ReportWire

Tag: Energy industry

  • Future data centers are driving up forecasts for energy demand. States want proof they’ll get built

    [ad_1]

    HARRISBURG, Pa. — The forecasts are eye-popping: utilities saying they’ll need two or three times more electricity within a few years to power massive new data centers that are feeding a fast-growing AI economy.

    But the challenges — some say the impossibility — of building new power plants to meet that demand so quickly has set off alarm bells for lawmakers, policymakers and regulators who wonder if those utility forecasts can be trusted.

    One burning question is whether the forecasts are based on data center projects that may never get built — eliciting concern that regular ratepayers could be stuck with the bill to build unnecessary power plants and grid infrastructure at a cost of billions of dollars.

    The scrutiny comes as analysts warn of the risk of an artificial intelligence investment bubble that’s ballooned tech stock prices and could burst.

    Meanwhile, consumer advocates are finding that ratepayers in some areas — such as the mid-Atlantic electricity grid, which encompasses all or parts of 13 states stretching from New Jersey to Illinois, as well as Washington, D.C. — are already underwriting the cost to supply power to data centers, some of them built, some not.

    “There’s speculation in there,” said Joe Bowring, who heads Monitoring Analytics, the independent market watchdog in the mid-Atlantic grid territory. “Nobody really knows. Nobody has been looking carefully enough at the forecast to know what’s speculative, what’s double-counting, what’s real, what’s not.”

    There is no standard practice across grids or for utilities to vet such massive projects, and figuring out a solution has become a hot topic, utilities and grid operators say.

    Uncertainty around forecasts is typically traced to a couple of things.

    One concerns developers seeking a grid connection, but whose plans aren’t set in stone or lack the heft — clients, financing or otherwise — to bring the project to completion, industry and regulatory officials say.

    Another is data center developers submitting grid connection requests in various separate utility territories, PJM Interconnection, which operates the mid-Atlantic grid, and Texas lawmakers have found.

    Often, developers, for competitive reasons, won’t tell utilities if or where they’ve submitted other requests for electricity, PJM said. That means a single project could inflate the energy forecasts of multiple utilities.

    The effort to improve forecasts got a high-profile boost in September, when a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member asked the nation’s grid operators for information on how they determine that a project is not only viable, but will use the electricity it says it needs.

    “Better data, better decision-making, better and faster decisions mean we can get all these projects, all this infrastructure built,” the commissioner, David Rosner, said in an interview.

    The Edison Electric Institute, a trade association of for-profit electric utilities, said it welcomed efforts to improve demand forecasting.

    The Data Center Coalition, which represents tech giants like Google and Meta and data center developers, has urged regulators to request more information from utilities on their forecasts and to develop a set of best practices to determine the commercial viability of a data center project.

    The coalition’s vice president of energy, Aaron Tinjum, said improving the accuracy and transparency of forecasts is a “fundamental first step of really meeting this moment” of energy growth.

    “Wherever we go, the question is, ‘Is the (energy) growth real? How can we be so sure?’” Tinjum said. “And we really view commercial readiness verification as one of those important kind of low-hanging opportunities for us to be adopting at this moment.”

    Igal Feibush, the CEO of Pennsylvania Data Center Partners, a data center developer, said utilities are in a “fire drill” as they try to vet a deluge of data center projects all seeking electricity.

    The vast majority, he said, will fall off because many project backers are new to the concept and don’t know what it takes to get a data center built.

    States also are trying to do more to find out what’s in utility forecasts and weed out speculative or duplicative projects.

    In Texas, which is attracting large data center projects, lawmakers still haunted by a blackout during a deadly 2021 winter storm were shocked when told in 2024 by the grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, that its peak demand could nearly double by 2030.

    They found that state utility regulators lacked the tools to determine whether that was realistic.

    Texas state Sen. Phil King told a hearing earlier this year that the grid operator, utility regulators and utilities weren’t sure if the power requests “are real or just speculative or somewhere in between.”

    Lawmakers passed legislation sponsored by King, now law, that requires data center developers to disclose whether they have requests for electricity elsewhere in Texas and to set standards for developers to show that they have a substantial financial commitment to a site.

    PPL Electric Utilities, which delivers power to 1.5 million customers across central and eastern Pennsylvania, projects that data centers will more than triple its peak electricity demand by 2030.

    Vincent Sorgi, president and CEO of PPL Corp., told analysts on an earnings call this month that the data center projects “are real, they are coming fast and furious” and that the “near-term risk of overbuilding generation simply does not exist.”

    The data center projects counted in the forecast are backed by contracts with financial commitments often reaching tens of millions of dollars, PPL said.

    Still, PPL’s projections helped spur a state lawmaker, Rep. Danilo Burgos, to introduce a bill to bolster the authority of state utility regulators to inspect how utilities assemble their energy demand forecasts.

    Ratepayers in Burgos’ Philadelphia district just absorbed an increase in their electricity bills — attributed by the utility, PECO, to the rising cost of wholesale electricity in the mid-Atlantic grid driven primarily by data center demand.

    That’s why ratepayers need more protection to ensure they are benefiting from the higher cost, Burgos said.

    “Once they make their buck, whatever company,” Burgos said, “you don’t see no empathy towards the ratepayers.”

    ___

    Follow Marc Levy at http://twitter.com/timelywriter.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Hungary to mount court challenge to EU’s planned phase-out of Russian energy, Orbán says

    [ad_1]

    BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary will challenge the European Union’s plan to end Russian energy imports and take the case to an EU court, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday.

    Speaking on state radio, Orbán accused the bloc of trying to sidestep his veto power over sanctions on Russian energy by using trade rules instead in its plan to phase out all imports of Russian oil and gas by the end of 2027.

    “We are turning to the European Court of Justice in this matter,” Orbán said Friday. “This is a flagrant violation of European law, the rule of law and European cooperation … They will pay a very high price for this.”

    Hungary remains heavily dependent on Russian fossil fuels and has sought exemptions and threatened to veto EU sanctions since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. During a visit to Washington last week, Orbán secured an exemption from U.S. sanctions on two Russian energy companies following a White House meeting with President Donald Trump.

    Numerous U.S. officials have said the waiver, which ensures Russian oil and gas will continue to flow to Hungary, will last one year, though Orbán has insisted it is indefinite. On Friday, Orbán credited his close personal relationship with Trump for receiving the exemption, and said it would remain in place as long as both he and the president remain in office.

    Orbán has called continued access to Russian energy “vital” for his landlocked country and warned cutting it off would result in an economic collapse, though some critics dispute that claim.

    The Hungarian leader on Friday said he was “also exploring other means of a non-legal nature” to avoid falling under the EU’s planned Russian energy phase-out, but declined to say what they were.

    ___

    Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Zanzibar’s ‘solar mamas’ are trained as technicians to help light up communities

    [ad_1]

    ZANZIBAR, Tanzania (AP) — When darkness came, so did the smoke.

    Hamna Silima Nyange, like half of the 2 million people in Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, did not have a house connected to the electricity grid. After sunset, she would turn to smoky oil lamps that provided the only light for her eight children to study.

    ”The light was too weak,” Nyange said. “And the smoke from the lamp hurt my eyes.”

    Then one day a neighbor, Tatu Omary Hamad, installed solar panels and bulbs that lit her home with help from the strong sunlight along the Indian Ocean coast.

    “Today we have enough light,” Nyange said.

    Training women to be solar technicians

    “Solar Mama” technicians walk on the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)

    Hamad is one of dozens of “solar mamas” trained in Zanzibar by Barefoot College International, a global nonprofit, through a program that brings light to rural communities and provides jobs for local women. So far in Zanzibar, it has lit 1,845 homes.

    The program selects middle-aged women, most with little or no formal education, from villages without electricity and trains them over six months to become solar power technicians. It is one of a small number of programs in Africa including Solar Sister.

    The women return to their communities with at least 50 sets of household solar panel kits as well as the skills and equipment to set them up and keep them running.

    Barefoot College International focuses on middle-aged women because they tend to have the strongest links to their communities while not often involved in intensive child care.

    “We want to train women who become change makers,” said Brenda Geofrey, the director of Barefoot College International Zanzibar.

    The Zanzibar campus is in its 10th year of teaching local women. Before that, it sent women for training in India, where Barefoot College International was founded.

    "Solar Mama" technicians walk into a classroom on the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)

    “Solar Mama” technicians walk into a classroom on the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)

    One was Khazija Gharib Issa, who had been an unemployed widow. Now she is a master trainer.

