FIRST LOOK:

Join Al Roker and Savannah Sellers of NBC News for the first annual Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards, celebrating the best climate reporting of 2020. Wednesday, October 6, at 4:00pm ET.

Nobel Prize Awarded For Work That Laid Foundation Of Climate Modeling: Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their research on complex systems like climate change. The prize was split, with one half going to Giorgio Parisi of Italy for “the discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic to planetary scales.” The Nobel Committee awarded the other half to Syukuro Manabe, originally from Japan, and Klaus Hasselmann of Germany for their work in “the physical modeling of Earth’s climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming.” Manabe's work beginning in the 1960s laid the foundation for current climate modeling and Hasselmann helped explain why climate modeling can be reliable despite the apparent chaos of weather. “Physics-based climate models made it possible to predict the amount and pace of global warming, including some of the consequences like rising seas, increased extreme rainfall events and stronger hurricanes, decades before they could be observed," German climate scientist Stefan Rahmstorf told the AP. "We now witnessing how [Manabe and Hasselmann's] early predictions are coming true one after the other.” (AP, NPR, The Guardian, Reuters, New York Times $, Washington Post $)

Urban Heat Exposure Has Tripled: Extreme heat exposure suffered by the world's urban population tripled from 1983-2016, driven largely by climate change, a study published Monday in PNAS revealed. Researchers measured the number of person-days cities reached a wet-bulb temperature of 86°F (30°C), which is about 106°F on the "real feel" heat index. The skyrocketing number of urban person-days is also due in part to urbanization. Cities along the Gulf Coast are seeing more person-days of extreme heat exposure disproportionately due to climate change, as are Baghdad, Cairo, Mumbai, and cities across Europe where populations have stayed relatively stable. Across the board, extreme heat exposure harms historically excluded groups and in the U.S. is exacerbated by racist practices like redlining. In addition to "swiftly and deeply reducing global heat-trapping emissions [and] implementing measures that reduce the urban heat island effect," Kristina Dahl, a researcher at UCS told Earther, "residents should be protected from utility shutoffs during heat waves so that they can use those at-home cooling options even in cases where they may be behind on their utility bills.” (Gizmodo, Axios, The Verge, The Conversation; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves)

Corporates Shrink From Climate Action: Major corporations and businesses that have previously burnished their images by claiming to support action to address the climate crisis are shrinking from effort to enact legislation to do just that, E&E News reports. A case in point, while Amazon has made numerous and widely publicized proclamations of its pledge to curb climate change, it tweeted its support for the Build Back Better Act from its public policy account (~15,500 followers), not it's news account (~196,000 followers), or its main account (~3.9 million). Amazon is not alone, Walmart and Apple have also been reluctant to support the bill that would invest in goals they claim to share while other corporate actors like JPMorgan have been silent. Amazon and JPMorgan are members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – and officials from Facebook and Microsoft sit on its board. The Chamber is leading the corporate assault against the Build Back Better Act, which includes major investments to stem the tide of climate change. "If [these companies] are going to be consistent with the commitments that they’ve made," Vanderbilt law professor Michael Vandenbergh told E&E News, "they need to support this legislation. And that they are vulnerable to being called out as hypocrites if they don’t.” As of Tuesday morning, Amazon's tweet had been retweeted 18 times. (E&E News)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Congress promised debt relief to farmers of color. They might not get it. (Grist), whitewashing organics (Atmos)

COP26: Climate scientists hit with steep COP26 bill (Politico Pro $), Al Gore: China could surprise the world at Glasgow climate talks (Reuters), Pope, faith leaders sign joint climate appeal before summit (AP), how do thousands prepare for a climate summit? with difficulty. (New York Times $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: GCF considers renewed partnership with UNDP, amid corruption investigations (Climate Home)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Is it time for the world court to weigh in on climate change? (InsideClimate News)

NEWS YOU CAN USE: As gas prices soar, people are mulling alternatives to heating their homes. Here's what to know (CNN)

WHAT PANDEMIC?: Fossil fuel demand shakes off pandemic in blow to climate fight (Reuters)

IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT: It’s not just you: everyone is Googling ‘climate anxiety’ (Grist)

