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Such legislation would make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel-producing state to adopt a carbon-pricing program. Shapiro's proposal comes as environmentalists are pressuring him to do more to fight climate change in the nation’s No. 2 gas-producing state and as the state's highest court considers a challenge to his predecessor's plan to adopt a carbon-pricing program. Currently, about 60% of the state's electricity comes from natural gas-fired power plants, and the 50% requirement could hurt demand for electricity from those plants. Shapiro’s administration did not provide many details of his strategy Wednesday, including how much money power plants would pay or how the average household electric bill would be affected.

Persons: Josh Shapiro, Shapiro, ” Shapiro, “, Joe Pittman, Shapiro’s, Patrick Cicero, “ it’s, ” Cicero, That’s, Dave Callahan, Shapiro's, Alex Bomstein, Tom Wolf, “ I’m, ___ Levy, Marc Levy Organizations: —, Pennsylvania Manufacturers ’ Association, Pennsylvania Coal Alliance, Marcellus Shale Coalition, Clean Air Council, Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Greenhouse Gas Locations: SCRANTON, Pa, — Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Scranton, Indiana, Marcellus, Harrisburg , Pennsylvania

☆ This stock is the best way to play a nuclear power 'renaissance' on the way, says Bank of America
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Vistra has rallied nearly 57% this year and could see even more upside as demand from data centers helps drive a "renaissance" of nuclear power, according to Bank of America. The analyst's updated forecast reflects about $8 per share of upside to earnings from Vistra's nuclear business on potential contracts with data centers. Bank of America expects Vistra to continue to prioritize shareholder returns and pay down debt. Bank of America sees the power producer's free cash flow before growth coming in above guidance, which could create investment opportunities. Vistra serves approximately 2.9 million customers with a power generation fleet of 41,000 megawatts in natural gas, nuclear, coal and solar facilities.

Persons: Vistra, Julien Dumoulin, Smith Organizations: Bank of America Locations: Tuesday's, Vistra

☆ A New Surge in Power Use Is Threatening U.S. Climate Goals
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Brad Plumer | Nadja Popovich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

Nathan Howard for The New York TimesIn California, electric vehicles could soon account for 10 percent of peak power demand. AP Photo/Mike StewartIn interviews, utility executives say gas is needed to back up wind and solar power, which don’t run all the time. Gas plants can sometimes be easier to build than renewables, since they may not require new long-distance transmission lines. “It’s going to take a diversified fleet.”Mr. Mitchell noted that Georgia Power was planning a large build-out of solar power and batteries over the next decade and would offer incentives to companies to use less power during times of grid stress. The tech companies and manufacturers that are driving up electricity demand could also play a major role, experts say.

Persons: ”, Daniel Brooks, Nathan Howard, Lauren Justice, Biden’s, “, Tyler H, Norris, Mr, John Wilson, Ken Seiler, Seiler, Devin Hartman, Duke, Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy’s, it’s, we’ve, Georgia Power, It’s, Greg Buppert, Megan Varner, Mike Stewart, Aaron Mitchell, “ It’s, Mitchell, Heather O’Neill, Brian Janous Organizations: Electric Power Research Institute, The New York Times, Duke University, Biden, Utilities, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, Boston Consulting, Dominion Energy, Nationwide, R Street Institute, The New York Times Soaring, Duke Energy, Georgia, Southern Environmental Law Center, AP, Dominion, Georgia Power, Advanced Energy, Microsoft Locations: America, California, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina , Tennessee, Kansas, Northern Virginia, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, New Jersey, York City, PJM, “ Texas, Ashburn, Va, Dalton , Ga, Dalton, Duke

(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

☆ China ambassador says Australia wine tariff review on track
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China's review of tariffs on Australian wine is progressing well, Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian said on Monday, but he stopped short of confirming an Australian government claim the dispute would be resolved this month. China's review of tariffs on Australian wine is progressing well, Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian said on Monday, but he stopped short of confirming an Australian government claim the dispute would be resolved this month. "Currently, Chinese authorities are reviewing and investigating our tariffs on Australian wine and things are moving on the right track, in the right direction," Xiao told the Australian Financial Review Business Summit. A day earlier, Australia's trade minister said China would complete its review into the years-long wine tariffs by the end of March. The standoff over China's tariffs of up to 218% on Australian wine remains unresolved.