    “I got a job. I got a place to stay. Before, I didn’t have one,” Issa said.

    The importance of health

    Improving health is at the heart of the program’s mission.

    Alongside its flagship solar power course, Barefoot College International offers programs for women in tailoring, beekeeping and sustainable agriculture. Every woman who completes a program is trained in general health knowledge that they are expected to take back to their villages.

    The “solar mamas” are health catalysts in another way, by replacing harmful light sources like kerosene.

    A "Solar Mama" technician wires up a solar charge controller at the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)

    A “Solar Mama” technician wires up a solar charge controller at the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)

    “Using kerosene has many problems,” said Jacob Dianga, a health care worker at a local clinic who is familiar with the group’s work. The fuel can irritate the eyes, while inhaling its smoke can cause long-term lung damage. It’s also a fire hazard in cramped homes and shops, and can poison children who mistake it for a drink.

    “Clean energy is very important,” Dianga said. “It helps protect our health.”

    Challenges remain

    Barefoot College International has scaled up across Africa, with other campuses in Madagascar and Senegal. In recent years, women have been brought to Zanzibar from Malawi and Somaliland, and this year some are being recruited from Central African Republic.

    A "Solar Mama" technician takes a training session on the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)

    A “Solar Mama” technician takes a training session on the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)

    Funding remains a challenge as major donors, notably the United States and European ones, cut foreign aid and projects face more competition for money that remains.

    Barefoot College International is run with public and private donations and revenue generated by its social enterprises.

    Another challenge is resistance in local communities, where some people find it hard to accept the women technicians in a radical new gender role.

    While the solar training program recruits with the approval of village leadership, who put forward candidates, some husbands have stopped their wives from training.

    “In most African communities, women are pictured as somebody who is just at home,” Geofrey said.

    But the solar mamas say the results often speak for themselves.

    “People used to say this work is for men. They were surprised and laughed at me,” Issa said. “But now they see how important my work is. I have become an example.”

    A "Solar Mama" technician wires up a solar charge controller at the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)

    A “Solar Mama” technician wires up a solar charge controller at the campus of Barefoot College International in Kinyasini, Unguja, Zanzibar, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Denton)

    ___

    For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

    The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Zanzibar’s ‘solar mamas’ are trained as technicians to help light up communities

    [ad_1]

    ZANZIBAR, Tanzania — When darkness came, so did the smoke.

    Hamna Silima Nyange, like half of the 2 million people in Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, did not have a house connected to the electricity grid. After sunset, she would turn to smoky oil lamps that provided the only light for her eight children to study.

    ”The light was too weak,” Nyange said. “And the smoke from the lamp hurt my eyes.”

    Then one day a neighbor, Tatu Omary Hamad, installed solar panels and bulbs that lit her home with help from the strong sunlight along the Indian Ocean coast.

    “Today we have enough light,” Nyange said.

    Hamad is one of dozens of “solar mamas” trained in Zanzibar by Barefoot College International, a global nonprofit, through a program that brings light to rural communities and provides jobs for local women. So far in Zanzibar, it has lit 1,845 homes.

    The program selects middle-aged women, most with little or no formal education, from villages without electricity and trains them over six months to become solar power technicians. It is one of a small number of programs in Africa including Solar Sister.

    The women return to their communities with at least 50 sets of household solar panel kits as well as the skills and equipment to set them up and keep them running.

    Barefoot College International focuses on middle-aged women because they tend to have the strongest links to their communities while not often involved in intensive child care.

    “We want to train women who become change makers,” said Brenda Geofrey, the director of Barefoot College International Zanzibar.

    The Zanzibar campus is in its 10th year of teaching local women. Before that, it sent women for training in India, where Barefoot College International was founded.

    One was Khazija Gharib Issa, who had been an unemployed widow. Now she is a master trainer.

    “I got a job. I got a place to stay. Before, I didn’t have one,” Issa said.

    Improving health is at the heart of the program’s mission.

    Alongside its flagship solar power course, Barefoot College International offers programs for women in tailoring, beekeeping and sustainable agriculture. Every woman who completes a program is trained in general health knowledge that they are expected to take back to their villages.

    The “solar mamas” are health catalysts in another way, by replacing harmful light sources like kerosene.

    “Using kerosene has many problems,” said Jacob Dianga, a health care worker at a local clinic who is familiar with the group’s work. The fuel can irritate the eyes, while inhaling its smoke can cause long-term lung damage. It’s also a fire hazard in cramped homes and shops, and can poison children who mistake it for a drink.

    “Clean energy is very important,” Dianga said. “It helps protect our health.”

    Barefoot College International has scaled up across Africa, with other campuses in Madagascar and Senegal. In recent years, women have been brought to Zanzibar from Malawi and Somaliland, and this year some are being recruited from Central African Republic.

    Funding remains a challenge as major donors, notably the United States and European ones, cut foreign aid and projects face more competition for money that remains.

    Barefoot College International is run with public and private donations and revenue generated by its social enterprises.

    Another challenge is resistance in local communities, where some people find it hard to accept the women technicians in a radical new gender role.

    While the solar training program recruits with the approval of village leadership, who put forward candidates, some husbands have stopped their wives from training.

    “In most African communities, women are pictured as somebody who is just at home,” Geofrey said.

    But the solar mamas say the results often speak for themselves.

    “People used to say this work is for men. They were surprised and laughed at me,” Issa said. “But now they see how important my work is. I have become an example.”

    ___

    For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

    The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Voters’ anger at high electricity bills and data centers looms over 2026 midterms

    [ad_1]

    Voter anger over the cost of living is hurtling forward into next year’s midterm elections, when pivotal contests will be decided by communities that are home to fast-rising electric bills or fights over who’s footing the bill to power Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers.

    Electricity costs were a key issue in this week’s elections for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, a data center hotspot, and in Georgia, where Democrats ousted two Republican incumbents for seats on the state’s utility regulatory commission.

    Voters in New Jersey, Virginia, California and New York City all cited economic concerns as the top issue, as Democrats and Republicans gird for a debate over affordability in the intensifying midterm battle to control Congress.

    Already, President Donald Trump is signaling that he’ll focus on affordability next year as he and Republicans try to maintain their slim congressional majorities, while Democrats are blaming Trump for rising household costs.

    Front and center may be electricity bills, which in many places are increasing at a rate faster than U.S. inflation on average — although not everywhere.

    “There’s a lot of pressure on politicians to talk about affordability, and electricity prices are right now the most clear example of problems of affordability,” said Dan Cassino, a professor of politics and government and pollster at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

    Rising electric costs aren’t expected to ease and many Americans could see an increase on their monthly bills in the middle of next year’s campaigns.

    Higher electric bills on the horizon

    Gas and electric utilities are seeking or already secured rate increases of more that $34 billion in the first three quarters of 2025, consumer advocacy organization PowerLines reported. That was more than double the same period last year.

    With some 80 million Americans struggling to pay their utility bills, “it’s a life or death and ‘eat or heat’ type decision that people have to make,” said Charles Hua, PowerLines’ founder.

    In Georgia, proposals to build data centers have roiled communities, while a victorious Democrat, Peter Hubbard, accused Republicans on the commission of “rubber-stamping” rate increases by Georgia Power, a subsidiary of power giant Southern Co.

    Monthly Georgia Power bills have risen six times over the past two years, now averaging $175 a month for a typical residential customer.

    Hubbard’s message seemed to resonate with voters. Rebecca Mekonnen, who lives in the Atlanta suburb of Stone Mountain, said she voted for the Democratic challengers, and wants to see “more affordable pricing. That’s the main thing. It’s running my pocket right now.”

    Now, Georgia Power is proposing to spend $15 billion to expand its power generating capacity, primarily to meet demand from data centers, and Hubbard is questioning whether data centers will pay their fair share — or share it with regular ratepayers.

    Midterm battlegrounds in hotspots

    Midterm elections will see congressional battlegrounds in states where fast-rising electric bills or data center hotspots — or both — are fomenting community uprisings.

    That includes California, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

    Analysts attribute rising electric bills to a combination of forces.

    That includes expensive projects to modernize the grid and harden poles, wires and substations against extreme weather and wildfires.

    Also playing a role is explosive demand from data centers, bitcoin miners and a drive to revive domestic manufacturing, as well as rising natural gas prices, analysts say.

    “The cost of utility service is the new ‘cost of eggs’ concern for a lot of consumers,” said Jennifer Bosco of the National Consumer Law Center.

