By trying to stemthe tide of cheap Chinese climate technology without slowing U.S. decarbonization, the White House is betting it can have its cake and eat it too.
Why it matters: It's an environmental gamble as officials unveil higher tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel, batteries, solar cells, critical minerals and more.
President Biden on Monday signed a bipartisan bill banning imports of Russian enriched uranium, with waivers for companies to continue bringing it in until 2028.
Why it matters: The U.S. spends an estimated $1 billion per year on nuclear fuel from Russia, so the new law cuts off a key source of revenue as Putin's forces escalate their war on Ukraine and drive military spending to levels not seen since the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s.
A string of unprecedented weather and climate events has struck multiple continents in recent weeks, killing hundreds and displacing many more.
Why it matters: Unrelenting heat in Southeast Asia, flooding in Brazil and Texas and other events provide a foreboding preview of the summer season and match scientific expectations of a warming climate.
President Biden is trying to thread a geopolitical needle: working with China on climate while thwarting imports of cheap Chinese electric vehicles, and other low-carbon tech.
Why it matters: The two nations are the world's largest greenhouse gas emitters, accounting for roughly 45% of energy-related carbon dioxide.
