 |
|
|
|||||
Nations are trying to reach an agreement to charge commercial vessels a fee for their emissions in what would effectively be the worlds first global carbon tax. The International Maritime Organization, which regulates international shipping, set a target for the sector to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by about 2050, and committed to ensuring that fuels with zero or near-zero emissions are used more widely. Its Marine Environment Protection Committee meets Monday through Friday in London. The committee, comprised of IMO member states, is working to approve proposed new global regulations to put a price on maritime greenhouse gas emissions and to set a marine fuel standard to phase in cleaner fuels. The measures are more than climate aspirations they will become mandatory for ships operating globally, said IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, who thinks the industry must do more to cut carbon pollution. The committee will set the course for a net-zero future for the maritime sector, he told The Associated Press in a statement Thursday. The future of clean shipping hangs in the balance, said Emma Fenton, senior director for climate diplomacy at a U.K.-based climate change nonprofit, Opportunity Green. Fenton said a high price, simple flat-rate levy on shippings greenhouse gas emissions is the only way to decarbonize the industry equitably. If an agreement is reached, it would represent a huge moment of solidarity in the fight to tackle climate change, Fenton said. For the first time, we will have, hopefully, an effective global framework tackling this international issue. Most emissions are tackled domestically.” Heres what to know: What are the talks about? Emissions from shipping have increased over the last decade to about 3% of the global total, according to the United Nations as vessels have gotten much bigger, delivering more cargo per trip and using immense amounts of fuel oil. Maritime nations agreed in 2023 to slash emissions from the shipping industry, though several experts and nations were critical of the deal since it did not set 2050 as a hard date. The IMO is now in the process of adopting regulations to achieve the goals agreed to in 2023. Why are they important to the world? A simple climate levy paired with a green fuel standard would help narrow the price gap between fossil fuels and green fuels, such as hydrogen, methanol and ammonia, according to the Global Maritime Forum, a nonprofit that works closely with the industry. Shipping relies heavily on fossil fuels and the sector won’t transition off those on its own, said Jesse Fahnestock, who leads the forums decarbonization work. And it will take time to build up a supply of e-fuels based on renewable electricity so investments need to happen now, he added. Most ships today run on heavy fuel oil, releasing carbon dioxide and other pollutants as it’s burned. Dominguez has said that major decarbonizing requires an overhaul of shipping fuel. The Clean Shipping Coalition is calling on governments to commit to a high price on all ship emissions and a strong fuel standard. The alliance of environmental non-profits is also urging countries to revise the IMO’s tool for measuring a ship’s carbon intensity, to quantify and raise their efficiency transparently and drive down the amount of fuel burned long-term. What is the status of the negotiations? Led by Pacific island nations, whose very existence is threatened by climate change, more than 60 countries support a flat levy per metric ton of emissions to reach net zero in a fair way. The shipping industry supports a fee, too. The International Chamber of Shipping represents over 80% of the worlds merchant fleet. Its secretary general, Guy Platten, said a pricing mechanism for maritime emissions is a pragmatic solution and the most effective way to incentivize a rapid energy transition in shipping. Some countries, notably China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, want a credit trading model instead of a fixed levy, where ships get credits for staying under their emissions target and ships purchase credits if they go over. Other countries want a compromise between the two models. Some fear that anything short of a universal levy would jeopardize climate goals and allow wealthier ship owners to buy compliance while continuing to pollute. Ambassador Albon Ishoda, Marshall Islands special envoy for maritime decarbonization, said IMO’s climate targets are meaningless without the levy. Revenue from a levy could be used to help developing countries transition to greener shipping, so they aren’t left behind with dirty fuels and old ships. What’s expected by the end of the meeting? If the committee agrees and finalizes text for the regulations, they could be formally adopted in October and take effect in 2027. That could send a powerful signal that the green transition is happening and that it’s possible for a global industry, according to the IMO. The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Jennifer McDermott, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
