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☆ Facebook co-founder Moskovitz funds research into cooling the Earth with sunlight reflection
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

(It's sometimes called solar radiation modification or solar geoengineering.) But it's potentially important, it could be very, very helpful, it could be disastrous," Stone told CNBC. And so it goes for solar geoengineering," Stone said. Everyone perceives it to be controversial," Camilloni told CNBC. "This is no one's Plan A for how you deal with climate risk, and whatever happens, we have to cut our emissions," Stone told CNBC.

☆ U.S. lawmakers seek repeal of Biden solar tariff waiver
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The move is aimed at propping up domestic solar manufacturers, which have struggled to compete with cheap panels made overseas - often by Chinese companies. A Commerce Department probe last year found that some solar panel makers were dodging U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made goods by moving their products through Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. New proposed duties on imports from those countries will not kick in until June of 2024 because of a two-year waiver from Biden. Months later, the Commerce Department issued a preliminary decision to extend existing tariffs on Chinese solar products to goods from those nations. The White House has said the tariff exemption will serve as a bridge while the U.S. sector ramps up.

☆ Davos 2023: Global trade rethink: 'race of the big pockets'?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SummarySummary Companies US climate bill concerns dominate Davos trade talkSome fear "rich-country game" of rising state subsidiesRevamped globalisation must benefit all, Davos toldDAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The United States pitched its vision of "worker-centric" trade. "I am very concerned," World Trade Organization (WTO) chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told Reuters on the sidelines of the meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Three decades of free global trade have, the International Monetary Fund estimates, lifted more than a billion people out of extreme poverty. The United States notably built into its trade pact with Mexico a mechanism for identifying and dealing with the denial of worker rights. U.S. Trade Representative Tai told a panel on Wednesday the United States wanted to "lead a conversation" on a new version of globalisation.

☆ Premarket stocks: The Federal Reserve is testing how climate change could hurt big banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —The largest six banks in the United States have been given until July to show the Federal Reserve what effects disastrous climate change scenarios could have on their bottom lines. The Federal Reserve first announced the pilot program in September, noting that Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo would participate. In its announcement the Federal Reserve stressed that the exercise “is exploratory in nature and does not have capital consequences.” It also said that it would not publish individual banks’ results. San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly told CNN in October Thursday that this was a learning and exploratory exercise for the Federal Reserve. The other side: Critics of the pilot program have argued that the Federal Reserve was overstepping its boundaries and that they might soon begin to enforce financial penalties.

☆ A 20-year-old indigenous climate activist says the World Economic Forum is the perfect time for corporations to 'show their commitment' to breaking up with fossil fuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Freya Graham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Helena Gualinga is an Indigenous youth climate advocate from Ecuador. Gualinga wants to bring Indigenous and youth perspectives to climate conversations at Davos. The 20-year-old Indigenous youth climate advocate is speaking on several panels at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week, sharing the stage with the likes of John Kerry, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and IKEA CEO Jesper Brodin. Much of the green transition is about electrification — for instance, switching from gas cars to electric ones. Corporations must commit to making a changeAt Davos this year, Gualinga wants to see "a real commitment to climate action."

☆ Davos draws record crowds, but its relevance is fading
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Data from the World Bank shows that global trade of goods and services as a percentage of total economic output peaked that year. A wooden sign on the waterfront of Lake Davos in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 8, 2023. Just look to Italy’s new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who was installed in October. Those skipping the gathering this year include US President Joe Biden, China’s Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. That raises questions about whether Davos can hang on to its reputation an essential event for the rich and powerful.

☆ Bill Gates: We will overshoot 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming, nuclear can be 'super safe' and fake meat will eventually be 'very good'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The world will not be able to avoid overshooting the goal established in the 2015 Paris Climate Accord to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-Industrial levels, according to Bill Gates. The billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder answered questions from Reddit users on Wednesday and a handful of the questions revolved around climate change. A report out at the end of October from the United Nations Environment Program found "no credible pathway to 1.5° Celsius in place." Gates also said bedraggled climate mitigation efforts will "slow down the progress we make on improving the human condition." Despite Gates' dour outlook, he also maintains some amount of optimism: "I still believe we can avoid a terrible outcome," he said.

