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FirstEnergy abandons emissions targets; the US invests $1.2 billion in carbon capture tech; South Africa's national energy plan; tipping points for the Amazon rainforest; NOAA issues La Niña watch.
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FirstEnergy abandons emissions targets; the US invests $1.2 billion in carbon capture tech; South Africa's national energy plan; tipping points for the Amazon rainforest; NOAA issues La Niña watch.
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.
EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/
Follow Us:
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TVTranscript
00:00A U.S. emissions rule aimed at speeding up the nation's shift to electric vehicles might be
00:07hitting a speed bump as the government considers relaxing some of the rules how the proposed
00:12changes could impact the nation's climate goals. Plus, the U.S. government appears to be on track
00:18to make a big clean energy purchase as the administration strives to cut emissions in
00:23all federal buildings. We'll have more on what they're doing. And one major oil company is
00:28looking to develop and test some new environmentally friendly technology. Why some industry analysts are
00:34calling the move a potential game changer.
00:44Hello and welcome to EarthX News, where we focus on sustainability and the environment.
00:49I'm Christina Thompson. This week, we're focusing on the realities surrounding the green energy
00:54transition and the economic and logistical challenges that many governments and businesses
00:59are facing as they try to meet those climate goals. We kick things off here in the United States.
01:05First Energy Corp abandoned their 2030 target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
01:10but they are keeping that 2050 goal of becoming carbon neutral. They say it's just too challenging
01:15to replace their coal plants in time for the 2030 deadline. According to a report by the Sierra Club,
01:21most utilities are failing to make significant progress towards long-term carbon neutrality
01:26targets. It's an issue becoming all too common. There's too much demand and not enough clean energy
01:31solutions to offset the production of coal plants. For First Energy, the coal-fired Fort Martin and
01:38Harrison power plants in West Virginia are needed to supply enough electricity across the area.
01:44A changing market also forecasts these facilities to be more profitable than historically projected.
01:49Both plants are slated to shut down in 2035 and 2040.
01:54A U.S. plan to invest up to $1.2 billion in a promising new carbon capture technology is under fire.
02:02The innovation, called direct air capture, is designed to remove carbon pollution from the atmosphere.
02:08The technology is compared to giant vacuums sucking carbon from the sky.
02:13But critics are worried that it could also prolong the lifespan of fossil fuel companies,
02:18arguing that investing in renewables and energy efficiency would be a more effective use of funds.
02:24Vicki Holub, the CEO of Warren Buffett-backed Occidental Petroleum Corp.,
02:29one of the largest beneficiaries of the grant, is doing little to dispel those fears.
02:33She was quoted as saying,
02:35If it's produced in the way that I'm talking about, there's no reason not to produce oil and gas forever.
02:41Carbon dioxide has been used by oil companies for decades to extract more oil out of the aging, declining oil wells.
02:48This means that companies can not only cash in by winning government grants or by charging businesses for the right to offset their carbon dioxide emissions,
02:55but also can make money from taking the extracted CO2 to produce more oil.
03:01Regardless, direct air capture presents a potential compromise in the transition from fossil fuels to renewables,
03:07allowing oil production to continue while working towards a net-zero future.
03:12The Biden administration plans to relax its rules on tailpipe emissions,
03:16which were designed to get Americans to move from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles.
03:21Automakers in the United Auto Workers Union asked President Biden to scale back his proposed push for EV sales.
03:28They argued electric vehicles are still too expensive for the average American
03:32and that more charging stations are needed for the country to make this shift.
03:37Last April, the Environmental Protection Agency announced they wanted automakers to aim for 60% of their new vehicle production
03:44to be EV by 2030 and 67% by 2032.
03:49The revisions make it so the required EV production accounts for less than 60% by 2030.
03:55The final revisions should be made available to the public next month.
03:58The U.S. government is preparing for what could become its largest ever purchase of carbon-free electricity
04:03as it looks to deliver on the administration's goals to reduce the carbon footprint of federal agencies.
04:10The General Services Administration and Defense Department are looking for contractors
04:14who can offer the clean electricity for agency facilities throughout the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest by 2030.
04:21The agencies expect to seek about 2.7 million megawatt hours of carbon-free power per year,
04:28which the GSA says is equivalent to powering about 250,000 homes for a year.
04:33Joining us now to discuss is policy analyst Tom Borelli.
04:37Tom, thanks for coming in.
04:39Hey, Christina. Great to see you. Thanks for having me.
04:42So GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan praised the initiative, saying in part,
04:46quote, this will mark a key milestone as we continue to incentivize more production and delivery of clean energy.
