press, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, U.S ., White, Council, Environmental, Investigators, Teck Resources Limited, of, of Teck Resources Locations: Mont, U.S, Canada, British Columbia, Montana, Idaho, Kootenai, Lake Koocanusa, U.S . Canada, Elk, Kootenai Tribe, Canadian, Montana and Idaho, Eureka , Montana ., of Teck

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it is expanding a program to help rural communities with serious sewage problems get technical help to plan improvements and apply for funding. “For the first time ever, these communities are going to get an assessment about ... what is the status of their wastewater infrastructure. Still, “the water infrastructure gap is is greater than the resources we have,” and the Biden administration will continue to advocate for more funding, she said. The tribe has received funding to pump septic tanks and develop educational materials, and is applying for funding for infrastructure improvements, Fox said. The town of White Hall, in Lowndes County, Alabama, has developed wastewater treatment and funding options to address sewage that sometimes ran into yards.

Persons: —, Radhika Fox, ” Fox, Biden, Fox, We’re, ”, Catherine Flowers Organizations: WASHINGTON, Biden, U.S . Environmental, San Carlos Apache, Center for Rural Enterprise, Environmental, Associated Press, Walton Family Foundation, AP Locations: South, Southwest, U.S, Arizona, White, Lowndes County , Alabama

All were found to be within U.S. federal standards, said Don Gregoire, water director for St. Croix. Despite those findings, people on St. Croix remain concerned. At least 1,270 people on St. Croix have been screened. Authorities plan to extend the screening to the islands of St. Thomas and St. John by the end of January, said Reuben Molloy, acting commissioner for the U.S. Virgin Islands Health Department. On Thursday, officials will start distributing free water filters as they continue to test water samples taken from homes and businesses across St. Croix.

Persons: St . Croix, Joe Biden, Don Gregoire, Croix, Shirley Smith, Thomas, John, Reuben Molloy, St . Croix ., Noel Hodge, Gregoire, “, we’ve, ”, “ It’s, Harold Mark Organizations: JUAN, U.S . Virgin Islands, U.S . Virgin, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, St, Authorities, U.S . Virgin Islands Health Department, and Power Authority, ”, Department of Natural Resources Locations: Puerto Rico, St . Croix, U.S, St ., St

CHANNELVIEW, Texas — For nearly 20 years, Texas environmental regulators have kept a disturbing secret. AdvertisementTexas Community Health News; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality"Any exposure to a carcinogen increases your risk of developing cancer. AdvertisementTim Doty, a former TCEQ mobile air monitoring expert, at the industrial edge of River Terrace Park in Channelview, Texas. In fact, the agency rarely fines companies that violate Texas air pollution laws. Mark FelixHoneycutt's toxicology division soon took an even more dramatic step to weaken Texas' benzene guidelines.

Persons: Loren Hopkins, Hopkins, Mark Felix, TCEQ, AirToxScreen, AirToxScreen Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, Menefee, Tim Doty, Doty, Solv, He'd, Glenn Shankle, Kelly Keel, Todd Riddle, Riddle, Lopez, Joe Lopez, Dora, Joel Lopez, Randy Lopez, It's, Joel, Felix Benzene, wildcatters, Houston —, Forbes, Lorenzo de Zavala, Alison Cohen, Cohen, Tim Doty's, Houston Mayor Bill White, Shankle, Michael Honeycutt, Valerie Meyers, Meyers, Mark Felix Meyers, Richard Hyde, John Sadlier, Ryder, Hyde, hadn't, Russell Allen, Matt Baker, Jacintoport, Cloelle Danforth, Public Health Watch —, Danforth, Mark Felix Honeycutt's, Eric Schaeffer, Schaeffer, Honeycutt, Jim Tarr, polluters, upended, Mark Felix Fracking, Barnett, Glenn Shankle —, —, Rick Perry, Perry, Sadlier, David Bower, misstep, Baker, Bower, Michael Burgess, Greg Abbott, Abbott, Mark Felix Meanwhile, Randy, That's, Carolyn Stone, Stone, Carolyn Stone's, Mark Felix The, Cynthia Benson, Benson, Mark Felix Tim Doty, Mark Felix K, Jordan Gass Organizations: Public Health Watch, Texas Commission, Environmental, American Petroleum Institute, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, U.S . Navy, Geospatial - Intelligence Agency, General, Health, Public Health, Rice University, Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Community Health, AirToxScreen Harris County Attorney, polluters, Mark Felix Public Health, TCEQ, Solv, Mark Felix Public Health Watch, myelodysplasia, Houston, Oil, Gas Watch, Texas, Houston Ship, University of California, Houston Mayor, ., . Texas Community Health, NASA, Exxon Mobil, Public, Watch, Environmental Defense Fund, Management, Civil, Air Alliance Houston, Republican, Fort, United, Texas toxicologist, EPA, Texas Tribune, Google, Land Office, . Geological Survey, National Oceanic, Firefighters, U.S . Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Channelview, Improvement Coalition, Health Watch, San Jacinto, K, Texas Legislature, Solv Group, Services Locations: , Texas, Texas, Houston, Channelview's Jacintoport, San Jacinto, California, Jacintoport, Channelview , Texas, AirToxScreen Harris County, Channelview, Harris County, United States, North Channelview, Gulf, Terrace, Joel's, Houston , Texas, Spindletop, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Port of Houston, San Francisco, . Texas, That's, polluters, lacquers, Dallas, Fort Worth, Fort Worth City, Austin, Round, Minnesota, Galveston, U.S

