🚨🚨🚨JOURNALISTS & EDITORS🚨🚨🚨

The deadline to register for an embargoed copy of the IPCC's upcoming report is July 30th. Start now, you'll need to submit a letter of assignment. Instructions are here.

Deadly Flooding In Zhengzhou, China After A Year Of Rain Falls In 3 Days: More than two dozen people have been killed by catastrophic flash flooding in central China in recent days. At least a dozen people drowned in the subway in Zhengzhou, Henan province, and about 100,000 people have been evacuated. Social media videos showed extreme flooding that turned cars into bathtub toys — as well as the harrowing rescue of 150 children and teachers from a flooded kindergarten. The city was deluged by 24.3" (617.1mm) of rain — 96% of its annual average — in just three days from Saturday to Tuesday. The extreme rainfall, and the severe heatwaves that strained the province's electrical grid just days prior, are both clear signals of the climate crisis, caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels. "Such extreme weather events will likely become more frequent in the future," Johnny Chan, a professor of atmospheric science at City University of Hong Kong, told Reuters. (Reuters, New York Times $, Washington Post $, BBC, The Guardian, France24, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg $; Recent heatwaves: Bloomberg $; Climate Signals background: Extreme precipitation increase; Extreme heat and heatwaves)

Voting Rights And Environmental Protection Are Inextricable: Efforts to suppress the voting rights of communities of color will hamstring efforts to combat climate change and mitigate environmental racism, Politico reports. People of color support clean energy and climate policies far more than white voters, and the harms caused by pollution are disproportionately forced on communities of color, thanks to the legacy and continuation of racist disenfranchisement and disposession policies and practices across the United States. "We know Black and brown people are more likely to vote for the policies that we really need to save our environment," said Heather McTeer Toney, a former EPA official under the Obama administration who is now a senior adviser to Moms Clean Air Force. “An attack on voting rights and attempts for voter suppression [also] equates to voter suppression for the climate community,” she added. (Politico)

Extreme Heat Threatens To 'Compromise The Very Essence Of' Islam: The risk to Muslim pilgrims embarking on the hajj posed by extreme heat worsened by global warming could increase five-fold with just a 2.7°F (1.5°C) increase over preindustrial levels, a new study in Environmental Research Letters shows. With 4.32°F (2.4°C) of warming, the risk of life threatening heat stroke doubles again. Temperatures in Mecca are expected to hit 111°F (44°C) this week as a COVID-limited 60,000 pilgrims complete the trek. Completing the annual hajj pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites in Saudi Arabia is once-in-a-lifetime duty for able-bodied Muslims who can afford it. The extreme heat, and the health risks it poses, "will compromise the very essence of this religion," Fahad Saeed, lead author of the study, told Thomson Reuters. (Thomson Reuters Foundation; Current temps: Bloomberg $; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves) 

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Shell to appeal landmark Dutch court ruling on climate goals (Bloomberg $, The Guardian, FT $)

COP26: COP26 must be 'pivotal' to tackling climate change, says US envoy (Reuters)

NEW REPORTS: Global COVID-19 recovery plans aren't very green, analyses show (Axios)

• EIA: Emissions will hit record high by 2023 if green recovery fails, says IEA (The Guardian, Reuters, FT $, The Hill, Bloomberg $)
• BNEF: ‘Reckless’: G20 states subsidised fossil fuels by $3tn since 2015, says report (The Guardian), the world’s road fuel demand to peak years earlier than expected (Bloomberg $)

NOTHING TO SEE HERE: After Kelcy Warren’s Energy Transfer Partners made billions from the deadly Texas Blackouts, he gave $1 million to Greg Abbott (Texas Observer)

READ THE DENIER ROUNDUP FOR MORE: How a powerful US lobby group helps big oil to block climate action (The Guardian)

PIPELINES: In push to supply Tesla, Piedmont Lithium irks North Carolina neighbors (Reuters), how Va. [Mountain Valley] pipeline ruling may reshape environmental justice (E&E $), new TSA security directive requires pipeline companies to implement cyber best practices (Politico Pro $, The Hill)

