Global Methane Pledge | Sep. 19, 2021

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Greenhouse gas emissions
Infrared camera footage showing a plume of methane gas flowing from a vent stack. The gas is 80 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. 

​US and EU pledge 30% cut in methane emissions to limit global heating

Major commitment with deadline of 2030 is big advance towards reaching 1.5C goal set out in Paris agreement

Sep. 17 - ​The US and the EU made a joint pledge on Friday to cut global methane emissions by almost a third in the next decade, in what climate experts hailed as one of the most significant steps yet towards fulfilling the Paris climate agreement.

The pledge came as the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, warned of a “high risk of failure” at the vital UN climate talks, Cop26, set for Glasgow this November.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, about 80 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, and emissions have been rising in recent years. Natural gas production and fracking, meat production and other forms of agriculture are among the chief sources.

The pact between the US and the EU sets a target of cutting at least 30% from global methane emissions, based on 2020 levels, by 2030. If adopted around the world, this would reduce global heating by 0.2C by the 2040s, compared with likely temperature rises by then. The world is now about 1.2C hotter now than in pre-industrial times....     more

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In an interview with WSJ’s Timothy Puko, U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry explains the roles he’d like to see the private sector and countries play in fighting climate change

​Biden Says U.S. Working With EU on Pledge to Cut Global Methane Emissions

​President encourages others to join in target of cutting global emissions by nearly a third by 2030
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Joint US-EU Press Release on the Global Methane Pledge

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

​The United States and European Union announced today the Global Methane Pledge, an initiative to reduce global methane emissions to be launched at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in November in Glasgow.  President Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged countries at the U.S.-led Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate to join the Pledge and welcomed those that have already signaled their support.  

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and, according to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, accounts for about half of the 1.0 degree Celsius net rise in global average temperature since the pre-industrial era. Rapidly reducing methane emissions is complementary to action on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and is regarded as the single most effective strategy to reduce global warming in the near term and keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach.  

Countries joining the Global Methane Pledge commit to a collective goal of reducing global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030 and moving towards using best available inventory methodologies to quantify methane emissions, with a particular focus on high emission sources. Delivering on the Pledge would reduce warming by at least 0.2 degrees Celsius by 2050. Countries have widely varying methane emissions profiles and reduction potential, but all can contribute to achieving the collective global goal through additional domestic methane reduction and international cooperative actions. Major sources of methane emissions include oil and gas, coal, agriculture, and landfills. These sectors have different starting points and varying potential for short-term methane abatement with the greatest potential for targeted mitigation by 2030 in the energy sector.  

Methane abatement delivers additional important benefits, including improved public health and agricultural productivity.  According to the Global Methane Assessment from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), achieving the 2030 goal can prevent over 200,000 premature deaths, hundreds of thousands of asthma-related emergency room visits, and over 20 million tons of crop losses a year by 2030 by reducing ground-level ozone pollution caused in part by methane.  

The European Union and eight countries have already indicated their support for the Global Methane Pledge. These countries include six of the top 15 methane emitters globally and together account for over one-fifth of global methane emissions and nearly half of the global economy.

The European Union has been taking steps to reduce its methane emissions for almost three decades. The European Commission strategy adopted in 1996 helped reduce methane emissions from landfilling by almost a half.  Under the European Green Deal, and to support the European Union’s commitment to climate neutrality by 2050, the European Union adopted in October 2020 a strategy to reduce methane emissions in all key sectors covering energy, agriculture and waste. The reduction of methane emissions in the current decade is an important part of the European Union’s ambition for reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. This year, the European Commission will propose legislation to measure, report and verify methane emission, put limits on venting and flaring, and impose requirements to detect leaks, and repair them.  The European Commission is also working to accelerate the uptake of mitigation technologies through the wider deployment of ‘carbon farming’ in European Union Member States and through their Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plans, and to promote biomethane production from agricultural waste and residues. Finally, the European Commission is supporting UNEP in establishing an independent International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) to address the global data gap and transparency in this area, including through a financial contribution. IMEO will play an important role in creating a sound scientific basis for methane emissions calculations and delivering the Global Methane Pledge in this regard.

