DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

BRUSSELS/DUBAI, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Countries at the U.N.'s COP28 climate summit opening on Thursday hope to clinch an early deal on a new fund to pay for climate-caused damage, aiming to muster some political goodwill before talks turn to divisive topics including the future of fossil fuels. With finance also high on the meeting agenda, the United Arab Emirates' COP28 presidency published a proposal on the eve of the summit, for countries to adopt a new U.N. climate damage fund - raising hopes among some delegates that this could be among the first deals struck in Dubai. "Opening these negotiations is like opening Pandora's box. Adnan Amin, CEO of the COP28 summit, told Reuters this month the aim was to secure several hundred million U.S. dollars for the climate damage fund during the event. A breakthrough on the climate damage fund - which poorer nations have demanded for years - could help grease the wheels for other compromises.

Persons: Wopke Hoekstra, Adnan Amin, Kate Abnett, Valerie Volcovici, Katy Daigle, Matthew Lewis Organizations: United Arab, Reuters, The European Union, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, DUBAI, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, China, UAE, Brussels, Washington

☆ ‘Backtracking:’ A year of climate failures ahead of a crucial summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

And yet, even as the climate crisis inserts itself viscerally into people’s lives, experts say the year has seen alarming backsliding on climate action. Green policies have been watered down, huge new oil and gas projects have been greenlit and coal has had something of a resurgence. As countries gather in Dubai for the UN’s COP28 climate summit, there are “high expectations,” said Harjeet Singh, the head of global political strategy at nonprofit Climate Action Network International. It sent worrying signals about climate backtracking, said Elisa Giannelli, a senior policy advisor at climate think tank E3G. Around 50% of its total capital spending needs to go toward clean energy projects by 2030, according to the report.

Persons: ”, Harjeet Singh, Kaveh Guilanpour, Singh, Biden, “, Erik Grafe, Joe Biden, Countess, Norway —, Elisa Giannelli, “ It’s, Rishi Sunak, Joeri Rogelj, Flora Champenois, It’s, Bernd Lauter, ” Rogelj, Darren Woods, Bernard Looney, Fatih Birol, Guilanpour, Claire Fyson, ” Fyson, “ we’re, ” CNN’s Ella Nilsen, Ivana Kottasová, Gan Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Action, “, Climate, Energy Solutions, US Department of Interior, Imperial College London, Global Energy Monitor, GEM, Getty, BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, Exxon, IEA, Climate Analytics Locations: Canada, Libyan, Dubai, Alaska, Washington ,, Australia, Norway, Europe, Germany, China, Asia, Ukraine, Eschweiler, COP28

☆ A Climate Summit Begins With Fossil Fuels, and Frustration, Going Strong
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( David Gelles | More About David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As leaders from nearly every nation on the planet gather on Thursday in the United Arab Emirates to confront global warming, many are carrying a sense of disillusionment into the annual climate summit convened by the United Nations. Countries talk about the need to cut the pollution that is dangerously heating the planet, but emissions are reaching record highs this year. Rich countries have pledged to help poor countries transition away from coal, oil and gas, but have largely failed to fulfill their promises for financial aid. After 27 years of meetings, countries still can’t agree to stop burning fossil fuels, which scientists say is the main driver of climate change. “There is skepticism of this COP — where it is and who is running it,” said Ani Dasgupta, president of the World Resources Institute, a research organization.

Persons: ”, Ani Dasgupta Organizations: United, United Nations, World Resources Institute Locations: United Arab Emirates

WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE THE LAST ONEThe world has gotten hotter since last year’s conference in Egypt. Burning fossil fuels that sends carbon into the atmosphere remains the main cause of global warming, and production continues to grow. Climate campaigners say efforts to develop wind, solar and other alternative energies are not going fast enough. Global warming has vast implications: It can upend local economies, worsen weather patterns, drive people to migrate, and cause havoc for Indigenous peoples who want to retain their traditional cultures, among many other impacts. Many want to know if oil-rich Gulf states will pony up more money to help developing countries adapt to climate change and switch to greener technologies.