AGENCIES: White House instructs agencies on environmental justice goals (Politico Pro $, E&E $), Haaland to visit relocated BLM headquarters in Colorado (Politico Pro $, E&E $)

THE HILL: Democrats coalesce around Civilian Climate Corps contours (Politico Pro $, The Hill), Schumer backs Civilian Climate Corps in reconciliation deal (Politico Pro $), White House throws support behind House bill aimed at tackling 'forever chemicals' (The Hill)

HOUSE: Democrats block Republican amendments to PFAS bill (E&E $)

SENATE: Senate to plow ahead with infrastructure vote tomorrow (E&E $)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden will not back down on climate plans, says environmental agency chief (FT $), John Kerry warns ‘time is running out’ to address climate crisis, calling the last 30 years a ‘failure’ (CNN, Axios, Reuters, The Guardian, The Independent, Thomson Reuters Foundation), John Kerry urges China to help break climate ‘suicide pact’ (Bloomberg $)

INFRASTRUCTURE BILL(S): Democrats unveil carbon border tax plan (Axios, E&E $), can the US impose a border tax without pricing carbon? (E&E $)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Extremist or bridge-builder? A brawl over [Tracy Stone Manning,] Biden’s pick to oversee public lands. (New York Times $), Manchin sets vote on BLM nominee [Tracy Stone-Manning], expresses support (E&E $, The Hill), Biden taps climate finance hawk [Graham Steele] for Treasury (E&E $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: US-German deal on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline expected soon (Wall Street Journal $), US seeks cooperation with China on climate but not at any price (The Guardian)

CITIES AND STATES: 4 US cities join global effort to expand tree canopy (E&E $), 'communities know best': climate solutions in the South Bay start with listening (KQED)

FERC: Cost allocation remains key challenge for FERC ahead of transmission reform, Glick says (Utility Dive)

IMPACTS: As scientists have long predicted, warming is making heatwaves more deadly (Yale Climate Connections), scientists are worried by how fast the climate crisis has amplified extreme weather (CNN), as climate impacts surge, UN science report to examine 'black swan' events (Thomson Reuters Foundation), California weighs first step in 'managed retreat' from rising Pacific (Thomson Reuters Foundation), on the heels of Europe’s devastating floods, scientists warn more is yet to come (Grist)

EURO FLOODS: After fatal floods, German authorities face criticism for lack of preparation (Climate Home), floods lay bare Europe's 'gigantic task' in averting future climate damage (Reuters)

HEAT: The Northern Hemisphere has a punishing heat wave infestation (Washington Post $), this summer could change our understanding of extreme heat (National Geographic), the Grand Canyon can get dangerously hot (Yale Climate Connections), UK weather: heatwave health alert for England extended to Friday (The Guardian)

DROUGHT: One of America’s hottest cities is down to one water well. What happens if the taps go dry? (LA Times $), a drought so dire that a Utah town pulled the plug on growth (New York Times $), dramatic photos from NASA highlight severity of California’s drought (LA Times $), drought puts Amazon at risk of ‘large-scale dieback’, researchers warn (FT $), thousands of wells could go dry in California as most of the state experiences extreme drought (PBS NewsHour)

WILDFIRES, US: Extreme fire behavior has erupted in the West. Here’s what that means. (Washington Post $), wildfires mushroom in West amid heat, drought, prompting evacuations (Axios), resources pushed to limit as wildfires burn across US and Canada (Axios, AP), dramatic video shows strong winds fanning flames of Beckwourth Fire (ABC), see how wildfire smoke spread across the United States (New York Times $, AP, Bloomberg $, Gizmodo, New York Times $), wildfire smoke pouring into Mid-Atlantic prompts air-quality alert for D.C. and Baltimore (Washington Post $), South Dakota forest waits its turn on summer wildfires (E&E $), Western wildfires delay hundreds of flights: report (The Hill), couple charged in California fire sparked by gender reveal (AP), monster [Bootleg] wildfire tests years of forest management efforts (AP), here’s what to know about dry thunderstorms and how they increase wildfire risk (Washington Post $), Oregon governor says climate change is fueling wildfires (New York Times $)

