FIRST LOOK

Get your event, report, or webinar in front of the smartest, most informed morning newsletter readers around! Submit an item to be featured as a First Look here.

DOI Launches Official Review Of ANWR Lease Sales: The Interior Department launched its official review of oil and gas leasing in ANWR, the agency announced Tuesday. The Biden administration found "multiple legal deficiencies" in a prior review of the program's implementation under the Trump administration, and suspended lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in June. A public process will be used to determine the scope of the review. The Trump administration pushed through an ultimately lackluster sale of oil and gas leases in the immense, environmentally and culturally sensitive refuge in the final days before President Biden took office. (AP, Alaska Public Media, The Hill, E&E $, Politico Pro $)

EPA Announces New, More Diverse Science Advisory Board: The EPA announced the 47 new members of its Scientific Advisory Board Monday. Six members of the board served on its previous iteration, which Administrator Michael Regan dismissed in March to clear it of industry-backed members appointed by the Trump administration. EPA touted the new board as more representative of the country than any before. Of the 47 members, 22 are women and 16 are people of color. (The Hill, E&E $, Politico Pro $)

Climate Change Threatens North Korean Food, Global Security: Climate change could destabilize North Korea and, according to a joint report by the Council on Strategic Risks and the Woodwell Climate Research Center, that could be bad. While elites in the hermit kingdom seek refined fuel, fine suits, and top-shelf liquor from the outside world, the already food-insecure country is exceptionally vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Climate-fueled flooding and drought in the country's western bread basket threaten increased crop failures, while sea level rise could threaten nuclear facilities. This destabilization could make the regime feel more vulnerable, and thus might create, "a perverse incentive to increase the production of strategic weapons systems." (Climate threats: E&E $; Elite demands: Wall Street Journal $; Climate Signals background: Flooding, Drought, Sea level rise) 

BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL: Biden’s bipartisan win leaves progressives thirsting for more (Politico), in the infrastructure bill, a recognition: climate change is a crisis (New York Times $), bipartisan $1T Senate infrastructure bill focuses on nuclear, carbon capture, transmission (Utility Dive), bipartisan infrastructure deal wouldn’t remove all lead pipes (HuffPost), five key energy components of the bipartisan infrastructure bill (The Hill), infrastructure bill protects forests for climate resilience (E&E $), recycling industry hails 'major victory' in infrastructure bill (E&E $), some Republican senators snipe at $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill (Reuters), the infrastructure deal could create pipelines for captured CO2 (The Verge), infrastructure proposal creates a program to cut emissions. Critics say it’s missing major pieces. (Washington Post $)

COP26: Boris Johnson ‘missing in action’ ahead of vital climate talks, says Keir Starmer (The Guardian)

DENIAL: Seattle meteorologist Cliff Mass sparks controversy by diving into heat wave climate science (Seattle Times)

GONE FOREVER: Bolivia's lake Poopo dries up and scientists fear refill unlikely (Reuters)

ACTIVISM: The anti-MAGA movement: Rev. William Barber's quest to make America great, for once (The Root), Zürich protesters block entrances to Swiss banks that finance climate crisis (Democracy Now)

WHAT ARE NUMBERS, ANYWAY?: The dirty secret of carbon accounting that underpins climate goals (Bloomberg $)

OF COURSE THEY WILL: CenterPoint customers will pay price for pipeline company profits during Texas freeze (Houston Chronicle)

(DEATH) MARCH OF THE PENGUINS: Virtually all emperor penguins doomed for extinction by 2100 as climate change looms, study finds (Washington Post $, New York Times $, AP, E&E $), 98% of emperor penguin colonies could be extinct by 2100 as ice melts – can Endangered Species Act protection help them? (The Conversation)

WILDFIRES: Hot, gusty weather could mean explosive fire growth in West (AP), Forest Service in 'triage mode' as wildfires stretch crews (E&E $), after Tamarack Fire, the US plans new tactics to fight West’s flames (Wall Street Journal $), more Montana National Guard soldiers to help with wildfires (AP), smoke may cause unhealthy air quality in Southcentral and Interior Alaska, DEC says (Alaska Public Media), masters of desert survival, can saguaros survive wildfires? (New York Times $), strong winds threaten to whip up 'biggest ever' wildfire on Hawaii's Big Island; California blaze grows as temperatures rise (USA Today)

