Search This Blog

Saturday, October 30, 2021

POLITICO NIGHTLY: Biden hoping climate talks > Congress talks

 


 
POLITICO Nightly logo

BY TYLER WEYANT

The Scottish Events Centre and the Finnieston Crane at dusk as delegates from across the world begin to arrive for COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Scottish Events Centre and the Finnieston Crane at dusk as delegates from across the world begin to arrive for COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. | Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

HE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS — Sure, President Joe Biden faces some troubles at home, with legacy-defining legislation delayed, or worse, by an intraparty fight. But he’s about to dive into an equally mysterious matter after he lands in Scotland Sunday night for next week’s COP26 meeting with global leaders: Can the climate be saved at a conference?

Whether any global progress will be made to fight worsening weather, rising sea levels and a heating planet remains unclear. Nightly talked with sustainability reporter Catherine Boudreau today about what leaders hope to accomplish, and what really needs to be done to avoid the most dire predictions.

Do you think any concrete developments on climate and sustainability will emerge from COP26?

The U.K., which is hosting the summit, says countries should come together and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — a key threshold scientists say would ward off the worst effects of climate change. But there really is almost no chance that COP26 will put the world on that trajectory.

That doesn't mean there won't be any progress, though. I'll be on the lookout for pledges by wealthy nations to give more money to poorer ones to help with their clean energy transitions. Also any new promises to phase out coal production (China is still building new plants), a deal for a global carbon market, and initiatives to help end deforestation.

According to climate scientists and advocates, what would need to be done at an event like this to actually make a difference?

Divisions over climate finance are definitely looming large over the talks. Wealthy countries in the initial Paris Agreement pledged $100 billion a year by 2020. They missed that target, although the U.N. said it could be met by 2023. Developing countries, from small island states like Antigua to larger ones like India, are holding off on setting more ambitious plans to slash emissions until they see more cash. So progress on that front could make a difference.

But ultimately, the plans countries have submitted to the U.N. so far are falling short of the Paris Agreement goals. Some hoped China would bolster its previous pledge to peak emissions by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2060. But China in an official communication this week didn't budge. And some key leaders won't be at COP26, including Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro. The country's climate diplomat said Brazil would set new targets, but that's against the backdrop of increasing deforestation in the Amazon.

How damaging is it for Biden’s leadership on this issue without the legislation that is stalled in Congress right now? And how are climate activists feeling about the Biden presidency overall?

The Biden administration is downplaying the impact of Congress not passing major climate legislation yet and asserts the U.S. can still achieve the president's goal to slash emissions in half this decade without it.

Many are skeptical, especially because Democrats backed off of their most ambitious proposal to slash the use of oil, natural gas and coal — the Clean Energy Payment Program. Plus, executive orders and regulations can easily be rolled back by the next administration, as we saw under the Trump era.

So I think Biden has lost some leverage in Glasgow.

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Have a safe and fun Halloween this weekend. If you’re still looking for a costume idea out of Nightly, why not go as “Tyler As Dan Marino”? Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at tweyant@politico.com or on Twitter at @tweyant.

 

JOIN TUESDAY FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE AIR TRAVEL: As delegates descend on Glasgow for the COP26 global climate summit, reducing carbon emissions in the aviation sector will play a critical role in the progress of fighting climate change. Join POLITICO for a deep-dive conversation that will explore the increased use of sustainable aviation fuel, better performance aircraft, and other breakthroughs in to cut greenhouse gas emissions and meet broader sustainability goals. REGISTER HERE.

 
 
WHAT'D I MISS?

— FDA authorizes first Covid vaccine for kids 5 to 11: The decision will allow roughly 28 million American children to be vaccinated against the coronavirus , with shots rolling out just as flu season starts and with major holidays looming. In its announcement, the agency noted that the vaccine — given to 5-11-year-olds as two shots, each one-third the size of each adult shot — provoked an immune response comparable to that seen in young adults. FDA added that “no serious side effects” had been observed in Pfizer and BioNTech's ongoing clinical trial in younger children.

— Kinzinger retiring from Congress, vows ‘broader fight nationwide’ against Trumpism: Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, one of the most prominent critics of former President Donald Trump in the House Republican Conference, announced today he won’t seek reelection next year. Kinzinger is one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach the then-president in January after the riot at the Capitol. His announcement marks the second member of that group to say he will retire from Congress, joining Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio.

