Summary
Today’s take away from the COP21 is more of the same, with a twist, as China joined two groups of developing countries to accuse the US and other industrialized nations of trying to evade responsibly to cut emissions and fail to mobilize $100 billion to help developing nations adapt to the effects of climate change. The $100 billion question remains indeed. With only one full day of negotiations left before a final text is due to be released by the French presidency for politicians to work on next week, chances of a significant deal appeared slim today.
Quote of the day
“The basic facts do not change. The problem has been caused by developed countries. They need to take their historical responsibility into account and take the lead in reducing greenhouse gases.”
Su Wei, China’s head of delegation, in the Guardian’s story China joins poor countries in pointing finger at wealthy states over emissions
Lead stories
The $100 Billion Key to a Global Deal at UN Climate Change Talks
By Alex Morales – Bloomberg News
Six years ago, industrial nations committed to mobilizing $100 billion by 2020 to help developing nations cut greenhouse-gas emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change.
http://jlne.ws/1OIfLnQ
China joins poor countries in pointing finger at wealthy states over emissions
By John Vidal and Karl Mathiesen – The Guardian
The UN climate negotiations in Paris descended into recriminations on Thursday as China and two groups of developing countries accused the US and others of undermining trust and trying to evade responsibly to cut emissions.
http://bit.ly/1HIYN9D
***LB: Also in this story “With only one full day of negotiations left before a final text is due to be released by the French presidency for politicians to work on next week, the gaps between rich and poor countries remain wide. “
Eight ways to save the planet: Bloomberg View
By Christopher Flavelle
As another round of United Nations climate talks proceeds, most scientists agree that potentially catastrophic climate change can’t be stopped except by keeping global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above their pre-industrial average.
http://jlne.ws/1NsQvmJ
Capitalism Can Survive Cutting Carbon
By Noah Smith – Bloomberg View
It has been a source of enormous pleasure for me during the past five years to see the solar power skeptics proven wrong.
http://bv.ms/1NsQDT3
COP21: Paris Climate Conference Jargon Buster
By Richard Chatterton – Bloomberg News
UN-sponsored climate talks in Paris – commonly referred to as COP21 – have opened in the French capital, with leaders including French President Francois Hollande, U.S. President Barack Obama and China’s President Xi Jinping leading calls for a global deal.
http://bloom.bg/1lZWGEh
Events
EUEC 2016 Conference & Expo
Feb 3 – Feb 5, 2016
San Diego Convention Center, CA
http://www.euec.com/
Carbon
Canadian province Manitoba to cut emissions, set carbon cap
Reuters
Manitoba pledged on Thursday to cut greenhouse gas emissions and start a carbon cap and trade system, the latest Canadian province to set long-term targets to fight climate change.
http://reut.rs/1XCVlEy
Natural gas / coal
Going Down Noisily: The Rise and Fall of a Coal Tycoon
By Sophia Pearson, Jef Feeley and Tim Loh – Bloomberg News
To hear Donald L. Blankenship tell it, the U.S. coal industry has been undone by inept regulators, evil unions, the media and “global warming hoaxers.”
http://bloom.bg/1NswA2W
Gas Natural Said Among Final Bidders in IFM’s Pacific Hydro Sale
By Manuel Baigorri – Bloomberg News
Spanish distributor Gas Natural SDG SA and Norwegian state power generator Statkraft AS are planning final bids for Pacific Hydro Pty’s Latin American renewable energy assets, people with knowledge of the matter said.
http://bloom.bg/1XCRGXi
Turkey seeks to diversify gas supplies amid dispute with Russia
By Orhan Coskun and Humeyra Pamuk – Reuters
Turkey’s leaders have mounted a charm offensive among regional energy producers in an effort to diversify supplies as relations with major natural gas provider Russia crumble following the downing of a Russian warplane by the Turkish airforce.
http://reut.rs/1TnOkAT
Power
Google Buys 781 Megawatts of Wind, Solar Power in Three Nations
By Brian Eckhouse – Bloomberg News
Google, the world’s biggest corporate buyer of renewable energy, is expanding its clean power portfolio with deals for 781 megawatts of solar and wind power.
http://bloom.bg/1IrXGew
World’s Largest Nuclear Complex to See $9.7 Billion Overhaul
By Rebecca Penty – Bloomberg News
Owners of the world’s largest nuclear complex plan to spend C$13 billion ($9.73 billion) refurbishing six aging reactors to deliver more power to the central Canadian grid, as government officials come under scrutiny for rising prices and a maintenance backlog.
http://bloom.bg/1SAmtNI
Germany’s RWE bets big on wind and solar in corporate overhaul
By Tom Käckenhoff, Christoph Steitz and Vera Eckert – Reuters
RWE could triple investments in wind and solar power in a big expansion of its renewables business, its CEO told Reuters, days after the company announced it would break itself up to cope with a crisis in conventional energy generation.
http://reut.rs/1lZZVfb
Clean tech
Tesla sounds out lithium tie-up with Chilean miner Codelco: newspaper
Reuters
U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors Inc has met with government authorities in Chile to discuss a lithium venture with state copper miner Codelco, a local newspaper reported on Thursday.
http://reut.rs/1O63OWu
Tesla’s Elon Musk says transition from fossil fuels inevitable
By Bate Felix – Reuters
The switch from fossil fuels to sustainable energies such as wind and solar is inevitable, and the transition could happen within two decades depending on decisions reached at the Paris climate summit, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday.
http://reut.rs/1SAnlC0
Water
Detroit Water and Sewer Authority Washes Off Bankruptcy Stain
By Elizabeth Campbell – Bloomberg News
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is washing off the taint of its city’s notorious financial reputation as it refinances debt a year after emerging from the worst-municipal bankruptcy on record.
http://bloom.bg/1NJVdhM