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☆ Tackling Climate Change in the Birthplace of Oil
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Manuela Andreoni | More About Manuela Andreoni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the second year in a row, the United Nations climate summit known as COP will take place in a petrostate. COP29 will be in Baku, Azerbaijan, and overseen by Mukhtar Babayev, who worked for more than two decades at Socar, Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company. There’s a precedent: Last year’s climate summit was controversially hosted by the United Arab Emirates and led by Sultan Al Jaber, who also runs the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. It remains to be seen whether Babayev, a former low-ranking executive who is now Azerbaijan’s environment minister, will have the same impact. But there is also a poignant historical resonance to COP29: By some measures, Azerbaijan is where the modern oil industry began.

Persons: Mukhtar Babayev, There’s, Sultan Al Jaber, Al Jaber’s, COP28 Organizations: United Arab, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Locations: United Nations, Baku, Azerbaijan, Socar, Azerbaijan’s, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi

☆ ‘Bad case of déjà vu’: Oil industry veteran to lead next round of UN climate talks in Azerbaijan
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Azerbaijan's Minister for ecology and natural resources and formerly an executive at state oil company SOCAR Mukhtar Babayev (C) visits at the Norm cement plant in Baku, on February 23, 2023. Azerbaijan named on January 5, 2024, Mukhtar Babayev minister to preside over the November 2024 COP29 meeting, in Baku, on January 6, 2024. A former executive of Azerbaijan's state-owned oil and gas firm SOCAR has been picked to lead U.N. climate talks in Baku later this year, prompting critics to decry a "bad case of déjà vu." It means that a minister with vast experience in oil and gas will lead negotiations at the U.N.'s biggest and most important annual climate conference for the second consecutive year. Campaign group Global Witness said Babayev's appointment as the person to lead COP29 discussions was a "bad case of déjà vu."

Persons: SOCAR Mukhtar Babayev, Mukhtar, decry, Mukhtar Babayev, Babayev, Jaber, COP28, Alice Harrison, Harrison Organizations: Norm, United, Emirates, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Global, United Nations, CNBC Locations: Baku, Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan's, Sultan Al, Dubai, Abu Dhabi

☆ Copper could skyrocket over 75% to record highs by 2025 — brace for deficits, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-03 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Copper prices are set to soar more than 75% over the next two years amid mining supply disruptions and higher demand for the metal, fueled by the push for renewable energy. In a December report, the investment bank forecast that the higher renewable energy targets would boost copper demand by extra 4.2 million tons by 2030. This would potentially push copper prices to $15,000 a ton in 2025, the report added, way higher than the record peak of $10,730 per ton scaled in March last year. "This assumes a very soft landing in the U.S. and Europe, an earlier global growth recovery, significant China easing," Citi analysts said, while also emphasizing on continued investments in the energy transition sector. A growing economy tends to boost demand for copper, which is used in electrical equipment and industrial machinery.

Persons: Matty Zhao Organizations: U.S, BMI, Fitch Solutions, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of America Securities, CNBC, Citibank, Citi Locations: Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, China, Asia, Pacific, U.S, Europe

☆ One country dominated clean energy growth this year, and it isn't the US, UK, or Germany. It's China, by a landslide.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

In the United States, California continues to have the most solar energy, followed by Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona. China was one of the few growing markets this year for wind, the Global Wind Energy Council said. Faster permitting and other improvements in key markets such as Germany and India also helped add more wind energy. The top three markets this year are still China, the United States, and Germany for wind energy produced on land, and China, the United Kingdom, and Germany for offshore. The analysts are predicting that the global industry will rebound next year and make nearly 12% more wind energy available worldwide.

