Inside the U.N. General Assembly, the United States and the European Union — two of the world’s largest carbon emitters — are touting plans to ratchet up clean energy to stave off catastrophic warming. Outside, environmentalists and activists are pushing leaders to also crack down on fossil fuel use, the primary driver of global climate change. The tension during climate week comes as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres leans on countries to cut their planet-warming emissions much faster. Nations are already failing to meet the pledges they made eight years ago in the Paris Agreement — and even those goals weren’t ambitious enough to adequately limit global temperature rise. Carrot vs. stick: During a speech today, President Joe Biden praised his nearly $370 billion climate law as “the largest investment ever, anywhere in the history of the world, to combat the climate crisis,” writes Robin Bravender. Soon after his remarks, however, climate activists disrupted a subsequent panel to protest the administration’s decision to approve ConocoPhillips' $8 billion Willow drilling project in Alaska, which would release the carbon equivalent of an additional 2 million cars every year. Leaders of the European Union also plan to focus this week on the merits of increasing clean power to counteract global warming, writes Sara Schonhardt. While the EU backed a call at last year’s U.N. climate talks to phase out fossil fuels, it’s unclear whether or how quickly the continent’s leadership will speed up their net-zero carbon emission goals, Sara writes. Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s new climate chief, told Sara that tripling global clean energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency would, in effect, “phase out the need for new fossil fuel supplies.” Reality check: While climate models confirm that ramping up clean energy can make a significant dent in global carbon pollution, climate scientists largely agree that increased clean power alone won't be enough to stave off the worst of climate change. Countries also need to wind down their emissions and fossil fuel use. In the U.S., for example, Biden’s ambitious climate goals could be undermined by the country’s heaviest industries, which remain off track to meet emission reduction goals, according to a new Department of Energy report. For eight industries — chemicals; refining; iron and steel; food and beverage processing; pulp and paper; cement; aluminum; and glass — the cost of slashing planetary pollution remains high. The demand for low-carbon versions of their commodities is uncertain, and companies are reluctant to act first to adopt new technologies, writes David Iaconangelo. Still, the report found the industries could reduce emissions 40 percent by 2030 while retaining a profit. Past 2030, deeper cuts will be necessary but harder to achieve.
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