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<ul class="summary-list"><li>China's EV giants left their European rivals in the dust at the continent's biggest auto show.</li><li>BYD, Xpeng, and Leapmotor unveiled new models at the Paris Motor Show despite looming tariffs.</li></ul>Automakers flocked to Paris for Europe's largest motor show this week — and China's EV giants were the star attraction.BYD, Xpeng, and Leapmotor showcased new vehicles at the Paris Motor Show, even as <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-electric-vehicles-european-tariffs-retaliation-vw-bmw-mercedes-tesla-2024-10">the European Union prepares to impose punishing tariffs</a> on Chinese electric vehicles.BYD unveiled the Sealion 7, a stylish electric SUV that the company says can charge from 10% to 80% in just 24 minutes. The company plans to launch the EV in Europe later this year.The automaker, which aims to become Europe's largest electric carmaker by 2030, showed off seven vehicles at its booth in Paris.Crowds quickly formed around the high-tech Yangwang U8, an imposing hybrid SUV that BYD says is capable of floating on water for up to 30 minutes and turning on the spot like a tank.The U8, which was making its European debut but is currently only sold in China, also comes with a drone that allows passengers to scout the road ahead.The Chinese focus on technologically advanced features and smart cars was also apparent elsewhere at the motor show. The booth of Chinese EV firm Xpeng was dominated by <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xpeng-tesla-rival-flying-car-prototype-drone-evtol-2022-11">the company's flying car prototype</a>, which hung from the ceiling.<div type="image" title="Xpeng flying car at the Paris auto show" height="1875" width="2500" msid="114288549" hostid="261" sizebytes="398130"></div>CEO He Xiaopeng and co-president Brian Gu revealed the P7+ with camera-powered partially autonomous driving.Executives also discussed the company's investments in humanoid robots, flying cars, and AI hardware.Speaking to reporters, Gu said that although the tariffs, which could see <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bmw-stellantis-renault-auto-giants-on-chinese-ev-competition-2024-10">manufacturers face extra levies as high as 35%</a>, would put pressure on Xpeng's business model, the company was not backing down from its European expansion plans."We have a long-term and strong commitment to Europe, which is a region that we think is a core to our business. We will do whatever is necessary to be competitive," he said.<h2 id="995c4927-3f48-4827-9f84-774f4931eb8f">European automakers despair</h2>Among the local automakers at the event, the atmosphere was less positive.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ev-sales-europe-slumping-warning-sign-us-2024-9">Stuttering EV sales across the continent</a> have meant some European manufacturers have scaled back their EV plans and are <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bmw-ceo-2035-gasoline-vehicle-ban-eu-more-reliant-china-2024-10">lobbying the EU to rethink emissions targets</a> they say will cost them billions in fines.Speaking at a summit on the sidelines of the motor show, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse said the mood in Europe's auto industry was "trending toward pessimism."He warned that a planned 2035 ban on gasoline vehicles in Europe could "threaten the European automotive industry in its heart," while the CEO of French automaker Renault said that it was clear that Chinese automakers had accelerated beyond their Western rivals."Europe is not the leader anymore. No one can put heads in the sand anymore — the center of gravity is now in China," said Renault boss Luca de Meo, speaking at the same event.Nowhere was that more apparent than at the booth occupied by Chinese EV maker Leapmotor.<div type="image" title="Zhu Jiangming founder of Leapmotor and Carlos Tavares CEO of Stellantis at Paris Motor Show" height="4016" width="6016" msid="114288547" hostid="261" sizebytes="2561190"></div>After launching <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.stellantis.com/en/news/press-releases/2024/september/leapmotor-international-opens-orders-in-europe-for-affordable-high-tech-t03-city-car-and-c10-suv-electric-vehicles">two new models in Europe</a> last month, the EV startup <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.media.stellantis.com/em-en/leapmotor/press/leapmotor-b10-makes-global-debut-at-the-paris-motor-show">unveiled the B10</a>, an electric vehicle it is planning to sell globally from next year and which could cost 100,000 RMB ($14,000) in China.While unveiling the new model, Leapmotor CEO Zhu Jiangming was joined by Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Jeep, Ram, and Fiat maker Stellantis.The European automaker <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.stellantis.com/en/news/press-releases/2024/may/leapmotor-international-begins-operations-to-expand-global-electric-vehicle-sales-starting-september-2024-in-nine-european-countries-followed-by-other-key-growth-regions">struck a deal with Leapmotor</a> earlier this year to invest in the company and gained exclusive rights to sell its affordable EVs outside China.Speaking at the automotive summit on Tuesday, Tavares said European automakers needed to accept the "harsh reality" that Chinese companies were now capable of making EVs for far cheaper than their European rivals.He added that the Leapmotor partnership had been necessary for Stellantis to compete with the country's electric vehicle giants."For us, the best way to compete immediately with the Chinese was to hop on their train, rather than letting it run us over," Tavares said.

China's EV giants shine at Europe's largest auto show while local rivals despair

Have you ever considered that your regular commute to and fro work could potentially shave off some years from your life? And no, we’re not talking about road traffic accidents but the slow poison we’re inhaling unbeknownst to us: air pollutants. A new study published in <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(24)00114-1/fulltext">The Lancet Planetary Health</a> by an international team of researchers reveals a terrifying truth: over 7% of daily deaths in 10 major <keyword id="20026638" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-cities" source="keywords">Indian cities</keyword> are attributed to <keyword id="19900550" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="air-pollution" source="keywords">air pollution</keyword> caused by <keyword id="22110704" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PM2-5-pollutants" source="keywords">PM2.5 pollutants</keyword> exceeding the World Health Organization's (WHO) safe limits. These PM2.5 pollutants are microscopic particles, 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter, that come from <keyword id="2839914" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vehicle-emissions" source="Orion">vehicle emissions</keyword> and industrial activities. Imagine tiny daggers — that's what these PM2.5 particles are like, infiltrating deep into lungs and even the bloodstream, wreaking havoc on our health. The study found that PM2.5 levels breach WHO guidelines a staggering 99.8% of the time in these cities. The analysis covered major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Shimla and Varanasi. A staggering 7.2% of deaths in these cities, translating to roughly 33,000 annually, were associated with short-term PM2.5 levels exceeding the WHO's recommended limit (15 micrograms per cubic metre) between 2008 and 2019. Delhi, unfortunately, takes the crown for the most polluted. A shocking 11.5% of its annual deaths are attributed to air pollution, translating to a devastating 12,000 lives lost each year. The link between PM2.5 and mortality is undeniable. Researchers found that a mere 10 microgram per cubic metre increase in these pollutants correlates with a 1.4% rise in daily deaths. This risk factor doubles when considering only levels below India's air quality standards, which are, worryingly, less strict than the WHO's recommendations. But here's a surprising twist: the association between PM2.5 and death is even stronger in cities with generally cleaner air, like Bengaluru and Chennai. This suggests that locally produced pollutants, from sources like construction dust or waste burning, might be significant contributors. There is a glimmer of hope, however. The study emphasises that implementing stricter air quality standards and utilising proven pollution control methods from other parts of the world can be game changers. Lowering and enforcing stricter air quality limits will save tens of thousands of lives per year, emphasises Joel Schwartz, a co-author from Harvard University. This study serves as a stark wake-up call. The air we breathe in many Indian cities is a gamble, with every breath potentially harmful. Taking decisive action to curb pollution is not just about a cleaner environment, it's about saving the lives of millions of Indians.

