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ENB Pub Note: Make no mistakes; The Biden Administration has absolutely

The Biden Administration is forging ahead with its green agenda by committing the United States to not building any new coal plants and phasing out existing plants.

U.S. Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry announced at the annual United Nations climate change summit, known as COP28 and which is being held in Dubai, although no date was given for when the existing plants would have to go.

“We will be working to accelerate unabated coal phase-out across the world, building stronger economies and more resilient communities,” Kerry said in a statement.

“The first step is to stop making the problem worse: stop building new unabated coal power plants.”

Kerry said America was joining the Powering Past Coal Alliance, a pact of nearly 60 countries that have promised to accelerate the phasing out of coal-fired power stations, except the very few that have carbon capture and storage.

WHITE HOUSE PROHIBITING OFFICIAL TRAVEL TO FOSSIL FUEL CONFERENCES, INTERNAL MEMO SHOWS

Kerry said the action forms part of America’s plan to limit global warming to 1.5 Celsius.

As of October, just under 20% of the U.S. electricity is powered by coal, according to the Department of Energy. The amount of coal burned in the United States last year was less than half what it was in 2008.

Last month President Biden said that coal plants “all across America” will be shut down, to be replaced with wind and solar.

A move to close down coal plants in the U.S. is already underway as federal clean energy tax credits and regulations make it harder for operators to compete economically.

A report by the nonpartisan Institute for Energy Economics and Finance Analysis found that 173 coal plants are set to close by 2030 and another 54 by 2040.

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Fifty oil and gas companies, representing more than 40 per cent of global oil production, made pledges on methane and carbon dioxide at the Cop28 climate conference on Saturday.

The companies, of which 60 per cent are national oil companies, signed on the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter, which calls for net zero emissions by 2050 or before.

They will also aim for “near-zero” upstream methane emissions and zero routine flaring by 2030.

The charter was launched by the Cop28 Presidency and Saudi Arabia at the UN climate summit as part of efforts to decarbonise the oil and gas industry, which directly and indirectly accounts for 42 per cent of global emissions.

The signatories include NOCs such as the UAE’s Adnoc, Bahrain’s Bapco Energies and Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil-exporting company.

Italy’s Eni, ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum, Shell and TotalEnergies were among the international oil majors that signed the charter.

The Cop28 Presidency also said it would mobilise $1 billion for methane abatement projects.

“The launch of the OGDC is a great first step – and while many national oil companies have adopted net-zero 2050 targets for the first time, I know that they and others, can and need to do more. We need the entire industry to keep 1.5°C within reach and set even stronger ambitions for decarbonisation,” said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President.

“I am committed to both inclusivity and transparency. If we want to accelerate progress across the climate agenda, we must bring everyone in to be accountable and responsible for climate action,” added Dr Al Jaber, who is also UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology.

After CO2 emissions, methane is the second largest contributor to climate change, caused by humans. It is a greenhouse gas that warms up quickly, more than 80 times faster than carbon dioxide.

Climate experts say that reducing the international output of methane emissions is the most effective and least disruptive way to slow down the increase in global temperatures over the next few decades.

“The announcement mentions investing in energy systems for the future but all oil and gas companies are already doing this. It’s about how much they are doing, compared to fossil fuel developments,” said Antony Froggatt, deputy director of the Environment and Society Centre at Chatham House.

Investments worth $75 billion will be required to reduce global oil and gas methane emissions by 2030 under the International Energy Agency’s Net Zero by 2050 scenario.

More than 150 countries participated in the Global Methane Pledge that was launched at Cop26 in 2021.

The pledge aims to achieve a reduction of methane emissions by at least 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030.

However, India, Russia and China, who are among the world’s largest methane emitters, have stayed out of it.

The safeguards are expected to reduce tens of millions of tonnes of methane and other pollutants from oil and gas leaks, venting and flaring.

Global oil companies have been investing billions of dollars into carbon capture technology and hydrogen as part of their decarbonisation plans, but the IEA has warned against “excessive expectations and reliance” on carbon capture or storage.

If oil and natural gas consumption were to evolve as projected under the current policy settings, this would require an “inconceivable” 32 billion tonnes of carbon capture utilisation and storage by 2050, including 23 billion tonnes through direct air capture, the Paris-based agency said in a report last month.

“The idea that the oil and gas producers can carry on doing what they do, while diverting some emissions through massive deployment of CCUS is, I will say, a fantasy. It will never happen. The numbers don’t add up,” Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director said.

