MEXICO: When the United States assumes the chair of the Arctic Council this Friday, April 24th, it will have an extraordinary opportunity to lead on an issue that is high on President Obama’s climate agenda—reducing emissions of the climate pollutants black carbon and methane to slow the rapid warming and ice melt in the Arctic. When foreign ministers of the council gather in Iqaluit this week, they will for the first time collectively tackle climate change in the region by adopting the landmark Framework for Action on Enhanced Black Carbon and Methane Emissions Reductions. The U.S. is the first nation up as chair to lead the region in delivering on the framework’s promise of real emissions reductions.
The Arctic is warming at more than twice the global average, threatening the iconic cultures, wildlife and landscapes of the region and low-lying and coastal communities around the world. While CO2 emissions are the primary cause of Arctic warming—and ambitious emissions reductions our primary challenge—the 100-plus-year atmospheric lifetime of CO2 means that reductions today will not slow Arctic warming in the coming decades. But black carbon and methane are short-lived climate pollutants, staying in the atmosphere for only days or a few years, so reducing them brings near-immediate climate benefit.
Tesla driverless system to use updated radar technology
WASHINGTON: Electric carmaker Tesla announced Sunday it was upgrading its Autopilot software to use more advanced radar technology. In a...