Air pollution kills thousands in Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata every year: Lancet study

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Games' need for a massive infrastructure project has historically hurt host cities' environments.</li><li>Installing and using 5G technology could help minimize the Olympics' environmental impacts.</li></ul>When thousands of the world's best athletes descend on one city, it can wreak environmental havoc.No single Olympic Games held between 1992 and 2020 was sufficiently sustainable, found <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=c0d989491c74099378a20091f3e16aba6129c646e40d4b337bf98c0f4ca076c3&amp;postID=66a274b6d290cb433ad39ab1&amp;postSlug=paris-olympics-how-5g-tech-could-curb-environmental-impact-2024-7&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41893-021-00696-5">a 2021 study</a> in the journal Nature that assessed the environmental impacts of the Games during that period.For example, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games damaged the city's local environment when an estimated <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/3/166#:~:text=During%20the%20seven%2Dyear%20preparation,Azevedo%202015%3B%20Zimbalist%202017).">77,000 people in favela communities were displaced</a> to make way for the event's infrastructure, according to a retrospective report published in 2023 in the journal Social Sciences.From an environmental standpoint, the Rio de Janeiro Games <a target="_blank" href="https://katoikos.world/analysis/olympics-a-celebration-for-humanity-a-disaster-for-the-environment.html">produced</a> more than 17,000 metric tons of waste, used 29,500 gigawatts of electricity — the majority of which was not from renewable sources — and resulted in 3.6 million metric tons of carbon emissions, the Rio de Janeiro Games reported.For the Paris Games, limiting environmental impact has been a greater concern than in past Olympics, with efforts across industries to reduce waste. Rather than build a series of new venues, existing ones have been repurposed. <a target="_blank" href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/our-commitments/the-environment/infrastructures">Only one new permanent venue was constructed</a>, and there's more <a target="_blank" href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/our-commitments/the-environment/organising-more-circular-games">renting than buying</a> when it comes to equipment like furniture to reduce waste. Sustainability initiatives also extend to the 5G technology powering the Olympic Games.Orange, the telecommunications provider for the Paris Games, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.orange.com/en/allconnected/paris2024/paris-2024-how-orange-will-limit-its-environmental-impact">has set itself the goal</a> of limiting its carbon emissions to 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. If met, Orange's carbon emissions would account for less than 1% of the total estimated emissions of the 2024 Olympics.It's the latest example of how 5G providers are supporting sustainability efforts at global-scale live events."As sustainability initiatives around large public venues gather steam, we know IT teams are being asked to find ways to contribute to their organization's decarbonization efforts," said Kevin Swank, the product-marketing director at CommScope, a service provider that has worked on sports stadiums in France, Germany, and the US.<h2 id="1d0215d6-49e6-4444-b194-294cf1e5f1bd">Environmentally friendly technology that can support more fans</h2>Though 5G systems require infrastructure installation, their technology is more sustainable than older connectivity systems like analog distributed antenna systems, Swank said.Digital 5G systems use less power and less cooling than older systems, which need large amounts of power and cabling to run, Swank told Business Insider. And because 5G systems run digitally, they don't require as much physical infrastructure as their predecessors, Swank added.He said he witnessed the positive impact — on the environment and the fan experience — when CommScope updated the internet infrastructure at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.commscope.com/globalassets/digizuite/965502-atandt-stadium-cs-115933-en.pdf">AT&amp;T Stadium in Arlington, Texas</a>, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in 2020."The venue was reaching the performance limits of its equipment, and its current network just couldn't keep up with the growing demands of a mobile-device-centric fan base," Swank told BI. The stadium needed a 5G network that could support augmented-reality features and mobile-ordering capabilities for concessions for up to 100,000 visitors at a time.By switching to 5G, the stadium's network performance increased tenfold, while its power use went down by about 87% and its cooling requirements decreased by up to 75%, a project report from CommScope said. Those reductions equate to over 100 metric tons in CO2 emissions savings a year, Swank said.The stadium's 5G system resulted in just five equipment storage racks compared with the 30 to 40 racks previously required for its analog equipment.Because of these advantages, 5G is quickly gaining steam within the entertainment industry as events continue to grow in scale and attendees expect more seamless experiences.<h2 id="4de8c9b0-599e-4fa3-9e87-59f5acb6ad1c">Recycling 5G equipment for more sustainability</h2>To work toward its carbon-emissions goal for the Paris Games, Orange decreased its equipment manufacturing and infrastructure-deployment footprint. Orange, in partnership with the consultancy Carbone4, estimated that 86% of its global footprint came from those two areas.For the Paris Olympics, the company is using more local suppliers and shipping bulky items by sea rather than air to reduce emissions. Orange said it planned to rent one-quarter of its equipment and estimated that 75% of the equipment would be reused or redeployed after the Games.Generally, the 5G networks used at sports venues' large events can be reused after the events end and the increased capacity is no longer needed, said Kelvin Chaffer, the CEO of Lifecycle Software, which provides support systems for network operators."By designing infrastructure that can be repurposed for other community uses postevent, and implementing green technologies and sustainable practices," Chaffer said. He added that this approach gives large sporting event organizers the ability "to minimize the environmental impact of event-triggered infrastructure projects."

