On my screen: border penalties and air pollution
By Ben Geman
🚢 The EU's pledge to give some U.S. firms wiggle room under CBAM — the bloc's looming fees on industrial imports based on emissions — could bring headaches, Columbia University analysts warn.
Why it matters: The recent U.S.-EU trade framework commits "additional flexibilities" under the "carbon border adjustment mechanism" for small- and medium-sized businesses.
Friction point: The concession "may generate diplomatic ripple effects, encouraging others, particularly in the Global South, to press for comparable treatment," write Trevor Sutton and Evelyne Williams of Columbia's Center on Global Energy Policy. Full post.
🔥 Wildfires in Canada helped push fine particulate pollution in 2023 to "levels not seen since 2011 in the United States and since 1998 in Canada," a report from University of Chicago researchers finds.
Why it matters: Fine PM is a massive public health problem that erodes life expectancy. "Evidence of a link between climate change, wildfire smoke, and rising particulate pollution has been increasing over the past two decades," the report notes.
Go deeper: Full report ... Interactive data tool