[GWSG] US emissions; DOE projects; CO2 covid blip; 23% renewable US; intensive & old ag; Kerry an envoy; his record; the Kigali Amendment

[Tilley, Al]

1. Trump told a virtual meeting of the G20 that the US was doing more to cut its emissions than any other nation. In fact, while he was right in terms of gross emissions cut during the epidemic, we’re not even in the top ten nations in percentage of emissions cut since 2005. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-climate-climate-change-saudi-arabia-5e425ce92e26d34561d629331461289d?utm_campaign=Carbon%20Brief%20Daily%20Briefing&utm_content=20201123&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20Daily

2. A number of initiatives by the Department of Energy under Trump show great promise: the use of supercritical CO2 in concentrating solar to produce cheaper, more compact, more water-efficient 24-hour solar power; low-cost perovskite solar cells; floating offshore wind and solar power; and green hydrogen produced renewably (a joint project with the Netherlands). https://cleantechnica.com/2020/11/22/concentrating-solar-power-gets-supercritical-co2-makeover/

3. The drop in global CO2 emissions this pandemic year was less than the normal variation of seasonal emissions. We are reminded of the great change required as we move to eliminate emissions.  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/23/climate-crisis-co2-hits-new-record-despite-covid-19-lockdowns

4. Renewables account for 64% of the new power added in the US so far this year. In the last quarter, renewables were the only new power source. Renewables are now at 23.3% of US power capacity. https://reneweconomy.com.au/renewables-were-sole-source-of-new-us-generating-capacity-in-last-quarter-79043/

5. A metastudy of more than 5000 studies leads to the conclusion that centuries-old mixed farming practices have greater crop yield and more promise to feed the future sustainably than intensive agriculture. (We will still need to eat a more plant-based diet for our health and the planet’s, and agriculture needs to reflect that dietary shift with much less meat and dairy production.)  https://climatenewsnetwork.net/mixed-farming-beats-intensive-agriculture-methods/

6. In this video President-elect Biden announces his selection of John Kerry to lead climate action for the US as the special presidential envoy for climate.  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2020/nov/24/joe-biden-announces-intention-to-make-john-kerry-first-ever-us-climate-envoy-video

7. John Kerry was as responsible as any one person for negotiating the Paris Agreement. (Paris alone, he warns, will not be enough). His appointment promises revived US leadership in climate action.  https://www.ecowatch.com/john-kerry-biden-climate-envoy-2649028342.html?rebelltitem=4#rebelltitem4

8. One of Kerry’s achievements was the Kigali Amendment on refrigerants, which has been signed by 100 nations but was abandoned by Trump. China and India also have yet to sign it. We may expect Kerry to revive it, along with other international initiatives. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24112020/Kerry-Kigali-Amendment-Biden-special-envoy-climate?utm_campaign=Carbon%20Brief%20Daily%20Briefing&utm_content=20201125&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20Daily

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