MLS players and referees unions clash over Miazga incident

Miami (AFP) – Major League Soccer's players union has hit out at the referees union for its' role in the suspension of FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga.

Issued on: 30/11/2023 - 

Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga (R) has been suspended for three games by MLS and will miss Saturday's Eastern Conference final against Columbus Crew 

© Megan Briggs / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AF

MLS on Wednesday suspended Miazga for three matches, meaning he will miss Saturday's Eastern Conference final and the MLS Cup final should his team reach the title game.

The sanction came after Cincinnati's playoff game at the New York Red Bulls on November 4. The referee's association had posted a statement on social media saying that a player had entered their locker room after the match, in breach of MLS rules.

The statement said the player had to be "forcibly removed by stadium security while acting in an aggressive and hostile manner."

Multiple media reports had named Miazga as the player but the PRSA's description of the confrontation has been challenged, particularly the issue of whether security had to be used to remove Miazga.

The players union challenged the referees' association version of the incident.

"The MLS Players Association condemns the behavior of the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) and certain PSRA members with regard to the Nov. 4 incident at Red Bull Arena involving FC Cincinnati player Matt Miazga," the MLSPA said.

The players union said that the referee's body had "created and repeatedly reinforced a false public narrative that appears to have directly influenced that process.

"Video footage made available and reviewed during the disciplinary process confirms that statements made by the referees and the PSRA were false.

"Unfortunately, that evidence does not appear to have been appropriately factored into MLS' decision," the MLSPA added.

The union criticized MLS for not taking action against the referees.

"No discipline has been announced for the referees for submitting a match report with multiple false statements and no discipline has been announced to address the stadium security breakdown that allowed the incident to occur in the first place," the union said.

"Further, MLS has not publicly condemned the PSRA for their irresponsible actions and false statements.

"Players in MLS are held publicly accountable for their actions. It is high time that the same standard be applied to officials.

"The behavior of the referees and the PSRA in this case did not demonstrate a level of integrity commensurate with a league of MLS's stature."
Noonan: ban excessive

FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said MLS's sanction, which robs him of the league's defensive player of the year, was excessive.

"Matt made a mistake and now we're −- he's paying the consequences," he told reporters after training ahead of Saturday's home MLS semi-final with Ohio rivals Columbus Crew.

"Having said that, I think the punishment is way over the top for the actions that transpired. I think this is something that's unprecedented.

"Taking everything into account, I think this could have been a heavy fine and you try to keep your most important players on the field for key games.

"If you look at the NBA or the NFL, some of these other leagues, are you really taking off your top players in key moments because of things like this? I think you probably don't?"

Noonan said that the referees should address the disputed claims about the incident.

"I also would like to see just some transparency and accountability with the officials. At some point, Matt's going to have the opportunity to talk about it," he said. "Let's have an official up here talking about what transpired."

Miazga, 28, began his career with the Red Bulls before he was sold to Premier League club Chelsea, but spent the bulk of his time on loan at clubs in Europe.

He joined Cincinnati in 2022 and has been a key part of the club's rise this season, which saw Cincinnati earn the playoffs top seed after finishing with the best regular-season record.

Miazga has played 28 times for the US national team.

© 2023 AFP

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
LeBron manager Maverick Carter used illegal bookmaker: report

Washington (AFP) – Maverick Carter, the manager and business partner of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, told federal investigators in 2021 he had bet on NBA games through an illegal bookmaker, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.


Issued on: 30/11/2023 - 

Maverick Carter attends the 2022 Forbes Iconoclast Summit at New York Historical Society 

© Arturo Holmes / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

The newspaper, citing federal law enforcement documents viewed by the Post, reported that Carter told agents he "could not remember placing any bets on the Lakers."

Carter's admission came in a November 2021 interview with agents investigating bookie Wayne Nix, who has since pleaded guilty to charges that stemmed from his role running an off-shore sports betting ring.

A spokesman for Carter and James confirmed to the Post that the interview took place.

"In 2021 and before 38 states and the District of Columbia legalized sports betting, Maverick Carter was interviewed a single time by federal law enforcement regarding their investigation into Wayne Nix," the spokesman, Adam Mendelsohn, said in a statement to the newspaper.

"Mr. Carter was not the target of the investigation, cooperated, was never charged, and never contacted again on the matter."

The Post said the report it reviewed indicated that Carter said he placed approximately 20 bets on football and basketball games over the course of a year, with each bet ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.

He denied placing bets for other people and Mendelsohn told the Post that Carter's wagering "has nothing to do with" James.

The NBA prohibits players, team officials and league officials from betting on league games, and the National Basketball Players Association also includes agents in its rule, but business managers are not included by either group.

Carter, 42, was a childhood friend of James in Akron, Ohio. Now they co-own a media company and are minority owners in the Boston Red Sox and English Premier League club Liverpool.

Prosecutors said Nix's operation ran for two decades.

