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Mexico’s new president must reform national oil company Pemex
Fernanda Ballesteros leads the Natural Resource Governance Institute’s work in Mexico and is part of the organization’s energy transition coordination group.
Last week, Claudia Sheinbaum started her six-year term as Mexico’s president. Among great expectations for change, many are puzzling over how she might honour her background as a climate scientist while also upholding the legacy of her predecessor and ally Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
His administration doubled down on fossil fuel production and unconditionally picked up the tab for Pemex – Mexico’s national oil company – despite its debts exceeding $100 billion dollars, about 6% of Mexico’s Gross Domestic Product.
In her inauguration speech to Congress on Tuesday, Sheinbaum said: “National consumption will continue to be the fundamental objective of Pemex’s oil production, limited to production of 1.8 million barrels per day. We will promote energy efficiency and the transition to renewable energy sources to meet the growth in energy demand.” Can she and Mexico have their cake and eat it too?
Sheinbaum has pledged to make Mexico a global leader in the fight against climate change and a champion of the energy transition. But her green ambitions are possibly at odds with some of her election promises.
Japan backs fossil fuels in Southeast Asian “zero emission” initiative
One of them was making Mexico self-sufficient in gasoline, which would require major investments in Pemex’s refining capacity. To date, this has not been a fruitful pursuit: Pemex’s Deer Park and Olmeca refineries represent over 90% of Pemex infrastructure spending from 2019 to 2024, and it is uncertain when Olmeca will begin to operate at full capacity.
Considering that Pemex is the world’s most indebted national oil company and that its financial woes are well known among investors and the Mexican public, Sheinbaum and her officials must explain as soon as possible their plans and demonstrate that they are viable. Justified scepticism abounds.
In her favour, Sheinbaum has appointed an energy team including experts with a strong track-record of public service and good knowledge of the sector, such as the new energy minister and the CEOs of Pemex and the electricity commission. Here are three steps she and her team should take now to ensure that Mexico improves its fiscal health and embarks on a meaningful energy transition.
1.Reassess Pemex’s future production and business plansAccording to our analysis, Pemex ranks 11th among the 58 national oil companies in terms of financial risk from oil and gas assets that will lose value as the world transitions away from fossil fuels.
We found that approximately $10 billion in Pemex’s production assets would not break even under the IEA’s Announced Pledges Scenario. Pemex must recognise this risk, come up with a solid plan to mitigate it, and publish it widely.
Production has been dropping progressively since 2010 while also becoming more and more costly. Pemex has not been meeting its emission reduction targets and this is costing the company dearly in terms of access to finance and investor confidence.
Diversifying Pemex’s business can be a solution. But how and where to diversify must be technically and financially viable. For example, if Pemex eyes petrochemicals as an option, it must consider that only 12% of current hydrocarbons demand goes to this sector and many companies are already pursuing it.
2.Reduce Pemex’s operational greenhouse gas emissionsDespite a decline in overall production, emissions continue to rise significantly: 58% from 2012 to 2016 and 51% from 2018 to 2022. These spikes correlate with sharp rises in direct methane emissions, which tripled from 2012 to 2016 and nearly doubled from 2018 to 2022.
Recent analysis from the Natural Resources Governance Institute (NRGI) suggests that accountability and governance are critical to achieve methane reductions. But the agencies that regulate Pemex have not had enough power to rein in the company. The new Government must empower the energy regulators to stand up to Pemex, have sufficient autonomy, capacity and budget to enforce the rules.
3. Develop and publish a full-scale energy transition planWhile her non-specific aspirations for a greener future seemed to resonate with voters, now that she is in office Sheinbaum must take a much more tactical and detailed position.
To achieve her climate and energy objectives, Sheinbaum will have to devise a credible and actionable strategy that phases out fossil fuels in Mexico, in a way that responds to the climate agenda and prioritizes the public purse.
Her plan must have Pemex at its core and address the company’s dire financial situation. She must also assign clear roles and responsibilities for Pemex and for the electricity commission, so their actions advance the energy transition based on a coordinated, integrated vision.
Civil society organizations have been working on proposals to achieve a just energy transition that addresses national challenges. Through the México Resiliente coalition, of which NRGI is part, more than 30 organizations have developed the National Plan for Decarbonization and Climate Resilience 2024-2030, with specific recommendations for the new government. We hope Sheinbaum will take these on board and release Mexico from its dependency on its sputtering state oil company and fossil fuels.
Pemex extracts 95% of the oil and gas in the country and 64% of Mexico’s emissions are tied to the energy sector. The bottom line for Sheinbaum’s climate ambitions is what happens at Pemex.
The post Mexico’s new president must reform national oil company Pemex appeared first on Climate Home News.
How Traffickers Got Away with the Biggest Rosewood Heist in History
Ten years after officials seized $50 million worth of illegally harvested rosewood, the logs have been returned to the traffickers and sit in limbo in a Singapore port. The legal saga highlights the ongoing corruption and gaping holes in efforts to save endangered species.
FNWM Fall 2024 Newsletter
The First Nations Waste Minimization team is proud to present our Fall newsletter. Read to find out about all the exciting work we’ve been up to this Summer featuring community highlights, material diversion, and more!
Click here to read!
ELPC Thinks Webinar: A Better World with Fewer Cars
Listen and learn about the rise of the automobile and the costs we all bear due to the wide-ranging impacts of cars—such as carbon emissions, air pollution, and pedestrian safety.
The post ELPC Thinks Webinar: A Better World with Fewer Cars first appeared on Environmental Law & Policy Center.The World’s Deadliest Industry Needs More Than a PR Strategy
Since 2012, more people have been killed opposing mining than any other industry, according to a new Global Witness report published in September. Many land and environmental defenders – in particular, those from Indigenous communities – risk their livelihoods, homes, wellbeing and even their lives when they stand in the way of extractive industry projects.
We also know that more than half of the copper, nickel, lithium and other so-called “critical” minerals that mining companies seek to exploit are on or near the territories of Indigenous Peoples – which are also some of the most biodiverse and intact ecosystems, in large part thanks to the stewardship of Indigenous communities.
