Global Methane Pledge | Sep. 19, 2021

https://smashwords2.weebly.com/2.html

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

---

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
​

---

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
https://yaolee.weebly.com
https://smashwords2.weebly.com/3.html
https://yaoleechen.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/1953-september/
https://turtlesallthewaydowns.wordpress.com/2021/09/02/1953-september/
https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/09/how-can-i-take-your-picture-if-sep-12.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/09/20
https://www.flickr.com/photos/184862255@N02/?
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/373798837831386597/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408959227787/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/683350943467083009/
https://yaoleechen.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/092053t.png

Fuss-Budget
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 21, 1953
https://yaolee.weebly.com/1.html
https://smashwords2.weebly.com/3.html
https://yaoleechen.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/1953-september/
https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/09/how-can-i-take-your-picture-if-sep-12.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/09/21
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/373798837831437710/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408959399092/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/683350943467233373/
https://yaoleechen.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/092153t.jpg

Good night, Herr Beethoven!
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 22, 1953
https://yaolee.weebly.com/1.html
https://smashwords2.weebly.com/3.html
https://yaoleechen.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/1953-september/
https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/09/how-can-i-take-your-picture-if-sep-12.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/09/22
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/373798837831437741/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408959399110/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/683350943467233391/
https://yaoleechen.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/092253t.jpg

How can you stand being so good to me?
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 23, 1953
https://yaoleechen.weebly.com/1.html
https://smashwords2.weebly.com/3.html
https://yaoleechen.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/1953-september/
https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/09/how-can-i-take-your-picture-if-sep-12.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/09/23
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/373798837831437767/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408959399115/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/683350943467233417/
https://yaoleechen.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/092353t.jpg

You’re so…
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 24, 1953
https://yaoleechen.weebly.com/1.html
https://smashwords2.weebly.com/3.html
https://yaoleechen.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/1953-september/
https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/09/how-can-i-take-your-picture-if-sep-12.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/09/24
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/373798837831437783/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408959399125/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/683350943467233447/
https://yaoleechen.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/092453t.jpg

Davenport
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 25, 1953
https://yaoleechen.weebly.com/1.html
https://smashwords2.weebly.com/3.html
https://yaoleechen.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/1953-september/
https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/09/how-can-i-take-your-picture-if-sep-12.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/09/18
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/373798837831437799/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408959399139/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/683350943467233468/
https://yaoleechen.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/092553t.jpg

That’s the way it goes
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 26, 1953
https://yaoleechen.weebly.com/1.html
https://smashwords2.weebly.com/3.html
https://yaoleechen.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/1953-september/
https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/09/how-can-i-take-your-picture-if-sep-12.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/09/19
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/373798837831437822/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408959399156/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/683350943467233494/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/683350943467233523/
https://yaoleechen.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/092653t.jpg

Snoopy & Lucy
《花生漫畫》西元1953九月/"Peanuts" on Sep. 27, 1953
https://yaolee.weebly.com/1.html
https://smashwords2.weebly.com/3.html
https://yaoleechen.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/1953-september/
https://turtlesallthewaydowns.wordpress.com/2021/09/02/1953-september/
https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/09/snoopy-lucy-sep-18-2021.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/09/20
https://www.flickr.com/photos/184862255@N02/?
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/373798837831437851/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408959399196/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/683350943467233523/
https://yaoleechen.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/92753t.png

Afghanistan | Jun. 21, 2021

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

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will meet US President Joe Biden
Afghan President Ghani to meet Biden as violence surges

US president to discuss troop withdrawal with his Afghan counterpart amid a surge in fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban across the country.

Jun 21 - ...The Taliban said the visit would be “useless”.

“They (Ghani and Abdullah) will talk with the US officials for preservation of their power and personal interest,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. “It won’t benefit Afghanistan.”

There was no immediate reaction from Ghani’s office but a senior Afghan official said the Afghan president would be seeking assurances from the US over its continued support for Afghan security forces in the aftermath of the withdrawal.

The visit would also come in the face of slow progress in talks between the Taliban and Afghan government representatives in Qatar.

Officials have raised concerns over the stalling negotiations and have said the Taliban has not yet submitted a written peace proposal that could be used as a starting point for substantive talks...     quoted from

Related Articles:
‘Betrayed’: The Afghan interpreters abandoned by the US
Seven killed in twin van bomb blasts in Afghanistan’s Kabul
Afghan president replaces security ministers amid Taliban advance

---

Economy and trade

During his tenure, Ghani has strengthened ties with Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, with which it has made deals to increase mutual trading.[25][26] New trade routes have also been launched within the wider region. The Chabahar Port in Iran allows increased trading with India whilst avoiding Pakistani territory.[27] A railway line from Khaf in Iran to Herat in Afghanistan is set to be opened in late 2018.[28][29] In 2017, a railway line from Turkmenistan was extended to Aqina in Afghanistan, the precursor of the "Lapis Lazuli" transport corridor that was signed by Ghani that same year and would link Afghanistan to the Caucasus and the Black Sea.[30] Other regional projects include the CASA-1000 hydroelectricity transmission from Central Asia, and the TAPI gas pipeline, expected to be completed by 2018 and 2019 respectively.[31] In January 2018 at the inauguration of the Khan Steel iron smelting plant in Kabul, Ghani said that he is aiming for Afghanistan to become a steel exporter.     source from

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has replaced two top ministers charged with managing the country's faltering security

Afghanistan: President Ashraf Ghani sacks ministers amid deteriorating security

Jun. 21 - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has sacked his defense and interior ministers. On Saturday, the Taliban seized at least six more districts across Afghanistan.

