Why it matters: Ominous forecasts about the impact of climate change serve as the backdrop for the world — led by U.S. lawmakers and companies — to debate big action on the problem, which could upend energy systems and our way of life.
Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
The Senate voted 64-35 on Thursday to confirm former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as secretary of the Department of Energy.
Why it matters: Granholm, only the second woman to head the department, will play a key role in President Biden’s efforts to accelerate the U.S. shift to clean energy and help other countries do the same.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
A big U.S. liquefied natural gas exporter will start giving customers detailed info about the greenhouse gas footprint of its cargoes — a move that provides a glimpse into fossil fuel producers' strategies for competing in a climate-constrained world.
Driving the news: Cheniere Energy, which sends lots of LNG abroad from the Gulf Coast, said Wednesday that starting in 2022 each shipment will have "Cargo Emissions Tags."
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
The Securities and Exchange Commission is planning to push companies to disclose more info about risks that climate change poses to their business — and signaled that tougher policies could be in the offing.
Driving the news: Allison Herren Lee, the regulator's acting chair, said Wednesday that the SEC would bolster its focus on how companies are responding to its 2010 guidance on the topic.
PG&E crews repair power lines that were destroyed by the Camp Fire on Nov. 21, 2018 in Paradise, California. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A trust representing over 80,000 victims of deadly Northern California wildfires ignited by Pacific Gas and Electric's (PG&E) electrical grid filed a lawsuit Wednesday against almost two dozen of its former executives for alleged neglect.
Why it matters: The suit, filed in the San Francisco Superior Court, accuses them of "dereliction of duty" by allegedly failing to ensure the equipment would not kill people.