How 5G technology is helping curb carbon emissions and waste at the Paris Games

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Montgomery County, Maryland aims to transition its electric bus fleet to zero-emissions by 2035.</li><li>The county is building microgrids with solar, battery storage, and eventually green hydrogen.</li><li>The microgrids are islands of power that are resilient during outages and emergencies.</li></ul>Montgomery County, Maryland, is on the cusp of a clean-transit transformation. Part of an old diesel-bus depot in Silver Spring <a target="_blank" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/33308462.29808/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbHBoYXN0cnV4dXJlLmNvbS9uZXdzLXByZXNzLXJlbGVhc2UvYWxwaGFzdHJ1eHVyZS1jZWxlYnJhdGVzLWxhdW5jaC1vZi1pbnRlZ3JhdGVkLW1pY3JvZ3JpZC8_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJmVtYWlsPWNib3VkcmVhdSU0MGluc2lkZXIuY29tJng9ODEyOGUyOWUzMDdkOGMyNjIyODcwYzQzZDJlODMxYTIyY2U1MDA5MjU1YTE1MGQ1NDcxNzAzNWU4Y2IwZDBhNg/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eBf5d93db3">has already been redeveloped</a> into a charging station for dozens of electric buses, powered by a microgrid equipped with solar canopies, battery storage, and several backup gas generators. It's essentially a self-sustaining island of power, even during outages.A similar microgrid — twice the size of the one in Silver Spring — is expected to break ground early next year and be operational in 2025, county officials told Insider. The microgrid is set to power a transit center for 200 zero-emissions vehicles and be the first on the East Coast to produce <a target="_blank" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/33308462.29808/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnVzaW5lc3NpbnNpZGVyLmNvbS9oeWRyb2dlbi1lbmVyZ3ktaGVscC1jbGltYXRlLWNyaXNpcy1idXQtc3RpbGwtaHVyZGxlcy0yMDIzLTEwP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09bmV3c2xldHRlciZlbWFpbD1jYm91ZHJlYXUlNDBpbnNpZGVyLmNvbSZ4PTgxMjhlMjllMzA3ZDhjMjYyMjg3MGM0M2QyZTgzMWEyMmNlNTAwOTI1NWExNTBkNTQ3MTcwMzVlOGNiMGQwYTY/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eBccca7a50">green hydrogen from renewables</a>. Green hydrogen is key for buses with longer routes, officials said, because electric buses average about 125 miles on one charge, or less than half the distance than on a tank of diesel. <div type="image" title="An electric bus charger" height="3024" width="4032" msid="105104812" hostid="261" sizebytes="675146"></div>"We are going to transition to a completely fossil-fuel-free transit group with electric and hydrogen buses," Michael Yambrach, the chief officer of energy and sustainability for Montgomery County, told Insider during a tour of the depot.The county aims to complete that transition by 2035 for its fleet of 380 buses and nearly 3,600 cars. It's part of a larger plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions. So far, 14 buses and about 100 cars are electrified.Yambrach said Montgomery County's efforts could be a model for other local governments trying to clean up their fleets, <a target="_blank" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/33308462.29808/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud3JpLm9yZy9pbnNpZ2h0cy91cy1wdWJsaWMtZmxlZXQtZWxlY3RyaWZpY2F0aW9uP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09bmV3c2xldHRlciZlbWFpbD1jYm91ZHJlYXUlNDBpbnNpZGVyLmNvbSZ4PTgxMjhlMjllMzA3ZDhjMjYyMjg3MGM0M2QyZTgzMWEyMmNlNTAwOTI1NWExNTBkNTQ3MTcwMzVlOGNiMGQwYTY/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eB9b811c13">which include millions</a> of city buses, school buses, police patrol cars, and other vehicles. Only about 2% of US public buses are zero emission, <a target="_blank" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/33308462.29808/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudHJhbnNwb3J0YXRpb24uZ292L3VyYmFuLWUtbW9iaWxpdHktdG9vbGtpdC9lLW1vYmlsaXR5LWJlbmVmaXRzLWFuZC1jaGFsbGVuZ2VzL3RyYW5zaXQtYmVuZWZpdHMtYW5kLWNoYWxsZW5nZXM_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJmVtYWlsPWNib3VkcmVhdSU0MGluc2lkZXIuY29tJng9ODEyOGUyOWUzMDdkOGMyNjIyODcwYzQzZDJlODMxYTIyY2U1MDA5MjU1YTE1MGQ1NDcxNzAzNWU4Y2IwZDBhNiM6fjp0ZXh0PVRoZSUyMG51bWJlciUyMG9mJTIwdHJhbnNpdCUyMGJhdHRlcnksdGhlJTIwVS5TLiUyMHRyYW5zaXQlMjBidXMlMjBmbGVldC4/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eBa79655cd">according to federal data</a>. US transit agencies are buying more zero-emission buses and vehicles, but sourcing enough power and building the charging infrastructure affordably are major hurdles.Montgomery County opted to build a microgrid so it didn't have to rely on power from Pepco, the local utility. It hired AlphaStruxure, a joint venture of Schneider Electric and the private-equity giant Carlyle, to finance, develop, and maintain the microgrids. In return, the county pays AlphaStruxure monthly under a long-term contract. The company declined to disclose the total cost.<div type="image" title="A rendering of new sustainable transit center that will be built in Montgomery County, Maryland. Rooftop solar panels and battery storage will supply power for electric buses and cars." height="1200" width="2130" msid="105104813" hostid="261" sizebytes="383458"></div>A stand-alone system is more resilient in the event of an emergency outage, Yambrach said. The county has a pilot program with Pepco that allows the utility to tap power from battery storage at the Silver Spring bus depot when the grid is stressed. That is more climate-friendly than relying on firing up a dirty power plant.Renewable transit also benefits locals' quality of life by phasing out rows of noisy, idling diesel buses that create a lot of pollution."When they light up the buses, the diesel will just hang, and that's been a consistent issue with the neighbors," Don Scheuerman, the chief of the office of energy and sustainability at the Montgomery County Department of General Services, said. "So we're going to have resilience, we're going to have green power 98% of the time, and we're getting our greenhouse-gas emissions down."

