WASHINGTON — In what would be the most ambitious U.S. effort ever to stave off the worst effects of climate change, President Joe Biden is aiming to cut oil, gas and coal emissions and double energy production from offshore wind turbines through executive orders Wednesday. The orders awaiting his signature...
Walters: State Losing Its War on Carbon
For the last decade, California has waged a crusade to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases in the name of fighting climate change. The state has set specific reduction goals, and spent many billions of dollars, in both taxes and added consumer costs, to achieve them. Early on,...
Michael Bloomberg Outlines Plans for Cleaner Buildings, Cars
SACRAMENTO — Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg would push for all new cars to be electric by 2035 and new buildings to produce zero carbon emissions by 2025 as part of clean energy plans he released this week. Bloomberg's latest climate plans build off his December plan to cut the United States'...
California Legislature Returns Amid Homeless, Climate Crisis
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers returned to work on Monday to tackle a daunting list of challenges that include climate concerns and a growing homeless population — problems magnified by election-year politics. Members of the state Assembly's Democratic majority kicked off the second year of the two-year legislative session by announcing...
Chevron Will Write Down Assets by at Least $10 Billion
SAN RAMON — Chevron Corp. said Tuesday it will book a charge of at least $10 billion because lower long-term prices for oil and natural gas will reduce the value of its assets. More than half the write-down is related to gas drilling operations in Appalachia. The huge fourth-quarter write-down...
Global Carbon Pollution Continues to Rise, but More Slowly
WASHINGTON — The world continues to increase the amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide it pumps into the air, but it’s not rising as fast as in the previous couple years. Led by big jumps from China and India, the world is projected to spew 40.57 billion tons of carbon dioxide...
UN: ‘Quick Wins’ Needed to Keep Climate Goals Within Reach
GENEVA — Countries need to begin making steep cuts to their greenhouse gas emissions immediately or risk missing the targets they’ve agreed for limiting global warming, with potentially dire consequences, senior United Nations officials said Tuesday. A report by the U.N. Environment Program, published days before governments gather in Madrid...
California Promises Fight to Keep Auto Emission Authority
SACRAMENTO — Preparing for a lengthy legal battle with the Trump administration about how much pollution to allow from cars, California regulators on Thursday said they were considering cracking down on other emissions to make up for any impacts on air quality. The Trump administration on Thursday officially revoked California's...
AP-NORC Poll: Americans Somewhat Confident in Climate Fight
WASHINGTON — Most Americans are at least somewhat confident that the world will step up in its fight against global warming — but there are limits to their optimism. That's according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that also shows most think their...
In California, We Long Ago Ended ‘War on Coal’
In a series of demagogic tweets, President Donald Trump recently attacked Obama-era “clean power plan” policies as a “war on coal” and a danger to U.S. energy independence. If there is a war on coal — as the president thinks — it’s long been decided in California and most of...