Persons: ”, Petteri Taalas, Daniel, Hurricane Otis pummeled, King Charles, Narendra Modi, John Kerry, Olaf Scholz, Pope Francis, Sultan al, Jaber, Antonio Guterres Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Hamas, United, 28th “ Conference, Hurricane Otis, Indian, Cargill, AP Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Israel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, COP28, WHAT'S, Egypt, Brazil, India, Libya, Hurricane Otis pummeled Mexico, Europe, Paris, Abu Dhabi, Tokyo, Tegucigalpa, Timbuktu, Ukraine, Gaza, Antarctica, Argentina, Uruguay, ___

China has decommissioned 70.45 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired plants in the last decade, and is building far more renewable energy capacity than any other country. Coal power makes up about 70% of emissions in China, which has committed to being carbon neutral by 2060. After 2025, it is unclear whether China will approve new coal plants. But like many cities in China's coal country, coal revenues and jobs are an incentive to keep building. Several workers in Yulin expressed little doubt about whether new coal plants make economic and environmental sense.

Persons: Li, Gao Yuhe, Xu Mingjun, China's, Xie Zhenhua, Yuheng, Duan, Colleen Howe, Ella Cao, David Stanway, Tony Munroe, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters, Greenpeace, Shenhua Energy, Global Energy Monitor, Development and Research Center, Shaanxi Yulin Energy, Shaanxi Daily, Thomson Locations: YULIN, China, Yulin, Yangquan, Shanxi, Dubai, Ukraine, Canada, Shaanxi, China's, Beijing, Singapore

The assessment could become politically divisive as it sets the stage for the next few years of global action in cutting planet-warming emissions. Based on the results, countries may be pressed to set more ambitious climate policies or to contribute more financing to help developing countries adopt clean energy. In September, the United Nations offered an early stocktake assessment that revealed countries were far behind in meeting climate goals. HOW WILL THE STOCKTAKE DRIVE CLIMATE ACTION? What then needs to be decided... what do we then do from here," Dan Jorgensen, Denmark's Global Climate Policy Minister, told Reuters.

Persons: Alex Flores, Claudia Morales, Dan Jorgensen, Kate Abnett, Katy Daigle, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, European Union, Policy, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, Rights DUBAI, Dubai, Paris

☆ Emerging world needs climate finance and to burn coal, India says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mukesh Gupta/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Emerging economies need climate finance, help with technology and the right to pursue development, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday before leaving for the UN climate summit in Dubai. The COP28 summit opened in Dubai on Thursday for two weeks of talks. Emerging powers, including India and China, often blame the developed world for having used more than its share of the available carbon resources. Earlier on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said coal would remain India's main source of energy for years to come. "Coal is, and would, remain an important part of India's energy needs," he told reporters.

Persons: Mukesh Gupta, Narendra Modi, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Kwatra, Sarita Chaganti Singh, Jacqueline Wong, Miral Fahmy, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, India's, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Jammu, DELHI, Dubai, India, China, France, United States, COP28

☆ Defying Pope's calls for climate action, US Catholic bishops cling to fossil fuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Richard Valdmanis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

The ongoing investments in the U.S. reflect a long-running rift between U.S. Catholic bishops and the pope on how to address global warming. The pope's Laudato Si encyclical urged immediate action against climate change, declaring that "highly polluting fossil fuels need to be progressively replaced without delay." The Vatican bank, which is separate from APSA, also does not invest in fossil fuels, a bank official said. Notably absent are any dioceses in the U.S.Reuters reviewed the financial reports published by two dozen of the nation's more than 170 Catholic dioceses, including several of its largest, and found that few provide details on specific investments. He called the enormous financial gains by oil companies "immoral profits."

Persons: Pope Francis, Remo Casilli, Dan DiLeo, Peter Marlow, Anne, Marie Welsh, William Lori, Joshtrom Kureethadam, Chieko Noguchi, Noguchi, USCCB, Sabrina Danielsen, Danielson, Richard Valdmanis, Philip Pullella, John Mair, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Catholic, drillers, U.S . Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Church, Reuters, Justice, Peace, Creighton University in, Vatican, Opportunity Fund, Collective Investment, Archdiocese, Development, American Petroleum Institute, Christian Brothers Investment Service, Investment, BP, Shell, Creighton University, U.S, Thomson Locations: United States, Dubai, Creighton University in Nebraska, U.S, APSA, Vatican, Ireland, Germany, Archdiocese, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Erie , Pennsylvania, Texas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth . Erie, Erie, Baltimore, Paris, Saudi Aramco, PetroChina, India, Vatican City, Berlin, Sydney

Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are the biggest cause of climate change. "We have a world which has more fossil fuels than ever," said Ani Dasgupta, president of the World Resources Institute, a climate NGO. U.S. officials and others are hopeful a recent climate deal between the U.S. and China may also set a positive tone for the talks. Another test is whether wealthy nations announce money for the fund at COP28 - to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. "Speaking from previous experience, unfortunately most of the global agreements, most of the global climate related pledges went uncompleted," said Najib Ahmed, National Consultant at Somalia's Climate Ministry.

