Summary
As the COP21 is drawing to a close, where do we stand? Well, as French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said: “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.” And so far, not everything is agreed. The latest version of the negotiating text was published on Thursday night while the French presidency called on Ministers to redouble efforts to deliver an historic agreement. Will the call carry the day? Or the night, in fact, as negotiators are, again, in for long hours of work overnight. It is now up to them to iron out remaining issues, in particular climate finance. Call it burning the midnight oil if you want!
Quote of the day
“Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”
Laurent Fabius, French foreign minister, in the Wired’s story So. It’s Thursday. How Are Those Climate Talks Going?
Lead stories
COP21: Hopes build ahead of fresh night of marathon talks
By James Murray – BusinessGreen
The Paris climate talks are expected to take a step forward this evening, as the French Presidency prepares to publish the latest version of the negotiating text and call on Ministers to redouble efforts to deliver an historic agreement.
http://bit.ly/1IHIwSo
***LB: Also in this story “The text will be released late this evening following an intense 24 hours of negotiations, which saw many of the key players in the talks reiterate their ‘red lines’ relating to differentiation, a long-term goal, and climate finance, which French President Laurent Fabius identified yesterday as the main sticking points to securing a deal.”
So. It’s Thursday. How Are Those Climate Talks Going?
Wired
Glasses hanging off his nose, bald head gleaming under the stage lights, two hours late, the French minister delivered the latest draft of the Paris climate agreement to the gathered UN delegation.
http://bit.ly/1mdhfxf
Still divided, nations make final push for climate deal
By David Stanway and Bate Felix – Reuters
Exhausted climate negotiators from 195 nations sought ways on Thursday to strengthen a planned global agreement to combat global warming, and argued over who should pay billions of dollars to help developing nations meet those goals.
http://reut.rs/1NJ1d8P
Kerry in Familiar Spot: Trying to Coax Deal in Meeting’s Closing Days
By Coral Davenport – The New York Times
For the second time this year, Secretary of State John Kerry has settled into a grand capital of Europe for talks that could shape the globe, not to mention his own reputation, for decades to come.
http://nyti.ms/1QyD6KM
The White House’s COP 21 goals: less climate idealism, more political realism
By Nigel Purvis – The Guardian
The United States’ refusal to make internationally binding its ambitious pollution targets at the Cop21 climate talks in Paris isn’t a sign of Barack Obama’s lack of political will, but a reflection of the legal limits of his authorities and the political realities of what other nations will commit to doing.
http://bit.ly/1U8SrBZ
Progress at COP21 but ‘nitty-gritty’ ahead: Gurria
By Holly Ellyatt and Stephen Sedgwick – CNBC.com
There are still “serious and contentious” issues to resolve as the United Nations climate change conference enters its final few days, the head of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) told CNBC.
http://cnb.cx/1IXToGJ
The face of climate change: how Inuit youth lead the fight to save the Arctic
By Leyland Cecco – The Guardian
Maatalii Okalik is tired of seeing polar bears as the face of climate change. “Make it an Inuit face. We’re the ones that are really affected by it,” she told the Guardian in a phone interview from Paris.
http://bit.ly/1IHJ5eV
Japan Ranks Among Worst Performers in Climate Change Efforts
By Chisaki Watanabe and Maiko Takahashi – Bloomberg News
Japan ranks among the worst performers in an index comparing the emissions of 58 countries and measures to protect the climate, far below other major emitters like the U.S. and India, according to a report by Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe.
http://bloom.bg/1OkwNFX
Events
EUEC 2016 Conference & Expo
Feb 3 – Feb 5, 2016
San Diego Convention Center, CA
http://www.euec.com/
Carbon
China Needs $389 Billion a Year for Climate Pledge, Study Says
Bloomberg News
China needs to invest an average of about 2.5 trillion yuan ($389 billion) a year to achieve its goal of peak carbon emissions by 2030, a study found.
http://bloom.bg/1OU6JGm
Natural gas / coal
Australia’s AGL Mulls Faster Coal Plant Exit on Carbon Curbs
By Mathew Carr – Bloomberg News
AGL Energy Ltd. will consider speeding the closure of its coal-fired power plants because of the risk that climate policy makers will set tougher curbs on emissions that cause global warming, according to Chief Executive Officer Andy Vesey.
http://bloom.bg/1OVADbk
Bulgaria, Greece sign natural gas pipeline investment agreement
By Slav Okov – Ekathimerini.com
Bulgaria and Greece signed an agreement to start building a pipeline linking the two countries’ natural-gas grids, which will help Bulgaria diversify its gas supply and connect Greece to the rest of the European network.
http://bit.ly/1IHMU3Z
In Asia, King Coal Hard to Dethrone
By Trefor Moss – Wall Street Journal
The Philippines is set to open 23 coal-fired power plants over the next five years to meet rising electricity demand, illustrating the challenge climate-talk negotiators face in crafting a deal that reduces carbon emissions.
http://on.wsj.com/1QyIr4E
Power
GM buys wind power from EDP to build its biggest SUVs
By Joseph White – Reuters
General Motors Co said Thursday it is buying wind energy to power production of some its biggest sport utility vehicles at a factory in Texas.
http://reut.rs/1RH6XBC
Wind Mobile Corp secures up to $425 million in financing to build LTE network
By Christina Pellegrini – Financial Post
Building a robust wireless network is an arduous task, requiring an arsenal of spectrum licenses and a cost of capital that’s as low as can be to pay for pricey equipment purchases. Now, Wind Mobile Corp. has both.
http://bit.ly/1lSpDBZ
Clean tech
The car that can power your home
By Steve Huntingford – The Telegraph
Nissan unveils two-way charger that will allow you to save money on your household bills at peak times by using energy stored in the battery of an electric car.
http://bit.ly/1QyHjxX
Cleantech Bubble: Where Does Tesla Stand?
By Michael Lynch – Forbes
A number of analysts, including myself, consider the capitalization of Tesla Motors to be at stratospheric levels, and even the founder, Elon Musk, has expressed some skepticism while some investment banks see it going even higher.
http://onforb.es/1IHMpH3
Water
The High Costs of Jamaica’s Crumbling Water Infrastructure
By Rebekah Kebede – The Atlantic City Lab
By nightfall every Tuesday, Latoya Foster has to make sure all her laundry and cleaning is done. That is when the water supply to her home on the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica, shuts off until Saturday morning.
http://bit.ly/1XZLvwK