Persons: Helen, Joey, Xiao Qian, Xiao Organizations: Australian Financial, Business, Australian, World Trade Organization Locations: Shiraz, Yarra, Greater Melbourne, Australia, China, Beijing

☆ A signal linked to aliens by a Harvard professor may have been caused by a passing truck
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewYet another study is calling into question a Harvard professor's claims that metallic balls discovered under the ocean may have been made by aliens . Johns Hopkins University-led (JHU-led) research said a blip on the seismometer that Loeb used to pinpoint the crash site may simply have been caused by the vibrations of a passing truck. AdvertisementPinpointing the crash siteIn 2019, Loeb and his team searched databases for unusual meteors that were moving rapidly. The meteor, dubbed by Loeb's team IM1, was first spotted by the Department of Defense's (DoD) sensors. Loeb's team recovered 805 spherules.

Persons: —, Avi Loeb, Loeb, Ben Fernando, It's, Fernando, it's, Charles Hoskinson, Undeterred Organizations: Service, Harvard, Business, Johns Hopkins University, JHU, Department of Defense's, DoD, Planetary Science Conference, Galileo, Space Force Locations: Papua, Guinea, 2401.09882, Papua New Guinea, Houston

Those more concerned with the climate crisis are asking a bigger question: what does this all mean for the planet? Gas-powered cars, hybrids and EVs all emit roughly the same amount of pollution to manufacture, until you get to producing the battery. Fully electric cars use large batteries made of materials that require heavy mining. And that would still mean less climate pollution on the road overall. And fully electric cars won’t be truly “green” until the energy that charges them comes from renewable sources, like wind and solar.

Persons: Akio Toyoda, EVs, Joe Biden’s, Toyota’s, Daniel Sperling, —, ”, Sam Abuelsamid, Abuelsamid, InfluenceMap, Biden, Kelley, Albert Gore, Gore, I’m, “, ” Monica Nagashima, Lia, Kena, Stephen Ciccone, ” Ciccone, BEV, ” UC’s Sperling Organizations: CNN, Toyota, Auto, US, Toyota Prius Prime, Toyota Toyota, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Ford, EPA, Gas, American Council for, Prius, EV, InfluenceMap, United, Lexus, Cox Automotive, Zero Emission Transportation Association, Getty, Toyota Motor North America, ” Toyota Locations: California, West Virginia, Canada, Australia, United States, EVs, InfluenceMap’s, Japan, Rockland, Blauvelt , New York

Across much of America and especially in the normally chilly north, the country went through the winter months without, well, winter. The Lower 48 states averaged 37.6 degrees (3.1 degrees Celsius), which is 5.4 degrees (3 degrees Celsius) above average. But Iowa blew past its warmest February by 2 degrees, while parts of Minnesota were 20 degrees warmer than average for all of February, Gleason said. A strong ridge of high pressure kept the eastern United States warm and dry, while California kept getting hit with atmospheric rivers, she said. Winter weather expert Cohen, who is based outside of Boston, joked that the U.S. no longer has four seasons: "We have two seasons.

Persons: “, El Nino, ”, Jeff Masters, Masters, Karin Gleason, Gleason, Copernicus, Judah Cohen, Cohen, ” Cohen, Theresa Crimmins, weren’t, Crimmins, ” Crimmins, Patrick Whittle, ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: National Phenology Network, El, Climate, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental, Iowa, El Nino, Associated Press, Atmospheric Environmental Research, National Weather Service, Rutgers Snow Lab Locations: America, Colorado, New Jersey, Texas, Carolinas, U.S, Michigan, United States, Minnesota, Great, California, El, That's, Boston, Europe, Asia, Fort Kent, Maine, Portland , Maine, AP.org

☆ The North Korean refugees sold to Chinese husbands
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

China considers North Korean refugees to be economic migrants, and forcibly deports them back to North Korea – where, as alleged defectors, they face imprisonment, possible torture or worse, activists say. During that period, she also met other North Korean refugees in the same situation – with their status public knowledge in the village, she said. According to the KFI report, the buying of a North Korean wife is “always known to the local community” but rarely reported to authorities. The other North Korean refugees she’d met in town had connections to brokers who could help them escape, while church organizations and non-profit groups discreetly helped raise funds for the journey. Brokers who remain have raised their prices due to increased risks and surveillance, while newcomers to the business are inexperienced, making it a risky gamble for North Korean refugees.

