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After their most productive day in a non-overtime game this season, the Denver Nuggets are out to earn consecutive victories for the first time in a month when they play host to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. Following a run of seven losses in 11 games -- including one of their two setbacks against the Clippers this season -- the Nuggets turned their offense loose in a 141-111 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday as Nikola Jokic scored 48 points with 14 rebounds and eight assists. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
(The Center Square) - California Gov. Gavin Newsom said if President-elect Donald Trump ends the $7,500 electric vehicle rebate program, he’ll get Californians to pay for new credits. However, the credits would not include Tesla, which is the most popular EV company and the only EV manufacturer in the state. This comes weeks after Newsom and his administration passed new refinery and carbon credit regulations that will add up to $1.15 per gallon of gasoline and require Californians with gasoline-powered cars to earn up to another $1,000 per year in pretax income to afford. “We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California,” said Newsom in a statement. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose rocket launches were recently blocked by a California regulatory board that cited his personal politics, shared his disapproval on his social media platform, X, after Newsom staff told Bloomberg that Tesla models would not qualify for California rebates. “Even though Tesla is the only company who manufactures their EVs in California,” said Musk. “This is insane.” Musk recently moved SpaceX and X out of California, citing a new law signed by Newsom banning parental notification for gender change requests from K-12 students. The credits would be paid for through California’s cap-and-trade program, which requires carbon emitters to purchase credits from the state — costs which are generally passed on to consumers in the form of more expensive gasoline, energy, and even concrete. Emitters buy a few billion dollars worth of credits from California each year, with the state’s $135 billion high speed rail project getting the lion’s share of the revenue. The California Resources Board — all but two of whose voting members are appointed by the governor — recently approved $105 billion in EV charging credits and $8 billion in hydrogen charging credits to be largely paid for by drivers of gas cars and diesel trucks. An investigation by The Center Square found the change was pushed by EV makers and the builders of EV charging systems. Buyers of EV chargers, who pay for the energy and own the charger, sign installation contracts that permanently give away their rights to government or other EV charging credits generated from fueling a vehicle with electrons instead of gasoline. These chargers are often bundled with the purchase of an EV, or covered entirely by utility or government rebates, meaning they are permanent, zero-or-low-cost revenue streams for the company collecting the credits.Some Black Friday deals are still available, and the deals on different smart devices are some of the best we've ever seen as Cyber Monday approaches. Robot vacuums are just one category, with major pricing discounts during the year's biggest shopping event. ZDNET is gathering the best and most legitimate deals available right now, so you won't have to worry about wading through the madness of deal hunting. Also: The best Black Friday deals: Live updates As a robot vacuum reviewer and dog owner, I'm always looking for great deals on how to keep my home clean with as little effort as possible. I test different types of robot vacuums daily and have grown exceedingly familiar with each brand's strengths and weaknesses and their price fluctuations. As a result, I've realized that this is the best time to buy that robot vacuum you've had your eye on all year or as a holiday gift for that family member who's always wanted one. Read on to find the best deals on robot vacuums and cordless vacuums that are still available after Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Our favorite robot vacuum deals for Black Friday 2024 iRobot Roomba s9+ and Braava Jet m6 bundle : $420 (save $1,029 at Best Buy): This is, by far, the best deal you can get on a robot vacuum and mop bundle, as it went on clearance just in time for Black Friday. Narwal Freo X Ultra robot vacuum and mop : $800 (save $300 at Best Buy): The highly rated Narwal Freo X Ultra is a top-performing robot vacuum and mop with 8,200Pa of suction power. Roborock Q8 Max+ robot vacuum and mop : $420 (save $400 at Amazon): In addition to a Q8 robot vacuum and mop, the Max model includes a self-emptying dock that you don't have to worry about for up to seven weeks. Dreame X40 Ultra robot vacuum and mop : $1,000 (save $900 at Amazon): This is my favorite robot vacuum and mop combination that I've