The oil and gas charter is a part of the global decarbonisation accelerator, a series of initiatives aimed at speeding up the energy transition and drastically reduce global emissions.

It focuses on scaling the energy system of the future; decarbonising the existing energy system; and targeting methane and other non-CO2 greenhouse gases.

The Cop28 Presidency said that more than 110 countries had signed the global renewables and energy efficiency pledge.

The countries will commit to work together to triple the world’s current renewable energy generation capacity to at least 11,000 gigawatts by 2030, considering “different starting points and national circumstances.”

They will also aim to double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements to 4 per cent from 2 per cent currently amid efforts to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C, the key Paris Agreement goal.

“We should see it as providing momentum, a means not an end, for landing the global target to triple renewable energy by 2030,” said Andreas Sieber, associate director of policy at environmental organisation 350.org.

“It is crucial that the global renewable energy transition occurs at the scale and speed necessary and does not exclude wide parts of the Global South substantial support,” Mr Sieber said.

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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Democrat-proposed energy bills, implementing some of the strictest energy mandates in the country.

The plan requires utility providers to transition to completely carbon-free energy generation by 2040, with specific targets set for 2030 and 2035.

Proponents claim the bills will create jobs and lower utility costs, but critics argue that the legislation will increase power outages, industrialize farmland, and raise costs for residents while providing less reliable electricity. (Trending: Greta Thunberg Caught on Video Going Full Anti-Semite)

“With passage of these game-changing bills, Michigan will become a national leader on clean energy,” wrote Whitemer.

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ENB Pub Note: We will review these regulations and report on the first-, second-, and third-order magnitude impacts. 

EPA has issued a final rule that will sharply reduce emissions of methane and other harmful air pollution from oil and natural gas operations — including, for the first time, from existing sources nationwide. The final action includes New Source Performance Standards to reduce methane and smog-forming volatile organic compounds from new, modified and reconstructed sources. It also includes Emissions Guidelines, which set procedures for states to follow as they develop plans to limit methane from existing sources. Oil and natural gas operations are the largest industrial source of methane pollution in the U.S.

Methane is a climate “super pollutant” that is more potent than carbon dioxide and is responsible for approximately one third of current warming resulting from human activities. Rapid, sharp cuts in methane can generate near-immediate climate benefits and are a crucial addition to cutting carbon dioxide in slowing the rate of warming of Earth’s atmosphere.

Regulatory Documents

Final Rule and Regulatory Text (pdf) (5.85 MB)
Regulatory Impact Analysis (pdf) (3.31 MB)

Supplementary Material for the Regulatory Impact Analysis: Report on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases (pdf) (8.94 MB)

Fact Sheets

Key Things to Know About EPA’s Final Rule for Oil and Natural Gas Operations (pdf) (184.1 KB)
EPA’s Final Rule for Oil and Natural Gas Operations: Overview   (pdf) (183.74 KB)
Technical Fact Sheet: Appendix K: Requirements for Using Optical Gas Imaging, Applied to Natural Gas Processing Plants  (pdf) (180.93 KB)

Tables

Table of Covered Sources by Site: EPA’s 2012, 2016 and 2023 Rules (pdf) (226.53 KB)
Summary of Requirements: Final New Source Performance Standards and Emissions Guidelines (pdf) (248.17 KB)

Upcoming Trainings

EPA will hold trainings in early 2024 to provide an overview of the final rule for  communities, Tribes, tribal environmental professionals and small businesses. The Agency also will hold trainings on how to apply to use alternate test methods for detecting methane and on how to apply to be EPA-certified for the Super Emitter Program. We will post information on the trainings on this web page as they are scheduled.

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Former Wall Street banker Randall Atkins got a lot more than he bargained for when he paid $2 million for a Wyoming coal mine without even seeing it in 2012. At the time, he planned to make money selling coal from his mine to other plants. That was before he conducted a study in conjunction with the Department of Energy and discovered he was sitting on a treasure worth more than the gross domestic product (GDP) of some small countries.

It turns out that his coal mine was also home to an estimated $37 billion worth of rare earth elements (REEs). These elements are part of a rich vein of unconditional deposits running throughout the mine. Unconditional deposits are rare earth elements contained inside other minerals and rocks, such as cobalt.

