The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Thursday approved three liquefied natural gas export projects in Texas and also green-lit the expansion of a fourth existing operation.
Why it matters: The sign-offs are the latest step in the continuing expansion of U.S. export projects that are tapping into huge domestic supplies and backed by successive administrations.
Top House Democrats are taking a page from the Green New Deal playbook by offering a sweeping proposal that’s aimed at building momentum — but leaves tough choices for later.
Driving the news: Thursday, over 150 House Democrats floated legislation aimed at bringing the country to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Tesla unveiled its futuristic "Cybertruck" at an L.A. event on Thursday that was heavy on light shows, yet analysts remain in the dark about the future of electric pickups — and Tesla's role in it.
Why it matters: The event was the splashiest sign yesterday that automakers are moving closer to bringing electric models to the huge pickup market.
Two of the world’s biggest oil and gas producers — BP and Shell — are getting into the recycling business as they ramp up operations to make plastics.
Why it matters: Most people associate oil companies with gasoline. But they also generate the building blocks of plastics that are interwoven into our lives. The durable material is littering the planet given lackluster recycling rates.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed the car maker's long-promised electric pickup truck, dubbed the "Cybertruck," on Thursday night in Los Angeles, Calif. near Space X's rocket factory.
Why it matters: "With the launch, Tesla is edging into the most profitable corner of the U.S. auto market..." AP writes. Pickup trucks account for one in every six cars sold in the U.S., per the Drive and the category is valued at nearly $80 billion, according to a 2018 Cox Automotive study.
Brazil's top security official is vowing to tackle the country's uptick in deforestation months after rampant fires in the Amazon rainforest thrust the issue into the international spotlight, Bloomberg reports.
The big picture: The Amazon, the world's largest and most biodiverse rainforest, plays a significant role in slowing global warming. But pro-development President Jair Bolsonaro has sanctioned its deforestation to fulfill a campaign promise of opening the Amazon to new agricultural and mining opportunities.
"We need to stop believing that more and bigger is better. We are chasing the wrong things," former president Barack Obama told a Silicon Valley audience Thursday.
Why it matters: Obama's warning has an added layer of meaning here, where the tech industry has grown powerful and rich by mastering the art of "scaling up."
Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, said in an interview with the BBC Thursday that the band will not tour its latest album, "Everyday Life," because of concerns over the environmental impact of global tours.
The big picture: Instead of a tour, the band will broadcast two performances from Amman, Jordan, for free on YouTube on Friday, Nov. 22 — the new album's release date.
Tesla will take the wraps off its long-awaited pickup truck in Los Angeles Thursday night.
Why it matters: Pickups are enormously popular with U.S. consumers, but Tesla will have competition in this space even if electric trucks become a thing. Ford and GM are also both working on models, too.
The climate chatter in last night's Democratic primary debate lacked a narrative through-line but produced interesting moments nonetheless.
The big picture: South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg made an agriculture pitch ahead of Iowa.He's the frontrunner in a closely watched recent poll of likely Democratic caucus-goers.
Smoke from Australia's deadly wildfires blanketed the state capitals of Sydney and Adelaide as air quality exceeded "hazardous" levels on Thursday, the BBC reports.
Why it matters: Thousands of people have fled the fires. Per News.com.au, much of the country is on high fire alert, as blazes rage across all six of Australia's states. Six people have died in the bushfires in the eastern states of Queensland and New South Wales.