tested, with excellent obstacle avoidance and strong suction. Dreame X30 Ultra robot vacuum and mop : $800 (save $600 at Amazon): This is the lowest price on the Dreame X30 Ultra, which was ZDNET's top pick for the best 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop , dethroned only by its successor, the X40 Ultra . Yeedi M12 Pro+ robot vacuum and mop : $550 (save $449 at Amazon): Have you ever heard the phrase "high-end features for a mid-range price?" This hands-free robot vacuum and mop does all the work for you, with flagship features like an extending mop pad to reach corners and under cabinets and 11,000Pa of suction. Airrobo T20+ robot vacuum and mop : $280 (save $220 at Amazon): This is one of the lowest prices we've ever seen on this Airrobo self-emptying robot vacuum and mop. Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo complete robot vacuum and mop : $1,414 (save $286 at Amazon): I rely on the Deebot X2 Combo Complete robot vacuum and mop , especially because of its side-mounted cordless vacuum that empties automatically. Roborock S8 Pro Ultra robot vacuum and mop : $900 (save $700 at Amazon): The all-in-one S8 Pro Ultra features 6,000Pa of suction power, a self-emptying dustbin, and self-washing mop pads. Eufy X8 Pro Current price: $350 Original price: $650 The Eufy X8 Pro twin-turbine robot vacuum is perfect for pet owners. With 4,000Pa of suction power, this robot vacuum includes a self-empty station and smooth navigation to leave beautiful carpet lines behind. Review: Eufy X8 Pro: A must-have for homes with a lot of carpet iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ Current price: $975 Original price: $1,399 The flagship Roomba j9+ features powerful suction and a self-emptying dustbin, perfect for pet owners. This combo option also has a retractable mop pad that stores itself on top of the robot when not in use, ensuring your carpets stay dry and your hard floors stay mopped. Also: How Roomba's $1,000 robot vacuum handled my house of children and pets Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo Current price: $800 Original price: $1,200 The Deebot T30S combo is fairly new but lives up to the hype that only a three-in-one robot vacuum could garner. This has become my go-to upstairs robot vacuum and mop because it functions as a cleaning hub, made complete by the self-emptying cordless vacuum that charges right on the robot's charging station. Review: I tested a robot vacuum with a handheld vacuum that empties itself Roborock Q8 Max+ Current price: $420 Original price: $820 For a limited time, you can snag the Roborock Q8 Max+ for $420. As a vacuum mop combo, this machine features 4,200Pa suction power and 300g mopping pressures, promising a smooth and efficient clean. With its self-empty dock, you can have hands-free vacuuming for up to seven weeks. Thanks to Roborock's PreciSense LiDAR Navigation, you can rest assured that this robot vacuum will clean where it's supposed to and when it's supposed to. Also: The best robot vacuum mops you can buy iRobot Roomba Combo j5 Current price: $285 Original price: $530 If you're like me and love the idea of your floors being cleaned by someone or something else, you can't go wrong with this deal. The Roomba j5 is a robot vacuum that intelligently maps and navigates your home, avoiding obstacles like cords and pet waste. Also: Roomba Combo J7+ review: A 2-in-1 robot vacuum done (almost) right Best Black Friday iRobot robot vacuum deals iRobot Roomba j7+ robot vacuum : $359 (save $441 at Amazon): This discount on a self-emptying Roomba powered by RobotOS is a deal you can't miss. iRobot Roomba s9+ and Braava Jet m6 bundle : $420 (save $1,029 at Best Buy): This is, by far, the best deal you can get on a robot vacuum and mop bundle, as it went on clearance just in time for Black Friday. iRobot Roomba® Vac 2 Essential robot vacuum : $250 (save $150 at Amazon): This is an introductory offer on iRobot's brand new entry-level robot vacuum, featuring the AutoEmpty dock, for self-emptying. iRobot Roomba Combo j5 robot vacuum and mop : $285 (save $245 at Amazon): The Roomba Combo j5 is built for everyday vacuuming with occasional mopping. iRobot Roomba Combo i5+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum & Mop : $300 (save $250 at Target): Whether your mess is wet or dry, the Roomba ComboTM i5+ robot vacuum and mop can handle it. iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ robot vacuum and mop : $975 (save $424): The flagship Roomba j9+ features powerful suction and a self-emptying dustbin, perfect for pet owners . iRobot Roomba Essential Combo robot vacuum and mop : $226 (save $47 at Amazon): This essential robot vacuum is an entry-level Roomba that combines powerful suction with mopping action. iRobot Roomba Combo Essential Robot : $160 (save $115 at Target): If you're looking for a basic combination robot vacuum and mop, this Roomba Combo deal is hard to beat. Best Black Friday Roborock robot vacuum deals Roborock S8 Pro Ultra robot vacuum and mop : $900 (save $700 at Amazon): The all-in-one S8 Pro Ultra features 6,000Pa of suction power, a self-emptying dustbin, and self-washing mop pads. Roborock Q7 Max robot vacuum and mop : $200 (save $100): At 33% off, this Roborock discount won't last long. Roborock S8+ robot vacuum and mop : $550 (save $450 at Amazon): The Roborock S8+ features 6,000Pa of suction power, a self-emptying dustbin, and the company's Sonic Mop system. Roborock Flexi Lite wet/dry vacuum and mop : $180 (save $220 at Amazon): This outstanding wet/dry vacuum and mop lets you tackle wet and dry messes in one fell swoop. Best Black Friday Shark robot vacuum deals Shark AV2501S AI Ultra robot vacuum : $329 (save $221 at Amazon): This bagless, self-emptying vacuum cleaner can hold up to 30 days' worth of debris and pet hair. Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro robot vacuum and mop : $700 (save $500 at Amazon): This is Shark's flagship robot vacuum and mop, with a water tank that lasts up to 30 days without refilling and up to 60 days self-emptying bagless capacity. Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch robot vacuum and mop : $550 (save $350 at Amazon): This robot vacuum's bagless design ensures you don't have to buy new dustbags to replace and can dump the contents in the trash. Shark AV2610WA robot vacuum and mop : $484 (save $216 at Amazon): You can forget about handling dust yourself, as this Shark can hold up to two months' worth of debris. Best Black Friday Eufy robot vacuum deals Eufy 11S Max robot vacuum : $130 (save $120 at Amazon): This is my pick for the best budget-friendly robot vacuum for pet hair right now. It has strong suction and carpet boost technology. Eufy X8 Pro robot vacuum : $350 (save $300 at Amazon): The Eufy X8 Pro twin-turbine robot vacuum is perfect for pet owners , especially those with mostly carpets. Eufy G30 robot vacuum : $140 (save $179 at Amazon): For $140, you can buy a robot vacuum with reliable navigation, checking one more task off your cleaning to-do list for its lowest price ever. Eufy L60 robot vacuum : $280 (save $120 at Amazon): This highly rated Eufy robot vacuum has a self-emptying station that holds up to 60 days' worth of dust and debris. Eufy RoboVac 15C MAX robot vacuum : $120 (save $160 at Amazon): This entry-level robot vacuum is great for hard floors, apartments, and small areas, and it's currently 57% off. Best Black Friday cordless vacuum deals Tineco Pure One Station cordless vacuum : $339 (save $120 at Amazon): This is the most powerful stick vacuum I've ever tested; the self-emptying dock takes it to the next level, so it quickly became my go-to. Narwal S20+ vacuum/mop : $400 (save $100 at Best Buy): This wet/dry vacuum and mop uses advanced AI-powered sensors to detect dirt and boost performance. Eureka RapidClean Pro stick vacuum : $105 (save $45 at Amazon): This cordless vacuum comes with two attachments to clean everything from floors to upholstery and narrow crevices. Levoit LVAC-200 stick vacuum : $150 (save $50 at Amazon): Get a lightweight cordless vacuum for only $150 through Black Friday. Bissell CleanView XR 200W stick vacuum : $114 (save $85 at Amazon): This is a huge discount on a stick vacuum with a removable battery and XL dustbin. Shark Pet stick vacuum : $150 (save $110 at Amazon): The unbeatable 43% discount on a Shark cordless vacuum gets you powerful suction and up to 40 minutes of runtime. Eureka Stylus Elite stick vacuum : $193 (save $96 at Amazon): In addition to an $86 discount, you can take an extra $20 off to get a powerful cordless vacuum and self-emptying station. Dyson V8 Plus stick vacuum : $420 (save $50 at Amazon): You can't go wrong with a Dyson cordless vacuum, especially at 36% off. Roborock Flexi Lite wet/dry vacuum and mop : $180 (save $220 at Amazon): This outstanding wet/dry vacuum and mop lets you tackle wet and dry messes in one fell swoop. FAQs Black Friday is a big shopping event that occurs each year on the day after Thanksgiving. This year, it happened on Nov. 29. Since Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, many people are off through the weekend, so retailers have capitalized on this day, the last national holiday before Christmas. This makes Black Friday a great chance to finish checking off your holiday shopping list. Cyber Monday happens on the Monday following the Thanksgiving holiday. This year, Cyber Monday falls on Dec. 2. Robot vacuums are cheaper during big shopping events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime Day. The fact that Black Friday is one of the last major shopping events of the year results in some retailers giving big discounts on the current product stock in preparation for new devices launching in the new year. Though there are many online deals, Black Friday has been historically a mostly in-person shopping event where people visit a brick-and-mortar store. With most big box stores featuring an online store, Black Friday online shopping has become as common as Amazon Prime Day shopping. Cyber Monday