Ginny Cleaveland, Deputy Press Secretary, Federal Communications, Sierra Club, ginny.cleaveland@sierraclub.org, 415-508-8498 (Pacific Time)
Monday, December 4, is Trade Day and Tuesday, December 5, is Industry and Energy Day at COP 28, where the UN’s leading climate change conference will focus on a variety of issues including industrial decarbonization and climate-forward trade policies. The Sierra Club’s Industrial Decarbonization campaign works closely on these issues. Here’s a rundown of our latest news, reports, and more, to help you cover Trade Day at COP 28.
Industrial decarbonization
A September 2023 report, database, and interactive map commissioned by the Sierra Club reveals for the first time the greenhouse gas emissions intensity at every domestic facility in the US for four heavy industries: steel, cement, aluminum, and metallurgical coke. The report also profiles the fenceline communities living near these facilities, examines the public health impact of these sectors, and details employment figures at each facility — underscoring the importance of federal investments in these critical sectors to the US economy that will both grow employment and reduce pollution. Read more.
One such federal investment is via Buy Clean, the federal government’s initiative to boost public procurement of low-emissions goods like steel and cement. These public sector investments in the companies prioritizing clean manufacturing in hard-to-abate sectors can help pave the way for increased private investments. In November 2023, the General Services Administration announced plans to spend $2 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to purchase low-carbon construction materials. Read more.
Several COP 28 events will address industrial transformation:
- Tuesday, December 5, 12:00 to 13:15 GST, presidency roundtable event to discuss the “Global Decarbonization Accelerator”
- Tuesday, December 5, 13:30 to 14:30 GST, closed dialogues on “Accelerating green demand of heavy emitting sectors”
- Tuesday, December 5, 16:00 to 17:00 GST, roundtable sessions on “Circularity in the heavy emitting sectors”
Climate-forward trade
This fall, multiple bills have been introduced and/or are slated to be introduced by U.S. lawmakers that aim to protect clean American manufacturing and respond to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which went into effect in October 2023. A Carbon Border Adjustment, or carbon dumping fee, is a fee levied on imported goods based on how emissions intensive those goods are compared to American-produced goods. This includes U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy’s (R-LA) Foreign Pollution Fee Act of 2023, which was introduced in November 2023 and commended by the Sierra Club for sending a “strong signal to polluting international manufacturers.” Read more.
In November 2023, the Sierra Club joined 200+ organizations in sending a letter to U.S. President Biden urging him to end Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in existing treaties and free trade agreements. ISDS mechanisms are provisions that allow corporations to sue countries if a government action undermines the corporation’s “rights” and have been used to challenge climate policies in the U.S. Read more.
Several COP 28 events will address climate-forward trade:
- Sunday, December 3, 11:30 to 13:00 GST, side event hosted by the Center for American Progress on “Trade in a Climate-Constrained World”
- Monday, December 4, 09:45 to 10:30 GST, session on “Trade solutions for global climate action: Critical minerals, the energy transition, and the role of trade”
- Monday, December 4, 09:00 to 09:45 GST, session on “Trade solutions for global climate action: Global leaders unite to promote a roadmap of trade policy options for a just and ambitious global response to climate change”
- Monday, December 4, 13:30 to 14:30 GST, panel discussion on “Leveraging sustainable finance for trade to create a sustainable future for all”
Media interviews
Eva Hernandez, Managing Director at the Sierra Club, is attending COP 28 and is available to comment from 9am to 5pm GST. Please contact jonathon.berman@sierraclub.org and CC industrialdecarbonization@sierraclub.org.
Iliana Paul and Yong Kwon, Senior Policy Advisors with the Sierra Club’s Industrial Decarbonization campaign, are available to comment from 7am to 2pm ET (4pm to 11pm in Dubai). Please contact iliana.paul@sierraclub.org or yong.kwon@sierraclub.org and CC industrialdecarbonization@sierraclub.org.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.