Last month, the trade association of the world’s largest mining companies, representing thirty percent of the sector, the International Council on Metals and Mining (ICMM), published an Indigenous Peoples policy statement, presenting a tremendous opportunity to rise to meet this fraught moment. Unfortunately it fell far short. Indigenous organizations have called it “critically weak,” noting that it does not do an adequate job of safeguarding the essential right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent; the Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE) has “strongly denounced” the statement; other Indigenous rights experts have noted that it “directly contradicts” the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Soon after, 25 civil society organizations wrote a letter to ICMM and 3 other mining industry associations voicing concerns about a new industry-defined mining standard under development, noting that “it runs the risk of creating a race to the bottom at a time when the mining sector so urgently needs to make significant improvements to its social and environmental performance.”
Surely this critical feedback provides an opportunity for reflection, humility and genuine change. Instead ICMM’s London-based leadership doubled down on the “extractive” nature of extractive industries, exploiting the moment for a public relations stunt and claiming to be the injured party. Writing multiple LinkedIn posts and a recent ICMM newsletter unironically entitled “The Power of Tension,” ICMM CEO Rohitesh Dhawan used his soapbox to lament – not the mining industry’s track record, but losing a seat on a Climate Week panel. “Recently I was dis-invited by a global NGO from speaking at a panel they are hosting on human rights during New York Climate Week because another panelist disagreed with an aspect of ICMM’s position on a particular topic.”
The experience of being politely asked to step back from the spotlight at a panel during New York Climate Week is not in any way life-threatening or dangerous. The experience of living near a mine, unfortunately, can be. On the rare occasions that Indigenous leaders and community representatives have the opportunity to participate in global spaces or panels, it’s impossible to shed the fears and risks they carry from their real, lived experiences in their homes.
Earthworks has been following the ICMM since the earliest days when it was formed 24 years ago. It’s long past time to stop the hand-wringing, the window dressing and rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic – and instead, for ICMM to seriously engage with its critics to take on the necessary work to overhaul the mining industry’s harmful ecological and human footprint in meaningful ways that safeguard the rights, lands and health of communities on the ground.
The post The World’s Deadliest Industry Needs More Than a PR Strategy appeared first on Earthworks.
Japan backs fossil fuels in Southeast Asian “zero emission” initiative
During his three-year tenure as Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida created the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) to, in his words, “help Asia decarbonise together”.
But a year and a half after AZEC was formally launched, a new report by the international research organization Zero Carbon Analytics shows that one-third of agreements between Japan and AZEC member countries promote or prolong fossil fuels.
Of the 158 projects financed by Japan under this initiative, 56 include fossil fuel technologies such as natural gas, co-firing ammonia with fossil fuel in power plants, hydrogen produced with fossil fuels, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and e-fuels.
The alleged climate benefits of these technologies are hotly disputed. While some studies have claimed gas is a less polluting fossil fuel than the coal used for electricity in much of Southeast Asia, a study published last week suggested that it can actually be more polluting, especially when it is imported across the sea in a liquid form called LNG.
Ammonia co-firing involves burning ammonia alongside coal in coal-fired power plants. While this reduces the amount of coal burned, critics note that the plants still burn mostly coal and that the co-firing can encourage governments to allow the coal-fired power plant to keep operating longer. Similarly, carbon capture and storage technology traps just some of a power plant’s emissions and can encourage the authorities to keep the plant open longer.
Ammonia, hydrogen and e-fuels are all fuels that can be made in more polluting ways using fossil fuels or cleaner ways with renewable electricity.
Louisiana communities are suffering from Japan-funded LNG exports
AZEC was launched in 2023 to advance climate co-operation in Asia, with Japan playing a central role. Kishida likened it to an Asian version of the European Coal and Steel Community – a predecessor to the European Union. Members include most countries in Southeast Asia and Australia.
But Japan’s fossil fuel investments – particularly gas projects – through AZEC are inconsistent with its pledge to stop overseas financing for unabated fossil fuels, experts told Climate Home News.
At their 2022 meeting in Berlin, G7 leaders all agreed to “end new direct public support for the international unabated fossil-fuel energy sector by the end of 2022, except in limited circumstances clearly defined by each country that are consistent with a 1.5 °C warming limit and the goals of the Paris Agreement”.
Amy Kong, author of the report on AZEC, said: “Relying on these technologies is a slower and more expensive path to decarbonisation for the region, and risks derailing national power-sector emissions targets set out in the International Energy Agency’s 2050 net zero scenario.”
Shigeru Ishiba, Japan’s recently appointed prime minister, has suggested the country will prioritise regional cooperation and has argued in favour of renewable energy. However, there is still little information on the future of AZEC under his new government.
Zero emissions communityJapan’s goal with the AZEC initiative was to invest public funds from its climate transition bonds to “create a huge new decarbonisation market in Asia”, former PM Kishida said during the community’s launch.
Through AZEC, member countries could apply for Japanese funding for energy projects. More than 150 projects have been approved between the Japanese government or government-backed institutions and their AZEC counterparts, the Zero Carbon Analytics report shows.
Initial investments were administered via a host of Japanese government-backed institutions, including the environment and the trade ministries. Many of Japan’s private-sector firms have also partnered with these public entities.
But according to Zero Carbon Analytics’ analysis, over one-third of those MOUs will promote fossil fuels or technologies that prolong the use of fossil fuels. This threatens to lock in coal and gas investments that may be difficult to reverse, the report says.
On the other hand, 54 MOUs signed under AZEC include renewables and electrification technologies, about a third of the total. These include solar PV power, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, battery storage, electric vehicles, green hydrogen and ammonia, and waste management. But of these 54 agreements, only 11 include wind and solar.
UAE’s ALTÉRRA invests in fund backing fossil gas despite “climate solutions” pledge
‘False solutions’Non-governmental organizations across Asia have raised concerns that AZEC primarily promotes fossil-based technologies.