Jun. 21 - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has opted to replace his defense and interior ministers Saturday amid a rapidly deteriorating security situation across Afghanistan.
With foreign forces withdrawing and the Taliban's reach expanding,the deteriorating situation has forced the president to act.

Who are the incoming defense and interior ministers in Afghanistan?Ghani has named General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi as his new defense minister. He will replace Asadullah Khalid, who has served in the role since 2018 but previously suffered severe injuries in a 2012 suicide bombing, forcing repeated treatments abroad.

Bismillah Khan Mohammadi previously fought under the late Ahmad Shah Massoud during the country's civil war in the 1990s. Massoud was murdered by the Taliban just two days before the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the US.

President Ghani also named General Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal, who previously held several regional posts, as the country's new interior minister.

Cabinet changes must be approved by parliament so both men will serve in an acting role until then...     more

---

Related Articles:

Afghan president replaces security ministers amid Taliban advance
Ashraf Ghani announced new defence and interior ministers as violence surges with the Taliban claiming more territory.
19 Jun 2021

Afghan deminers to ‘continue to save lives’ despite deadly
Trust, whose 10 demining workers were killed last week, says will stay in the country after foreign troops leave.
16 Jun 2021

UN readies for more displaced Afghans after foreign troops leave
UNHCR chief says contingency plans be prepared for more displaced civilians amid fears of renewed violence.
15 Jun 2021

强硬派莱希当选伊朗新总统 美急欲重返伊核协议？ 20210619 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jun 20, 2021

Spokesperson Jen Psaki on the Visit of President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation

June 20, 2021 • Statements and Releases

President Biden looks forward to welcoming Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, to the White House on June 25, 2021. The visit by President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues. The United States is committed to supporting the Afghan people by providing diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian assistance to support the Afghan people, including Afghan women, girls and minorities. The United States will remain deeply engaged with the Government of Afghanistan to ensure the country never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the U.S. homeland. The United States continues to fully support the ongoing peace process and encourages all Afghan parties to participate meaningfully in negotiations to bring an end to the conflict.     source from

Afghan Forces Retake Two Districts in Takhar

Bangi and Khwaja Ghar districts in the northern Takhar province were retaken from the Taliban in an operation by government and public uprising forces on Monday morning, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement. 

Jun. 21 - The operation was launched on Sunday night with Air Force support and “the districts were cleared of Taliban this morning,” the ministry said.

“The Taliban escaped from the district after suffering heavy casualties,” the Defense Ministry said.

The statement also mentioned that Abdal and Qara Parcho villages on the outskirts of the Taluqan city, capital of the province, were also cleared of the Taliban.

Taliban has not yet commented on the operation. 

The situation has been fragile in the northeastern province of Takhar over the last two weeks. Eight districts of the province, including Chal, Baharak, Ishkamish, Namak Ab, Yangi Qala, Khwaja Ghar and Hazar Samooch, have either fallen to the Taliban or have been evacuated by security forces within a week's time.

Related Articles:

• 12 Taliban' Killed in Takhar Airstrike: MoD
• 14 Security Force Members Killed in Taliban Attack in Takhar
  

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai gives an interview to the Associated Press at his house, in Kabul, Afghanistan.

US war in Afghanistan: Former President Hamid Karzai slams American legacy of failure

Jun. 20 - Afghanistan's former president has said the United States came to his country to fight extremism and bring stability to his war-tortured nation and is leaving nearly 20 years later having failed at both.

In an interview with The Associated Press just weeks before the last US and Nato troops leave Afghanistan, ending their "forever war", Hamid Karzai said extremism is at its "highest point" and the departing troops are leaving behind a disaster.

"The international community came here 20 years ago with this clear objective of fighting extremism and bringing stability ... but extremism is at the highest point today. So they have failed," he said. Their legacy is a war-ravaged nation in "total disgrace and disaster".

"We recognise as Afghans all our failures, but what about the bigger forces and powers who came here for exactly that purpose? Where are they leaving us now?" he asked and answered: "In total disgrace and disaster"...     more

Related Articles:

• War in Afghanistan: US President Joe Biden to withdraw American troops - NZ Herald
• NZ troops to leave Afghanistan after 20 years, 10 NZ lives lost - NZ Herald
• Chris Carter: What will become of Afghanistan after Nato ends the 'forever war'? - NZ Herald
• Afghanistan: Young women, grown up without Taliban, dread their return - NZ Herald

《花生漫畫》西元1953年六月/"Peanuts" on June 21, 1953
https://yaolee.weebly.com/1.html
https://smashwords2.weebly.com/3.html
https://yaoleechen.wordpress.com/2021/06/01/1953-june/
https://turtlesallthewaydowns.wordpress.com/2021/06/03/1953-june/
https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/06/linus-jun-21-2021.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/06/21
https://www.flickr.com/photos/184862255@N02/?
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/373798837830659332
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/647181408956761018
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/683350943464611522
https://yaoleechen.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/062153t.png

《查理布朗  第 零上  一上  二上  三上  四上  五上  六上  七上  八上 九 十 集》
《查理布朗  第  零下  一下  二下  三 下 四下  五下六中六下 七下 八下  集》
​查理布朗老鼠

---