Persons: South Korea CNN — Chae, –, she’s, Yoonjung Seo, She’d, didn’t, “, ”, Chae, ” didn’t, Kim Jeong Ah, Kim, she’d, we’ll, ” Chae, Seo, Unification Ministry –, She’s, – she’s Organizations: South Korea CNN, North, CNN, North Korea –, Korea Future Initiative, KFI, US State Department, Human Rights Watch, Female North, United Nations, Liberty, Korean, Koreans, Unification Ministry, Brokers Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, China, Laos, Thailand, North Korean, Hebei, Beijing, London, Korea, Korean, North, ”, South, South Koreans

☆ Election trading playbook: Watch these stocks as Trump secures Republican nomination
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Despite Trump facing legal issues on multiple fronts, including a federal indictment that alleges he illegally conspired to discount votes in the 2020 election, he appears to be cruising to the Republican nomination once again. Raymond James was listed by Goldman and in Barclays' Trump stock basket, according to the Jan. 30 note. A Trump term could benefit energy giants such as Chevron , but also smaller players such as Devon Energy or coal companies such as Peabody Energy , according to Goldman. Another group of industrial companies could get a piece of government spending from expansion of the Mexico border wall under a second Trump administration. Caterpillar was one of the companies involved previously, according to Goldman.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Trump, Goldman Sachs, Jan Hatzius, Venu Krishna, Goldman, Wells, Piper Sandler, Raymond James Organizations: Trump, Republican, Barclays, Federal Trade Commission, Boston, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Energy, Republicans, Chevron, Devon Energy, Peabody Energy, Steel Dynamics, Broadcom, Caterpillar Locations: China, Cleveland, Mexico

☆ Australia: Mass coral bleaching event underway at Great Barrier Reef
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

This is the seventh mass bleaching event to hit the vast, ecologically important but fragile site and the fifth in only eight years. Covering nearly 133,000 square miles (345,000 square kilometers), the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef, home to more than 1,500 species of fish and 411 species of hard corals. Severe mass bleaching at the Great Barrier Reef had previously been observed in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022. Sunrise over the Great Barrier Reef at Lady Elliot island on October 10, 2019. Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket/Getty Images/FileBy continuing on the current pathway, “we risk losing the Great Barrier Reef and the $6 billion sustainable tourism industry,” said Schindler.

Persons: CNN —, El Niño, ”, Tanya Plibersek, Anthony Albanese, Dr, Lissa Schindler, Lady Elliot, Jonas Gratzer, Schindler, “, David Ritter, Derek Manzello Organizations: CNN, Park Authority, Australian Institute of Marine Science, El, Australian Marine Conservation Society, Australian, Australia, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Labor, Oceanic, NOAA, Reuters, Reef Watch Locations: Australia, Lady, Southern, Pacific

And February, as well the previous two winter months, soared well past the internationally set threshold for long-term warming, Copernicus reported Wednesday. February 2024 averaged 13.54 degrees Celsius (56.37 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking the old record from 2016 by about an eighth of a degree. Climate scientists say most of the record heat is from human-caused climate change of carbon dioxide and methane emissions from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. Additional heat comes from a natural El Nino, a warming of the central Pacific that changes global weather patterns. The three-month period was the most any season has been above pre-industrial levels in Copernicus record keeping, which goes back to 1940.

