Climate Law & Liability Archives - Inside Climate News

Q&A: The Sort of ‘Breakthrough’ Moment Came in Dubai When the Nations of the World Agreed to Transition Away From Fossil Fuels

Interview by Steve Curwood, "Living on Earth" — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 09:30:00 +0000

But, says climate advocate Alden Meyer, “the atmosphere only cares about one thing: emissions. It's a matter of physics. It doesn't care what ministers or leaders say in declarations or treaties or pledges or action announcements … So the acid test for this is going to come in the next couple of years.”

Interview by Steve Curwood, "Living on Earth"

From our collaborating partner “Living on Earth,” public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by host Steve Curwood with Alden Meyer, a climate advocate and senior consultant at E3G, an independent climate change think tank. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The U.S. May Not Have Won Over Critics in Dubai, But the Biden Administration Helped Keep the Process Alive

By Marianne Lavelle — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 01:30:00 +0000

Special Climate Envoy Kerry clearly believed the final deal was better than no deal at all, especially after direct pre-COP diplomacy with China became a springboard for action led by the world's top carbon, and methane, emitters.

By Marianne Lavelle

When it looked like climate negotiations in Dubai were about to fall apart early this week over the summit’s failure to make any commitment to transition away from fossil fuels, U.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry sharpened his tone to align with the most ardent climate activists—many of whom had been targeting him for criticism.

COP28 Does Not Deliver Clear Path to Fossil Fuel Phase Out

By Bob Berwyn — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 18:30:00 +0000

Small island states that arrived after the document was approved, don’t accept the outcome as a consensus decision.

By Bob Berwyn

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Going into overtime under the cover of a dark winter night in Dubai, climate negotiators at COP28 cooked up a weak sauce of climate half-measures that fail to adequately address the existential risk of global warming to millions of people around the globe, according to leading climate experts at the conference.

US Lawmakers Confer With World Leaders at COP28

By Bob Berwyn — Sun, 10 Dec 2023 18:34:41 +0000

Some House lawmakers go on record as supporting a fossil fuel phaseout, while others seem to lean toward supporting unproven carbon capture and storage technology.

By Bob Berwyn

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Domestic U.S. climate politics played out on an international stage this weekend at COP28, as a bipartisan congressional delegation mingled with world leaders and touted President Biden’s climate record.

With a New Speaker of the House, Billions in Climate and Energy Funding—Mostly to Red States—Hang in the Balance

Interview by Steve Curwood, "Living on Earth" — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 10:00:00 +0000

How House Speaker Mike Johnson is revealing key aspects of the Republican climate agenda moving forward

Interview by Steve Curwood, "Living on Earth"

From our collaborating partner “Living on Earth,” public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by host Steve Curwood with Derrick Jackson, a Union of Concerned Scientists Fellow in climate and energy and a contributing opinion writer for Environmental Health News. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Scientists to COP28: ‘We’re Clearly in The Danger Zone’

By Bob Berwyn — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 21:00:00 +0000

As this year’s climate talks head into their final days, a new report also highlights positive social tipping points that can drive “the odds in our favor.”

By Bob Berwyn

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—As negotiators at COP28 debate which verbs in the final documents would indicate the correct level of urgency, scientists at the global talks delivered a simple, dire message: Act now, or trigger climate tipping points with serious risks to the lives and livelihoods of billions of people.

Deemed Sustainable by Seafood Industry Monitors, Harvested California Squid Has an Unmeasurable Energy Footprint

By Georgina Gustin — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 18:00:00 +0000

Tens of thousands of tons of the cephalopods caught off the California coast are shipped to China for processing, then sold to consumers around the world.

By Georgina Gustin

This story is being published as part of an international collaboration between news outlets led by The Outlaw Ocean Project, a nonprofit journalism organization based in Washington, D.C. The first story, published by The New Yorker, is here.

Massachusetts Just Took a Big Step Away from Natural Gas. Which States Might Follow?

By Dan Gearino — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 22:21:16 +0000

A first-in-the-country ruling sets Massachusetts on a path toward electrification of heating, and could lead regulators in other states to follow suit.

By Dan Gearino

Natural gas may be on the way out in Massachusetts.

Texas Court Strikes Down Air Pollution Permit for Gulf Coast Oil Terminal

By Dylan Baddour — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 18:30:00 +0000

A judge reversed a 2022 decision by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that involved its controversial “one-mile rule” to deny hearing requests.

By Dylan Baddour

For the second time in three weeks, a court struck down an air pollution permit issued by Texas’ environmental regulator.

Q&A: How a Fossil Fuel Treaty Could Support the Paris Agreement and Wind Down Production

By Nicholas Kusnetz — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 10:00:00 +0000

A global campaign is gaining steam at COP28, calling for a treaty that would manage the transition away from fossil fuels.

By Nicholas Kusnetz

One of the most important questions surrounding the COP28 climate summit is whether nations will finally agree to phase out fossil fuels, which are responsible for the vast majority of climate-warming pollution. Such an agreement would require a global consensus and support from the world’s largest producers of coal, oil and gas, a hurdle that has proven too high in previous rounds of negotiation.