began and remains an online shopping event for online stores to capitalize on customers who may have missed a Black Friday deal and can shop from home or work on Monday. As a robot vacuum tester at ZDNET, I've become familiar with these devices' unique features and tested different models in every price range. This experience has made me realize that the robot vacuum market is saturated with competition. It also helps me discern which robot vacuums are worth their retail price and when a discount is a good deal. I check robot vacuum deals often, always choosing the ones that deliver the most features for the least money. Using our expertise and different tools to track deals, we can determine when a deal is worth it and ensure we only cover those. This list of deals will be updated as new deals appear and others sell out. While retailers hold store-specific shopping events throughout the year, like Amazon with Prime Day, you can expect Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to appear everywhere. This includes your local businesses and big box stores. Black Friday is a huge shopping event, both in-person and online, with stores like Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, Target, Costco, and more offering eye-popping discounts on different products. ZDNET's experts have searched through Black Friday sales live for the best discounts by category. These are the best Black Friday deals so far by category: Black Friday TV deals Black Friday phone deals Black Friday laptop deals Black Friday gaming PC deals Black Friday smartwatch and fitness tracker deals Black Friday Amazon deals Black Friday Best Buy deals Black Friday Walmart deals Black Friday Sam's Club deals Black Friday Apple deals Black Friday iPad deals Black Friday AirPods deals Black Friday Apple Watch deals Black Friday Kindle deals Black Friday streaming deals Black Friday soundbar and speaker deals Black Friday robot vacuum deals Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals Black Friday PlayStation deals And more Black Friday deals: Black Friday deals under $25 Black Friday deals under $100 Black Friday Samsung deals Black Friday Verizon deals Black Friday headphone deals Black Friday tablet deals Black Friday monitor deals Black Friday gaming deals Black Friday security camera deals Black Friday storage and SSD deals Black Friday portable power station deals Black Friday VPN deals Black Friday Chromebook deals Black Friday HP deals Black Friday Dell deals Black Friday Roku deals Black Friday Roborock deals Best Black Friday deals Black Friday phone deals Black Friday TV deals Black Friday laptop dealsIreland Vote Points to Status Quo But PM Faces Support Drop
Newsom wants CA consumers to pay to replace $7,500 federal EV credit, Tesla excludedLONGBOAT KEY, Fla, Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rumble ( NASDAQ:RUM ), the video-sharing platform and cloud services provider, announced today that its Board of Directors has approved a corporate treasury diversification strategy of allocating a portion of the company's excess cash reserves to Bitcoin. This move emphasizes Rumble's belief in Bitcoin as a valuable tool for strategic planning and is designed to accelerate the company's expansion into cryptocurrency. Rumble's Bitcoin allocation strategy will include purchases, at the discretion of the company, of up to $20 million. "We believe that the world is still in the early stages of the adoption of Bitcoin, which has recently accelerated with the election of a crypto-friendly U.S. presidential administration and increased institutional adoption. Unlike any government-issued currency, Bitcoin is not subject to dilution through endless money-printing, enabling it to be a valuable inflation hedge and an excellent addition to our treasury,” said Rumble Chairman and CEO Chris Pavlovski. "We are also excited to strengthen our ties with crypto and to bolster our efforts to become the leading video and cloud services platform for the crypto community,” Pavlovski added. The actual timing and value of Bitcoin purchases, if any, under the allocation strategy will be determined by management in its discretion and will depend on several factors, including, among others, general market and business conditions, the trading price of Bitcoin and the anticipated cash needs of Rumble. The allocation strategy may be suspended, discontinued or modified at any time for any reason. ABOUT RUMBLE Rumble is a high-growth video platform and cloud services provider that is creating an independent infrastructure. Rumble's mission is to restore the internet to its roots by making it free and open once again. For more information, visit: corp.rumble.com . Contact: [email protected] Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and include, for example, statements regarding our new corporate treasury diversification strategy of allocating a portion of the company's excess cash reserves to Bitcoin and the acceleration of our expansion into cryptocurrency. Certain of these