See what the future of zero-emissions transit looks like in suburban Maryland

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Florida officials turned down $320 million of federal funds to address infrastructure and emissions.</li><li>FDOT officials called the funds "politicization of our roadways" and declined the money.</li></ul>Though Florida has become known for politicizing everything from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-teacher-fired-desantis-called-viral-bookshelf-video-fake-narrative-2023-2">school libraries</a> to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-desantis-feud-timeline-parental-rights-education-florida-2023-4">Disney World</a>, the Sunshine State draws the line at highways.Florida state officials have turned down an influx of $320 million of federal dollars to address infrastructure and emissions, claiming the money is politicized because it's meant to address climate change.Jared Perdue, the secretary of Florida's Department of Transportation, informed the agency's federal counterpart in November that the state will decline the funds, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2023/12/16/florida-only-state-turn-down-millions-lessen-emissions-feds-say/">Tampa Bay Times </a>reported. The FDOT quietly removed a "Carbon Reduction Strategy," which was a requirement for the federal dollars, from its website, the newspaper reported.Echoing verbiage used by state Gov. Ron DeSantis, Perdue said in his letter to the US DOT that Florida was rejecting "the continued politicization of our roadways," the Tampa Bay Times reported. DeSantis previously said climate change was a left-wing attempt to "politicize the weather," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/08/us/politics/desantis-florida-storm-climate-change.html">The New York Times</a> reported.Florida was the only state to turn down the funds, according to the Tampa Bay Times.Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/USRepKCastor/status/1736170894282698842?s=20">took to X</a>, formerly Twitter, to compare DeSantis to the fictional Dr. Seuss' character The Grinch, who is known for stealing Christmas presents from the locals of Whoville."You're a mean one, Gov. DeSantis," Castor, who represents Tampa, said on X, "once again, pickpocketing Floridians of millions of infrastructure dollars, and for what? This foolishness is fiscally irresponsible, and it's costing Florida families and businesses a whole lot."Castor even attached a GIF of the green-skinned, red-eyed Grinch.In a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fdot.gov/info/co/news/2023/12052023-2">press release</a> on December 5, the FDOT announced a budget proposal from DeSantis of $14.5 billion for transportation projects over the next fiscal year.The press release noted that "many states rely heavily on the federal government to fund their transportation infrastructure needs," but said Florida isn't, due to the "continued politicization of transportation funding being pushed by the Biden Administration."An FDOT spokesperson did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.

