This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Governments around the world face a conundrum. Virtually none are on track to meet their Paris climate commitments. That includes the United States, which committed to cut its emissions at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 but is only on track for 32-43% cuts by 2030 based on current policies. And many of those policies, like the clean energy incentives passed in the Inflation Reduction Act – the landmark 2022 climate law – could be rolled back by the incoming Republican administration and Congress, leaving the U.S. even further short of its climate targets. President-elect Trump has pledged to once again withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord, which would mean...
What to expect from Donald Trump’s EPA pick: deregulation justified as boosts for the economy and platitudes about the importance of clean air and water.
[Liberian Investigator] Baku -- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia is advocating for the inclusion of climate change and security considerations in the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). This initiative is being presented at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Conference of Parties Twenty-Ninth Session (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
[ENA] Addis Ababa -- President Taye Atske Selassie, at COP29, has reaffirmed Ethiopia's commitment to the Paris Agreement and proactive disaster preparedness.
Exxon Mobil’s CEO said he wants Presidential-elect Donald Trump to keep the U.S. in the Paris Climate Agreement.Read more...
Trump Taps Lee Zeldin for EPA Administrator
President-elect Donald Trump has named former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency as he continues to build out his future administration with loyal supporters.
Workers face being targets in what could be Environmental Protection Agency’s biggest upheaval since its founding After several years of recovery after the tumult of Donald Trump’s last administration, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now bracing itself for even deeper cuts to staff numbers and to work protecting Americans from pollution and the climate crisis as Trump prepares to return to the White House. When he was last president, Trump gutted more than 100 environmental rules and vowed to only leave a “little bit of the EPA” left “because you can’t destroy business”, prompting hundreds of agency staff to leave amid a firestorm of political interference and retaliation against civil servants. An even greater exodus is expected this time, with staff fearing they are frontline...
The president-elect could act faster this time.
Scientists predict that this year is now 'virtually certain' to be the hottest year on record and the first year to smash past the 1.5 degree targets of the Paris Agreement.
[Liberian Observer] The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing Liberia's new climate law that outlines how the sales of carbon credits and how funds are generated are distributed among those who own the forest.
Almost 20 EPA rules, some of which are consequential, are under White House review. The backlog is the second largest of any federal agency.
The N.W.T government collected $68.7 million in carbon-tax revenue last year, generating $14 million in net revenue according to the territory's 2023-2024 carbon tax report, released this week.
First-of-its-kind research found fire retardants released by planes contain heavy metals concentrations up to 2,880 times greater than EPA limits.
"I thought that actual greenhouses caused greenhouse gases. I couldn’t figure out why they didn’t just outlaw them if they were such a problem."View Entire Post ›
New data released by the UN on Monday indicating that greenhouse gases have hit a record high shows once again that urgent action and not words is needed from the world’s major polluters to protect us all from climate change, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) insisted.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday announced the finalization of a rule that declares any detectable amount of the toxin in a home or child care center to be hazardous.
[Greenhouse Agency] Pressure for climate intervention may gain momentum as world heats up
The justices could move some EPA litigation out of a court that is seen as more deferential to the agency.
An EPA directive that all drinking water systems in the nation remove their lead pipes may not solve contamination concerns at L.A. public housing complexes.
Some justices indicated that states and industry groups still have a good shot at defeating EPA's rule curbing power plant emissions.
The justices appeared divided over a lawsuit brought by San Francisco over EPA rules for regulating how much sewage the city can send to the Pacific Ocean.
The rule will remain in effect until a legal fight over EPA’s authority to regulate the power sector’s carbon emissions is resolved.
The United States' largest polluters saw their emissions drop 4% on-year in 2023, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The heated debate reflects the likelihood that the carbon tax will be a central issue in the next election, which could come any time within the next year.
CCS systems could lead to more pollution for communities of color, a White House advisory panel said in newly released recommendations.
The lawsuit focuses on the agency's phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons, a superpollutant found in refrigerants.
The Environmental Protection Agency rule finalized Tuesday could eliminate a toxic threat to U.S. children and is projected to cost tens of billions of dollars.
