Environmental Pollution – The News Desk

The Lesson of 1975 for Today's Pessimists

31Dec

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World

The Lesson of 1975 for Today's Pessimists

Things always seem dark and desperate before a new age of innovation kicks off.

28Dec

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Business

Treasury Drops a Hydrogen Bomb

President Biden’s climate policy contradictions keep piling up. Witness the family feud that blew up late last week between the renewables lobby and green groups over the Biden Administration’s new proposed rules for the Inflation Reduction Act clean hydrogen tax credit. The IRA created a new tax credit for producing clean hydrogen from low-emissions sources. The climate lobby envisions clean hydrogen someday replacing fossil fuels in airplanes, long-distance trucking, shipping, and steel and fertilizer manufacturing. The dispute is over how the government should define “clean.” Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

A Long-Shot Climate Bet Suddenly Turns Hot

16Dec

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World

A Long-Shot Climate Bet Suddenly Turns Hot

Updated Dec. 16, 2023 5:53 pm ETIt seemed like a far-fetched idea not that long ago—sucking carbon from the sky to prevent it from warming the planet. Now companies are spending billions of dollars to make it happen.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

COP28 Climate Summit Takes Aim at Powerful Methane Emissions

4Dec

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World

COP28 Climate Summit Takes Aim at Powerful Methane Emissions

Updated Dec. 2, 2023 3:45 pm ETFrom Texas to Turkmenistan, global leaders at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai are taking a big swing at cutting methane, a potent greenhouse gas produced by oil and gas drilling, livestock and rotting vegetation. They are using financial incentives combined with strict new regulations to get countries and energy firms on board.On Saturday, the Biden administration announced a final methane rule for U.S. oil and gas producers, requiring them to plug methane leaks and stop burning excess gas with flares. The regulations also mandate regular inspections of facilities to make sure the planet-warming compound isn’t escaping into the atmosphere.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Brookfield’s Origin Saga Shows It’s Hard to Price Polluters—Analysis

29Nov

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World

Brookfield’s Origin Saga Shows It’s Hard to Price Polluters—Analysis

Nov. 29, 2023 12:05 am ET|WSJ ProSYDNEY—At the heart of a nearly US$11 billion takeover tussle for the owner of several Australian coal-fired power plants is a key question for investors: how to value a major polluter that could also become a big enabler of the energy transition.It isn’t proving easy. A consortium led by Brookfield Asset Management has made an offer for Origin Energy worth 9.43 Australian dollars a share, equivalent to US$6.21 a share, that it says is fair to shareholders. Brookfield says it will spend up to US$30 billion on accelerating Origin’s shift to renewable energy and storage over the decade through 2033.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Natural-Gas Pipelines Are Old. Will Regulators Let Utilities Invest in Them?

25Nov

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World

Natural-Gas Pipelines Are Old. Will Regulators Let Utilities Invest in Them?

Utilities across the country are trying to boost spending to maintain aging natural-gas pipelines. Regulators in some Democratic states seeking to limit gas use are saying not so fast.Companies including PG&E, Consolidated Edison and Public Service Enterprise Group have proposed investing billions of dollars to bolster their pipeline networks, which will remain in use for years even as more customers use electricity to cook and heat their homes. They say such spending is necessary in part to maintain safety and reliability as they work to shrink their gas systems over time. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Dollarization Is About Who Pays to Clean Up Argentina’s Mess

23Nov

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Business

Dollarization Is About Who Pays to Clean Up Argentina’s Mess

Javier Milei knows how to create a stir. Not only has Argentina’s president-elect shaken up his own country’s politics. He also has sparked a global debate about inflation, economic reform and dollarization—and, even more unusual, an interesting debate about these things. It’s a Thanksgiving-week miracle.Critics of Mr. Milei’s pledge to ditch the dysfunctional peso and embrace the almighty dollar have focused on relatively narrow questions: whether Argentina holds enough dollar reserves to implement such a policy, whether it is likely to have the fiscal discipline to sustain it, whether the banks could survive it, and so on.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

18Nov

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Health

California Wants to Ban Your Choo-Choo

Gavin Newsom wants to be President, but in some respects the Governor already is, as the Biden Administration lets California impose its climate rules on the other 49 states. In the latest example, the Environmental Protection Agency has green-lighted Sacramento’s plan to outlaw diesel locomotives.The California Air Resources Board (CARB) in April approved a regulation that would require railroads to replace diesel with “zero emission” locomotives. Diesel locomotives typically have a useful life of 40 years or more, but the regulation would bar those that are 23-years or older from running in the state after 2029.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

To Slow Climate Change, Curb Methane First

17Nov

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Health

To Slow Climate Change, Curb Methane First

Many environmentalists are understandably skeptical about a climate gathering that will be led by the chief executive of the United Arab Emirates’ national oil company. But the meeting, which begins Nov. 30 in Dubai, could have a positive outcome if the oil and gas industry makes a verifiable commitment to cut methane pollution. Reducing methane pollution is the most effective way to slow the rate of global warming in the short term, according to the United Nations Environment Program. Cutting carbon-dioxide emissions is important for long-term climate health, but reducing methane pollution now will result in lower global temperatures than we’d otherwise see in the next decade. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

New York AG Files Lawsuit Against PepsiCo, Alleging Pollution of Buffalo River

15Nov

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World

New York AG Files Lawsuit Against PepsiCo, Alleging Pollution of Buffalo River

Nov. 15, 2023 12:19 pm ETThe attorney general of New York has filed a lawsuit alleging PepsiCo’s production of single-use plastic is polluting the Buffalo River.Letitia James said Wednesday that PepsiCo’s single-use plastic production contributes significantly to high levels of plastic pollution along the Buffalo River that is contaminating drinking water and harming wildlife.Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8