Energy Exchange

After banner EV commitments at COP26, it’s time for U.S. to lead

By Jason Mathers and Peter Zalzal

The global convening of international climate leaders at COP 26 delivered transformative commitments from countries and companies around the pace of transition to zero-emission vehicles. Leading automakers such as Ford, GM and Mercedes-Benz, as well as more than two dozen countries agreed that by 2035, all new cars sold should be zero-emission. Fifteen countries also agreed that the same should be achieved for trucks and buses by 2040.

It’s great to see global commitments to these targets (which EDF has previously called for), because transportation is the primary source of climate pollution and a leading cause of premature deaths around the world. However, missing from both of these historic agreements was the United States.

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Posted in Air Quality, Electric Vehicles / Comments are closed

Canada’s path to reducing methane must be built on all available data

Last week, at the United Nations annual climate conference, Canada joined over 100 other countries pledging to reduce 30% of global methane emissions by the year 2030. Methane is a fast-acting greenhouse gas responsible for over a quarter of human-caused global warming. Reducing methane emissions, along with carbon dioxide, is absolutely critical to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

Canada is among the world’s largest methane emitters, and oil and gas is a significant contributor. So consequently, living up to this global commitment of 30% reduction by 2030 will have to include meaningful cuts to oil and gas sector methane emissions.

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Posted in Air Quality, Methane, Methane regulatons, Natural Gas / Tagged | Comments are closed

New analysis shows California is home to the most zero-emission truck, bus companies in the nation

From vehicle assembly to battery manufacturing, research and training, the zero-emission truck and bus supply chain is supporting thousands of jobs and billions of investments — in California and across the country — according to a new report by EDF released today. That’s good news, because the transition away from fossil fuels in the medium- and heavy-duty, zero-emission vehicle sector will require significant new investments in technology, infrastructure and logistics.

In California, much like the national picture, the MHD ZEV industry is far-reaching. Existing businesses in the transportation industry are adapting their offerings to provide MHD ZEV products, and there are a significant number of new market entrants.

California leads the nation with at least 128 companies in 181 locations involved in the MHD ZEV supply chain; 86 of these companies are headquartered in the state, with over 44,000 total employees. In addition, there has been over $3.8 billion of announced corporate investments in manufacturing, infrastructure, research and training over the last seven years.

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Posted in California, Electric Vehicles / Comments are closed

New EDF research shows more than 330,000 workers already make electric trucks and buses throughout the U.S.; Potential for tremendous future growth

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Build Back Better Act later this month, a bill with an unprecedented $555 billion in climate and clean air investments that will drive the creation of clean energy and manufacturing jobs. And the economic potential of manufacturing trucks and buses is underscored by two recent EDF reports — one examining the current landscape, and another offering a glimpse of what’s possible in the future.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans already make electric trucks and buses

One of the new EDF reports found the zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty truck supply chain already supports more than 330,000 jobs and has received more than $53 billion in announced corporate investments across the United States.

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Posted in Electric Vehicles / Comments are closed

Turning COP26 methane promises into action

One of the biggest accomplishments from COP26 is the global consensus around the urgent need to reduce methane emissions. More than 100 countries representing more than two-thirds of the global economy promised to collectively reduce 30% of man-made methane emissions by 2030.

The agreement follows recent analysis from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which warns there is no plausible pathway to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C without dramatic reductions in both methane emissions and carbon dioxide. We can’t get there through either pathway alone. We have to do both.

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Posted in Climate, Methane regulatons, Natural Gas / Comments are closed

Methane Momentum at COP26: What you missed and what’s ahead

Methane had a major moment on the world’s stage last week at the annual United Nations climate conference when more than 100 countries pledged to reduce global methane emissions by 30% this decade. Not only that, we also saw the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency propose enhanced protections to reduce methane pollution from oil and gas infrastructure nationwide. Both actions are critically important to help rapidly cut emissions of a potent climate pollutant that’s driving at least a quarter of current global warming.

The acute focus on the world’s methane problem — and consequently what to do about it — was elevated in the most recent assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But it’s also been the result of tireless decades of work and effort led by scientists, policy experts and environmental advocates who have been actively studying the major sources of methane emissions in search of potential solutions. Many stopped by the Methane Moment pavilion at COP 26 to share insights about what led to this moment, and where we go from here.

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Posted in Methane, Methane regulatons / Comments are closed