Over the past decade, weve seen Cheetos and its Flamin Hot flavor brand pop up in some fun and unexpected places. There was the Spotted Cheetah pop-up NYC restaurant in 2017. The Hollywood pop-up with chef Roy Choi in 2018 called the Cheetos Flamin Hot Spot. A taco at Taco Bell. There was a Forever 21 apparel collection in 2019. A nail polish with Dipwell. A Dr. Squatch soap. And, of course, a pair of Crocs. Parent company Frito-Lay has sprinkled Flamin Hot across products like Doritos, Ruffles, Lays, Funyuns, Smartfood, and even in a limited edition of Mountain Dew. But Jack Black escalated things to previously unpredictable levels on Saturday Night Live this weekend, in a spoof that imagined Flamin Hot in an entirely unprecedented product category. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) Even Chester Cheetah was disgusted with the Preparation H collab. The Cheetos SNL Canon This is a more-than-worthy addition to the Cheetos SNL canon. The brand has been spoofed and referenced several times over the years. In 2019, Woody Harrelson played a man who opened a World’s Biggest Cheeto Museum. And of course, there is 2017s brilliant Pitch Meeting sketch, in which the misguided definition of brand purpose is taken to the extreme. We may be cresting peak brand collab, with so many constantly rolling out that it takes the most wild and wildly creative to even make a ripple. Liquid Death has become a master at navigating this, but for so many brands these efforts come and go with little fanfare. Cheetos may be the perfect brand through which to satirize broader brand culture. Its beloved in a way that is self-aware and silly. It has utilized brand collabs and limited products cleverly enough that absurd spoofs are just this close to actually being believable. Frito-Lay has not yet responded to a request for comment on whether this was an official brand partnership with the show. But I hope it is. Just as Kraft Heinz is mulling the potential of its unofficial role in Seth Rogens show The Studio, Cheetos extending its self-awareness and sense of humor in this way would be an incredibly spicy way to evolve how brands play in entertainment.
Category:
E-Commerce
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of cities, towns, and villages across the country on Saturday. They were protesting the Trump administrations deep budget and staffing cuts, funding freezes, tariffs, and other actions that they believe threaten democracy, economic stability, and the fabric of American life. The national day of action to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history was organized by the nonprofits MoveOn, Third Act, Indivisible, and nearly 200 other groups working on behalf of climate action, civil rights, seniors, workers, veterans, corporate accountability, and many more issues. Opponents of the Trump administration flocked to Hands Off! protests around the San Francisco Bay Area. People voiced their concerns about the breakneck pace at which Trump officials are dismantling the machinery of government and firing the public servants who make it run. More than 1,500 people crowded the streets around a BART station in North Berkeley, chanting Not my president! and People over profit. A steady stream of cars honked in support. As drummers infused energy into the crowd, a woman shouted through a bullhorn, Ive seen smarter cabinets at IKEA. Lisa Oglesby organized the Hands Off! protest in Berkeley. [Photo: Liza Gross/Inside Climate News] Berkeley resident Lisa Oglesby, 70, organized the protest even though shes never been a big protester. Oglesby, a retired information security consultant, said she couldnt stand by and do nothing. I am appalled at whats going on in the country, and I know everyone else is too, but we need to know were all in this together. Laurie Baumgarten, who has worked on climate issues for the last 20 years, said shes against the entire Trump agenda but focuses primarily on climate. Baumgarten said she has joined 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations, an organization of elder women and allies from Berkeley and Oakland raising awareness about the urgency of the climate crisis. Baumgarten has been working to support California legislation to make polluters pay. This could shift the massive financial burden of the climate crisis from taxpayerswho face ever-rising insurance rates, healthcare costs, and devastation from extreme weather disastersto the fossil fuel companies that are driving climate change. Oil and gas companies have been covering up what they knew about fossil fuel pollution since the 1970s, Baumgarten said, including the fact that burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming. And here we are now facing these disasters, and they have the money to pay for it out of their profits, she said. Particularly since the L.A. fires, its important that we the taxpayers get help paying for all of this cleanup, she said. Los Angeles, April 5th, 2025. [Photo: Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News/Getty Images] Some people at the protestsincluding teachers, Defense Department employees, and other federal workerswere willing to speak their minds but said they did not want to be quoted. These people said they were worried about experiencing backlash from the government or at their workplaces. Asked for comment about the demonstrations, White House spokeswoman Liz Huston did not address the tariffs or research cuts that many protesters referenced. President Trumps position is clear: He will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries, Huston said in a statement. Meanwhile, the Democrats stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors. Former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb speaks to a large crowd in Pittsburgh at one of the Hands Off demonstrations around the country. [Video: Christine Spolar/Inside Climate News] Devastated Infrastructure Demonstrations in major cities in Massachusetts, Illinois, and New York drew huge crowds, and organizers said there were plans for protests in all 50 states. In Pennsylvania, a key battleground state during the presidential election, crowds in Pittsburgh filled the city blocks and parking lots leading to the City-County building before noon. Steve Plant drove from the suburb of Wexford to protest the Trump administrations canceling of federal science grants and efforts. His wife, the director of quality control for a private company based in Madrid, lost her job this week because of the cuts. An audit that the company expected from the Food and Drug Administration was derailed by budget slashing, he said, and now his wife was unexpectedly out of a job. The private company where she worked for 35 years said to hell with the U.S., Plant said. We were planning to retire and now shes job hunting, he said. Plant worked as a contractor and he and his wife had a retirement nest egg. Right now, I dont want to look at how it.” It has been affected by the stock market plunge that followed tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, he said. His people dont care if people like us have enough to retire. Natalie Williams, 7, and her sister, Laila, 9, made signs to protest the impacts to their grandmothers retirement. Cathy Brunner, 69, their grandmother, and their mother, Chelsea Brunner, 33, brought them to the Hands Off rally in Pittsburgh. [Photo: Christine Spolar/Inside Climate News] Chelsea Brunner drove with her two daughters and her mother from Ross Township, north of Pittsburgh. Brunner, 33, works as a pharmacy benefits manager. Her mother, Cathy, is a legal assistant who at age 69 is still working. Chelsea, a 10-month-old orphan in Guatemala when Cathy adopted her and her sister, was near tears as she described why her family was protesting. Shes worked so hard her whole life, Chelsea said of her mother. Cathy said she has had sleepless nights watching her 401(k) dwindle from stock market losses under Trump. Im losing $8,000 a day, Cathy said. I wanted to throw up. Her granddaughters, Natalie, 7, and Laila, 9, were there with hand-written signs demanding hands off their grandmothers retirement savings. Subha Das spoke to the crowd from the steps of the City-County building about his love for and work in scientific research. That is what propelled him to move from India to America decades ago. Now an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University, he appealed to people to keep vigilant about the cuts that are gutting research and ambitions. We cant do this on our own, he said about how scientists are coping with the losses. Im speaking out because Im concerned about the future of America. Later, in an interview about medical research in the United States, he said: America has set the standard all over the world. That infrastructure has just been devastated. Subha Das, a researcher, spoke at a crowded Hands Off rally in Pittsburgh on April 5, 2025. [Photo: Christine Spolar/Inside Climate News] Stop Stealing Our Data! At the main rally in Washington, D.C., people held mass-produced signs reading Some cuts dont heal, referring to the inability to repair gutted government infrastructure and expertise that took decades to build. U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) gave a shout out to the people of Wisconsin, who voted against a state supreme court judge backed by Elon Musk, the billionaire Trump donor whose so-called Department of Government Efficiency has driven the federal cuts. Dallas, April 5, 2025. [Photo: Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images] They showed America that organized people who want nothing but freedom can defeat organized billionaires who want nothing but power, Raskin said. Here in America, Mr. Musk, justice is not for sale, Raskin said. And we dont raffle off state supreme court judgeships for million-dollar prizes. Stop trying to buy our votes, stop ripping off our government and stop stealing our data, he yelled, referring to the thousands of web pages and datasets scrubbed from federal agency websites. Cathy Kennedy, a registered nurse and president of National Nurses United, the largest union and professional association of registered nurses, said she and her colleagues have long fought for Medicare for all because they believe healthcare is a human right. Healthcare is not just about medical treatment, its also about the world we live in and the support systems we all rely on, said Kennedy, naming as examples Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This current administration wants to weaken and privatize those programs that have helped millions of people stay alive, housed and cared for. Without these programs, she added, vulnerable seniors, low-income families, people with disabilities, and veterans will suffer. The current administration wants a society where the wealthy and powerful get richer while the rest of us struggle, Kennedy said. They say people should be responsible for themselves while theyre handing out billions in tax breaks, subsidies, and bailouts to giant corporations. No way! she yelled, as the crowd cheered. Liza Gross and Christine Spolar, Inside Climate News This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News. It is republished with permission. Sign up for their newsletter here.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||