forward-looking statements can be identified by using words such as "anticipates,” "believes,” "intends,” "estimates,” "targets,” "expects,” "endeavors,” "forecasts,” "well underway,” "could,” "will,” "may,” "future,” "likely,” "on track to deliver,” "on a trajectory,” "continues to,” "looks forward to,” "is primed to,” "plans,” "projects,” "assumes,” "should” or other similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and our actual results could differ materially from future results expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this release are based on our current beliefs and expectations of our management as of the date of this release. These statements are not guarantees or indicative of future performance. Important assumptions and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements include risks inherent with investing in Bitcoin, including Bitcoin's volatility; the risks of implementing a new treasury diversification strategy; our ability to grow and manage future growth profitably over time, maintain relationships with customers, compete within our industry and retain key employees; the possibility that we may be adversely impacted by economic, business, and/or competitive factors; our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects; our recent and rapid growth may not be indicative of future performance; we may not continue to grow or maintain our active user base, and may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability; risks relating to our ability to attract new advertisers, or the potential loss of existing advertisers or the reduction of or failure by existing advertisers to maintain or increase their advertising budgets; Rumble Cloud, our recently launched cloud services business, may not achieve success and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected; negative media campaigns may adversely impact our financial performance, results of operations, and relationships with our business partners, including content creators and advertisers; spam activity, including inauthentic and fraudulent user activity, if undetected, may contribute, from time to time, to some amount of overstatement of our performance indicators; we collect, store, and process large amounts of user video content and personal information of our users and subscribers and, if our security measures are breached, our sites and applications may be perceived as not being secure, traffic and advertisers may curtail or stop viewing our content or using our services, our business and operating results could be harmed, and we could face governmental investigations and legal claims from users and subscribers; we may fail to comply with applicable privacy laws; we are subject to cybersecurity risks and interruptions or failures in our information technology systems and, notwithstanding our efforts to enhance our protection from such risks, a cyber incident could occur and result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss; we may be found to have infringed on the intellectual property of others, which could expose us to substantial losses or restrict our operations; we may face liability for hosting a variety of tortious or unlawful materials uploaded by third parties, notwithstanding the liability protections of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996; we may face negative publicity for removing, or declining to remove, certain content, regardless of whether such content violated any law; paid endorsements by our content creators may expose us to regulatory risk, liability, and compliance costs, and, as a result, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations; our traffic growth, engagement, and monetization depend upon effective operation within and compatibility with operating systems, networks, devices, web browsers and standards, including mobile operating systems, networks, and standards that we do not control; our business depends on continued and unimpeded access to our content and services on the internet and, if we or those who engage with our content experience disruptions in internet service, or if internet service providers are able to block, degrade or charge for access to our content and services, we could incur additional expenses and the loss of traffic and advertisers; we face significant market competition, and if we are unable to compete effectively with our competitors for traffic and advertising spend, our business and operating results could be harmed; we rely on data from third parties to calculate certain of our performance metrics and real or perceived inaccuracies in such metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business; changes to our existing content and services could fail to attract traffic and advertisers or fail to generate revenue; we derive the majority of our revenue from advertising and the failure to attract new advertisers, the loss of existing advertisers, or the reduction of or failure by existing advertisers to maintain or increase