CALIFORNIA OIL SPILL: In California oil spill, pipeline critics find a way to push Biden (Washington Post $), California officials warn of 'catastrophe' after major oil spill (E&E $, FT $, CBS, NBC, ABC), California oil spill may close beaches for months (Axios), California Democrats blast offshore drilling in oil spill's wake (The Hill, Politico Pro $), before O.C. oil spill, platform owner faced bankruptcy, history of regulatory problems (LA Times $), Huntington Beach oil spill blackens beaches and waves – in pictures (The Guardian, Washington Post $, AP PHOTOS), California spill came 52 years after historic oil disaster (AP), oil spills have marred the California coast — and shaped our politics (LA Times $), ship’s anchor among possible causes of California oil spill (AP, LA Times $), birds, wetlands may bear early brunt of California spill (AP)

AGENCIES: Forest Service faces new pressure to boost timber harvests (E&E $)

EPA: EPA strategic plan touts climate, environmental justice goals (E&E News), here’s how Congress could hold the EPA accountable for its ‘dereliction of duty’ (Grist)

DOE: Granholm names advisers to influential DOE [ARPA-E] panel (E&E News, Politico Pro $)

HOUSE: Rep. Ayanna Pressley: Biden's proposals are 'popular because they're sorely needed' (MSNBC), committee sets hearing on PFAS water pollution concerns (E&E $), lawmakers probe response to historic drought, hurricanes (E&E $), Republicans search for greens' China ties (E&E $)

SENATE:The dirty utilities funding Joe Manchin’s bullshit (Gizmodo, The Hill), Schumer wants deal on details of spending package 'within a matter of days' (The Hill), Elizabeth Warren isn’t in the White House. But she knows how to use the tools she’s got. (The 19th* News), McConnell reactivates his connection to Biden — with a sharp debt warning (Politico Pro $), Senate committee to consider 1872 mining law changes (E&E $), as the U.S. hurtles toward a debt crisis, what does McConnell want? (New York Times $)

WHITE HOUSE: Tensions erupt between environmental justice leaders and White House (Politico), White House promotes faraway promise of green hydrogen (E&E $)

INFRASTRUCTURE BILL(S): Build Back Better Act would reduce the burden of household energy costs (Canary Media), Democrats sense now or never moment on climate legislation (Axios), Democrats look to break impasse on spending, climate plans (E&E News, Politico Pro $)

POLITICS: Biden to meet House progressives on path to reconciliation package (The Hill), alliance between greens and labor hits the rocks (E&E $), with Biden’s agenda in the balance, lobbying kicks into high gear (New York Times $), Biden struggles to secure his 'New Deal' to transform U.S. economy (Reuters, CNN, Today Show), farm groups fear being left behind as budget bill shrinks (E&E News)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: [Senate Judiciary] to advance 9th Circuit, solicitor general nominees (E&E $), Biden’s choice for bank regulator [Saule Omarova] spurs climate debate (E&E News)

CITIES AND STATES: Landmark EJ ruling sparks legislative reckoning in Virginia (E&E News), Massachusetts advocates say they’re being ignored in future-of-gas talks (Energy News Network), New Mexico governor thanks oil and gas, cheers hydrogen plan (AP), environmental advocates say draft ozone precursor rule should be strengthened (New Mexico Political Report), majority of Philadelphians with flood insurance to see rates increase (Axios), to tackle heat, Boston turns to locals who know it best (E&E $)

FERC: 'Maybe it's not the right approach anymore' — FERC Chair Glick mulls new security paradigm for power sector (Utility Dive)

IMPACTS: Global warming is making ragweed pollen season worse (Yale Climate Connections)

DROUGHT: After one of the driest years on record, it will take multiple years for some states to recover (CNN)

HURRICANES: A drone survives a sail into a major hurricane and 'lives' to show the video (CNN), steady Sam on last legs as hurricane forecasters shift attention toward United States (Washington Post $)

SHAHEEN: Shaheen claims at least 13 lives in historic Oman landfall (Yale Climate Connections, Washington Post $)

CAFFEINE: Sicilian coffee dream a step closer as climate crisis upends farming (The Guardian)

WILDLIFE: Climate change is killing the world's coral reefs as oceans warm, study shows (Reuters, New York Times $), ‘zombie’ urchins are destroying kelp forests. Can’t we just eat them? (New York Times $)