The Global Cooling Pledge would mark the world's first collective focus on energy emissions from the cooling sector. That would equal one-tenth of expected global emissions, the report said, and would strain electric grids. Organizers hope to see at least 80 countries supporting the cooling pledge, given the urgent need to slash climate-warming emissions and keep people safe from dangerous heatwaves. Nearly three-quarters of the potential for reducing cooling emissions by mid-century can be found in G20 countries, the UNEP report said. UNEP estimates that global efforts to tackle cooling emissions could avoid the release of up to 78 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Persons: Amr Alfiky, Brian Dean, Gloria Dickie, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Katy Daigle Organizations: United Nations, Change, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . State Department, United Nations Environment Programme, Reuters, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Sustainable Energy, UNEP, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, United States, U.S, Kenya, India

A man talks on the phone during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 4, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfliky Acquire Licensing RightsDec 5 (Reuters) - Six of the world's largest dairy companies will soon begin disclosing their methane emissions as part of a new global alliance launched at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai on Tuesday. Livestock is responsible for about 30% of global anthropogenic methane emissions, from sources like manure and cow burps, according to the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization. The five members of the Dairy Methane Action Alliance - Danone (DANO.PA), Bel Group, General Mills (GIS.N), Lactalis USA, Kraft Heinz (KHC.O) and Nestle (NESN.S) - will begin reporting their methane emissions by mid-2024 and will write methane action plans by the end of that year. Danone this year pledged to cut methane emissions from its fresh milk supply chain by 30% by 2030.

Persons: Amr Alfliky, General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Chris Adamo, There’s, Katie Anderson, Anderson, Leah Douglas, Josie Kao Organizations: United Nations, Change, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, United, Livestock, Agriculture Organization, Danone, Bel Group, General, Lactalis, Nestle, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Air Coalition, United Nations Environment Programme . Companies, Environmental Defense, EDF, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, United Nations, Lactalis USA

Those losses ended a nine-trial winning streak for Bayer, shattering investor and company hopes that the worst of the Roundup litigation was over. Her case will help test whether plaintiffs' recent victories were an aberration, or the payoff from favorable court rulings and a shift in plaintiffs' strategy. Plaintiffs' lawyers reject the notion that the evidence about regulators explains their wins. While plaintiffs' lawyers in earlier trials mentioned other chemicals, transcripts of recent closing arguments suggest they have become more prominent. More Roundup trials are expected in 2024.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Kelly Martel, Bayer, Martel, glyphosate, That's, Tom Kline, Jason Itkin, Ernest Caranci, Bart Rankin, Rankin, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Bayer AG, REUTERS, Bayer, U.S, Monsanto, . Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Union, Health, Thomson Locations: Wuppertal, Germany, Philadelphia, Pleas, Pennsylvania, Europe, New York

☆ U.S. lays out plan at COP 28 to slash climate 'super pollutant' methane from oil and gas
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration on Saturday unveiled final rules aimed at cracking down on U.S. oil and gas industry releases of methane, part of a global plan to rein in emissions that contribute to climate change. The rules, two years in the making, were announced by U.S. officials at the United Nations COP28 climate change conference in Dubai. Methane tends to leak into the atmosphere undetected from drill sites, gas pipelines and other oil and gas equipment. It has more warming potential than carbon dioxide and breaks down in the atmosphere faster, so reining in methane emissions can have a more immediate impact on limiting climate change. The American Petroleum Institute, an oil and gas industry trade group, said it was reviewing the rule.

