The U.S., Japan and a suite of other partners on Tuesday unveiled a $20 billion plan to help Indonesia curb reliance on coal-fired power in the world's fourth-most populous country.
Why it matters: Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, relies on coal, the most carbon-emitting fuel, for roughly 60% of its electricity.
World leaders have come and gone. Now lower level ministers at COP27 in Egypt must wrestle with the thorniest issues dividing rich and poor nations on the climate crisis in order to craft an agreement.
Why it matters: The decisions made in Sharm el-Sheikh could help determine whether the Paris warming limit of 1.5°C permanently fades into the distance, or if nations commit to sweeping actions to keep it alive.
President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have agreed to resume U.S.-China climate talks, the White House said on Monday.
Why it matters: Increased cooperation between the world's two top greenhouse gas emitters has the potential to affect the outcome of the ongoing COP27 summit.
Some building owners, mainly in New York City, are clamping down on electric bicycles after a recent spate of damaging and deadly battery fires.
Why it matters: E-bikes are surging in popularity, but the benefits they bring — lower emissions, easy transportation — are threatened by the growing toll of injuries and deaths from blazes sparked by their lithium-ion batteries.
