COP29: Backslide in Baku as 1.5C wiped from mitigation text
A late-stage presidency text for the Mitigation Work Programme (MWP) has eliminated any mention of the Paris Agreement’s global warming limit goals, and repeated its exclusion of ‘fossil fuels’ or ‘renewables’ language, reversing course on last year’s landmark COP28 Global Stocktake (GST).
Read MoreCOP29: US DOE deputy chief “confident” rulemaking on certain IRA tax credits will finish before Trump
Ongoing work to finalise outstanding rules for certain tax credits within the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will be completed before the end of President Biden’s term, a top US Department of Energy (DOE) official said this week, although work on final rules for other credits may be left in the hands of the new Trump administration.
Read MoreCOP29: ICVCM underscores Indigenous Peoples protection behind REDD+ decision
The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s (ICVCM) recent approval of three REDD+ methodologies paid special attention to the environmental and social safeguards of Indigenous and local communities, an ICVCM senior expert said Thursday.
Read MoreCOP29: Last chance in Baku for carbon markets to get this right, says Article 6 negotiator
Carbon market negotiators may have one last chance to find the right set of Article 6 rules to ensure integrity before the world abandons the market-based approach for achieving climate action, a Swedish negotiator said Wednesday.
Read MoreCOP29: USDA won’t finalise voluntary carbon rules before Trump administration, secretary says
A set of protocols being designed to help US land and forest owners gain access to the voluntary carbon market won’t reach a draft form before the end of President Joe Biden’s term, putting their fate in the hands of the incoming Republican administration.
Read MoreCOP29: US agriculture department to invest $7.7 bln in conservation programmes in 2025
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide $7.7 billion for its various conservation programmes in the 2025 fiscal year, the country’s agriculture secretary said Tuesday at COP29, expressing confidence that such initiatives will continue with the upcoming change of presidential administration.
Read MoreUS launches $10 bln global forest coalition, other Amazon funding initiatives
The Biden administration announced a raft of new initiatives Sunday that will increase funding for forest conversation and restoration in the Brazilian Amazon, including the launch of a coalition that aims to mobilise at least $10 billion by 2030.
Read MoreCOP29: US House Republicans arrive to pitch LNG, nuclear in conservative climate agenda
Republican members of Congress arrived at COP29 in Baku Saturday to pitch US natural gas and nuclear energy as decarbonisation solutions for the world, underlining that exports can help increase energy security and decrease costs.
Read MoreCOP29: US energy secretary confident in EV tax credits’ durability post Trump win
A day after incoming President-elect Trump’s administration reportedly indicated its intent to eliminate electric vehicle (EV) tax credits in broad tax reform, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm expressed confidence that the credits – and other financing supporting nascent clean energy technologies – should be durable enough to withstand potential attack.
Read MoreCOP29: US-China dialogue “extremely positive” on non-CO2 emissions controls, says White House official
A White House official said Thursday that the US has had active and productive negotiations with Chinese delegates over reducing non-CO2 greenhouse gases (GHG), adding that Beijing has signalled interest in implementing regulatory controls over non-CO2 gases similar to those in the US.
Read More