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US states challenge federal environmental policy; John Kerry steps down; German emissions reach a 70-year low; climate change threatens the Panama Canal; marine scientists discover new ocean life,
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US states challenge federal environmental policy; John Kerry steps down; German emissions reach a 70-year low; climate change threatens the Panama Canal; marine scientists discover new ocean life,
About EarthxNews:
A weekly program dedicated to covering the stories that shape the planet. Featuring the latest updates in energy, environment, tech, climate, and more.
EarthX & EarthXtra
Love Our Planet.
The Official Network of Earth Day.
About Us:
At EarthX, we believe our planet is a pretty special place. The people, landscapes, and critters are likely unique to the entire universe, so we consider ourselves lucky to be here. We are committed to protecting the environment by inspiring conservation and sustainability, and our programming along with our range of expert hosts support this mission. We’re glad you’re with us.
EarthX is a media company dedicated to inspiring people to care about the planet. We take an omni channel approach to reach audiences of every age through its robust 24/7 linear channel distributed across cable and FAST outlets, along with dynamic, solution oriented short form content on social and digital platforms. EarthX is home to original series, documentaries and snackable content that offer sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. EarthX is the only network that delivers entertaining and inspiring topics that impact and inspire our lives on climate and sustainability.
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TVTranscript
00:00A handful of states are challenging a U.S. federal environmental policy aiming to regulate
00:07greenhouse gas emissions. We'll have more on why the states feel the Biden administration
00:12may have gone too far. Plus, U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry has announced he's leaving his position.
00:18We'll take a look at what's next for the top climate official and how he plans to address
00:23climate issues from other angles. And efforts to advance nature's rights to exist takes a step
00:29forward in Colorado. We'll explain. Hello and welcome to EarthX News, where we focus on
00:41sustainability and the environment. I'm Christina Thompson. Let's get into some of the biggest
00:45headlines facing our planet. A federal environmental policy is being challenged in court. A group of
00:51nearly two dozen states are suing the government over new highway emissions rules that took effect
00:56in early January. The policy from the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Department
01:01of Transportation requires state transportation departments to create targets for carbon dioxide
01:07reduction and then send a progress report on meeting the prescribed benchmarks to the federal
01:12agencies. In the complaint, the state claims President Biden, Transportation Secretary Pete
01:17Buttigieg and the FHA leader overstepped their authority in taking steps to regulate greenhouse
01:22gas emissions, arguing in part, quote, Congress has not given FHWA or DOT authority to regulate greenhouse
01:30gas emissions, nor can the agencies compel the states to administer a federal regulatory program
01:36or mandate them to further executive policy wishes absent some other authority to do so, which is
01:42lacking as to this rule. The states maintain only Congress is authorized to advance greenhouse gas
01:47emissions rules and accuse Biden and his administration of violating the law. They are asking the court to
01:53vacate the rule and block its enforcement. Germany is approaching a huge milestone in the effort to
02:00reach net zero, celebrating their carbon emissions dropping to a 70-year low. The milestone was accomplished
02:07in part thanks to cuts in industrial production and lower coal generation. But the celebrating ends there,
02:13as there's still more to be done with the country's climate goals. Germany is still Europe's largest economy and their
02:19biggest polluter. And even more with the emissions cut, it's still not on track to meet its climate goals. The
02:25country's climate harming emissions dropped to 673 million tons of CO2. That's a reduction of 73 million and below the
02:33government's annual target of 722 million, according to estimates from some oversight think tanks. However, only 15% of the
02:41overall emissions savings are because of higher energy efficiency standards or more renewables in the
02:46mix. About half the reduction is because of demand reduction and production cuts from energy intensive
02:52industries linked to the crisis triggered by Russia's war in Ukraine. The research group's director explained
02:58that's why Germany is still not on track to reaching its 2030 climate goals. The economy ministry called the
03:05forecast very pessimistic, saying the full effect of its efforts to speed up renewables will only be visible
03:11this year. Now, while opinions are conflicting, the facts remain. Germany was the world's worst
03:16performing major economy in 2023. The country also recently started to rely more heavily on electricity
03:23supplied by its neighbors, turning net importer for the first time. It's expected if the economy picks up
03:28in 2024, so will emissions. A key U.S. climate official is set to step down from his role this year.