• BOOTLEG FIRE: Wildfire fighters advance against biggest US blaze amid dire warnings (The Guardian)
• DIXIE FIRE: Huge California fire grows as heat spikes again across state (AP)
• HAWAII: Record wildfire burns at least 40,000 acres on Hawaii’s Big Island, sets up mudslide danger (Washington Post $)
• TURKEY: Wildfires burn for a 7th day in coastal areas of Turkey (AP), forest fire closes in on Turkish power station (Reuters), ground temperatures reach a blistering 127 degrees in Turkey (Earther), Turkey’s Erdogan faces mounting criticism over wildfires (AP)
• GREECE: Crews race to contain fire near Athens after thousands flee (AP, AP)

EPA: 19 AGs to EPA: Roll back Trump's clean-water rule ASAP (Reuters)

DOE: Energy department targets Trump rollbacks on appliance efficiency (The Hill)

DOI: The Biden administration won’t explain its handout to big coal (HuffPost), Interior to redo oil and gas leasing NEPA review (E&E $)

THE HILL: Democrats scramble for cash to cover Biden’s $3.5T plan (Politico Pro $), Democrats aim to boost solar roof tiles in US budget bill (Reuters), Republican NEPA reform bills proliferate (E&E $)

SENATE: Warren demands answers from Treasury climate coordinator (Politico Pro $, Axios), Democrats seek $500 billion in climate damages from big polluting companies (New York Times $), Senate rejects Barrasso building code limitation push (Politico Pro $), the Senate's bipartisan infrastructure gang saddles up for one last ride (Politico Pro $)

POLITICS: Seven-figure ad campaign urges GOP to support infrastructure bill (The Hill), Schumer weaponizes August recess to advance Biden agenda (Politico Pro $), climate groups to launch multi-state tour in push for major climate legislation (Washington Post $)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Barrasso knocks Biden picks for DOE, Interior roles (Politico Pro $), infrastructure bill debate delays action on EPA nominees (E&E $)

CALIFORNIA: The carbon cost of California’s most prolific oil fields (InsideClimate News), California governor moves to free up electricity supply amid projected 3.5 GW summer shortfall (Utility Dive)

ELECTIONS: Trump-backed coal exec, moderate Dem win Ohio races (E&E $)

IMPACTS: Mudslides, worsened by climate change, shut down a vital Colorado highway (NPR, Earther), Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ larger than expected (E&E $), climate change is already disrupting US forests and coasts – here’s what we’re seeing at 5 long-term research sites (The Conversation)

NOW IT'S REALLY A CRISIS: This year’s summer of climate extremes hits wealthier places (AP)

FEEDBACK LOOPS: Siberian heatwave led to new methane emissions, study says (The Guardian)

HEAT: Heat waves to drastically worsen in Northern Hemisphere, studies warn (Washington Post $), Fairbanks hits 88 degrees, crushing  temperature record set more than a century ago (Alaska Public Media), heat emergency brings record temperature and fires to southern Europe (New York Times $, Democracy Now)

DROUGHT: Starving cows. Fallow farms. The Arizona drought is among the worst in the country (LA Times $), California cuts off thousands of Valley farmers from river water as drought intensifies (Sacramento Bee $), California town says the worsening drought is drying up its water supply (CBS), facing severe droughts, developers seek to reuse the water they have (New York Times $), states are considering paying people to keep their water in the Colorado river. Some don’t think they can afford it (Colorado Public Radio), 'you pray for rain': low rivers stressing irrigators, recreationists — and potentially, critters (MPR)

INSURANCE: 28% of people drop flood insurance within 5 years, GAO says (E&E $), California farmers struggle to secure wildfire insurance coverage (Modern Farmer)

RED TIDE: What is red tide? Florida’s algae blooms may have a climate change link (Teen Vogue), hundreds of sharks swarm Florida canal to escape red tide (HuffPost)

ADVERTISING: Exxon invaded my Roku (Earther)

