The UN climate conference is Poland is running into overtime as negotiators haggle over implementation plans for the 2015 Paris agreement. They're likely to extend into Saturday at least.
The latest: "Preparing for more lengthy debate, organizers extended the close of the meeting by two days, until Sunday. Some of the key issues at the talks remain unresolved, but European diplomats and campaigners expressed hope that an agreement was in sight," AP reports.
Wind energy companies bid record-shattering amounts Thursday for the rights to develop federal waters off the Massachusetts coast, offering the Interior Department a combined $285 million thus far for three tracts. And the auction isn't even over yet! It resumes today.
Why it matters: The robust bidding signals that offshore wind in the U.S., which has been way slower to develop than in the big European market, is poised for significant expansion.
KATOWICE, Poland — Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo, who lost his southern Florida congressional seat in the midterm elections, was a "pretend environmentalist" despite introducing legislation taxing carbon emissions, liberal activist Tom Steyer said on the sidelines of a major climate conference here.
Why it matters: Curbelo’s leadership on climate change within a party that mostly ignores the issue is notable and considered a cautiously positive sign for otherwise long-shot prospects for bipartisan policy. Curbelo’s loss and Steyer’s rise — he’s laying the groundwork for a potential 2020 run — shows just much bipartisanship is still out of favor.
KATOWICE, Poland— Getting off fossil fuels or reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a central sticking point emerging here at a conference to hash out details of the 2015 Paris Agreement to combat climate change.
Why it matters: Nations rich with fossil-fuel resources say the focus should be on reducing emissions whatever way possible, including feasible but expensive technology enabling those fuels to burn without emissions.
Shell, Engie, Schneider Electric and other multinational energy companies have recently announced ambitious goals to extend electricity access to about 200 million people, 20% of the unelectrified population globally, within a decade.
Why it matters: The seventh UN-backed Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 7) is delivering affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern electricity to the 1 billion people around the world living in the dark. It's a major challenge, but presents both humanitarian and economic opportunities to companies with deep pockets and large geographical footprints.
In the near-term, the new OPEC+ deal may have steadied the volatile market; while in the long-term, the U.S. influence on global markets is now massive.
The big picture: The International Energy Agency's latest oil market analysis is a CliffsNotes look at how the U.S. has joined Russia and Saudi Arabia as entrenched members of the super-producers club. The U.S. pumps well over 11 million barrels of crude per day and climbing.
KATOWICE, Poland — Al Gore sat down with Axios for an exclusive interview at the annual United Nations climate confab, which this year is being held in this old coal-mining city.
Why he matters: The former vice president and long-time climate activist has been influential in raising awareness on climate change for decades and for what critics describe as polarizing the issue. Here are excerpts of our nearly 30-minute interview.