US sports leagues were long opposed to legalized gambling, but since a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 cleared away restrictions outside of Nevada and gambling has been legalized in multiple states, leagues have embraced legal betting.

© 2023 AFP

New Zealand to ban cellphones in schools

Wellington (AFP) – Cellphones will be banned in schools across New Zealand, conservative Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Friday, as his fledgling government looks to turn around the country's plummeting literacy rates.

Issued on: 01/12/2023 - 

New Zealand's schools once boasted some of the world's best literacy scores, but levels of reading and writing have declined to the point that some researchers fear there is a classroom "crisis"

 © MARTIN BUREAU / AFP/File


New Zealand's schools once boasted some of the world's best literacy scores, but levels of reading and writing have declined to the point that some researchers fear there is a classroom "crisis".

Luxon declared he would ban phones at schools within his first 100 days in office, adopting a policy trialled with mixed results in the United States, United Kingdom and France.

The move would stop disruptive behaviour and help students focus, Luxon said.

"We are going to ban phones across New Zealand in schools. We want our kids to learn and we want our teachers to teach," he said.

Researchers from New Zealand charity Education Hub warned of a "literacy crisis" in 2022, finding more than one-third of 15-year-olds could barely read or write.

"That something must be done to address the distressingly low literacy rates in Aotearoa New Zealand is clear," they wrote.

Luxon's conservative government, sworn in on Monday, has been mired in controversy during its first week in power.

Doctors warned the country faced a looming public health "tragedy" after the government unexpectedly scrapped world-leading tobacco control measures that aimed to prohibit the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 2008.

Luxon has also agreed to restart offshore oil and gas exploration, junking one of former premier Jacinda Ardern's signature climate change policies.

IPCC Rebellion

by Robert Hunziker / November 24th, 2023

It’s 35 years since formation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) “to advance scientific knowledge about climate change caused by human activities.” Subsequently, COP21 at Paris ‘15 warned the world not to exceed 1.5°C, and worst case, not to exceed 2.0°C above pre-industrial or risk lasting damage to crucial life supporting ecosystems, ultimately leading to some level of an extinction event.

Following three decades of IPCC failures to convince nation/states to make a dent in greenhouse gas emissions, which increase more and more each year, a high-ranking group of rebellious climate scientists claim the IPCC’s upper temperature limits of 1.5°C to 2.0°C are too high, misleading, dangerous, disruptive to sound policy, and demanding of change.

These scientists have published a rousing 74-page Preprint (meaning, not peer reviewed): Bad Science and Good Intentions Prevent Effective Climate Action (aka: Bad Science and Good Intentions).

They argue that Paris ‘15 temperature limitations are not only too high but will be exceeded. You can count on it. Moreover, they claim surprisingly few experts are challenging current IPCC mitigation strategies which are fundamentally flawed in the face of a dangerous climate overshoot that’s already underway and rapidly getting out of hand. This trip to the cliff’s edge, in part, is the result of inappropriate IPCC strategies.

Indeed, the failure of IPCC models is highlighted in the Bad Science and Good Intentions Abstract: “This article posits that selective science communication and unrealistically optimistic assumptions are obscuring the reality that greenhouse gas emissions reduction and carbon dioxide removal will not curtail climate change in the 21st Century.”

That statement goes to the heart of a consensus narrative that depends upon carbon removal/reduction technologies to bail us out of the biggest jam in human history, especially in the face of a powerful climate overshoot accelerating so rapidly that the consequences routinely qualify for TV Breaking News, massive floods, massive droughts, massive wildfires, massive storms. Everything climate related has become “massive” beckoning a revival of Noah’s Ark.

Unprecedented climate events one after another have convinced these rebellious scientists that we do not have enough time for slo-mo approaches to a disruptive, capricious climate system; for example, NASA says the Amazon Rainforest doesn’t have enough time between drought sequences to recover. This is unprecedented and a frightful leading indicator of a dangerously volatile climate system. (“Amazon Rainforest is Drying Out. How Much More Abuse Can It Take?” DownToEarth, June 29, 2020.)

Of deeper concern, NASA’s GRACE satellite system has detected an Amazon in tenuous condition in an unprecedented state of breakdown with large areas of the Amazon classified as “Deep Red Zones” of severely constrained water levels. Alas, rainforests are at the heart and soul of life on Earth.

“About 20% of the Amazon rainforest is deforested, and 40% is degraded — which means trees are still standing, but their health has faded and they are prone to fire and drought.” (“The Amazon’s Record-Setting Drought: How Bad Will It Be?” Nature, November 14, 2023.)

“The level of the Rio Negro is dropping by 1 meter (3 feet) every three days, something that has never been recorded before.” (“Amazon Drought Cuts River Traffic, Leaves Communities Without Water and Supplies”, Mongabay, October 2023.)