Ayumi Fukakusa, deputy executive director of Friends of the Earth Japan, told Climate Home that technologies like CCS, ammonia and biomass co-firing, and LNG “only delay climate actions and prolong the life of fossil fuel infrastructure”. She added that “AZEC will further lock in Asian partners in massive emissions and doesn’t support real decarbonization”.
Hanna Hakko, a senior associate with the E3G think-tank who specializes in Japanese policy, argued that Japan’s AZEC initiative would “serve the region far better by enabling the growth of renewable energy”, which would make countries more energy independent and contribute to long-term emissions reductions.
Wicaksono Gitawan, an energy transition associate and project manager at Indonesian nonprofit CERAH, called AZEC a form of “green colonialism.”
Japan’s push for ammonia co-firing has also been criticized by other governments, most prominently by Canadian, UK, and German ministers during the 2023 G7 meeting.
‘Green colonialism’Japan has signed by far the most deals with the region’s most populous nation Indonesia, followed by Thailand and Malaysia. Historically, Japan has been the top source of infrastructure investment in Southeast Asia and spearheaded the creation of an Asian LNG market in the 1960s.
Japan’s government-backed financial institutions, such as the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, invested $93 billion in overseas oil and gas projects between 2013 and 2023. About $42 billion of that was in fossil fuel projects in Asia, while just $9 billion was spent on clean energy over the same period.
Campaigners say the long-term financial benefits of AZEC are questionable. Fukakusa from Friends of the Earth Japan said “most of the support made by the Japanese government in the past, especially for energy projects, is through loans,” which risk adding pressure on already debt-burdened economies in Southeast Asia.
According to a Wood Mackenzie analysis, the cost of electricity from utility-scale solar PV in Asia declined significantly over the last few years, while the costs of coal and gas generation increased. In 2023, renewables were 13% cheaper than conventional coal in Asia and are expected to be 32% cheaper by 2030.
(Reporting by Walter James, editing by Sebastian Rodriguez and Joe Lo)
The post Japan backs fossil fuels in Southeast Asian “zero emission” initiative appeared first on Climate Home News.
World's Rivers Are Driest They Have Been in Decades
Last year, the world's rivers had their driest year in at least three decades, according to a new U.N. report, which warns that heat and drought are sapping vital waterways.
Even on its own terms, the government is failing on mental health
Labour’s manifesto acknowledged a mental health epidemic but after 100 days in office, there are no signs it has the courage to tackle it – even though it’s a grave threat to its core strategy, economic growth. By Max Fafford
The post Even on its own terms, the government is failing on mental health appeared first on Red Pepper.
Silva Ranch protected by Conservation Easement
Western Rivers Conservancy and the California Rangeland Trust successfully protected a critical stretch of the Wheatfield Fork Gualala River and a series of cold-water salmon and steelhead streams in Sonoma County, at the heart of wine country. The partners accomplished this by placing a conservation easement over the 4,440-acre Silva Ranch, an extraordinary California Coast Range property that contains a rare swath of old-growth redwoods.
Silva Ranch on the Gualala RiverPhoto credit: Jason Hartwick, Western Rivers Conservancy
In total, the easement conserves over six miles of stream frontage on small tributary creeks and the Wheatfield Fork Gualala, the largest of three major tributaries of the mainstem Gualala River. Together, these streams provide crucial habitat for winter steelhead and, historically, coho salmon, two species that have experienced rapid declines throughout the state.
The easement protects a broad swath of mixed conifer forest, 41 acres of old-growth redwoods, and more than 2,600 acres of oak woodland and grassland—habitat that potentially supports wildlife like northern spotted owl, bald eagle and red-legged frog. The Silva Ranch is especially important because it lies adjacent to 75,000 acres of already protected lands. Adding the ranch’s unbroken open space to this assemblage improves habitat connectivity for wildlife at a landscape scale.
Due to its prime location, the Silva Ranch had the potential for dozens of home sites and extensive grape production, both now severely limited or prevented by the conservation easement. The easement will allow only around three percent of the property to be used for vineyards or other intensive agriculture and add protections to streams throughout the ranch to conserve habitat and prevent water withdrawal.
Silva Ranch; map by Western Rivers ConservancyThe balancing act of growing solar in the West
The Biden administration’s near-final Western Solar Plan is a case study in the challenges and opportunities of the global energy transition away from fossil fuels. Los Angeles Times climate columnist Sammy Roth explores how the solar plan aims to strike a balance on national public lands—even if nobody gets everything they want out of it.
The plan calls for developing 1.3 million acres across the West for solar projects over the next 20 years, most of it run by the Bureau of Land Management. But the plan identifies 31 million acres for possible development to give the solar industry more flexibility. The plan would bar solar projects on 130 million acres of public land, taking critical habitat, recreation areas, and wildlife migration corridors off the table.
While the solar industry’s main trade association is generally supportive of the plan, Peter Weiner, an industry attorney, warns that the final plan could contain technical errors that lead to investors getting cold feet, slowing the energy transition. Conservation groups are also broadly supportive, but some warn it sacrifices too much desert, especially in Nevada.
Still, Roth notes, “in the absence of easy answers — or a few decades to find those answers — solar sprawl is better than climate chaos.” BLM is expected for finalize the Western Solar Plan later this year.
Quick hits BLM, Forest Service emphasize Native American partnership in final Bears Ears plan Navajo Nation strengthens its laws amid renewed interest in uranium mining A new company wants to “remine” the waste piles in a Colorado town Colorado voters consider banning hunting and trapping of mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx Montana investigates after off-roaders drive through fish spawning habitat America’s largest carbon capture project could be in West Texas. Do residents want it? Meet the 4 condors released near the Arizona-Utah border Fat Bear Week rolls on despite lethal start to the weekNew York Times | KTUU | E&E News
Quote of the dayThere are very few places in the world where you can go watch wild bears and know them as individuals…. [Fat Bear Week] celebrates the success of brown bears and it tells their stories — the challenges and the difficulties they face to get fat and survive.”
—Former Katmai park ranger Mike Fitz, New York Times
Picture ThisF-A-T-B-E-A-R
You can vote in this year’s show!