    In some places, data centers are driving a big increase in demand, since a typical AI data center uses as much electricity as 100,000 homes, according to the International Energy Agency. Some could require more electricity than cities the size of Pittsburgh, Cleveland or New Orleans.

    While many states have sought to attract data centers as an economic boon, legislatures and utility commissions were also flooded with proposals to try to protect regular ratepayers from paying to connect data centers to the grid.

    Meanwhile, communities that don’t want to live next to one are pushing back.

    It’s on voters’ minds

    An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll from October found that electricity bills are a “major” source of stress for 36% of U.S. adults.

    Now, as falls turns to winter, some states are warning that funding for low-income heating aid is being delayed because of the federal government shutdown.

    Still, the impact is still more uneven than other financial stressors like grocery costs, which just over half of U.S. adults said are a “major” source of stress.

    And electric rates vary widely by state or utility.

    For instance, federal data shows that for-profit utilities have been raising rates far faster than municipally owned utilities or cooperatives.

    In the 13-state mid-Atlantic grid from Illinois to New Jersey, analysts say ratepayers are paying billions of dollars for the cost to power data centers — including data centers not even built yet.

    Next June, electric bills across that region will absorb billions more dollars in higher wholesale electricity costs designed to lure new power plants to power data centers.

    That’s spurred governors from the region — including Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, Illinois’ JB Pritzker and Maryland’s Wes Moore, all Democrats who are running for reelection — to pressure the grid operator PJM Interconnection to contain increases.

    High-rate states vs. lower-rate rates

    Drew Maloney, the CEO of the Edison Electric Institute, a trade association of for-profit electric utilities, suggested that only some states are the drivers of higher average electric bills.

    “If you set aside a few sates with higher rates, the rest of the country largely follows inflation on electricity rates,” Maloney said.

    Examples of states with faster-rising rates are California, where wildfires are driving grid upgrades, and those in New England, where natural gas is expensive because of strained pipeline capacity.

    Still, other states are feeling a pinch.

    In Indiana, a growing data center hotspot, the consumer advocacy group, Citizens Action Coalition, reported this year that residential customers of the state’s for-profit electric utilities were absorbing the most severe rate increases in at least two decades.

    Republican Gov. Mike Braun decried the hikes, saying “we can’t take it anymore.”

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Jeff Amy in Atlanta contributed to this report.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • US and European energy leaders in Greece to talk ways to better supply Ukraine

    [ad_1]

    ATHENS, Greece — Energy ministers from the United States and European countries were holding talks Thursday in Greece on how to use a newly upgraded regional pipeline network to better supply war-torn Ukraine as the Trump administration seeks to further ramp up gas exports to Europe.

    U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum were attending the meeting in Athens, hosted by the Atlantic Council, the Washington-based think tank. They were joined by more than 80 U.S. officials, European Union energy ministers, and executives from leading American liquified natural gas companies.

    President Donald Trump is seeking to use America’s position as the world’s top LNG exporter to press the EU to buy more U.S. gas, linking energy exports to broader trade negotiations.

    With Europe already the largest market for American LNG — and intent on cutting all Russian gas supplies over the next two years — attention has shifted to the so-called Vertical Corridor, a north-south gas route linking Greece with Bulgaria, Romania.

    “Greece is blessed with a very unique geographic location, and we are the natural entry point for American liquefied natural gas into Europe,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at talks late Wednesday with the visiting U.S. officials.

    “The vertical corridor is a project of great geopolitical and economic importance to us,” he said. “We’re happy that it’s becoming a reality.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Abu Dhabi hosts oil summit as OPEC+ halts production hikes planned for 2026

    [ad_1]

    ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Abu Dhabi hosted a major oil summit Monday, hours after the OPEC+ group of the cartel and its allies said it would halt further production increases planned in the first quarter of 2026 over concerns of too much supply in the market.

    The OPEC+ decision comes as both the United States and the United Kingdom implemented new oil sanctions targeting Russia over its war on Ukraine. Those sanctions targets included Rosneft and the Russian oil company Lukoil, whose red-and-white logo hung over the annual Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference in the Emirati capital as a major sponsor of the event.

    The UAE has maintained close ties to Russia despite the war, but has served as a key interlocutor between Kyiv and Moscow to negotiate prisoner exchanges.

    On Sunday, OPEC+ met and decided to increase its production by an additional 137,000 barrels of oil beginning in December. However, it said other adjustments planned in January, February and March of next year would be paused “due to seasonality.”

    OPEC+ includes the core members of the cartel, as well as nations outside of the group led by Russia.

    Benchmark Brent crude sold Monday around $65 a barrel, down from a post-COVID high of some $115 a barrel after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It had fallen to $60 a barrel in recent days over concerns that the market had too much production.

    “Yes, OPEC+ is blinking, but it’s a calculated move,” said Jorge León, the head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy. “Sanctions on Russian producers have injected a new layer of uncertainty into supply forecasts, and the group knows that overproducing now could backfire later. By pausing, OPEC+ is protecting prices, projecting unity, and buying time to see how sanctions play out on Russian barrels.”

    Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration continues to push for more production in America. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, a former Republican governor of North Dakota, was on hand for the Abu Dhabi oil summit on Monday. Burgum chairs Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council. The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S., a key economic and political indicator in the country, stood at $3.03 on Monday.

    The oil conference, known by the acronym ADIPEC, comes after the UAE hosted the United Nations COP28 climate talks in 2023. Those talks ended with a call by nearly 200 countries to move away from planet-warming fossil fuels — the first time the conference made that crucial pledge.

    But the UAE as a whole still plans to increase its production capacity of oil to 5 million barrels a day in the coming years as it pursues more clean energy at home.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • How Americans are feeling about their chances on the job market, according to an AP-NORC poll

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are growing increasingly concerned about their ability to find a good job under President Donald Trump, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds, in what is a potential warning sign for Republicans as a promised economic boom has given way to hiring freezes and elevated inflation.

    High prices for groceries, housing and health care persist as a fear for many households, while rising electricity bills and the cost of gas at the pump are also sources of anxiety, according to the survey.

    Some 47% of U.S. adults are “not very” or “not at all confident” they could find a good job if they wanted to, an increase from 37% when the question was last asked in October 2023.

    Electricity bills are a “major” source of stress for 36% of U.S. adults at a time when the expected build-out of data centers for artificial intelligence could further tax the power grid. Just more than one-half said the cost of groceries are a “major” source of financial stress, about 4 in 10 said the cost of housing and health care were a serious strain and about one-third said they were feeling high stress about gasoline prices.

    The survey suggests an ongoing vulnerability for Trump, who returned to the White House in January with claims he could quickly tame the inflation that surged after the pandemic during Democratic President Joe Biden’s term. Instead, Trump’s popularity on the economy has remained low amid a mix of tariffs, federal worker layoffs and partisan sniping that has culminated in a government shutdown.

    Linda Weavil, 76, voted for Trump last year because he “seems like a smart businessman.” But she said in an interview that the Republican’s tariffs have worsened inflation, citing the chocolate-covered pecans sold for her church group fundraiser that now cost more.

    “I think he’s doing a great job on a lot of things, but I’m afraid our coffee and chocolate prices have gone up because of tariffs,” the retiree from Greensboro, North Carolina, said. “That’s a kick in the back of the American people.”

    Ioan Barsan a recruiter with the Miami Dade School Police Dept. talks to a a job seeker during a job fair Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

    Voters changed presidents, but they’re not feeling better about Trump’s economy

    The poll found that 36% of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy, a figure that has held steady this year after he imposed tariffs that caused broad economic uncertainty. Among Republicans, 71% feel positive about his economic leadership. Yet that approval within Trump’s own party is relatively low in ways that could be problematic for Republicans in next month’s races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, and perhaps even in the 2026 midterm elections.

    At roughly the same point in Biden’s term, in October 2021, an AP-NORC poll found that 41% of U.S. adults approved of how he was handling the economy, including about 73% of Democrats. That overall number was a little higher than Trump’s, primarily because of independents — 29% approved of how Biden was handling the economy, compared with the 18% who currently support Trump’s approach.

    The job market was meaningfully stronger in terms of hiring during Biden’s presidency as the United States was recovering from pandemic-related lockdowns. But hiring has slowed sharply under Trump with monthly job gains averaging less than 27,000 after the April tariff announcements.

    People see that difference.

    Four years ago, 36% of those in the survey were “extremely” or “very” confident in their ability to get a good job, but that has fallen to 21% now.

    Biden’s approval on the economy steadily deteriorated through the middle of 2022 when inflation hit a four-decade high, creating an opening for Trump’s political comeback.

