News of the World

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CIEL Welcomes Mexican Government Announcement on Solar Geoengineering Ban

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) applauds the Mexican government’s announcement that it will not permit solar geoengineering experiments and deployment on its national territory. The announcement follows a private, US-based company’s (‘Make Sunsets’) recent unauthorized experimental solar geoengineering flights in Mexico. CIEL calls on all governments to take steps to ban solar geoengineering outdoor experiments, technology development, and deployment.

“‘Make Sunsets’ launch of unauthorized geoengineering experiments for private profit demonstrates both the urgent threat of rogue geoengineering and the deeper risks of the rising reliance on geoengineering to counter some of the effects of climate change.
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The Mexican government’s announcement states that the government will take all necessary steps to enforce a moratorium agreed upon by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2010 and to adhere to the ‘precautionary principle’ under international law.

The Mexican government follows scientific advice: The IPCC has warned that these technologies are not a credible solution because of their impacts and huge uncertainties. Masking global heating with sunlight reduction would bring huge shifts in atmospheric circulation and massively affect rainfall patterns, especially in countries already impacted by climate chaos. Models show that solar geoengineering could affect rainfall patterns and hydrological cycles that sustain the livelihoods of millions of people. Hundreds of leading scientists from over 50 countries are calling for an International Non-Use Agreement on Solar Geoengineering. The Non-Use Agreement would prohibit governments from supporting the development of solar geoengineering technologies with taxpayer funds and ban all outdoor experiments, patenting, and deployment.  

Of course, the official announcement they mentioned above was published in Spanish so you'd need to let your browser translate it for you.

Analysts Say Brazil’s Proposed Universal Latin American Currency ‘Not Realistic’

Plans for a single currency in Latin America resurfaced after more than a decade on Jan. 23, when Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced the initiative at a bilateral conference in Buenos Aires.

The Brazilian president—commonly known as Lula—pitched the idea as a means for Argentina and Brazil to end their dependency on the U.S. dollar.

So far, Lula’s proposal has received more criticism than praise.
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During the conference, Lula said the notes would initially be specifically used for trade between Brazil and Argentina. Though the Brazilian president mentioned wanting to extend the reach to other countries within the region eventually.
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“We would not agree. For many reasons, we have to continue maintaining the [U.S.] dollar as a reference,” Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during a daily press conference on Jan. 24.

Chile’s President Gabriel Boric expressed his thoughts on the topic during an official visit to Colombia last August.

The Chilean head of state said that while he’s “available” to discuss the topic of a single currency in Latin America, he warned “much progress” has to be made first.
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“It’s not a popular measure. It’s specifically [designed] to benefit failed economies in Latin America. How does that help Brazil?” economist and political analyst Paulo Figueiredo told The Epoch Times.

Jay Leno Breaks Multiple Bones in Accident Months After Recovering From Burn Injuries

Comedian Jay Leno revealed in an interview on Thursday that he sustained multiple broken bones in a motorcycle accident that happened earlier this month.

The 72-year-old former host of “The Tonight Show” told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he “got knocked off [his] motorcycle” on Jan. 17 and suffered a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, and two cracked kneecaps.

Leno provided specifics on the accident while responding to a reporter from the Nevada newspaper, who asked the TV personality how he was doing in his recovery from burn injuries he sustained when a vintage car he was working on burst into flames in November 2022.

Against Biden Admin Wishes, House Votes to Limit Strategic Petroleum Reserve Release

After a lengthy debate over numerous amendments, and despite the Biden administration’s promise of a veto, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill on Jan. 27 limiting the Biden administration’s ability to draw from the nation’s oil stockpile.

First introduced on Jan. 26, the Strategic Production Response Act passed 221–201. The measure is unlikely to clear the Democrat-controlled Senate where it will need 60 votes to pass.

The three-page bill (pdf) would mandate a plan for additional oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters to offset drawdowns of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The bill wouldn’t apply in the case of severe disruptions to the energy supply.

Under the Biden administration, the SPR has fallen to its lowest level since the 1980s. While Democrats argue the drawdowns were a necessary and effective response to the dramatic impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the oil market, Republicans contend the actions add up to little more than a political stunt, designed to win over voters at the expense of national security.

Republicans Introduce Bill to Strip China of Permanent Trade Status

A group of Republican lawmakers is introducing legislation that would strip communist China of its special permanent trade status with the United States.

The “China Trade Relations Act” was introduced on Jan. 27 by GOP Sens. Tom Cotton (Ark.), Rick Scott (Fla.), Ted Budd (N.C.), and J.D. Vance (Ohio).

The legislation would end China’s permanent status as a “most favored nation” (MFN). Instead, China would be required to seek presidential approval on an annual basis in order to maintain its MFN status.
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“It’s time to protect American jobs and hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for their forced labor camps and egregious human rights violations.”

MFN status, also known as normal trade relations (NTR), confers select nations with free trade benefits and acknowledges that the recipient nation will receive all the same trade benefits as any other nation with the designation.

China’s communist regime has maintained MFN status since 1980, though there have been numerous efforts over the decades to revoke it, particularly after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. The regime’s MFN/NTR status was made permanent by the Clinton administration in 2000.