Persons: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Joshua A, Bickel, it's, Michael Taylor, IRENA, Karim Shahi, Rafiq Maqbool, Daniel Bresette, Bresette, Abigail Ross Hopper, Wood, Wood Mackenzie, Julia Nikhinson Construction, John Hensley, Seth Wenig, Hau Dinh, Evan Hartley, Paul Braun, John Eichberger, Daan Walter Organizations: Service, International Energy Agency, Business, IEA, United Arab Emirates, Climate, AP, International Renewable Energy Agency, Arizona . Workers, Energy Limited's, Energy, Environmental, Energy Study Institute, Solar Energy Industries Association, Global Energy Monitor, Wind Energy, Clean Power, Workers, Atlas Public, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Benchmark, University of Illinois, Panasonic, Toyota, Health, General Motors Co, LG Energy, Transportation Energy Institute, Rocky Mountain Institute Locations: Germany, Spain, Mohammed, Dubai, United, Bickel China, Europe, United States , California, Texas , Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, Karim, Khavda, Bhuj, India, Pakistan, Gujarat, China, Wood Mackenzie, Montauk Point , New York, Asia, United States, State, New London, Conn, United Kingdom, Hai Phong, Vietnam, Kansas, Ohio

COP28 president Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber speaks during the Transforming Food Systems in the Face of Climate Change event on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit at Dubai Expo on December 1, 2023. "We delivered world first after world first," the UAE summit presidency said in a further social media update. And we have language on fossil fuels in our final agreement." Many believed the COP28 summit could only be considered a success if it resulted in a deal to phase out all fossil fuels. COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber sparked a backlash earlier this month after he claimed there is "no science" behind calls for a phase-out of fossil fuels.

Persons: Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Ludovic Marin, Licypriya Kangujam, Sean Gallup, Wopke Hoekstra, Alok Sharma, Sharma, CNBC's, Simon Stiell, We're, John Kerry, Selma de Montgomery, Avinash Persaud, Mikhail Gitarskiy, Sultan al, Jaber, he'd, Al Organizations: Food Systems, Dubai Expo, Afp, Getty Images, UAE Consensus, UAE, United Arab Emirates, Getty, Russian, BBC, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co Locations: Dubai, UAE, United Arab, United Arab Emirates, Pacific, Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, Asia, North America, Paris, United States, China, Denmark, Barbados, Moscow, Abu Dhabi

☆ Pacific Islands lash out at COP28 presidency: ‘We weren't in the room’ when deal was announced
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-13 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

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

☆ What the COP28 deal means for the U.S. as oil and gas production hits record levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-13 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The agreement, known as the global stocktake, was hailed as "historic" by COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber during his closing speech. Samuel Corum | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesU.S. climate envoy John Kerry said Wednesday that the COP28 agreement "sends very strong messages to the world." The fight to end oil, gas and coal must now be taken up at the country level with the United States leading the way. Fossil fuels and climate financeUnder Biden, the U.S. passed the most aggressive climate investment ever taken by Congress, a bill known as the Inflation Reduction Act. Nonetheless, the White House has frequently received sharp criticism over its plans to expand oil and gas production.

Persons: Joe Biden, Cyril Ramaphosa, Joe Biden's, Sultan al, Jaber, Samuel Corum, John Kerry, Kerry, Jean Su, Jason Bordoff, Su, Nikki Reisch, Reisch, Biden, Jennifer Granholm, Brandon Bell Organizations: White, Washington , D.C, Bloomberg, Getty, European Union, Washington Hilton, United, Center for Biological, . Energy, Administration, Russia, Center, Global Energy, Columbia University, CNBC, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for International Environmental, U.S, Biden, Marathon El Locations: South, Washington ,, Connecticut, Washington , DC, United States, China, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Ukraine, America, Marathon El Paso Refinery, El Paso , Texas, The U.S

☆ Anger and frustration as COP28 draft text omits fossil fuel phaseout
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-12 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

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

☆ ‘It’s game on’: The world’s largest iceberg is on the move. Scientists explain why it matters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-06 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"It's just astonishingly big and it's a reminder of how much risk we're at from sea level rise." "Antarctica has historically been quite a small contributor to sea level rise, but it is growing, and it is taking up a bigger and bigger share of the sea level rise that we see every year," he added. "So, it's a symbol of the growing dominance of Antarctica in the sea level rise equation." This temperature threshold is widely recognized as crucial because so-called tipping points become more likely beyond this level. Tipping points are thresholds at which small changes can lead to dramatic shifts in Earth's entire life support system.