    President Donald Trump walks with Air Force Col. Christopher M. Robinson, Commander of the 89th Airlift Wing, from Marine One to board Air Force One, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., for a trip to Florida. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

    President Donald Trump walks with Air Force Col. Christopher M. Robinson, Commander of the 89th Airlift Wing, from Marine One to board Air Force One, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., for a trip to Florida. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

    Electricity costs are an emerging worry

    In some ways, Trump has made the inflation problems harder by choosing to cancel funding for renewable energy projects and imposing tariffs on the equipment needed for factories and power plants. Those added costs are coming before the anticipated construction of data centers for AI that could further push up prices without more construction.

    Even though 36% see electricity as a major concern, there are some who have yet to feel a serious financial squeeze. In the survey, 40% identified electricity costs as a “minor” stress, while 23% said their utility bills are “not a source” of stress.

    Kevin Halsey, 58, of Normal, Illinois, said his monthly electricity bills used to be $90 during the summer because he had solar panels, but have since jumped to $300. Halsey, who works in telecommunications, voted Democratic in last year’s presidential election and described the economy right now as “crap.”

    “I’ve got to be pessimistic,” he said. “I don’t see this as getting better.”

    At a fundamental level, Trump finds himself in the same economic dilemma that bedeviled Biden. There are signs the economy remains relatively solid with a low unemployment rate, stock market gains and decent economic growth, yet the public continues to be skeptical about the economy’s health.

    Some 68% of U.S. adults describe the U.S. economy these days as “poor,” while 32% say it’s “good.” That’s largely consistent with assessments of the economy over the past year.

    In addition, 59%, say their family finances are “holding steady.” But only 12% say they’re “getting ahead,” and 28% say they are “falling behind.”

    People see plenty of expenses but few opportunities

    The sense of economic precarity is coming from many different directions, with indications that many think middle-class stability is falling out of reach.

    The vast majority of U.S. adults feel at least “minor” stress about the cost of groceries, health care, housing, the amount they pay in taxes, what they are paid at work and the cost of gas for their cars.

    In the survey, 47%, say they are “not very” or “not at all” confident they could pay an unexpected medical expense while 52% have low confidence they will have enough saved for their retirement. Also, 63%, are “not very” or “not at all” confident they could buy a new home if they wanted to.

    Young adults are much less confident about their ability to buy a house, though confidence is not especially high across the board. About 8 in 10 U.S. adults under age 30 say they are “not very confident” or “not at all confident” they would be able to buy a house, compared with about 6 in 10 adults 60 and older.

    For 54% of U.S. adults, the cost of groceries is a “major source” of stress in their life right now.

    Unique Hopkins, 36, of Youngstown, Ohio, said she is now working two jobs after her teenage daughter had a baby, leaving Hopkins with a sense that she can barely tread water as part of the “working poor.” She voted for Trump in 2016, only to switch to Democrats after she felt his ego kept him from uniting the country and solving problems.

    “It’s his way or no way,” she said. “Nobody is going to unite with Trump if it’s all about you, you, you.”

    ___

    The AP-NORC poll of 1,289 adults was conducted Oct. 9-13, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

    ___

    This story has been corrected to reflect that the name of the NORC Center is NORC Center for Public Research, not Public Affairs.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Exxon posts strong quarterly earnings with production in Guyana and the Permian Basin picking up

    [ad_1]

    Exxon Mobil reported strong a strong third-quarter performance Friday, bolstered by strong Guyana and Permian Basin production.

    Exxon earned $7.55 billion, or $1.76 per share, for the period ended Sept. 30. It earned $8.61 billion, or $1.92 per share, in the prior-year period.

    Removing one time costs and benefits, earnings were $1.88 per share, which topped the $1.81 per share that Wall Street was looking for, according to a survey by Zacks Investment Research. Exxon does not adjust its reported results based on one-time events such as asset sales.

    Revenue totaled $85.29 billion, which was short of the $86.77 billion that analysts had projected.

    Third-quarter net production was 4.7 million oil-equivalent barrels per day. That was an increase of 1.1 million oil-equivalent barrels per day when compared with the second quarter.

    Guyana production topped 700,000 barrels per day in the quarter. The Permian Basin set a production record of almost 1.7 million oil-equivalent barrels per day.

    Oil prices spiked last week after the U.S. announced massive new sanctions on Russia’s oil industry in an attempt to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and end Moscow’s brutal war on Ukraine.

    Oil prices have been relatively low for the past few years and in mid-October the cost for a barrel of U.S. benchmark crude fell below $57, its lowest level since early 2021. The price for a barrel of U.S. benchmark crude did rise near $79 a barrel early this year, just before President Donald Trump took office, a price not necessarily considered outrageously elevated by most analysts.

    The main reason oil and gas have stabilized at lower levels this year is because of actions by OPEC+. Earlier this month a group of countries that are part of the OPEC+ alliance of oil-exporting countries agreed to a small boost in oil production, citing a steady global economic outlook. The group said after a virtual meeting that it will raise oil production by 137,000 barrels per day in November. The group has been raising output slightly in a series of boosts all year, after announcing cuts in 2023 and 2024.

    Russia is the leading non-OPEC member in the 22-country alliance. The group’s next meeting is scheduled for Sunday.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Orbán to press Trump for Hungary’s exemption from new US sanctions on Russian oil

    [ad_1]

    BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday that he would try to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to grant Hungary exemptions from Washington’s newly announced sanctions targeting Russian oil when he meets with the president next week.

    The Trump administration unveiled sanctions against Russia’s major state-affiliated oil firms Rosneft and Lukoil last week, a move that could expose their foreign buyers — including customers in India, China and Central Europe — to secondary sanctions.

    While most European Union member states sharply reduced or halted imports of Russian fossil fuels after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Hungary and Slovakia have maintained their pipeline deliveries. Hungary has even increased the share of Russian oil in its energy mix.

    Orbán, a Trump ally who is expected to visit Washington next week for his first bilateral meeting with the president since he retook office in January, has long argued that landlocked Hungary has no viable alternatives to Russian crude, and that replacing those supplies would trigger an economic collapse. Critics dispute that claim.

    “We have to make the Americans understand this strange situation if we want exceptions to the American sanctions that are hitting Russia,” Orbán said in comments Friday to state radio.

    The Hungarian leader, widely considered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest partner in the EU, has maintained warm relations with the Kremlin, despite the war, and has taken a combative stance toward Ukraine, portraying the neighboring country as a major threat to Hungary’s security and economy.

    Orbán said Friday that both the U.S. administration and Moscow were seeking an end to the war, but that Ukraine and the EU were the primary impediments to peace. However, a planned meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest was recently scrapped after Russian officials made clear they opposed an immediate ceasefire in the conflict.

    Orbán said that he would be accompanied to Washington by a “large delegation” of ministers, economic officials and security advisers aimed at “a complete review” of U.S.-Hungarian relations. He said that Budapest hopes to finalize an economic cooperation package with the U.S., including new American investments in Hungary.

    But any deal, he stressed, depends on securing Hungary’s continued access to Russian energy.

    ___

    Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Study finds EVs quickly overcome their energy-intensive build to be cleaner than gas cars

    [ad_1]

    DETROIT — Making electric vehicles and their batteries is a dirty process that uses a lot of energy. But a new study says that EVs quickly make up for that with less overall emissions through two years of use than a gas-powered vehicle.

    The study also estimated that gas-powered vehicles cause at least twice as much environmental damage over their lifetimes as EVs, and said the benefits of EVs can be expected to increase in coming decades as clean sources of power, such as solar and wind, are brought onto the grid.

    The work by researchers from Northern Arizona University and Duke University, published Wednesday in the journal PLOS Climate, offers insight into a transportation sector that makes up a big part of U.S. emissions. It also comes as some EV skeptics have raised concerns about whether the environmental impact of battery production, including mining, makes it worthwhile to switch to electric.

    “While there is a bigger carbon footprint in the very short term because of the manufacturing process in creating the batteries for electric vehicles, very quickly you come out ahead in CO2 emissions by year three and then for all of the rest of the vehicle lifetime, you’re far ahead and so cumulatively much lower carbon footprint,” said Drew Shindell, an earth science professor at Duke University and study co-author.

    The researchers evaluated several harmful air pollutants monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as emissions data, to compare the relative impact over time of EVs and internal combustion engines on air quality and climate change.

    Their analysis said that EVs produce 30% higher carbon dioxide emissions than gasoline vehicles in their first two years. That can be attributed to the energy-intensive production and manufacturing processes involved in mining lithium for EV batteries.