Persons: Copernicus, El, it’s, ”, Jennifer Francis, ” Francis, El Nino, Francesca Guglielmo, “, Brian McNoldy, Natalie Mahowald, Francis, ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: WASHINGTON, European Union, El Nino, El, Climate, University of Miami, Cornell University, Associated Press Locations: European, Paris, El, El Ninos, AP.org

☆ What the SEC vote on climate disclosures means for investors
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Win Mcnamee | Getty Images News | Getty Images'A sensible rule to protect investors'"Climate risk is financial risk," Elizabeth Derbes, director of financial regulation and climate risk for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a written statement. "This is a sensible rule to protect investors: it gives them access to clear, comparable, relevant information on the measures companies are taking to manage climate risks and opportunities," Derbes said. Overall, transparency around climate risk may be essential for investors to gauge if a company's stock is worth holding or if its stock price is reasonable, experts said — for example, is it too expensive given high exposure to climate risk, or perhaps fairly priced considering it's well positioned? For many businesses, Scope 3 emissions account for more than 70% of their carbon footprint, Deloitte estimates. Instead, the final rule will require companies require Scope 1 and 2 emissions if they're deemed material to investors.

Persons: Gary Gensler, Win Mcnamee, Elizabeth Derbes, Derbes, Rachel Curley Organizations: Securities, Exchange, Getty, Natural Resources Defense, U.S . Sustainable Investment Forum, CNBC, Deloitte Locations: U.S

☆ What the SEC climate disclosure rule may mean for investors
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Climate disclosures would be made in annual filings companies make to the SEC, such as a Form 10-K, and in registration statements filed before an initial public offering. "I think climate disclosures have largely become table stakes for the investment community," said Lindsey Stewart, director of investment stewardship research at Morningstar. Current climate disclosures are 'uncommon'Ships on the Panama Canal on August 21, 2023. Shipping experts fear such events could become the new normal as rainfall shortfalls highlight climate risks. The SEC proposal outlined three tiers of emissions disclosures: Scopes 1, 2 and 3.

Persons: Gary Gensler, Win Mcnamee, —, Lindsey Stewart, Daniel Gonzalez, Stewart, They'd, Rachel Curley, Hurricane Idalia, Christian Monterrosa, Cowen, Patrick McHenry, Sen, Tim Scott, Bill Huizenga, Chris Ratcliffe, They're Organizations: Securities, Exchange, Financial Services, General, Getty, The Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Morningstar, Panama Canal Authority, Shipping, Anadolu Agency, P Global, Corporations, U.S . Sustainable Investment, Hurricane, Bloomberg, Republicans, Economic, Deloitte Locations: Washington, Panama, U.S, Cedar Key , Florida, R

☆ Tracking an Invisible Climate Menace From 360 Miles Above
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Malika Khurana | Hiroko Tabuchi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Gas sensor housing Infrared sensor Spectrometer Tracking an Invisible Climate Menace From 360 Miles Above There will soon be a new eye in the sky that’s designed to detect emissions of methane, an invisible yet potent gas that is dangerously heating the world. MethaneSAT will sweep the globe using a high-resolution infrared sensor to detect and track methane leaks from oil and gas sites worldwide. Scientists estimate that human-caused methane emissions are responsible for up to 30 percent of the global warming being experienced today. Figuring out where methane emissions are happening, how big they are and who’s responsible has been a challenge. Methane also seeps from natural sources, like flooded wetlands, but the majority of methane emissions today come from human activity.

Persons: ”, Steven Hamburg, ’, Dr, Hamburg, MethaneSAT, “, Drew Shindell, wasn’t, Biden, Bjorn Otto Sverdrup Organizations: Environmental Defense Fund, Google, Duke University, MethaneSAT, Union, Oil, Climate Initiative, Star Locations: Texas, United States

☆ Top stocks to play the future of energy from an investor managing a $5 billion Vanguard fund
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The Vanguard Energy Fund originated in 1984 and until Levering arrived, it had focused for more than three-decades on oil, gas and coal investments. "My view was that's fossil fuel energy — that's not energy," Levering told CNBC in an interview. Levering took over the Vanguard fund in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic had effectively shut down the global economy. Levering said the Vanguard Energy Fund is structured to remain resilient and deliver returns through its hybrid approach, regardless of the macroeconomic turns the world takes. European oil majors The Vanguard Energy Fund remains heavily weighted toward oil and gas companies.

