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UN WARNS OF LAGGING ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AHEAD OF NEXT WEEK’S SUMMIT: The United Nations said Tuesday that the world is about to pass the point of no return for curbing global warming by 2 degrees to prevent the worst effects of climate change in the next decade.

The U.N. “emissions gap” report assesses where the signatories of the 2015 Paris climate accord are in terms of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in order to stop the rise of global  temperatures due to human activity.

“That analysis and a review of progress against national commitments under the Paris Agreement makes clear that the current pace of national action is insufficient to meet the Paris targets,” the report said in a summary. “Increased emissions and lagging action means the gap number in this year’s report is larger than ever.”

Mind the gap: The “gap” is the measure between anticipated carbon emission levels and the level of reduction needed to meet either the original goal of keeping global temperatures from warming 2 degrees, or the more strict target of keeping temperatures from rising 1.5 degrees

To keep the Earth’s temperature from rising 2 degrees in the next decade, nations must “raise their ambition” threefold. And to meet a stricter target of 1.5 degrees, nations must increase reductions targets fivefold.

Ending a three-year roll: The new U.N. report says most countries have not capped their carbon dioxide emissions, preventing them from emitting beyond a certain point. Instead, carbon dioxide emissions have increased in 2017, ending a three-year period of stabilization. The report says global temperatures are on a trajectory to rise 3 degrees by the end of the century.

The new U.N. Environment’s “gap” report follows the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recent assessment that said allowing Earth’s temperature to rise 1.5 degrees would have irreversible effects on the climate, and that nation’s must move quicker to transition to renewable energy by the middle of the century.  

“If the IPCC report represented a global fire alarm, this report is the arson investigation,” said U.N. Environment Deputy Executive Director Joyce Msuya. “The science is clear; for all the ambitious climate action we’ve seen — governments need to move faster and with greater urgency. We’re feeding this fire while the means to extinguish it are within reach.”

Advocating a carbon tax with subsidies: “When governments embrace fiscal policy measures to subsidize low-emission alternatives and tax fossil fuels, they can stimulate the right investments in the energy sector and significantly reduce carbon emissions,” said Jian Liu, U.N. Environment’s chief scientist.

He said such fiscal policies are becoming increasingly recognized. “If all fossil fuel subsidies were phased out, global carbon emissions could be reduced by up to 10 percent by 2030,” said Liu. He also said placing a $70 per ton tax on CO2 would lead to up to 40 percent in emissions reductions in some countries.

A U.S. report issued this month said the cost of climate change would harm U.S. economic growth because of the natural disasters and other effects it would have on the country.

From Paris to Poland: The new U.N. report was released ahead of next week’s climate talks in Poland to decide on whether nation’s should embrace the stricter 1.5 degree target for cutting emissions.

Welcome to Daily on Energy, compiled by Washington Examiner Energy and Environment Writers John Siciliano (@JohnDSiciliano) and Josh Siegel (@SiegelScribe). Email [email protected] for tips, suggestions, calendar items and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list.  

SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES TRUMP’S FERC NOMINEE DESPITE CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday advanced President Trump’s nomination of Bernard McNamee to join the Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission despite the controversy over his comments on fossil fuels.

All committee Republicans approved McNamee, along with one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, in a 13-10 vote. The committee, also Tuesday advanced the noncontroversial nominations of  Raymond David Vela to be director of the National Park Service, and Rita Baranwal to be an assistant secretary of Energy for nuclear energy.

Republicans stand firm: McNamee succeeded because Republicans stood by him despite skepticism of his independence from the administration, after a newly unearthed video from earlier this year shows him criticizing renewable energy and supporting fossil fuels.

McNamee, who was working for the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, delivered a speech in February to Texas lawmakers in which he said fossil fuels are “key to our way of life,” but renewable energy “screws up the whole physics of the grid.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the committee’s chairwoman, said she found the comments to be “unfortunate,” but not disqualifying, because of his promises that he can separate his political views from decisions he would make at FERC, an independent agency that oversees wholesale power markets.

Democrats, however, said McNamee cannot be trusted: “I find it hard to believe he will be an impartial reviewer of these issues,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the committee’s top Democrat. “[His] speech shows him to be neither fair or judicious.”

What happens now: The quick vote by the committee, just weeks after McNamee’s confirmation hearing, allows him to receive consideration before the full Senate by the end of the year.

CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT UNDERSCORES NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS: The National Climate Assessment released by the Trump administration last week underscores something the Pentagon has been saying for more than a decade: Climate change poses significant national security risks, everything from rising sea levels that threaten to inundate U.S. military bases, to droughts, floods, and other extreme weather that can spark wars over scarce resources, such as food and water.

A stronger emphasis than Trump: The comprehensive report is based on 1,000 previous research studies and was issued by 13 separate federal agencies to underscore a threat that was part of the official National Defense Strategy for 10 years — until it was excised from the document under Trump.

It devotes an entire chapter to the effect of climate change on U.S. International Interests.

“Droughts, floods, storm surges, wildfires, and other extreme events stress nations and people through loss of life, displacement of populations, and impacts on livelihoods,” the authors write. “Increases in the frequency and severity of such events, as well as other aspects of climate change, may require a larger military mission focus on climate-sensitive areas such as coasts, drought-prone areas, and the Arctic.”

While the Trump administration has not stressed the threat of climate change to national security, the Pentagon has continued to make it a priority, the report notes.

TRUMP DOUBTS CLIMATE CHANGE REPORT PRODUCED BY HIS ADMINISTRATION: Trump on Monday dismissed the findings of a new report produced by his administration that warns that climate change could cost the economy hundreds of billions of dollars by 2100 if no changes are made: “I don’t believe it,” Trump told reporters.

