United States President-elect Donald Trump has already made it clear that his administration will be far more friendly to fossil fuel companies than it will be to the environment, both with his...
Friday, November 18, 2016 - 05:12 • Mat Hope
The world needs a new climate leader, but domestic turmoil means the UK is currently in no position to deliver.
The COP22 UN climate talks in Marrakech, set to wrap up today, aimed to build on the momentum generated by the historic Paris Agreement, signed by 196 countries last year.
The Marrakech meeting was never going to match the blockbuster Paris negotiations. Nonetheless, it was meant to be what delegates have referred to as the ‘COP of action’.
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Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - 00:00 • Kyla Mandel
During his first trip to the United States, less than two weeks after being appointed International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox took the opportunity to meet with the climate science denying neoconservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation.
The details of Fox’s post-Brexit three-day tour of America in July have only just been released to DeSmog UK under a freedom of information request. They show Fox also met with White House representatives, pro-business lobby group the US Chamber of Commerce, and some of its corporate members.
The documents reveal a close relationship between Fox and the Heritage Foundation, as well as the desire for a bilateral trade deal between the two countries. They also suggest concerns over the current “political discourse” in the US could hinder the deal, however.
Thursday, November 17, 2016 - 15:05 • Carol Linnitt
The UN climate talks seem to grind to slow motion this week with the much-hyped, much-anticipated arrival of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Kerry arrived late for his scheduled talk, striding in with that celebrity dignitary air, surrounded by a posse of private security guards and long-lens photographers. An inexplicable apocalyptic plume of black smoke rose from the Marrakechi cityscape behind him.
Thursday, November 17, 2016 - 09:13 • Chloe Farand
In this guest post, UK Youth Climate Coalition (UKYCC) delegate and journalist Chloe Farand gives the inside story of the group’s meeting with UK climate change minister, Nick Hurd. This is an edited version of a blog post that appears on the UKYCC's website.
No-one expected miracles from the climate talks in Marrakesh but we were told this year’s COP would be one of action. Instead, it has been one of frustration with little progress being made.
On the same day that the UK became the 111th country to ratify the Paris Agreement, the UK Youth Climate Coalition was lucky to meet with climate change minister Nick Hurd for an informal chat about what matters to young people in the UK.
The talks in Marrakesh kick-started the process of implementing the Paris Agreement, which came into force earlier this year.
Young people from around the world - including the UK - came to Marrakesh to see countries starting to deliver on their promises to make the Paris deal a reality. But the sense of urgency, which gathered momentum in the French capital seems to have faded.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 - 04:17 • Chloe Farand
Countries must aim to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2020 — five years earlier than promised — the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has told the international climate talks in Marrakech.
A new report shows just how far the UK is from achieving that goal, however.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - 09:20 • Mat Hope
It’s no secret fossil fuel companies will have to fundamentally change their business models if countries are serious about tackling climate change.
With so much skin in the game, it’s no surprise they find ways to try and influence climate policy at the highest level.
The international climate talks in Marrakech this week has provided the perfect opportunity for corporate lobbyists and climate science deniers to push their high carbon agendas.
Monday, November 14, 2016 - 07:37 • Mat Hope
There is no role for new coal power if countries are going to meet their climate targets, campaigners today told the international climate talks in Marrakech.
The Paris Agreement signed by world leaders last year commits countries to limiting warming to two degrees above pre-industrial levels. Negotiators are currently meeting in Marrakech to iron out the details of how they will achieve this.
Analysts have long warned that meeting climate targets will mean leaving many of the world’s fossil fuel reserves in the ground.
Monday, November 14, 2016 - 00:00 • Antoaneta Roussi
When it comes to transport, liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be a destination fuel rather than a bridge to renewables-generated electricity, said oil representatives speaking at the Economist’s annual Energy Summit in London.
The claim mirrors the recent COP22 climate pledge by oil giants to invest in gas as a 'climate friendly' fuel.
“We’ve talked a lot about gas being the bridge, but in heavy transport, in shipping, in trucking, LNG could be the destination fuel, not the bridge fuel,” said Steve Hill Executive Vice President for Gas and Energy Markets at Shell.