Michael Regan said the EPA is working with state and federal partners to address elevated lead levels in drinking water in South L.A. communities
The justices could still choose to halt one of the agency’s regulations limiting carbon emissions from power plants.
Archer-Daniels-Midland sent EPA a letter about the conditions it is monitoring deep underground.
Doug Parker, who led EPA’s criminal investigations, is helping companies track their environmental performance.
The EPA said the facilities will treat groundwater in a part of the San Fernando Valley Superfund site, enabling the LADWP to use the water as part of its supplies.
The air quality regulations are now undergoing White House review.
The decision comes after a ProPublica and Guardian investigation revealed that the EPA had found that one of the fuels had a huge cancer risk This article is co-published with ProPublica, a non-profit newsroom that investigates abuses of power The US Environmental Protection Agency is planning to withdraw and reconsider its approval for Chevron to produce 18 plastic-based fuels, including some that an internal agency assessment found are highly likely to cause cancer. In a recent court filing, the federal agency said it “has substantial concerns” that the approval order “may have been made in error”. The EPA gave a Chevron refinery in Mississippi the green light to make the chemicals in 2022 under a “climate-friendly” initiative intended to boost alternatives to petroleum, as...
The government is to introduce a carbon tax, with enforcement slated for this year, says Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul.
The landmark ruling found the drinking water additive poses “a risk sufficient to require the EPA to engage with a regulatory response.”
EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the rule is the "final foundational step" in the Biden administration's strategy to address hydrofluorocarbons.
EPA and ADM say the leak was caused by corrosion in one of the site's monitoring wells, which allowed liquid carbon to migrate from the underground storage reservoir into the rock formation above it.
Members weighed whether EPA and state agencies could tap into cumulative impact assessments for their day-to-day regulatory work.
Banning drilling on public lands has lost support among top Democrats, raising questions on how Kamala Harris would govern.
by Sharon Lerner ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. More than three years ago, a small group of government scientists came forward with disturbing allegations. During President Donald Trump’s administration, they said, their managers at the Environmental Protection Agency began pressuring them to make new chemicals they were vetting seem safer than they really were. They were encouraged to delete evidence of chemicals’ harms, including cancer, miscarriage and neurological...
The rule is one of several EPA regulations at risk of a “shadow docket” stay.
A massive project headed by Elon Musk in Memphis, Tenn., to power AI has moved at breakneck speed. But it's stirring controversy around pollution emissions. The EPA says it’s looking into it.
Mandy Gunasekara, the former chief of staff to EPA chief Andrew Wheeler, reveals in an upcoming book that FBI officials and the EPA watchdog visited her house this spring.
[FrontPageAfrica] Monrovia -- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia has granted China Union a temporary permit, allowing the company to resume operations for three months. This decision gives China Union the opportunity to fully comply with the Environmental Protection and Management Law of Liberia (EMPL). The permit was issued following China Union's payment of US$20,000 as part-payment of a US$120,000 fine imposed by the EPA. The company has also committed to adhering to the EMPL requirements.
EPA Takes a Crucial Step Toward Closing a Dangerous Air Toxics Loophole Adopted by the Trump Administration
EPA officials say they've closed several water fountains that tested positive for Legionella.
by Lisa Song ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. The Environmental Protection Agency has taken the first ever federal action against a system that misleads consumers about the recycled content in plastic products. A ProPublica investigation in June showed how the plastics industry uses a controversial accounting method called mass balance to advertise plastic products as 20% or 30% recycled even if they physically contain less than 1% recycled content. It involves...
Oil firms, petrostates, airlines and carmakers ‘doubling down’ on sector that is popular with young people Oil companies, petrostates, airlines and carmakers are among the big polluters bombarding the esports industry with adverts, a study has found. Esports, short for electronic sports, are competitive video games watched by spectators, with multiplayer games such as League of Legends and Defense of the Ancients 2 attracting peak viewer figures in the millions. Continue reading...
Regulators hope sealed enclosures can keep a dangerous chemical from getting loose. Experts think they’re wrong.
Republican-led states and industry groups want to stop the rule from taking effect while they challenge EPA in a lower court.
The agency said it would reevaluate parts of the updated rule clamping down on air toxics emissions.