It’s time to weigh in! #FatBearWeek is a celebration of success and survival. It’s a way to celebrate the resilience, adaptability, and strength of Katmai’s brown bears. Bears are matched against each other in a tournament-style competition and online visitors can vote on which bear is ultimately crowned the Fat Bear Week 2024 Champion. Over the course of the week, learn more about the lives and histories of individual bears while also gaining a greater understanding of Katmai’s ecosystem
Get to know this year’s ‘Titans of tonnage’ at nps.gov and vote at www.fatbearweek.org.
Featured image: The MGM Mega Solar Array in Nevada. Photo: BLM Nevada
The post The balancing act of growing solar in the West appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Edge of Antarctica Has Grown Dramatically Greener
Over the last four decades, vegetation cover on the Antarctic Peninsula has grown tenfold, a new study finds.
Delay to EU deforestation law must not lead to dilution
Nicole Polsterer is sustainable production and consumption campaigner at forests and rights NGO Fern.
The rumours were swirling for months, but when the news broke on October 2, it came abruptly and without warning.
Just a week earlier, the European Commission insisted that it had no plans to delay implementing the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the so-called ‘jewel’ in its flagship Green Deal, which aims to transform the EU into a low-carbon economy.
But at lunchtime on Tuesday, it made a sharp volte face, proposing a one-year delay to the application of the law, which was supposed to happen at the end of December, claiming the need to support companies and countries to better prepare for it.
The announcement prompted justified outrage, as well as fears that this marks a weakening of the EU’s resolve to confront the supreme challenge of our age: protecting nature and the climate.
The first law of its kind in the world, the EUDR was approved to great fanfare and on the back of a huge democratic mandate in June 2023.
It aims to address the biggest driver of deforestation on the planet: clearing land for agricultural production. Under the law, companies wanting access to the EU market must prove that products made from cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee and rubber are deforestation-free.
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But the praise that greeted the law was replaced in recent months by a sometimes-ferocious backlash, strongly countered by the companies and countries that have already invested time and money to be ready for the December 30 deadline.
Those standing up for the EUDR include many of those who would be deeply affected, including the world’s biggest cocoa producers Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, major chocolate companies (Ferrero, Mars Wrigley, Mondelēz International and Nestlé), as well as Indigenous groups and NGOs from around the globe, who see the law’s potential not just to end destructive forest-clearing, but to help safeguard Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ territorial rights.
In the end, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen caved in to industry and political pressure and opted to delay the law’s implementation. Some of the ramifications of her decision are strikingly obvious. Others will become clearer over time.
High stakesOne obvious consequence is for the world’s forests.
As the investigative NGO Earthsight points out, a 12-month delay will mean, based on the EU’s own studies, that an estimated 2,300 km2 of forest will be destroyed – an area nearly the size of Luxembourg. For every minute the law is delayed, another football pitch-sized amount of forest will be cleared, producing in a year emissions equivalent to those from 18 million cars.
Guyana’s carbon-credit deal to protect forests undermines its forest protectors
It’s also clear that many of those who pushed for this delay want to water down or abandon the EUDR altogether. They will be determined to use the Commission’s proposal as an opportunity to achieve this. They must not be allowed to succeed.
But the EU must accept that it is also to blame for the delay.
EU ditheringFirst, the Commission failed to release needed guidelines in due time. Companies’ answers to their questions on how to comply were late and unclear, creating anxiety and offering an opportunity for opponents to double-down on their criticisms.
Secondly, as the Commission implicitly recognised in its statement announcing the delay, the EU has also failed to seriously work with those countries that will be most deeply affected by the law.
Colombia adds nature to the mix with its $40-billion energy transition plan
For the EUDR to succeed, the EU must fundamentally change its approach, acknowledge the regulation’s impact on its trading partners and intensify efforts to support them to comply with it.
Working hand in glove with these countries must also mean working with local forest communities and civil society groups, as well as addressing the specific needs of small-scale farmers to ensure that companies don’t squeeze them out of their supply chains because of the law’s requirements.
EU member states and the European Parliament must vote against delaying this pioneering and desperately needed law – and stand firm against those hellbent on exploiting the uncertainty which now surrounds it. With wildfires raging in the drought-stricken Amazon, and in other South American countries, the stakes could not be higher.
The post Delay to EU deforestation law must not lead to dilution appeared first on Climate Home News.
Photos: District 3 City Council Candidate Climate Justice Forum
The post Photos: District 3 City Council Candidate Climate Justice Forum appeared first on 350PDX: Climate Justice.
CAREER OPPORTUNITY: Climate & Energy Program Attorney
Job Opening Announcement: Climate & Energy Program Attorney
Reports to: Climate & Energy Program Director
Location: Santa Fe or Taos, NM. Other WELC office locations, including remote, may be considered, for the right candidate in the right situation.
Timeline: Job opening posted October 4, 2024; we will review applications and interview candidates on a rolling basis beginning November 4, 2024. The position is open until filled.
Salary: For Staff Attorney applicants with 6-12 years of legal experience: $82,000-$104,000. For Senior Attorney applicants with 13+ years of legal experience: $104,000-$140,000.
Note: Information is available below. Please apply through our ApplicantPro portal.
The Western Environmental Law Center is a leading nonprofit, public-interest environmental law firm rooted in the landscapes and communities of the western U.S. Founded in 1993, WELC has been celebrated as an Outside Magazine Best Place to Work for the last five consecutive years, Oregon Business Magazine Best Nonprofit, Law360 Environmental Group of the Year, and Better Business Bureau Torch Award winner for ethics.
We envision a thriving western U.S., abundant with protected and interconnected ecosystems, powered by renewable energy, and cared for by communities brought together in an ecology of kinship. We embrace a collaborative, team-based approach to foster the trust, belonging, and dignity essential to a healthy organization and to relationship-based advocacy that builds power for transformative change.