Persons: Biden, Michael Regan, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Jill Tauber, Dustin Meyer, Darren Woods Organizations: Saturday, U.S, United, Environmental, EPA, New, American Petroleum Institute, Reuters Locations: United Nations, Dubai, The United States, U.S, New Mexico, United States, COP28

The rules, two years in the making, were announced by U.S. officials at the United Nations COP28 climate change conference in Dubai. Methane tends to leak into the atmosphere undetected from drill sites, gas pipelines and other oil and gas equipment. It has more warming potential than carbon dioxide and breaks down in the atmosphere faster, so reining in methane emissions can have a more immediate impact on limiting climate change. The agency also tweaked the Super Emitter Program so that third parties send information on methane leaks to EPA directly for verification. The American Petroleum Institute, an oil and gas industry trade group, said it was reviewing the rule.

Persons: Liz Hampton, Biden, Michael Regan, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Jill Tauber, Dustin Meyer, Darren Woods, Nichola Groom, Valerie Volcovici, Diane Craft, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Saturday, U.S, United, Environmental, EPA, New, American Petroleum Institute, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, U.S, United Nations, Dubai, The United States, United States, COP28

Signing on to the pledge were major national oil companies such as Saudi Aramco, Brazil's Petrobras and Sonangol, from Angola, and multi-nationals like Shell, TotalEnergies and BP. The pledge is a “smokescreen to hide the reality that we need to phase out oil, gas and coal,” said a letter signed by more than 300 civil society groups. Still, Mena said that self-reporting didn't go far enough to push oil and gas companies to make changes. Earlier this year, European Union negotiators reached a deal to reduce methane emissions from the energy industry across the 27-member bloc. In his speech, al-Jaber said oil and gas companies needed to do more to research solutions to Scope 3 emissions.

Persons: Sultan al, Jaber, ”, Jean Su, Fred Krupp, Bill Hare, Hare, Marcelo Mena, Mena, John Podesta, Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Associated Press, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, Saudi Aramco, Brazil's Petrobras, Sonangol, Shell, Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental, Environmental Defense Fund, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, European Union, Gas, United Arab, Aramco, AP Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, United Nations, Abu Dhabi, Saudi, Angola, COP28, al, fracking, philanthropies, Chile, U.S, United States, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia

☆ U.S. tap water has a $47 billion forever chemicals problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Lindsey Jacobson | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding some "forever chemicals" to the list of toxins that must be reported by drinking water utilities. That's why they got the nickname 'forever chemicals,'" explained Tom Neltner, senior director of safer chemicals at the Environmental Defense Fund. About 300 million people in the U.S. receive their water from a public water system, according to the EPA. At least 45% of tap water in the U.S. is known to have PFAS in it, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Watch the video above to learn more about how safe tap water is in the U.S.

Persons: Radhika Fox, they're, Tom Neltner, Cheryl Norton, Fox, Neltner, Sydney Evans, Evans, Norton Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA's, Water, CNBC, Environmental Defense Fund, Utah Department of Environmental, . Geological Survey, Environmental Locations: U.S

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A group of residents have sued a public utility company in the U.S. Virgin Islands after authorities there reported finding high levels of lead and copper in the tap water on St. Croix. He said the agency acted swiftly and transparently after the test results became available and that officials are still working to improve water quality in St. Croix. “What people are looking for is justice.”The investigation into the state of tap water in St. Croix began in late September, following complaints of reddish-brown water on the island of more than 50,600 people. In late October, the local government announced that officials found high levels of lead and copper and warned people not to drink their tap water. She also criticized the government for announcing a couple of weeks ago that lead levels were low or undetectable at samples taken from various schools across St. Croix.