03:35John Kerry, former Massachusetts senator and former presidential candidate, announced he'll be vacating
03:41his position as America's climate envoy. While Kerry says he's leaving his post, he plans to continue to
03:47work on climate issues from other angles. Sources say Kerry is due to depart the administration by the
03:52spring and is expected to join President Biden's re-election campaign. Kerry has stated he'll do whatever
03:59he can to help re-elect President Biden and will campaign on what Biden has done on the climate
04:04issue. Kerry spent the last three years as the top climate official in the U.S. Prior to that,
04:09Kerry helped broker the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement while he was the secretary of state during
04:14the Obama administration. The Supreme Court has ruled against the development of a copper and gold
04:21mine in Alaska. The high court's decision to toss the state's plan to revive the project,
04:26called the Pebble Mine, comes after the Environmental Protection Agency shut it down
04:30last year. Invoking the Clean Water Act, the EPA blocked the project because of concerns about the
04:36impact large open-pit mine could have on local areas, which support the world's largest sockeye
04:42salmon fishery. This all comes after local leadership filed a complaint with the nation's highest court to
04:48overturn the EPA's decision last July. Alaska's lawmakers can still try and reverse this latest decision,
04:54but they would have to start in a lower court and appeal any unfavorable decisions to the Supreme
04:59Court. Mining for uranium is making a comeback in the U.S. For the first time in eight years,
05:05operations have resumed at three mines along the Arizona-Utah border. One of the mines in Arizona
05:10is located only seven miles south of the Grand Canyon within a new indigenous national monument,
05:16which President Biden designated just last year, while the other two are located in Utah's quarter of the
05:22Four Corners region. Energy Fuels Incorporated is the company behind the mines, and in a statement
05:27about its decision to ramp up production, suggested the resurgence in digging for the mineral comes
05:33amidst the increased demand for nuclear power and rising uranium prices, saying in part, quote,
05:39prices have reached a 16-year high at nearly $90 per pound, as well as global government policies
05:45supporting nuclear energy to address global climate change and the need to reduce U.S. reliance on
05:50Russian and Russian-controlled uranium and nuclear fuel. The U.S. still buys uranium from Russia,
05:55despite sanctions imposed after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but lawmakers have been
06:00seeking to divest from the country. Despite the push to find alternatives to fossil fuel-generated
06:05electricity, environmentalists and tribes in the Southwest have voiced their opposition to the
06:09mining projects. They say their concerns center on water supplies, water quality, negative health
06:14outcomes for indigenous communities, and the destruction of culturally sensitive land. A federal
06:20court has struck down President Biden's new appliance regulations for dishwashers and washing
06:25machines. In its ruling, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals said repeal efforts by the Energy
06:30Department in 2022 were arbitrary and capricious, and the department didn't properly weigh alternatives
06:37or demonstrate the new rules resulted in more efficiency. The court's decision stems from an attempt
06:43by the Biden administration to toss a Trump-era policy that created a new short-cycle product class for
06:50dishwashers and washing machines, which relaxed water and energy conservation standards. At the time,
06:57the Trump administration said the policy change would help consumers save time and expand consumer
07:02choice. But in 2022, the Biden administration published a new rule aiming to reinstate federal efficiency
07:10policies that were previously in place, basically scrapping the Trump-era changes. The administration
07:16argued the change would save consumers billions in energy and water bills over the lifespan of the
07:21appliances. However, trade groups and appliance manufacturers objected to the DOE's proposed rule,
07:28claiming the changes could hurt appliance performance and lead to longer wash times with lower efficiency.
07:34The court ruling means the Energy Department must now revisit its policy and begin drafting new
07:39efficiency standards. The federal government has approved a plan to keep the lights on at
07:44California's last operating nuclear plant. The Biden administration finalized a $1.1 billion aid
07:50package for the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in early January of this year. California planned to close down
07:56that plant, which is operated by Pacific Gas and Electric, by 2025 and replace it with clean energy. But now the
08:03extra funds will keep the facility producing electricity until at least 2030, that's five years beyond when it was set to shut down. In 2022, the California
08:13legislator voided the deal at the urging of Governor Gavin Newsom, who said the power was needed to combat blackouts caused by
08:19stresses on the energy grid due to climate change. Some electric vehicle owners are facing new challenges amidst the bitter cold in parts of the U.S. Subzero temperatures in certain cities, like Chicago,
08:30are giving drivers a lesson on the impact frosty weather can have on their electric cars. Several industry reports say freezing temperatures can drain EV batteries overnight and reduce driving range. With the cold zapping battery life coupled with more EVs on the market, there's increased demand for charging stations resulting in the long lines that EV owners in places like the Windy City have experienced. Experts argue that the issue isn't with EVs themselves, but with the need to expand and improve the charging infrastructure of the
09:00across the country. One Colorado community is taking steps to ensure Mother Nature has a spokesperson in their area. The Board of Trustees in Nederland, that's about an hour northwest of Denver, authorized the appointment of two legal guardians to represent a section of Boulder Creek and its watershed. These guardians will be a voice for the creek to the group of local officials. Activists are hailing the move, believed to be the first in U.S. history under a Rights of Nature movement, which promotes a legal theory
09:30that ecosystems and species have legal rights to exist, thrive and regenerate and should have the same inherent protections as people and corporations. However, some industry groups say the laws could be used to block development. Environmentalists see the move in Colorado as a step towards advancing laws recognizing the rights of rivers, forests, animals and ecosystems in the U.S.