According to Bad Science and Good Intentions, rapid planet cooling measures must be employed as soon as possible to slow down an indiscriminate global climate system. The threats cannot be ignored any longer, for example, a recent study shows Antarctica undergoing “polar amplification,” with direct evidence of disturbing warming well beyond anything contemplated by the IPCC, as the icy continent is heating up by 50% per decade over climate models. (“Ice Cores Reveal Antarctica is Warming Twice as Fast as Global Average“, CarbonBrief, September 13, 2023.)

The Antarctic study is a shocker to climate scientists and speaks to the necessity of taking immediate action to adopt planetary cooling measures strongly recommended in Bad Science and Good Intentions. The Antarctic ice core study anticipates “dire consequences for the low-lying lands… further warning of the consequences of greenhouse gas emissions, even in one of the most remote parts of the world.”

A motivating factor behind Bad Science and Good Intentions is a consensus narrative that’s certain to fail. It’s misdirected because there is little solid evidence supporting commonly accepted assertions that “GHG (greenhouse gases) reduction and removal” will work. In other words, speculative assumptions about “carbon removal and carbon reduction” may be nothing more than a Trojan Horse for far worse climate disaster scenarios, similar to global warming’s recent jarring disruption of Europe’s commercial rivers, the Danube, Rhine, Po, Rhone, and Loire nearly drying up in the summer of 2022 because global warming has been running in-excess of 2.0°C in the EU for some time now, impeding commercial barge traffic and threatening failure of nuclear power operations, especially France’s 56 operating reactors. For the first time in 40 years, France became a net importer of electricity because of structural repairs combined with low and too warm river water necessary for nuclear cooling purposes.

All of which begs an obvious concern: What happens globally at 2.0°C, which renowned climate scientist James Hansen claims is on track for the 2030s. This is decades ahead of IPCC expectations. Hansen’s latest paper: “How We Know that Global Warming is Accelerating and that the Goal of the Paris Agreement is Dead“, Earth Institute, Columbia University, November 10, 2023, goes into detail about the factual evidence and clearly states: “Within less than a decade, we must expect 0.4×0.25×4°C = 0.4°C additional warming. Given global warming of 0.95C in 2010, the warming by 2030 will be about 0.95°C + 2×0.18°C + 0.4°C = 1.71°C. Global warming of 2°C will be reached by the late 2030s.”

Accordingly, the authors of Bad Science and Good Intentions suggest global cooling is urgently needed t0 counter the rapid onset of global warming, which is certain to blindside policymakers.

Not only is the IPCC’s model insufficient to do the job, but even if and when they try: “IPCC models now indicate that CDR (carbon dioxide removal) must be coupled with NZE (net zero emissions) to reduce total atmospheric GHG concentrations. Present estimated costs of this removal are $100 to $200 per tonne of CO2. With estimates of how much CO2 must be removed every year ranging from 5-16 Gt per year, this represents a multi-trillion dollar per year unfunded problem that the world’s nations will have to manage,” according to Bad Science and Good Intentions.

In the final analysis, that model is probably a moot point because of (1) overwhelming scale (2) overwhelming costs, and (3) a very suspect history of carbon removal effectiveness; for example: “CCS (carbon capture and storage) is ‘a mature technology that’s failed,” according to Bruce Robertson, an energy finance analyst who has studied the top projects globally. “Companies are spending billions of dollars on these plants and they’re not working to their metrics.” (Bloomberg News, October 23, 2023.)

The IPCC is out in left field, out of touch, and thus unintentionally serving as an enabler of more climate disasters; for example, according to the IPCC’s Best-Case analysis: “If the world bands together to slash emissions immediately, the world can avoid the most catastrophic version of the climate crisis.” That statement is best left unsaid for numerous reasons, including its implied message of near certainty of catastrophic failure, which is a counter-productive suggestion, regardless of what happens.

After all, here’s the real world, which hasn’t changed in a lifetime: “In the year to July 2023, the capacity of oil-and gas-fired power stations under development around the world grew by 90GW (13%), reaching a total of 783GW, according to the latest figures from GEM’s Oil and Gas Plant Tracker. Projects ‘under development’ are those that have been announced or are in the pre-construction and construction phases but are not yet operating. If they are all built, these projects would grow the capacity of the global oil and gas power fleet by a third, at an estimate cost of $611bn in capital expenditure.” (“Plans for New Oil and Gas Power Plants Have Grown by 13% in 2023“, Carbon Brief, September 20, 2023.)

Really! It’ll grow fossil fuel power plants by a third! Which is in addition to billions of funding for new oil and gas production, and just for good measure, $7 trillion in government subsidies, a new record set last year (IMF). See: “Governments Plan Massive Expansion of Fossil Fuel Production Despite Climate Crisis, UN Warns,” August 11, 2023. 

Yet, 2030 is widely earmarked to be a turning point, when major carbon emissions are to be drastically cut by 50% and critical to meet IPCC net zero emissions by 2050.

