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CNN —Flame retardants added for decades to thousands of consumer products in the United States may raise the risk of dying from cancer, according to new research. “The new study links PBDEs to deaths from cancer, building a case for the association between flame retardants and cancer mortality being real,” said Trasande, who researches the impact of plastics, flame retardants and other chemicals on children. Flame retardant chemicals also can pass to developing fetuses via the placenta and to newborns through breast milk, past research has found. In some cases, the industry has replaced these chemicals with newer phosphorus-based flame retardants, Trasande said, adding that researchers are now concerned these chemicals may be linked to cancer as well. When reupholstering older couches or chairs, be sure to replace the old foam with flame retardant-free foam.
Persons: Leonardo Trasande, , Trasande, ” Trasande, Tasha Stoiber, EWG Organizations: CNN, National Health, JAMA, NYU Langone Health, US Centers for Disease Control, Manufacturers, US Environmental Protection Agency, CDC, Environmental Locations: United States, PBDEs, New York City
The Roadblocks to Biden’s Electric Vehicles Plan
  + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: +1 min
The Biden administration rolled out new rules on Wednesday designed to thrust the United States — the greatest car culture the world has ever known — into the era of electric vehicles. With new tailpipe pollution limits from the Environmental Protection Agency, automakers will effectively be forced to make a majority of new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States all-electric or hybrids by 2032. To meet the new standards, 56 percent of new cars sold by 2032 would be zero-emissions and another 16 percent would be hybrid, according to the E.P.A.’s analysis. E.V.s account for only 7.6 percent of new car sales today, so the targets represent an ambitious attempt to overhaul one of the country’s biggest industries in a remarkably short amount of time. A successful phaseout of gas-powered cars and trucks would also make a big dent in the fight against climate change; cars and other forms of transportation are the biggest source of planet warming emissions generated by the United States.
Organizations: Biden, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: States, United States
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Business and political elites descended on the Swiss Alpine snows of Davos to suss out “rebuilding trust” in a splintering world. If there’s any takeaway from the World Economic Forum's annual meeting — boldly touting that theme — it’s that we still have a long way to go. The idea is getting people together, and big announcements are often just a byproduct — not the aim. “It’s unrealistic to think that Davos — or any meeting, anywhere in the world — in one meeting can rebuild trust when it’s fragmented on so many dimensions," said Rich Lesser, chairman of Boston Consulting Group. But thousands of conversations between the social, private and public sectors help create "a starting point for rebuilding trust,” he said.
Persons: , Rich Lesser, , bigwigs, Bill Gates, Agnès Callamard, craziness, Long, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ” Zelenskyy, ” Pham Minh Chinh, vociferously, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, wasn't, Antonio Guterres, Masha Macpherson, David Keyton, Courtney Bonnell, Kelvin Chan Organizations: , Boston Consulting, Nature Energy, “ Cooperation, Security, Amnesty, European Union, U.S, Israeli, Locations: DAVOS, Switzerland, Swiss, Davos, suss, Ukraine, U.S, India, South Africa, UKRAINE, Kyiv, Europe, United States, Britain, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Saudi Arabia, London
Carbon emissions shrank in 2023 even as the economy grew, a sign the U.S. is plodding toward a more sustainable future. "This is the first time since 2019 that the economy has grown while emissions have fallen," said Ben King, an associate director leading the Rhodium Group energy team. U.S emissions fell sharply in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, when activities were restricted, and then rebounded in the two years that followed. The Biden administration, which rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement in 2021, said it would target emission cuts of 50% to 52% by 2030. The power and buildings sectors were responsible for the 2023 emissions decline, according to the Rhodium analysis.
Persons: Ben King, Biden, King, Joe Biden's Organizations: U.S, Stockholm Environment Institute, EV, U.S . Locations: Los Angeles, Los Angeles , California, Paris, Stockholm, Greenland, West Antarctica, East Antarctica, U.S
Anne Rasmussen, the lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), told the COP28 Presidency in a closing statement: "We are a little confused about what just happened." "It seems that you gavelled the decisions, and the small island developing states were not in the room. Participants attend a presentation at the Moana Blue Pacific pavilion of Pacific islands prior to the opening ceremony of the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference at Expo City Dubai on November 30, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesFor Pacific Island nations, however, and many other island and low-lying coastal states vulnerable to rising sea levels, the deal falls severely short. For the Pacific Islands, climate change poses an existential threat.
