| SEC Investigating Exxon on Climate Risk: The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating how ExxonMobil valued its assets during the continuing slump in oil prices and how the company factors in climate risk when pricing its projects. The SEC requested information and documents from Exxon and the company’s auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers in August, as well as documents from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s similar investigation of the company. Exxon has been under increasing government scrutiny since multiple reports revealed the oil giant may have misled the public about the dangers of climate change. (Wall Street Journal $, CNBC,ThinkProgress, USA Today, Reuters, Bloomberg, New York Times $, CNN Money, Financial Times $, Houston Chronicle, Huffington Post, Politico Pro $, Grist, Wired)
Pres. Obama Calls for Urgency in Enforcing Paris Accord…: During his final UN General Assembly address, President Obama pressed for a “sense of urgency” in bringing the Paris Agreement into force and for scaling up ambition on climate action. He also called for more clean energy investment in developing countries. According to the United Nations, 30 countries are expected to formally join the Paris Agreement during today’s event at the UN. (Politico Pro $, NPR, Climate Home, VOA News, New York Times $, Guardian, AP)
…As Top Scientists Warn Against Trump’s Plan to Withdraw: A group of 375 members of the National Academy of Sciences, including 30 Nobel Prize winners, warned that a US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement would hurt the nation’s international credibility and undermine the climate pact. In an open letter, the scientists voiced concern about Donald Trump, saying, “It is of great concern that the Republican nominee for President has advocated U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Accord.” The US should continue to be a global leader on climate no matter the result of the election, the scientists advocated. (News: Reuters, New York Times $, Mercury News, Mashable, Minnesota Public Radio, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Times New Herald, Xinhua. Commentary: Guardian, John Abraham column)
Summer’s Ugly Preview of the Future: August was the 16th consecutive record warm-month, the longest ever recorded, with average temperatures 1.66°F above the 20th century average and 0.09°F warmer than last August. NOAA data show it was also the hottest summer on record, as June-August temperatures averaged 2.18°F above the 20th century average in the same period. The summer featured an “increasing number and a disturbing number” of extreme weather events, many of which bore classic signatures of climate change. (AP, Washington Post $, The Hill, USA Today, Climate Central, Mashable, Deutsche Welle) |