Persons: Robbie Mallett, A23a, Mallett, Mallet, That's, Gail Whiteman, Taalas, Hollie Adams, NASA Modis Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Continent, University of College London, CNBC, United, NASA, World Meteorological Organization, University of Exeter, WMO, Expo, Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Antarctica, New York City, United Arab Emirates, South Georgia, Dubai, COP28, Green

☆ A ‘thirsty’ generative AI boom poses a growing problem for Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-06 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Shaolei Ren, a researcher at the University of California, Riverside, published a study in April investigating the resources needed to run buzzy generative AI models, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT. Hundreds of millions of monthly users all submitting questions on the popular chatbot quickly illustrates just how "thirsty" AI models can be. The study's authors warned that if the growing water footprint of AI models is not sufficiently addressed, the issue could become a major roadblock to the socially responsible and sustainable use of AI in the future. For Google, meanwhile, total water consumption at its data centers and offices came in at 5.6 billion gallons in 2022, a 21% increase on the year before. watch nowIt's notable, however, that their latest water consumption figures were disclosed before the launch of their own respective ChatGPT competitors.

Persons: Shaolei Ren, Ren, Eitan Abramovich, OpenAI, Somya Joshi, Microsoft's Bing, Bard, Joshi, Paul Hanna Organizations: UNITED, EMIRATES, Tech, Microsoft, Google, University of California, Uruguay's Central Union, CNT, Afp, Getty, CNBC, Big Tech, Meta, SEI, U.S ., Stockholm Environment Institute, United, Inc, Talavera de la Reina, Bloomberg Locations: Dubai, Riverside, Montevideo, U.S, Stockholm, United Arab Emirates, Talavera de, Spain

☆ Activists protest against fossil fuel industry at COP28 climate summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Alexander Cornwell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Climate activists protest against fossil fuel emitters, demanding action and more contributions to the Loss and Damage Fund, during the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 5, 2023. Chiponda argued that language calling for the phase-out of "unabated" fossil fuels was merely a distraction that would allow for their continued use. Governments at COP26 agreed to phase down the use of unabated coal, the most polluting of fossil fuels. This year, countries remain split over what role fossil fuels should play in the future. Jaber has made a point of including the fossil fuel industry at the summit, insisting that oil and gas companies should be part of discussions on tackling climate change.

Persons: Amr Alfiky, Lorraine Chiponda, Chiponda, Sultan Al Jaber, Jaber, Thomas Joseph, Jainno Congon, Alexander Cornwell, Katy Daigle Organizations: Damage, United Nations, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Rights, United, COP26, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, COP28, Glasgow, Paris, United Arab Emirates, UAE, California

☆ Nigeria’s president calls for investigation after drone attack kills 85
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday called for a thorough investigation into a military drone attack that the state emergency agency in northern Kaduna state said killed at least 85 people at the weekend. The state’s governor, a religious leader and witnesses told Reuters on Monday that dozens of civilians were killed following the military drone attack that was targeting insurgents and bandits on Sunday night. The Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency said on Tuesday at least 85 people had died during the attack, giving the first official confirmation of the toll from the weekend incident. “The President directs a thorough and full-fledged investigation into the incident and calls for calm while the authorities look diligently into the mishap,” said Ngelale. The Nigerian Army is yet to comment on the incident but the Air Force has denied being involved in the mission that led to Sunday’s attack.