The agency's challengers had tried to argue that the demise of the Chevron doctrine bolstered their claims.
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spoke to reporters in Yellowknife about the carbon tax on Thursday, after a meeting with N.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson.
Study shows average platform has four times the level of pollution exposure deemed safe by EPA New York City subway riders are breathing in hazardous air, with Black and Hispanic commuters exposed to higher levels of pollution, a new study shows. New York University researchers found that the average subway platform had four times the particulate pollution (PM2.5) exposure standard deemed safe over a 24-hour period by the Environmental Protection Agency, and nine times the exposure guideline set by the World Health Organization. Continue reading...
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just suspended all uses of a herbicide that is linked to health risks to unborn babies. It’s the first time in 40 years that the EPA taken this type of action.Read more...
The EPA on Tuesday issued an "historic" emergency order to stop the use of the pesticide Dacthal, or DCPA, in order to fully look at the serious health risks it poses to unborn babies and pregnant women.
Red states and industry groups oppose the agency's request, likely signaling more procedural wrangling ahead.
The report warned EPA is at risk because it did not always follow its internal controls in awarding funds.
Argentina's abrupt snub of COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan has raised alarm that President Javier Milei -- an ally to US President-elect Donald Trump -- could be looking at pulling out of the Paris accord.
Far-right president may announce country’s departure from agreement after meeting Donald Trump There is growing concern that Argentina’s far-right president, Javier Milei , is set to announce his country’s departure from the Paris climate accord. Earlier this week, negotiators from Milei’s government were ordered to leave the Cop29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, after just three days. Now, the Guardian understands that Milei is considering announcing a formal withdrawal from the agreement, and that a decision could be made after a formal meeting with Donald Trump . Continue reading...
Right-wing President Javier Milei is considering withdrawing Argentina from the Paris climate agreement. Donald Trump has pledged to also remove the United States.
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Republican former congressman Lee Zeldin to head the country's Environmental Protection Agency. Zeldin, a Trump loyalist, is expected to undo dozens of environmental regulations.
STATEMENT: UK Releases Ambitious 2035 NDC, Putting Country on Path to Net Zero alison.cinnamo… Tue, 11/12/2024 - 01:06 BAKU (November 12, 2024) — The United Kingdom has announced it will cut its greenhouse gas emissions 81% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels as part of its national climate commitment under the Paris Agreement. This is consistent with the UK’s Climate Change Committee’s advice and the UK’s national Climate Act to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Following is a statement from Stientje van Veldhoven, World Resources Institute’s Vice President and Regional Director for Europe: “The United Kingdom’s new emissions reduction target is a shining example of climate leadership. Let's hope it will inspire other G20 economies to follow suit. The UK’s...
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York to run the Environmental Protection Agency.
Stephen Miller, a longtime Trump policy aide, will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy in the White House.
The state would get $100 million for land it owns with Grand Teton National Park under a plan approved late Thursday.
The “EPA workforce is resilient, fearless, and second to none,” he said, as the agency readies for the second Trump administration.
[FrontPageAfrica] Harbel -- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Environmental Research & Radiation Safety (ERRS) division, is investigating Firestone Liberia for allegedly polluting water sources, including creeks and running water supplied to local homes.
[Daily Trust] As the world faces an escalating climate crisis, COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, stands at a pivotal juncture for global cooperation and innovation in climate action. Building on decades of efforts since the first COP in 1995, which led to landmark agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, this conference holds the potential for substantial breakthroughs in climate finance, equity, and global mitigation efforts. With an urgency to go beyond past promises, the COP29, lasting through 11th-22nd
“It’s been four years that we’ve been marching, and nothing’s changed. They’re spending billions to do their conferences, but they owe us billions in compensation,” one woman said, referring to the countries responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions.
Politicians say use of common yet toxic paraquat can’t be justified due to apparent health and environment risks More than 50 US lawmakers are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to join dozens of other countries in banning a widely used weedkiller linked to Parkinson’s disease and other health dangers. In a 31 October letter to the agency, seven US senators said that paraquat, a weedkiller commonly applied on US farms, was a “highly toxic pesticide whose continued use cannot be justified given its harms to farmworkers and rural communities”. The call for a ban from the senators came after 47 members of the US House of Representatives sent a similar letter to the EPA calling for a ban earlier in October. Continue reading...