RENEWABLES: Corporate renewable energy sourcing is ramping up across Europe (Energy Monitor), climate or U.S.-made solar? Biden faces tariff showdown (E&E $), here's how we can build clean power infrastructure at huge scale and breakneck speed (Canary Media), Illinois law makes it tougher for HOAs to block homeowners’ solar projects (Energy News Network), Massachusetts grants focus on equity in offshore wind workforce development (Energy News Network), the glass is barely half full on clean energy capital (Axios)

BATTERIES: Western Australia takes step-up in battery chemicals production (Reuters)

OIL & GAS: Riding the oil price rebound: Gulf states to accelerate asset sales (Reuters), BP caps Big Oil's earnings recovery (Axios), BP to buy back $1.4bn of shares and raises dividend as rising oil price boosts profits (The Guardian), BP shares climb after payout boost, energising transition (Reuters), natural gas is looking like this summer’s hottest commodity (Wall Street Journal $)

FINANCE: Shale drillers leave $12B on table with bad oil bets (E&E $), debt investors retreat from funding dirty energy (Axios)

PIPELINES: Keystone XL is dead, but legal war isn't over (E&E $)

COAL: Prudential in talks to buy out and shut coal-fired plants in Asia (The Guardian), the number of producing US coal mines fell in 2020, according to EIA (Houston Chronicle)

UTILITIES: Despite one big dissent, Minnesota utilities approve of coal plant sale. But obstacles remain (InsideClimate News), PG&E says its equipment possibly linked to another fire (AP)

EVs: ‘What’s the fuss? No fuss!’: readers on their electric vehicles (The Guardian), Uber rival launches NYC’s first all-EV ride-share service (E&E $)

ICE CARS: White House to roll out car rules tomorrow — sources (E&E $), fuel-efficiency standards are set to get tougher. The question is by how much. (Wall Street Journal $)

BOTANICAL METALLURGY: Plant-based metal? The mining industry could get a sustainable makeover. (Grist)

AVIATION: DHL to add Eviation's electric cargo planes to its fleet (Axios)

AGRICULTURE: Indigenous rancher is a 125th-generation land steward (Yale Climate Connections), reforestation hopes threaten global food security, Oxfam warns (The Guardian)

CARBON CAPTURE: Carbon capture gains steam as advocates press for more (E&E $), climate groups, unions push Congress for carbon capture funding in infrastructure bills (Axios)

GORDON GEKKO CALLING: Ex-Enron trader discovers greed is good—for the environment (Bloomberg $)

WILDLIFE: Majestic pink spoonbill birds seen in D.C. area, far from Floridian habitat (Washington Post $), US plans 50% more wild horse roundups amid Western drought (AP)

INTERNATIONAL: China sticks to goal of having carbon emissions peak by 2030 (AP), Germany's Greens pitch climate ministry to boost faltering campaign (Reuters), in Pakistan city, green scheme for polluting bus owners inches along (Thomson Reuters Foundation), Indonesia begins work on Southeast Asia's largest floating solar plant (Reuters), oil-producing Oman pledges 2% emissions reduction by 2030 (Climate Home)

• The West is on fire. It's past time to act on climate change. (New York Times, Kate Brown op-ed $)
• A clean energy transition won't be equitable unless we make it that way (The Hill, Andreas Karelas op-ed)
• Pacoima Beautiful, water and heat in the San Fernando Valley (Maven's Notebook, Andres Ramirez and Dora Frietze-Armenta interview)
• The offshore wind lease auction process needs a desperate fix (Utility Dive, Dean Koujak op-ed)
• Are extreme events worse than climate scientists projected? (The Hill, Friederike Otto op-ed)
• America faces cascading crises. Democrats must act. (Washington Post, Katrina vanden Heuvel $)
• Britain could be taking the lead in tackling the climate crisis. Where’s the ambition? (The Guardian, Keir Starmer op-ed)
• It's time we recognize our mutual vulnerability (The Hill, Peter Cannavò op-ed)
• Those of us who live and work in the outdoors need a climate of hope (The Hill, Todd Tanner op-ed)

‘The Debate’: Is Newsweek’s Newest Podcast Stupid On Purpose Because It’s Just Rightwing Propaganda? Or Is That Just Coincidence?