Persons: Reuters —, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Ajuri Ngelale, ” Organizations: Reuters, Emergency Management Agency, Zonal, Nigerian Army, Air Force Locations: Kaduna, Dubai, Tundun, United States, Britain, Abuja

☆ Oil CEO says blaming the energy industry for the climate crisis ‘like blaming farmers for obesity’
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

watch nowDUBAI, United Arab Emirates —The chief executive of UAE-based energy firm Crescent Petroleum on Tuesday claimed that blaming the oil and gas industry for the climate crisis "is like blaming farmers for obesity." The burning of coal, oil and gas is by far the largest contributor to climate change, accounting for more than three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions. "Blaming the producers of oil and gas for climate change is like blaming farmers for obesity. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said that the announcement was "a step in the right direction" for Big Oil and showed that the fossil fuel industry was "finally starting to wake up." Others, including former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, believe that the participation of energy giants should be welcomed at events such as COP28.

Persons: Majid Jafar, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Abu, COP28, António Guterres, Jafar, We're, Ernest Moniz Organizations: United Arab Emirates —, UAE, Petroleum, Crescent Petroleum, Crescent Petroleum Co, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, United Arab Emirates national, Expo, Bloomberg, Getty, Big Oil, U.S . Energy Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, U.N, New York

☆ Past decade was the hottest on record as climate change ‘surged alarmingly,’ WMO reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Laura Paddison | Brandon Miller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The decade between 2011 and 2020 was the hottest on record for the planet’s land and oceans as the rate of climate change “surged alarmingly,” according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization. This year is also expected to be the hottest year, after six straight months of record global temperatures. Scientists have said this year’s exceptional warmth is the result of the combined effects of El Niño and human-caused climate change, which is driven by planet-warming fossil fuel pollution. A separate analysis released Monday by the Global Carbon Project found that carbon pollution from fossil fuels is on track to set a new record in 2023 – 1.1% higher than 2022 levels. The WMO report comes partway through the UN-backed COP28 climate summit, on the day focused on energy and industry.

Persons: El, Petteri Taalas, ” Elena Manaenkova, Anupam Nath, –, ” Taalas, ”, Pierre Friedlingstein, Amy Cassidy Organizations: CNN, World Meteorological Organization, Global, Project, WMO, UN, EU, Copernicus, DG DEFIS, Reuters, El Niño, University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute Locations: Dubai, India, China, US, EU, Mayong, Gauhati, Assam, Greater London, Antarctica, Paris, El, COP28

The first option in the draft is listed as "an orderly and just phase-out of fossil fuels". The second option calls for "accelerating efforts towards phasing out unabated fossil fuels". "I don't think we're going to leave Dubai without some clear language and some clear direction on shifting away from fossil fuels," he added. China's fossil fuel emissions rose after it lifted COVID-19 restrictions, while India's rise was a result of power demand growing faster than its renewable energy capacity, leaving fossil fuels to make up the shortfall. "Leaders meeting at COP28 will have to agree rapid cuts in fossil fuel emissions even to keep the 2C target alive," he said.

Persons: Stephane Mahe, Jean Paul Prates, Patrick Pouyanne, Jennifer Morgan, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, David Waskow, Exeter, Pierre Friedlingstein, Kate Abnett, William James, Valerie Volcovici, Elizabeth Piper, Katy Daigle Organizations: REUTERS, Petrobras, European, Oxford University, Saudi Arabia's Energy, Bloomberg, World Resources, University of Exeter, Reuters, Thomson Locations: France, Montoir, Bretagne, Saint, Nazaire, DUBAI, COP28, Brazil's, United States, European Union, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Dubai, India, China, Paris

At least 118 countries at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai have backed a pledge to improve energy efficiency rates by 4% each year until 2030. In its simplest form, energy efficiency can simply mean using appliances, technology, or electronics that are designed to consume less energy, such as heat pumps or LED lighting. Industries worldwide could save $437 billion per year by 2030 with improved energy efficiency, according to an October 2023 industry collective report by the Energy Efficiency Movement. As a result, energy efficiency improved globally this year by about 1.3% compared with last year, slower than the 2% improvement posted in 2022 due largely to rising energy demand, the IEA's annual Energy Efficiency report said. In the U.S., energy efficiency is beating the global average efficiency improvement rate this year at 4%, with $86 billion allocated for the goal under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Persons: Andrew Boyers, Larissa Gross, Sofie Irgens, Nick Eyre, Gloria Dickie, Katy Daigle, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, International Energy Agency, BE, European Union, Industries, Energy, U.S . Department of Energy, IEA, Oxford University, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Watchfield, Swindon, Britain, Dubai, leakages, India, Africa, U.S, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands

REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are set to hit a record high this year, exacerbating climate change and fuelling more destructive extreme weather, scientists said. The Global Carbon Budget report, published on Tuesday during the COP28 climate summit, said that overall CO2 emissions, which reached a record high last year, have plateaued in 2023 due to a slight drop from uses of land like deforestation. Countries are expected to emit a total 36.8 billion metric tons of CO2 from fossil fuels in 2023, a 1.1% increase from last year, the report by scientists from more than 90 institutions including the University of Exeter concluded. When land use emissions are included, global CO2 emissions are set to total 40.9 billion tons this year. China produces 31% of global fossil fuel CO2 emissions.

Persons: Yves Herman, India's, Pierre Friedlingstein, Friedlingstein, Kate Abnett, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, University of Exeter, 1.5C, IPCC, Research, Energy, Clean, European, Thomson Locations: Dunkirk, France, India, China, Paris, COP28, Helsinki, U.S, European Union, Europe

“Each decade since the 1990s has been warmer than the previous one and we see no immediate sign of this trend reversing,” its secretary-general, Petteri Taalas, said. Experts are divided about one of the most important metrics: The rate of warming. University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann has argued warming has been steadily increasing since 1990, but isn't speeding up. He warned that such warming is fueling increasingly dangerous extreme weather events, coastal flooding and many other “disastrous” impacts. Glaciers in Papua, Indonesia are likely to disappear altogether within the next decade,” WMO said.

Persons: Petteri Taalas, James Hansen, Michael Mann, ” Mann, ” Organizations: United Arab Emirates, United Nations, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, NASA, Warming, University of Pennsylvania, ” WMO, AP Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, Dubai, Papua, Indonesia, “, Africa, Kenya, Kilimanjaro, Greenland, Antarctica

☆ Iberdrola and Masdar to invest $16 billion in green energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Pietro Lombardi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Iberdrola SA FollowRwe Ag FollowMADRID, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Spanish renewable energy giant Iberdrola (IBE.MC) and UAE clean energy developer Masdar have formed a 15 billion euro ($16.2 billion) alliance to invest in offshore wind and green hydrogen in countries including Germany, Britain and the United States. The agreement announced on Tuesday follows a pledge by 118 countries at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to triple the world's renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade as they seek to wean themselves off fossil fuels. "Reaching this goal will require immediate action from these governments and the private sector," said Iberdrola Executive Chairman Ignacio Galan. "With an abundance of wind resources, the UK and Europe are prime markets for Masdar," said Masdar Chief Executive Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi. Last week Masdar and Germany's RWE (RWEG.DE) said they would co-develop a 3 GW wind project off the coast of Britain.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ignacio Galan, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Germany's, Iberdrola, Pietro Lombardi, Jakub Olesiuk, Kirsten Donovan, David Goodman Organizations: REUTERS, East Anglia, Masdar, China, Thomson Locations: MADRID, UAE, Germany, Britain, United States, Dubai, Iberdrola's, East, Spanish, Europe, Baltic

But industry experts say governments need to offer incentives for companies to bring sustainable AC technologies to market and scale up. Removing humidity requires cooling air to the point at which water vapour becomes a liquid to be drained. This inability to get rid of humidity without first cooling the air makes conventional ACs less efficient. The company's AC prototype uses these materials to dry out air, aiming to produce fewer emissions than traditional ACs. More than 1 billion people living in warm climates still lack access to cooling, according to nonprofit Sustainable Energy for All.

