Page 11 - Gi_March2021

international news

BIDEN ISSUES STACK OF ORDERS signing the mandates.
The actions swiftly reversed energy
TO TACKLE CLIMATE CRISIS and environment policies put in place by
former President Trump, who rebuffed
science and ridiculed the crisis.
The Biden administration has elevated
AFTER FOUR YEARS OF TRUMP the climate crisis to a national security
priority and laid out a conservation plan
that would set aside millions of acres for
recreation, wildlife and climate efforts
by 2030. The president has pledged $2
trillion to tackle the crisis.
The moratorium on oil and gas sales
directs the Secretary of the Interior to
put a hold on entering into new fossil
fuel leases on public lands or offshore.
At a press briefing, Gina McCarthy,
White House National Climate Advisor
for Domestic Policy, said the plan was
both about correcting environmental
THE NUMBER OF FURLOUGHED injustice and creating “good-paying,
WORKERS HAS INCREASED union jobs” in a green economy.
Also at the briefing, Mr Kerry said
that the “stakes on climate change
BIDEN SWIFTLY REVERSED ENERGY POLICIES couldn’t be higher”. He emphasised
PUT IN PLACE BY HIS PREDECESSOR that the crisis was “existential” and
a global issue. “We could go to zero
JOE BIDEN HAS announced a pause looked on, reports The Independent. tomorrow and it wouldn’t be enough,”
on new oil and gas leasing on US public “In my view, we’ve already waited too Mr Kerry said, adding that what the US
lands and waters, one move in a long long to deal with this climate crisis,” does domestically would be essential to
list of directives to tackle the climate President Biden said, highlighting the credibility abroad.
crisis both at home and abroad. increasing threats from more extreme Hours after his inauguration,
The President spoke ahead of storms, wildfires and droughts linked to President Biden rejoined the Paris
signing the orders at the White House climate change. Agreement and ordered a review of
as Vice President Kamala Harris and “We can do this, we must do this and rollbacks of environmental protections
International Climate Envoy John Kerry we will do this,” Mr Biden said before under the Trump administration.

BELGIAN PORT LAYS OUT PLANS FOR long-term scenarios developed by the

European Commission.
‘MASSIVE’ IMPORTS OF GREEN HYDROGEN renewable electricity will need to be
Therefore local production of
supplemented by supplies of “green
THE PORT OF ANTWERP has Port of Zeebrugge and WaterstofNet. molecules” from countries where
partnered with energy utility Engie Their joint study maps out the wind and solar power can be used
and five other entities in a consortium financial, technical and regulatory to generate renewable hydrogen in
aiming to establish a full renewable aspects of building an entire hydrogen abundant quantities, the coalition said.
hydrogen import value chain in import chain – from production abroad The objective is to establish a
Belgium by the end of the decade. to delivery via ships and pipelines to complete hydrogen import value chain
In January, the consortium Belgium and internal distribution to by 2030.
announced the completion of a final industrial users.
feasibility study concluding that The Belgian project is in line with BELGIUM IS BACKING HYDROGEN
the project is both technically and European Commission plans unveiled
economically feasible, reports Euractiv. last year to develop a renewable
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de hydrogen value chain in Europe to
Croo said: “Hydrogen will play a decisive complement electricity generated
role in the energy transition and in from renewables.
making our industry sustainable.” The production of low carbon
“The next step is to develop a long- electricity is expected to double over
term strategy for importing hydrogen,” the next decades as Europe moves
he added in a statement. forward to reduce emissions to net zero
The so-called Hydrogen Import by mid-century. But electricity is only
Coalition consists of DEME, Engie, expected to represent 53 per cent of the
Exmar, Fluxys, the Port of Antwerp, the EU’s energy mix by 2050, according to

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