Oops, emissions are headed in the wrong direction, by a long shot, going up, up, up, not down. They’ll cut through the 2030 dateline like a hot knife thru butter. Fossil fuel capital spending plans guarantee massive emissions well beyond 2030.  They’re spending billions upon more billions for future production. That’s reality.

With a sense of relief, there’s good news to be found in Bad Science and Good Intentions: “Catastrophe is not inevitable; it will only occur if we fail to develop and deploy safe, realistic mitigation strategies. These will require the application of rapid climate cooling measures to reduce risks during the long time it will take to decarbonize the global economy and restore a safe, stable climate. The main obstacle to considering climate interventions beyond emissions reduction and CDR is the opposition of many well-meaning scientists and environmentalists to further investigating and potentially deploying climate cooling measures and technologies.”

According to Bad Science and Good Intentions: “The Paris Agreement has created confusion through a political focus on maximum acceptable temperatures and reducing GHG emissions, rather than on the need to stabilize the climate through eliminating the Earth Energy Imbalance (EEI)—the difference between the amount of the sun’s energy arriving at the Earth and the amount returning to space. GHG concentrations in the atmosphere are limiting the amount of the sun’s energy that returns to space… NZE (net zero emissions) alone or coupled with CDR (carbon dioxide removal) will not restore EEI or prevent temperatures and sea levels from rising to ever more dangerous levels.”

Energy imbalance or sunlight in versus sunlight out is currently running at a rate of 1.36 W/m 2 as of the 2020s decade.  That is double the 2005-2015 rate of 0.71 w/m 2 (James Hanson, “Global Warming is Accelerating.  Why? Will We Fly Blind?” September 14, 2023.)  W/m 2 is watts per square meter.  Accordingly, there’s more energy coming in (absorbed sunlight) than energy going out (heat radiated to space).  Doubling within only a decade is beyond belief and forebodingly bad news, as bad as it gets.  It’s not surprising that Hansen expects a very early arrival of a 2.0°C  above pre-industrial, which will crush many life support ecosystems.  As previously mentioned herein, the EU at 2.0°C nearly destroyed navigable waterways.  “Global and European Temperatures”, European Environment Agency, June 20, 2023.

And, this:  According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, 75% of Spain’s land is battling climatic conditions that could lead to desertification.

There is considerable debate surrounding climate intervention; i.e., artificially cooling the planet or sometimes referred to as geo-engineering. But, according to Bad Science and Good Intentions, it’s the only way to stem the tide of ongoing global warming in time to take bolder steps, as the transition to net zero emissions will take decades whilst global warming is not in a waiting mode.

Regarding reams upon reams of incisive debate “for/against climate intervention” in the public domain, it’s interesting to note that humankind has been intervening in the climate system via industrial-driven emissions, inclusive of transport, for more than a century. That’s the cause of today’s hand-wringing. What, then, does that suggest about proposals for intervention to cool the planet?

Bad Science and Good Intentions is a tour de force of essential perspective and solid information on humanity’s most challenging days ahead, and what to do about it. Read it, study it, share it, it’s an extremely valuable resource.

Robert Hunziker (MA, economic history, DePaul University) is a freelance writer and environmental journalist whose articles have been translated into foreign languages and appeared in over 50 journals, magazines, and sites worldwide. He can be contacted at: rlhunziker@gmail.com. Read other articles by Robert.

Climate and Gaza crises share spotlight at COP28 summit in Dubai

World leaders take centre stage at UN climate talks in Dubai on Friday, under pressure to step up efforts to limit global warming as the Israel-Hamas conflict casts a shadow over the summit.


Issued on: 01/12/2023 

شعار قمة المناخ 28 خلال حفل افتتاح أسبوع أبوظبي للاستدامة (ADSW) تحت شعار "متحدون في العمل المناخي نحو كوب28". الإمارات العربية المتحدة في 16 يناير/كانون الثاني 2023. © رويترز.

By: NEWS WIRES

The COP28 conference kicked off on Thursday with an early victory as nations agreed to launch a "loss and damage" fund for vulnerable countries devastated by natural disasters.

But delegates face two weeks of tough negotiations on an array of issues that have long bedevilled climate talks, starting with the future of fossil fuels.

The sense of urgency was heightened by a UN warning that 2023 is on track to become the hottest year on record, raising fears the world will not meet the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

"Now the real work only begins," the oil-rich UAE's COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber said on Thursday.

"I will be rolling up my sleeves myself, engaging and helping address this challenge and delivering real, actionable results," Jaber said, though he claimed there was "positivity" and an "optimistic" vibe following the loss and damage announcement.

Jaber, who heads the UAE's national oil firm ADNOC, said the "role of fossil fuels" must be included at the UN's climate talks.

Activists, countries hardest hit by climate impacts and UN chief Antonio Guterres have called for a phase out of fossil fuels, which are responsible for three quarters of greenhouse gas emissions.
Gaza war

The spotlight now turns to more than 140 kings, presidents and prime ministers who will address delegates at the sprawling Expo City Dubai complex on Friday and Saturday.