They must be harvested through a different process than normal mining. The rocks containing the REEs must be crushed, ground down or broken so that the REEs they contain can be accessed. It sounds like a complicated and expensive process, but the potential value of REEs makes that process worth the trouble.

Why Are REEs So Valuable?

REEs are valuable for several reasons, the first of which is that they’re hard to find in great quantities. That’s where the “rare” in REEs comes from. Second, REEs are valuable in several key technologies and industries. Some of the products that require REEs as part of their production process include:

Lasers
Cell phones
Jet engines
Batteries
High-end specialty glass products

As the world’s technological dependence grows, the REEs used in the manufacture of things like computer and cell phone batteries become more valuable. An REE study by the U.S. Geological Survey showed that America imported over $150 million worth of REEs in 2021.

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ENB Pub Note: Some may argue that the title of this article should read: “Efforts to Slow Climate Change Could Create Humanitarian Crises.” There is way too much talk from the WEF and Bill Gates-type folks wanting to intentionally reduce the global population through pandemics or controlling food. What was once a conspiracy theory is now something to be reviewed.

As leaders converge on COP 28 in the United Arab Emirates, the international climate change meeting will have for the first time an explicit focus on climate change’s effect on health and wellness.

As physicians based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the U.S., we applaud that meeting organizers are doing a deep dive on health issues; health and human rights should be an integral part of discussions throughout COP 28, particularly as they involve the mining of natural resources to meet renewable energy demands. The DRC is an example of this, where even seemingly progressive and beneficial energy policy could make worse the working conditions, the overall health and the living conditions of the poorest children and adults who work in mines. Countries striving for independence from fossil fuels must ensure that shifting to a green economy does not add to what some public health experts call “modern day slavery.”

Our own countries, both part of the meeting, seem to be business-oriented, taking for granted some of the health disparities propagated by climate change initiatives. In November the World Bank released its DRC Country Development Country Climate and Development Report. It noted the DRC’s potential to be at the forefront of fighting climate change. Similarly, President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act has provided lucrative incentives for Americans to invest in a number of options to support clean energy.

But these policies increase the demand for the raw materials to make green technology, particularly a key ingredient: the mineral cobalt. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world’s cobalt, which has to be mined through intensive labor efforts that often go unregulated. And while a World Bank report acknowledged greater transparency is needed in the mining industry to ensure economic equity, it did not discuss the vast health disparities currently being driven by policies like Biden’s that are meant to better the environment.

Up to 30 percent of the DRC’s cobalt is extracted through “artisanal mining”—small scale operations that rely on child labor, unsafe working conditions and exposure to hazardous pollutants that lead to poor health outcomes, such as neurological impairment or respiratory failure. Children often start working in the mines at an early age, without proper equipment, food or health care. Many mines have high levels of radioactivity, and a high risk of collapse, leading to injury or death.

The global push towards renewable sources of energy has overshadowed the humanitarian crisis that has been happening over the past several decades in the DRC. More than five million people have been displaced within the country and more than one million Congolese have sought asylum. While much of the displacement has been fueled by conflict, mining has also caused people to be evicted or otherwise threatened to leave their homes, contributing to further forced relocation.

The world often refers to the DRC as an under-resourced country. However, the DRC is one of the richest countries in terms of natural resources. The majority of Congolese do not benefit financially from the world’s demand for cobalt. A significant part of the health care system is dependent on fees paid directly by patients for services. As a result, the poor and displaced, including some of those mining for cobalt, have difficulty accessing care, because of inability to pay and the lack of health insurance. Health care providers in the country care for these people, some with conditions resulting from their hazardous work, with little infrastructure to support them.

The Biden administration has increased its focus on the DRC’s natural resources, but has taken little responsibility in supporting Congolese refugees, who top the list of countries of origin for U.S. asylum applicants. The DRC is the only country of the top five, which includes Syria, Sudan, Burma and Ukraine, not designated for Temporary Protected Status, which would allow for streamlined acceptance of asylum seekers. It is unfathomable that the U.S. government has not granted TPS to DRC refugees and has taken a selective solidarity approach by not including this one country along with the others.

There is an overwhelming price for the shift to energy independence, and it is being paid by the most vulnerable citizens of the DRC. Most of the world is aware of the devastating effects of climate change, but many are not aware of the unintended consequences that sourcing of minerals like cobalt have caused. We cannot selectively demand for decreasing carbon emissions and at the same time be blind to the injustices that are happening in the DRC.

