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G20 Energy Ministers’ Meeting In India Fails To Agree On Fossil Fuel Phase-Down Roadmap
(CTN NEWS) – The convergence of energy ministers from the esteemed Group of 20 took place in the vibrant land of India on a significant Saturday.
Much was at stake as they sought to forge a unified path toward the gradual reduction of fossil fuel consumption in the world’s energy amalgamation. Alas, a clear roadmap remained elusive as the sun set on their discussions.
Notably absent from the final statement was any mention of coal – a dominant force behind the escalating specter of global warming.
Balancing Act: The Complexities of Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy Goals at G20 Summit
The intricate balance between its significance as a vital energy source for numerous developing economies, including India, the world’s most populous nation, and China, the globe’s second-largest economy, seemed to cloud the path to consensus.
Within the realm of ambitious COP goals lay the desire to triple the world’s renewable capacity and double the efficiency of energy usage by the year 2030.
Yet, the spirited campaigners who held these aspirations dear found themselves dismayed by the lack of accord reached on Goan soil.
In a juxtaposition of events, the G7 leaders had previously convened in Hiroshima and pledged to hasten the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels. Yet, in India, the currents of agreement seemed less swift.
Amidst the backdrop of rising global temperatures, nature seemed to register her discontent with record highs, unleashing torrents of floods, fierce storms, and scorching heatwaves.
The meeting’s outcome left many questions lingering, veiled in the complexities of energy policy and the delicate dance between economic growth and environmental stewardship.
The tale of this gathering serves as a testament to the intricate challenges faced when forging a sustainable future for the planet we call home.
India Reveals Stalemate at G20 Meeting Over Fossil Fuel Reduction Strategies Amid Divergent Perspectives
In the aftermath of the G20 meeting, India, serving as the president, shed light on the reasons behind the prevailing stalemate.
According to their account, certain member nations laid emphasis on the significance of pursuing a gradual reduction of unabated fossil fuels, taking into account the unique circumstances each country faces.
On the contrary, there were dissenting voices among the members who held a divergent perspective. They believed that the adoption of abatement and removal technologies would adequately address the concerns related to fossil fuel usage.
Alden Meyer, a respected senior associate at the independent climate think tank E3G, expressed his strong disapproval of the meeting’s outcome, reflecting the disappointment and concern shared by many who had hoped for more decisive action.
This outcome highlights the complexities and differing viewpoints surrounding the critical issue of addressing fossil fuel consumption and its impact on the environment.
The clash of ideas underscores the challenge of finding common ground among nations with varied circumstances and priorities.
As the world grapples with the urgency of climate change, forging a unified approach remains a formidable task.
G20 Energy Ministers’ Response to Climate Crisis Deemed Insufficient, Sparking Calls for Urgent Action
Amidst the backdrop of escalating temperature records being shattered daily across the globe and the ever-worsening consequences of unbridled climate change, a resounding call to action from the G20 energy ministers was deemed imperative.
However, what echoed forth was, in the words of one commentator, “very weak tea indeed.”
In response to the pressing urgency of the situation, a coalition comprising pivotal European Union economies – such as Germany and France – joined forces with some of the most vulnerable island nations.
Together, they issued a fervent plea to the G20, urging them to expedite their plans to achieve net zero emissions and embark on the phased withdrawal from fossil fuel reliance.
The message was stark and unwavering: “Humankind cannot afford to delay.”
The gravity of the situation could not be overstated, and the world awaited a unified and resolute stand from the G20 energy ministers. Instead, the response was perceived as tepid and inadequate in the face of the mounting climate crisis.
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TOPSHOT – A coal picker carries coal at an open cast mining site on the outskirts of Dhanbad on July 6, 2023. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP)
Urgent Call for Climate Action: Coalition Seeks Drastic Emission Reductions Amid Global Divide
As temperatures continued to soar, and the consequences of climate change reverberated with increasing intensity, the call for meaningful action became more urgent than ever.
The coalition’s plea sought to remind the world that every moment counts in our collective endeavor to secure a sustainable and inhabitable future for generations to come.
The urgent call from the coalition encompassed specific targets to tackle the pressing climate crisis.
They urged for greenhouse gas emissions to peak no later than 2025 and be reduced by a substantial 43 percent by 2030, measured against the levels of 2019.
These objectives aligned with recent updates provided by UN climate experts, underlining their critical importance.
However, a divide emerged among the developing economies, who argued that the developed West bore a historical responsibility as legacy polluters and major contributors to greenhouse emissions.
They contended that the burden of financial responsibility should fall more heavily on the industrialized nations.
