About Biden's climate pit stop

Presented by Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future: Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Nov 11, 2022 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future President Joe Biden speaks at the COP 27 U.N. climate summit. | Peter Dejong/AP Photo President Joe Biden departed Egypt after only three hours Friday, leaving as many questions behind as there were when he arrived. Speaking to a packed audience at the United Nations climate summit, the president said the United States is preparing a "relentless" crackdown on planet-warming emissions from oil and gas production, and he announced a new rulemaking to eradicate leaks of methane, one of the most powerful climate pollutants. He touted the legislative and regulatory efforts his administration has made to curb climate emissions, and he declared the country would meet its reduction targets. "My commitment to this issue has been unwavering," Biden said. "The United States of America will meet our emission targets by 2030." But he didn't answer the hard question delegates have been wrestling with all week about whether and how the United States (along with other wealthy nations) will provide the many billions of dollars that developing countries need to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Many developing nations that have contributed relatively little atmospheric greenhouse gases are already bearing the brunt of climate change impacts, from turbocharged hurricanes and coastal erosion to massive floods and drought. This frustrated some attendees in Egypt, who say the U.S. has not put forward its fair share of financial support to help developing nations transition to greener energy sources. Biden had pledged $11.4 billion in international climate finance by 2024, but Democrats approved only $1 billion in March. Moving new money through Congress already must get past Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and could prove increasingly difficult if Republicans take control of one or both chambers. While the GOP was projected to easily win the House, Democrats aren't out of the race yet. And the Senate is still up for grabs . The real-world problem at the root of all this climate wrangling is only getting worse. Global carbon emissions have reached record-high levels, and a report from the Global Carbon Project released today found there is a 50-50 chance the world will pass the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold in nine years. Privately, climate scientists believe keeping temperatures below 1.5 C is no longer realistic.   Thank goodness it's Friday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host,  Arianna Skibell.  Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to  askibell@eenews.net. Listen to today's POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Catherine Morehouse breaks down Manchin's decision to not hold a confirmation hearing for the nation's top energy regulator and how that could impact Biden's green goals. wanted A job seeker looks at a job listing board at the East Bay Career Center in Oakland, Calif. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Laid-off tech workers: There's a potentially lucrative opportunity waiting for you in climate tech, if you want it. That's the message the burgeoning climate tech industry is sending to many of those affected by the massive layoffs at major tech companies like Meta, Twitter and Stripe in recent weeks, writes Protocol reporter Michelle Ma. Power Centers A "carbon clock" shows the time remaining before global temperatures pass 1.5 degrees Celsius. | Sean Gallup/Getty Images We don't talk about ... you know Many climate scientists now believe keeping global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius is almost certainly out of reach. But they don't talk about it publicly, writes Chelsea Harvey. Such assertions stand to rupture a pillar of climate planning embraced by countries around the world. It's also the central message at the U.N. climate conference in Egypt this week, where ramping up efforts to meet the target is a priority. Net-metering drama California regulators scaled back a controversial plan Thursday that would have charged rooftop solar customers a monthly fee, writes Jason Plautz. But renewable advocates said the state's revised net-metering rules could still create a significant barrier for the growing industry. Egypt's PR nightmare Hosting COP 27 was supposed to showcase Egypt as an ambitious champion of renewable energy, a tourist destination and a reliable international actor, writes Karl Mathiesen. Instead, it's turned into a public relations disaster for the country, as a stream of sewage flooded through the conference site and top officials are investigating reports of mistreatment of youth delegates.   A message from Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future: How do we reach Paris Climate Agreement? With the partnership of reliable, affordable natural gas and renewables, we are passing important milestones and have already seen major drops in emissions. Natural gas and its infrastructure have the potential to support carbon reduction by offsetting coal. Natural gas supports renewables in a reliable way that accelerates the US, and the world's transition to a clean energy future. Learn more.   in other news A California State Prison-Solano inmate uses a hand tool to pack decomposed granite while installing a drought-tolerant garden in the prison yard on Oct. 19, 2015, in Vacaville, Calif. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Study: Extreme heat is responsible for hundreds of deaths in Texas prisons. Fossil fuel agenda: More than 600 oil and gas lobbyists registered to attend COP 27, a rise of more than 25 percent from last year.   A message from Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future:   Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. A gas flare is seen at a natural gas processing facility in North Dakota. | Matthew Brown/AP Photo EPA's new plan to sharply curb methane leaks from the oil and gas sector would require monitoring for every well regardless of size. Arizona energy regulators approved a 550-mile transmission line this week that would connect the state's grid to wind farms in New Mexico. A group of young activists plan to appeal a Utah judge's decision rejecting their climate lawsuit against the state. That's it for today, folks. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!   A message from Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future: The U.S pledged to reduce emissions 50-52% by 2030. How do we reach Paris Climate Agreement? The route is mapped out to aggressively reduce CO2 emissions. With the partnership of reliable, affordable natural gas and renewables, we are passing important milestones and have already seen major drops in emissions. Academics and researchers agree that with the world's greatest interstate energy highway and the ability to transport zero-carbon fuels of the future like clean hydrogen already in existence, natural gas and its infrastructure have the potential to support carbon reduction. Natural gas supports renewables in a reliable way that helps the US, and the world, reach the Paris Climate Agreement. It's accelerating the journey to our clean energy future. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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