Florida is rejecting $320 million in federal funding to reduce emissions, calling it 'politicization of our roadways'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>More than 1 billion children are at extreme risk for weather disasters, a <a href="https://www.unicef.org/media/105376/file/UNICEF-climate-crisis-child-rights-crisis.pdf">UNICEF report</a> found.</li><li>The majority of these kids live in countries that contribute the least to <keyword id="11949068" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="carbon-emissions" source="Orion">carbon emissions</keyword>. </li></ul>Tahsin Uddin, a 23-year-old climate activist who lives in the southern city of Barisal in Bangladesh, has already lost one family home to coastal flooding and rising sea levels. Within the next few years, he expects his current home to be submerged under water as well.Uddin is just one of the millions of Bangladeshis and others across the globe facing the brutal consequences of the <keyword id="11896310" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="climate-crisis" source="Orion">climate crisis</keyword>.By 2050, more than 20 million Bangladeshis will be displaced and nearly 20% of the country's land will be underwater because of rising sea levels, a direct impact of the changing climate, according to the<a href="https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/bangladesh-country-underwater-culture-move"> Natural Resources Defense Council,</a> a nonprofit climate advocacy group.Uddin told Insider the impact of those rising sea levels can be seen throughout the country: "I go to different coastal areas. I saw how much people are suffering. They are trying to survive by drinking salty water. Saline water is very dangerous for their health."While the consequences of <keyword id="11896311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="climate-change" source="Orion">climate change</keyword> are pummeling Bangladesh, it contributes very little to carbon emissions.<div type="image" title="Villagers wade through waist-deep waters to reach their homes in Pratap Nagar that lies in the Shyamnagar region, in Satkhira, Bangladesh on Oct. 5, 2021" height="1333" width="1777" msid="87688716" hostid="261"></div>In 2020, more than <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/264699/worldwide-co2-emissions/">34 billion metric tons of carbon (CO2) were emitted</a> worldwide, but the countries that contributed the least to that total are already facing some of the most significant impacts of the climate crisis.A <a href="https://www.unicef.org/media/105376/file/UNICEF-climate-crisis-child-rights-crisis.pdf">UNICEF report</a> published in August found more than 1 billion children, nearly half the world's kids, lived in places with a high risk of <keyword id="12019615" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="extreme-weather" source="Orion">extreme weather</keyword> events. The 33 countries where the climate crisis poses the most risk to children contributed only 9% of global CO2 emissions, while 70% of emissions were attributed to just 10 countries.A <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep20281">2016 study</a> found 20 of the 36 highest-emitting countries were among the least vulnerable to the effects of a warming climate, while 11 of the 17 countries with low or moderate emissions were significantly vulnerable.Some of the countries with low emissions per capita that are at a high risk include Bangladesh, India, Philippines, and multiple countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and South America.They are facing heat waves, water scarcity, coastal flooding, and water-borne disease, among other hazards, which in turn can lead to poor sanitation, lack of food, scarce income, and deteriorating living conditions. Meanwhile, many of the places currently experiencing these effects lack the infrastructure or resources to mitigate them.Experts and climate activists have said that while countries contributing the most need to reduce emissions, poorer countries are in need of immediate funding to address current challenges.<h2>Heat waves have killed thousands in India in recent years</h2>In the summer of 2019, large swaths of India were <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/world/asia/india-heat-wave-deaths.html">scorched by temperatures</a> greater than 113 degrees Fahrenheit for nearly three weeks. In some regions, officials closed local schools. Medical authorities <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/heat-wave-conditions-in-rajasthan-leaves-of-churu-doctors-cancelled-2049388">canceled time off for doctors</a> to ensure hospitals could handle the influx of patients.Four passengers <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kerala-express-passengers-dead-heatwave-uttar-pradesh-jhansi-1546733-2019-06-11">fell ill on board an express train</a> that lacked air conditioning, and died by the time the train reached a station in Jhansi, south of New Delhi."Shortly after we left Agra, the heat became unbearable and some people started complaining of breathing problems and uneasiness. Before we could get some help, they collapsed," a passenger told <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kerala-express-passengers-dead-heatwave-uttar-pradesh-jhansi-1546733-2019-06-11">India Today</a>.By the end of that summer heat wave, <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/65-indians-exposed-to-heatwaves-in-may-june-2019-july-2019-was-indias-hottest-ever/">more than 200 people had died</a>. The heat wave of 2015 was far worse, with extreme heat causing the deaths of more than 2,000 people. In the past decade, more than 6,000 people in India have died as a result of excessive heat, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/world/asia/india-heat-wave-deaths.html">according to government data</a>.<div type="image" title="In this Thursday, May 30, 2019, file photo, children returning from school walk through a dried pond on a hot summer day on the outskirts of Jammu, India. Many parts of India are experiencing extreme heat conditions." height="3723" width="4964" msid="87688718" hostid="261"></div>"Climate change is leading to more frequent, more intense, and longer heat waves around the world," said Olga Wilhelmi, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, adding that the link has been well-documented.An estimated 820 million children, more than a third of kids worldwide, are highly exposed to heat waves, according to the UNICEF report."Extreme heat is probably one of the least appreciated weather hazards, but it's actually one of the more deadly weather hazards in the US and worldwide," Wilhelmi said. "Studies show that in the US, somewhere on average between 600 and 1,800 people die from extreme heat every year, but we don't usually read about that in the news."Health complications of extreme heat can vary from dehydration to heatstroke. Heat waves can also exacerbate cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Groups at a higher risk include older people, children, people with pre-existing conditions, and those who are lower-income and do not have access to air conditioning.Heat waves can also shut down electric grids when they don't have the capacity to handle the increased demand for air conditioning.<h2>Lack of water leads to poverty and hunger </h2>Water scarcity, the lack of adequate access to clean water, is another way people are feeling the climate crisis.While scarcity can be due to institutional failures to deliver water, in many instances it's due to dwindling water sources or growing populations that need more water. More than a third of kids worldwide, 920 million are currently highly exposed to water scarcity. This issue affects kids in various parts of the world including parts of India, South America, Australia, and the Middle East. For example, while parts of India are at extreme risk of scarcity, the country only contributed to 3.14% of overall emissions in 2019. <div type="image" title="Tonchuiwon Tinphei, 34, right, and her sister-in-law Chirmi carry water in baskets and walk home on the eve of World Water Day in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Saturday, March 21, 2020." height="1333" width="1778" msid="87688720" hostid="261"></div>Greg Pierce, the co-director of the Water Resources Group: Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, told Insider the biggest effect could be felt in rural areas. Pierce said rural areas tend to be poorer and have one water source. Residents are usually already walking long distances to get to that water which may not always be clean. Water isn't just needed for drinking, but for producing and selling agriculture. Water is very much tied to livelihoods. "The scarcity issue makes it harder to do agriculture, which is what most rural populations rely on for livelihoods. So, there's a hunger, inability to grow food and inability to earn any money," Pierce told Insider. "That lack of water leads directly to people starving and that is going to become a lot more common, unfortunately again, in many parts of the world."When those resources dry up, residents would be forced to travel even further or move, further straining resources. While many parts of India are dealing with water scarcity, other regions are also experiencing flooding, Pierce said. However, the flooding comes with other complications and doesn't counter the consequences of water scarcity. <h2>Coastal flooding, which destroys property and resources, is already taking a heavy toll in Bangladesh</h2>In Uddin's home of Bangladesh, rising seas and extreme precipitation have inundated communities with flooding in recent years.The village of Bonnotola, once home to more than 2,000 people, has less than 500 residents left, as the flooding and salt water-tainted soil destroyed many people's homes and livelihoods, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-science-europe-environment-and-nature-bangladesh-0f2a0a0f463523a162901f1beda23c7e">Associated Press</a> reported.One woman from the village of Gabura told AP everyone used to grow food in their backyards, but that salt water flooding has disrupted the once-fertile lands and freshwater that many relied on."We have water everywhere, but we don't have a drop anymore to drink from ponds or wells," she said.Almost every ocean on Earth is experiencing a sea-level rise, according to William Sweet, an oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.One in 10 children, or 240 million, are currently exposed to coastal flooding, according to the UNICEF report. Sea-level rise is exacerbated by extreme rainfall events, which are also a consequence of warming."The same heating that's causing oceans to rise, ice caps and ice sheets to melt, and oceans to expand, is also enabling more moisture to be held within the atmosphere," Sweet said, adding that the result is frequent heavy rains. "The combined effect of course is flooding with nowhere for that water to go."While the threat of entire cities being underwater is the most commonly talked about result of rising sea levels, there are many significant issues that arise well before a city or property is actually underwater."It's not when you're underwater, it's when the system fails," Sweet said, adding that flooding can overwhelm infrastructure and destroy roadways, stormwater and wastewater systems, and people's personal property.He said by the time areas are actually underwater, people are already gone by then, driven out by the flooding.<div type="image" title="Bangladeshi flood victim man carrying their houses by boat during flood in Kurigram, Bangladesh on July 27, 2019." height="1333" width="1777" msid="87688722" hostid="261"></div>Coastal flooding creates more problems where water infrastructure is lacking, Pierce told Insider."Flooding doesn't typically increase water supply. It can have a direct impact on water-borne illness, especially because there's poor sanitation in a lot of places and when there's flooding, it gets into wherever the waste is being contained or into the open sewers and spreads," he said. <h2>Diseases are becoming more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and South America because of the climate crisis</h2>As temperatures rise, cities flood and water becomes scarce, there's also a rise of waterborne illnesses with an estimated 600 million children currently exposed to diseases like malaria and dengue fever, according to the UNICEF report. The impact can be most immediately felt in countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Martin Muchangi, AMREF water and sanitation specialist based in Kenya, told Insider he studies waterborne illnesses across much of sub-Saharan Africa, and that a vast majority of people are dealing with water scarcity which in turn is driving up waterborne diseases.Muchangi said the issue is twofold: changing temperatures pushing things like mosquitoes into more places and increasing pathogens that cause diarrhea illnesses like cholera and typhoid and the lack of water leading to poor hygiene and diseases like scabies or glaucoma. He told Insider the problem is leading to harming both people and the economy. "So now at the end of the day, if you combine the sum total, you realize that there's major economic loss, there's serious effects to the health, there's serious effects to the thriving of children," he said. <h2>Many countries facing the worst of the climate crisis also have the least resources to address it </h2>While nowhere on earth will escape the effects of the climate crisis, some countries have infrastructure and resources that make them more prepared to respond.Pierce told Insider many of the impacts can be mitigated with robust public health initiatives and proper infrastructure. Water filtration systems, for example, can mitigate the risks of water-borne disease.Muchangi and Uddin told Insider the countries they live and work in, however, don't have the funds they need to address the issues they're facing. In Bangladesh, Uddin said funding is needed to direct towards researching ways to remove salt from saltwater and towards building infrastructure that can withstand flooding, including fortifying schools, hospitals, homes, and other essential buildings. Muchangi said that while finding ways to mitigate the immediate impacts of the changing climate is necessary, limiting CO2 emissions would greatly reduce the burden."If we are able to alleviate climate change itself, then the effects of climate change are going to become lesser and we are going to be able to thrive in a better way," he said.