Developing countries emphasized that the transition towards cleaner energy required vast capital investments and access to new technologies.
The fear of abandoning polluting fuels without affordable alternatives echoed loudly, as they feared it would perpetuate poverty for their sizable populations.
India’s G20 Climate Pledge: The Challenge of Achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2070
India, as the host nation for the G20 summit, pledged its commitment to achieving net zero emissions but projected a timeline of 2070 – two decades later than the earlier commitments made by several other countries.
A report compiled for its G20 presidency estimated an annual cost of a staggering US$4 trillion for the energy transition.
In this context, the report emphasized the vital role of low-cost financing for developing nations and the transfer of crucial technologies – a demand strongly voiced by New Delhi.
Complicating matters further, certain major oil-producing countries resisted a swift transition away from fossil fuels, citing concerns about the potential impact on their economies.
Ed King, a representative from the climate-oriented communications firm GSCC, pointed fingers at Russia and Saudi Arabia, holding them responsible for the lack of substantial progress at the G20 meeting.
Their resistance to swift action hindered the forging of a more united and decisive response to the pressing climate crisis.
As the world faced the dire consequences of climate change, the divergence of perspectives among the nations gathered at the G20 summit demonstrated the complexity of achieving a global consensus on climate action.
Challenges in Climate Action: The Role of Fossil Fuels and Emission-Reducing Technologies
In a tweet, Ed King highlighted how certain parties had obstructed attempts to secure an agreement on significantly increasing the adoption of clean energy and implementing ambitious reductions in fossil fuel usage.
Efforts to reach a consensus on these crucial matters were met with resistance from these actors.
Sultan Al Jaber, the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and the future head of the COP28 talks, conveyed his perspective on the role of fossil fuels in the evolving energy landscape.
He acknowledged the importance of employing potentially contentious technologies to “abate” or neutralize emissions, suggesting that fossil fuels may continue to play a role in the foreseeable future.
While recognizing the inevitability and essential nature of a phase-down in fossil fuel consumption, he refrained from specifying a precise timeline for this transition.
As discussions unfold around the complex and polarizing issue of climate action, differing opinions and positions among key stakeholders continue to shape the path forward.
The debate on the role of fossil fuels, the deployment of emission-reducing technologies, and the necessity of a comprehensive phase-down underscores the intricate challenges faced in charting a sustainable and equitable energy future.
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Trudeau’s Gun Grab Could Cost Taxpayers a Whopping $7 Billion
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A recent report indicates that since Trudeau’s announcement of his gun buyback program four years ago, almost none of the banned firearms have been surrendered.
The federal government plans to purchase 2,063 firearm models from retailers following the enactment of Bill C-21, which amends various Acts and introduces certain consequential changes related to firearms. It was granted royal assent on December 15 of last year.
This ban immediately criminalized the actions of federally-licensed firearms owners regarding the purchase, sale, transportation, importation, exportation, or use of hundreds of thousands of rifles and shotguns that were previously legal.
The gun ban focused on what it termed ‘assault-style weapons,’ which are, in reality, traditional semi-automatic rifles and shotguns that have enjoyed popularity among hunters and sport shooters for over a century.
In May 2020, the federal government enacted an Order-in-Council that prohibited 1,500 types of “assault-style” firearms and outlined specific components of the newly banned firearms. Property owners must adhere to the law by October 2023.
Trudeau’s Buyback Hasn’t Happened
“In the announcement regarding the ban, the prime minister stated that the government would seize the prohibited firearms, assuring that their lawful owners would be ‘grandfathered’ or compensated fairly.” “That hasn’t happened,” criminologist Gary Mauser told Rebel News.
Mauser projected expenses ranging from $2.6 billion to $6.7 billion. The figure reflects the compensation costs amounting to $756 million, as outlined by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO).
“The projected expenses for gathering the illegal firearms are estimated to range from $1.6 billion to $7 billion.” “This range estimate increases to between $2.647 billion and $7 billion when compensation costs to owners are factored in,” Mauser stated.
Figures requested by Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs concerning firearms prohibited due to the May 1, 2020 Order In Council reveal that $72 million has been allocated to the firearm “buyback” program, yet not a single firearm has been confiscated to date.
In a recent revelation, Public Safety Canada disclosed that the federal government allocated a staggering $41,094,556, as prompted by an order paper question from Conservative Senator Don Plett last September, yet yielded no tangible outcomes.
An internal memo from late 2019 revealed that the Liberals projected their politically motivated harassment would incur a cost of $1.8 billion.