09:37The move in America's West. The move in America's West, comes as Ireland considers a nationwide referendum to constitutionally acknowledge nature's rights. The impact of climate change is being felt along one of the world's most important trade routes. Authorities say the laws are the same inherent protections as people and corporations. However, some industry groups say the laws could be used to block development. Environmentalists see the move in Colorado as a step towards advancing laws recognizing the rights of rivers, forests, animals and ecosystems in the U.S. The move in America's West comes as Ireland considers a nationwide referendum to constitutionally acknowledge
10:07that in Florida and the American and other countries.
10:09They say the Americans and the U.S. Over there in the U.S. On the United States. They say they have had to cut shipping crossings in the Panama canal by more than a third after a round of severe weather struck the Central American country. Leonardo Feldman has that story. A severe drought plaguing the Panama Canal may cost up to 700 million dollars. This is because authorities were forced to cut 36% of the ship crossings due to that very issue.
10:29very issue. This drought issue is a global issue. It has the Mississippi River, the Rhine, the
10:36Amazon, the Yangtze. Practically all the rain routes of the world are being affected. And of
10:41course, and we have been saying it for several years now, the Panama Canal has a fundamental
10:46disadvantage in that it is the only global shipping route in the world that operates with
10:51fresh water. Ricardo Vasquez is the authority administrator for the Panama Canal, one of the
10:58most important waterways for world trade. Officials say El Niño's weather and climate change are the
11:03reason why the Central American nation is experiencing a lack of rainfall. Many of the
11:10adjustments we have made have been aimed at allowing everyone an opportunity to transit the
11:15canal and prevent them from taking advantage of the condition of the Panama Canal to make us
11:20responsible for the price increases that they themselves are introducing as a result of the
11:26lack of water scarcity issue. Authorities are urging Panama to find new water sources while drought
11:34plagues their country. For EarthX, I'm Leonardo Feldman. Coming up, the state of the climate report was
11:41released and it talks a whole lot about storms. We'll keep the weather conversation going after the break.
11:47Each year, more than 500 scientists in more than 60 countries contribute to an international review.
12:14It's called the state of the climate report. The annual assessment documents the planet's ever-changing
12:20environmental conditions. For 2022, it revealed the Earth's climate system hit a number of records,
12:26including a record high concentration of greenhouse gases, plus ocean heat, as well as global sea levels.
12:32They were the highest on record. Joining us now to discuss is one of the many scientists who contributed to
12:38the yearly review, professor of atmospheric science and meteorology at North Carolina A&T State University,
12:44Dr. Ademe Mekonan. Dr. Mekonan, thank you for coming on. We appreciate it.
12:49Thank you for having me on.
12:51So can you explain what is the 2022 state of the climate report?
12:54As you just said in the introduction, the climate report shows increasing temperatures globally.
13:05But of course, this temperature could be different. The increase could be different at different places.
13:11But overall, for the planet as a whole, temperature has increased by about 0.25 to 0.3 globally,
13:19degree centigrade. What this means is, if we're taking the average, 30 years climatology average,
13:27between 1991 and 2020, and then the temperature in 2022 was above this average. So that's the increase
13:38in temperature. The Arctic in 2022 was both warm and wetter. This has a very significant implication
13:47for the Arctic climate. Because as you know, Arctic means it's ice, it's glaciers. And there are
13:57observations actually both in Antarctica and Arctic, iceberg is being affected. Particularly in
14:03Antarctica, which is the southern pole, extreme temperatures were actually causing the ice shelf
14:14to sort of collapse. So this has a huge, very important implication for the globe as a whole.
14:23A lot of your focus is on Africa and the Atlantic. What other changes are you seeing specifically in
14:29those areas?
14:31In Africa, what we see is both temperature increase, but also precipitation pattern is also changing.
14:40For some parts of Africa, what we see is severely lower than average precipitation.
14:49So this has a very important consequence. What I mean by this is, say, if there is drought in one
14:57part of Africa, then that would be a big problem for economies of those countries. If you contrast,
15:05say in the United States, we know there was drought for many years in the Midwest. But it was not on the
15:12news. It has never been on the news. We don't feel it because other things like transportation system and
15:21the overall economy is mobile. But for those countries in Africa, that's very, very difficult.