Countries contributing the least to the climate crisis are feeling the worst of its effects

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Millions more electric vehicles on the road could make the US power grid more resilient. </li><li>An innovation called vehicle-to-grid technology, or V2G, lets EVs supply electricity to the grid in times of need, but it's still in early stages. </li></ul>As the US speeds toward a future filled with electric vehicles, it's reasonable to wonder how much more demand the power grid can take. After all, during a recent heatwave, California's grid operator <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/us/california-heat-wave-flex-alert-ac-ev-charging.html">urged customers to limit charging</a> their cars to avoid blackouts. However, energy and transportation experts say that with some planning, utilities are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-car-wont-overload-electrical-grid-california-evs-2022-10">fully capable of handling more clean cars</a> plugging in. Better yet, electric SUVs, trucks, and buses can strengthen the grid if deployed smartly. <h2>EVs can store energy for when it's needed most</h2>When electric cars are parked (which is most of the time), their batteries can collectively become a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-vehicles-gm-ford-home-charging-power-climate-change-2022-10">valuable asset to the greater grid</a>, experts say.Someday, millions of vehicles could use special bidirectional chargers to absorb energy when it's plentiful and release it back to the grid as needed, helping utilities manage heatwaves and other spikes in demand. This vision rests on something called vehicle-to-grid technology, or V2G. Experts like Matthias Preindl, an electrical engineering professor at Columbia University, also anticipate that V2G could help wean the country off dirty energy sources. Solar and wind power are intermittent, so turning the lights on when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing requires storing energy for later. Electric cars could do just that, he said. "If we want to go to 100% renewables, which is now the target of many states, that requires a lot of batteries," Preindl told Insider. "And cars seem to be the only really viable solution at the moment."If much of the US fleet goes electric, the amount of battery storage available is enormous: The National Resources Defense Council estimates that the 14 million EVs expected to be on California's roads by 2035 could <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/max-baumhefner/how-electric-cars-and-trucks-improve-grid-reliability">power all the state's homes for three days</a>. <h2>There's a long road ahead</h2>Although V2G is already being implemented in limited ways (mainly through pilot programs), there are hurdles to the technology going mainstream.For regular EV owners to supply energy to the grid on a large scale, automakers, charging firms, and utilities will need to standardize the process, Andrew Meintz, a chief engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, told Insider. Participants will also need to get paid by utilities for their contributions, he said. A more feasible use case for V2G in the short term could be with large fleets, Meintz said. Amazon, for example, has the money and sway to work with utilities, vehicle makers, and charging companies to iron out the kinks. <h2>EVs are already helping out the grid on a small scale</h2>Highland Electric Fleets, which provides electric buses and charging infrastructure to school districts, has experimented with V2G as another revenue source since 2021. This summer, its two V2G-enabled school buses in Massachusetts pushed power to the grid almost daily to help the local utility handle periods of high energy consumption, Sean Leach, the firm's director of technology, told Insider. It's planning more extensive V2G projects in Vermont, Maryland, and elsewhere. <div type="image" title="An electric school bus from Highland Electric Fleets plugged into a charger." height="1875" width="2500" msid="95340184" hostid="261" sizebytes="642606"></div>"At the end of the day, let's use these buses for what they can do. These batteries are huge. They spend a lot of time not doing anything because the routes are very predictable for schools," Leach said. Right now, the firm gets emailed requests to offload energy, but it's working to automate things. It'll take a lot of work before we see millions of EVs seamlessly assisting the larger grid. But some vehicles can already share energy locally in useful and interesting ways. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-f150-lightning-electric-price-pickup-review-first-drive-2022-5">Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup</a> can provide emergency backup power to customers' homes, so long as they have the right at-home charger. Upcoming trucks from General Motors promise to do the same.Edward J. Klock-McCook, a principal at the sustainability think tank RMI, told Insider that if it becomes popular enough, this sort of capability could benefit the grid much in the same way that a full-blown V2G future would. Armed with the big batteries in their Lightnings and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-chevy-silverado-ev-truck-chevrolet-f150-lightning-2022-9">Chevrolet Silverado EVs</a>, homeowners could supply their own electricity during blackouts or when the grid is stressed.