WILDFIRES, SIBERIA: ‘Airpocalypse’ hits Siberian city as heatwave sparks forest fires (The Guardian), ‘everything is on fire’: Siberia hit by unprecedented burning (The Guardian) 

WILDLIFE: Climate crisis threatens access to nutrients in fish, study finds (The Guardian), on California’s coast, Black abalone, already vulnerable to climate change, are increasingly threatened by wildfire (InsideClimate News), world’s coral scientists warn action is needed now to save even a few reefs from climate change (The Conversation)

RENEWABLES: Condo owners’ appeal could be last legal hurdle for offshore wind in Great Lakes (Energy News Network), DOE jobs report: EVs up, but unions back fossil fuels (E&E $), The world’s number 1 in geothermal electricity, Kenya aims to export its know-how (Bloomberg $), wind energy CEOs warn G20 leaders over climate targets (FT $, Bloomberg $), wind turbine blades get recycled into auto parts and sports gear (Bloomberg $)

REALLY, DUDE?: Solar executive with ocean views sues Vineyard Wind (E&E $, Reuters)

BATTERIES: In push to supply Tesla, Piedmont Lithium irks North Carolina neighbors (Reuters)

NUKES: The US Army tried portable nuclear power at remote bases 60 years ago – it didn’t go well (The Conversation)

COAL: Large Midwest coal plant to shut down in wake of key grid auction (E&E $), Vistra plans to retire 1.3-GW Zimmer coal plant in Ohio five years early (S&P Global)

UTILITIES: APS launches incentive to tap 80% of residential customers' battery capacity during peak demand (Utility Dive), Elliott demands Duke improve performance in Florida, Indiana; says C-suite driven by 'self-interest' (Utility Dive), PG&E says its equipment possibly linked to big wildfire (AP)

CARBON PRICING: Carbon accounting is hard. These startups want to make it easier (Canary Media)

CARBON CAPTURE: Carbon capture is expected to play a pivotal role in the race to net zero emissions. But not everyone agrees (CNBC), putting carbon back underground (Bloomberg $), will the Democrats’ climate legislation hinge on carbon capture? (InsideClimate News)

MINERALS: The novel material that’s shrinking phone chargers, powering up electric cars, and making 5G possible (Wall Street Journal $)

FINANCE: BlackRock barges into corporate boardrooms (Politico), BlackRock: lack of diversity, independence drove critical board votes (Reuters), Blackrock voted against 255 directors for climate issues (Bloomberg $), the next big financial crisis could be triggered by climate change – but central banks can prevent it (The Conversation)

SHIPPING: The hidden toll of shipping (Gizmodo)

INTERNATIONAL: Africa’s green superpower: why Gabon wants markets to help tackle climate change (FT $), French lawmakers adopt compromise climate bill amid protests (AP, New York Times $)

LOGICAL PHALLUSY: Bezos says space flight reinforced commitment to fighting climate change (Axios), Jeff Bezos: 'we need to move all polluting industry into space' (Gizmodo)

SPACE (DISG)RACE: ‘Whitey On The Moon’: Gil Scott-Heron’s poem resonates as billionaires race to space (NewsOne), Democrat proposes taxes on commercial space flights for nonscientific purposes (The Hill)

• The Democrat blocking progressive change is beholden to big oil. Surprised? (The Guardian, Alex Kotch op-ed)
• Clean electricity standard should be a no brainer amid extreme climate impacts (The Hill, Andreas Karelas op-ed)
• Feeling the drought on my family farm (LA Times, David Mas Masumoto op-ed $)
• We are just 5 feet away from the possibility of deeper water cuts to save Lake Mead (AZ Central, Joanna Allhands op-ed)
• Developing nations need help to quit coal addiction: Kemp (Reuters, John Kemp column)
• Worsening climate extremes and failing infrastructure are inexorably intertwined (The Hill, Jonathan Overpeck op-ed)
• We can no longer say floods are an act of God (FT, Joy Lo Dico op-ed $)
• The poor pay more for energy — the US can correct the imbalance (The Hill, Philippe Benoit and David Hill op-ed)