The delegates at COP 28 and the world need to ensure that the focus on renewable energy is not myopic. While funds have been provided to the DRC to support better mining conditions, there needs to be more transparency about how the funds are being used, and if the individual workers are indeed experiencing improvements to their quality of life. COP 28 countries should also support those who have been displaced with more fair and just asylum practices. The world’s environmental freedom should not come at the expense of disenfranchisement of the citizens of the DRC.

Scientificamerican.com

This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

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Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

FIRST ON FOX: Global delegates heading to the annual United Nations climate change summit are circulating a letter calling for the U.S. and other Western nations to immediately ban new natural gas infrastructure projects.

According to the letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., is among the lead architects of the effort in addition to Lisa Badum, a member of the German Parliament who is leading her nation’s delegation at the summit, and Canadian Sen. Rosa Galvez. Markey, Badum and Galvez sent the letter to other U.S. lawmakers and global representatives ahead of the COP28 climate conference, which kicks off Thursday in Dubai.

“At COP26, the United States — along with 39 governments and institutions — signed the Glasgow Statement, pledging to prioritize the clean energy transition and end new direct public support for the international fossil fuel sector by 2022,” the letter states. “This is the very least we can do, considering that even existing production capacities already exceed the limits set by the Paris Agreement.”

“Despite this, the United States is hurtling towards a massively harmful expansion of Liquefied Natural Gas infrastructure,” it continues. “Regrettably, there exist similar plans in many other countries — including in Germany, the U.S., and Canada.”

The letter further argues that while liquefied natural gas (LNG) — natural gas that has been cooled to enable easier transport — was originally looked to as a means to “tackle the consequences of the global energy crisis,” additional LNG capacity is “not needed.” Climate advocates have long opposed LNG and natural gas production since, when burned for power production, it produces greenhouse gas emissions.

However, natural gas has widely been looked to as a replacement for coal production since it is a source of reliable power and produces roughly 40% less carbon dioxide. U.S. carbon emissions have declined nearly 20% since 2005, driven in large part by a transition from coal to natural gas generation in the power sector.

“The U.S. has led in the production of affordable, reliable, clean energy, in large part due to our vast fossil fuel resources,” Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, who chairs the Conservative Climate Caucus and is attending COP28, told Fox News Digital.

“Republicans need a presence at COP to push back on bad ideas and show how innovation can leave our world more prosperous and better than we found it,” he said. “The goal at COP should be to reduce global emissions, not energy choices.”

Curtis is among the U.S. lawmakers attending COP28 who received the letter from Markey, Badum and Galvez.

The letter has received the support of additional lawmakers from the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., and the European Union. It will be published during COP28 as part of the ongoing “Global Parliamentary Inquiry on the Progress of the Fossil Fuel Phase-out.”

INTERNAL EMAILS SHOW BIDEN OFFICIALS OPENLY DISAGREED WITH ADMIN’S FOSSIL FUEL POLICIES

And, on Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee hosted a hearing about America’s energy and environmental leadership on the world stage. The hearing focused on emissions reductions made possible by greater natural gas production and reliance.

“We should instead be working to build on our remarkable legacy, which has transformed the human condition, helped lift people out of poverty, and raised the standard of living,” she added. “The best way to do that is with a strong energy mix that takes advantage of the resources we have here at home, lowers costs for Americans, and prevents us from becoming reliant on China for our energy needs.”

According to federal data, in 2005, coal generated 50% of total U.S. power across the power, industrial, commercial and residential sectors, while natural gas generated just 19%. In 2022, by comparison, coal generated less than 20% of the nation’s power and natural gas generated 40%, making it by far the largest power source in the country.

Markey and Badum didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Source: Fox News

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Governments formulate lists of critical minerals according to their industrial requirements and strategic evaluations of supply risks.

Over the last decade, minerals like nickel, copper, and lithium have been on these lists and deemed essential for clean technologies like EV batteries and solar and wind power.

This graphic uses IRENA and the U.S. Department of Energy data to identify which minerals are essential to China, the United States, and the European Union.

What are Critical Minerals?

There is no universally accepted definition of critical minerals. Countries and regions maintain lists that mirror current technology requirements and supply and demand dynamics, among other factors.

These lists are also constantly changing. For example, the EU’s first critical minerals list in 2011 featured only 14 raw materials. In contrast, the 2023 version identified 34 raw materials as critical.

