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A landmark ruling on climate change [Recharge]

A court orders the Dutch government to speed up climate efforts; GOP pushback on EPA鈥檚 Clean Power Plan gains traction; Russia moves forward with another plan to bypass Ukraine in shipping gas to Europe. Catch up on global energy with the Monitor's Recharge.

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Peter Dejong/AP
Urgenda Foundation director Marjan Minnesma, right, and 11-year-old fellow plaintiff Anica van Staa, left, wait for the judges to enter court to deliver their verdict in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 24, 2015. A Dutch court has ordered the government to cut the country's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 percent by 2020 in a groundbreaking climate case that activists hope will set a worldwide precedent.

听written by Monitor reporters David J. Unger and Jared Gilmour.

The Hague: For the first time,听听based on the state's duty to prevent harm to its citizens. Instead of reducing emissions 14 to 17 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2020, the Dutch government must now cut emissions 25 percent over the same time period. Of course the ruling won鈥檛 make or break the world鈥檚 2 degrees C. target, but听.

Opt out: GOP pushback against Obama鈥檚 climate agenda is gaining traction.听, joining Govs. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Mary Fallin of Oklahoma in opposing it.听, which aims to cut power plant emissions and is the centerpiece of the US pledge toward December climate talks. It鈥檚 not clear the bill has a path through the Senate, though, and Obama has promised a veto regardless.

Turkish Stream: Russia鈥檚 latest attempt to bypass Ukraine in gas transit is moving forward.听. Like previous projects,Turkish Stream aims to revive Russia鈥檚 waning influence on European energy markets. But with NATO troops assembling in Eastern Europe, and the EU extending sanctions against Russia, it鈥檚 hard to imagine Turkish Stream ever reaching European soil.

In the pipeline

  • Monday, June 29: BRUSSELS 鈥撎. China, the world鈥檚 largest emitter, is expected to formally announce its climate plans at the summit or soon after.
  • Tuesday, June 30: VIENNA 鈥撎, though they are expected to continue past the self-imposed deadline. Meanwhile,.

Drill deeper

In new energy era, what counts as 'oil'?
[Carnegie Endowment via 海角大神]
鈥淒espite John D. Rockefeller鈥檚 successful corporate marketing, there is no standard oil,鈥 writes Deborah Gordon, director of the energy and climate program at the Carnegie Endowment. 鈥淔rom its sheer volumes to what it鈥檚 made of and its environmental impacts, the next century of oil will likely be very different from the last.鈥

听[Quartz]
For energy storage technologies, the real cost reductions may come on the manufacturing floor, not just the laboratory bench. It's why companies like Tesla Motors are investing in sprawling factories that will maximize economies of scale. 24M, a Cambridge-based startup, is looking to further bridge the innovation-production divide with lithium-ion batteries.

听[Reuters]
"Workers recruited to be drillers end up as bandits who kill, rob, and hold up their colleagues or steal equipment," says Americo De Grazia, an opposition legislator on the National Assembly's commission on energy and petrol. "They're turning the oil industry into a no man's land where no one can instill order."

Energy sources

  • : "We鈥檙e depleting one third or more of the world鈥檚 major aquifers at a pretty rapid clip. And there鈥檚 not as much water there as we think."
  • : "By 2040, the world鈥檚 power-generating capacity mix will have transformed: from today鈥檚 system composed of two-thirds fossil fuels to one with 60% from zero-emission energy sources. Renewables will command just under 60% of the 9,786GW of new generating capacity and two-thirds of the $12.2 trillion of investment."
  • : "Through scaling up your own emissions reductions efforts, engaging in specific details about carbon pricing, ensuring your government engagement is consistent and by planning for a long term transition to a low carbon economy, your companies and others in your sector can play a crucial role in managing and reducing the threat from climate change. The world wants to be proud of your actions at this time of crisis and I look forward to your giving us every reason to be."

Unplug

听written by Monitor reporters David J. Unger and Jared Gilmour.

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