Persons: Andrew Smith, ”, Lee J, Rohn, St . Croix, Joe Biden, “, they’re, WAPA Organizations: JUAN, U.S . Virgin, territory’s, Power Authority, Seas Water Corporation, Water Corporation, U.S . Virgin Islands, The Associated Press, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Rohn, U.S . Centers for Disease Control Locations: Puerto Rico, U.S, U.S . Virgin Islands, St . Croix, Florida, St .

People who claimed the power to control nature and the energy resources around them saw the environment as a tool to be used for progress, historians say. Over hundreds of years, that impulse has remade the planet's climate, too — and brought its inhabitants to the brink of catastrophe. Tapping nature for its resources drove progress and productivity for some, but it's also been a major driver of emissions and environmental degradation. By the mid-19th century, steam power was adopted in manufacturing, cotton mills, steam ships and locomotives around the world, turning coal into a global trade. Centuries later, the United Kingdom has nearly weaned itself off coal, with weeks or months at a stretch where the national grid gets no coal power.

Persons: ”, Luis Zambrano, it's, Anya Zilberstein, ” Zilberstein, Vera S, Candiani, Jan Golinski, “, ” Golinski, Deborah Coen, Andreas Malm, Barak, it’s, J.R, McNeill, ” McNeill, Victor Seow, Elizabeth Chatterjee, “ Indira Gandhi, Chatterjee, Joshua Howe, Howe, Yale's Coen, —, ” Howe, Fredrik Albritton Jonsson, Jonsson Organizations: National University Autónoma, Concordia University, Mexico City —, America, Princeton, University of New, Yale, Lund University, Tel Aviv University, Laboratory, Global, Project, Energy, Georgetown University, Communist, University of Chicago, Reed College, . Environmental Protection Agency, U.S, AP Locations: Nations, Mexico, Lake Texcoco, Montreal, Spanish, University of New Hampshire, Maui, Britain, Sweden, ”, India, Egypt, Nigeria, Ottoman Empire, United Kingdom, Cumbria, England, Wales, Scotland, China, Japan, U.S, Europe, United States, British, Portland , Oregon

State officials said Friday they were monitoring the air for traces of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide, but there had been no detection of those substances at the derailment site or the nearby town of Livingston since Thursday morning. McCann said an access road has been built to reach the derailment area and a handful of crashed train cars have been removed. The CSX train derailed around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday near Livingston, a remote town with about 200 people in Rockcastle County. CSX said the cause of the derailment and what caused the sulfur to ignite are still under investigation. Officials said they are also monitoring water quality in the area but a nearby creek is dried up and doesn't have moving water.

Persons: “ We’re, Joe McCann, McCann Organizations: CSX, Energy, Environment Cabinet, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: LIVINGSTON, Ky, Kentucky, Livingston, Rockcastle County

☆ Cricket World Cup 2023: Polluted air the common opponent
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Vijdan Mohammad Kawoosa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Air quality during 2023 Cricket World Cup matchesChart categorises the 2023 cricket World Cup matches held in 10 Indian cities by the air quality observed during the matches they hosted. Twenty matches were held in ‘unhealthy’ air quality, 11 in air that was ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, 12 in ‘moderate’ air quality and only two in ‘good’ air quality. Average 24-hour PM 2.5 levels on all cricket World Cup match days between 1983 and 2019Chart shows average PM 2.5 concentration on match days at places that hosted a cricket World Cup match between 1983 and 2019. Of all the regions that have ever hosted a cricket World Cup match, the Indian subcontinent has seen the most polluted air. Map shows average annual PM 2.5 levels in 2019 across the world and locations that have ever hosted a cricket World Cup match.

