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Climate

AM Briefing: Peak Coal?

On global coal demand, Everest Base Camp, and a compelling climate graphic

AM Briefing: Peak Coal?
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Current conditions: A major storm will batter the U.S. Eastern Seaboard this weekend • Moscow is buried under record snowfall • It's 50 degrees Fahrenheit and cloudy in Paris, which was recently named the world's top city destination.

THE TOP FIVE

1. IEA: Coal demand remains high, but could peak soon

Global demand for coal remains at a record high, but is expected to start declining in 2026, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) “Coal 2023” report. Most advanced economies are ditching this dirtiest of fossil fuels: Coal consumption fell by about 20% in the United States and the European Union this year. But the same cannot be said for China, India, and Southeast Asia, where coal demand is growing. But a turning point could arrive soon, the report says. Global coal demand is expected to fall by 2.3% by 2026 compared with 2023 levels. A lot depends on China, which accounts for 54% of global coal consumption.

IEA

Relatedly, this week Australia announced its last remaining coal plant will retire by 2038. As renewables take over, “expect more such announcements around the world,” saysBloomberg Green’s Akshat Rathi.

2. White House tells federal employees to use EVs and rail travel

The Biden administration wants federal employees to use low- or zero-emission transportation when traveling for work. In a directive released yesterday, the White House said workers should travel by train for trips shorter than 250 miles, and especially in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, where rail travel is most accessible. If traveling by car is necessary, workers should opt for an EV. Employees should consider combining trips, taking public transportation, and avoid using their own private vehicles for work. Or better yet, they should avoid traveling at all. “In every case, the trip not taken is the least expensive and most sustainable,” the directive says. The federal government spent $1.66 billion on flights and $4.2 million on rail trips last year, Reutersreports. The White House says travel accounts for 1.8% of federal greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Al-Jaber says Adnoc will keep investing in oil and gas

Sultan Al-Jaber, who served as president of COP28, tellsThe Guardian that his company Adnoc will continue to invest in oil and gas production so long as the demand is there. Adnoc is the United Arab Emirates’ national oil and gas company, and Al-Jaber is its CEO. He was applauded this week after delegates at COP28 agreed to “transition away” from fossil fuels, but faced criticism earlier this month for saying there is “no science” showing that ending fossil fuel usage will limit global warming. He has said in the past that he believes fossil fuels will inevitably be phased out, but has qualified that by saying “we need to be real, serious and pragmatic about it.”

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  • 4. Glacial melting may force Everest Base Camp to relocate

    The glacier beneath Everest Base Camp is melting due to rising temperatures in the Himalayas, putting climbers at risk and forcing Nepal’s government to consider moving the camp, The Wall Street Journalreports. Everest tourism contributed $2.4 billion to Nepal’s economy last year, which is 6.1% of its GDP, and Base Camp is an essential gateway to the mountain. But ice at the camp is disappearing due to a combination of global warming and human activity. Moving the camp farther down the mountain is an option, but it would “make the climb to the top more dangerous than it already is,” the Journal explains. More people died on Mount Everest this year than ever before. A report released in June found that climate change could cause Himalayan glaciers to lose 80% of their volume this century.

    5. Earth’s rising temperature, expertly illustrated

    The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Climate Office recently announced its favorite “Little Pictures of Climate” for 2023. The competition highlights creators who use satellite-derived climate data tell visual stories about the changing planet. Here is one particularly compelling submission:

    A runner-up in the ESA's Little Pictures of Climate 2023 competitionESA

    THE KICKER

    The length of pipeline that would be needed to create a U.S. carbon capture network would be enough to circle Earth four times.

    Yellow

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    Politics

    AM Briefing: Los Angeles Faces Its ‘Most Dangerous Day’

    On executive orders, the Supreme Court, and a “particularly dangerous situation” in Los Angeles.

    The Offshore Wind Ban Is Coming
    Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

    Current conditions:Nearly 10 million people are under alert today for fire weather conditions in southern California • The coastal waters off China hit their highest average temperature, 70.7 degrees Fahrenheit, since record-keeping began • A blast of cold air will bring freezing temperatures to an estimated 80% of Americans in the next week.

    THE TOP FIVE

    1. Los Angeles to face its ‘most dangerous day’

    High winds returned to Los Angeles on Monday night and will peak on Tuesday, the “most dangerous” day of the week for the city still battling severe and deadly fires. In anticipation of the dry Santa Ana winds, the National Weather Service issued its highest fire weather warning, citing a “particularly dangerous situation” in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties for the first time since December 2020.

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    Sparks

    Trump’s Offshore Wind Ban Is Coming, Congressman Says

    Though it might not be as comprehensive or as permanent as renewables advocates have feared, it’s also “just the beginning,” the congressman said.

    A very large elephant and a wind turbine.
    Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

    President-elect Donald Trump’s team is drafting an executive order to “halt offshore wind turbine activities” along the East Coast, working with the office of Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, the congressman said in a press release from his office Monday afternoon.

    “This executive order is just the beginning,” Van Drew said in a statement. “We will fight tooth and nail to prevent this offshore wind catastrophe from wreaking havoc on the hardworking people who call our coastal towns home.”

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    Climate

    An Unexpected Obstacle to Putting Out the L.A. Fires

    That sick drone shot is not worth it.

    A drone operator and flames.
    Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

    Imagine for a moment that you’re an aerial firefighter pilot. You have one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, and now you’ve been called in to fight the devastating fires burning in Los Angeles County’s famously tricky, hilly terrain. You’re working long hours — not as long as your colleagues on the ground due to flight time limitations, but the maximum scheduling allows — not to mention the added external pressures you’re also facing. Even the incoming president recently wondered aloud why the fires aren’t under control yet and insinuated that it’s your and your colleagues’ fault.

    You’re on a sortie, getting ready for a particularly white-knuckle drop at a low altitude in poor visibility conditions when an object catches your eye outside the cockpit window: an authorized drone dangerously close to your wing.

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