Britain's King Charles III will kick off those addresses, followed by leaders from nations including the likes of Brazil, Kenya, Tonga and Ukraine.

But the climate crisis will share the agenda with the conflict in Gaza.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog met UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday and will be among the leaders addressing the COP28 conference on Friday.

Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas had also been scheduled to speak but his office told AFP that he was no longer going and his foreign minister would go to Dubai instead.

The conference began on Thursday with a moment of silence -- at the request of the Egyptian head of last year's COP -- for the civilians who have died in the conflict.

The war began on October 7 when Hamas and other militants from Gaza poured over the border into Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 240, according to Israeli authorities.

Aiming to destroy Hamas, Israel retaliated with an air and ground offensive that the Hamas government in Gaza says has killed more than 15,000 people, also mostly civilians, and reduced large parts of the north of the territory to rubble.

Herzog is using his COP28 visit for a diplomatic push to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

He "appealed" to his Emirati counterpart "to employ his full political weight to promote and speed up the return home of the hostages," the Israeli president's office said in a statement.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, who will represent the United States at COP28, will meet with regional officials on the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to the White House.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said that a temporary truce in the conflict was "producing results" and should continue.

As part of the week-long pause in fighting, Hamas has freed dozens of hostages taken during last month's attack on Israel in exchange for the release of more than 200 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails.

(AFP)

Climate and Gaza crises share spotlight as world leaders attend COP28

Dubai (AFP) – World leaders take centre stage at UN climate talks in Dubai on Friday, under pressure to step up efforts to limit global warming as the Israel-Hamas conflict casts a shadow over the summit.

Issued on: 01/12/2023 - 

A man walks past national flags of participating countries at the venue of the COP28 United Nations climate summit in Dubai © Karim SAHIB / AFP

The COP28 conference kicked off on Thursday with an early victory as nations agreed to launch a "loss and damage" fund for vulnerable countries devastated by natural disasters.

But delegates face two weeks of tough negotiations on an array of issues that have long bedevilled climate talks, starting with the future of fossil fuels.

The sense of urgency was heightened by a UN warning that 2023 is on track to become the hottest year on record, raising fears the world will not meet the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

"Now the real work only begins," the oil-rich UAE's COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber said on Thursday.
Carbon emissions from oil and gas production © Valentin RAKOVSKY, Sophie RAMIS / AFP

"I will be rolling up my sleeves myself, engaging and helping address this challenge and delivering real, actionable results," Jaber said, though he claimed there was "positivity" and an "optimistic" vibe following the loss and damage announcement.

Jaber, who heads the UAE's national oil firm ADNOC, said the "role of fossil fuels" must be included at the UN's climate talks.

Activists, countries hardest hit by climate impacts and UN chief Antonio Guterres have called for a phase out of fossil fuels, which are responsible for three quarters of greenhouse gas emissions.
Gaza war

The spotlight now turns to more than 140 kings, presidents and prime ministers who will address delegates at the sprawling Expo City Dubai complex on Friday and Saturday.

Britain's King Charles III will kick off those addresses, followed by leaders from nations including the likes of Brazil, Kenya, Tonga and Ukraine.

More than 140 kings, presidents and prime ministers will address the COP28 climate talks © Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

But the climate crisis will share the agenda with the conflict in Gaza.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog met UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday and will be among the leaders addressing the COP28 conference on Friday.

Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas had also been scheduled to speak but his office told AFP that he was no longer going and his foreign minister would go to Dubai instead.

The conference began on Thursday with a moment of silence -- at the request of the Egyptian head of last year's COP -- for the civilians who have died in the conflict.

The war began on October 7 when Hamas and other militants from Gaza poured over the border into Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 240, according to Israeli authorities.

Aiming to destroy Hamas, Israel retaliated with an air and ground offensive that the Hamas government in Gaza says has killed more than 15,000 people, also mostly civilians, and reduced large parts of the north of the territory to rubble.

Herzog is using his COP28 visit for a diplomatic push to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Activists, countries hardest hit by climate impacts and UN chief Antonio Guterres have called for a phase out of fossil fuels, which are responsible for three quarters of greenhouse gas emissions © INA FASSBENDER / AFP

He "appealed" to his Emirati counterpart "to employ his full political weight to promote and speed up the return home of the hostages," the Israeli president's office said in a statement.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, who will represent the United States at COP28, will meet with regional officials on the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to the White House.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said that a temporary truce in the conflict was "producing results" and should continue.

As part of the week-long pause in fighting, Hamas has freed dozens of hostages taken during last month's attack on Israel in exchange for the release of more than 200 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails.

© 2023 AFP

COP28 puts spotlight on state oil giants

Paris (AFP) – Western energy firms are the usual suspects when it comes to criticism about the sector's role in climate change, but a less visible lineup of powerful state companies dominates the industry.