    They also sought to account for how the U.S. energy system might develop in coming years, assuming growth in clean energy. And they modeled four different scenarios for EV adoption, ranging from the lowest — a 31% share of vehicle sales — to the highest, 75% of sales, by 2050. (EV sales accounted for about 8% of new vehicle sales in the U.S. in 2024.)

    The researchers said the average of those four models found that for each additional kilowatt hour of lithium-ion battery output, carbon dioxide emissions drop by an average of 220 kilograms (485 pounds) in 2030, and another 127 kilograms (280 pounds) in 2050.

    The consistent decrease in CO2 emissions from EVs is “not only driven by the on-road vehicles, but also reduction that has been brought due to electricity production,” said lead author Pankaj Sadavarte, a postdoctoral researcher at Northern Arizona University.

    Greg Keoleian, a University of Michigan professor of sustainable systems who wasn’t involved in the research, called it a “valuable study” that echoes other findings and “confirms the environmental and economic benefits” of EVs.

    “Accelerating the adoption of battery electric vehicles is a key strategy for decarbonizing the transportation sector which will reduce future damages and costs of climate change,” he said.

    Shindell, the Duke researcher, said the grid will evolve to have more solar and wind power.

    “When you add a bunch of electric vehicles, nobody’s going to build new coal-fired power plants to run these things because coal is really expensive compared to renewables,” he said. “So the grid just overall becomes much cleaner in both the terms of carbon emissions for climate change, and for air pollution.”

    Outside experts agreed — as long as the policy landscape supports it. That hasn’t been the case under President Donald Trump, who has worked to boost fossil fuels and restrain solar and wind power development.

    “The great news is the rest of the world isn’t slowing down in terms of its embrace of this technology,” said Ellen Kennedy, principal for carbon-free transportation at RMI, a clean energy nonprofit. As for the U.S., she said, “I think it’s important to keep in mind states and local governments, there’s a lot that’s happening on those fronts.”

    One thing the study didn’t address was recycling or disposal of batteries at the end of their life. Kennedy said battery recycling will improve, helping to address one of the environmental impacts of their production.

    The study comes at a notable time given the challenges that EVs face in the U.S.

    EVs have seen more interest in recent years as an alternative to gas-powered cars and trucks — particularly as they become more affordable and charging infrastructure becomes more available.

    But growth has slowed amid shifting federal policy toward EVs and an industry step back from ambitious EV production promises.

    Former President Joe Biden set a target for 50% of all new vehicle sales in the U.S. to be electric by 2030. But Trump reversed that policy, and Congress has terminated federal tax credits for an EV purchase. The administration has also targeted vehicle pollution rules that would encourage greater uptake of EVs in the U.S., and the president has attempted to halt a nationwide EV charging buildout.

    “The study is important to show how really misguided the current administration’s policies are,” Shindell said. “If we want to protect us from climate change and from the very clear and local damage from poor air quality, this is a really clear way to do it: Incentivize the switch from internal combustion engines to EVs.”

    ___

    Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.

    ___

    Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

    ___

    The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Asian shares rise after White House confirms plans for Trump to meet with Chinese leader Xi

    [ad_1]

    MANILA, Philippines — Asian shares were mostly higher Friday after the White House confirmed plans for President Donald Trump to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping next week.

    The confirmation reduced some of the uncertainty surrounding trade tensions between the two biggest economies, though prospects for a significant trade deal remain unclear.

    Chinese benchmarks also gained after the ruling Communist Party wrapped up an important planning meeting without any major policy changes.

    Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index gained 0.6% to 26,122.10, while the Shanghai Composite index added 0.4% to 3,938.98.

    Japan’s Nikkei 225 rebounded Friday from the previous day’s losses, adding nearly 1.5% to 49,380.25. Tech shares were among gainers as sentiment was boosted by the White House confirmation of Trump’s meeting with Xi.

    Data released Friday showed Japan’s core inflation rate rose to 2.9% in September from 2.7% in August. Despite price pressures, the Bank of Japan is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged at a meeting next week: newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has expressed a preference to keep rates low.

    In Seoul, the Kospi surged 2.3% to 3,935.75, a fresh record, as gains on Wall Street and news of the Trump-Xi summit lifted investor sentiment and eased trade worries.

    Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped less than 0.1% to 9,027.00 after preliminary data showed Australia’s factory activity contracted to 49.7 in October from 51.4 in September.

    India’s BSE Sensex was nearly unchanged, while Taiwan’s stock market was closed for a holiday.

    U.S. stocks rose to the cusp of their records on Thursday, as oil prices jumped after President Donald Trump announced “massive” new sanctions on Russia’s crude industry.

    On Wall Street on Thursday, the S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to 6,738.44, within 0.2% of its all-time high set earlier this month.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% to 46,734.61, just below its own record set earlier this week. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.9% to 22,941.80.

    Companies in the oil and gas business led the way, including gains of 1.1% for Exxon Mobil, 3.1% for ConocoPhillips and 3.4% for Diamondback Energy. They rose with prices for crude, which leaped roughly 5.5% after Trump announced the sanctions against Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.

    The hope is to convince Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, to end the brutal war with Ukraine, and sanctions could constrict the global flow of oil.

    The jumps helped oil prices recover some of their sharp recent losses, taken because of expectations for supplies of crude in inventories to remain plentiful. Oil prices are still down more than 10% for the year so far, and early Friday, they slipped further. U.S. benchmark crude lost 22 cents to $61.57 per barrel, while Brent crude was down 21 cents at $65.78.

    Strong profit reports from several big U.S. companies helped push benchmarks higher.

    Chemicals maker Dow jumped 12.9%, and Las Vegas Sands rallied 12.4% after both delivered stronger earnings than analysts expected. Tesla shook off an early loss to climb 2.3% after reporting a weaker profit but stronger revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

    The pressure is on companies broadly to deliver solid growth in profits. That would counter criticism that their stock prices shot too high following a 35% romp for the S&P 500 from a low in April.

    In other dealings early Friday, the price of gold slipped 0.4% to $4,129.30 an ounce. On Thursday it had climbed 2% to $4,145.60 per ounce.

    The U.S. dollar rose to 152.96 Japanese yen from 152.60. The euro slid to $1.1608 from $1.1618.

    ___

    AP Business Writers Stan Choe and Matt Ott contributed.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • In Japan and South Korea, Trump will promote big investments. But the details are still not clear

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is going to Japan and South Korea next week to promote an epic financial windfall — at least $900 billion in investments for U.S. factories, a natural gas pipeline and other projects.

    Japan and South Korea made those financial commitments in August to try to get Trump to ratchet down his planned tariff rates from 25% to 15%. But as the U.S. president is set to depart Friday night for Asia, the pledges are more of a loose end than money in the bank for American industry.

    Japan pledged $550 billion in investments, but it wants the money to benefit its own companies, making that a condition in a memorandum released in September. As of Monday, Japan has a new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, who has expressed respect for Trump but is operating in an untested coalition government.

    South Korea offered $350 billion — but wants a swap line for U.S. dollars to facilitate its investments and seeks to fund the transactions through loan guarantees. Otherwise, the commitment could sink its own economy.

    The investment arrangements are unusual for trade frameworks, and Trump maintains that he will personally direct how the money is spent, enabling him to pick winners and losers. Weeks of talks have yet to produce any breakthroughs on how the investments would go forward even though both nations want to preserve their relationship with America.

    Still, ahead of the trip, Trump was radiating optimism that his tariffs had forced investments to fuel what he believes will be an economic boom starting next year.

    “We’ve done well, as you know, with Japan, with South Korea,” Trump told Republican senators Tuesday. “Without the tariffs, you could have never made the deal. I’ll tell you what. Tariffs equal national security.”

    For Trump, the investments are also about demonstrating America’s strength before a planned meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping while he is in South Korea. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Monday described Trump’s strategy in part as “encouraging allied investment in America’s industrial future” to counter Chinese manufacturers.

    But Japan and South Korea are also competing against China — which is pivoting aggressively into electric vehicles, computer chips and other technologies. There is a risk that mandating investment in the U.S. could weaken allies that are closer geographically to China, said Christopher Smart, managing partner at the Arbroath Group, a geopolitical strategy firm.

    “They need to invest in their own countries,” said Smart, who was a senior economic aide in the Obama White House. He said Trump was “going to extract investment money” from the countries while also erecting “tariff walls” that could make it harder for them to sell goods in America, a rather lopsided view of how alliances work.