Persons: Michael Runkel, Tina Stege, Anne Rasmussen, Sean Gallup, Brianna Fruean, we've, Fruean, weren't, Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster Organizations: Getty Images, United Arab Emirates — Representatives, Pacific, United Arab, Marshall, Alliance of Small, States, UAE, Expo City, Getty, Big Oil, Pacific Climate Warriors, CNBC, UNITED, Natural Resources, United Arab Emirates Locations: Ouvea, New Caledonia, Getty Images DUBAI, United Arab, United Arab Emirates, Pacific, Expo City Dubai, Dubai, Paris, DUBAI, EMIRATES, Samoa, States
COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber speaks to the media at the U.N. climate conference on Dec. 10, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The draft text for a COP28 climate deal that does not include the phasing out of fossil fuels has drawn widespread criticism from major players, highlighting enduring rifts on the international summit's final day. The document, published by the United Arab Emirates' presidency of the climate summit, stressed the need to reduce emissions, but did not call for the doing away of fossil fuels altogether. Scientists say fossil fuels are the single biggest factor contributing to potentially life-threatening climate change. Many of us have called for the world to largely phase out fossil fuels, and that starts with a critical reduction this decade."
Persons: Sultan al, Jaber, Wopke Hoekstra, Hoekstra, John Kerry Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Pacific Locations: Dubai, United Arab, DUBAI, U.S, Union, Africa
The Heat Rises at COP28
  + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Andrew Ross Sorkin | Bernhard Warner | Sarah Kessler | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: +1 min
Climate concerns boil overTensions are rising on Monday over contentious comments by Sultan Ahmed al Jaber, the oil executive and Emirati politician presiding over the COP28 climate summit. His skepticism about the world’s ability to halt a rise in global temperatures by reducing the use of hydrocarbons is casting fresh doubts over the U.A.E.’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis. “There is no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phaseout of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5 C,” he said at an event before the summit. The controversy revived concerns about his role as leader of COP28, given that he is also the chairman of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. Al Jaber has long contended that fossil fuel companies should play a prominent role in the world’s energy transition to bring down global temperatures.
Persons: Sultan Ahmed al Jaber, Al Jaber, , COP28 Organizations: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Locations: Abu Dhabi
Harris was delayed because she had been on the telephone with the emir of Qatar regarding the Israel-Hamas war. Political Cartoons View All 1277 ImagesThe awkward double booking during Harris’ hastily arranged Dubai trip illustrates a set of tricky — and at times potentially contradictory — policy and political crosscurrents. The Biden administration with its diverse coalition of voters is trying to navigate these crosscurrents just as the 2024 presidential race is heating up. In Dubai, Harris said it was “our duty and our obligation” to do more to move the world away from fossil fuels and limit the increase in average global temperatures. “President Biden and his administration should show their statement in action,” said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Persons: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Kamala Harris ”, Harris, Harris ’, Biden, , ” Harris, Donald Trump, JL Andrepont, ” Andrepont, Amber Sherman, ” Sherman, , Nihad Awad, John Kirby, Israel, “ There’s, ” Kirby, ___ Boak Organizations: United Arab Emirates, United Arab, Republican, Democratic, The Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, Black Caucus, Young Democrats of, Islamic, White House Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Washington, Qatar, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Palestine
There's also an ongoing debate about whether an agreement should center on "abated" fossil fuels, which are trapped and stocked with carbon capture and storage technologies, or "unabated" fossil fuels, which are largely understood to be produced and used without substantial reductions in the amount of emitted greenhouse gases. "We cannot save a burning planet with a firehose of fossil fuels," Guterres said. "The 1.5-degree limit is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels. Not everyone is on board with calls to phase out fossil fuels, however. An Exxon Mobil gas station in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 203.
