The Elephant
A resource for journalists, politicians, policy makers, activists and citizens interested in climate change and the environmental emergency
The ElephantA resource for journalists, politicians, policy makers, activists and citizens interested in climate change and the environmental emergency
CAP AND WAIT. CLIMATE FOES GET THEIR DELAYS IN WA | by Mary Liz Thomson | Mar, 2024 | Medium
2024-03-11 in MediumDo climate programs like Washington’s cap and investment law automatically raise the price of gas? No, but mainstream media usually frames the story that way. Why do we have to accept this logic? We shouldn’t, it’s not even true. But this thinking is on track to take down Washington State’s newest carbon tax. After ten years of wrangling the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) was passed as a market-based program to reduce carbon pollution and achieve the greenhouse gas limits agreed to in state law. The program held it’s first auction last spring in 2023.
Right on cue after the industry had to pay ...
Tagged under: Oil Industry | Fossil Fuels | Net Zero | Legislation | Regulation | Washington State
Global Briefing: Spain advances plans for short haul flight ban
2024-03-08 in Business GreenSpain to follow France in banning flights where rail offers viable alternative, Italy confirms coal phase out date, and Azerbaijan joins global methane pledge
Tagged under: Coal | Legislation | Methane | Italy | Spain | Aviation | Trains | France
‘It’s the industry’s dirty secret’: why fashion’s oversupply problem is an environmental disaster
2024-01-18 in The GuardianAs many as 40% of clothes made each year – 60bn garments – are not sold. Experts say tackling such obscene waste will require radical changes in production – and legislation
Tagged under: Legislation
Jeremy Hunt’s net zero target claims criticised by climate advisers
2024-01-07 in The GuardianClimate Change Committee tells chancellor issuing new oil and gas licenses is ‘inconsistent’ with government’s temperature goals
Tagged under: Legislation | UK Politics | UK | Oil Industry | Fossil Fuels | Net Zero
One Huge Contradiction Is Undoing Our Best Climate Efforts
2023-11-10 by in The AtlanticThe math isn’t adding up.
Tagged under: Fossil Fuels | Net Zero | Legislation | El Niño
Mike Johnson's First Big Bill Cuts Biden's Climate Funding - Bloomberg
2023-10-26 in BloombergThe first major legislation House Republicans passed under newly installed Speaker Mike Johnson would cut billions of dollars in consumer rebates for energy efficiency upgrades included in President Joe Biden’s signature climate law.
Tagged under: US Politics | Legislation | Joe Biden | Renewable Energy | Louisiana
Oil And Gas Giants Spend Millions Lobbying To Block Climate Change Policies [Infographic]
2023-09-14 (or before) by in ForbesA recent report from InfluenceMap claims that the world's biggest oil and gas companies spend $200 million every year to weaken and oppose legislation aimed at fighting global warming.
Tagged under: Climate Change | Legislation
Climate Policy Radar | AI for climate law and policy research
2023-08-30 (or before) in climatepolicyradar.orgUse Climate Policy Radar’s data science and AI-powered platform to search and explore thousands of climate change laws, policies and legal cases worldwide
Tagged under: Climate Change | Legislation
An Earth Systems Treaty
2023-08-28 (or before) in YouTubeWhy we need an Earth Systems Treaty to save a habitable planet for humans and all life.
Tagged under: Legislation
How the United States solved South Korea’s problems with electric vehicle subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act
2023-07-26 in Peterson Institute for International EconomicsSouth Korea felt “betrayed” when President Joseph R. Biden Jr. signed his administration’s flagship climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, into law. This paper first shows how the Biden administration addressed Korea’s concerns about the law’s effect on its sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States. Thanks in part to the Treasury Department’s regulations written to implement the law, Korean exports of EVs to the United States grew even after the IRA went into force.