☆ Europe had second-warmest year on record in 2022, EU scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Stephane MaheBRUSSELS, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Europe experienced its second-warmest year on record in 2022, European Union scientists said on Tuesday, as climate change unleashed record-breaking weather extremes that slashed crop yields, dried up rivers and led to thousands of deaths. The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said 2022 was also the world's fifth-warmest year, by a small margin. The last eight years were the world's eight hottest on record, C3S said. Britain experienced its hottest year on record in 2022, its national weather service said on Wednesday. The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service shares its findings on the global climate for 2022 The annual global average temperature in 2022 was 0.3 degrees Celsius above the reference period of 1991-2020.

☆ 6 climate wins from 2022 that are worth celebrating
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Sweeping climate legislation passed, climate candidates won, and animals got important protections. Here are six of the year's highlights in climate progress, according to experts. But through it all, there was encouraging progress on climate that's worth celebrating. Peter B. de Menocal, president of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, told Insider that the event featured the first-ever Ocean Pavilion. "I want to invite other Indigenous communities in Ecuador and the world to join these collective fights happening in Amazonia," Lucitante previously told Insider.

☆ Our Favorite 2022 Climate Coverage. (Some of It’s Even Good News!)
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In a year of groundbreaking news from the frozen (but warming) Arctic to the shores of the Red Sea, The Times’s Climate Desk produced hundreds of articles, covering multibillion-dollar legislation, clandestine obstructionism, even a “shrinkflation” expert. Here are selected pieces that the journalists who write about climate found most memorable this year, in their own words. 〰︎“Many American cities have set ambitious climate goals, but slashing planet-warming emissions within their borders is often easier said than done, especially when it comes to transportation. My colleague Nadja Popovich and I went to Portland, Ore., a city that considers itself a climate leader, to find out why. What we found was a bitter fight over official plans to expand several major highways.”— Brad Plumer

☆ Once again, the US won't fulfill its promises on climate aid for developing countries. The White House had hoped to quadruple spending.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Congress' sweeping spending bill for next year includes $1 billion for international climate aid. "This really undermines trust in the US," Joe Thwaites, NRDC's international climate finance advocate who conducted the group's analysis, told Insider. But the US commitments on international climate finance just aren't credible." Democrats have a slim majority in the Senate and need at least 60 votes to clear a spending bill. Neither the House and Senate Appropriations committees, nor the White House, returned Insider's request for comment.

Negotiators from EU countries and the European Parliament aim to strike a deal on the world-first law on Tuesday evening - after which, both sides would need to formally rubber stamp it. The EU scheme would require companies importing goods into Europe to buy certificates to cover the CO2 emissions embedded in those products. The aim is create a level playing field between overseas firms and domestic EU industries, who must buy permits from the EU carbon market when they pollute. The tariff is part of a package of EU policies designed to help the world avoid disastrous climate change by cutting EU emissions 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels. Separate EU negotiations later this week will seek a deal on the centrepiece of that package - a reform of the EU carbon market.

☆ Exclusive: Green logistics company GoBolt raises $55 million to build out a fleet of electric trucks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

GoBolt raised a $55 million in funding, bringing its total capital raised to $162 million CAD. The company achieved a higher valuation compared to its Series B, despite the market "bloodbath". GoBolt seeks to build out its fleet of electric trucks and one day be "carbon negative". The 3rd party logistics company Second Closet hired had just called to say they weren't going to make it. The company raised the funds in Canadian dollars but the amounts have been converted to US dollars for this article.