— U.S. hits Iran with sanctions ahead of potential nuke talks: The United States hit Iran with a fresh set of sanctions today as Biden prepares for a key weekend meeting with European leaders to discuss the possible resumption of nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic. The Treasury Department announced the new penalties against two senior members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and two affiliated companies for supplying lethal drones and related material to insurgent groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Ethiopia.

New York Attorney General Tish James

New York Attorney General Tish James | David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

— Tish James is running for New York governor: New York Attorney General Tish James announced today she will run for governor in 2022 , putting an end to months of speculation about her political ambitions and opening the floodgates for what could be the most contested Democratic primary for governor in a decade. James, whose sweeping investigation of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo led to his resignation in August, declared her long-awaited candidacy in a video that emphasized her Brooklyn roots, her record standing up to powerful companies and her 76 challenges to the Donald Trump administration. “But who’s counting?” she quipped with a shrug.

— Poll: Youngkin, McAuliffe still tied in Virginia governor’s race: Virginia gubernatorial candidates Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin remain deadlocked as they enter the final weekend before Election Day , according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll released today. McAuliffe, the Democratic former governor who is seeking a return to the commonwealth's top job, leads the Republican Youngkin 49 percent to 48 percent among likely voters polled, well within the survey’s margin of error of plus-or-minus 4 percentage points.

— Mayorkas issues memo repealing Trump's ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas today released the Biden administration’s latest attempt to nix the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy. The policy, formally known as Migrant Protection Protocols, requires many asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while they wait for hearings to adjudicate their requests for safe haven in the U.S.

 

BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.

 
 
AROUND THE WORLD

THE AMERICAN APOLOGY TO FRANCE OVER AUSTRALIA IN ITALY Biden acknowledged in a meeting today with French President Emmanuel Macron that his administration had been “clumsy” in rolling out an Indo-Pacific security pact last month that enraged Paris.

Appearing alongside Macron at Villa Bonaparte, the French Embassy to the Holy See, Biden lamented the handling of the September announcement of a trilateral security and technology-sharing agreement among Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“The answer is — I think what happened was to use an English phrase … clumsy,” Biden said, according to a White House pool report, adding that “it was not done with a lot of grace.”

Under the terms of the so-called AUKUS agreement, Australia reneged on a multi-billion dollar submarine supply deal with France to enter into the new pact with the United Kingdom and the United States, which will include the construction of American nuclear-powered submarines.

NIGHTLY NUMBER

261 million

The number of the promised 1.8 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses G-20 members have delivered to poorer countries. G-20 leaders will meet in Rome this weekend. (h/t Global Insider)

PUNCHLINES

CHIP OFF THE HERBLOCK — In the latest Punchlines, Matt Wuerker talks with the 2020/2021 Herblock Prize winners for political cartoons, Michael DeAdder and Rob Rogers, about cartooning in today’s political landscape and reflects on their careers as cartoonists.

Two winners of the Herblock award

PARTING WORDS

President Joe Biden and Pope Francis

CRITICAL MASS — Biden said today that Pope Francis told him he should continue to be allowed to receive communion, a sacrament some Catholic leaders in the U.S. have said the president should be denied over his support for abortion rights.

Biden, a practicing Catholic, met with the pope Friday at the Vatican to discuss a broad set of topics, including climate change, global poverty and the distribution of vaccines to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Biden is only the second Catholic president in U.S. history.

Following their meeting, Biden told reporters that the topic of abortion did not come up in their conversation.

“We just talked about the fact that he was happy that I was a good Catholic and I should keep receiving communion,” Biden said, according to pool reports.

Asked specifically whether Francis said that Biden should keep receiving communion, Biden responded “yes.”


 

Follow us on Twitter

Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop

Tyler Weyant @tweyant

Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam

Myah Ward @myahward

 

FOLLOW US


POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA





No comments:

Post a Comment

"Look Me In The Eye" | Lucas Kunce for Missouri

  Help Lucas Kunce defeat Josh Hawley in November: https://LucasKunce.com/chip-in/ Josh Hawley has been a proud leader in the fight to ...