Tagged under: Electric Cars | EVs | Legislation
Debt Ceiling Deal Stains Biden’s Legacy on Climate, Environmental Justice
2023-06-02 (or before) in Center for Biological DiversityCenter for Biological Diversity: Legislation Gives Away Mountain Valley Pipeline, Environmental Law Rollbacks
Tagged under: Legislation | Climate Justice | Finance
Documents reveal how fossil fuel industry created, pushed anti-ESG campaign
2023-05-18 in The HillEditor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that model legislation for an “Energy Discrimination Elimination Act” was submitted by an ALEC member but rejected by ALEC…
Tagged under: Disinformation and Misinformation | Legislation | ESG - Environmental, Social and Governance | Sustainability
Flagship EU law to restore nature must not be derailed, warns environment chief
2023-05-16 in The GuardianRejection of key legislation on pesticides and restoration of wildlife ‘would send a dangerous, negative signal to the world’
Tagged under: Farming | Wildlife | Legislation
‘Toxic trail of pollution’: states step up to curb the use of ‘forever chemicals’
2023-05-02 in The GuardianPartisanship has thwarted Congress’s attempts to limit PFAS, but a patchwork of state laws is pushing for their phase-out
Tagged under: PFAS aka Forever Chemicals | Legislation | US Politics
Industrial policy for electric vehicle supply chains and the US-EU fight over the Inflation Reduction Act
2023-05-02 in Peterson Institute for International EconomicsThe Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 provoked a transatlantic trade spat. After the law was passed, the Biden administration addressed some of the concerns raised by the European Union by writing controversial rules to implement the legislation. These regulations are expected to have complex effects that, in some instances, may offset the intended impact of other provisions in the original legislation.
Tagged under: Legislation
Cumbria coal mine: High Court refuses to hear legal challenge, green groups vow further action - edie
2023-04-14 (or before) by in Edie AwardsThe UK’s High Court has refused to hear a case against the Government’s decision to permit a new deep coal mine in Cumbria, tabled by environmental groups including Friends of the Earth.
Tagged under: Legislation
Amazon fights Oregon data center clean energy bill
2023-03-29 (or before) in Oregon LiveThe legislation is encountering stiff opposition.
Tagged under: Oregon | Legislation
Why Is the Fossil Fuel Industry Praising the Inflation Reduction Act?
2023-03-13 (or before) by in The New RepublicYou might think oil and gas execs would hate the largest piece of climate legislation ever passed. But it actually gives them money that helps maintain their core business model.
Tagged under: Climate Change | Legislation
‘Greenwashing’ firms face steep new UK fines for misleading claims
2023-02-19 in The GuardianNew legislation could see companies fined millions of pounds for making unproven environmental assertions to sell their products
Tagged under: Hydrogen | Legislation
France in new row with Germany and Spain over nuclear-derived hydrogen
2023-02-10 (or before) in EURACTIVA new row has erupted between France, Germany and Spain over nuclear energy, with Paris furious about a lack of support from Berlin and Madrid for its efforts to have nuclear-derived hydrogen labelled as 'green' in EU legislation, sources said.
Tagged under: Spain | Hydrogen | Nuclear Power | Germany | France | Legislation
Anti-strike bill: The UK government is obsessed with suppression of workers
2023-01-27 in Left Foot ForwardThe anti-strike bill is part of a wider pattern of anti-democratic and anti-worker legislation
Tagged under: Legislation
Conservatives Have a New Bogeyman: Critical Energy Theory
2022-11-12 (or before) by in The New RepublicInside ALEC’s new campaign to push anti-climate legislation across the country
Tagged under: Legislation
Latest sobering news on climate change is more reason for cities, states to step up against global warming
2022-11-10 in chicago.suntimes.comThe closely divided U.S. House and Senate that will emerge after the midterms do not appear poised to enact strong legislation.
Tagged under: Climate Change | Legislation | US Politics
Public order bill: new law is designed to stop climate protests – but it could actually give activists a legal tool
2022-10-31 by in The ConversationA legal expert explains how climate activists could use the government’s own legislation to their advantage.
Tagged under: Activism | Legislation
Revealed: rightwing US lobbyists help craft slew of anti-protest fossil fuel bills
2022-09-14 in The GuardianLegislation drafted by Alec part of backlash against Indigenous communities and environmentalists opposing oil and gas projects
Tagged under: Fossil Fuels | Legislation | US Politics
More than 200 congressional staffers urge Pelosi and Schumer to act on climate or risk dooming younger generations | CNN Politics
2022-07-13 by in CNNFor Democratic Congressional staffers -- many of whom are young -- passing massive investments in clean energy tax credits to deal with the climate crisis is especially urgent.
