China’s emissions targets not robust enough, U.S. energy chief says
China’s current emissions reduction targets are not as strong as they need to be, U.S. Deputy Secretary for Energy David Turk said Monday.
“I think every country needs to take a look at what it’s doing, especially in its implementation phase,” Turk told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick at the COP28 summit.
“I’ve looked at the numbers for many, many years now. I don’t think their NDC is as robust and ambitious as it needs to be. They’re doing an awful lot in EVs and solar and wind, but if you’re also building out coal at the scale they’re doing, that’s not going to be good enough.”
“NDC” refers to “nationally determined contributions,” targets on emissions reductions that are submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by countries every five years under a plan agreed at the landmark COP21 summit in Paris in 2015.
Climate Action Tracker, an independent scientific review project, currently rates China’s climate targets as “highly insufficient,” and the U.S.’s as “insufficient.”
Turk said that at the recent Sunnylands meeting on climate change between the U.S. and China, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry had “put out his hand for the Chinese to embrace and to try to work together in areas where it makes sense to work.”
The U.S. and China need to “raise both of our levels of ambition, because we’re the two biggest economies and the two biggest emitters right now,” Turk added.
Companies must ‘step up’
On the attendance of companies like Exxon at COP, Turk told CNBC: “I think it is significant. And I think everybody needs to be at the table, we all need to be part of the conversation. But we also need to ask each other tough questions as well.”
Turk pointed to an agreement announced on Saturday which will crack down on methane emissions in the U.S. oil and gas industry, building on a 150-country pledge on the issue.
Turk said cutting methane emissions from oil and gas was the “biggest no brainer out there,” but it had taken too long to make progress.
Another example of a tough question that needed addressing, Turk said, was on Scope 3 emissions — a measurement of direct and indirection emissions.
“Many oil and gas companies, their Scope 3 emissions are 10 times Scope 1 and Scope 2 combined. So we need to have a real conversation on Scope 3, what is the plan to reduce those Scope 3 emissions? And that’s, I think, what’s missing at a national and COP and at a corporate level as well,” he said.
“I think companies really need to step up… They can’t just say, Oh, we’re just providing a product. What people do with the product — they’re going to burn that product, it’s going to release CO2 into the atmosphere, 63% of our emissions right now are from oil and gas. That’s an awful lot of emissions.”
Oil and gas companies are currently “making an awful lot of profit,” but only 1% of spending globally for clean energy is coming from oil and gas companies, he said.
“So follow the money, where are they investing? And some companies are investing, some companies aren’t investing as much.”
The U.S. government hopes that incentives, including the Inflation Reduction Act and the large subsidies included in it, will encourage more investment across carbon capture, hydrogen, geothermal, offshore wind and “other areas that oil and gas companies could be hugely, hugely helpful on,” he said. It is also important to “follow the money” to see where companies and influential corporate leaders are creating an uneven playing field through lobbying, he added.
Science is science
Turk finally addressed recent controversial comments made by COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber, who recently claimed there was “no science” behind targets for a phase out of fossil fuels.
“Science is science and numbers are numbers, right? And we’re seeing the worst impacts already that we’ve seen of climate change, but it’s only going to get worse. Even if we get our act together, we’ve got a limited amount of carbon budget. Right now we’ve got to make the numbers add up to get to net zero by mid century.”
“If people are not acknowledging that, appreciating that and have credible plans, including Scope 3 emissions from the oil and gas sector, then that’s not really taking these issues head on.”
On today’s informative episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got Honda engineers Jason Hwang and Emilio Sanchez to talk us through some of the things that make the GM Ultium-based Honda Prologue EV feel like a real Honda, and why that matters.
Jason and Emilio talk about some of the choices they made to make the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX feel different from its GM-branded cousins, and explain why this was much more than a case of badge-engineering. Give it a listen, then let us know what you think of the Prologue and ZDX in the comments.