RENEWABLES: Recent events complicate the idea fossil fuels are more ‘reliable’ than renewables (Energy Monitor), investors argue Musk should repay $9.4 bln to Tesla for SolarCity deal (Reuters, Bloomberg $), Shell makes first UK solar investments amid power expansion (Bloomberg $), world’s longest under-sea electricity cable begins operations (CNBC), Michael Mann: 'We have to transition away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy' (MSNBC)

BATTERIES: ESS, SB Energy reach major deal for flow battery technology, with 2 GWh agreement (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIFICATION: Running homes and cars on electricity alone would save households $5,443 a year, report finds (The Guardian)

EFFICIENCY: Report: Ohio and other states losing millions from rollbacks of energy efficiency standards (Energy News Network)

OIL & GAS: Oil and gas prices may stay high as investors chase clean energy (New York Times $, E&E $), major traders split on oil but see lower gas prices next year (Reuters), OPEC+ gathers to discuss oil output amid higher prices (Axios), Plan for gas site behind worst U.S. methane leak stokes outrage (E&E $), 

PLASTICS: Canada says Line 5 closure would violate 1977 treaty, requests diplomatic negotiations (S&P Global), Whitmer blasts Canada for backing Enbridge in latest Line 5 court action (Politico Pro $)

NUKES: Why California is shutting down its last nuclear plant (CNBC)

PIPELINES: Missouri pipeline operator asks Supreme Court for emergency stay (Politico Pro $)

EVs: The revolution is finally here (FT $), Tesla beats Q3 delivery expectations, sets new record (Axios), Volvo cars announces IPO plan that could value it at $25 billion (Wall Street Journal $)

DIRECT ACTION: Extinction Rebellion activists block streets in Zurich (Reuters), UK plans protest crackdown after eco group blocks highways (AP)

AVIATION: Airlines deepen climate goal despite Chinese opposition (Reuters, Bloomberg $, FT $), new plant in Germany aims to cut flying’s carbon footprint (AP)

FOOD WASTE: Meat startup focused on cutting food waste plots grocery debut (Bloomberg $)

BUSINESS: McDonald’s sets net-zero greenhouse emissions target by 2050 (Bloomberg $)

FINANCE: Banks start dropping clients to dodge costs tied to ESG risk (Bloomberg $), reality check needed on finance to keep people safe in a warming world (Thomson Reuters Foundation), ESG is 'mission critical.' Can Paul, Weiss get law schools on board? (Reuters), made-from-CO2 concrete, lululemons and diamonds spark investor excitement (Reuters)

INTERNATIONAL: What’s behind Europe’s skyrocketing power prices (Bloomberg $), activists call for EU ban on fossil fuel advertising (AP), energy crunch to dominate EU agenda (Bloomberg $, Politico Pro $), China’s energy crisis has villagers questioning its climate path (Bloomberg $), France, Spain press for changes as EU energy prices surge (AP, Reuters, CNBC), India asks Coal India to invest in electric vehicles, charging pods (Reuters), India targets alternate fuels, EVs in clean transport push (Reuters), Taliban in, funding out? Afghan ex-official fears climate gains 'jeopardised' (Thomson Reuters Foundation), Japan counts on Asian market to help shift to green energy (AP)

UK: all Britain's power to be green by 2035, PM Johnson says (Reuters, Bloomberg $, AP, FT $), surging gas prices and fuel bills focus Tory minds on the nuclear option (The Guardian), Britain deploys its army to deliver fuel as panic buying and shortages continue (CNBC), Birmingham to become a super-sized low-traffic neighbourhood (The Guardian)