their advertising budgets would adversely affect our business; we depend on third-party vendors, including internet service providers, advertising networks, and data centers, to provide core services; hosting and delivery costs may increase unexpectedly; we have offered and intend to continue to offer incentives, including economic incentives, to content creators to join our platform, and these arrangements may involve fixed payment obligations that are not contingent on actual revenue or performance metrics generated by the applicable content creator but rather are based on our modeled financial projections for that creator, which if not satisfied may adversely impact our financial performance, results of operations and liquidity; we may be unable to develop or maintain effective internal controls; potential diversion of management's attention and consumption of resources as a result of acquisitions of other companies and success in integrating and otherwise achieving the benefits of recent and potential acquisitions; we may fail to maintain adequate operational and financial resources or raise additional capital or generate sufficient cash flows; changes in tax rates, changes in tax treatment of companies engaged in e-commerce, the adoption of new tax legislation, or exposure to additional tax liabilities may adversely impact our financial results; compliance obligations imposed by new privacy laws, laws regulating social media platforms and online speech in certain jurisdictions in which we operate, or industry practices may adversely affect our business; and those additional risks, uncertainties and factors described in more detail under the caption "Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not intend, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation, to update any of our forward-looking statements after the issuance of this release to reflect any future events or circumstances. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Rumble on Social Media Investors and others should note that we announce material financial and operational information to our investors using our investor relations website ( investors.rumble.com ), press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. We also intend to use certain social media accounts as a means of disclosing information about us and our services and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD: the @rumblevideo X (formerly Twitter) account ( x.com/rumblevideo ), the @gamingonrumble X (formerly Twitter) account ( x.com/gamingonrumble ), the @rumble TRUTH Social account ( truthsocial.com/@rumble ), the @chrispavlovski X (formerly Twitter) account ( x.com/chrispavlovski ), and the @chris TRUTH Social account (truthsocial.com/@chris), which Chris Pavlovski, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, also uses as a means for personal communications and observations. The information we post through these social media channels may be deemed material. Accordingly, investors should monitor these social media channels in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. The social media channels that we intend to use as a means of disclosing the information described above may be updated from time to time as listed on our investor relations website.
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — 2024 was a brutal year for the Amazon rainforest, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought ravaging large parts of a biome that’s a critical counterweight to climate change. A warming climate fed drought that in turn fed the worst year for fires since 2005. And those fires contributed to deforestation, with authorities suspecting some fires were set to more easily clear land to run cattle. The Amazon is twice the size of India and sprawls across eight countries and one territory, storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide that would otherwise warm the planet. It has about 20% of the world’s fresh water and astounding biodiversity, including 16,000 known tree species. But governments have historically viewed it as an area to be exploited, with little regard for sustainability or the rights of its Indigenous peoples, and experts say exploitation by individuals and organized crime is rising at alarming rates. “The fires and drought experienced in 2024 across the Amazon rainforest could be ominous indicators that we are reaching the long-feared ecological tipping point,” said Andrew Miller, advocacy director at Amazon Watch, an organization that works to protect the rainforest. “Humanity’s window of opportunity to reverse this trend is shrinking, but still open.” There were some bright spots. The level of Amazonian forest loss fell in both Brazil and Colombia. And nations gathered for the annual United Nations conference on biodiversity agreed to give Indigenous peoples more say in nature conservation decisions. “If the Amazon rainforest is to avoid the tipping point, Indigenous people will have been a determinant factor," Miller said. Forest