Persons: Delhi’s Arun, Arun Jaitley, ITO, Chandika Hathurusinghe, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Suranga Lakmal, Mohammad Shami vomited Organizations: Sri Lankan, teams, Arun, ITO, Labs Inc, . Environmental Protection Agency, Delhi, United States Environment Protection Agency, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, World Health Organization, Indian, Matches, Daily, International Cricket Council, Endurance Locations: New Delhi, Delhi, Lahore, Pakistan, Australia, Netherlands, India, ITO, Sri Lanka, England, Indian, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Sri Lankan, U.S, Canberra, United States, China, Bangladesh

☆ US Coast Guard seeks source of some 1.1 million gallons of crude oil in Gulf of Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday said it was still looking for the source of a leak from an underwater pipeline off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico that it estimated had released more than a million gallons of crude oil. "Overflight teams observed visible oil Friday moving southwest away from the Louisiana shore," the Coast Guard said, as oil recovery efforts continued and underwater devices surveyed the pipeline to find the leak's source. While the exact volume of discharged oil was not known, the Coast Guard, which was leading the clean-up, said initial engineering calculations placed the volume of the leak at 1.1 million gallons, or 26,190 barrels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday that the Coast Guard had activated the National Response Team, comprising 15 federal entities responsible for coordinating the response to oil pollution incidents. Third Coast Infrastructure, which owns MPOG, declined to comment on Friday and referred questions to the Coast Guard.

Persons: Jonathan Bachman, Elizabeth Varghese, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, Coast Infrastructure, Thomson Locations: Mississippi, Plaquemines Parish , Louisiana, Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico, Delta, Plaquemines Parish, New Orleans, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Bayer ordered to pay $1.56 billion in latest US trial loss over Roundup weedkiller
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Tom Hals | Thomson Reuters | Tom Hals Is An Award-Winning Reporter With Years Of Experience Working In Asia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Logo of Bayer AG is pictured at the annual results news conference of the German drugmaker in Leverkusen, Germany February 27, 2019. Each was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma that they alleged was caused by using Roundup on their family property. Bayer has said that decades of studies have shown Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, are safe for human use. The verdict is the fourth straight loss in court for Bayer, after the company had been found not liable to plaintiffs in nine consecutive trials. In 2020, Bayer settled most of the then-pending Roundup cases for up to $10.9 billion.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Bayer, Valorie Gunther, Jimmy Draeger of, Daniel Anderson of, Draeger's, Brenda, Bart Rankin, Forrest Weldon, Tom Hals, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Bayer AG, REUTERS, Bayer, Monsanto, Union Investment, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, EU Commission, European Food Agency, European Chemicals Agency, Thomson Locations: Leverkusen, Germany, Missouri, Cole County , Missouri, New York, Jimmy Draeger of Missouri, Daniel Anderson of California, Wilmington , Delaware

☆ Top companies' lobbying undermines their climate pledges, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

InfluenceMap uses the United Nations' High-Level Expert Group's (HLEG) 'Integrity Matters' guidance on the need to align lobbying with climate commitments. Catherine McKenna, Chair of the U.N.'s HLEG on Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities, said the findings should be a "wake-up call" for businesses. "Not only are many companies choosing to undermine their own climate commitments by lobbying against climate action, their net zero commitments are simply not credible," she said. InfluenceMap, founded in 2015 to encourage action to tackle the climate crisis, highlighted companies at the most significant risk of 'net zero greenwash'. "Governments are failing to progress climate policy at the speed needed, and corporate influence is a key reason why," said Will Aitchison, the study's lead author.

Persons: Arnd, Catherine McKenna, InfluenceMap, Glencore, Will Aitchison, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, ExxonMobil, Forbes, Nations, European Union, U.S . Environmental, Stellantis, Thomson Locations: Baar, Switzerland, U.S

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission will continue the use of the controversial chemical herbicide glyphosate in the European Union for 10 more years after the 27 member countries again failed to find a common position for or against a prolongation. The Greens political group of the EU Parliament immediately urged the Commission to backpedal and ban the use of glyphosate. The 10-year extension proposed by the European Commission required a “qualified majority,” defined as 55% of the 27 members representing at least 65% of the total EU population of some 450 million people. Pascal Canfin, the chair of the Environment committee at the European Parliament, blamed the EU Commission president for moving forward despite the stalemate. EU member states are responsible for authorizing the use of products in their national markets, following a safety evaluation.

