Thursday Briefing: U.S. pledges to halve its emissions by 2030 in renewed climate fight

The Reuters Daily Briefing Thursday, April 22, 2021 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. The U.S. is back in the climate fight, how millions were squandered at a Texas energy fund, and NASA makes oxygen out of thin air Today's biggest stories Cutout figures of Boris Johnson, Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden are displayed by a demonstrator during a climate change protest near the White House, April 21, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque ENVIRONMENT President Joe Biden is kicking off a virtual Earth Day summit with world leaders, seeking to assert U.S. leadership internationally on climate change, as scientists issue a stark reminder that the impacts of a warmer world are already here. The Biden administration has pledged to slash U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50%-52% from 2005 levels by 2030, a new target it hopes will spur other big emitter countries to raise their ambition to combat climate change. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will testify today to a U.S. congressional hearing on fossil fuel subsidies, which the committee's progressive chairman is pressuring Biden to end. He pioneered research into how fossil fuels are shocking our oceans. Now he has Bill Gates’ ear. In the latest instalment of the Reuters Hot List, we profile climate scientist Ken Caldeira. A patient with breathing problems is seen inside a car while waiting to enter a hospital in Ahmedabad, India, April 22, 2021. REUTERS/Amit Dave COVID-19 India has recorded the world’s highest daily tally of 314,835 new COVID-19 infections as a second wave of the pandemic raises new fears about the ability of its crumbling health services to cope. The U.S. State Department has added at least 116 countries to its 'Level Four: Do Not Travel' advisory list, including the UK, Canada, France, Israel, Mexico and Germany. When Michigan’s St. Clair County held a walk-in COV1D-19 vaccination clinic last week with 1,600 shots at the ready, only about 800 people signed up in advance. We examine the warning signs that vaccinations are stalling. The European Commission is working on legal proceedings against AstraZeneca after the drugmaker cut COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to the European Union, sources say. Meanwhile, with enough supplies itself, Israel is looking to re-route a big shipment of AstraZeneca vaccine. See our global tracker for all the latest on the pandemic. BUSINESS The U.S. economy will grow at its fastest annual pace in decades this year and outperform most of its major peers, but another COVID-19 surge is the biggest risk over the next three months, according to a Reuters poll of forecasters. The founder of a Texas oil and gas investment firm that raised about $31 million shut the business this month and acknowledged in a Reuters interview that he had squandered investors' cash on "bad" and "non-arm's-length" deals. Coffee drinkers, pet owners and home bakers helped to drive the biggest rise in quarterly sales at Nestle for 10 years, as the world's biggest food group outshone Danone and set a high bar for Unilever. A multi-year boom in global house prices which even a pandemic has failed to halt is forcing central banks around the world to confront a knotty question - what, if anything, should they be doing about it? Quote of the day "It’s time to stand up and be counted. Doing this today may land us in prison but we’re on the right side of history" Gully Bujak Extinction Rebellion activist Climate activists shatter windows at HSBC HQ in London Video of the day NASA rover extracts first oxygen from Mars NASA has logged another extraterrestrial first on its latest mission to Mars: converting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into pure, breathable oxygen. And finally… The man in a bear suit walking from LA to San Francisco A journey that began on April 12 has morphed into something big. "It was an impulsive decision for sure. I didn't plan it out," says 33-year-old Jesse Larios. More from Reuters COVID-19 Investigations Breakingviews Legal News Thanks for spending part of your day with us. Share your thoughts You are receiving this email because you signed up for newsletters from Reuters. No longer want to hear from us? Unsubscribe from The Reuters Daily Briefing. Terms, conditions, and privacy statement © 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036