The United States is pursuing significant methane reductions on multiple fronts. In response to an Executive Order that President Biden issued on the first day of his presidency, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is promulgating new regulations to curtail methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. In parallel, the EPA has taken steps to implement stronger pollution standards for landfills, and the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials and Safety Administration is continuing to take steps that will reduce methane leakage from pipelines and related facilities. At the President’s urging and in partnership with U.S. farmers and ranchers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is working to significantly expand the voluntary adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices that will reduce methane emissions from key agriculture sources by incentivizing the deployment of improved manure management systems, anaerobic digesters, new livestock feeds, composting, and other practices. The U.S. Congress is considering supplemental funding that would support many of these efforts. Among the proposals before the Congress, for example, is a major initiative to plug and remediate orphaned and abandoned oil, gas, and coal wells and mines, which would significantly reduce methane emissions.  In addition, the United States continues to support collaborative international methane mitigation efforts, especially through its leadership of the Global Methane Initiative and CCAC.

​The European Union and eight countries have already indicated their support for the Global Methane Pledge: 

• Argentina
• European Union 
• Ghana
• Indonesia
• Iraq
• Italy
• Mexico
• United Kingdom
• United States

The United States, the European Union, and other early supporters will continue to enlist additional countries to join the Global Methane Pledge pending its formal launch at COP 26.

俄核潜艇北极发导弹 S-500服役在即对美威慑升级 20210918 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Sep 19, 2021

How can I take your picture if…
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 20, 1953
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Fuss-Budget
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Good night, Herr Beethoven!
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 22, 1953
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How can you stand being so good to me?
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 23, 1953
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You’re so…
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 24, 1953
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Davenport
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 25, 1953
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That’s the way it goes
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 26, 1953
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Snoopy & Lucy
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 27, 1953
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Taliban | Aug. 29, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Who are the Taliban? | Start Here
May 30, 2021
Who are the Taliban? The Taliban have been fighting the Afghan government and its allies for decades. Now the US is pulling its soldiers out of Afghanistan and the Taliban seem stronger than ever. Who are the Taliban really? And how is it that they have so much power?

Taliban move to seal off Kabul airport as Biden warns attack 'highly likely'
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The Taliban has deployed extra forces around Kabul's airport to prevent large crowds from gathering after a devastating suicide attack two days earlier, as the massive US-led airlift winds down ahead of its August 31 deadline.

Aug. 29 - New checkpoints have appeared on roads leading to the airport, some manned by uniformed Taliban fighters with Humvees and night-vision goggles captured from Afghan security forces.

It comes as Joe Biden said another terrorist attack on Kabul's airport is "highly likely in the next 24-36 hours"

The US Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert saying "Due to a specific, credible threat, all U.S. citizens in the vicinity of Kabul airport (HKIA), including the South (Airport Circle) gate, the new Ministry of the Interior, and the gate near the Panjshir Petrol station on the northwest side of the airport, should leave the airport area immediately."

Areas where large crowds of people had gathered over the past two weeks in the hope of fleeing the country following the Taliban takeover are now largely empty...     more

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The Taliban (/ˈtælɪbæn, ˈtɑːlɪbɑːn/; Pashto: طالبان‎, romanized: ṭālibān, lit. 'students' or 'seekers'),[60][61] which refers to itself as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA),[62] is a Deobandi Islamist religious-political movement and military organization in Afghanistan. It is currently one of two entities claiming to be the legitimate government of Afghanistan, alongside the internationally recognized Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The Taliban's ideology has been described as combining an "innovative" form of Sharia Islamic law based on Deobandi fundamentalism[63] and militant Islamism, combined[63] with Pashtun social and cultural norms known as Pashtunwali,[1][2][64][65] as most Taliban are Pashtun tribesmen.