Enforcement efforts Questioned
By December 2023, estimates from TheGunBlog.ca indicate that the Liberals and RCMP had incurred or were responsible for approximately $30 million in personnel expenses related to the enforcement efforts. The union representing the police service previously stated that the effort to confiscate firearms is a “misdirected effort” aimed at ensuring public safety.
“This action diverts crucial personnel, resources, and funding from tackling the more pressing and escalating issue of criminal use of illegal firearms,” stated the National Police Federation (NPF).
The Canadian Sporting Arms & Ammunition Association (CSAAA), representing firearms retailers, has stated it will have “zero involvement” in the confiscation of these firearms. Even Canada Post held back from providing assistance due to safety concerns.
The consultant previously assessed that retailers are sitting on almost $1 billion worth of inventory that cannot be sold or returned to suppliers because of the Order-In-Council.
“Despite the ongoing confusion surrounding the ban, after four years, we ought to be able to address one crucial question.” Has the prohibition enhanced safety for Canadians? Mauser asks.
Illegally Obtained Firearms are the Problem
Statistics Canada reports a 10% increase in firearm-related violent crime between 2020 and 2022, rising from 12,614 incidents to 13,937 incidents. In that timeframe, the incidence of firearm-related violent crime increased from 33.7 incidents per 100,000 population in 2021 to 36.7 incidents the subsequent year.
“This marks the highest rate documented since the collection of comparable data began in 2009,” the criminologist explains.
Supplementary DataData indicates that firearm homicides have risen since 2020. “The issue lies not with lawfully-held firearms,” Mauser stated.
Firearms that have been banned under the Order-in-Council continue to be securely stored in the safes of their lawful owners. The individuals underwent a thorough vetting process by the RCMP and are subject to nightly monitoring to ensure there are no infractions that could pose a risk to public safety.
“The firearms involved in homicides were seldom legally owned weapons wielded by their rightful owners,” Mauser continues. The number of offenses linked to organized crime has surged from 4,810 in 2016 to a staggering 13,056 in 2020.
“If those in power … aim to diminish crime and enhance public safety, they ought to implement strategies that effectively focus on offenders and utilize our limited tax resources judiciously to reach these objectives,” he stated.
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Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding, But Still Accounting 48% Search Revenue
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Google is so closely associated with its key product that its name is a verb that signifies “search.” However, Google’s dominance in that sector is dwindling.
According to eMarketer, Google will lose control of the US search industry for the first time in decades next year.
Google will remain the dominant search player, accounting for 48% of American search advertising revenue. And, remarkably, Google is still increasing its sales in the field, despite being the dominating player in search since the early days of the George W. Bush administration. However, Amazon is growing at a quicker rate.
Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding
Amazon will hold over a quarter of US search ad dollars next year, rising to 27% by 2026, while Google will fall even more, according to eMarketer.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the forecast.
Lest you think you’ll have to switch to Bing or Yahoo, this isn’t the end of Google or anything really near.
Google is the fourth-most valued public firm in the world. Its market worth is $2.1 trillion, trailing just Apple, Microsoft, and the AI chip darling Nvidia. It also maintains its dominance in other industries, such as display advertisements, where it dominates alongside Facebook’s parent firm Meta, and video ads on YouTube.
To put those “other” firms in context, each is worth more than Delta Air Lines’ total market value. So, yeah, Google is not going anywhere.
Nonetheless, Google faces numerous dangers to its operations, particularly from antitrust regulators.
On Monday, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Google must open up its Google Play Store to competitors, dealing a significant blow to the firm in its long-running battle with Fortnite creator Epic Games. Google announced that it would appeal the verdict.
In August, a federal judge ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly on search. That verdict could lead to the dissolution of the company’s search operation. Another antitrust lawsuit filed last month accuses Google of abusing its dominance in the online advertising business.
Meanwhile, European regulators have compelled Google to follow tough new standards, which have resulted in multiple $1 billion-plus fines.
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Pixa Bay
Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding
On top of that, the marketplace is becoming more difficult on its own.
TikTok, the fastest-growing social network, is expanding into the search market. And Amazon has accomplished something few other digital titans have done to date: it has established a habit.
When you want to buy anything, you usually go to Amazon, not Google. Amazon then buys adverts to push companies’ products to the top of your search results, increasing sales and earning Amazon a greater portion of the revenue. According to eMarketer, it is expected to generate $27.8 billion in search revenue in the United States next year, trailing only Google’s $62.9 billion total.
And then there’s AI, the technology that (supposedly) will change everything.
Why search in stilted language for “kendall jenner why bad bunny breakup” or “police moving violation driver rights no stop sign” when you can just ask OpenAI’s ChatGPT, “What’s going on with Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny?” in “I need help fighting a moving violation involving a stop sign that wasn’t visible.” Google is working on exactly this technology with its Gemini product, but its success is far from guaranteed, especially with Apple collaborating with OpenAI and other businesses rapidly joining the market.
