Current:Home > NewsHere's what happened on Day 5 of the U.N.'s COP27 climate talks -WealthMindset Learning
Here's what happened on Day 5 of the U.N.'s COP27 climate talks
View
Date:2025-04-13 14:18:38
The war in Ukraine is driving a new push for fossil fuels, putting climate goals at risk
With the war in Ukraine disrupting natural supplies to Europe, many countries have been scrambling to replace gas exports coming from Russia, often from nations much farther away. Those gas supplies are super-cooled into a liquid that can be loaded onto tanker ships. The tankers dock in the importing countries at huge facilities that turn their cargo into gas again to send through pipelines.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, 26 of these massive facilities have been announced in the European Union, according to a new report from Climate Action Tracker, a climate think tank,.
Extracting more natural gas to offset the losses from Russia could lock in fossil fuel use for decades. If the proposed terminals and others under construction now around the world come online, they could more than double the emissions from natural gas by 2030, according to the report. That could jeopardize any commitments that governments make in the COP27 negotiations to rein in the pollution driving global warming.
To keep the world's goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach, there should be no investment in new fossil fuel supplies, the International Energy Agency said.
Members of Congress start to arrive
Nancy Pelosi arrived in Egypt with a delegation of 13 other House Democrats, including the current chairs of multiple committees that work on climate policy.
A delegation of Congressional Republicans are enroute to the talks as well.
Congress passed a massive spending bill that puts more than $1.2 trillion toward infrastructure, including rebuilding roads and bridges to be more resilient to climate change, putting more electric vehicles on the road, upgrading public transit and expanding clean sources of electricity.
But control of Congress is still up in the air after Tuesday's election, and the future of U.S. spending on climate change also hangs in the balance. Among other policies, Republican lawmakers have argued against government funding of renewable energy, and in favor of investments in natural gas and other fossil fuels.
Scientists say reliance on fossil fuels needs to plummet immediately in order to avoid catastrophic global warming later this century.
White House calls for federal contractors to disclose climate information
The Biden administration wants big federal contractors to publicly disclose information about their greenhouse gas emissions and the financial risks they face from climate change, and to set targets for cutting emissions.
The U.S. government is the world's largest buyer of goods and services, the White House said, and the proposed rule would make federal supply chains more efficient and resilient to the impacts of global warming.
"Suppliers understand that you cannot manage what you don't measure — tracking emissions and setting and meeting targets can increase resilience and reduce costs," the White House said in a statement.
The administration made the announcement a day before President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak at the United Nations' annual climate conference in Egypt.
Under the proposed rule, the largest federal contractors — those with annual contracts of more than $50 million — would have to disclose emissions from their own operations and from the energy they buy, as well as certain emissions from their customers and suppliers. They would also have to provide information about their climate-related financial risks, and set science-based targets for cutting emissions.
Companies with annual contracts of $7.5 million to $50 million would only have to provide information about the emissions from their own operations and from their energy purchases. Companies with smaller contracts would be exempt.
"With this proposed rule, the Administration is providing a valuable model for other stakeholders as it becomes increasingly important for governments and corporations to provide visibility into their climate risks and resilience across their supply chains," Pankaj Bhatia, global director of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, said in a statement.
However, the proposal is likely to face pushback, says Arthur Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
"The big question is how the administration will monitor and enforce these restrictions," Wheaton said in a statement.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed its own rule to require companies to disclose information about climate-related risks and greenhouse gas emissions. That proposal has faced fierce corporate opposition.
Climate news from the actor formerly known as Rainn Wilson
Actor Rainn Wilson, who is most famous for his role as Dwight Schrute in the U.S. version of the television show The Office, says he has changed his name.
He says he now goes by Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson.
In a video, Wilson says his goal is to draw attention to the effects of climate change in the Arctic. Indeed, more variable and extreme rain and heat waves are wreaking havoc in the Arctic, where temperatures are rising about four times faster than the global average.
Wilson also suggested new climate-related names for other celebrities, such as:
- Cardi the Arctic B. Melting
- Jack Black Carbon Is Killing Us
- Ty-phoons Are Increasing Burrell
- Amy Poehler Bears Are Endangered
- Harrison Why Not Drive an Electric Ford
veryGood! (73841)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Love Is Blind's Paul Peden Reveals New Romance After Micah Lussier Breakup
- Transcript: Rep. Veronica Escobar on Face the Nation, June 25, 2023
- Shop the Best New May 2023 Beauty Launches From L'Occitane, ColourPop, Supergoop! & More
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- New Study Shows Global Warming Intensifying Extreme Rainstorms Over North America
- The Best lululemon Father's Day Gifts for Every Kind of Dad
- 988 mental health crisis line gets 5 million calls, texts and chats in first year
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Nordstrom Rack Has Jaw-Dropping Madewell Deals— The 83% Off Sale Ends Today
Ranking
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- 8 Black Lung Indictments Allege Coal Mine Managers Lied About Health Safety
- Iowa Republicans pass bill banning most abortions after about 6 weeks
- FDA approves Opill, the first daily birth control pill without a prescription
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- The Heart Wants This Candid Mental Health Convo Between Selena Gomez and Nicola Peltz Beckham
- In Florence’s Floodwater: Sewage, Coal Ash and Hog Waste Lagoon Spills
- Ukraine gets the attention. This country's crisis is the world's 'most neglected'
Recommendation
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Offset and His 3 Sons Own the Red Carpet In Coordinating Looks
Taylor Hawkins' Son Shane Honors Dad by Performing With Foo Fighters Onstage
A Bipartisan Climate Policy? It Could Happen Under a Biden Administration, Washington Veterans Say
Intellectuals vs. The Internet
Justin Timberlake Is Thirsting Over Jessica Biel’s Iconic Summer Catch Scene Too
America’s Wind Energy Boom May Finally Be Coming to the Southeast
The Little Mermaid: Halle Bailey’s Locs and Hair Extensions Cost $150,000