Electric cars won't just solve tailpipe emissions — they may even strengthen the US power grid, experts say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ski resorts are at risk of warmer temperatures and changes in snowfall from the climate crisis.</li><li>Planes contribute to warming and shorter snow seasons, but many visitors fly to ski resorts.</li></ul>Skiers and snowboarders spend a lot of time and money traveling to resorts. Experts say their flights are contributing to <keyword id="6366055" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="global-warming" source="Orion">global warming</keyword> and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-global-warming-mean-more-or-less-snow-36936" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">reduction of snow seasons</a> in many parts of North America.Many people drive to local ski hills. But airlines are offering a <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/news/united-winter-route-boost-mountains-skiing/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">growing number</a> of <a href="https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/flights-to-ski-town-airports/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">flights</a> to places like Aspen, Colorado; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Park City, Utah; and <a href="https://www.coloradoski.com/blog/steamboat-offers-most-robust-air-program-history" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Denver</a>. A growing number are also taking <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-destinations-private-jet-flyers-are-heading-for-winter-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">private aircraft</a> to Colorado and Montana. Private aircraft emit <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/59135899" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">significantly larger amounts of carbon dioxide</a> per hour than any other kind of travel. Experts say this is the most damaging transportation method for the climate.The ski industry has been aware of how <keyword id="11896311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="climate-change" source="Orion">climate change</keyword> has hurt its operations for at least 15 years. The National Ski Areas Association founded its <a href="https://www.nsaa.org/sustainableslopes" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Sustainable Slopes</a> program in 2000. In 2006, the NSAA updated its environmental charter to include <a href="https://nsaa.org/webdocs/sustainability/SSAnnualReports/SSAR2006.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">a climate-change policy</a> that was adopted by the ski industry four years earlier. In June, Vail Resorts and three other large ski companies <a href="https://www.boyneresorts.com/press-releases/20210610-climate-collaborative-charter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">pledged to be more sustainable</a> across 71 resorts in North America. The pledge includes energy reduction, climate advocacy, waste reduction, and the priority of collaboration over competition on <keyword id="11896309" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sustainability" source="Orion">sustainability</keyword> matters.But the ski industry is gearing up for another strong winter season. Equipment sales are already <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/16/travel/ski-equipment-guide.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">growing by triple digits</a> at retailers like REI. Experts tell Insider the industry's growth expectations conflict with its carbon-reduction goals.<h2>Long-term environmental concerns</h2>Professor Daniel Scott of the University of Waterloo in Ontario has been publishing research on the impact of the climate crisis on <keyword id="11894427" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tourism" source="Orion">tourism</keyword> and the ski industry <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jUz0p_QAAAAJ&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">since 2003</a>. Scott's research has shown the risks to the ski industry include less and more inconsistent natural snow, more snowmaking requirements and costs, as well as shorter seasons.Discussions about sustainability in the ski industry have focused on reducing waste, lowering energy use, and switching to renewable-energy sources. These are known as Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. Visitor transportation is an activity that emits carbon dioxide from assets not owned or controlled by resorts. These are known as <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/scope-3-inventory-guidance" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Scope 3 emissions</a>.Places like <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2021/03/15/vail-resorts-earnings-visits-beaver-creek.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Whistler Blackcomb</a> in British Columbia have implemented progressive emissions-reduction plans, "but they focused on when you got there," Scott told Insider. "The issue I have with many parts of the tourism industry is they don't own the Scope 3 emissions.""Air travel is the most significant area of warming in the tourism system," he <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09669582.2021.1962890" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">wrote</a> in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism in a paper published on August 12.<h2>A boom from COVID-19</h2>The pandemic hit the global tourism industry hard. But North American ski resorts continued to draw visitors, including <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2021/10/23/how-will-covid-affect-ski/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">10.5 million last season</a>. Many of them were new skiers and snowboarders or ones returning to the slopes after time away. These visitors were encouraged to visit ski resorts as a <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/safe-activities-during-covid19/art-20489385" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">safe way to exercise</a> outdoors after <a href="https://www.ihrsa.org/improve-your-club/industry-news/how-many-gyms-survived-the-devastation-that-was-2020/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">one in five</a> traditional gyms closed down.There are additional signs this extra enthusiasm is sticking around. Reservations are <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/Season-pass-and-hotel-demand-indicate-top-year-for-ski-slopes" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">up 20%</a> among lodges owned by Alterra Mountain Co. compared to last season. Vail Resorts said sales of its Epic Pass were <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/Season-pass-and-hotel-demand-indicate-top-year-for-ski-slopes" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">up 67% through September 17</a> compared to the same period in 2019, according to Travel Weekly. <h2>Significant out-of-state demographics </h2>Before the pandemic, many of the most popular ski destinations relied on out-of-state visitors who drove long distances or traveled by plane. In Utah, 61% of visitors to the state's ski slopes in 2019-20 were from places like Texas (5%), New York (4%), and other countries (7%), according to data from <a href="https://gardner.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/TravTourReport-Sep2020.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Ski Utah</a>.Nearly half (48%) of visitors to Whistler Blackcomb came from outside of Canada for the fiscal quarter ending on Jan. 31, 2020. Whistler is owned by Vail Resorts and is North America's largest ski destination.Colorado had an even higher ratio of nonlocal overnight visitors. Market research <a href="https://oedit.colorado.gov/sites/coedit/files/2021-08/2020_longwoods_travel_usa_colorado_report_1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">showed</a> four of out five travelers in 2020 came from elsewhere, and more than one in three (35%) traveled by air.<h2>The return of flying </h2>By April, air-travel volumes to Jackson Hole and Colorado ski country had <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/01/upshot/flights-rebounding-vacations.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">risen 12%</a> over the previous year. In October, Aspen Snowmass offered a limited <a href="https://www.coloradoski.com/blog/75-airfare-offer-aspen-returns-book-oct-25" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">$75 promotion</a> for one-way airfare from Southern California. The National Business <keyword id="12018329" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aviation" source="Orion">Aviation</keyword> Association told airline operators to <a href="https://nbaa.org/news/business-aviation-insider/2021-sept-oct/expect-busy-winter-season-ski-country/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">anticipate pre-pandemic traffic volumes</a> for the upcoming ski season, especially on weekends and over the holidays.Many ski visitors are also using private aircraft, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/private-aviations-wildly-successful-year-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">soared</a> in use during the pandemic. Towns like Aspen already receive many more private flights than commercial ones during peak tourism periods, according to data from the flight-tracking company FlightAware. That number will likely grow. The private-aviation company Wheels Up also told Insider it plans to launch a ski vertical for its members. <h2>Limited measurement and solutions</h2>Scott said many sustainability strategies at ski resorts and other tourism destinations are flawed unless they tackle the issue of pollution and <keyword id="11949068" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="carbon-emissions" source="Orion">carbon emissions</keyword> from visitor transportation. "They have to," he said, "otherwise who will?"The ski industry's conflict between its sustainability initiatives and its enthusiasm for nonlocal visitor growth isn't unique. Scott cited the <a href="https://1point5.info/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">1.5 to Stay Alive</a> campaign in the Caribbean. It's designed to bring awareness of how the islands will be disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. "They all have plans to grow their tourism industry," Scott said. "I remind them: Your climate policy and your tourism policy are incoherent."

Ski resorts are worried about the climate crisis, but experts say pledges to reduce carbon emissions don't factor in tourists' flights