Persons: unconclusive, ”, Bas Eickhout, unfiled, “, Pascal Canfin, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: European Commission, European Union, Greens, EU, Environment, Monsanto, Bayer, Agency for Research, Cancer, World Health Organization, Environmental Protection Agency, Greenpeace Locations: BRUSSELS, backpedal, California, France, U.S, Germany, Italy

REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies PepsiCo Inc FollowNEW YORK, Nov 15 (Reuters) - New York state sued PepsiCo (PEP.O) on Wednesday, accusing the beverage and snack food giant of polluting the environment and endangering public health through its single-use plastic bottles, caps and wrappers. The lawsuit filed in state court in upstate Erie County is among the first by a U.S. state to target a major plastics producer. "All New Yorkers have a basic right to clean water, yet PepsiCo's irresponsible packaging and marketing endanger Buffalo’s water supply, environment, and public health," she said in a statement. The New York lawsuit also said PepsiCo has deceived consumers by announcing various targets to reduce the amount of non-recycled plastic it uses in packaging, although it has actually increased its usage. The lawsuit seeks to force the Purchase, New York-based company to stop causing a nuisance, clean up contamination and pay for damages caused by plastic waste.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, Letitia James, PepsiCo, James, Jack, Doritos, Judith Enck, Obama, Clark Mindock, Jonathan Stempel, Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis, Alexia Garamfalvi Organizations: Pepsi, REUTERS, PepsiCo, The New, Gatorade, Lay's, Plastics, Environmental Protection Agency, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Erie County, Buffalo, The New York, , New York, Fritos, Lipton, Connecticut, Minnesota, . California

☆ Polluting Industries Say the Cost of Cleaner Air Is Too High
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Lydia Depillis | More About Lydia Depillis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

By law, the agency isn’t supposed to consider the impact on polluting industries. In practice, it does — and those industries are warning of dire economic consequences. Under the Clean Air Act, every five years the E.P.A. Fine particulate matter is extremely dangerous when it percolates into human lungs, and the law has driven a vast decline in concentrations in areas like Los Angeles and the Ohio Valley. But technically there is no safe level of particulate matter, and ever-spreading wildfire smoke driven by a changing climate and decades of forest mismanagement has reversed recent progress.

Persons: Biden, Trump, Jeffrey D Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, Act, White House Locations: Los Angeles, Ohio

☆ Apple is not passing on costs of climate goals to consumers, exec says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

People stand outside an Apple Store as Apple's new iPhone 15 officially goes on sale across China, in Shanghai, China September 22, 2023. "I want to do it in a way that other businesses can say this isn't because they’re Apple," said Jackson, referring to Cook's direction. Critics say it is easier for a tech company like Apple to meet such goals than it would be for corporations in more energy-intensive industries. Jackson also said Apple is working with smaller processing companies to recycle rare earths and other materials. "That's somewhere Apple can invest and then help to scale and bring (other) businesses along," she said.

Persons: Aly, Lisa Jackson, Alessandra Galloni, Jackson, Tim Cook, Jackson nodded, Jeffrey Dastin, Kenneth Li, Ross Kerber, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Reuters NEXT, Reuters, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Apple Watch, Thomson Locations: China, Shanghai, New York, California, U.S, Boston

☆ How shipping more US natural gas to Europe helped fuel CO2 pollution
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Tim Mclaughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The administration approved five U.S. LNG export licenses to serve the European market following Russia's invasion, having approved none beforehand. U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry told Reuters last year that greenhouse gas emissions were an inevitable "downside" to increasing LNG exports to European allies. CO2 emissions from the energy-intensive process of liquefying gas for export mark only one stage in the industry's overall climate impact. Critics argue that it is unclear whether the U.S. gas export boom to Europe is displacing coal or delaying a transition to renewables like solar and wind. NextDecade Corp has said its proposed terminal near Brownsville, Texas, could remove more than 90% of its expected 6.4 million tons per year of carbon emissions.

Persons: Arathy, Biden, John Kerry, Robert Fee, Critics, Alexandra Shaykevich, Sempra, Susan Richardson, Tim McLaughlin, Richard Valdmanis, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Reuters, Cheniere Energy, United, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Energy Regulatory, Biden White, LNG, The Energy Department, FERC, U.S, Energy Information Administration, Reuters Graphics, Washington, Venture Global, CCS, SEC, Talos Energy, NextDecade, Thomson Locations: Freeport, U.S, Freeport , Texas, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Texas, Cameron, Louisiana, Brownsville , Texas

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