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Read more: All my favorite EVs, racecars, and robots from Electrify Expo Austin.
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The first EV charging hub funded by the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program in the Eastern US is now online in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
The town installed the region’s first DC fast chargers (four ports), along with four Level 2 chargers, at 59 North Main Street in South Deerfield.
These new charging stations, funded with $2.46 million from the CFI program, are conveniently located near Interstate 91 in Franklin County, the most rural county in Massachusetts, which serves drivers from Connecticut up to the Canadian border.
The hub also features local and regional bus stops and designated bike lanes with secure onsite bike racks. The chargers are meant to cater to everyone: from local residents and visitors to municipal EVs and commercial vehicles that service the region’s businesses, like those in food and beverage manufacturing.
Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, sees this as a model for future projects:
Multi-modal charging hubs in communities are key to giving more people the choice to ride and drive electric. The Town of Deerfield is showing leadership in building out convenient charging infrastructure that brings new transportation choices to rural and disadvantaged communities while supporting local commerce.
In recent years, Deerfield has experienced increased climate change-driven flooding from nearby rivers, including the Deerfield River, the Connecticut River, and the Bloody Brook. The project incorporates environmental engineering designed to mitigate and adapt to the effects of flooding and climate, including the installation of permeable asphalt and rain gardens, planting of native trees, grasses, and shrubs, and the creation of new greenspace in the center of Deerfield.
The Biden-Harris administration’s CFI Grant Program is expanding EV infrastructure nationwide. It offers grants for projects that complement and expand upon the initiatives of the NEVI program in urban, rural, and disadvantaged and low-income communities. So far, the CFI Grant Program has allocated over $1 billion to nearly 100 projects across the US, encouraging private investments and expanding the EV charging network to make EV ownership more practical and convenient.
Read more: The US reaches milestone of 200,000+ public EV charging ports
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Kia’s upcoming EV4 electric sedan was just spotted testing in the US for the first time. The low-cost EV is expected to make its big debut by the end of the year. Here’s a look at the new model.
The EV4 will round out Kia’s new “EVs for all” master plan launched last year. Kia showcased three new models, the EV3, EV4, and EV5, during its first annual EV Day in October 2023.
During the event, Kia outlined its new global strategy to “lead and accelerate the EV revolution” with a wide range of models priced from $30,000 to $80,000.
Kia plans to rapidly expand its lineup with a series of smaller, lower-priced models. It launched the EV9, its first three-row electric SUV, which is already proving to be a hot seller in the US. Starting at under $55,000, the EV9 is still a great deal compared to others in its class, but Kia plans to go even lower.
The EV3 and EV4 are expected to be among the most affordable electric vehicles when they arrive in the US.
Kia’s new EV4 is now testing in the US
Ahead of its official debut, Kia’s new EV4 sedan was recently caught driving on US streets for the first time.
The latest image from KindelAuto doesn’t reveal much more than what’s been shown in the past, but the fact that it’s now testing in the US is significant.
Kia’s EV3 is already on sale in Korea, starting at around $30,000 (42.08 million won). Earlier this week, the company said its new compact SUV is now available across Europe, starting at around $38,000 (36,000 euros) with a “segment-leading range” of up to 375 miles (WLTP).
Next up will be the EV4. Kia is expected to officially reveal the new EV by the end of the year, with deliveries starting in 2025. It could be as soon as next week at the 2024 LA Auto Show.
The interior will feature Kia’s advanced new ccNC infotainment system with dual 12.3″ navigation and driver display screens. An otherwise minalimalistic design is expected inside.
Kia’s EV4 will also be available in a hatchback variant. Although the hatch is likely aimed at European buyers, it was also recently spotted testing in the US for the first time.
We will learn official prices closer to launch, but the EV4 is expected to start at around $35,000 to $40,000.
Kia is teasing five new vehicles for the US, at least one being a new EV, that will debut at the LA Auto Show next week. Will it be the EV3? EV4?
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