☆ Mauna Loa Eruption Threatens a Famous Climate Record
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Elena Shao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

420 410 400 The Keeling Curve 390 Measurements of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere from the Mauna Loa Observatory, in parts per million CO2. In the meantime, officials are contemplating flying in a generator via helicopter to the Mauna Loa observatory, which is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. ISLAND OF HAWAI‘I Mauna Loa Observatory Lava flow Eruption began at Moku‘āweoweo caldera Mauna Loa Honolulu Hawai‘i Hawaiian Islands Area of detail Honolulu Hawai‘i Hawaiian Islands Area of detail ISLAND OF HAWAI‘I Mauna Loa Observatory Lava flow Eruption began at Moku‘āweoweo caldera Mauna Loa Source: Copernicus Notes: Image captured by satellite on Nov. 28, 2022. But none hold quite the same symbolism as Mauna Loa, which is home to the first and most frequently cited data. Even now, when scientists want to test new carbon dioxide monitoring equipment, “they go to Mauna Loa,” Dr. Sweeney said.

☆ Some European officials are accusing the US of profiting from the Ukraine war, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some European officials have accused the US of profiting from the war in Ukraine, Politico reported. A White House official said high prices were caused only by "Putin's energy war against Europe." Officials told the publication that the Biden administration was making a "fortune" from Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, while European countries were left to suffer. Officials, including French president Emmanuel Macron, have called US climate legislation, and ensuing gas prices, "not friendly." "The Inflation Reduction Act has changed everything," one EU diplomat told Politico.

☆ Europe's heatwave may have caused more than 20,000 'excess' deaths
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Juliette Portala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Higher-than-expected excess deaths from Europe's heatwaveMany deaths due to high temperature may be under-reportedHeatwaves to become more frequent and intense in futureNov 24 (Reuters) - Summer heatwaves in France, Germany, Spain and Britain led to more than 20,000 "excess" deaths, a report compiling official figures said on Thursday. A heatwave in 2003 caused more than 70,000 excess deaths across Europe, largely in France, and led many countries to implement measures such as early warning systems, asking people to check on others and opening air-conditioned schools. France reported about half of the summer's excess deaths in Western Europe, with 10,420 fatalities in total. Excess deaths reached 3,271 in England and Wales during the summer, Britain's Office of National Statistics reported. Spain recorded 4,655 heat-attributable deaths between June and August while the German health agency reported 4,500.

☆ Rich countries driving the climate crisis have agreed to pay developing nations for damage. But collecting the money will be tough.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Developing nations won creation of a "loss and damage" fund for climate disasters. Climate diplomats left Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with a historic deal — 30 years in the making — for rich countries to pay developing nations for the damages they are already facing from a warming planet. But the negotiators who gathered in the resort city along the Red Sea failed to hammer out a more aggressive plan to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the crisis. The agreement follows a decades-long push by a coalition of developing nations known as the G77+ China. That country, despite being the world's largest polluter, is considered a developing country by international institutions and therefore isn't obligated to contribute to climate finance.

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt CNN —Delegates from nearly 200 counties at the COP27 climate summit have agreed to set up a “loss and damage” fund meant to help vulnerable countries cope with climate disasters, in a landmark deal early Sunday morning in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. And in previous public remarks, US Climate Envoy John Kerry had said loss and damage was not the same thing as climate reparations. “This loss and damage fund will be a lifeline for poor families whose houses are destroyed, farmers whose fields are ruined, and islanders forced from their ancestral homes,” World Resources Institute CEO Ani Dasgupta said. Beyond 1.5 degrees, the risk of extreme drought, wildfires, floods and food shortages will increase dramatically, scientists said in the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. On Saturday, EU officials threatened to walk out of the meeting if the final agreement failed to endorse the goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

[1/5] A general view of the entrance to the Sharm El-Sheikh International Convention Centre grounds, during the COP27 climate summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, November 19, 2022. Kunal Satyarthi, a negotiator for India, said he thought the loss and damage deal would "certainly" pass, and thanked other countries for their flexibility. Norway's climate minister, Espen Barth Eide, meanwhile, said his country was happy with the agreement to create a loss and damage fund. But the possible breakthrough on loss and damage was significant, and "I don't think that should be lost in the mix," he said. For daily comprehensive coverage on COP27 in your inbox, sign up for the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter here.

