Lunchtime Reads and Hot Takes
Steven Chu: ‘Wall Street analysts are totally amoral’ on climate — Financial Times (subscription)
Bill’s take: The former energy secretary from the Obama administration opines on nearly everything about the energy transition, mostly pessimistically. Fascinating. Frustrating. Enlightening. Aggravating. Well worth reading.
US unveils policy to boost carbon offset market integrity — Reuters
Amena’s take: It's all very well to have principles to restore confidence in the scandal-ridden voluntary carbon markets, but implementing and enforcing them is what matters. The proof lies in the pudding.
EU election 2024: What the manifestos say on energy and climate change — CarbonBrief
Anca’s take: Useful to read verbatim from the parties' manifestos. The chart (via Climate Action Tracker) showing how much the EU has improved its climate performance through the Green Deal is also striking!
These Teens Adopted an Orphaned Oil Well. Their Goal: Shut It Down. — The New York Times
Cat’s take: The fundraiser for plugging the well was featured in a newsletter called Gen Dread, which addresses climate anxiety in young people, and which I also learned about in reading this story. How poignant.
Chart: Which sectors are the biggest industrial emitters in the US? — Canary Media
Amy’s take: I’m surprised at how much larger oil and gas systems and chemicals are compared to the others, like cement/concrete and steel, which get more attention.
House Ag panel advances GOP-led farm bill with four Democratic votes — POLITICO Pro (subscription)
Amena’s take: Democrats and Republicans remain divided over funding climate-smart programs. Whether they can reach a compromise before the bill reaches the floor will be critical to the bill's fate in the Senate.
How much worse will extreme heat get by 2050? New report outlines worrisome future — Los Angeles Times
Bill’s take: Amid all the talk about the challenges and disruption of the energy transition, there’s often far too little discussion of the costs and disruptions that will result from delay.
Congress to Fund U.S. Deep-Sea Mining Project — The Wall Street Journal
Cat’s take: A lot needs to happen before funds would be delivered, but the fact that lawmakers are talking about deep-sea mining, which is very controversial, seriously underscores demand for critical minerals.
Many countries pledge to reach net zero by 2050. Few plan for it. — E&E News (subscription)
Amy’s take: Key stat: Out of the 195 countries that have ratified the Paris Climate Agreement, just 72 have submitted actual strategies to achieve the deal’s goals. Yikes.
European grid investments must double — Eurelectric — Montel News
Anca’s take: The report, released by the EU power lobby group Eurelectric at their summit in Greece, warns about the urgency to modernize the bloc's grids or fail to properly integrate renewables.
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