    Few experts believe Japan and South Korea would agree with the Trump administration’s framing that their U.S. investments are a way to compete against China.

    “It is really about lowering tariffs and avoiding Trump’s wrath,” said Andrew Yeo, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Asia Policy Studies.

    There is an expectation that Japan and South Korea both want to resolve any hurdles on the investments and will take steps to achieve “progress” in talks with Trump, said William Chou, a senior fellow focused on Japan at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank.

    Chou pointed to Nippon Steel’s agreement to purchase U.S. Steel this year as an example of how Japan can work with the Trump administration. The president had initially opposed the merger, but later backed it with an agreement that gave the U.S. government some control over the acquired company.

    Similarly, the memorandum of understanding on Japan’s $550 million investment would also give the U.S. government input on how the money would be spent. It provides for a committee led by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to propose investments, giving Japan 45 days to respond, with the understanding that the deals would give preference to Japanese contractors and suppliers.

    “Japan came through with the paperwork,” Lutnick said in a September CNBC interview. “They gave us $550 billion to invest for the benefit of America, build the Alaska pipeline, build nuclear power plants, make your grid better, do generic antibiotics in America.”

    South Korea has yet to finalize a written agreement with the U.S. on the $350 billion investment, a problem as higher U.S. tariff rates still apply to its autos. South Korean officials have balked at U.S. demands for upfront payments, which they say would put the country at risk of a financial crisis. Instead, they have proposed delivering the investment through loans and loan guarantees.

    Returning to South Korea on Sunday after talks in Washington, Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, told reporters there had been progress, although he declined to provide specifics.

    “We’re nearing an agreement that there should be mutually beneficial (deals) that the Republic of Korea can endure,” Kim said. “The U.S. fully recognizes and understands possible shocks on the foreign exchange market in the Republic of Korea.”

    The proposed South Korean investment represents more than 80% of its foreign currency reserves. South Korea has proposed a currency swap with the U.S. to ease potential financial instability caused by the investment, but no agreement has been reached yet.

    The Sept. 4 immigration raid by Trump’s government on a Hyundai auto plant in Georgia, causing the detention of more than 300 South Koreans, has also strained the relationship. It came less than two weeks after Trump met South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, and led to calls in South Korea to ensure that its workers operating in the U.S. have legal protections.

    Since that raid, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has said the United States has now agreed to allow in South Korean workers on short-term visas or a visa waiver program to help build industrial sites in America.

    Lee has said South Korean companies will likely hesitate to make further investments in the U.S. unless it improves its visa system.

    “When you build a factory or install equipment at a factory, you need technicians, but the United States doesn’t have that workforce and yet they won’t issue visas to let our people stay and do the work,” Lee said last month.

    Trump has said his tariffs will spur new investments that ultimately will produce jobs for U.S. citizens.

    “Without tariffs, it’s a slog for this country, a big slog,” Trump said Wednesday.

    ___

    Kim reported from Seoul.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Pump prices could rise after US, EU hit Russian oil companies with new sanctions and oil spikes

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — Oil prices spiked Thursday after the U.S. announced massive new sanctions on Russia’s oil industry in an attempt to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and end Moscow’s brutal war on Ukraine.

    U.S. benchmark crude jumped 5.6% to $61.79 per barrel and analysts say if the situation remains static, U.S. consumers will soon be paying more at the pump.

    Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said while it was difficult to predict with certainty because of the number of moving parts, consumers will likely see a bump in prices as early as next week, if not sooner.

    “We’ll probably start to see motorists be impacted by the sanctions at the pump in the next couple days and it might take five days for that to be fully passed along,” De Haan said, adding that the full impact also depends on whether the Russian or U.S. positions change.

    “Russia will feel pressure to come to the table in light of of the new developments or President Trump may react when he sees oil prices rising to levels that become uncomfortable, so I don’t think this is going to be very long lasting,” De Haan said.

    Oil prices have been relatively low for the past few years and last week the cost for barrel of U.S. benchmark crude fell below $57, its lowest level since early 2021. The price for a barrel of U.S. benchmark crude did rise near $79 a barrel early this year, just before President Donald Trump took office, a price not necessarily considered outrageously elevated by most analysts.

    The broad, extended decline in oil prices pushed the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. last week under $3 for the first time since December of last year, according to GasBuddy.

    For much of 2025, inflation has been held mostly in check, partly due to cheaper prices at the pump. However, that could change quickly as higher energy costs have a downstream effect on prices for virtually all products and services across industries.

    “The impact to a lot of Americans is that products derived from crude, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel are all likely to see price increases,” De Haan said.

    The main reason oil and gas have stabilized at lower levels this year is that the group of countries that are part of the OPEC+ alliance of oil-exporting countries have continued to boost production. Earlier this month, OPEC+ leaders announced they would raise oil production by 137,000 barrels per day in November, the same amount announced for October. The group has been raising output slightly in a series of boosts all year after announcing cuts in 2023 and 2024.

    Russia is the leading non-OPEC member in the 22-country alliance. The group’s next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 2.

    The sanctions against Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil follows calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as bipartisan pressure on Trump to hit Russia with harder sanctions on its oil industry, the economic engine that has allowed Russia to continue to execute the grinding conflict even as it finds itself largely internationally isolated. The European Union on Thursday announced its own measures targeting Russian oil and gas.

    The price for Brent crude, the international standard, rose 5.4% on Thursday to $65.99 per barrel.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • 5 ways AI can help the environment, even though it uses tremendous energy

    [ad_1]

    Artificial intelligence has caused concern for its tremendous consumption of water and power. But scientists are also experimenting with ways that AI can help people and businesses use energy more efficiently and pollute less.

    Data centers needed to fuel AI accounted for about 1.5% of the world’s electricity consumption last year, and those facilities’ energy consumption is predicted to more than double by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency. That increase could lead to burning more fossil fuels such as coal and gas, which release greenhouse gases that contribute to warming temperatures, sea level rise and extreme weather.

    But when AI’s computing power is used to analyze energy usage and pollution, it can also make buildings more efficient, charge devices at optimal times, make oil and gas production less polluting and schedule traffic lights to reduce vehicle emissions.

    Experts say that if uses like these continue to grow, they could help offset the energy consumed by AI.

    “I am pretty optimistic that while more and more AI use is going to continue to increase,” said Alexis Abramson, dean of the Columbia University Climate School, “we’re going to see our ability to process be much more efficient and as a result, the energy consumption won’t go up as much as some are predicting.”

    AI can be used to make buildings more energy-efficient by automatically adjusting lighting, ventilation, heating and cooling based on weather data, electricity usage and other factors, said Bob French, chief evangelist at the building automation company 75F. Around one-third of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution comes from homes and buildings.

    Letting AI schedule air conditioning and heating around workers’ arrivals and departures can be more efficient than manually adjusting the thermostat. Otherwise, a worker’s instinct might be to blast the air to quickly adjust the temperature. Automated thermostats can be particularly useful for smaller buildings where it’s not cost-effective to overhaul the entire heating and cooling system.

    For building ventilation, automation can balance the intake of outside air against how much heating or cooling is needed to maintain indoor temperatures.

    AI can also monitor the maintenance needs of HVAC systems and other equipment to predict and detect failures before they lead to costlier repairs.

    Combined, these automations can reduce a building’s energy consumption by between 10% and 30%, experts said.

    “That’s literally a super low-hanging fruit,” said Zoltan Nagy, professor of building services at Eindhoven University of Technology.

    AI can schedule the most efficient charging of electric vehicles and other devices such as smartphones.

    This means setting a schedule for when it is best to draw power from the grid, such as overnight, when demand and rates are lower so it’s less likely to make the grid burn more fossil fuels.

    “Let’s say it’s a peak period when everybody’s got their air conditioning on, and I walk in my house and I plug in my car and I have it set up such that my car doesn’t start charging right away because it’s peak period time,” Abramson said.

    In California, a pilot program shifted charging to times where there was more renewable energy available, and saved customers money.

    AI can also help optimize how homeowners with solar panels store excess energy in batteries.

    Boston-based Geminus AI uses deep learning and advanced reasoning to help oil and gas companies reduce methane flaring and venting, and reduce the amount of energy they use in extracting and refining.

    Reducing methane emissions is among the fastest pathways to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas responsible for about 30% of today’s global warming.

    When pressure in oil and gas pipes builds up, some of the gas is released and burned to relieve the pressure, harming the planet and wasting money.