A Google spokeswoman referred to a blog post from last week in which the company unveiled ads in its AI overviews (the AI-generated text that appears at the top of search results). It’s Google’s way of expressing its ability to profit on a changing marketplace while retaining its business, even as its consumers steadily transition to ask-and-answer AI and away from search.
Google has long used a single catchphrase to defend itself against opponents who claim it is a monopoly abusing its power: competition is only a click away. Until recently, that seemed comically obtuse. Really? We are going to switch to Bing? Or Duck Duck Go? Give me a break.
But today, it feels more like reality.
Google is in no danger of disappearing. However, every highly dominating company faces some type of reckoning over time. GE, a Dow mainstay for more than a century, was broken up last year and is now a shell of its previous dominance. Sears declared bankruptcy in 2022 and is virtually out of business. US Steel, long the foundation of American manufacturing, is attempting to sell itself to a Japanese corporation.
SOURCE | CNN
News
The Supreme Court Turns Down Biden’s Government Appeal in a Texas Emergency Abortion Matter.
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(VOR News) – A ruling that prohibits emergency abortions that contravene the Supreme Court law in the state of Texas, which has one of the most stringent abortion restrictions in the country, has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. The United States Supreme Court upheld this decision.
The justices did not provide any specifics regarding the underlying reasons for their decision to uphold an order from a lower court that declared hospitals cannot be legally obligated to administer abortions if doing so would violate the law in the state of Texas.
Institutions are not required to perform abortions, as stipulated in the decree. The common populace did not investigate any opposing viewpoints. The decision was made just weeks before a presidential election that brought abortion to the forefront of the political agenda.
This decision follows the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that ended abortion nationwide.
In response to a request from the administration of Vice President Joe Biden to overturn the lower court’s decision, the justices expressed their disapproval.
The government contends that hospitals are obligated to perform abortions in compliance with federal legislation when the health or life of an expectant patient is in an exceedingly precarious condition.
This is the case in regions where the procedure is prohibited. The difficulty hospitals in Texas and other states are experiencing in determining whether or not routine care could be in violation of stringent state laws that prohibit abortion has resulted in an increase in the number of complaints concerning pregnant women who are experiencing medical distress being turned away from emergency rooms.
The administration cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in a case that bore a striking resemblance to the one that was presented to it in Idaho at the beginning of the year. The justices took a limited decision in that case to allow the continuation of emergency abortions without interruption while a lawsuit was still being heard.
In contrast, Texas has been a vocal proponent of the injunction’s continued enforcement. Texas has argued that its circumstances are distinct from those of Idaho, as the state does have an exemption for situations that pose a significant hazard to the health of an expectant patient.
According to the state, the discrepancy is the result of this exemption. The state of Idaho had a provision that safeguarded a woman’s life when the issue was first broached; however, it did not include protection for her health.
Certified medical practitioners are not obligated to wait until a woman’s life is in imminent peril before they are legally permitted to perform an abortion, as determined by the state supreme court.
The state of Texas highlighted this to the Supreme Court.
Nevertheless, medical professionals have criticized the Texas statute as being perilously ambiguous, and a medical board has declined to provide a list of all the disorders that are eligible for an exception. Furthermore, the statute has been criticized for its hazardous ambiguity.
For an extended period, termination of pregnancies has been a standard procedure in medical treatment for individuals who have been experiencing significant issues. It is implemented in this manner to prevent catastrophic outcomes, such as sepsis, organ failure, and other severe scenarios.
Nevertheless, medical professionals and hospitals in Texas and other states with strict abortion laws have noted that it is uncertain whether or not these terminations could be in violation of abortion prohibitions that include the possibility of a prison sentence. This is the case in regions where abortion prohibitions are exceedingly restrictive.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which resulted in restrictions on the rights of women to have abortions in several Republican-ruled states, the Texas case was revisited in 2022.
As per the orders that were disclosed by the administration of Vice President Joe Biden, hospitals are still required to provide abortions in cases that are classified as dire emergency.
As stipulated in a piece of health care legislation, the majority of hospitals are obligated to provide medical assistance to patients who are experiencing medical distress. This is in accordance with the law.
The state of Texas maintained that hospitals should not be obligated to provide abortions throughout the litigation, as doing so would violate the state’s constitutional prohibition on abortions. In its January judgment, the 5th United States Circuit Court of Appeals concurred with the state and acknowledged that the administration had exceeded its authority.
SOURCE: AP
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