Persons: Pedro Rodriguez, Susana Vera, We've, Lily Riahi, Riahi, Sorin Grama, Grama, Gree, Daikin, Miki Yamanaka, Larissa Gross, UNEP's Riahi, Baolong Wang, Wang, Xavier Moya, Gloria Dickie, Katy Daigle, Simon Jessop, Josie Kao Organizations: Puerta del, REUTERS, Rights, International Energy Agency, United Nations Environment Programme's, Cool Coalition, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Daikin's Global Environment Center, Sustainable Energy, Tsinghua University, University of Cambridge, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Puerta del Sol, Madrid, Spain, Seville, Europe, Spanish, Beijing, Indonesia, Britain, U.S

DUBAI, Dec 5 (Reuters) - U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday launched an international engagement plan to boost nuclear fusion, saying the emissions-free technology could become a vital tool in the fight against climate change. Kerry said the plan involved 35 nations and would focus on research and development, supply chain issues, and regulation, and safety. "There is potential in fusion to revolutionize our world," Kerry told the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry participates in an event on women's role in building a climate-resilient world, at COP28 World Climate Summit, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 4, 2023. Of the two main types of fusion, one uses lasers to concentrate energy on a gold pellet containing hydrogen.

Persons: John Kerry, Kerry, Amr Alfiky, Valerie Volcovici, Richard Valdmanis, William James, Alexander Smith Organizations: Dubai . Fusion, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Dubai, U.S, United Arab, Britain, United States, Australia, China, Germany, Japan, California

☆ Opinion: What do you expect when an oil executive runs the climate talks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Opinion John D. Sutter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —As someone who’s been reporting on the climate crisis for more than a decade, I can say that the most insidious threat to climate action isn’t denial or apathy. That’s tragic, especially in light of the long and frustrating history of fossil fuel interests injecting doubt into policy conversations about the climate crisis. The broad strokes of climate science have been well understood for several decades now. The fallout of that doubt still haunts political conversations about the climate crisis today. In the United States, only 35% of adults talk about the climate crisis at least occasionally, according to a 2021 survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

Persons: John D, Sutter, Ted Turner, Read, who’s, Sutter Beth Mickalonis, Sultan Al Jaber, Al Jaber, Mary Robinson, ”, Al Jaber’s, It’s Organizations: Environmental Media, George Washington University, CNN, COP28, United, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, “, The Guardian, UN, Programme, Sutter, Yale Locations: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, UN, Paris, United States

☆ Your world in 10 minutes: US warships on alert
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The US Navy is on high alert in the Red Sea after a series of drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy is set to appeal directly to senators after the White House warned US funding for the war is running out. Supreme Court justices appear split over whether to approve a bankruptcy settlement with the makers of OxyContin. Plus, COP28 turns its attention to fossil fuels and a former US ambassador is charged over spying for Cuba. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.

Persons: Volodomyr Zelenskiy, Moody's Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, US Navy, House, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Red, Iran, OxyContin, Israel, Cuba, Russia, Ukraine, China

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

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

☆ 'Beyond justification': Record number of fossil fuel lobbyists attend COP28 climate talks in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A man wearing a thawb walks past flags of nations participating in the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference the day before its official opening on November 29, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Nearly 2,500 fossil fuel lobbyists are estimated to have been granted access to the COP28 climate conference in the United Arab Emirates, according to an analysis from advocacy groups, reflecting a sharp increase from last year. A report published Tuesday by the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition found that at least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists registered to attend the two-week long summit. That's more than almost every other country delegation, except for Brazil (3,081) and COP28 host the United Arab Emirates (4,409), the analysis said. Campaigners say the number of fossil fuel lobbyists attending the talks is "beyond justification" and signals that polluting industries are seeking to advance a fossil fuel agenda at the expense of frontline communities.

Persons: Ernest Moniz, Muhammed Lamin Saidykhan, Big Organizations: United Arab Emirates, International Energy Agency, CNBC, Polluters, Climate Action Network Locations: Dubai, United Arab, DUBAI, Brazil

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