1996 to 2001, the Taliban held power over roughly three-quarters of Afghanistan, and enforced a strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law.[66] The Taliban emerged in 1994 as one of the prominent factions in the Afghan Civil War[67] and largely consisted of students (talib) from the Pashtun areas of eastern and southern Afghanistan who had been educated in traditional Islamic schools, and fought during the Soviet–Afghan War.[68][10][11][69] Under the leadership of Mohammed Omar, the movement spread throughout most of Afghanistan, shifting power away from the Mujahideen warlords. The totalitarian[6][70] Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was established in 1996 and the Afghan capital was transferred to Kandahar. It held control of most of the country until being overthrown after the American-led invasion of Afghanistan in December 2001 following the September 11 attacks. During the group's previous rule parts of the northeast were held by the Northern Alliance, which largely maintained international recognition as a continuation of the interim Islamic State of Afghanistan.[71] At its peak, formal diplomatic recognition of the Taliban's government was acknowledged by only three nations: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The group later regrouped as an insurgency movement to fight the American-backed Karzai administration and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the War in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have been condemned internationally for the harsh enforcement of their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, which has resulted in the brutal treatment of many Afghans.[72][73] During their rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban and their allies committed massacres against Afghan civilians, denied UN food supplies to 160,000 starving civilians, and conducted a policy of scorched earth, burning vast areas of fertile land and destroying tens of thousands of homes.[74][75][76][77][78][79] While the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, they banned activities and media including paintings,[80] photography,[81] and movies that depicted people or other living things.[82] They also prohibited music using instruments, with the exception of the daf, a type of frame drum.[83] The Taliban prevented girls and young women from attending school,[84] banned women from working jobs outside of healthcare (male doctors were prohibited from treating women),[85] and required that women be accompanied by a male relative and wear a burqa at all times when in public.[86] If women broke certain rules, they were publicly whipped or executed.[87] Religious and ethnic minorities were heavily discriminated against during Taliban rule. According to the United Nations, the Taliban and their allies were responsible for 76% of Afghan civilian casualties in 2010, and 80% in 2011 and 2012.[88][89][90][91][92][93] The Taliban also engaged in cultural genocide, destroying numerous monuments including the famous 1500-year-old Buddhas of Bamiyan.[94][95][96][97]

​The Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence and military are widely alleged by the international community and the Afghan government to have provided support to the Taliban during their founding and time in power, and of continuing to support the Taliban during the insurgency. Pakistan states that it dropped all support for the group after the 11 September attacks.[98][99][100][101][102][103] In 2001, reportedly 2,500 Arabs under command of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden fought for the Taliban.[104] Following the Fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021, the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan.     from Wikipedia

U.S. President Joe Biden arrives for a virtual briefing with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on preparations for Hurricane Ida at the White House in Washington, U.S., August 28, 2021. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

Biden says he has coordinated with governors, electric utilities on Hurricane Ida
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WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday said he has spoken to governors of states in the Gulf of Mexico region and has coordinated with electric utilities in preparation for Hurricane Ida, the powerful storm expected to make landfall late Sunday.

"We've prepositioned food, water, generators and other supplies in the area. Power restoration and mobile communications support teams are also en route. We've also closely coordinated with the electric utilities to restore power as soon as possible," Biden said at a briefing with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Hurricane Ida intensified on Saturday and the reach of its winds expanded over warm Gulf of Mexico waters, prompting tens of thousands to jam Louisiana highways as they fled the seashore. Utilities were bringing in extra crews and equipment to deal with expected power losses from the storm. read more

Biden said FEMA deployed 500 emergency response personnel in Texas and Louisiana ahead of the storm, in addition to 2,000 FEMA workers already supporting the COVID response in the region.     source from

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Republicans hit Biden over Afghanistan, with eye on midterms

Aug. 29 - ​Republicans in Congress want President Biden out of office after 13 U.S. service members and at least 170 others were killed in a terrorist attack during the Afghanistan evacuation.

They’re calling for his resignation, impeachment and even for the 25th Amendment to be invoked to end his presidency.

​Some of the GOP lawmakers pushing for Biden’s ouster are familiar Trump loyalists like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who called for impeachment; Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), who urged Biden’s Cabinet to remove him from office via the 25th Amendment; and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who demanded Biden resign...     more

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美警告恐袭威胁加剧 阿富汗会否再陷乱战深渊？20210828 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Aug 29, 2021

I’ve been insulted!
《花生漫畫》西元1953八月/"Peanuts" on August 30, 1953
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