15:27So communities, the society will be affected as a result of that. So we have seen droughts,
15:35but also flooding like places in Khartoum, Sudan, which is heavy rainfall as a result of upstream heavy
15:44rainfall, then a lot of flooding. So the precipitation pattern is also changing. The nature is changing,
15:50actually. By nature, what I mean is rainfall over those areas is normally between June and September,
16:00mid-June to end of September. Now, the rainfall seems to be actually concentrating around July,
16:08mid-July to mid-August. So what this means is heavy rainfall, a lot of rainfall in a short amount of
16:15time. So that's a lot of flooding. That results in sort of overflowing rivers and stuff like that.
16:22So we have seen this in Africa. Is there anything maybe a bit unexpected
16:27that came out of the report or any sort of positive news in your findings?
16:32Positive news? It's very difficult to find positive news. The result is we seem to highlight
16:40the negative part because that has very important consequences.
16:43Right. We covered a story earlier about how Germany just hit a 70-year low with emissions. So
16:49I know that there's still a long way to go, but I'm wondering if we're starting to see any sort of
16:53a positive trend form globally. There are also below-average situations in pocket areas of Africa.
16:59This is centered around West Africa, around the country of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The
17:08temperatures were annually. I'm talking annually, not a single month. So annually, the temperatures
17:13were lower than average. So, but the normal temperature over those areas, summer time is like
17:2135, 40 degrees centigrade. And lower temperature, one degree centigrade lower or 0.5 degree centigrade
17:28lower doesn't mean much, but there was lower than average temperatures. This is for 2020.
17:34Hopefully we start to see some trends get a little bit more positive in future reports. Dr. Adame
17:40Mekkonen, thank you so much for coming on. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it.
17:44Coming up, scientists embark on a mission to find new forms of marine life. Stay tuned.
17:49We'll have more on their search for undiscovered sea creatures when we return.
18:08A marine science group has discovered dozens of new species in the waters around the Canary Islands.
18:14Alex Salvi has more. The ocean is vast, beyond most people's comprehension,
18:20filled with marine life, both known and undiscovered. The Ocean Census Program wants
18:25to learn more about it, setting out into the waters off Tenerife to better understand the unknown.
18:31Mission control. Traveling in the Pisces 6 submersible,
18:34science director Alex Rogers and his team are discovering dozens of new sea creatures.
18:39Well, we found lots of new species from a variety of groups, particularly mollusks,
18:48so snails and slugs. Many of the new discoveries can only be seen under a microscope,
18:54such as the Granulina nectin, a new marine snail, and the Ordontozona, a new shrimp species,
19:00all invisible to the naked eye. But what's unseen and previously unknown still plays a crucial role in
19:06better understanding how the underwater world functions? We now understand more about the
19:12number of species that live here. It also tells us something about the food webs and the way that the
19:19marine ecosystems around the Canaries actually work. The team went on 10 missions in December of last
19:27year, using divers to get to some of the locations unreachable by the submersible. They're shocked at what
19:32they were able to discover in such a short amount of time, and hope this is only the beginning of
19:37their success. Imagine when we go to other parts of the world where there's been almost no scientific
19:44study done at all, or into the deep sea where, you know, we've only sampled a fraction. The ocean
19:51census team hopes their findings can help protect the oceans. But with climates and ecosystems rapidly
19:57changing, it may be easier said than done. I think it's fair to say that we are in a race against time.
20:04Experts believe they've only uncovered 10 to 25% of all marine species. But those seeking to increase
20:10this number are doing what they can now, knowing that if they're too late, the opportunity will be
20:16gone forever. For EarthX, I'm Alex Salvi. Alex Salvi, thank you. Before we leave you, marine biologists
20:24have made a breathtaking underwater discovery. Scientists say they've mapped the largest deep
20:29sea coral reef to date off the U.S. Atlantic coast. Researchers say the reef's total area is nearly
20:36three times the size of Yellowstone National Park. It extends for over 300 miles from Florida to South
20:43Carolina and was found at depths ranging from 655 to just over 3,200 feet. Oceanographers say while
20:51they knew some coral was present off the Atlantic coast since the 1960s, the reefs remained a mystery
20:58in their size until new underwater mapping technology made it possible to construct 3D images of the ocean
21:05floor. And a heartwarming video captures the moment a once injured manatee was returned to the waters in
21:12Florida. The state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the marine mammal, nicknamed a lure in
21:18a nod to its predicament, was released into the Three Sisters Springs in the Crystal River National
21:23Wildlife Refuge on January 11th. State wildlife officials say the manatee underwent an almost
21:30year-long rehabilitation at the Tampa Zoo after it was found with a fishing lure hooked to its face and
21:36left flipper. Officials say the marine animal was rescued near Crystal River last February,
21:41before it was nursed back to health. That's it for this edition of EarthX News. Please join us again next week.
21:47Kristina Thompson.
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