loss in Brazil’s Amazon — home to the largest swath of this rainforest — dropped 30.6% compared to the previous year, the lowest level of destruction in nine years. The improvement under leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva contrasted with deforestation that hit a 15-year high under Lula's predecessor, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who prioritized agribusiness expansion over forest protection and weakened environmental agencies. In July, Colombia reported historic lows in deforestation in 2023, driven by a drop in environmental destruction. The country's environment minister Susana Muhamad warned that 2024's figures may not be as promising as a significant rise in deforestation had already been recorded by July due to dry weather caused by El Nino, a weather phenomenon that warms the central Pacific. Illegal economies continue to drive deforestation in the Andean nation. “It’s impossible to overlook the threat posed by organized crime and the economies they control to Amazon conservation,” said Bram Ebus, a consultant for Crisis Group in Latin America. “Illegal gold mining is expanding rapidly, driven by soaring global prices, and the revenues of illicit economies often surpass state budgets allocated to combat them.” In Brazil, large swaths of the rainforest were draped in smoke in August from fires raging across the Amazon, Cerrado savannah, Pantanal wetland and the state of Sao Paulo. Fires are traditionally used for deforestation and for managing pastures, and those man-made blazes were largely responsible for igniting the wildfires. For a second year, the Amazon River fell to desperate lows , leading some countries to declare a state of emergency and distribute food and water to struggling residents. The situation was most critical in Brazil, where one of the Amazon River's main tributaries dropped to its lowest level ever recorded. Cesar Ipenza, an environmental lawyer who lives in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, said he believes people are becoming increasingly aware of the Amazon's fundamental role “for the survival of society as a whole." But, like Miller, he worries about a “point of no return of Amazon destruction.” It was the worst year for Amazon fires since 2005, according to nonprofit Rainforest Foundation US. Between January and October, an area larger than the state of Iowa — 37.42 million acres, or about 15.1 million hectares of Brazil’s Amazon — burned. Bolivia had a record number of fires in the first ten months of the year. “Forest fires have become a constant, especially in the summer months and require particular attention from the authorities who don't how to deal with or respond to them,” Ipenza said. Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana also saw a surge in fires this year. The United Nations conference on biodiversity — this year known as COP16 — was hosted by Colombia. The meetings put the Amazon in the spotlight and a historic agreement was made to give Indigenous groups more of a voice on nature conservation decisions , a development that builds on a growing movement to recognize Indigenous people's role in protecting land and combating climate change. Both Ebus and Miller saw promise in the appointment of Martin von Hildebrand as the new secretary general for the Amazon Treaty Cooperation Organization, announced during COP16. “As an expert on Amazon communities, he will need to align governments for joint conservation efforts. If the political will is there, international backers will step forward to finance new strategies to protect the world’s largest tropical rainforest,” Ebus said. Ebus said Amazon countries need to cooperate more, whether in law enforcement, deploying joint emergency teams to combat forest fires, or providing health care in remote Amazon borderlands. But they need help from the wider world, he said. “The well-being of the Amazon is a shared global responsibility, as consumer demand worldwide fuels the trade in commodities that finance violence and environmental destruction,” he said. Next year marks a critical moment for the Amazon, as Belém do Pará in northern Brazil hosts the first United Nations COP in the region that will focus on climate. “Leaders from Amazon countries have a chance to showcase strategies and demand tangible support," Ebus said. The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .Opposition leader Peter Dutton has announced the long-awaited costings of the Coalition's nuclear energy transition. The Coalition claims its "reliable" energy mix, which includes converting seven end-of-life coal-fired plants into nuclear reactors, will reduce energy bills by 44 per cent. "This will make electricity reliable, it will make it more consistent, cheaper, for Australians and it will help us decarbonise as a trading economy, as we must," Dutton told reporters on Friday. However the government's Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the plan has "three fatal errors". Frontier Economics modelled the Coalition's plan at $331 billion, $263 billion less than Labor's renewable transition, however, the figure is at odds with industry experts. Hidden costs? Cheaper energy? 