THE SCIENTIST-TURNED-CONGRESSMAN AIMING FOR A CLIMATE BREAKTHROUGH: Congress is divided over climate policy. Sean Casten thinks he can build a bridge between them.

Casten is a 46-year-old clean-energy businessman and scientist who defeated Rep. Peter Roskam, the six-term Republican incumbent of Illinois’s 6th Congressional District, covering the well-educated, affluent suburbs west of Chicago that Hillary Clinton won by seven points in 2016.

He succeeded in one of the most closely watched midterm races by insisting that it’s possible to combat climate change while also benefiting the economy.

“The No. 1 thing people don’t understand about climate change is lowering C02 emissions will make our economy more productive — period,” Casten told Josh in a recent interview. “There is no conflict.”

He has real work experience: Casten holds an undergraduate degree in molecular biology and biochemistry and master’s degrees in engineering management and biochemical engineering.

In his work life, he led companies that he says improved the fuel efficiency of the power grid by helping manufacturers cut their greenhouse-gas emissions from capturing industrial waste and recycling it on-site, or turning it into electricity.

How he would tackle climate change: Casten describes climate change as an “existential threat,” while criticizing both progressives and Republicans for how they approach the problem.

He said an emerging new liberal wing of House Democrats is “naive” for urging a complete elimination of fossil fuels used in electricity generation — a so-called “Green New Deal.”

Casten favors an approach that would encourage the use of noncarbon “clean” energy sources other than solar or wind.

“In terms of the urgency of the problem, we can’t be too aggressive,” Casten said. “In terms of how we do that, setting out goals of being 100 percent renewable energy is a little bit naive. We should set as a goal that we need to get carbon down as quickly and cheaply as possible, and look at every place we can do that.”

Read more of Josh’s profile of Casten in this week’s Washington Examiner magazine.

BIPARTISAN LAWMAKERS TO REVEAL DETAILS OF CARBON TAX BILL: Democratic and Republican lawmakers will formally introduce Tuesday night the first bipartisan carbon tax legislation in a decade.

Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida, the Democratic co-chair of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, will unveil the legislation during a press call along with fellow members of the group, Reps. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Charlie Crist, D-Fla., and John Delaney, D, Md.

Why the breakthrough matters: The legislation is intended as a testing ground for a carbon-fee-and-dividend model that distributes all of the revenue from the tax as a rebate to American households to protect them from higher energy costs.

Free-market groups have been promoting this approach in recent months, with the backing of some oil and gas companies, viewing it as the most realistic way for Republicans to come on board.

Hard reality: Despite the inclusion of Republicans, it’s unlikely the new bill or any carbon tax legislation can pass Congress anytime soon.

This summer, all but six House Republicans voted to approve a nonbinding, GOP-leadership-backed resolution declaring a potential carbon tax harmful to the economy.

US SMALL NUCLEAR PLANTS COULD BECOME THE NEXT ENERGY EXPORT TO CANADA: The small nuclear power plant company NuScale Power on Tuesday signed an agreement with Canada’s first private nuclear company to introduce the small power plants to the U.S. neighbor to the north.

NuScale, a leading company in developing small modular reactors, signed a memorandum of understanding with Bruce Power L.P., Canada’s first private nuclear power generator. The two companies will work to develop a business case to introduce NuScale’s small reactors in Canada.

“Bringing NuScale’s safe, scalable, economic and carbon-free reactor to Canadian customers makes sense both from an energy and business perspective and we are thrilled to have the support of leading power generator Bruce Power as we make this case,” said John Hopkins, NuScale chairman and CEO.

NuScale has been involved in a federal government program between the Energy Department and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to license the small power plants in the United States. The Trump administration supports the continuation of the program that began under the Obama administration.

SUPREME COURT SENDS GOPHER FROG CASE BACK TO LOWER COURT: The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a lower court ruling favoring an endangered gopher frog at risk of extinction, sending the case back to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for further review.

The court ruled 8-0, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh not voting because he joined the bench after oral arguments.

The case, Weyerhaeuser Company v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, tests the extent of the government’s authority to designate private land as a future habitat for an endangered species.

The arguments for and against: The Fish and Wildlife Service wants to designate 1,500 acres of private land in Louisiana — more than 50 miles away from where the frogs live now — as critical habitat where the species can also live.

But affected landowners who lease the land to Timber company Weyerhaeuser, which harvests trees there and wants to develop the land, argue the government is abusing power under the Endangered Species Act, and say the Louisiana land isn’t habitable for the frog.

Chief Justice John Roberts, in the court’s ruling, said that the lower court judges must consider the definition of the term habitat in the Endangered Species Act and whether it includes areas like the Louisiana land in question.

RUNDOWN

Associated Press Macron says France will delay cap on nuclear energy

Bloomberg Saudi-Russia oil powerhouse faces big test as prices crash

New York Times Five big ways the US will need to adapt to climate change

Reuters Dismantling the oil industry: rough North Sea waters test new ideas

Washington Post Could California’s ocean ranches solve a global food shortage and fix the seafood trade deficit?

SPONSOR MESSAGE: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have spoken about supporting improvements to America’s infrastructure, with little ever being done. Now politicians have an opportunity to bridge the bipartisan divide and work to rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges, pipelines, and waterways. When lawmakers reconvene in Washington in January, GAIN encourages returning and newly-elected officials to find common ground to grow America’s infrastructure. To learn more and stay up to date on the latest go towww.gainnow.org or follow us @GAINNowAmerica.