Energy & Environment
|
Energy & Environment
|
|
|
Earth sees scorching temps in hottest year on record: NOAA |
Earth saw its hottest year ever recorded last year, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released Friday.
|
In 2024, Earth overall saw its highest global temperature dating to the beginning of NOAA’s climate record in 1850, according to the agency.
The planet’s average temperature was 1.46 degrees Celsius warmer than the preindustrial (1850-1900) average, just shy of the Paris Climate Agreement’s 1.5-degree ceiling for irreversible damage.
A large majority of land surface saw above-average temperatures in 2024, according to NOAA, including record warmth for the Americas, Europe, Africa and Oceania, while it was the second-hottest year on record for Asia and the Arctic. All of the 10 warmest years recorded since 1850 occurred within the last decade, including 2023, which was previously the warmest year on record.
Carbon dioxide emissions, the primary cause of global warming, saw a projected global increase of about 1 billion metric tons for a total of about 41.6 billion metric tons in 2024, according to an estimate from the World Meteorological Organization. On a press call Friday, Russell Vose, chief of the Product Development Branch at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, suggested the recent El Nino that ended in May was also a likely contributor, as well as reductions in air pollution over the oceans that allowed more sunlight to warm them.
Meanwhile, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Service similarly found with “virtual certainty” that 2024 was the warmest year on record; but unlike NOAA, it also found that the year exceeded the 1.5-degree limit for the first time. It also found that average global temperatures for both the month of November and boreal autumn were the second warmest on record behind 2023. Read more at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
|
|
|
How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: |
|
|
The blazes burning across the Los Angeles region are not only devastating property and lives, but also fueling political argument over how to fight the fires, with President-elect Trump blaming state officials for a dearth of available water supplies. |
| |
|
The Biden administration announced Friday it was imposing what it billed as the most significant sanctions to date on the Russian energy sector, targeting Moscow’s oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) exports just weeks before leaving office. |
| |
|
California’s insurance commissioner issued a one-year moratorium on policy nonrenewals and cancellations in areas affected by devastating wildfires in and around Los Angeles.
|
| |
|
Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
|
|
An infernal barrage of blazes continues to ravage the Los Angeles metropolitan region, where the death toll has now risen to at least 10 individuals. |
|
|
News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: |
|
|
Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
-
Tuesday: Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, will have a confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
-
Wednesday: Chris Wright, Trump’s pick to lead the Energy Department, will have a confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
-
Thursday: Lee Zeldin, Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, will have a confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
|
|
|
Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
|
|
A federal judge on Friday held Rudy Giuliani in civil contempt for skirting an agreement not to make new false claims about two Georgia election workers he was ordered to pay $146 million for defaming. Read more |
|
President-elect Trump was spared any punishment for his hush money criminal conviction Friday when a New York judge sentenced him to an unconditional discharge, eschewing jail time while securing his status as the first person convicted of a felony to assume the presidency. Read more |
|
|
You're all caught up. See you Monday! |
Save story
-
U.S. stocks are down so far in 2025 as market volatility climbs.
MarketWatch - 3h
-
Earth records its hottest year ever in 2024 and passes major climate threshold
ABC News - 1d
-
Last year was the planet’s hottest in recorded history, NASA announced, marking two years in a row that global temperatures have shattered records.
NBC News - 7h
-
Last year was the hottest ever recorded, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released Friday. In 2024, Earth overall saw its highest global temperature ...
The Hill - 10h
-
Also in today’s newsletter, the resurrection of Andersen Consulting, and hiding savings from a significant other
Financial Times - 16h
-
Wind provided more electricity than ever last year across England, Wales and Scotland.
BBC News - 4d
-
Kim, who turns 26 on Jan. 27, has played eight seasons in South Korea, the last six with the Seoul-based Kiwoom Heroes.
Yahoo Sports - 6d
-
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says the "good old days" are a myth, and everything is getting better — except for the state of Earth's natural environment.
CNBC - Jan. 3
-
The death toll from the raging wildfires in Southern California has gone up to 11 people, according to a Friday update from the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME). Five ...
The Hill - 1h
-
Outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray stressed during his farewell address that the bureau must sidestep “partisanship and politics” in maintaining “independence” and “objectivity.” Wray ...
The Hill - 2h
-
President-elect Trump said he will create an environmental advisory group lead by his former environmental consultant. “I am pleased to announce that Ed Russo, an Environmental Expert, will lead ...
The Hill - 3h
-
A man who was detained by citizens shortly after a wildfire exploded near Calabasas and West Hills is not accused of starting the fire, authorities announced Friday morning. Los Angeles police ...
The Hill - 3h
-
President Biden opted Friday to voluntarily take a host of questions from the press after delivering remarks on the day’s job report, a speech that had been put on the White House schedule last ...
The Hill - 3h
-
The death toll from the raging wildfires in Southern California has gone up to 11 people, according to a Friday update from the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME). Five ...
The Hill - 1h
-
The Supreme Court seemed likely to uphold a new law that could force TikTok to shut down in the U.S., with conservative and liberal justices alike expressing skepticism about the legal challenge.
CBS News - 2h
-
Outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray stressed during his farewell address that the bureau must sidestep “partisanship and politics” in maintaining “independence” and “objectivity.” Wray ...
The Hill - 2h
-
Trump was found guilty in May of 34 felonies for authorizing a scheme in 2017 to falsify records in order to cover up reimbursements for a "hush money" payment.
CBS News - 3h
-
President-elect Trump said he will create an environmental advisory group lead by his former environmental consultant. “I am pleased to announce that Ed Russo, an Environmental Expert, will lead ...
The Hill - 3h
|
|
|