After Exxon Lobbyist Admits It Uses API As Front For Fake Studies To Buy Time, API Publishes New Fake Study

At the start of July, an ExxonMobil lobbyist was caught on tape talking about how they use front groups like the American Petroleum Institute to argue on their behalf, using the group as an “umbrella” to hide their lobbying. In this case, it was about toxic forever chemicals that the government was considering regulating, but to stall things, Exxon, through API, pushed for just a study of the issue. “And that damps down the rhetoric. It damps down the excitement. And we start having a conversation with the API and the coalition to say: ‘Look, let’s propose a study. Let’s see if we can get a study.’” 

They got that study, and he said “that completely lowered the temperature” and gave them a talking point to further stall legislative efforts: “let’s wait for the results of that study before we start moving forward on this.” 

Having been exposed as the oil industry’s “umbrella” that does things like push for studies as a bad faith excuse for delaying action, what was API’s response? 

Apparently to cook up another “study” about how wonderfully amazing natural gas and oil are for the country’s economy. Supposedly the industry “supports 11.3 million total American jobs in 2019 across all 50 states” with a “total impact on U.S. GDP” that added up to $1.7 trillion, or “nearly 8 percent of the national total in 2019.” 

Left unsaid, of course, was the oil and gas industry’s share of American greenhouse gas emissions. According to the EIA, “in 2019, fossil fuels were the source of about 74% of total U.S. human-caused (anthropogenic) greenhouse gas emissions.” 

Whoopsies! Turns out the fossil fuel industry’s share of the climate problem is nearly ten times greater than its share of GDP, illustrating just how hard it will be to keep the climate safe if we don’t bring fossil fuel emissions down to zero. 

But despite its newfound desire to look like it’s playing nice on climate, API’s report on the “impacts of the oil and natural gas industry on the US economy in 2019” had nothing to say about climate change or greenhouse gasses. It somehow didn’t seem worth mentioning that the oil and gas industry, if allowed to pollute unabated, would likely cause so much warming it’d cost the US over 10% of its GDP by the end of this century, and definitely didn’t bring up that 2019 alone saw 14 weather and climate disasters that each cost over a billion dollars. (And for those keeping score at home, 22 billion dollar disasters in 2020!)

But who would expect them to? Certainly not anyone who read Chris McGreal’s recent Guardian story about API’s history of turning oil companies' money into organized climate denial campaigns. 

So if you’re wondering what kind of stuff Shell gets in exchange for donating $10 million to API, along with other oil companies who aren’t disclosing such figures, take a look at the report API commissioned from PwC. No doubt analysts whose paychecks aren’t coming from the oil industry would see plenty of misleading omissions, distortions and errors, whereas clever political pundits might have thoughts about the 14 states chosen for extra attention. Could it be that the states selected were heavily reliant on fossil fuels, biasing the findings? 

If this were an actual peer-reviewed study, and not just called a study commissioned by API in hopes people don’t realize it’s an oil-funded analysis to make the industry look good, those questions might have been answered. 

Of course, as McGreal reports, “API is also fighting a growing number of lawsuits, led by the state of Minnesota, alleging that the trade group was at the heart of a decades-long ‘disinformation campaign’ on behalf of big oil to deny the threat from fossil fuels.”

We’re inclined to agree with everything, except of course the “was,” which makes it sound like, at some point, API stopped being at the heart of the industry’s disinformation campaigns.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up to receive Hot News every morning!

Send updates or feedback to nkauffman@climatenexus.org
Submit events and other items for consideration for a First Look using this form
Some articles require logins or subscriptions ($)