☆ COP27 draft climate deal published but gaps remain
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Megan Rowling | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 19 (Reuters) - The U.N. climate agency on Saturday published an updated draft of a proposed final agreement for the COP27 summit, fleshing out some key parts of the deal countries are struggling to reach. The document, which forms the overall political deal for COP27, would need approval from the nearly 200 countries at the climate summit in Egypt. The draft contained only a partial text on the contentious issue of "loss and damage" payments to countries hit by climate-driven disasters. It left a placeholder in the section for funding arrangements on loss and damage where text could be added later if countries reach agreement. Reporting by William James and Kate Abnett; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Janet LawrenceOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ From Pacific to Red Sea: climate court action gathers wave of support
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Valerie Volcovici | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Climate activists stand next to banners as they take part in a protest during the COP27 climate summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, November 18, 2022. As climate change has accelerated the rise of sea levels, Vanuatu and other low-lying island states and coastal communities face particular risk from storms and flooding. An advisory opinion by the court would not be binding in any jurisdiction, but could underpin future climate negotiations by clarifying what financial obligations countries have on climate change, and define it as a human rights issue. At a demonstration on Wednesday rallying support for the ICJ to take an advisory opinion, some of the law students were joined by allies from different countries. An ICJ opinion would send a clear signal to governments that hesitate to take decisive action at climate talks, said Solomon Yeo from the Solomon Islands, another Pacific island law student.

[1/3] Egyptian Foreign Minister and Egypt's COP27 President Sameh Shoukry attends an informal stocktaking session during the COP27 climate summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, November 18, 2022. But with several other sticking points dogging this year's U.N. climate talks, host country Egypt said a final deal was still not expected before the weekend. But it was unclear Friday if all of those countries would accept the EU's offer of a fund to aid only "the most vulnerable countries", rather than all developing countries as they had requested. On Friday morning, the U.N. climate agency published a first official draft of the final summit deal. Some countries, including the EU and Britain, have pushed for the overall deal in Egypt to lock in country commitments for more ambitious climate action.

☆ Europe’s Energy Risks Go Beyond Gas
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

In terawatt hours of energy per month Gas Coal 80 80 60 60 2022 40 40 20 20 Previous years since 2015 Jan. Dec. Jan. Dec. In terawatt hours of energy per month Wind Solar 60 60 40 40 2022 20 20 Previous years since 2015 Jan. Dec. Jan. Dec. In terawatt hours of energy per month Gas Coal 80 80 60 60 2022 40 40 20 20 Previous years since 2015 Jan. Dec. Jan. Dec. In terawatt hours of energy per month Wind Solar 60 60 40 40 2022 20 20 Jan. Dec. Jan. Dec. In terawatt hours of energy per month Gas Coal 80 60 2022 40 20 Previous years since 2015 Jan. Dec. Jan. Dec.

☆ Should rich countries pay climate 'reparations'? What the COP27 debate means
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

More than 1,700 people, including more than 500 children, were killed in the extreme flooding and 33 million more displaced. Pakistan’s environmental footprint — how much carbon it has put into the atmosphere in recent decades — is significantly less than other countries. And at an individual level, the environmental footprint of most Pakistanis is much smaller than people in countries like the United States. Wealthy nations increasingly are being called upon to pay up, with $75.8 million being pledged in “loss and damage” payments at COP27 so far. At the previous climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, wealthy nations rejected proposals for a specific loss and damage fund, although countries agreed to start a “dialogue” on the issue.

☆ Great American Land Rush: US Needs Lots of Land for Green Energy, Housing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Matthew Kahn | Robert Huang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Will we cover 75% of California with green energy tech? Given these existing technological limitations and regulations, the aggregate demand for land to power our future green economy is huge. We would need 120,000 square miles, or 77 million acres, of land to install the wind and solar facilities for the energy transition. As cities expand, rising land prices in these areas would further constrain the location options for green energy generators. The political backlash in rural America could be alleviated if the economic gains from green power are large enough.

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