Welcome to the foreign-policy edition of our Axios AM Deep Dive series on the new Washington. Our guide is Dave Lawler, author of our twice-weekly Axios World newsletter, joined by other top Axios specialists.
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Apr. 22, 2021 03:57PM EST
Greta Thunberg criticizes "loopholes" in climate commitments at Biden summit
Climate activist Greta Thunberg released a video Thursday denouncing world leaders for the "hypothetical targets" announced at President Biden's virtual climate summit this week.
Why it matters: The virtual summit came hours before Thunberg urged U.S. lawmakers "to listen to and act on the science" in testimony before a House Oversight Committee panel.
- "These targets could be a great start," Thunberg said in the four-minute-long clip, "if it wasn't for the fact that they're full of gaps and loopholes."
Thunberg lambasted the leaders for "leaving out emissions from consumption of imported goods, as well as international aviation, shipping and the burning of biomass; using baseline manipulation; excluding most tipping points and feedback loops; and ignoring global aspects of equity and historic emissions."
- "They will call these hypothetical targets ambitious. But when you compare our insufficient targets with the overall current best available science, you clearly see that there's a gap. There are decades missing."
- The Swedish activist said the goals are "reliant on future, fantasy-scaled, currently barely-existing negative emissions technologies."
State of play: Biden announced on Thursday the U.S. would seek to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50%-52% by 2030 relative to 2005 levels — about twice as ambitious as a goal set during the Obama administration.
- Leaders in Brazil, Canada and Japan also announced new targets at the summit.
The bottom line: "The point ... is that we can keep cheating in order to pretend that these targets are in line with what is needed," Thunberg said. "But while we can others and even ourselves, we cannot fool nature and physics."
- "The emissions are still there, whether we choose to count them or not."
Go deeper: All the new emissions targets announced at Biden’s climate summit
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Apr. 07, 2021 02:14PM EST
EU regulator finds "possible" link between AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded Wednesday that "unusual blood clots with low blood platelets" should be listed as a "very rare" side effect of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, but that the benefits of the shot still outweigh the risks.
Why it matters: The AstraZeneca vaccine is the centerpiece of the global COVAX initiative, and one of the very few vaccines that is available, affordable and easy to store for many developing countries.
- The concerns about AstraZeneca in Europe have already spread to countries in Africa, some of which have delayed their rollouts and warned of increased vaccine hesitancy.
- The vaccine has already been administered to over 20 million people in Europe, and has played a key role in Britain's world-leading vaccine rollout.
What they're saying: "EMA is reminding healthcare professionals and people receiving the vaccine to remain aware of the possibility of very rare cases of blood clots combined with low levels of blood platelets occurring within 2 weeks of vaccination," the agency said in a statement.
- Most of the cases reported so far have occurred in women under 60 years of age within two weeks of vaccination, according to the EMA. Specific risk factors are unconfirmed.
- The blood clots occurred in veins in the brain and the abdomen, the EMA reports, and people who develop symptoms of this combination of blood clots and low blood platelets should seek immediate medical assistance.
The bottom line: The regulator still concluded that the benefits outweigh the risks and that the vaccine is effective at preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations and death.
This story is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
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