04:53She went on to say that they're using the government's buying power to spur demand for clean, carbon-pollution-free electricity,
05:00and also that they're partnering with the industry to drive towards the triple win of good jobs,
05:05lower costs of taxpayers, and a healthier planet for future generations.
05:09Do you agree with this?
05:11Well, Christina, first let's talk about the objective.
05:13I think she described it perfectly from the government perspective.
05:17What they're trying to do is spur the development of renewable energy to meet President Biden's climate change plans
05:26and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
05:28And they're doing that by trying to drive demand, trying to have people develop renewable energy at a guaranteed price
05:38so that hopefully they'll make more and there will also be, hopefully, innovation.
05:44So that's what they're trying to do.
05:46There's also the risk of the change in government.
05:49So those who invested could actually, you know, have a loss from thinking they had a guaranteed government market,
05:57but then change of government.
05:59There is no guaranteed change of renewable energy or demand.
06:05Right.
06:05And there's a lot of praise around this, but you mentioned there's also some reality checks when it comes to the clean energy transition.
06:11So I'm wondering if you can expand on that topic of there being some economic and logistical challenges
06:16that the U.S. could face as the country tries to meet this climate goal.
06:21Well, great question, Christina.
06:22You know, also, you know, renewable energy is a great idea, but there's significant technological challenges,
06:28especially when it comes to wind and solar.
06:31First of all, they're intermittent development program of energy.
06:36When the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine, there's no energy.
06:41And yet we don't have battery technology to store the energy when there is wind and when there is sun.
06:48So that is a big risk there.
06:50Plus, California has had a renewable energy mandate for their electricity and their electricity prices have gone up significantly.
06:59And they've also run into problems such as running out of power when it gets really warm there.
07:06So it can be technological problems can challenge, you know, this whole idea.
07:10What would be some of the solutions to those challenges to maybe when the sun's not shining?
07:15Is there a way to still be able to get this renewable energy or is there a way to drive the cost down?
07:21Well, that's what they're hoping.
07:22They're hoping by giving a guaranteed demand for a product that companies will innovate.
07:29But there's, you know, there's, you know, there's a problem with some of the basic physics with respect to taking energy from the sun and converting it to electricity.
07:39So we should wait, in my view, rather than force until basic innovation comes along and are able to develop these technologies if they're able to.
07:51Right. But we can't wait too long, right?
07:52Because the Biden administration has this 2030 goal, which is only six years away.
07:57So how aggressive does the U.S. have to be with these initiatives in order to meet that demanding goal?
08:04Well, that's really the heart of the problem.
08:07Again, from my philosophical perspective, the government shouldn't be mandating a lot of things.
08:12If anything, it should be up to the individual consumer to decide what kind of car they want to buy, how that car gets powered, if they want to choose to buy renewable energy or not.
08:22But what the Biden administration is doing and the Obama administration have basically the same philosophy, it's a command and control energy policy where they're going to tell people how to get their power, regardless of cost or technological challenges.
08:40So that's the basic philosophical difference.
08:42And when you have a mandate, we need to do this by X state, then you need to follow that with trying to encourage, you know, grid operators to use renewable energy.
08:52But the technology might not be there.
08:54So they possibly, in my view, likely will hit that wall.
08:58All right. Well, we'll have to see.
08:59Tom Borelli, thank you for coming on.
09:01Thanks, Christina.
09:03Turning now to international news.
09:05In South Africa, a national energy plan is facing some pushback.
09:08The country's presidential climate commission has criticized the energy ministry over what officials claim is an inadequate plan to address the power supply crisis, air quality issues and climate change.
09:21The ministry's proposal, called the Integrated Resource Plan, has been specifically scrutinized for its reliance on coal to produce electricity, despite calls for transition to greener alternatives.
09:32Renewable energy advocates are also concerned that the IRP's target of 100 gigawatts of power generation capacity by 2050, it's not ambitious enough.
09:43South Africa, a major greenhouse gas emitter, faces severe air pollution due to coal-fired power plants and heavy industry.
09:49A new report finds the Amazon rainforest could be headed towards large-scale transformations.
09:54The study, published in the science journal Nature, revealed that up to half of the world's largest rainforest could be exposed to extreme droughts, deforestation, and fires that may lead to major ecological tipping points within the next 25 years.
10:11Researchers say they analyzed five key drivers of water stress in the Amazon, ranging from global warming to annual rainfall,
10:18and derived that some of the ecological changes we could see include a shift into a white sand savannah, a degraded open canopy, and a degraded forest.
10:29Scientists say this could lead to the large-scale collapse of a biome that absorbs billions of tons of carbon while largely weathering changes in climate.
