News

COP28: Subnational gov’t’s effort aimed at lowering methane emissions launched: California part of coalition

DUBAI – California officially kicked off a new international climate initiative that creates a partnership of subnational governments that are committed to reducing methane today [Dec. 3, 2023] at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) hosted in Dubai. The effort, which was initially announced in September during Climate Week, has expanded to 15 signatories, which … Read more

Expected rise in fossil fuel use this decade could offset action to meet set climate goals

Stockholm, 8 November 2023 – A major new report published today finds that governments plan to produce around 110% more fossil fuels in 2030 than would be consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C, and 69% more than would be consistent with 2°C. This comes despite 151 national governments having pledged to achieve net-zero emissions and the latest forecasts which suggest global coal, … Read more

$16B NEC investment advances President Biden’s domestic world-class passenger-rail vision

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today [Nov. 6, 2023] announced it has awarded $16.4 billion for 25 passenger rail projects along the Northeast Corridor (NEC), a railroad line running between Boston and Washington, D.C. This particular line is one of the highest volume passenger rail corridors in the … Read more

Pursued intent to link Washington State to California-Quebec carbon market announced

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Today [Nov. 2, 2023], the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued a statement outlining Washington’s intent to pursue linking its cap-and-invest program with the joint cap-and-trade system operated in California and Quebec. This decision is an important milestone in the linkage process, which, if also pursued by California and Quebec, would lead … Read more

After air-CO2 net-zero? New study highlights need to address risk of continued global warming

The UN Climate Panel’s latest best estimate is that global warming will end once we reach net zero CO2 emissions – but a study in Frontiers in Science warns significant warming could still occur. Researchers including those from Imperial College London and University of Exeter assess factors controlling global temperatures post ‘net zero’ and offer … Read more

Worsening climate, more widespread impacts absent drastic cuts in GHGs: Report

Washington, DC – Today, the White House released the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) that shows the climate crisis is upon us and impacting every community and person across the country. Since the NCA4 in 2018, improvements in scientific research have made even clearer the impact of our greenhouse gas emissions on global warming and the … Read more

Biofuel megaproject operations halted by Bay Area court

MARTINEZ, Calif.— The Contra Costa County Superior Court today [Oct. 12, 2023] ordered Phillips 66 to halt its plan to operate a biofuel refinery in Rodeo, California. The court put the Bay Area megaproject on hold until the county fully complies with environmental review requirements that it violated when first approving the project. Communities for … Read more

Calif. target for no-emissions trucks sales met two years early

SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board has released a report showing that truck manufacturers are exceeding targeted sales of zero-emissions vehicles and are now two years ahead of schedule, demonstrating the interest that fleet operators have in zero-emissions trucks. The annual report tracks how manufacturers are achieving CARB’s landmark regulation that established a phased-in transition toward … Read more

Alleged environmental violations by eBay prompts filing of Justice Dept. complaint

The Justice Department filed a complaint against eBay Inc. today [Sept. 27, 2023] for unlawfully selling and distributing hundreds of thousands of products in violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA); the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The complaint was filed on behalf of the U.S. … Read more

To achieve global climate targets, urgent action to cut methane emissions from fossil fuel operations essential

Decisive, far-reaching efforts to cut methane emissions from fossil fuel production and use must go hand-in-hand with decarbonisation of our energy systems to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNEP-convened Climate and Clean … Read more