Yesterday, legacy media institution Newsweek apparently made a bid to travel back in time, to when it was still relevant and climate change was still a matter of debate, with a pair of op-eds. One is based in reality, in which Woodwell Climate Research Center’s communications officer Heather Goldstone describes the threat posed by climate change.

The other is rife with errors, out of date and misleading citations, and is from Heartland’s James Taylor. No, not the singer-songwriter, but instead a man who has, for years, been exposed as fossil fuel shill paid by the industry to spread disinformation on climate change. 

Why would Newsweek publish obvious disinformation from a career liar? First, because Newsweek now is not the Newsweek you likely remember. They were bought by a shady cult a few years ago and have since started turning more fully to rightwing conspiracy mongering. Their latest effort appears to be a new podcast, from which Goldstone and Taylor’s pieces were excerpted. 

It's called "The Debate" and they're very obviously just doing outrage-bait to generate controversy with topics on guns, voting rights, cancel culture, pot, #MeToo, and our favorite, whether "the ruling class" has "sold America out." That one features a guest who's former CIA and another from the Koch-funded AEI. Somehow, they both "agree violently" that "people are losing faith in the American elite and the institutions that harbor them." (We guess if anyone knows about the elite ruling class selling out America, it's the people who sold themselves out to the elite!)

And that was our assessment before finding a Heritage foundation podcast with Newsweek’s opinion editor and The Debate producer, Josh Hammer, recorded at the conservative-troll-farm Turning Point USA’s in-person summer summit in Tampa. 

It turns out that in addition to being an editor at Newsweek, Hammer is a lawyer for the “Internet Accountability Project” (dedicated to pushing the lie that social media is too mean to conservatives) and a fellow at the far-right Edmund Burke Foundation, which is basically the Dutch version of Heritage or Heartland. 

Feel free to listen to the podcast or read the transcript for the details, but the short version is: Hammer is a die-hard professional conservative, and his co-host on the left is Batya Ungar-Sargon, who Hammer describes as “an anti-woke liberal.” So, The Debate appears set up to have conservatives who hate liberals on one hand, and liberals who hate liberals on the other. Wow! 

Unfortunately, this isn’t even the newest attempt by the right to pass itself off as mainstream and find ways to bypass the fact-checking in mainstream media. 

According to a story at The Washington Times yesterday, a columnist for the Washington Times is starting a news aggregator website to rival Drudge. The columnist, Joseph Curl, told his (still) employer of his new venture, “the internet needs an editor to cull the very best stories and present them on a single site. That will be the sole mission of Off the Press.” 

Curl wants to create something “consumers can trust”, and said that “its perspective will be mainly conservative” but still, “will include coverage from all political angles.” 

Oh really? The best stories, from all political angles? Well let’s just pop over to Off The Press and see what we have. 

Ah, well in the top-left column is an “IRONY ALERT” that refers to Reuters and the Associated Press (which is so mainstream their style guide is basically the entire industry’s standard) as “liberal news outlets” in a link to TownHall. A few links later, it linked to an AP story (syndicated to Yahoo) about climate and clean energy not being in the bipartisan/Exxon’s infrastructure bill, under a “unfilled promises” section. So like Koch/Newsweek’s The Debate podcast, Off The Press seems intent to present both sides of the political spectrum, so long as they’re both criticizing liberals. 

Most egregiously, and perhaps most indicative of the editorial standards (or lack thereof) required for aspiring conservative media outlets, is a link out to tweets by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Accompanied by a tightly cropped picture of some snacks, the headline from Off the Press reads “MTG Hits AOC Over Piles of Garbage Left After Capitol Protest.” 

But AOC didn’t leave piles of neatly stacked pizza box “garbage” on the Capitol steps. Greene had just taken screenshots of pictures of Rep. Cori Bush’s overnight protest, cropped out the Rep. sitting right next to said trash supposedly “left after” the protest.

That said, Greene is right that all too often there is garbage on the Capitol steps. 

It’s just a shame people keep electing them.

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 ($)