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President Biden aims for a carbon neutral US by 2050 with his newest <keyword id="12047043" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="executive-order" source="Orion">executive order</keyword>.</li><li>The executive order focuses on utilizing the US government's purchasing power to accelerate change.</li></ul>Biden signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/08/executive-order-on-catalyzing-clean-energy-industries-and-jobs-through-federal-sustainability/">executive order</a> on Wednesday that addressed the climate crisis by allowing the <keyword id="12160305" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="federal-government" source="Orion">federal government</keyword> to focus its $650 billion in annual spending on clean energy, electric vehicles, and construct more energy-efficient buildings. The new goals include a reduction in <keyword id="11949068" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="carbon-emissions" source="Orion">carbon emissions</keyword> by 65% by 2030 and net-zero emissions from all federal procurement by 2050.The order is also expected to spur the growth of climate-related union jobs, at least 10 gigawatts of new clean electricity production by the end of the decade, and increase demand from local solar and wind energy producers. "As the single largest land owner, energy consumer and employer in the nation, the Federal Government can catalyze private sector investment and expand the economy and American industry by transforming how we build, buy, and manage electricity, vehicles, buildings, and other operations to be clean and sustainable," the order read.Biden's executive order includes wider goals of transitioning the US electricity sector to clean energy by 2035 and a carbon-neutral economy by 2050. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/ipcc-15-c-degree-report-points-to-high-stakes-of-climate-inaction/a-45791882">identified 2050</a> as when the world needs to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in order to prevent more than 1.5 degrees of warming. Biden's order means all new federal vehicles — including heavy-duty trucks — will be zero-emission by 2035. It also establishes a "Buy Clean" policy to promote the federal government's use of lower-emission construction materials. And it prioritizes the purchase of sustainable products, including ones that do not contain PFAS, commonly-used chemicals <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pfas/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental-risks-pfas">identified by the Environmental Protection Agency</a> as harmful to human health. "The executive order will reduce emissions across federal operations, invest in American clean energy industries and manufacturing, and create clean, healthy, and resilient communities," the White House said <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/08/fact-sheet-president-biden-signs-executive-order-catalyzing-americas-clean-energy-economy-through-federal-sustainability/">in a statement</a>.On Wednesday afternoon, Biden visited a transportation facility in Kansas City, Missouri as part of an ongoing tour to promote his $1.2 trillion bipartisan <keyword id="11930606" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="infrastructure" source="Orion">infrastructure</keyword> bill. He emphasized the $66 billion investment in passenger and freight rail as well as $39 billion in new funding to modernize public transit.

President Biden signs executive order to make federal government carbon neutral by 2050

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Power outages in <keyword id="11892748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword> have halted operations for some <keyword id="11894021" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="apple" source="Orion">Apple</keyword> and <keyword id="11900744" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tesla" source="Orion">Tesla</keyword> suppliers.</li><li>Key manufacturing hubs have been hit by energy-use restrictions as China works to cut emissions.</li><li>The energy shortage has caused over 10 semi-conductor suppliers to halt productions for the month.</li></ul>Power outages in China threaten to add another snag to an already snarled global supply chain.The power shortage has forced several key suppliers for major companies like Apple and Tesla to suspend production. Key manufacturing and shipping hubs in China have been hit by energy-use restrictions as the Chinese government works to make <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-11-22/china-s-2060-climate-pledge-inside-xi-jinping-s-secret-plan-to-end-emissions?sref=LspfQlRv">President Xi Jinping's carbon neutral goals</a> a reality. The power shortage comes at a time when <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/soaring-energy-prices-become-major-headache-for-china-1030814401">coal and gas prices are surging</a> in the country as demand for Chinese products booms.The outages threaten to further <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/largest-us-port-breaks-multiple-record-cargo-ships-import-delays-2021-9">exacerbate the global supply-chain crisis,</a> which has burgeoned from COVID-19 shutdowns paired with a buying frenzy. The energy limits also come at a time when shipping delays in the US have hit a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/largest-us-port-breaks-multiple-record-cargo-ships-import-delays-2021-9">record high.</a> Power outages in <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202109/1235189.shtml">heavy shipping regions like Guangdong</a>, paired with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shipping-delays-shutdown-at-chinese-port-threatens-send-prices-higher-2021-8">China's zero tolerance policy for COVID-19,</a> could make it harder for the country to export key products.In particular, the outages could have an impact on the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chip-shortage-impacting-cars-smartphones-pcs-gaming-consoles-2021-2">global computer-chip shortage</a> - a crisis that has left major tech companies scrambling for the product that goes in everything from cars to dishwashers, computers, and gaming consoles. Kushnan, an electronics-manufacturing hub, has been heavily impacted by the energy shortage. Over 10 Taiwan-based semiconductor companies in the area have announced this week that they are closing their facilities until the end of the month, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-power-outages-pose-new-threat-to-supplies-of-chips-and-other-goods-11632769617">The Wall Street Journal reported.</a>Three Taiwanese electronics companies that supply Apple and Tesla warned on Sunday that they had been forced to halt production at some of their factories in China. Tesla and Apple did not respond to a request for comment from Insider, but Tesla CEO <keyword id="11897862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elon-musk" source="Orion">Elon Musk</keyword> <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1442882324987850758?s=12">commented on the issue on Twitter.</a>"This is a serious concern," Musk said.The CEO has said in the past that the computer-chip shortage has caused<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-crazy-supply-chain-shortages-roadster-release-date-2021-9#:~:text=Elon%20Musk%20said%20that%20supply,hindered%20Tesla's%20plans%20in%202021.&amp;text=A%20Tesla%20spokesperson%20did%20not,%22insane%20difficulties%22%20for%20Tesla.20Tesla."> "insane difficulties"</a> for the electric carmaker.Apple semiconductor supplier Unimicron Technology said on Sunday that three of its subsidiaries in China had moved to stop production from Monday until Thursday in order to comply with China's policy, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/many-apple-tesla-suppliers-halt-054819143.html">Reuters reported.</a> The company said it did not expect the shutdown to have a significant impact because other plants could help offset production losses.A Foxconn affiliate, Eson Precision Engineering Company, said it suspended production from Sunday to Friday. The electronics company did not comment on the issue, but Reuters said the chipmaker had to diminish its capacity in facilities in Kunshan. The outages have been focused in areas where smartphones are assembled. Pegatron, a firm that supplies and assembles elements for Apple's iPhones, said on Tuesday that it is reducing its energy consumption to cooperate with local government, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/28/economy/china-power-shortage-gdp-supply-chain-intl-hnk/index.html">CNN reported</a>. The company has a major factory in Kunshan.A supplier of speaker parts for the iPhone, Concraft Holding, has also halted production for five days this week, Reuters reported.Two of the largest Taiwanese chipmakers, Chipmakers United Microelectronics Corp and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, told Reuters they have not been impacted by the energy constraints. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/27/business/economy/china-electricity.html">The New York Times reported</a> that several key electronics suppliers in China had not been forced to limit energy use, suggesting that Beijing may not be enforcing the limitations on its advanced manufacturing sector.Dale Gai, a director at Counterpoint Research, told CNN that while the power outages may not have as significant an impact as the computer chip shortage, the energy shortage will likely delay smartphone components in the short-term."This is largely a self-inflicted supply shock," said Larry Hu, chief China economist at Macquarie Group, told The Journal. "It's clear by now that Beijing is willing to sacrifice higher growth this year in exchange for structural reforms in some areas."

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