Persons: Tom Levering, Levering Organizations: Vanguard Energy Fund, CNBC, Vanguard, Wellington Management, U.S, Congress, Invesco, Utilities, Duke Energy, Shell, BP Locations: Covid, Russia, Ukraine, French, Southern

☆ Global carbon pollution hits record high even as renewables surge
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Global carbon pollution from energy hit a record high last year, driven partly by increased fossil fuel use in countries where droughts restricted hydropower production, according to an International Energy Agency (IEA) report published Thursday. Global emissions from energy rose by 410 million metric tons, or 1.1%, in 2023 to 37.4 billion metric tons, the IEA analysis showed. “Without this effect, emissions from the global electricity sector would have fallen in 2023,” the IEA said. In China, emissions from energy rose by 5.2%, with energy demand growing as the country recovered from COVID-19-related lockdowns, the report said. China, however, also contributed around 60% of global additions of solar, wind power and electric vehicles in 2023, the IEA said.

Organizations: CNN, International Energy Agency, Energy, European Union Locations: Paris, United States, China, COVID

☆ Support for Nuclear Energy Grows in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Brad Plumer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The House this week overwhelmingly passed legislation meant to speed up the development of a new generation of nuclear power plants, the latest sign that a once-contentious source of energy is now attracting broad political support in Washington. It received backing from Democrats who support nuclear power because it does not emit greenhouse gases and can generate electricity 24 hours a day to supplement solar and wind power. It also received support from Republicans who have downplayed the risks of climate change but who say that nuclear power could bolster the nation’s economy and energy security. “It’s been fascinating to see how bipartisan advanced nuclear power has become,” said Joshua Freed, who leads the climate and energy program at Third Way, a center-left think tank. “This is not an issue where there’s some big partisan or ideological divide.”The bill would direct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees the nation’s nuclear power plants, to streamline its processes for approving new reactor designs.

Persons: “, ”, Joshua Freed Organizations: Atomic Energy Advancement, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Locations: Washington

☆ Opinion: Why it was time for Oprah to move on from Weight Watchers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Opinion Kellie Carter Jackson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

For decades, America has followed Oprah through every major weight loss trend, and this was no exception. She later deeply regretted such a stunt, calling it a “Big, big, big, big, big, big, big mistake!”In 1994, Oprah ran her first marathon to celebrate her 40th birthday. It raised questions about Oprah taking medical weight loss drugs such as Ozempic or Wegovy. She later deeply regretted such a stunt, calling it a “Big, big, big, big, big, big, big mistake!” Charles Bennet/APWith Oprah stepping down, many people will lose their measure or point of reference for what is ahead or behind the curve as it relates to their weight and health. One might also ask what it means for the nation’s preeminent Black history museum to be economically tethered to a weight loss company.

Persons: Kellie Carter Jackson, Michael, Denise Kellen ’, “, Read, Oprah Winfrey, Oprah, ”, Stedman Graham, Mark Wilson, Oprah’s, Winfrey, Charles Bennet, it’s Organizations: of Africana Studies, Wellesley College, CNN, WW, Marine Corp, Harpo Studios, US Marine Corps, 19th Marine Corps, AP, Hollywood, canaries, National Museum of Locations: America

☆ Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suffers ‘extensive’ coral bleaching, as scientists fear seventh mass bleaching event
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The southern Great Barrier Reef is suffering from extensive coral bleaching due to heat stress, the reef’s managers said Wednesday, raising fears that a seventh mass bleaching event could be unfolding across the vast, ecologically important site. Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket/Getty ImagesThe Great Barrier Reef’s managers plan to extend aerial and in-water surveys across the entire reef over the coming weeks. Hotter ocean temperatures caused severe mass bleaching at the Great Barrier Reef in 2016, 2017 and 2020. Last year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided not to add the Great Barrier Reef to its list of sites “in danger,” despite scientific evidence suggesting the risk of another mass bleaching event. Greenpeace’s Ritter said that following the decision, “the Australian government promised to do everything it can to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

Persons: Mark Read, Elliot, Jonas Gratzer, ”, Neal Cantin, Maya Srinivasan, ” Srinivasan, ” David Ritter, “, ” Ove Hoegh, Greenpeace’s Ritter Organizations: CNN, Park Authority, Australian Institute of Marine Science, El, James Cook University, Marine Park Authority, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Foundation, Oceanic, UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Labor Locations: Keppel, Gladstone, Queensland, Australia, Cairns, Florida, Caribbean

☆ Opinion: In the Michigan primary, Biden shouldn’t fear Rashida Tlaib’s threats
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Opinion John Halpin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