Tagged under: Renewable Energy | US Politics | Climate Change | Legislation
California Assemblyman Kills Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill
2022-06-28 by in DeSmogThe California legislature was close to passing a bill that would require the state’s two massive pension funds to divest from fossil fuels, but on June 21 the legislation was killed by one Democratic assemblyman who has accepted tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the energy industry. Senate Bill 1173 would have […]
Tagged under: Fossil Fuels | Legislation | US Politics | California
Fishing industry still ‘bulldozing’ seabed in 90% of UK marine protected areas
2022-05-31 in The GuardianNew data shows ‘mystifying’ lack of progress in post-Brexit pledge to curb bottom-trawling, two years after landmark legislation
Tagged under: Oceans | Fish | Wildlife | Legislation
Lake Malawi's Fish Defy Death - While Their World Heritage Home Is Threatened | We Don't Have Time
2022-02-28 (or before) in app.wedonthavetime.orgBy Jeffrey Barbee January 27, 2022 In the shallow rocky waters below a high granite outcrop a fish lies sideways, fallen onto the sand below. Its skin the hue of a rotting corpse, the fish is unmoving, apparently dead. But looks can be deceiving. As scavenger fish approach, the play-dead fish springs into action, snapping up the would-be eaters in a flurry of motion. One of hundreds of new fish species discovered in the warm waters of Lake Malawi in the last four decades, the play-dead fish’s only home is now in danger of being destroyed. Play dead fish Nimbochromis livingstonii. Picture: Ken McKaye/allianceearth.org Lake...
Tagged under: Deforestation | Extreme Weather | Africa | Fish | Rivers | Insects | Legislation | Electricity | Health | Trees | Finance
Panama Enacts a Rights of Nature Law, Guaranteeing the Natural World’s 'Right to Exist, Persist and Regenerate' - Inside Climate News
2022-02-25 in Inside Climate NewsPanama is the latest country to recognize the legal rights of nature, giving environmentalists a new tool to fight ecological harm. After just over a year of debate in Panama’s National Assembly, President Laurentino Cortizo signed legislation on Thursday that defines nature as “a unique, indivisible and self-regulating community of living beings, elements and ecosystems […]
Tagged under: Legislation
Rightwing lobby group Alec driving laws to blacklist companies that boycott the oil industry
2022-02-08 in The GuardianThe American Legislative Exchange Council has drafted legislation modelled on efforts to block divestment from Israel
Tagged under: Legislation
Car ads get cigarette-like disclaimer in France suggesting walking or biking instead
2022-01-04 in ElectrekA new law in France will soon require automakers to include a disclaimer in their advertisements encouraging more energy-efficient transportation alternatives such as walking, biking, or public transit. The new legislation will come into force on March 1, and requires that one of three statements be included in any car advertisements in France. The three […]
Tagged under: France | Legislation
Fueling the Climate Crisis: Exposing Big Oil’s Disinformation Campaign to Prevent Climate Action
2021-10-28 in United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability -Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney's Opening Statement [PDF] Washington D.C. (October 22, 2021)— On Thursday, October 28, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. ET, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. Ro Khanna, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Environment, will hold a hearing to examine the fossil fuel industry’s long-running, industry-wide campaign to spread disinformation about the role of fossil fuels in causing global warming. The fossil fuel industry has had scientific evidence about the dangers of climate change since at least 1977.
Tagged under: Climate Change | Disinformation and Misinformation | Fossil Fuels | Legislation
How a powerful US lobby group helps big oil to block climate action
2021-07-19 in The GuardianThe American Petroleum Institute receives millions from oil companies – and works behinds the scenes to stall or weaken legislation
Tagged under: Shell | Fossil Fuels | Legislation | US Politics
Revealed: ExxonMobil’s lobbying war on climate change legislation
2021-06-30 in Channel 4A senior ExxonMobil lobbyist has been captured on camera revealing how the oil giant is using its power and influence to water down US climate legislation.
Tagged under: Exxon | Climate Change | Legislation
New Florida Law Mandates Cities Keep Using Fossil Fuels
2021-06-26 in Gizmodo | The Future Is HereFlorida just took a huge step backward in the clean energy revolution. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a piece of legislation into law earlier this week that requires Florida cities and towns to keep using fossil fuels.
Tagged under: Florida | Climate Change | Economics | Fossil Fuels | Legislation | Sustainable Cities | Finance
‘Historic’ German ruling says climate goals not tough enough
2021-04-29 in The GuardianJudges order government to strengthen legislation before end of next year to protect future generations
Tagged under: Germany | Fossil Fuels | Legislation
Fury as long-awaited UK environment bill is delayed for third time
2021-01-26 in The GuardianGreen campaigners attack further delay ‘to most important piece of legislation for decades’
Tagged under: Activism | Legislation
New York unveils landmark antitrust bill that makes it easier to sue tech giants
2020-08-05 in The GuardianThe legislation comes as a federal panel is investigating the market power of Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google
Tagged under: Legislation | US Politics
Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from national climate legislation - Nature Climate Change
2020-07-14 (or before) in NatureClimate change laws are shown to reduce national CO2 emissions by 0.78% in their first three years and 1.79% in the longer term. These reductions add up to 38 GtCO2 of avoided emissions for 1999–2016—equal to a year of CO2 emissions.