We seek to retain either a Staff Attorney (6-12 years of experience) or Senior Attorney (13+ years of experience to join our team. We strongly encourage people of color, persons with disabilities, women, LGBTQ+ applicants, and people of diverse lived experience to apply.
POSITION SUMMARYThe Climate & Energy Program Attorney is an exempt, full-time position. The central focus of this position is strategic, legal, and policy advocacy centered on the confluence of the climate crisis with the federal public lands fossil fuels program and the Western U.S.’ transition from fossil fuels to a renewables-powered future. The position’s responsibilities will be allocated among the following core areas:
- Litigation and administrative engagement pertaining to federal public lands fossil fuel planning, leasing, infrastructure, and drilling approvals (0.6 FTE).
- Engagement in federal and state-level climate, fossil fuels, public lands, and energy transition legislation, rulemaking, and policymaking (0.4 FTE).
- The Attorney, in working in these areas, will work to advance equity, inclusion, and justice imperatives identified in cooperation with partners and allies, including frontline and energy-dependent communities. While focused on federal advocacy, the Attorney will also coordinate with WELC’s state-level advocacy in New Mexico, with an eye towards opportunities that may arise in other states.
Given the dynamic moment we find ourselves in, this position’s focus and time allocations will necessarily evolve in response to changing political, scientific, social, and economic circumstances and opportunities consistent with specific organizational strategies. Further, and as with all WELC positions, this position is flexibly designed to accommodate a successful candidate’s distinctive skills, experiences, and interests to further and complement WELC’s strategic climate focus. WELC’s organizational and strategic direction is not “top down,” but is informed precisely by the individual qualities of its staff.
Accordingly, the Attorney will be encouraged and supported to identify and advance opportunities to shape WELC’s organizational and strategic direction, to share perspectives, and to be a trusted and respected leader in their field and within their scope of work. The Attorney will support and coordinate with WELC leadership, development, communications, and finance staff, as well as represent WELC in public and private settings. The Attorney will also participate in retreats, trainings, and other organizational events.
To fulfill this position’s responsibilities, the Attorney may provide a full range of legal services on behalf of WELC, including litigation, policy advocacy, and administrative action. To assist in these efforts, the Attorney will stay apprised of relevant law, policy, social, and other developments. The Attorney will work collaboratively with staff across the organization, as well as with partner organizations and clients.
The Attorney is a normal 40-hour week position based out of any of WELC’S existing offices or, potentially, a remote home office in the western U.S., primarily working during Monday to Friday business hours, though some night and weekend hours may be required at times, depending on organizational and advocacy needs. Limited travel is required, averaging a total of 2-3 weeks per year, including some overnight and weekend travel. The position also involves standard office physical demands. WELC will provide all reasonable accommodations to the extent possible or required pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
QUALIFICATIONSWe are keenly interested in considering a range of applicants with diverse lived experiences who approach the world with kindness, empathy, imagination, and vision. We will happily consider applicants who offer an equivalent or alternative set of qualifications to fulfill this position’s responsibilities, apart from the first two qualifications set forth below, which are mandatory.
- Law degree from an accredited law school.
- Admission to and good standing with a U.S. state bar or willingness and ability to obtain membership to a U.S. state bar where the attorney is located at the earliest opportunity.
- Lived experience within or past work experience in partnership with people and communities of diverse backgrounds and experience, particularly in the western U.S.
- At least six years attorney experience, although we will consider exceptional candidates with less experience.
- Excellent research, writing, and oral advocacy skills.
- Experience with and knowledge of federal climate, fossil fuels, and public lands issues, as well as an interest in and understanding of science and its interplay with climate, fossil fuels, public lands, communities, and public health is important.
- Ability and willingness to act as a lead attorney on cases and projects and use a complete set of legal advocacy tools including litigation, policy, and administrative advocacy.
- A commitment to conceptualizing and implementing legal strategies that further equity, inclusion, and justice, including through the just treatment and meaningful involvement of clients, partners, and frontline community groups and individuals.
- Dynamic and empathetic skills to foster relationships with partners, clients, agency staff, and community members. Demonstrated ability to work in complex, potentially high-conflict, multi- dimensional arenas involving a broad array of organizations and interests.
- Eagerness to mentor, support, and help develop newer attorneys, and a self-awareness, motivation, and desire to seek opportunities for your own growth and development.
- An interest in and understanding of science and other technical fields and their interplay with public interest environmental law.
- Ability to work independently and proactively, including a willingness to be flexible and adaptive when needed.
- Desire to work on and contribute to a team. This includes learning from others, giving and receiving support and feedback, and active, constructive engagement in organizational discussions to advance the organization’s mission and contribute to its cohesion.
- Highly organized and intellectually curious.
- Demonstrated commitment to WELC’s mission and strategies and the public interest as well as a love for the land, waters, wildlife, and communities of the western U.S.
Western Environmental Law Center is an equal opportunity employer. We offer a flexible, friendly, team-based environment with immediate opportunities to shape organizational strategies, and competitive salaries as follows:
- Staff Attorney (6-12 years of legal experience): $82,000 – $104,000
- Senior Attorney (13+ years of legal experience): $104,000 – $140,000
WELC offers an excellent benefits package, including health, vision, dental, life, and disability coverage (with 100% employer paid premiums), a 401(k) retirement plan with a 4% employer match, 22 days combined of paid annual vacation and personal leave, 13 days of paid holiday leave, paid sick leave, and a paid long-term leave policy (3 months sabbatical leave for every 5 years of employment).
TO APPLY
Please submit the following as PDF attachments through our ApplicantPro portal:
- 1-2 page cover letter addressed to Kyle Tisdel, Climate & Energy Program Director
- Resume;
- 3 professional references; and
- 1-2 concise writing samples, with at least 1 writing sample involving a legal memorandum, brief, or filing. An additional, non-legal writing sample is also welcomed to illustrate the candidate’s background, views, or ideas.
Cover letters should communicate applicants’ commitment to WELC’s mission and advocacy and their motivation to work in this position and in public interest environmental law generally. In your cover letter, please do not repeat information apparent from a review of your resume. Instead, in their cover letters, applicants are very strongly encouraged to tell us who they are as human beings, why they care about this work, and why they want to work for WELC specifically.