10:37The Amazon rainforest also houses at least 10% of the world's biodiversity.
10:42The study's authors say around 20% of the Amazon has already been deforested, and a further 6% is highly degraded.
10:50Last year, the leaders of the eight Amazon Basin countries committed to work together to protect the rainforest, but they stopped short of agreeing to end deforestation.
10:59A global oil company is testing out some new eco-friendly tech in the Netherlands.
11:04ExxonMobil has launched a pilot project in Rotten Dam in collaboration with Fuel Cell Energy, aiming to convert air pollution into energy using carbon capture technology.
11:14The project seeks to capture carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources and convert them into low-carbon power heat and hydrogen.
11:22The companies believe the project will serve as a proving ground for carbonate fuel cell tech, and if it works, the breakthrough technology could significantly reduce CO2 emissions from key industries.
11:32Coming up, a global weather pattern could be making a comeback.
11:37We'll tell you about NOAA's latest alert and its potential impact on the planet.
11:41Stay tuned.
12:02A new study focused on a crucial system of ocean currents is making some waves.
12:11A recent report published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances finds the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current, or AMOC for short, may be on course to collapse.
12:23Additionally, the resulting climate impacts could be worse than expected, according to the report.
12:28The key water system carries warm and cold water between the poles and acts a bit like a global thermostat to keep parts of the planet from overheating.
12:38Now, according to the study, the potential tipping point, or breakdown of this current, could result in a catastrophic shift in global temperatures.
12:46Scientists say the disruption of the AMOC and its subsequent climate impacts could freeze Europe, scorch the tropics, and increase sea-level rise in the North Atlantic.
12:57Despite the warning from scientists, researchers say the study does not give a time frame for a potential collapse and that much more research is needed.
13:05For hurricane forecasters and those who predict global climate trends, all eyes will be on the tropical Pacific during the next few months.
13:12The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently issued a La Niña watch, which scientists say is an indicator that the stronger El Niña weather pattern might be past its peak and heading for the exits.
13:26But the potential shift in weather patterns is sparking concerns, as some scientists warn the atmospheric shake-up could spark a cascade of extreme weather and climate impacts around the globe.
13:36Joining us now to discuss is NOAA climate scientist Tom DiLiberto.
13:40Tom, thanks for coming in. We appreciate having you.
13:42Thank you for having me.
13:44So what exactly does this watch mean, and why is this such a big deal?
13:49So this watch basically means that in the next six months, conditions are favorable for La Niña to form.
13:55And that may be a bit weird to hear because we're still actually currently in an El Niño, but all signs point to this El Niño ending within the next several months.
14:05And then by the time we get into the summertime, the chances for La Niña really start to ramp up.
14:12So where do we see these shifts happening, and why are they reflective of the diminishing El Niño?
14:18So both El Niño and La Niña take place across the tropical Pacific Ocean.
14:22El Niño basically means that the waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are warmer than average, and La Niña is the opposite, cooler than average.
14:30And right now, the waters are still warmer than average, reflecting the fact that we've been in a strong El Niño now for the better part of the last five or six months.
14:39However, just underneath the surface in the Pacific Ocean is a large area of colder than average water that's slowly making its way to the surface.
14:49And that's a telltale sign that this El Niño is likely coming to an end shortly, but also could flip over into a La Niña later on this year.
14:57I feel like we've seen so many extreme weather events even in just the past few years.
15:01I mean, more fires, more flooding.
15:03We've seen hotter temperatures.
15:05What are some of the extreme weather events that this sort of new weather and pattern, this shift, could trigger?
15:11Sure. So, El Niño and La Niña can cause all sorts of different weather and climate extremes happening across the planet.
15:19One big thing with La Niña compared to El Niño is that La Niñas tend to lead to there being an increase in hurricanes across the Atlantic Ocean,
15:27which is a big concern, especially considering that this La Niña is expected to form or favored to form during the summertime.
15:34Meanwhile, for the United States, generally, we tend to see our largest impacts from El Niño and La Niña during the wintertime.
15:39La Niña tends to lead to there being drier than average conditions across the southern tier of the United States,
15:45which is an opposite of El Niño, which usually leads to there being an increase in precipitation across the southern tier of the United States,
15:51which we've certainly seen this year, especially across California,
15:54where we've seen incredibly heavy rainfall leading to mudslides and all sorts of damages.
15:59You just touched on hurricane season.
16:01So many people are so concerned when this season comes around.
16:04Would it mean that there's a greater chance of hurricanes during hurricane season?
16:07So if you're someone who does not want to see a lot of hurricanes this year in the Atlantic,
16:15you would also not want to see a La Niña form in the Pacific Ocean.