Issued on: 01/12/2023 -

State oil firms account for more than half of global oil production 

© Mohamed ALEBN ALSHAIKH / Saudi Aramco/AFP/File

They will all share the limelight at the UN climate talks that opened Thursday in Dubai, as COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber is also the head of ADNOC, the national oil and gas company of the United Arab Emirates.

The future of fossil fuels is at the heart of the two-week conference, with countries under pressure to agree to phase out oil, gas and coal in order to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

"While attention often focuses on the role of the majors, which are seven large, international players, they hold less than 13 percent of global oil and gas production and reserves," the International Energy Agency said in a report last week.

National oil companies, or NOCs, "account for more than half of global production and close to 60 percent of the world's oil and gas reserves," the Paris-based watchdog added.

The NOCs and the oil majors -- which include the likes of BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies -- will all be "critical to efforts to achieve net zero" emissions by 2050, the IEA said.

'Hugely powerful politically'

National companies range from Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil company, to Russia's Rosneft, Chinese firm CNOOC and Petrobras in Brazil.

Carbon emissions projections in the energy sector 

© Gal ROMA, Sophie RAMIS / AFP/File

Some explore resources in their own soil while others, known as "international national oil companies", go beyond their own borders.

"These are companies that have very large-scale resources," said Ben Cahill, senior fellow on climate and energy security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

They also "generally have low production costs which means that they're likely to continue producing oil for a long time to come because they have scale and low-cost resources," Cahill added.

Their countries, such as Saudi Arabia or Russia, have a major influence on world oil prices as they can make them fall or drop by leading production cuts in their OPEC+ alliance of major producers.

Their operations and products are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, but very few national companies have made climate targets.

The exceptions include the larger companies such as Saudi Aramco, ADNOC, PetroChina and Petrobras, which have set targets for their operations to be carbon neutral by 2045 or 2050.

Only five out of 21 NOCs "have publicly stated they have strategies related to the energy transition and the need to mitigate associated risks", according to the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI).

"In some of the petro-states oil is hugely powerful politically and so the oil industry doesn't want electric vehicles on the road and they don't want renewable energy competing against their gas," said David Manley, lead economic analyst at NRGI.
'Quite opaque'

NOCs are also less sensitive to social pressure than their Western peers which must answer to investors who are increasingly climate-conscious.

"Because they're not on a stock exchange, they don't have activist shareholders" on their boards, Manley said.

"Most of them are quite opaque. There's very little information published about them. So there's very little public or even government accountability of the states of these companies."

Nicolas Berghmans, an energy and climate expert at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations think tank in Paris, said NOCs account for a huge part of their countries' revenue even in more diversified economies.

But the IEA has forecast that demand in fossil fuels will peak this decade due to the "spectacular" growth of cleaner energy technologies and electric cars.

"The prospect of falling oil and gas demand adds a new dimension to the need for these countries to diversify their economies," said Christophe McGlade, the head of the energy supply unit at the IEA.

Tim Gould, the IEA's chief energy economist, said that a "non-negotiable element" was for oil companies, including NOCs, to reduce emissions from their operations.

He said companies such as Saudi Aramco or ADNOC "have a very important leadership role there, and they can really set the tone for what is possible, what's on the agenda."

© 2023 AFP

Ontario nixes cities' ask to allow more of them to get housing infrastructure money

The Canadian Press

Ontario's housing minister is shooting down a request from big city mayors for a change in funding criteria that would help more of them qualify for money to build infrastructure necessary for new homes.

The province has assigned housing targets to 50 municipalities and has said those that meet at least 80 per cent of their number annually will get a slice of the three-year, $1.2-billion Building Faster Fund.

The money could be used for housing-enabling infrastructure, such as roads and water lines, critical to building new homes.

But with one month left in the year, just nine of the 50 municipalities have met or exceeded their target for housing starts and another five are listed as being "on track," at between 80 and 99 per cent.

The Ontario Big City Mayors group asked Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra last month to base their eligibility for the fund on how many building permits municipalities issue, rather than on the number of housing starts, because putting shovels in the ground is out of their control.

When asked today if he was still considering that request, Calandra said no.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2023.

Saskatchewan projects $250M deficit in mid-year financial report, expenses up $1.3B

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press

The Saskatchewan government is forecasting a $250-million deficit this fiscal year due to higher expenses related to the summer drought and lower projected resource revenues. 

The mid-year financial report outlined Monday forecasts Saskatchewan is to spend about $1.3 billion more than it had budgeted.

The province initially forecast a surplus of more than $1 billion.

Finance Minister Donna Harpauer told reporters the deficit is a result of unforeseen drought that reduced production by 20 per cent, resulting in more crop insurance payouts.

The report says the province expects to spend $853 million more on agriculture.

"I want to be clear that we're not attributing this deficit to producers," Harpauer said. 

The mid-year report says the deficit is also due to a decrease in forecast potash revenues, as prices and production have declined.