Tagged under: Greenhouse Gases | Climate Change | Legislation
Carbon Captured
2020-07-14 (or before) in MIT PressA comparative examination of domestic climate politics that offers a theory for cross-national differences in domestic climate policymaking.Climate change threatens the planet, and yet policy responses have varied widely across nations. Some countries have undertaken ambitious programs to stave off climate disaster, others have done little, and still others have passed policies that were later rolled back. In this book, Matto Mildenberger opens the “black box” of domestic climate politics, examining policy making trajectories in several countries and offering a theoretical explanation for national differences in the ...
Tagged under: Climate Change | Legislation | Barack Obama | Japan
New climate group will offer district-specific policy 'menus' to every congressional candidate | CNN Politics
2020-07-02 by in CNN InternationalAs concern over climate change grows and high profile progressive political figures embrace ambitious ideas, candidates with limited resources and time are facing a new challenge: how to craft winning political messages tailored to their districts and backed by the most recent science, health and economic data.
Tagged under: Renewable Energy | Legislation | US Politics | Health
House Democrats’ Climate Plan Embraces Much of Green New Deal, but Not a Ban on Fracking - Inside Climate News
2020-07-01 in Inside Climate NewsHouse Democrats unveiled a sweeping plan for climate action Tuesday that embraces much of the ambition of the Green New Deal, while avoiding the use of the name and steering clear of calls for abrupt bans on fossil fuel development. Instead, the package of more than 120 pieces of legislation seeks to drive a transition […]
Tagged under: Fracking | Legislation
Even ‘climate progressive’ nations fall far short of Paris Agreement targets
2020-06-22 (or before) in The University of ManchesterNew research focusing on the UK and Sweden, demonstrates just how far even ‘climate progressive’ nations are from meeting our international commitments to avoid dangerous climate change. The researchers concluded that despite the UK and Sweden claiming to have world leading climate legislation, their planned reductions in emissions will still...
Tagged under: Climate Change | Legislation
Pandemics result from destruction of nature, say UN and WHO
2020-06-17 in The GuardianExperts call for legislation and trade deals worldwide to encourage green recovery
Tagged under: Deforestation | Farming | Wildlife | Legislation | Health | Trees
Koch Industries Ramps Up Lobbying Against Clean Car Policies
2019-11-12 by in DeSmogKoch Industries, the second largest privately held company in the United States, has significantly increased its lobbying spending this year, including efforts to influence policy on key climate and transportation issues and legislation. Mandatory disclosure forms reveal that lobbying by Koch Industries is up by almost 20 percent compared to this time last year. According to the forms, […]
Tagged under: Legislation
New Zealand passes historic zero carbon bill with near unanimous bipartisan support
2019-11-08 in Renew Economy | News and analysis for the clean energy economyNew Zealand passes landmark legislation enshrining its zero-carbon target into law with bipartisan support, although concerns linger about plans to tackle agricultural emissions.
Tagged under: New Zealand | Climate Emergency Declarations | Legislation
Oil And Gas Giants Spend Millions Lobbying To Block Climate Change Policies [Infographic]
2019-11-05 (or before) by in ForbesA recent report from InfluenceMap claims that the world's biggest oil and gas companies spend $200 million every year to weaken and oppose legislation aimed at fighting global warming.
Tagged under: Global Warming | Climate Change | Legislation
New York City to 'break car culture' and build more than 250 new bike lanes
2019-11-01 in The GuardianCity council passed legislation to invest $1.7bn in road infrastructure over 10 years in move to improve safety
Tagged under: Legislation
Theresa May commits to net zero UK carbon emissions by 2050
2019-06-11 in The GuardianUK to put down legislation but Greenpeace warns of impact on developing nations
Tagged under: Greenhouse Gases | Net Zero | Legislation | Greenpeace
Laws should have to pass 'compassion threshold', say MPs
2019-05-06 in The GuardianCross-party group hopes to ensure legislation does not harm future generations
Tagged under: Legislation
Google, GE and others contribute to climate-change deniers in Congress, report finds
2014-09-22 in The GuardianWhat’s behind pro-sustainability companies’ donations to climate-change deniers in Congress?
Tagged under: US Politics | Climate Change | Legislation | Sustainability
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