They say truck makers may be manipulating the market to “delay or weaken” emission standards.
This alarming trend, driven by fossil fuel emissions, locks in future temperature increases and puts the Paris Agreement goals at risk.
Congress gave the agency a tiny budget to oversee $27 billion in climate funding. EPA is trying to make up for that with bureaucratic safeguards for the grants.
The Environmental Protection Agency Thursday finalized stronger standards for identifying and cleaning up lead paint dust in pre-1978 U.S. homes and child care facilities.
While the Supreme Court usually takes few appeals, the new bid may have greater odds given a recent decision regarding challenges to EPA rules.
The Environmental Protection Agency is about to issue strict limits on lead dust, which poses a threat to millions of children across the United States.
Environmentalist and former Vice President Al Gore visited NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Oct. 16, 2024, to commemorate the upcoming 10th anniversary of the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) mission. “The image of our Earth from space is the single most compelling iconic image that any of us have ever seen,” […]
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared receptive to upholding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's right to place generic limits on ocean sewage discharge as San Francisco took its contentious battle to the high court.
The court’s conservative justices grilled EPA over requirements included in a permit for the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
The Montana Democrat is down in the polls. Could picking a fight with his opponent over public lands help him?
Many Liberal MPs unhappy with their party's performance say change can only happen with a new leader, better communications and a plan to drop unpopular policies.
Chuck Russell has worked in fire management at the National Parks Service and the Bureau of Land Management for over 20 years.
President to announce in Wisconsin EPA rule aimed at ensuring drinking water is safe for all Americans A decade after the Flint, Michigan, water crisis raised alarms about the continuing dangers of lead in tap water, Joe Biden is setting a 10-year deadline for cities across the nation to replace their lead pipes, finalizing an aggressive approach aimed at ensuring that drinking water is safe for all Americans. The president is expected to announce the final Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule Tuesday in the swing state of Wisconsin during the final month of a tight presidential campaign. The announcement highlights an issue – safe drinking water – that Kamala Harris has prioritized as vice-president and during her presidential campaign. The new rule supplants a looser standard set...
Northern Thailand has been hit by severe floods over recent weeks, with Typhoon Yagi worsening the seasonal monsoon rains Two elephants have drowned, while power was cut and hotels were forced to evacuate guests after the Thai tourist hotspot Chiang Mai was hit by its worst flooding in decades over the weekend. Across Thailand, 20 provinces are flooded, including nine in the northern region, where 8,625 households are affected according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. Continue reading...
As prime minister Justin Trudeau trails in polls, opposition seek to persuade voters environmental policy is a burden Mass hunger and malnutrition. A looming nuclear winter. An existential threat to the Canadian way of life. For months, the country’s Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has issued dire and increasingly apocalyptic warnings about the future. The culprit? A federal carbon levy meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions. In the House of Commons this month, the Tory leader said there was only one way to avoid the devastating crisis: embattled prime minister Justin Trudeau must “call a ‘carbon tax’ election”. Continue reading...
New vehicle efficiency standards (NVES) will not apply to at least four large vehicles, source says Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast New fuel efficiency standards due to come into force from January will not apply to at least four large vehicle models because of a gap within the legislation, the motor industry has been told. The Albanese government said earlier this year its new vehicle efficiency standards (NVES) would save motorists about $1,000 a year while cutting fuel use and carbon emissions. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
Former EPA chief of staff Mandy Gunasekara also urges the “closing of federal agencies” and firing “bureaucrats with influence on policy” in her new book.
Judge Daniel Calabretta said the court is waiting for EPA to decide whether to approve a state waiver allowing stronger-than-federal rules.
At least 3.5 million people have experienced some kind of water service disruption, according to EPA estimates.
The Excise Department plans to initially implement a carbon tax rate on refined oil equivalent to Singapore's, according to the chief of the Excise Department.
by Sharon Lerner ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is planning to withdraw and reconsider its approval for Chevron to produce 18 plastic-based fuels, including some that an internal agency assessment found are highly likely to cause cancer. In a recent court filing, the federal agency said it “has substantial concerns” that the approval order “may have been made in error.” The EPA gave a Chevron refinery in Mississippi the...