The report forecasts the province won't see $717.8 million in resource revenues it had expected to get.

Harpauer said no one was able to accurately predict how Russia's invasion of Ukraine would affect commodity prices and production levels.

She said despite the sanctions western countries imposed on Russia, potash from Russia and Belarus have continued to flow into China and India. 

"We rely totally on the forecasts of the industry themselves," Harpauer said. "So, I don't think they were certain of when the market would go back to Russia and Belarus."

Harpauer said the province will continue to rely on industry forecasts, adding she believes predictions for potash have normalized. 

"The huge spikes that we've seen a year and two years ago are probably not going to happen again in the near future," she said. 

Harpauer said there are no plans to increase the agriculture budget to soften potential financial blows, even though climate scientists have predicted drier years in the future. 

In addition to higher agriculture expenses, the province expects to spend $111 million more this year on efforts to fight wildfires.

It also forecasts it will spend an additional $270.7 million on education and an extra $45.3 million for pension inflation adjustments. 

Despite resource revenue losses, the province forecasts a $414.7-million increase in taxation revenue.

It's also forecasting an increase of $204.4 million from government business enterprises. Federal transfers are also predicted to increase by $10.9 million.

Debt is now estimated to be $31.6 billion, up $709 million from what was budgeted. 

Harpauer said she believes there are no structural issues in the budget, adding resource revenues can be volatile. 

She said the province decided not to reduce capital spending, as many projects are already under construction. 

"There may be some projects that will be slow-walked a little bit, but it's a rolling a plan," she said.

Harpauer added it's likely there won't be tax cuts in next spring's budget.

"But we're very early in our budget operations, and we'll see how the economy goes," she said.

The finance minister said she's still optimistic about the future, pointing to Saskatchewan's economic indicators. 

The province's unemployment rate is relatively low at 4.4 per cent. The national average is 5.7 per cent. Saskatchewan's GDP also grew this year.

"People are looking for jobs and opportunity," she said. "Even though there is inflationary pressures, when you look at taxes, utility and housing costs, we're the most affordable in the country."

The Opposition NDP said Monday that the deficit shows the Saskatchewan Party government has failed to manage taxpayer dollars.

“Instead of growing the economy, they’ve become more and more dependent on hiking taxes and costs on the people of Saskatchewan during an affordability crisis," NDP Leader Carla Beck said in a statement. 

"We’re all paying more to cover the cost of their mismanagement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2023.

WCC REDUX

WESTERN SEPARATISTS

Alberta to defy Canada power rules in face-off with Trudeau

Robert Tuttle, Bloomberg News

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith invoked a measure to defy federal regulations that aim for a net zero electrical grid by 2035, setting up a confrontation between the Canadian province and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

The resolution proposed under the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act orders provincial government agencies to not enforce or aid in enforcing Canada’s clean electricity regulations, arguing that power generation is the jurisdiction of the provinces under the constitution, not the federal government’s. 

The move is likely to set up a major court battle and standoff between Trudeau and Smith, a conservative premier who has vowed to thwart federal regulations that would undermine the province’s energy sector.

Smith’s government said in a statement that Alberta, which relies on natural gas for the bulk of its power generation, is able to achieve a net-zero power grid by 2050 but the 2035 target would be “unaffordable, unreliable and unconstitutional” and puts people at risk of “freezing in the dark” when temperatures drop as low as minus-23F. 

The federal rules are flexible enough to be “realistic and accommodate Alberta’s needs,” Steven Guilbeault, Trudeau’s environment minister, said in a statement. “We have been collaborating in good faith on clean electricity investments and regulations as part of our Canada-Alberta working group, which we created at the request of Alberta with the express intent to work through these issues collaboratively. The government of Alberta has never brought up a constitutional veto at the negotiating table.

Smith has railed against the federal clean power rules for months, even launching a multimillion-dollar ad campaign against the measures. But Wednesday’s move marks the first time she has invoked her signature sovereignty law, which her government argues allows her province to override federal laws or regulations, but which has yet to be tested in court.

The step comes a month after the Supreme Court of Canada largely struck down a separate federal law on the review major resource and infrastructure projects, legislation that was opposed by Canada’s oil industry. 

The province doesn’t have time to wait years for the courts to rule on the constitutionality of the clean electricity regulations and must act now, Smith said at a news conference on Monday.  

The federal clean electricity regulations are discouraging private investors from submitting applications for needed natural gas power plants in Alberta, Smith’s government said in its release. While the resolution to defy the feds wouldn’t apply to private individuals or corporations, the legislation instructs the province to study the feasibility of setting up a provincially owned corporation that could bring on and maintain “more reliable and affordable electricity” at a later date, regardless of federal net-zero government’s rules.

Saskatchewan starts tribunal to review

Ottawa's clean electricity regulations

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press

Bronwyn Eyre was announced as Saskatchewan’s minister of justice and attorney general at a press conference  at Government House in Regina THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael Bell

The Saskatchewan government is using its autonomy legislation for the first time to review the federal government's proposed clean-electricity regulations.

Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre told reporters Tuesday she's implementing the Saskatchewan First Act to establish a tribunal to study the economic effects of the rules.

The regulations would require provinces to work toward an emissions-free electricity grid by 2035, which Eyre said is creating investor uncertainty. 

"(The regulations) are about emission reduction, but what does it mean? How will it impact our companies in anticipation of these policies? Not exploring as much, not doing as much? Absolutely," Eyre said. 

"We need to get a nuanced, detailed sense of what these policies mean for the economy of Saskatchewan and the people of Saskatchewan."

The act, passed in the spring, is meant to reassert Saskatchewan having jurisdiction over natural resources and electricity generation. It also allows Saskatchewan to set up a tribunal. 

Eyre said the tribunal's members are to submit a report outlining costs of the federal regulations.  

She said they are to work over the next few months, speaking with researchers and those in industry to help inform their report.

The minister said there are no plans to speak with environmental groups, as the tribunal is to only focus on economic costs. 

Its members also have the power to compel witnesses to speak with them.

Michael Milani, a Regina lawyer who will chair the tribunal, said it's unlikely members would use that power.

He added he will ask Ottawa to make a submission.

"If the goal is to obtain the best and most complete information possible, I would think, as chair, we'd want that from all places and all quarters," Milani said. 

"It may well be that the federal government will provide us with additional information and details so that the report will be the most complete and accurate that we're able to create."

A spokesperson for the office of federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault did not immediately provide a comment on whether Ottawa will participate in the tribunal. 

Both Saskatchewan and Alberta have long been at odds with Ottawa over the regulations.

On Monday, Alberta used its sovereignty act for the first time, tabling a motion to empower provincial officials and regulators to not co-operate with the clean-electricity rules.

Alberta and Saskatchewan say Ottawa's 2035 timeline is not doable and would cause higher electricity bills and reliability issues. Instead, they are targeting 2050 for emissions-free electricity. 

Guilbeault has disputed claims the regulations would impose unfair costs and reliability problems, saying Ottawa plans to cover up to half of the cost through tax credits, low-cost financing and other funds. 

His office said Ottawa has spent $40 billion to help provinces build emissions-free electricity infrastructure, which supports jobs while reducing emissions. 

Earlier this month, Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for Saskatchewan's electricity utility, said the regulations would cost the province $40 billion. 

Saskatchewan finance officials have also estimated a slew of federal environmental policies — the price on carbon, clean fuel regulations, emissions caps and methane initiatives — would cost the province $111 billion by 2035. 

Eyre said even though officials have already outlined these costs, the tribunal is needed to "look at all angles."

"There are a lot of trickle-down impacts from these federal policies that have not been economically canvassed or plumbed or completely analyzed or quantified."

She added the tribunal's report could also be used as evidence in court, should the province file an injunction application in the future.

The province is to spend $150,000 this year on the tribunal, Eyre said. It would then cost $250,000 per year.

The tribunal's members have been appointed for three years and are expected to undertake additional studies after they review the regulations. 

The tribunal also includes former Saskatchewan finance minister Janice MacKinnon, former SaskEnergy CEO Kenneth From, agriculture researcher Stuart Smyth and oilsands worker Estella Peterson.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2023.

RBC predicts 'robust growth' in EVs, 75% market share by 2050

Ben Cousins, BNN Bloomberg

RBC predicts the electric vehicle market is on the verge of substantial growth, as prices stabilize and charging infrastructure expands.

A new report from RBC Capital Markets found that while battery electric vehicles (BEVs) represent 12 per cent of the global demand this year, demand is expected to increase over the coming decades with improves to issues such as price, charging infrastructure and driving range, along with government policies limiting use of gas-powered vehicles.

“The combination of these vehicle factors means that BEV demand ultimately becomes a consumer-led one,” the report states.  

The report projected 75 per cent of global market share for battery electric vehicles by 2050, and some developed nations seeing more than 90 per cent.

'CHOPPINESS' AHEAD FOR EV MARKET

Tom Narayan, lead global autos equity analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said projections for EV sales are down slightly over the next few years, as demand grows for SUVs and pickup trucks, which are hard to find in the EV market.

“There’s a lot of EVs coming, especially SUVs and pickup trucks,” he told BNN Bloomberg in a television interview on Monday.

“We actually ended up raising our forecast after 2025 and we’re still pretty bullish, it’s just that the next couple of years will probably have some choppiness.”

In the near term, RBC predicts hybrid vehicles will grow in popularity, but that growth will only be temporary until EV adoption takes off.

“There’s a lot of interest in plug-in hybrids now because of this EV slowdown,” Narayan said.

“There’s going to be some more interest in them now, we actually raised some of our numbers there, but at the end of the day, plug-in hybrid is a transitionary step, it’s not the final solution, folks are still going to want a full electric.”