16:19La Niñas are normally tied to basically making conditions easier for hurricanes to form.
16:24So the fact that we're favoring La Niña forming this summer is not good news for a quieter season across the Atlantic.
16:32We've talked a lot about extreme weather, a lot of scary things.
16:35Let's switch gears, talk about something a little bit more fun.
16:38I know NOAA is set to launch its first ever cartoon series called Teak and Tom Explore the World.
16:43Can you tell us a little bit about this project, what sparked it, and the importance of developing a series like this?
16:49Sure. So hi, I'm Tom from Teak and Tom.
16:52And I co-wrote and star in NOAA's first ever climate cartoon.
16:56We're expecting to release it on Earth Day this year.
16:59It's a five-part series taking a look at basically everything that makes Earth work,
17:03how our oceans and atmosphere interact with each other to create the weather and climate that we experience.
17:08And the one thing that teachers always tell us is that they want more material talking about just what makes the world tick.
17:14And as opposed to just doing something like a voiceover or narration, we thought, why not be a little bit different?
17:20And for the first time ever, we're creating a cartoon series that's going to take a look at all the latest science,
17:26but also jumping into all the latest technology that we use to monitor this great planet.
17:31I love it. I'm looking at the graphics right now. They look so cool.
17:34It looks like such a fun show. Tom, thank you so much for coming on. We appreciate it.
17:38Thanks for having me.
17:39Coming up, calls are growing to protect the planet's migratory animals after a new U.N. study reveals a shocking trend.
17:47Stay tuned. We have more on that story when we return.
17:50A new study from the United Nations reveals a disturbing trend among the world's migratory animals.
18:11Alex Salvi has more.
18:13Nearly half of the planet's migratory animals are at severe risk.
18:17The first report of its kind details the state of the world's migratory species and aims to alert the globe about the dire situation.
18:25The key message is that there has been a drastic decline in the conservation status of migratory species since 1970.
18:34These species are landing in one country and finding that they've nowhere to live anymore.
18:3944% of animals that rely on migration for survival are in decline.
18:44One-fifth of the species investigated are threatened with extinction.
18:48But the numbers are much more alarming in the ocean, where 97% of all fish species studied face the same threat to their survival.
18:56The elimination of any of these animals could have dire consequences.
19:00These species live in habitats, where the habitats are very important in terms of providing us with clean water, clean air, food, coastal and other literal protection and so on.
19:13And the habitats can't provide these ecosystem services if we don't look after the animals that are part of them.
19:20Forests aren't just about trees.
19:22Wetlands aren't just about reeds and grasses.
19:24It's very much about the whole ecosystem and the animals that live in them.
19:27The snow leopard is native to Pakistan, but it lives in hunts in the mountains across northern and central Asia, crossing the borders of 12 countries, including China, India and Russia.
19:38It's one of the species under threat.
19:40But researchers say that knowing the habits of migratory animals allows them to be saved before it's too late.
19:46The trends, again, are going in the right direction.
19:49There's been a recent survey and the numbers are up.
19:52Climate change, of course, is going to be a risk because of the habitats where the leopard lives, high mountain areas, and we're going to be losing a lot of the habitat.
20:07The pressures on migratory animals aren't confined to any specific area.
20:12Climate change, human exploitation and the breakdown of healthy ecosystems and habitats all play a role in the crisis across the world.
20:19It's for this reason this broad problem requires a collective response.
20:24So these are basically species where countries share a responsibility to manage them for conservation.
20:31It's no use having one country doing everything it should do if the species are migrating to another country for part of their life cycle where they're being trashed.
20:40Some of the existing programs are having success, but knowing that time and Mother Nature is against them, they know that other species may not be so fortunate unless drastic action is taken.
20:51For EarthX, I'm Alex Salvi.
20:54Alex Salvi, thank you.
20:55And before we leave you, a joyous moment at the Chester Zoo in England.
21:00Conservationists at the facility are celebrating after the birth of a baby chimpanzee.
21:05Zoo officials shared video of the newborn male primate cradled close to his mother, Alice, in early February.
21:13Staffers say the little guy was born on December 29th in front of astonished visitors and has been receiving care from his mother,
21:20along with other female members of the 21-strong chimpanzee troop.
21:25Veterinarians say despite being the center of attention, Alice and her baby are finding some quiet time to bond, and they can be seen cuddling up together.
21:34This new arrival is especially good news because chimpanzees are critically endangered.
21:39They are threatened by deforestation, poaching, and the illegal wildlife trade.
21:43That's it for this edition of EarthX News.
21:45Please join us again next week.
21:47I'm Christina Thompson.
21:50I'm Christina Thompson.
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