Persons: Sultan al, Jaber, ADNOC, Ani Dasgupta, Narendra Modi, Britain's King Charles, Joe Biden, Gayane, Najib Ahmed, Valerie Volcovici, Josie Kao Organizations: OPEC, United Nations, International Energy Agency, BBC, World Resources Institute, Indian, European Union, Reuters, U.S, FINANCE, EU, Climate Ministry, “, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, WASHINGTON, BRUSSELS, Dubai, UAE, U.S, China, India

☆ Insight: Defying Pope's calls for climate action, US Catholic bishops cling to fossil fuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Richard Valdmanis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

The ongoing investments in the U.S. reflect a long-running rift between U.S. Catholic bishops and the pope on how to address global warming. The pope's Laudato Si encyclical urged immediate action against climate change, declaring that "highly polluting fossil fuels need to be progressively replaced without delay." The Vatican bank, which is separate from APSA, also does not invest in fossil fuels, a bank official said. A CCF official said energy and fossil fuels stocks make up between 3.5% and 6% of archdiocese investment funds, and that CCF uses its shareholder status to press for corporate environmental improvements. He called the enormous financial gains by oil companies "immoral profits."

Persons: Pope Francis, Dan DiLeo, Peter Marlow, Remo Casilli, Anne, Marie Welsh, William Lori, Bernard Hebda, Saint, Joshtrom Kureethadam, Chieko Noguchi, Noguchi, USCCB, Sabrina Danielsen, Danielson, Richard Valdmanis, Philip Pullella, John Mair, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Catholic, drillers, U.S . Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Church, Reuters, Justice, Peace, Creighton University in, Vatican, Opportunity Fund, Collective Investment, Archdiocese, Minneapolis, Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota, CCF, Development, American Petroleum Institute, Christian Brothers Investment Service, Investment, BP, Shell, Creighton University, U.S, Thomson Locations: United States, Dubai, Creighton University in Nebraska, U.S, APSA, Vatican, Ireland, Germany, Archdiocese, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Erie , Pennsylvania, Texas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth . Erie, Erie, Baltimore, Saint Paul, Paris, Saudi Aramco, PetroChina, India, Vatican City, Berlin, Sydney

☆ A showdown is brewing over money, oil and carbon. Here's what's at stake at the COP28 climate summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Global temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions continue to break records, with no continent left untouched by more frequent and intense extreme weather events. MoneyClimate finance is always a hotly debated talking point at the U.N. summit and COP28 promises to be no different. She anticipated three main debates around the use of oil, gas and coal — the burning of which is the chief driver of the climate crisis. "So, one is this 'phase out' or 'phase down' [of fossil fuels]. There is no credible scenario where CCS will allow continued use of fossil fuels, let alone expanding oil and gas.

Persons: Sean Gallup, HENRY NICHOLLS, Henry Nicholls, COP28, Alex Scott, Rich, Sultan al, Jaber, LUIS TATO, Luis Tato, Melanie Robinson, Robinson, Sultan Al Jaber, Francois Walschaerts Organizations: AG, Getty, United Arab Emirates, InterContinental, Fossil, Energy Intelligence, Afp, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development, Getty Images, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Climate, World Resources Institute, CNBC, CCS Locations: Salzgitter, Germany, Dubai, Bonn, COP28, London, AFP, E3G, Egypt, COP27, UAE, Garissa, Africa, El Nino, Abu Dhabi, WRI, Brussels

Here's a rough guide to the jargon being used in Dubai at COP28, this year's United Nations climate change conference. The term "climate change" is used more broadly to describe global warming and its consequences, including variable weather extremes. GHGs include a myriad of gases, but the most impactful — methane and carbon dioxide — are also referred to as "carbon emissions" because both molecules contain carbon. The world's excess carbon emissions come mostly from the burning of fossil fuels and other industrial activities. UNFCCC - The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the treaty adopted in 1992 agreeing to halt climate change.