The post CAREER OPPORTUNITY: Climate & Energy Program Attorney appeared first on Western Environmental Law Center.
Week Without Driving PGH Boosts Stories & Calls for Change!
Across the county, 30% of the population does not drive a car. The Week Without Driving was developed by disability advocates in Washington state and is now a national initiative, led by America Walks and the National Campaign for Transit Justice.
Locally, we’re proud to join this movement to raise awareness for greater mobility needs in every community. With Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s diminished service, crumbling sidewalks, disconnected bike lanes, and insufficient ACCESS services, the lack of investment in safe and accessible mobility options for non-drivers leaves too many residents stranded and struggling to access basic needs.
Join us in pledging to take a Week Without Driving, and call for true mobility options for all in Allegheny County. You can participate as an individual, organization or elected official. Take the pledge! Week Without Driving PGH Kickoff with County Exec Innamorato & Mayor Ed Gainey is a success! Take the Week Without Driving pledge! Whether due to disability, age, or income – non-drivers come from all walks of life.These 8 inspiring stories from Pittsburgh non-drivers show there is a spectrum of people who don’t drive a car and urge elected officials make improvements for transit, biking, and walking.
Read the Spotlights Tell your story!The post Week Without Driving PGH Boosts Stories & Calls for Change! appeared first on Pittsburghers for Public Transit.
Video: 2024 Portland City Council Candidate Climate Justice Forums
Candidates present (left to right): Marnie Glickman, Sameer Kanal, Debbie Kitchin, Mike Marshall, Chris Olson, Jennifer Park, Tiffani Penson, Laura Streib, Jonathan Tasini, Nat West
Moderator: Jacob Apenes
District 3, October 2, 2024
Candidates present (left to right): Tiffany Koyama Lane, Angelita Morillo, Chris Flanary, Ahlam Osman, Rex Burkholder, Daniel DeMelo
Moderator: Denise López
District 4, September 26, 2024
For the District 4 forum, the Internet unfortunately went down, so the beginning of the forum was not able to be recorded. We apologize for the inconvenience! We are compiling a document with summaries of candidates’ answers to the first couple questions. Please reach out to Cherice Bock (cherice at 350pdx dot org) if you would like to receive a summary.
Candidates present (left to right): Sarah Silkie, Eric Zimmerman, Mitch Green, Lisa Freeman, Ben Hufford, Moses Ross, Chris Henry
Moderator: Brenna Bell
The post Video: 2024 Portland City Council Candidate Climate Justice Forums appeared first on 350PDX: Climate Justice.
Civil servants warn fossil fuel exploration could harm New Zealand’s climate reputation
Civil servants from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministry have advised politicians that reversing a ban on offshore oil and gas exploration could harm the country’s international reputation and relationships, anger Pacific nations and risk lawsuits over climate change.
In 2018, the country’s then centre-left prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, effectively banned fresh efforts to look for fossil fuels offshore. But the new right-wing government led by Christopher Luxon – a former CEO of Air New Zealand – introduced legislation to reverse the ban last week, allowing just four working days for consultation and aiming to pass it by the end of this year.
In official advice, which the government accidentally published despite attempting to keep secret, the ministry warned that the move “risks being seen as running counter to the Pacific regional and global consensus on transitioning away from fossil fuels”.
It goes on to cite the global agreement made at the COP28 UN climate summit last December calling on governments “to contribute” to “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems”.
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Saudi Arabia’s energy minister has downplayed the significance of this COP28 decision by calling it an “à la carte menu” of “choices”. But New Zealand-based Oil Change International campaigner David Tong said the advice from New Zealand’s civil servants shows the importance of the deal struck in Dubai.
“It provides an unambiguous example of experienced climate diplomats warning political decision-makers that domestic decisions to backslide on moves away from fossil fuels will lead to diplomatic backlash,” he told Climate Home.
The document, called a “regulatory impact statement”, was overseen by a business ministry official but features input from other departments. The section featuring the foreign and trade ministry’s advice was supposed to be redacted but the government accidentally tabled an unredacted version to parliament.
Pacific angerA previously redacted section suggests that, in particular, the potential reaction of New Zealand’s “Pacific Island partners” to a reopening of oil and gas exploration is important for the government. It points out that the COP28 agreement “drew heavily” from the outcome of the 2023 Pacific Island Forum leaders meeting.
Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, told Climate Home that the previous New Zealand government’s decision to ban new offshore gas exploration was “courageous” and “strongly supported by the Pacific”.
Colombia adds nature to the mix with its $40-billion energy transition plan
She added that “any moves to restart offshore exploration would be out of line with the commitment we made in Dubai”. “We would have to question if New Zealand were truly committed to the safety and security of the Marshall Islands and all our brothers and sisters in the Pacific,” she added, referring to the threat faced by small island states of rising sea levels from global warming caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels.
Pacific nations have also criticised the Australian government’s recent decision to approve the expansion of three coal mines. Tuvalu’s climate minister Maina Talia recently told the Guardian newspaper that this was “immoral and unacceptable”.
Australia is hoping to co-host the COP31 climate summit in 2026 with at least one Pacific nation – but Turkiye also wants to host that summit.
Legal risksIn a section marked “legally privileged”, the statement highlighted two legal risks that would stem from reversing the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration.
It noted foreign and trade ministry officials’ assessment that such a move “could be perceived” as New Zealand not intending to meet its official United Nations climate plan, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution.
“This gives rise to international legal risk,” the document says, adding that “there have been attempts globally to take novel cases against States under international law, for breach of their climate change obligations”. “While these legal risks are low at this time, as is the risk of challenge, this is an active area of international litigation,” it continued.
Amazon state that will host COP30 strikes “largest carbon credit sale in history”
Governments are increasingly being sued – in both national and international courts – over their perceived lack of climate action.
In April 2024, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Switzerland had breached its citizens’ human rights by not doing enough to cut greenhouse gas emissions, a conclusion the Swiss government disputes.