    Geminus CEO Greg Fallon said they can monitor the network of wells and pipes and use AI-driven simulations to suggest changes to compressor and pump settings that eliminate the need for venting and flaring. Geminus does this in seconds. Traditionally it takes engineers about 36 hours to run simulations that make similar recommendations, Fallon added.

    “As we scale this across the industry, there’s a massive opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Fallon said.

    Salt Lake City-based geothermal energy startup Zanskar has built AI models to understand the Earth’s subsurface. It’s using that modeling to find overlooked geothermal hot spots and target drilling.

    Geothermal creates electricity cleanly by making steam from the Earth’s natural heat and using it to spin a turbine. It’s one renewable energy the Trump administration favors.

    Zanskar co-founders Carl Hoiland and Joel Edwards say they simulate and assess a huge number of possible subsurface scenarios to estimate where there are pockets of very hot water. From this, they pick optimal locations and drilling directions.

    “AI is becoming the solution to its own energy problem,” Hoiland, the CEO, said. “It’s showing us a way to unlock resources that weren’t possible without it.”

    Last year, Zanskar purchased an underperforming geothermal power plant in New Mexico. Their AI modeling successfully indicated there was an untapped geothermal reservoir that could repower the facility.

    Next, Hoiland and Edwards focused on another site in Nevada, despite industry experts telling them it was too cold to support a utility-scale power plant. They drilled and announced their second geothermal discovery in September at that site.

    Google is using artificial intelligence and Google Maps data to identify traffic light adjustments that can reduce stop-and-go traffic to lower pollution. Passenger cars and small trucks account for about 16% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to Environmental Protection Agency data.

    Launched in 2023, Project Green Light is now in 20 cities on four continents. The most recent is Boston, which has notoriously bad traffic.

    Each city gets AI-generated recommendations. City engineers determine which to implement. Google says Project Green Light can reduce stop-and-go traffic by up to 30%, which cuts emissions by 10% and improves air quality.

    “We’re just scratching the surface of what AI can do,” said Juliet Rothenberg, Google’s product director of Earth and resilience AI.

    ___

    Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

    ___

    The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • US rejects bid to buy 167 million tons of coal on public lands for less than a penny per ton

    [ad_1]

    BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Federal officials rejected a company’s bid to acquire 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana for less than a penny per ton, in what would have been the biggest U.S. government coal sale in more than a decade.

    The failed sale underscores a continued low appetite for coal among utilities that are turning to cheaper natural gas and renewables such as wind and solar to generate electricity. Emissions from burning coal are a leading driver of climate change, which scientists say is raising sea levels and making weather more extreme.

    President Donald Trump has made reviving the coal industry a centerpiece of his agenda to increase U.S. energy production. But economists say Trump’s attempts to boost coal are unlikely to reverse its yearslong decline.

    The coal-fired generation unit at Rawhide Energy Station in northern Colorado is seen Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver).

    The Department of Interior said in a Tuesday statement that last week’s $186,000 bid from the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC) did not meet the requirements of the Mineral Leasing Act.

    Agency representatives did not provide further details, and it’s unclear if they will attempt to hold the sale again.

    The leasing act requires bids to be at or above fair market value. At the last successful government lease sale in the region, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy paid $793 million, or $1.10 per ton, for 721 million tons of coal in Wyoming.

    President Joe Biden’s administration sought to end coal sales in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming, citing climate change.

    A second proposed lease sale under Trump — 440 million tons of coal near an NTEC mine in central Wyoming — was postponed last week following the low bid received in the Montana sale. Interior Department officials have not said when the Wyoming sale will be rescheduled.

    NTEC is owned by the Navajo Nation of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

    A mechanized shovel loads coal into a haul truck at the Spring Creek mine, in this Nov. 15, 2016 photo, near Decker, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

    A mechanized shovel loads coal into a haul truck at the Spring Creek mine, in this Nov. 15, 2016 photo, near Decker, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

    In documents submitted in the run-up to the Montana sale, NTEC indicated the coal had little value because of declining demand for the fuel. The Associated Press emailed a company representative regarding the rejected bid.

    Most power plants using fuel from NTEC’s Spring Creek mine in Montana and Antelope mine in Wyoming are scheduled to stop burning coal in the next decade, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

    Spring Creek also ships coal overseas to customers in Asia. Increasing those shipments could help it offset lessening domestic demand, but a shortage of port capacity has hobbled prior industry aspirations to boost coal exports.

    The coal-fired generation unit at Rawhide Energy Station in northern Colorado is seen Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)

    The coal-fired generation unit at Rawhide Energy Station in northern Colorado is seen Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Louisiana judge orders review of Gulf Coast liquefied natural gas facility’s climate change impacts

    [ad_1]

    NEW ORLEANS — NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana judge has tossed out a key permit for a liquefied natural gas facility that won approval from President Donald Trump’s administration, ordering a state review of how the facility’s planet-warming emissions would affect Gulf Coast communities vulnerable to sea-level rise and extreme weather.

    Last week, a judge from Louisiana’s 38th Judicial District Court effectively halted construction of Commonwealth LNG by ordering state regulators to analyze the facility’s climate change and environmental justice-related impacts, in conjunction with the broader LNG buildout in southwest Louisiana’s Cameron Parish.

    Three of the nation’s eight existing LNG export terminals are located in Cameron Parish, and several more are proposed or under construction there.

    Louisiana’s attorney general vowed to appeal the ruling, which vacated the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy’s coastal use permit for the facility.

    “This is the first time any court has vacated a permit for an LNG facility based on the government’s refusal to consider climate change impacts,” said Clay Garside, an attorney representing the Sierra Club and other environmental groups.

    Earlier this year, Trump reversed a Biden-era pause on exports of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, as part of his goal to boost natural gas exports and promote “energy dominance.”

    Last year, the Biden administration’s Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s had warned that “unfettered exports” of liquefied natural gas would increase planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions — a statement reflecting the findings of a Department of Energy report released in December.

    Trump-appointed Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a fossil fuel executive, has moved to fast-track the buildout of LNG facilities, including Commonwealth LNG, which received an export authorization within weeks of Trump’s inauguration.

    “Cameron Parish is ground zero for the relentless expansion of the gas export industry,” said Anne Rolfes, founder of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, an environmental group involved in the litigation. “We’re going to stop it and this is an important step in that process.”

    Lyle Hanna, a Commonwealth LNG spokesperson, said that “we are disappointed with the District Court’s decision, and we are exploring all available legal options.”

    A spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy declined to comment, citing the potential of pending litigation. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said that the state planned to appeal.

    “Sadly even state court judges are not immune from climate activism,” Murrill said.

    Last year, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., had ordered the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reassess Commonwealth LNG’s air pollution, including its greenhouse gas emissions. In June, the commission gave the project a greenlight on the grounds that its construction was in the public interest.

    In regulatory filings, the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy said that “climate change is currently beyond the scope” of the state’s regulatory review.

    But District Judge Penelope Richard rejected this position, saying state environmental regulators have a duty to consider how the LNG facility, along with others clustered nearby, would impact extreme weather events, storm severity and sea-level rise in a state where a football field-worth of land disappears every 100 minutes.

    Richard also ordered state regulators to analyze the facility’s impacts on local communities, especially those living in poverty or relying on fishing for their livelihoods — which she noted was the “defining characteristic” of the parish. While the facility could destroy marshes, harm water quality and displace residents, the judge wrote, “none of it was considered in terms of impacts on environmental justice communities.”

    Commercial fisherman Eddie LeJuine, a lifelong Cameron Parish resident, applauded the ruling. He said the buildout of LNG infrastructure, including dredging for shipping channels, has significantly harmed the fishing industry.

    “The fishermen are barely hanging on with a thread,” LeJuine said. “These plants are killing the estuary and killing our livelihoods. We’re getting extinct.”

    In August, a dredging channel being developed by LNG firm Venture Global leaked into a nearby estuary. Local fishermen like LeJuine say the onslaught of saltwater and sediment will kill off large amounts of oyster, crab and fish.

    Venture Global, which is in the process of constructing a second LNG export terminal in the parish, said it is “committed to conservation” and is working with state regulators and the community to respond to the incident.

    ___

    Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Energy Department offers $1.6 billion loan guarantee to upgrade transmission lines across Midwest

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Energy said Thursday it has finalized a $1.6 billion loan guarantee to a subsidiary of one of the nation’s largest power companies to upgrade nearly 5,000 miles of transmission lines across five states, mostly in the Midwest, for largely fossil fuel-run energy.