Persons: Amanda Perobelli, COP21, NDCs, Gloria Dickie, Katy Daigle, Rod Nickel, Aurora Ellis Organizations: United Nations, Paris, Thomson Locations: Amazonia, Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso, Brazil, Dubai, COP28, United Nations, China, PARIS, Paris, Glasgow, COP27, London

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 29 (Reuters) - Ahead of this year's COP28 climate summit in Dubai, U.N. agencies have released several reports offering updates on global progress in limiting climate change. Emissions Gap Report. The report, released on Nov. 20, looks at how countries' planned climate action compares with what is needed to meet global climate goals. The report analyzes the difference between planned fossil fuel production and the amount deemed consistent with meeting global climate goals. In 2009, developed countries pledged to provide $100 billion per year in climate finance to developing nations.

Persons: Eduardo Munoz, wean, NDCs, Rich, Gloria Dickie, David Stanway, Susanna Twidale, Katy Daigle, Jan Harvey Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Programme, UNEP, Thomson Locations: New York, New York City , New York, U.S, Dubai, U.N, Paris, China, Norway, Qatar, UAE, London, Singapore

☆ North Korean special economic zone poised for revival in new Russia trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

China accounted for 97% of North Korea's overall trade in 2022, according to South Korea's Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). But Russia resumed oil exports to North Korea in December 2022 and had exported 67,300 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea by April, United Nations data shows, the first such shipments reported since 2020. "Assuming North Korea and Russia's honeymoon period becomes a long one, North Korea could get Russian support on food, energy and infrastructure through Rason," Cho said. Those ships are suspected of military supplies from North Korea to Russia, the reports said. From Rason's port, North Korea has sent Russia an estimated 2,000 containers suspected of carrying artillery shells, and possibly short-range missiles, South Korean military officials have told reporters.

Persons: Rason, Jeong Eunlee, Jeong, Lee Chan, Cho Sung, Cho, Alexander Kozlov, Chung Songhak, Chung, Kim Jong Un, Kozlov, Kim Il Sung, Abraham Choi, Choi, Rason . Lee, Lee, Josh Smith, Gleb Stolyarov, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, South, Korea Institute for National Unification, Russian Federal Customs Service, South Korea's Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency, United, Teikyo University, North Korean, Korean, Kremlin, Korea Institute for Security, South Korea's National Institute for Unification Education, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Korean, Russia, Ukraine, China, North Korea, Rason, Korea, South Korea’s, Russian, South Korea's Korea, United Nations, Tokyo, South Korean, Pyongyang, Rason's, Soviet, North, South

Cobre Panama has said it is committed to growing more new forest than is impacted by its mine. "We aren't going anywhere," Sabino Ayarza, a representative of the protesting fishermen, told Reuters on Tuesday from his boat. Their grassroots movement, nearly unheard of in business-friendly Panama, has wiped C$11 billion ($7.4 billion) off First Quantum's market value and raised global copper prices on supply worries. The protesters' victory in Panama is emblematic of the outsized and sometimes unexpected influence local communities are having on mining companies worldwide. Cobre Panama accounted for about 46% of First Quantum's overall revenue in the third quarter, according to company data.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Sabino Ayarza, Ayarza, Codelco, Valentine Hilaire, Divya Rajagopal, Fabian Cambero, Christian Plumb, Denny Thomas, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, Aris, PANAMA CITY, Minerals, Reuters, Panamanian, Tuesday, Scotiabank, Protesters, First, Thomson Locations: Panama City, Panama, PANAMA, TORONTO, Portugal, Peru, Chile, Macquarie, Mexico City, Toronto, Santiago

☆ US kicks off a spate of oil and gas auctions just as COP28 gets underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The remaining acreage, in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nevada, North Dakota and Utah, will be sold on Nov. 30, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12. The UN's "Conference of the Parties" on climate, known as COP 28, will begin on Thursday and will take place over the same two weeks. Dozens of nations plan to push for the world's first deal to phase out carbon dioxide-emitting coal, oil and gas at the meeting. "Instead of doing the necessary work to fight climate change, Biden continues to support the expansion of fossil fuels here in the U.S.," Nicole Ghio, senior fossil fuels program manager for Friends of the Earth, said in a statement. Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a climate change law passed last year, made oil and gas auctions a prerequisite for renewable energy development.