In response to a campaign led by the Pacific nation of Vanuatu, the International Court of Justice is preparing an advisory opinion on states’ legal obligations on climate change and human rights, and the consequences of causing harm.
In September 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee found that Australia’s failure to protect Indigenous Torres Strait Islanders from rising seas and extreme weather, because of its inadequate action on climate change, violated their human rights.
Nikki Reisch, director of the Center for International Environmental Law’s climate and energy programme, told Climate Home that lifting New Zealand’s fossil fuel exploration ban would be “ripe for legal challenge”.
“It’s likely to be challenged as contrary to the state’s climate obligations – both domestic and international – as well as its duties under human rights and constitutional laws to protect the right to life and other rights,” she said.
Trade dealsThe foreign ministry also advised that lifting the ban on fossil fuel exploration would “likely be inconsistent with the obligations in several of New Zealand’s free trade agreements (FTA) not to reduce environmental protections for the purposes of encouraging trade or investment”.
New Zealand’s agreements with the European Union (EU) and the UK contain these kind of provisions. But the officials advised that the “risk of legal challenge” on this was “likely to be low”.
The civil servants’ advice was published on May 15, 2024. Tong said the risk of lawsuits had increased since then.
The EU has proposed Dan Jørgensen – a former Danish climate minister and convenor of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance – as its new energy commissioner, Tong noted. “He is likely to take a dim view of New Zealand forcing the Alliance to kick the country out,” he said.
Tong added that the UK’s new left-wing Labour government, which came into power in July, has pledged to end new offshore oil exploration. “Failure to implement the COP28 outcomes could spark trade risks under existing free trade agreements,” he said.
(Reporting by Joe Lo, editing by Megan Rowling)
The post Civil servants warn fossil fuel exploration could harm New Zealand’s climate reputation appeared first on Climate Home News.
The legacy of the Bundy Bunkerville standoff
Ten years ago, federal agents tried to impound cattle belonging to Cliven Bundy, a public lands rancher who owed more than $1 million in unpaid grazing fees. The ensuing standoff near the town of Bunkerville, Nevada became an inflection point for antigovernment extremists in the West and across the country.
Writing in High Country News, Leah Sottille, who previously created the Bundyville podcast, looks at what the 2014 standoff foreshadowed. With militia snipers taking aim at federal law enforcement, agents retreated and the Bundy family declared victory. That moment was amplified across Fox News, which largely ignored the ultraconservative religious underpinnings of Bundy’s philosophy.
History professor Benjamin Park told HCN that the Bundys moved “the boundaries of what’s expected Mormon political discourse,” pointing to the Utah legislature where far-right members “don’t go fully Bundy, but they’re willing to go half Bundy. They’re willing to take advantage of this anxiety.”
Bunkerville also validated a worldview in which rural white landowners saw themselves as the victims of oppression, even while the Bundy family denied Indigenous rights to land in Nevada.
“That starting line realistically goes back to the founding of our country,” said Amy Cooter, an expert on extremism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. It “is really baked into this idea of the American mythology that’s going to be very difficult for us to ever move away from.”
Quick hits Utah legislature doubles down on sagebrush rebellion with latest land seizure lawsuit Heritage Foundation floods Interior, other agencies with information requests targeting civil servants BLM on track to finalize coal leasing ban despite industry protests California, feds waive protections for delta smelt to boost water delivery for farmers Millions of acres could be opened up for solar development in Nevada New “agrivoltaic” project at Denver Botanic Gardens to grow 30,000 pounds of vegetables while generating power As wildfires burned, a Facebook spam filter blocked emergency info Seven (safe) ways to see the elk rut at Estes Park Quote of the dayI understand you want to honor your ancestors and your grandfather told you that you should hate the federal land. But it’s time to think about your children, not your grandfather.”
—Moab mountain bike shop owner Ashley Korenblat, NPR News
Picture This
The Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway winds over 200 miles along the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin, flowing through some of the most scenic and least developed areas in the Upper Midwest. You can explore the pristine and clean waters in a canoe, camp amid the Northwoods, fish surrounded by wooded bluffs, take in fall foliage and watch for bald eagles and wildlife that make the banks their home.
As we mark the 56th anniversary of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, we celebrate the free-flowing, remarkable scenic and recreational rivers that surge, ramble, gush, wander and weave through our country.
Featured image: Cliven Bundy. Photo by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0The post The legacy of the Bundy Bunkerville standoff appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Guyana’s carbon-credit deal to protect forests undermines its forest protectors
Mario Hastings is a community leader and former Toshao of Kako Village in Upper Mazaruni, Guyana.
The Essequibo region of Guyana where I live lies at the heart of Guyana’s economic expansion – it’s one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Essequibo is also the home of many of Guyana’s Indigenous communities, and we are under siege from all sides.
To the north, there is oil drilling off the coast. To the west, the Venezuelan army threatens to invade as the government covets Essequibo’s natural riches. To the south, fires rage as Brazilian farmers clear the borderlands of rainforest. And in the east, the Guyanese government has traded the rights to the intact forests of the Essequibo for global carbon offsets as well as for gold-mine concessions – often on the same lands – even though many Indigenous communities live in these territories.
Colombia adds nature to the mix with its $40-billion energy transition plan
The Indigenous communities of Guyana, similar to Indigenous communities around the globe, live in the space between economic development and cultural conflict. And that is only when our existence is acknowledged. My village, for example, is not located on any “official” maps even though we have lived on these lands for many generations.
But our continued existence must be a priority to ensure the success of climate solutions linked to our forests.
Guyana’s forests are valued because so many of the 18 million hectares of woodlands within the country’s borders remain undisturbed. Our trees are exceptional for their timber, our soil is rich, and in many places, the mineral wealth underground is unimaginable. And yet, the trees are still standing because of the ways in which we Indigenous Peoples have sustained them and how we live in relation to these forests. No one else cares for these territories in the same way.
