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  An emotional Mary Robinson , the former president of Ireland, called out Saudi Arabia at a United Nations climate forum this week for playing “dirty games” in allegedly taking out crucial language from the text that will emerge from the meetings. Complete coverage from the COP26 U.N. climate summit Speaking on the sidelines of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Robinson’s voice wavered as she described her disappointment at a perceived lack of urgency among world leaders to slow the rise in Earth’s temperature, even as the often destructive impact of climate change becomes increasingly apparent. It is rare for international leaders, even when retired, to criticize their counterparts so directly. “We are literally talking about having a safe future … You can’t negotiate with science. You can’t talk about a glass being half full. We have to get it down. We have to be on track for 1.5 [degrees of global warming],” she told Britain’s Sky News. (The COP21 Paris agreement included ...

BALTIMORE : United States President Joe Biden acknowledged Wednesday that shoppers were paying too much for everyday goods, vowing to tackle inflation "head on" after government data showed it had reached a 30-year peak last month. The sharp spike in the consumer price index (CPI) reported by the Labor Department surprised economists and the White House alike, and came as Biden headed to Baltimore to promote the $1.2 trillion infrastructure overhaul he argues can turn the tide. "Today´s economic reports (show) unemployment continuing to fall but consumer prices remaining too high," Biden said in a televised address from the port of Baltimore. The president was in the east coast city to make the case that his infrastructure package, passed by Congress last week, would bring down costs and reduce supply bottlenecks. "Looking out there, everything from a gallon of gas to a loaf of bread costs more," Biden added. "Even though wages are going up, we still...

GLASGOW, Scotland — An end to coal use and fossil fuel subsidies. An accelerated timeline for boosting carbon-cutting pledges. A call for wealthy countries to do more to help their more vulnerable counterparts cope with the toll of climate change — with few details to back it up. Complete coverage from the COP26 U.N. climate summit These were among the most notable provisions of a seven-page draft agreement circulated at the COP26 climate summit Wednesday, and likely sources of contention as the Glasgow conference shifts into its hectic final days. The explicit reference to coal and fossil fuels — a first for any U.N. agreement — was a welcome breakthrough for most activists. And the proposal to speed up emissions reductions was seen as a necessary response to recent research showing that current pledges put the Earth on path to warm 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 degrees Fahrenheit), a full degree above the Paris agreement’s most ambitious goal. But both provisions could get watered down, o...

The Mount Thorley Warkworth mine, near Bulga, Australia, on November 3, 2021. (Michael Miller/The Washington Post) By Michael E. Miller Today at 2:00 a.m. EST SINGLETON, Australia — Long before daylight spills over the mountains and slag heaps surrounding this coal-mining town, burly men in black-stained uniforms begin to fill its coffee shops and gas stations, stocking up on caffeine ahead of 12-hour shifts. Complete coverage from the COP26 U.N. climate summit As trucks clog the still-dark streets, trains laden with coal rumble past packed motels, and restaurants with “help wanted” signs in the windows fire up their grills. Ten thousand miles from the conference rooms of Glasgow, Scotland, where officials are plotting the planet’s path away from fossil fuels, Australia, the world’s second-biggest coal exporter, shows little sign of changing course. Australia pivots on climate with 2050 net zero target, but won’t adopt steeper 2030 commitment “If mining stopped here, then all this coun...