Persons: Rick Wilking, Biden, Joe Biden, Nicole Ghio, Trump, Nichola Groom, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, drillers, United Nations, Interior Department's, Interior Department's U.S . Bureau of Land Management, Department, Thomson Locations: Ft . Laramie , Wyoming, Wyoming, Dubai, Interior, Interior Department's U.S, New Mexico , Oklahoma , Nevada , North Dakota, Utah, U.S

[1/2] People watch drones creating a 3-D display outside the United Nations Headquarters calling attention to the Amazon rainforest and climate change in New York U.S., September 15, 2023. The analysis by the nonprofit Amazon Conservation's MAAP forest monitoring program offers a first look at 2023 deforestation across the nine Amazon countries. That estimate is likely low as there are some holes in the data, Finer said. Brazil's Lula has led a push among its Amazonian neighbors and other rainforest countries to get rich nations to pay for woodland conservation. While the country is battling massive wildfires, many of them are not in the Amazon, Finer said.

Persons: Eduardo Munoz, Matt, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Jair Bolsonaro, Carlos Nobre, Nobre, Brazil's Lula, Gustavo Petro, Jake Spring, David Gregorio Our Organizations: United Nations Headquarters, New York U.S, REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Reuters, United, University of Sao, Amazon, NASA, Union, Democratic, Watch, Thomson Locations: New York, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, United Nations, Jan, Puerto Rico, University of Sao Paulo, Amazon, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, COLOMBIA, PERU Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo

☆ Indian rescuers break through debris to reach 41 men trapped in tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Indian military engineers on November 27 were preparing to dig by hand to reach 41 workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel for 15 days, a rescue operation hit by repeated setbacks. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)Indian rescuers led by "rat miners" drilled through rocks and debris on Tuesday to reach 41 construction workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in the Himalayas for 17 days. Dozens of rescue workers with ropes, ladders, and stretchers entered the tunnel and 41 ambulances were lined up outside to take the 41 men to a hospital about 30 km away. Some rescue workers in hard-hats made victory signs and posed for pictures. Relatives of the trapped men, who have been camping near the site, gathered outside the tunnel with luggage, ready to accompany the men to hospital.

Persons: Sajjad HUSSAIN, SAJJAD HUSSAIN, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Baba, Nag Ji, stretchers, Chaudhary, Manjeet Chaudhary Organizations: Getty Images Locations: Uttarkashi, India's Uttarakhand, AFP, Uttarakhand, India

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that a 20-year concession for a Canadian copper mine that has been the focus of widespread environmental protests was unconstitutional. In March, Panama’s legislature reached an agreement with First Quantum allowing Minera Panama to continue operating the huge copper mine for at least 20 more years. The dispute over the mine led to some of Panama's most widespread protests in recent years, including a blockade of the mine’s power plant. A court decision that declared the contract unconstitutional was the last opportunity for opponents to get it thrown out. The Canadian government said it respected Tuesday's ruling and was following the contract negotiation closely.

Persons: —, Raisa Banfield, “, ”, Jean, Pierre J, ” ___ Rob Gillies Organizations: PANAMA CITY, Minerals, Pan, Naval, Panamanians, National Assembly, government’s Global Affairs Department Locations: PANAMA, Panama, Panama’s, Costa Rica, Minera Panama, Colon province, Toronto, America, Caribbean

But 18-24 months later, the acute phase of the adjustment is complete, with energy inventories comfortable and prices reverting towards long-term inflation-adjusted averages. Chartbook: Europe's energy supplies and pricesThere will undoubtedly be more shocks in future, but the disruption associated with the end of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is over. Europe’s residual issue is that it has swapped relatively cheap Russian pipeline gas for relatively expensive LNG, putting its industrial competitiveness at risk, but that is a chronic problem rather than a crisis. OILIn the oil market, U.S. domestic crude and condensates production has continued to increase and surpassed its pre-pandemic peak in August 2023. Related columns:- China braces for record winter electricity demand (November 24, 2023)- Europe’s gas crisis is over, but not the painful adjustment (November 21, 2023)- Oil prices slump as fundamentals reassert themselves (November 9, 2023)- Europe's record gas stocks start to pressure prices (November 7, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

Persons: John Kemp, Jan Harvey Organizations: U.S, Brent, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Europe, Asia, Ukraine, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Northwest Europe, China, Russia, South, East Asia, Brazil

☆ Vietnam Relied on Environmentalists to Secure Billions. Then It Jailed Them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | More About Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The nine nations had announced in December that Vietnam would receive $15.5 billion in grants and loans in exchange for a commitment to renewable energy. Ms. Nhien, 48, never got the chance to see Vietnam present the plan. While two activists have since been released, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights said in September that the “prosecutions and the arbitrary application of restrictive legislation are having a chilling effect” on environmentalists in Vietnam. Activists and academics say that Vietnam appears to be emboldened by its growing importance to the West and has taken the opportunity to clamp down, knowing there will be few repercussions. President Biden visited Vietnam in September, elevating ties to a new strategic relationship that he said would “be a force for prosperity and security in one of the most consequential regions in the world.”

