World climate talks resume without U.S. as global negotiators assess new path forward

The United States skipped a major round of United Nations climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany this week, leaving other nations and U.S. civil society groups to navigate the talks without the world's largest fossil fuel producer at the table.

Bob Berwyn reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

The U.S. government chose not to send official delegates to the annual UN climate negotiations in Bonn, marking the first time in 30 years it has been absent from these talks.
A coalition of American cities, states, nonprofits, and faith groups remains active in international climate discussions, aiming to maintain momentum in the absence of federal leadership.
Some negotiators from the Global South see the U.S. absence as a potential opportunity to make progress without what they describe as the influence of a major "blocker and bully."

Key quote:

“What I’m hearing is folks from the Global South are upset, and rightfully so. And they’re also saying, ‘Hey, the biggest blocker and the biggest bully isn’t in the room. Let’s see what we can get done while they’re not here.’"

— Analyah Schlaeger dos Santos, co-chair of the international policy committee of the U.S. Climate Action Network

Why this matters:

The United States plays an outsized role in the global climate crisis, emitting roughly 11% of the world’s greenhouse gases and continuing to expand fossil fuel production. Its absence from this week’s UN climate talks deepens questions about the viability of global climate diplomacy at a time when coordinated international action is needed to meet emissions targets. While local governments and civil society groups are stepping in, the lack of federal involvement removes one of the most powerful actors from the negotiation table. For nations already facing climate disruption, especially in the Global South, U.S. disengagement represents not just a diplomatic gap, but a moral one, given its historic responsibility for warming the planet.

insideclimatenews.org

World climate talks resume without U.S. as global negotiators assess new path forward

Hotter than ever: Hawaiʻi preps kūpuna for extreme heat

As flooding increases and federal aid shrinks, Vermont is not prepared to manage disaster recovery

As the sea swallows a Nigerian community, migratory bird habitat disappears

Trump says he's ending restrictions on methane emissions from oil drilling

Stratos Project’s emissions could cause up to 45 premature deaths, illnesses each year

New satellites see thousands of methane leaks. Governments shrug

Trump’s cuts have exposed US to ‘cascade’ of El Niño dangers, experts warn

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.