“Kept in the dark”As we have kept our territories intact for generations, Indigenous lands, like the Essequibo region, include a large percentage of forests, sheltering much of the world’s biodiversity and absorbing large quantities of carbon. But carbon credit transactions that ignore Indigenous land rights sabotage the traditional governance systems and our relationship to nature that has kept the forests so valuable.
There have been two rounds of carbon credit sales in Guyana, with payments from international bodies making their way through the government and a few other middlemen until reaching the group of Toshaos (community leaders) who have agreed to the government’s uncompromising terms. The cost of this compliance, however, has been far too steep.
We still do not have access to the carbon credit scheme agreement that the government has signed – even for those communities that the government does recognize. All of us are kept in the dark.
The international organization that authorizes this carbon credit scheme, the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART), has rejected a formal complaint made by the Amerindian Peoples Association about this lack of transparency. And yet, our lands have been given out without our consent and without resolving the issues surrounding the titles to our customary territories.
From where we stand, it does not matter if the land grab is for the gold in the ground – where removing it threatens the trees and rivers – or for the carbon in the trees, which must remain standing. We should be allowed to share our opinions and participate in the decision-making. Instead, we are told that the carbon in the trees on our lands does not belong to our people, it belongs to the state.
Carbon profits for who?We have complained that the carbon credit scheme fails to provide an adequate process for validating the carbon, and it does not define who has rights to profit off of the carbon. The scheme’s standards do not adhere to ART’s environment and social safeguards. And our communities’ right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) has been repeatedly ignored.
Some of the communities were told they could submit sustainability plans, for how they would continue to care for the forests, and in return they would receive payments to subsidize that work and their way of life. But, in doing so, the communities were not surrendering their rights, especially their land rights that the government doesn’t recognize in the first place.
Amazon state that will host COP30 strikes “largest carbon credit sale in history”
Typical of places with a wealth of natural resources that have yet to be exploited, Essequibo is rarely in the lens of global media coverage. Outside interests operate with less restraint when they feel that no one is watching. And so, with the carbon credit markets, Indigenous rights are rarely respected, and no one notices.
If we want to stave off the worst of climate change, however, we need tropical forests to remain upright and to do that, governments need to respect Indigenous rights over our lands and the biodiversity, forests and carbon that we protect. We want to be of service through the stewardship of our territories – and all humanity can benefit.
Climate Home contacted ART about the complaint made by the Amerindian Peoples Association over Guyana’s carbon credit programme. ART responded as follows:
The Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) is a global carbon crediting program that certifies high-integrity emission reductions and removals from protecting and restoring forests at scale. ART operates at a jurisdictional scale to align with Paris Agreement requirements for REDD+ and ensures social integrity by directly aligning with the UN-defined Cancún Safeguards.
Following an initial complaint submitted in March 2023 by the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), a thorough review was conducted, which included stakeholder interviews and a close examination of the validation and verification process, determining that ART’s processes had been followed. Subsequently, on October 27, 2023, the ART Secretariat dismissed an appeal made by APA, due to the APA’s failure to comply with procedural requirements. A summary of the Appeal Record, as well as all Appeal Record Documents, are available on the ART website.
The post Guyana’s carbon-credit deal to protect forests undermines its forest protectors appeared first on Climate Home News.
New “Bus Line Redesign” Proposes Biggest Changes of Our Lifetimes
Whether you live in McKeesport or McKees Rocks, the Hill District or the South Hills, our public transit system needs to work for everyone.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) just released the first draft of the “Bus Line Redesign”. The redesign proposes a completely redrawn map of where transit routes will run. It includes new schedules for how frequently and how late at night buses and trains operate. It even proposes renaming all the routes in the system.
Broadly, we at Pittsburghers for Public Transit are approaching the Bus Line Redesign process both knowing that transit service needs to be improved for people in Allegheny County AND being cautious about whats included in the proposal.
We are cautious for two reasons. One, the agency is approaching the redesign as a “cost neutral” project. This means that the proposal contains the same (or a little less) service than we have today. A “cost-neutral” redesign is a problem because better transit service in some communities will mean worse service in others. When we consider that we’ve already lost 20% of our service since 2020, and 40% since 2000, we’re very concerned that a “cost-neutral redesign” will lock in lower levels of service. We know more service isn’t possible without more funding, which is why we are organizing with riders and workers across Pennsylvania to fight for increased transit funding – you should lean more about the Transit for All PA! campaign and join us as well!
The second reason we are cautious is because we know a redesign of nearly all routes, stops and schedules will be a major disruption for communities. This should be a cause for concern because any disruption could result in decreased ridership – no matter how small. This is understandable because people have built their entire lives – where they live, work, shop, socialize – around a system that’s existed in roughly the same layout for decades.
As transit advocates, we approach PRT’s Bus Network Redesign process with the belief that a redesign should increase people’s access to the system and better support marginalized communities. We’re also supporting a robust conversation with existing riders to give feedback – and then that PRT shows us that our feedback matters! We can create a redesign that works for all if we organize together. Make sure to sign-on with fellow transit advocates to support this vision.
Sign this petition to tell PRT that we need a Bus Line Redesign that works for all!PRT has proposed changes to nearly every route, stop, every schedule. These are the most substantial changes proposed in our lifetime. Tens of thousands of people who use the system every day will be impacted. Some communities will get cut out from service, while others will receive new service. With changes this big, it is critical that PRT do deep and sustained public outreach and have a process for incorporating what people say.
Sign-on to Support a Redesign That Works For All Learn more about the PRT’s proposed Bus Line Design and give your input today!PRT has the Bus Line Redesign draft up on their website, and has some tools that you can use to assess the ways that your trips and neighborhood will be impacted here. Take a look, and share your feedback with them (and us!) we consider how we respond to this
PRT is also holding several Bus Line Redesign feedback sessions online and across the County. You should join them and promote them to your network.
Check out the Cheat Sheet that we put together to help analyze how the redesign will impact you – and share your input with transit advocates! See the Cheat Sheet!The post New “Bus Line Redesign” Proposes Biggest Changes of Our Lifetimes appeared first on Pittsburghers for Public Transit.
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