Persons: Nhien, Biden, ” Organizations: Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, United Nations Locations: United States, Japan, Vietnam, China

The clean energy package, which was approved by Democrats in the Michigan Legislature this month, has been lauded by environmental groups. Of the 12% produced through renewable sources last year, most came from winds that sweep across the Great Lakes. Under the package, clean energy includes renewable sources along with nuclear energy and natural gas. Meeting the 50% renewable energy goal by 2030, and 60% five years later, will require a massive buildout of utility-scale renewable energy resources in Michigan. Public reaction to the Democrats’ ambitious energy plan could have wide-reaching implications for the party in 2024.

Persons: Gretchen Whitmer, Lisa Wozniak, Michigan’s, Wozniak, Dan Scripps, Joe Biden Organizations: Gov, Biden, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Michigan, Michigan Public Service Commission, Scripps, Public Service Commission, Michigan Association of Counties, Association, Democrats, White House, Michigan Democrats, Rhode, Clean Energy States Alliance Locations: LANSING, Mich, Michigan, “ Michigan, Great, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Connecticut , New York , Oregon, Minnesota

☆ Indian rescuers say very close to reaching 41 men trapped in tunnel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Saurabh Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rescue operations continue as evening approaches, where workers got trapped in a tunnel construction collapse in Uttarkashi, northern state of Uttarakhand, India, November 27, 2023. The men, low-wage workers from India's poorest states, have been stuck in the 4.5 km (3 miles) tunnel in Uttarakhand state since it collapsed on Nov. 12. "Sure, 100%," he said when asked if the men could be reached on Tuesday. Rescuers on Monday brought in the "rat miners", experts at a primitive, hazardous and controversial method used mostly to get at coal deposits through narrow passages. Authorities have not said what caused the cave-in but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Deepak Patil, Narendra Modi's Organizations: REUTERS, Authorities, YP Rajesh, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

☆ Files Suggest Climate Summit’s Leader Is Using Event to Promote Fossil Fuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Hiroko Tabuchi | More About Hiroko Tabuchi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As hosts of global climate talks that begin this week, the United Arab Emirates are expected to play a central role in forging an agreement to move the world more rapidly away from coal, oil and gas. But behind the scenes, the Emirates has sought to use its position as host to pursue a contradictory goal: to lobby on oil and gas deals around the world, according to an internal document made public by a whistle-blower. In one example, the document offers guidance for Emirati climate officials to use meetings with Brazil’s environment minister to enlist her help with a local petrochemical deal by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, the Emirates’ state-run oil and gas company, known as Adnoc. Emirati officials should also inform their Chinese counterparts that Adnoc was “willing to jointly evaluate international LNG opportunities” in Mozambique, Canada and Australia, the document indicates. LNG stands for liquefied natural gas, which is a fossil fuel and a driver of global warming.

Persons: Adnoc Organizations: United, Emirates, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Locations: United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Mozambique, Canada, Australia

☆ US holds first of several oil and gas auctions as COP28 gets underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BLM will also offer acreage in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nevada, North Dakota and Utah on Nov. 30, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12. Dozens of nations plan to push for the world's first deal to phase out carbon dioxide-emitting coal, oil and gas at the meeting. "Instead of doing the necessary work to fight climate change, Biden continues to support the expansion of fossil fuels here in the U.S.," Nicole Ghio, senior fossil fuels program manager for Friends of the Earth, said in a statement. Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a climate change law passed last year, made oil and gas auctions a prerequisite for renewable energy development. Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rick Wilking, Biden, Joe Biden, Nicole Ghio, Trump, Nichola Groom, Aurora Ellis, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, United Nations, Interior Department's, Interior Department's U.S . Bureau of Land Management, Department, Thomson Locations: Ft . Laramie , Wyoming, Wyoming, Dubai, Interior, Interior Department's U.S, Converse County, New Mexico , Oklahoma , Nevada , North Dakota, Utah, U.S

Search resuls for: "Coal"

25 mentions found