One thing countries share, however, is the concern that a lack of minerals could slow down the energy transition.

With most countries committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the total mineral demand from clean energy technologies is expected to double by 2040.

U.S. and EU Seek to Reduce Import Reliance on Critical Minerals

Ten materials feature on critical material lists of both the U.S., the EU, and China, including cobalt, lithium, graphite, and rare earths.

Despite having most of the same materials found in the U.S. or China’s list, the European list is the only one to include phosphate rock. The region has limited phosphate resources (only produced in Finland) and largely depends on imports of the material essential for manufacturing fertilizers.

Coking coal is also only on the EU list. The material is used in the manufacture of pig iron and steel. Production is currently dominated by China (58%), followed by Australia (17%), Russia (7%), and the U.S. (7%).

The U.S. has also sought to reduce its reliance on imports. Today, the country is 100% import-dependent on manganese and graphite and 76% on cobalt.

After decades of sourcing materials from other countries, the U.S. local production of raw materials has become extremely limited. For instance, there is only one operating nickel mine (primary) in the country, the Eagle Mine in Michigan. Likewise, the country only hosts one lithium source in Nevada, the Silver Peak Mine.

China’s Dominance

Despite being the world’s biggest carbon polluter, China is the largest producer of most of the world’s critical minerals for the green revolution.

China produces 60% of all rare earth elements used as components in high-technology devices, including smartphones and computers. The country also has a 13% share of the lithium production market. In addition, it refines around 35% of the world’s nickel, 58% of lithium, and 70% of cobalt.

Among some of the unique materials on China’s list is gold. Although gold is used on a smaller scale in technology, China has sought gold for economic and geopolitical factors, mainly to diversify its foreign exchange reserves, which rely heavily on the U.S. dollar.

Analysts estimate China has bought a record 400 tonnes of gold in recent years.

China has also slated uranium as a critical mineral. The Chinese government has stated it intends to become self-sufficient in nuclear power plant capacity and fuel production for those plants.

According to the World Nuclear Association, China aims to produce one-third of its uranium domestically.

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ENB Pub Note: With world leaders like Bill Gates and Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, saying that the climate crisis won’t kill us, how much more money should be invested in non-finacially sustainable energy like offshore wind?  GenZ “Secret Decoder Ring” From Crackerjacks

Nov 29 (Reuters) – Decades of global climate negotiations have produced a perplexing collection of phrases and acronyms, as countries grapple with new science and policy goals aimed at limiting industrial emissions and preparing for a warmer world.

Here’s a rough guide to the jargon being used in Dubai at COP28, this year’s United Nations climate change conference.

GLOBAL WARMING – This term describes the gradual increase in the global average temperature, which is now more than 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average preindustrial temperature. The term “climate change” is used more broadly to describe global warming and its consequences, including variable weather extremes.

GREENHOUSE GASES – These heat-trapping gases, known as GHGs in short, cause atmospheric warming through the greenhouse effect. GHGs include a myriad of gases, but the most impactful — methane and carbon dioxide — are also referred to as “carbon emissions” because both molecules contain carbon. The world’s excess carbon emissions come mostly from the burning of fossil fuels and other industrial activities.

UNFCCC – The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the treaty adopted in 1992 agreeing to halt climate change. It has since been joined by nearly 200 countries.

“COMMON BUT DIFFERENTIATED RESPONSIBILITIES” (CBDR) – Based on a “polluter-pays” principle, this idea enshrined in the UNFCCC treaty envisions wealthy countries doing more to rein in climate change because they contributed the most emissions historically to the atmosphere. In 2015, negotiators added that action should be taken “in light of different national circumstances,” which implies that fast-growing economies like China and Brazil can now do more.

IPCC – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the main scientific body under the UNFCCC. Comprised of scientists from the UNFCCC signatories, the IPCC releases reports every six to seven years detailing global scientific consensus on climate science. The last reports were released in 2021 and 2022.

COP – The Conference of the Parties describes the annual summit of UNFCCC signatories, with this year’s COP28 meeting in Dubai marking the 28th such gathering since the UNFCCC treaty took effect in 1994.

PARIS AGREEMENT – The result of COP21 talks in Paris, this 2015 treaty sees countries agreeing to try to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6F) above the preindustrial average, with a goal of holding it to 1.5C (2.7F). It also calls for national emissions-cutting pledges to be updated every five years.

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