John Halpin Courtesy John HalpinProgressive activists have decided to use this interlude to attack Biden for his centrist positions on immigration, energy policy and the Israel-Hamas war, in particular. Like the senators from his birth state, Biden should ignore these threats from the left and stand up strongly for his vital center perspective. Looking at Michigan specifically, the threat of Arab Americans tanking Biden must also be put in wider perspective. Even with these larger trends in the state, the authors find: “In Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Hamtramck, and Livonia — the Michigan cities with the highest proportion of Arab American voters — Biden defeated Trump by a combined 38,000 or so votes. Democratic support for more moderate proposals backed by Biden is even higher: Three-quarters of Democrats support a plan to increase the number of immigration judges to speed up action on asylum claims.

Persons: John Halpin, “, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Rashida, uncommitted, Democratic Sens, John Fetterman, Bob Casey, Zers, tanking Biden, Karlyn Bowman, Nate Moore, Ruy Teixeira, Obama, —, Mark Mellman, ”, Mellman Organizations: Liberal Patriot, CNN, Democratic, Democrats, Gallup, Pew Research, — Biden, Trump, Survey Center, American Enterprise Institute, Pew, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Michigan, Israel, Gaza, Tuesday’s, Pennsylvania, Black, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Hamtramck, Livonia —, Biden’s

☆ Mercury Pollution Is Falling, but Not in Tuna. This Might Be Why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Hiroko Tabuchi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the 1960s and 1970s, the horrors of mercury poisoning in Japan and elsewhere shocked the world into curbing releases of the toxic metal. Since then, mercury pollution from human activities, like burning coal and mining, has declined in many parts of the world. But when a team of French researchers analyzed thousands of tuna samples from 1971 to 2022, they found that mercury levels in the fish remained virtually unchanged. Using modeling, they predicted that, even with the most stringent mercury regulations, it would take an additional 10 to 25 years for mercury concentrations to start falling in the ocean. Drops in mercury in tuna would follow only decades after that.

Organizations: Science, Technology Locations: Japan

☆ Opinion | The Mystery of White Rural Rage
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Will technological progress lead to mass unemployment? People have been asking that question for two centuries, and the actual answer has always ended up being no. It’s a big part of what has happened to rural America. This process and its effects are laid out in devastating, terrifying and baffling detail in “White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy,” a new book by Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman. Technology is the main driver of rural decline, Schaller and Waldman argue.

Persons: ”, Tom Schaller, Paul Waldman, Schaller, Waldman Organizations: Democracy, Technology Locations: America

☆ At the Berlin Film Festival, Reconsidering the Power of Doubt
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Jessica Kiang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Doubt is fussy and forgetful, whereas certainty strides around, all action and achievement. As a film critic, swift, declarative certainty is a quality I’ve learned to aspire to. But this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, which runs through Sunday, has been buffeted outside and in by political turbulence and organizational shake-ups. And so perhaps because the event itself is experiencing such uncertain times, the films made me reconsider — actually, doubt — my dismissive stance on doubt. Doubt is etched on Cillian Murphy’s hollow, striking features in Tim Mielants’s grave and moving “Small Things Like These,” which opened the festival last week.

Persons: —, Tim Mielants’s, Claire Keegan —, Magdalene laundries, Mary, Emily Watson, Murphy’s Locations: New Ross, Ireland

☆ China’s climate targets at risk as coal power approvals rose in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —China, the world’s top carbon polluter, is at risk of falling short on its climate targets after approving dozens of new coal plants, according to research published Thursday. In just two years, the country has approved 218 GW of new coal power, enough to supply electricity to the whole of Brazil. China approved 114 gigawatts (GW) of coal power capacity in 2023, up 10% from a year earlier. China’s total power capacity is already sufficient to meet demand, but its inefficient grid is unable to deliver electricity where it is needed, especially across provincial borders, encouraging more plant construction. “This risks significant financial problems for coal power plant operators and potential pushback against the energy transition,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, CREA’s chief analyst.

Persons: CREA, ”, Lauri Myllyvirta Organizations: CNN, Global Energy Monitor, Research, Energy, Clean Locations: China, Helsinki, Brazil

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