US local weather envoy John Podesta has known as on governments to imagine in america’ clear vitality financial system, saying President-elect Donald Trump can gradual however not cease its local weather change pledges.
On Monday, throughout the first day of the United Nations Local weather Change Convention, COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Podesta informed the summit that Trump’s electoral victory final week was “clearly bitterly disappointing”.
“However what I need to let you know at present is that whereas america federal authorities, underneath Donald Trump, could put local weather motion on the again burner, the work to comprise local weather change goes to proceed in america,” Podesta stated.
He added that outgoing President Joe Biden’s landmark local weather laws, the Inflation Discount Act (IRA), which supplies billions of {dollars} in subsidies for clear vitality, would proceed to drive investments in photo voltaic, wind, and different applied sciences.
“I don’t assume that any of that’s reversible. Can or not it’s slowed down? Perhaps. However the path is obvious,” he stated.
“This isn’t the tip of our struggle for a cleaner, safer planet. Info are nonetheless information. Science remains to be science. The struggle is larger than one election, one political cycle in a single nation. This struggle is larger, nonetheless, as a result of we’re all dwelling by way of a yr outlined by the local weather disaster in each nation of the world,” he added.
Nevertheless, throughout his election marketing campaign, Trump stated he would withdraw from the Paris Settlement to cut back international temperatures to under two levels, roll again components of the IRA, and improve already record-high fossil gas manufacturing.
He beforehand known as emissions rules a part of a “inexperienced new rip-off” and claimed, with out elaborating, that offshore wind generators hurt whales.
Carbon market framework agreed
In an early deal at COP29, governments on the talks authorised new UN requirements for worldwide carbon markets in a key step in direction of permitting international locations to commerce credit to fulfill their local weather targets.
Almost 200 nations agreed to a lot of essential floor guidelines for setting a market in movement after practically a decade of complicated discussions.
Different key features of the general framework nonetheless must be negotiated, specialists stated, however the resolution brings nearer a long-sought UN-backed market buying and selling in high-quality credit.
“It’s massively vital,” Erika Lennon, from the Middle for Worldwide Environmental Legislation (CIEL), informed the AFP information company in Baku, saying it could “open the door” for a fully-fledged market.
Carbon credit are generated by actions that scale back or keep away from planet-heating greenhouse fuel emissions, like planting bushes, defending carbon sinks or changing polluting coal with clean-energy options. One credit score equals a tonne of prevented or eliminated heat-trapping carbon dioxide.
The benchmarks adopted in Baku will permit for the event of guidelines together with calculating what number of credit a given undertaking can obtain.
As soon as up and working, a carbon market would permit international locations – primarily rich polluters – to offset emissions by buying credit from nations which have minimize greenhouse gases above what they promised.
Taliban delegation attends COP29
Afghanistan has despatched a delegation to the UN local weather summit for the primary time for the reason that Taliban’s return to energy in 2021.
Matiul Haq Khalis, the top of the nation’s Nationwide Environmental Safety Company, informed The Related Press information company that Afghanistan was among the many worst affected international locations by local weather change, coping with excessive climate patterns, equivalent to erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and flash floods.
“All of the international locations should be a part of arms and sort out the issue of local weather change,” stated Khalis, talking by way of a translator.
He added that Afghanistan had ready nationwide motion plans to handle local weather change and would replace its local weather objectives inside the subsequent few months.
Khalis stated the nation had nice wind and solar energy potential however wanted worldwide help.
He additionally thanked Baku’s authorities for inviting the Taliban to the UN talks, because the Taliban would not have official recognition as Afghanistan’s authorities.
The UN local weather summit is about to happen for the subsequent two weeks and canopy climate finance for growing international locations and methods to transition away from fossil fuels.