• Soaring heat is killing America’s farm workers (Bloomberg, Adam Minter op-ed $)
• Democrats are fumbling their chance at climate action — and we'll all pay the price (The Hill, Andreas Karelas op-ed)
• If Democrats must scale down their ambitions, they should prioritize investments in the young and the future (Washington Post, Catherine Rampell column $)
• There's no excuse anymore. Here are 3 things companies can do to reduce carbon emissions (CNN, Dan Lambe op-ed)
• COP26 must urgently get specific on carbon removal in net-zero pathways (Climate Home, Duncan McLaren op-ed)
• Facebook can decide to be honest on its own — or Congress can force it to be (Washington Post, Editorial Board $)
• The oceans are being clogged with plastic. Here’s one way to fight this ecological catastrophe. (Washington Post, Editorial Board $)
• The U.S. can’t be smart on China without talking trade (Bloomberg, Editorial Board $)
• Facebook’s promises of reform aren’t reassuring. They’re a sick joke. (Washington Post, Eugene Robinson column $)
• The revelations about Mike Pence’s role in Jan. 6 keep getting worse (Washington Post, Greg Sargent column $)
• The unsexy but incredibly powerful key to fight climate change: Reform permitting (The Hill, Jena Lococo op-ed)
• It’s time Biden started making good on his big climate change promises (LA Times, John Horning op-ed $)
• Facebook makes profits, shareholders complain (Bloomberg, Matt Levine column $)
• On very serious people, climate and children (New York Times, Paul Krugman column $)
• New Jersey's EV charging proposal for trucks could be a national model, with a few changes (Utility Dive, Pete Silva op-ed)
• It’s time for a big change (Washington Post, Ann Telnaes cartoon $)

Green Washing Ads Can't Remove Oil Stain from Fossil Fuel Investors

A new analysis covered at DeSmog looked at over 3,000 social media ads and posts from six major European fossil fuel companies between December of 2019 through April of 2021, and found 63% painted the climate-destroying company as climate-friendly. 

“Half of the companies analysed,” wrote Rachel Sherrington, “dedicated over 80 percent of their posts to highlighting their involvement in green and climate-friendly work such as building up more renewable energy capacity. Green investments, however, make up just 12 percent of these companies’ portfolios on average based on publicly available figures." 

The biggest discrepancy was found at Preem, where 81% of their promos are green, while 98% of their business is dirty fuels. Shell was next, with 90% of its investments going into fossil fuels, while 81% of its promotional materials focusing on its “green” energy generally and 13% on renewables specifically, which comprise just 1% of its energy investments. 

One of the newest strategies, borne out in the ads, is to paint itself as what disinfo expert Geoffrey Supran has termed a “fossil fuel savior” framing, that “helps defend the status quo” with “silver-bullet techno-fixes that aren’t yet commercially viable.” 

Overall, 20% of the ads were about the companies' climate plans, and another 10% about sustainable transportation. Only 13% of ads were about conventional gas and oil products, and only 3% touted the benefits of fossil fuels. The rest were a mix of ads about renewable energy generally, solar, or gas as a green fuel (4% each), a circular economy, bioenergy, hydrogen, efficiency (3% each), climate policy, wind, and carbon capture (2%), and hydro and nature-based climate solutions (1% each).

Having moved from questioning the reality of climate change to championing itself as the solution, the industry is “positioning itself, astoundingly, as a climate leader,” Loyola University professor Karen Sokol told DeSmog. Sokol believes the phrase “'greenwashing’ tends to minimize the wrongful nature of the industry’s messaging. It is a systematic deceptive marketing campaign designed to interfere with the solution that is necessary to respond to the climate emergency: stopping fossil fuel production.”

By promoting things like hydrogen or carbon capture from power plants, they’re not just promoting false solutions that wouldn’t address the problem, Sokol said, but instead “would accelerate the climate crisis, perpetuate existing and create new harms that disproportionately impact communities who have long been on the frontlines of fossil fuel infrastructure.” 

Sokol also told DeSmog that “the industry’s ‘climate and society friendly’ messaging is nothing new” it is instead “just the latest instantiation of its disinformation campaign designed to allow it to continue profiting from deadly and planet-destroying fossil fuel products.”

There’s that discrepancy, and then there’s the fact that only 16% of the ads focused on fossil fuels at all, a small figure given that the companies are still investing 70-98% their resources into fossil fuels. 

Most of the posts weren’t even ads though, technically they were just organic content. Only 18 percent were designated as ads in Facebook, so while the YouTube and Twitter disclosures might increase that percentage, the reality is that there is little to no difference between a company’s advertisements and their social media posts. 

In other words, while deniers love to cast themselves as free speech martyrs, the reality is that there’s already a well-known term for climate denial, disinformation, and greenwashing, whether in content they pay for or post regularly to the platforms: false advertising.

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