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Panicking about the UN’s scary Emissions Gap Report is a waste of time – here’s what to do instead

Emissions Gap Report

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) just released its Emissions Gap Report 2022 – and let’s just say, the news isn’t good. So brace yourselves: You’re likely to see a slew of frightening, doom-mongering headlines about it today, unleashing a fresh wave of terror over those of us who care about the planet. But rather than panicking, here’s what to do instead.

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The real reason Joe Manchin is sabotaging the US clean energy plan [update]

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Coal investor and US Senator Joe Manchin III (D-WV) opposes his own political party’s clean energy program. And since not a single Republican will support the infrastructure bill that contains the program, Manchin has disproportionate power to sink the US plan to decarbonize in order to slow global warming and meet the Paris Agreement target of net-zero by 2050. Why does he oppose it?

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COP26 Daily Briefing: 3 big things that happened on November 12

COP26

The COP26, aka the United Nations Climate Change Conference UK 2021, has officially finished in Glasgow. But the final agreement has not yet been put in place, and that will likely come over the weekend. Here’s Electrek‘s daily roundup of the key happenings at the world’s most important summit ever.

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5 key things to know about the do-or-die COP26 climate summit

COP26, also known as the United Nations Climate Change Conference UK 2021, kicks off Sunday October 31, and officially runs until Friday, November 12. It’s being held in Glasgow at the Scottish Event Campus (pictured). Here are five things everyone needs to know about this crucial summit.

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The refrigerant industry asked for HFC phase-out, and the EPA just delivered [Update]

EPA HFCs

The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and more than 35 other industry and environmental organizations, including the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April to set national targets to curb the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in refrigerators, air conditioners, and other appliances.

The EPA delivered today. It’s the first time the federal government has set national limits on HFCs. It’s also the Biden administration’s first concrete regulatory step to tackle emissions since the US’s announcement that it would slash emissions 50% by 2030.

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The IPCC climate change report – what it says and what we can do

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The world’s largest-ever report about climate change was published today by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations group of nearly 200 leading climate scientists that looked at more than 14,000 scientific papers. It’s pretty grim – but far from hopeless. There are things we all can and must all do. As US Senator Ed Markey says, “We can’t agonize – we must organize.”

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EGEB: 3 countries to watch for big decisions at the Leaders Summit on Climate [Updated]

US Leaders Summit on Climate

In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

  • The US-hosted Leaders Summit on Climate kicks off today. Keep an eye on these three countries.
  • Los Angeles City Council unanimously approves a Global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
  • UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.
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Climate Crisis Weekly: How Americans can really talk to each other about climate change

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  • How can Americans break through the partisan divide when it comes to talking about the climate crisis?
  • Scientists rank five types of soft drink containers from best to worst for the environment.
  • Small farmers globally are particularly vulnerable to the climate crisis. Here’s the help they’re getting.
  • And more…
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Climate Crisis Weekly: Electrek obviously backs Biden, we each explain why

Biden

Just in case you didn’t notice, the US election is next week, on Tuesday, November 3. We at Electrek ran a Climate Crisis Weekly roundup on October 10 with the headline, “Humanity’s future rests on American voters.” Someone on the subreddit r/JoeBiden declared, “Tech website Electrek backs Biden for president.” Our reaction to that? We’ll take it.

And here’s why. Electrek is for electric vehicles, green energy, slowing and eventually reversing climate change, and protecting and renewing the environment. And we’ll hop on whatever e-bus we have to ride in order to get closest to the goal of progressing those things.

So instead of rounding up the week’s climate change stories, we’ve done something different this week. Some of us in the 9to5 network explain — each with a unique perspective, from all over the US (and world) — why we back Joe Biden in the 2020 US presidential election. In short, it’s because he’s the e-bus that gets us closest to our destination. Because we believe, with a passion, in what we write about.

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Climate Crisis Weekly: Humanity’s future rests on American voters

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  • The US presidential election is almost here and voting has started. For the earth’s future, it’s everything.
  • Vice President Joe Biden releases the first political ad exclusively about climate change in the US.
  • Prince William and Sir David Attenborough launch the biggest environmental award ever, at $50 million.
  • And more…
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Climate Crisis Weekly: Greenland’s ice melting faster now than in past 12K years

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  • Greenland’s ice is melting faster than at any time in the past 12,000 years, according to a new study.
  • Sir David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet debuts on Sunday to help us better understand climate change.
  • The Environmental Defense Fund launches the Climate Authenticity Meter to evaluate businesses’ climate goals.
  • And more…
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