Happy Tuesday. In a potential federal first, America’s EPA makes a bold move to shake up the power sector with a new carbon capture mandate.

In today’s edition:
⚡️ EPA imposes potential first federal mandate to cut CO2 from power plants

🚜 2 scientists call out UN report on animal ag

🌳 EU treaty aims to ensure more than 1% of high seas is protected

🔋 Energy (1-Min Read)

EPA makes bold move in the power sector

What happened: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just imposed what may become the first federal mandate to cut carbon dioxide from power plants — if it survives legal and political hurdles that have tripped up past administrations.

The details: Under the CO2 rule, some plants must capture carbon emissions to comply — using technology that has made little progress in the power sector. For instance, coal plants slated to keep running beyond 2039 have CO2 capture requirements that begin in 2032. The rule no longer covers existing gas-fired plants — the biggest U.S. power source. They're slated to be addressed in a subsequent rule,  but this would likely require President Biden to win reelection.

Yes but: An Obama-era power plant CO2 rule — one very different from Biden's current plan — and a more modest Trump-era plan were both halted in court before they could take effect.

Why it matters: Electricity is among the largest sources of U.S. carbon emissions. The country's power mix has trended away from coal for years as gas and renewables gained market share. EPA estimates the rule, alongside the 2022 climate law, will cut power plant emissions by 75% relative to 2005 levels by 2035. (Full story here)

 🚜 AgriTech (1-Min Read)
UN Report on livestock emissions faces beefy backlash

What happened: 2 experts cited in a UN report on livestock emissions call for its retraction, alleging distortions of their work. 

Details: The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is accused of misusing Paul Behrens's and Matthew Hayek's research. In a letter, they claim that the FAO study contains systemic errors, poor framing, and inappropriate data use. 

Controversy: The academics claim that the FAO’s report reduces the estimate of livestock’s contribution to overall global heating,  using research from Behrens in 2017 to argue shifts away from meat-eating could only reduce agri-food emissions by 2%-5%.

Academic Pushback: For a recent paper, over 200 climate scientists said it was important for livestock herd sizes to peak by 2025 to prevent dangerous global heating. The scientists also say the FAO report underestimates the emissions-cutting potential of dietary shifts.

FAO Defence: The FAO has defended its report, stating it underwent rigorous review processes and promises to address concerns raised by the academics. (Full story here).

🐘 Nature (1-Min Read)
The good and the bad of EU’s week in Nature Policy

The Good

The European Union voted in favour of ratifying the High Seas Treaty. The treaty aims to protect marine life in areas that are outside of countries’ maritime borders - only 1% of the high seas is currently protected. For the High Seas Treaty to come into force, at least 60 countries must sign and ratify it. So far, four have formally ratified it: Palau, Chile, Belize and Seychelles. The EU’s 27 member states will have a significant impact on progress towards the treaty coming into force. (Full story here)

The Bad

The European Parliament approved a proposal to remove requirements in the EU’s common agricultural policy for farms to protect soils, leave a small percentage of land to nature and rotate their crops. The plan also exempts nearly 17 million hectares of farmland – the size of Germany’s total agricultural land – from environmental controls. This is a significant blow to sustainable farming in the bloc. (Full story here)

💭 Little Bytes (1-Min Read)

💬 Quote: “World is currently experiencing a global coral bleaching event.” — US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

📊 Stat: Nature loss could slow UK growth 12% by the 2030s — Green Finance Institute (GFI)

📺️ Watch: An app that lets farmers make digital twins of plants with their phones

🛗 Snippets for your lift conversations (1-Min Read)

 🎣 Gone Phishing (1-Minute Read)

Three of these stories are true, one we've made up. Guess which: