First Thing: Still a chance to return to 1.5C climate goal, experts say

As world leaders gather in Brazil for climate talks, data suggests current plans would lead to devastating heating. Plus, Zohran Mamdani, the New York mayor-elect, introduces his all-female transition teamGood morning.There is still a chance for the world to avoid the worst ravages of climate breakdown and return to the goal of 1.5C if governments take concerted action on greenhouse gas emissions, according to an assessment.How do things stand? For the past two years, global temperatures have surpassed the 1.5C threshold above preindustrial levels set out in the 2015 Paris agreement. A UN Environment Programme report published this week said governments’ current plans would lead to devastating heating of about 2.3-2.5C.What has Brazil’s president said? “This [summit] is an opportunity for politicians, diplomats, scientists, activists and journalists to witness … the true state of the forests, the planet’s largest river basin, and the millions of people who live in the region,” Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote for the Guardian.What is the case about? Trump has imposed tariffs via the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which in some circumstances grants the president authority to regulate or prohibit international transactions – but only during a national emergency.What happens if the court sides against the president? It would force the White House to reconsider its aggressive tariff policy, which has strained global trade ties. Continue reading...