Persons: Darren Woods, There's, Steve Sedgwick, Woods, U.N, António Guterres, Guterres, Phaseout, David Paul Morris, Exxon Mobil's Woods, Tengku Muhammad Taufik, I'm Organizations: UNITED, EMIRATES, Exxon Mobil, United Arab Emirates, United Arab, Exxon Mobil Corp, Economic Cooperation, APEC, Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty, Exxon, Big Oil, Petronas, Natural Resources, Mobil Locations: Dubai, COP28, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Asia, San Francisco , California, San Francisco, China, UAE, Washington , DC
PinnedWorld leaders are gathering in Dubai for an annual United Nations climate summit and calling for urgent action to slow down global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions, mainly driven by the burning of fossil fuels, have now warmed the planet by about 1.2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. While many developed countries are installing more wind and solar power, global greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel demand continue to rise. Another big issue on the table is an international effort to limit emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The president of the proceedings, Sultan Al Jaber, is the head of the Emirates’ state oil company, Adnoc.
Persons: King Charles III, Mia Mottley, Volodymyr Zelensky, William Ruto, Isaac Herzog of Israel, Mahmoud Abbas, Sultan Al Jaber, Al Jaber, , Organizations: Palestinian, United Arab, Emirates, Adnoc Locations: Dubai, United Nations, Barbados, Ukraine, Kenya, Gaza, United Arab Emirates
CNN —Global fossil fuel production in 2030 is set to be more than double the levels that are deemed consistent with meeting climate goals set under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the United Nations and researchers said on Wednesday. The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) report, assessing the gap in fossil fuel production cuts and what’s needed to meet climate goals, comes ahead of the global COP 28 climate meeting, which starts on November 30 in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates. “We need countries to commit to a phase out of all fossil fuels to keep the 1.5C goal alive,” she said. It said 17 of the countries have pledged to reach net zero emissions but most continue to promote, subsidise, support and plan the expansion of fossil fuel production. The 20 countries analysed account for 82% of global fossil fuel production and 73% of consumption, the report said and include Australia, China, Norway, Qatar, Britain, the UAE and the United States.
Persons: Achakulwisut, Organizations: CNN, Global, United Nations, United Nations Environment Programme’s, United, United Arab Emirates, Stockholm Environment Institute, SEI, UNEP, International Institute for Sustainable Development Locations: Paris, United Arab, Stockholm, Australia, China, Norway, Qatar, Britain, UAE, United States
Here Are the 401(k) and IRA Contribution Limits for 2024
  + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Aly J. Yale | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: +2 min
401(k) contribution limits 2024For employer sponsored plans including 401(k), 403(b) and 457 retirement plans—as well as Thrift Savings Plans, a type of account for federal employees and military members only—the 2024 contribution limits will jump to $23,000. 401(k) contribution limits 2023 & 2024 2023 limit 2024 limit Maximum employee contribution $22,500 $23,000 Catch-up contribution (for those 50 and older) $7,500 $7,500 IRSIRA contribution limits 2024For individual retirement accounts, or IRAs—both Roth and traditional types—2024 contributions will max out at $7,000, up from $6,500 in 2023. IRA contribution limits 2023 & 2024 2023 limit 2024 limit Maximum contribution $6,500 $7,000 Catch-up contribution (for those 50 and older) $1,000 $1,000 IRSThe income levels used to determine eligibility for IRA contribution deductions and for making contributions to Roth IRAs are also changing. For IRA contributions limits depend on whether you or a spouse have access to a workplace retirement savings account. Finally, for individuals with SIMPLE retirement accounts—a type of IRA sometimes used by small businesses—the 2024 contribution limits will jump from $15,000 to $16,000.
Persons: Aly J, , Roth Organizations: Yale, Internal, IRS
Andresr | E+ | Getty ImagesThe IRS has announced new 2024 investor contribution limits for 401(k) plans, individual retirement accounts and other retirement accounts. The employee contribution limit for 401(k) plans is increasing to $23,000 in 2024, up from $22,500 in 2023, and catch-up contributions for savers age 50 and older will remain unchanged at $7,500. The new amounts also apply to 403(b) plans, most 457 plans and Thrift Savings Plans. The agency also boosted contribution limits for IRAs, allowing investors to save $7,000 in 2024, up from $6,500 in 2023. Catch-up contributions will remain unchanged at $1,000.
Persons: Roth Organizations: IRS
Organizers of the protests expect global turnout over the weekend to total more than a million people. "This is directed at world leaders," said Mitzi Jonelle Tan, a climate activist with youth movement Fridays for Future in Manila, the Philippines. We need a just transition, and we need to phase out the fossil fuels causing the destruction of our environment," she told Reuters. The burning of fossil fuels is the main cause of climate change, but countries have never agreed in U.N. climate talks to phase out fossil fuels - though they have committed to phase down use of coal power. Despite having plentiful solar energy resources, Africa received only 2% of global investments in renewable energy over the last two decades, the International Renewable Energy Agency has said.
Persons: Greta Thunberg, Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Eric Njuguna, U.N, General Antonio Guterres, Kate Abnett, Katy Daigle, Aurora Ellis Organizations: United States, Organizers, Reuters, Governments, International Renewable Energy Agency, General Assembly, Thomson Locations: COP28, BRUSSELS, Pakistan, Nigeria, United, Swedish, Manila, Philippines, Nairobi, Kenya, U.N, Africa, New York
From toxic algal blooms in the Great Lakes to sewage pouring into Detroit basements to choking wildfire smoke that drifted south from Canada, Michigan has been contending with the fallout from climate change. Even the state’s famed cherry trees have been struggling against rising temperatures, forcing some farmers to abandon the crop. The centerpiece is based on a 58-page “MI Healthy Climate” plan offered by Gov. It would require Michigan to generate all of its electricity from solar, wind or other carbon-free sources by 2035, eliminating the state’s greenhouse pollution generated by coal- and gas-fired power plants. The package would also toughen energy efficiency requirements for electric utilities and require a phaseout of coal-fired plants in the state by 2030.
Persons: Gretchen Whitmer Organizations: Gov Locations: Great, Detroit, Canada , Michigan, Michigan
They are to be built on some of the 33,000 hectares (330 square km) of former coal mines in Lusatia by 2030. The plans are emblematic of the drive by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to accelerate the phase-out of coal power towards a carbon neutral economy by as early as 2030 versus the agreed target of 2038. Many of LEAG's 8,000 coal workers are expected to retire by 2030 or retrain in renewable energy. Only 18% of locals believe politicians are doing enough to counteract the consequences of the coal phase-out, a survey published in May by broadcaster rbb showed, while 70% worry electricity could become expensive. "It is fundamentally unrealistic that the coal phase-out can be achieved in 2030," Christine Herntier, mayor of the town of Spremberg, told Reuters.
Persons: LEAG, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Ute Liebsch, Liebsch, Knut Abraham, Abraham, rbb, Christine Herntier, Rainer Schiller, Schiller, Ben Schueppel, Ingolf Arnold, Matthias Williams Organizations: Green, Reuters, Park, Thomson Locations: Berlin, FORST, Germany, Czech, Lusatia, Brandenburg, Saxony, Spremberg, Herntier
A smokestack stands behind piles of coal at the coal-fired Onyx Kraftwerk Farge power plant on March 10, 2022 near Bremen, Germany. Environment and energy ministers from G-7 countries wrapped two days of talks in northern Japan on Sunday without acting on Canada's push to set a timeline for phasing out coal-fired power plants. In a statement posted to Twitter Sunday, Guilbeault said he still welcomed the shared commitment between G7 countries to accelerate coal phaseout, but also called for greater urgency. Japan advocated instead for its own natural strategy that includes the use of what the country calls "clean coal," where the emissions are captured. A report released earlier this month by the Global Energy Monitor — a group that tracks global energy projects — found G-7 countries account for 15% of the world's operating coal capacity.
EU countries approve 2035 phaseout of CO2-emitting cars
  + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +3 min
The approval from EU countries' energy ministers means Europe's main climate policy for cars can now enter into force - after weeks of delay caused by last-minute opposition from Germany. The EU law will require all new cars sold to have zero CO2 emissions from 2035, and 55% lower CO2 emissions from 2030, versus 2021 levels. The EU policy had been expected to make it impossible to sell combustion engine cars in the EU from 2035. "The direction of travel is clear: in 2035, new cars and vans must have zero emissions," EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans said. Germany's late intervention, after EU countries and lawmakers had already agreed the 2035 phaseout last year, irked some EU diplomats, and stoked concerns that governments may try to block other carefully-negotiated deals on climate policies.