The Environmental Protection Agency must address concerns about potential health risks posed by the recommended levels of fluoride in the country's drinking water, a federal court in California has ruled.
EPA climate rules target the biggest U.S. emitters. Here’s a breakdown.
Sasol and Eskom, the country’s top emitters of greenhouse gases, signed a pact Friday to work toward aggregating gas together.
At a House hearing on the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the agency’s inspector general invoked his experience as a prosecutor of financial crimes.
Canada's oilsands industry remains under pressure to reduce its greenhouse gas footprint, even as companies have clamped down on public communications.
As the Conservatives plan to put forward a motion for a 'carbon tax election,' Liberal MPs say they are not concerned and are ready to face a non-confidence vote.
Jeff Reinbold most recently oversaw the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington.
Two years ago EPA awarded $53 million to 132 separate projects.
The EPA team that supervised the cleanup after the Maui wildfire is among this week’s “Sammie” award winners.
Since its last review of the regulations 10 years ago, EPA concluded that ethylene oxide is much more carcinogenic than previously thought.
[Liberian Observer] The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia has granted China Union a temporary permit to resume operations for three months, providing the company with the opportunity to fully comply with the Environmental Protection and Management Law of Liberia (EMPL). This decision follows China Union's payment of US$20,000 as part of a US$120,000 fine imposed by the EPA. According to the EPA, the company has committed to adhering to the EMPL's requirements moving forward.
J. Tracy Stakely will also oversee the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park in Virginia.
[Liberian Investigator] Monrovia -- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia has ordered the closure of the China Union iron ore mine in Bong Mines due to multiple environmental violations. The announcement was made by Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, Executive Director of the EPA, at a press conference held at the Ministry of Information in Monrovia on Thursday.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Volume 129, Issue 17, 16 September 2024.
Despite health risks, Puerto Rico keeps tax incentives in place for cancer-causing chemical polluters.
America’s amazing public lands are too hard to get to.
Opponents say the D.C. Circuit should throw out the rule, which was blocked by the Supreme Court, “and require EPA to start from scratch.”
POLITICO's E&E News spoke to 10 former Trump administration officials and conservative allies about how Donald Trump could pick his next EPA leader.
EPA says Tucson’s drinking water is contaminated but air force claims agency lacks authority to order cleanup The US air force is refusing to comply with an order to clean drinking water it polluted in Tucson, Arizona , claiming federal regulators lack authority after the conservative-dominated US supreme court overturned the “Chevron doctrine”. Air force bases contaminated the water with toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” and other dangerous compounds. Though former US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials and legal experts who reviewed the air force’s claim say the Chevron doctrine ruling probably would not apply to the order, the military’s claim that it would represents an early indication of how polluters will wield the controversial court decision to evade responsibility...
The Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency ban on a common weed killer, DCPA or Dacthal, over concerns about the health risks for fetuses.
For the first time in 40 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken emergency action to suspend the use of a pesticide found to cause irreversible damage to fetuses when they're exposed in utero. The pesticide, dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, also known as DCPA or Dacthal, has been linked to low birth weight babies who later in life have been shown to have decreased IQ and impaired brain development and motor skills. “DCPA is so dangerous that it needs to be removed from the market immediately," Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a statement Tuesday. According to an EPA report, the pesticide was first introduced in 1958 to control weeds in agricultural and non-agricultural settings, primarily...
The pesticide, known as DCPA, is known to harm fetuses and “needs to be removed from the market immediately,” an EPA official said.
“It would be helpful for any appointees to know who all is building a ‘resistance,’” said former EPA chief of staff Mandy Gunasekara.
In 1944, the site, originally a British and American military installation, became housing for 982 European refugees, most of them Jewish survivors of the Holocaust.
Donald Trump has never been one to show much support for eco-friendly tech. While he was in office, he pulled the U.S. out the Paris climate accords and so far through his re-election campaign he’s pledged to scrap an electric vehicle mandate that doesn’t actually exist. Despite all this, he now appears to be changing…Read more...