'Farcical' locations? Debunking the hype around nuclear Bowen says the costings incorrectly assumed Australia will need less energy in 2050. He said Dutton had "rejected the work of the CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator, and fatally assumed there would be savings due to fewer transmission lines. "After months of talking about what nuclear would mean for energy bills, they couldn't even put a price on the impact of their plan on the average bills of Australians," Bowen said. He also disputed figures within the Coalition's plan, quoting the government's policy at $600 billion. Bowen argued the government plan would cost $122 billion, citing a forecast by the national energy grid operator. The Opposition's energy spokesperson Ted O'Brien defended the independent costings, stating that any exclusions were based on "what Labor has been modelling". "So people say something that been excluded like the cost of EVs and home batteries, well, that is because Labor's modelling excludes that and in order for us to compare their model to our model we had to adopt some of those basic assumptions," he said. Dutton said Labor's support for nuclear submarines meant there were "no safety concerns around nuclear", as he pushed for reversing Australia's nuclear energy ban. Power bill impact: The energy price decision affecting a million households Labor's plan is to boost renewables to 80 per cent of the grid by 2030 and increase the figure to 90 per cent by 2050, with the remainder made up of storage and gas. A crucial difference between the two proposals is energy output, with the Coalition's preferred plan producing 311TwH whereas Labor's Step Change plans to deliver 450Twh. CSIRO report casts doubt over Coalition costings A report released just ahead of Dutton unveiling the Coalition's modelling found deferring coal power station closures would increase Australia's carbon emissions in the medium term. For the seventh straight year, the GenCost 2024-25 report found renewable energy sources are the lowest-cost of any new-build electricity-generating technology. Nuclear energy generation would be 1.5 to two times more expensive than large-scale solar, according to the analysis by the national science agency CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator. Will nuclear lead to cheaper energy prices? Experts weigh in Experts have said energy market operators will need to establish new connection points to safely supply the national electricity grid. Frontier Economics cost Labor's transition around $600 billion. Energy Minister Chris Bowen has rubbished this number, saying the government's plan would cost $122 billion, citing a forecast made by the national energy grid operator. "They're making it up as they go along," Bowen told ABC TV of the Coalition's costings on Friday. Bowen said preliminary reports of the Coalition's plan ahead of Friday's full announcement that nuclear would need fewer transmission lines — therefore bringing down the estimated cost — was incorrect. Source: AAP "I'm not sure how they'll get the nuclear power into the grid, maybe by carrier pigeon if they're going to assert if somehow you'll need less transmission," he said. "They have had to make some very heroic assumptions here, and they have had to really stretch the truth to try to get some very dodgy figures." Keeping coal-fired power plants open beyond their lifespan was a threat to energy reliability, with outages and breakdowns happening on a daily basis, Bowen said. 'Misleading': Reaction to Coalition's nuclear plan The Coalition is pushing for an end to Australia's nuclear ban but has faced opposition from states who strongly support the government's renewable transition. The reaction from experts has been swift, with climate councillor and economist Nicki Hutley stating that the Coalition has "knowingly mislead Australians on true costs of nuclear". The Climate Council identified four ways the Coalition was "cooking the books", including underestimating costs, the timeline of reactors, not factoring the costs of keeping coal-fired generators operational and excluding costs such as a managing nuclear waste from their figures. 'Economic insanity' or 'cheaper electricity'? Peter Dutton reveals nuclear power locations Nuclear power doesn't stack up for Australian families or businesses, iron ore company Fortescue's executive chairman Andrew Forrest said on Friday. "As our national science agency has shown, 'firmed' solar and wind are the cheapest new electricity options for all Australians," he said in a statement. Forrest, who is a big player in the non-fossil fuels energy market, said that without continued action on "low-cost, high-efficiency renewable energy", Australians will be left with "pricier power and crumbling coal stations".
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