Most countries are likely to back the law on Tuesday, EU officials said, which would allow it to enter into force. The EU law will require all new cars sold to have zero CO2 emissions from 2035, and 55% lower CO2 emissions from 2030, versus 2021 levels. The policy had been expected to make it impossible to sell combustion engine cars in the EU from 2035. Transport accounts for nearly a quarter of EU emissions. Other carmakers including Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Ford are betting on battery-electric vehicles to decarbonise, and had urged EU countries not to row back the 2035 phase-out.
Europe throws ignition cars a thin lifeline
  + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +4 min
Bowing to pressure from automaking Germany, the European Union has agreed to exempt cars that run on carbon-neutral synthetic fuel from a ban on new combustion engine vehicles in 2035. loadingFor mass-market brands, electric cars will likely remain the cheapest option. RBC industry analysts expect electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to make up 90% of Western European passenger vehicle sales by 2035. Yet, it will do little to stop the hollowing out of Europe’s combustion engine supply chain. The deal paves the way for EU ministers to approve the 2035 phaseout law for CO2-emitting cars on March 28.
Ferrari CEO welcomes EU decision on e-fuels
  + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: 1 min
Companies Ferrari NV FollowMILAN, March 27 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Ferrari (RACE.MI) on Monday welcomed plans to exempt cars that run on e-fuels from the European Union's planned 2035 phaseout of new combustion engine vehicles. The decision would give the luxury Italian carmaker "greater freedom on the propulsion scheme," CEO Benedetto Vigna told a Reuters newsmaker event. Ferrari, which is renowned for its roaring petrol engines, is already producing plug-in hybrid cars and has promised its first full-electric vehicle for 2025. Reporting by Lisa Jucca and Giulio Piovaccari; writing by Keith Weir; editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
FRANKFURT/BRUSSELS, March 25 (Reuters) - The European Union and Germany have reached a deal on the future use of combustion engines, officials said on Saturday, an issue that has been closely followed by the auto industry. The agreement will allow some combustion engines beyond 2035 and was quickly condemned by a prominent environmental group. "We have found an agreement with Germany on the future use of e-fuels in cars," Frans Timmermans, head of EU climate policy, said on Twitter. "Vehicles with internal combustion engines can still be newly registered after 2035 if they fill up exclusively with CO2-neutral fuels," he said in a post on Twitter. Sweden, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said EU diplomats would vote on Monday to formally approve the 2035 phaseout law.
Leaders from Pacific island nations at risk from the climate crisis gathered last week in Vanuatu. The nations of Vanuatu and Tuvalu support a treaty to limit fossil-fuel use. Public and private financing for fossil fuels is also still greater than investment in climate adaptation and mitigation. Developing countries need financing to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, Berman said. "A fossil-fuel treaty could shift the social norm and make expansion unacceptable within foreign policy," Berman said.
The draft proposal, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, suggests creating a new type of vehicle category in the European Union for cars that can only run on carbon neutral fuels. Such vehicles would have to use technology that would prevent them from driving if other fuels are used, the draft said. The proposal could offer a route for carmakers to keep selling combustion engine vehicles after 2035, the date when a planned EU law is set to ban the sale of new CO2-emitting cars. The Ministry's core demand is that the EU allow sales of new cars running on e-fuels after 2035. An EU official told Reuters on Monday that any proposal on registering e-fuel cars would only be made after the combustion engine phaseout law was finally adopted.
On the campaign trail in 2020, Biden promised to ban all new oil drilling on federal land. But he just broke a key campaign pledge to stop all new oil drilling on federal land in a major way. A Biden administration official insisted that the government's hands were tied by leases granted to ConocoPhillips by prior administrations. Despite these protections, the Willow project is expected to come with significant environmental costs, aside from contributing to planet-warming emissions. March 13, 2023: This story has been updated with comment from a Biden administration official.
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