- Shohei Ohtani’s Contract Negotiations Reach Final Stretch: Two-way star Shohei Ohtani, the reigning American League MVP, is reportedly in the final stages of negotiations in MLB free agency. Discussions are expected to involve a small group of teams in Los Angeles, including the Dodgers, Cubs, Blue Jays, Angels, and Giants. Despite a season-ending injury, Ohtani has been a standout player, with expectations for his contract to possibly exceed $500 million, potentially making it the biggest in MLB history.
- Philanthropies Invest $450 Million to Tackle Methane Emissions: At the sidelines of the COP28 summit, nearly a dozen philanthropies, including the Bezos Earth Fund and Bloomberg Philanthropies, announced a $450 million investment over three years to assist in national actions against methane emissions. This move comes as countries prepare to announce plans to curb methane emissions, a significant contributor to global warming. Despite commitments by over 150 countries to reduce methane emissions, data suggests that overall emissions have not decreased significantly.
- US Joins Alliance to Abandon Coal: The United States, along with the Czech Republic, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, Iceland, Kosovo, and Norway, announced at COP28 their decision to join the global alliance to abandon coal. This move, seen as symbolic due to the U.S.’s large coal capacity, is expected to encourage disinvestment in coal and shift towards renewable energy sources. However, experts criticize the 2035 target date for complete coal abandonment as insufficient to meet Paris Agreement goals.
