Sale of oil and gas fields
During COP26, Biden’s critique of other countries’ climate policies was not soft. Domestically, however, the US president was unable to get a climate plan off the ground. This was confirmed by the recent auction of drilling rights permits for gas and oil in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Wednesday, November 17, four days after the Glasgow summit, energy companies such as Shell, PP, Chevron and ExxonMobil offered a total of $ 192 million to access federal reserves of fossil fuels.
During his campaign, Biden promised to stop drilling oil and gas into federal soil.
At the UN Summit in Glasgow, it was suggested that the world should halve its CO2 emissions by 2030 to avoid a climate catastrophe. Through this recent auction – described by Earth Justice Attorney Freddie Hardy ‘Giving ‘ For energy companies – achieving this goal will be affected.
During his campaign, however, Biden promised to stop drilling oil and gas into federal soil, including the Gulf of Mexico. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the combustion and processing of these fossil fuels account for about a quarter of the CO2 emissions in the United States.
In January, Biden banned the issuance of new permits for gas or oil drilling. However, some attorney generals from Republican cities were able to successfully block the suspension.
With a production potential of 1.1 billion barrels of oil and 4,400 billion cubic meters of gas, the auction has drawn strong criticism from environmental groups. According to the Interior Ministry, there is nothing wrong with that. Their environmental analysis shows that mining and burning these fossil fuels will have less impact on the climate than untouching these federal lands.
It is not known whether the United States will always emit fossil fuels.
However, according to climate expert Peter Erickson, the findings of this enthusiastic ministry are on a flawed path. It does not take into account the greenhouse gases emitted abroad as a result of oil sales from the Gulf of Mexico.
It is not known whether the United States will always emit fossil fuels. For example, the rights to oil and gas exploration will be auctioned off in Wyoming, Colorado and other states, despite crushing social costs.
According to government documents, the damage caused by natural disasters, crop losses and climate-related health problems could be as high as $ 7 billion.
Climate goals: Eliminate them
It is even more significant that US climate negotiator John Kerry has made it clear that his country will not improve its climate goals (so-called nationally contributed or so-called NDCs).
In Glasgow, however, it has been agreed that an annual climate summit will be held. The aim is for each country to improve its climate plan and make it more ambitious to be below the 1.5 degree Celsius limit.
The U.S. climate negotiator has made it clear that his country will not improve its climate goals.
Like Australia, the United States is now in question. When asked if the United States was coming up with a new pledge, Kerry replied: “Not necessarily. You do not have to come back automatically with a new NDC. It must be reviewed and adjudicated. We need to see what is possible.
proof’s: AP News; Financial Times; Carbon Brief
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