Axios

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell told Axios on the sidelines of COP28 on Monday that she is "very concerned" about the ability of U.S. adversaries to spread disinformation and sow distrust in the wake of natural disasters in the U.S.

Driving the news: She pointed to misinformation and disinformation spread by nation-state actors — namely, China and Russia —  following this year's devastating fires in Maui and train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio.

Stemming the powerful greenhouse gas methane — especially from the oil industry — is a big focus at COP28.

Driving the news: At the global climate summit this weekend, the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled final rules to cut methane from oil and gas operations.

The super-sized climate summit unfolding in Dubai steadfastly defies any single narrative, but big themes are already emerging.

The big picture: These two-week events move on two fronts.

The first several days of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai have gone relatively smoothly, with a deal on providing aid to developing countries to better withstand climate change impacts, along with a blitz of side agreements.

Yes, but: The tasks that lie ahead could prove far harder to resolve.

Actor Jeremy Strong is joining the board of the Climate Emergency Fund, which supports many of the more controversial and disruptive climate protests across the U.S. and in Europe.

Why it matters: The news indicates that CEF is continuing to deepen its roots in Hollywood, a key source of funding and inspiration for the direct actions it supports.

Running AI is much more energy-intensive than other forms of computing, but as leaders gather for the COP28 global climate summit in Dubai, we know relatively little about AI's net impact on climate change.

Why it matters: Increasing adoption of AI may make it one of the biggest uses of energy globally — putting pressure on AI providers to measure and publish data on energy use and energy sources.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said at COP28 Sunday that coal-fired power plants should no longer be permitted.

What he's saying: "The reality is the climate crisis and the health crisis are one and the same," Kerry said at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai, citing a study that found coal "doubles the number of deaths" compared to other sources of air-carried pollution.

COP28 president Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber's newly reported comments that there's "no science" behind the push to phase out fossil fuels were criticized by activists at the U.N. climate summit in Dubai on Sunday.

Context: The UAE climate envoy and CEO of state oil firm ADNOC made the comments during a Nov. 21 online discussion while being challenged to take a lead on the matter by former Republic of Ireland President Mary Robinson, a longtime climate activist, per video that The Guardian published Sunday.