** Nations must take climate action immediately, new report finds
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Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Oil Well Flaring | North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality ([link removed])
A new report ([link removed]) from the International Energy Agency finds that countries need to take dramatic action immediately ([link removed]) to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. Scientists agree ([link removed]) that cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 would likely keep global temperatures from increasing 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, which is the accepted threshold ([link removed]) at which the planet faces irreversible damage. The new report reveals a sweeping road map of what it would take to get there.
The International Energy Agency is the world's leading energy agency, an international organization that advises world leaders on energy policy. This is the first time ([link removed]) that the agency has released a detailed path to accomplish such dramatic cuts in emissions. The guide laid out by the agency includes steps to move faster and more aggressively, such as ([link removed]) : stopping all coal plant approvals this year, unless they are outfitted with carbon capture technology; additionally stopping all new oil and gas field development beyond those already committed; by 2035, stopping all sales of new gasoline- or diesel-powered passenger vehicles, in addition to zeroing out all emissions from power plants; and by 2050, ensuring that all cars on the roads be either battery or hydrogen powered.
Within the United States, commitments are being made by both the Biden administration and state governments to lower emissions. However, other reports have also found that current actions are not adequate in order to hit established goals; for example, new modeling finds that Colorado is off-track to meet statutory climate goals ([link removed]) .
Public lands will be an essential part of the climate solution ([link removed]) in the United States. Research from the U.S. Geological Survey has found that fossil fuels extracted from public lands and waters are responsible for nearly a quarter of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions. Options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from public lands ([link removed]) include reducing methane emissions from drilling operations, prioritizing renewable energy development on public lands, managing land to absorb more carbon, and using public lands for other negative-emissions technologies.
** Fossil fuel CEOs will be no-shows at hearing
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Tomorrow, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing ([link removed]) to examine the contributions of the oil and gas sector to jobs and the economy. The problem is that oil and gas representatives won't be present ([link removed]) . The CEOs of three oil companies and two leaders from the Western Energy Alliance have all declined to attend the hearing, refusing to be held accountable ([link removed]) for their actions to taxpayers who supply major subsidies to the industry.
Quick hits
** Oil company that has paraded support for social justice has been illegally polluting a predominantly Latino town
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Al Día ([link removed]) | Vice ([link removed])
** Westerners react to America the Beautiful, 30x30 conservation plans
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Sheridan Press ([link removed]) | Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed])
** Exploring the tough past and troubled present of Moab's timeless beauty
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The Gazette ([link removed])
** Public officials highlight reckless behavior and vandalism, ask visitors to practice responsible recreation as major camping closures hit Colorado
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Durango Herald ([link removed]) | Out There Colorado ([link removed]) | Denver Post ([link removed])
** How a plan to boost tourism got wrapped up in fears of a 30×30 ‘land-grab’
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Michigan Advance ([link removed])
** FWS sets deadlines for decisions on rare Nevada wildflower that could upend lithium mining
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E&E News ([link removed])
** Opinion: Tribal leaders welcome tribal sovereignty as key principle in America the Beautiful plan
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Indian Country Today ([link removed])
** Expect more wildfires this year, alongside disagreements about how to handle them
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Roll Call ([link removed])
Quote of the day
We see reintroducing the jaguar to the mountains of central Arizona and New Mexico as essential to species conservation, ecosystem restoration and rewilding."
—Authors of a new scientific paper that finds jaguars could be reintroduced in US south-west, The Guardian ([link removed])
Picture this
** @USFWSHistory ([link removed])
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#FunFactFriday ([link removed]) for @USFWS ([link removed]) 150th! #14: Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, just 7 miles south of Albuquerque, NM, was a dairy farm for decades before it became a refuge in 2012. It was built under the new Urban Wildlife Refuge Standards of Excellence. #usfws150 ([link removed]) #FWSHeritage ([link removed])
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