    AEP Transmission will upgrade power lines in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and West Virginia, primarily to enhance enhance grid reliability and capacity, the Energy Department said. The project by AEP Transmission, a subsidiary of Ohio-based American Electric Power, is meant to help meet surging electricity demand from data centers and artificial intelligence.

    AEP primarily produces electricity from coal, natural gas and nuclear power, along with renewable resources such as wind and hydroelectric power.

    Thursday’s announcement deepens the Trump administration’s commitment to traditional, polluting energy sources even as it works to discourage the U.S. from clean energy use.

    The move comes as the Trump administration has moved to cancel $7.6 billion in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. A total of 223 projects were terminated after a review determined they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or were not economically viable, the Energy Department said.

    The cancellations include up to $1.2 billion for California’s hydrogen hub aimed at producing clean-burning hydrogen fuels to power ships and heavy-duty trucks. A hydrogen project costing up to $1 billion in the Pacific Northwest also was cancelled.

    The loan guarantee finalized Thursday is the first offered by the Trump administration under the recently renamed Energy Dominance Financing program created by the massive tax-and-spending law approved this summer by congressional Republicans and signed by President Donald Trump. Electric utilities that receive loans through the program must provide assurances to the government that financial benefits from the financing will be passed on to customers, the Energy Department said.

    The project and others being considered will help ensure that Americans “will have access to affordable, reliable and secure energy for decades to come,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement.

    “The president has been clear: America must reverse course from the energy subtraction agenda of past administrations and strengthen our electrical grid,” Wright said, adding that modernizing the grid and expanding transmission capacity “will help position the United States to win the AI race and grow our manufacturing base.”

    The upgrades supported by the federal financing will replace existing transmission lines in existing rights-of-way with new lines capable of carrying more energy, the power company said.

    More than 2,000 miles of transmission lines in Ohio serving 1.5 million people will be replaced, along with more than 1,400 miles in Indiana and Michigan serving 600,000 customers, the company said. An additional 1,400 miles in Oklahoma, serving about 1.2 million people and 26 miles in West Virginia, serving 460,000 people, will be replaced.

    The projects will create about 1,100 construction jobs, the company said.

    The loan guarantee will save customers money and improve reliability while supporting economic growth in the five states, said Bill Fehrman, AEP’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “The funds we will save through this program enable us to make additional investments to enhance service for our customers,” he added.

    Wright, in a conference call with reporters, distinguished the AEP loan guarantee from a $4.9 billion federal loan guarantee the department cancelled in July. That money would have boosted the planned Grain Belt Express, a new high-voltage transmission line set to deliver solar and wind-generated electricity from the Midwest to eastern states.

    The Energy Department said at the time it was “not critical for the federal government to have a role” in the first phase of the $11 billion project planned by Chicago-based Invenergy. The department also questioned whether the project could meet strict financial conditions required, a claim Wright repeated Thursday.

    “Ultimately that is a commercial enterprise that needs private developers,” Wright said. The company has indicated the Grain Belt project will go forward.

    Trump and Wright have repeatedly derided wind and solar energy as unreliable and opposed efforts to combat climate change by moving away from fossil fuels. Wright said the Grain Belt Express loan was among billions of dollars worth of commitments “rushed out the doors” by former President Joe Biden’s administration after the 2024 election.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • India seeks to import more US oil and gas under pressure from Trump to stop Russian oil purchases

    [ad_1]

    NEW DELHI — NEW DELHI (AP) — India says it is looking to step up purchases of crude oil and natural gas from the U.S. as it diversifies its energy supplies and confronts criticism by U.S. President Donald Trump over its imports of discounted Russian oil.

    Trump said Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally assured him his country would stop buying Russian oil, in a move that might add to pressure on Moscow to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.

    “There will be no oil. He’s not buying oil,” Trump said. The change won’t take immediately, he said, but “within a short period of time.”

    India is the second biggest buyer of Russian oil after China. Trump cited its purchases from Moscow when he announced 50% tariffs on imports from India in August.

    A statement Thursday by India’s foreign ministry did not address Trump’s remarks directly. It said the government’s consistent priority was to safeguard the interests of Indian consumers in a volatile energy environment.

    “Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions,” said Randhir Jaiswal, a ministry spokesman.

    He said the Trump administration had shown interest in deepening energy cooperation and talks on that were underway.

    Expanding India’s energy dealings with the U.S. could help India mitigate supply disruptions and align with Washington’s push to reduce global dependence on Russian oil.

    India’s Trade Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said Wednesday that India was willing to increase its purchases of American oil and natural gas if prices were competitive.

    Agarwal told reporters India has been buying around $12-$13 billion worth of crude oil and gas from the U.S. annually and there was room to nearly double that without causing disruptions for Indian refiners.

    A team of Indian government officials was visiting the U.S. to discuss a bilateral trade agreement that includes energy cooperation, he said.

    “In discussions we are in, we have indicated very positively that India as a country would like to diversify its portfolio as far as energy imports are concerned. That’s the best strategy for a big buyer like India,” said Agarwal.

    In February, Modi and Trump set a target of finalizing the first tranche of a trade agreement by autumn. Talks were suspended after five formal rounds of negotiations after Trump expressed displeasure over India’s continued purchases of Russian oil. He said that was helping to fuel Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

    Trump has been frustrated by his inability to force an end to the war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion almost four years ago. He’s expressed dissatisfaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he increasingly describes as the primary obstacle to a resolution, and he’s scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.

    In recent weeks, Modi has engaged positively on Trump’s social media posts, including the one about first stage of a peace deal between Israel and Hamas, suggesting New Delhi is keen to expand cooperation with the U.S. In turn, Trump called Modi his “friend” and wished him well on his birthday last month.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • UN agency says C02 levels hit record high last year, causing more extreme weather

    [ad_1]

    GENEVA — GENEVA (AP) — Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere jumped by the highest amount on record last year, soaring to a level not seen in human civilization and “turbo-charging” the Earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather, the United Nations weather agency said Wednesday.

    The World Meteorological Organization said in its latest bulletin on greenhouse gases, an annual study released ahead of the U.N.’s annual climate conference, that C02 growth rates have now tripled since the 1960s, and reached levels not seen in at least 800,000 years.

    Emissions from burning coal, oil and gas, alongside more wildfires, have helped fan a “vicious climate cycle,” and people and industries continue to spew heat-trapping gases while the planet’s oceans and forests lose their ability to absorb them, the WMO report said.

    The Geneva-based agency said the increase in the global average concentration of carbon dioxide from 2023 to 2024 amounted to the highest annual level of any one-year span since measurements began in 1957. Growth rates of CO2 have accelerated from an annual average increase of 2.4 parts per million per year in the decade from 2011 to 2020, to 3.5 ppm from 2023 to 2024, WMO said.

    “The heat trapped by CO2 and other greenhouse gases is turbo-charging our climate and leading to more extreme weather,” said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett in a statement. “Reducing emissions is therefore essential not just for our climate but also for our economic security and community well-being.”

    Climate Analytics CEO Bill Hare called the new data “alarming and worrying.”

    Even though fossil fuel emissions were “relatively flat” last year, he said, the report appeared to show an accelerating increase of CO2 in the atmosphere, “signaling a positive feedback from burning forests and warming oceans driven by record global temperatures.”

    “Let there be no mistake, this is a very clear warning sign that the world is heading into an extremely dangerous state — and this is driven by the continued expansion of fossil fuel development, globally,” Hare said. “I’m beginning to feel that this points to a slow-moving climate catastrophe unfolding in front of us.”

    WMO called on policymakers to take more steps to help reduce emissions.

    While several governments have been pushing for further use of hydrocarbons like coal, oil and gas for energy production, some businesses and local governments have been mobilizing to fight global warming.

    Still, Hare said very few countries have made new climate commitments to come “anywhere near dealing with the gravity of the climate crisis.”

    The increase in 2024 is setting the planet on track for more long-term temperature increase, WMO said. It noted that concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide — other greenhouse gases caused by human activity — have also hit record levels.

    The report was bound to raise new doubts on the world’s ability to hit the goal laid out in the 2015 Paris climate accord of keeping the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times.

    United Nations climate chief, Simon Stiell, has said the Earth is now on track for 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 Fahrenheit).

    Meanwhile, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s global data for this year through June reveals that carbon dioxide rates are still rising at one of the highest rates on record, yet not quite as high as from 2023 to 2024.

    The agency’s monthly data for the long-running Hawaii monitoring location for 2025 through August also showed CO2 rates are still increasing, but not as much as between 2023-2024.

    ___

    The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

    [ad_2]

    Source link