Hot News, along with the rest of Climate Nexus will be off Monday in observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day. The newsletter will return on Tuesday. 

FIRST LOOK(s)

'Representation Isn't Colorful Wigs And Great Eyeliner' — Hot Bis Call Out Sinema: While major American corporations that claim to support addressing the climate crisis back titanic lobbying campaigns to undermine potentially the biggest legislative opportunity to meaningfully address it in at least a decade, hot bisexuals are mounting their own campaign to push Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to support the bill, Teen Vogue reports. Sinema, the country's first openly bisexual senator, inspired activists like Bets Ericksen, a member of the Sunrise Movement's national organizing team, when she ran in 2018. Sinema's obstinance on legislation like the Build Back Better Act, however, spurred Ericksen and Sunrise to call out Sinema for using her identity for political gain, but "not actually standing up for the things that would make our lives better.” The Sunrise organizing effort called on "girls, gays, and theys [to] cuff your jeans, grab your iced coffee, take your SSRI" and phonebank to "let Sinema know that representation isn't colorful wigs and great eyeliner. Queers want it all - good jobs, investments in infrastructure, citizenship for all, and a chance to SURVIVE." (Corporate duplicity: Grist; Legislative opportunity: Vox; Hot bisexuals: Teen Vogue)

Google And YouTube Take Steps To Shut Off Climate Denial Monetization: Google and its subsidiary YouTube will prohibit advertisers, publishers, and content creators from monetizing climate denial on their platforms, the company said Thursday. The move to combat climate change misinformation is one of the most aggressive so far by a major tech platform. The change was driven in part by complaints from both content publishers and advertisers that climate misinformation was shown in ads alongside their content, or that their ads were being placed alongside climate misinformation. The ban on monetization extends to YouTube content that contradicts the "well-established scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate change," the company's statement said. (New York Times $, Axios, Politico Pro $, The Hill, AP, Gizmodo, Bloomberg $, Business Insider, CBS)

Torrential Rain, Flash Floods Kill Four In Alabama: At least four people are dead after a stalled weather front dumped more than a foot of water on central Alabama Thursday night. Torrential rainfall, just south of Birmingham prompted a top-tier "flash flood emergency" from the National Weather Service. Extreme precipitation is a hallmark signal of human-caused climate change, and new research from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research finds, on average, one in four rainfall records in the last decade can be attributed to climate change. (AL.com, Washington Post $, AP, Weather Channel, CNN; Climate Signals background: Extreme precipitation increase)

Biden To Restore National Monuments: President Biden will restore full protection to three national monuments shrunk by the previous administration today, which had also opened the sacred lands up for coal and uranium mining as well as oil drilling. Biden will expand Bears Ears and the Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in what is now Utah and restore protections from commercial fishing in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the New England coast. The decision to restore the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments will also protect the sites' stunning physical beauty and fossil record, as well as substantial Native American history. (AP, Washington Post $, New York Times $, NPR, E&E News, CNN, Politico Pro $, The Guardian, Reuters, Axios, Wall Street Journal $, KUER, The Hill)

FED: Fed’s Brainard signals that climate change guidance may be coming for Big Banks (New York Times, Reuters, Wall Street Journal $)

IN GOOD HANDS?: 20 percent of US insurance board members tied to fossil fuels (The Hill, Desmog), video explores property and casualty insurance ‘sticker shock’ (Yale Climate Connections)

NET ZERO: Only 5% of Europe’s Big Firms on Net-Zero Course, Accenture Says (Bloomberg), StanChart to Face Shareholder Resolution on Reaching Net Zero (Bloomberg)

ESG (OR NOT): BlackRock to give clients more say on holding companies to account (Reuters), hedge funds cash in as green investors dump energy stocks (Financial Times), Al Gore's $36B fund sees new urgency to cut off oil money (E&E $), Blackstone names new ESG global head for private-equity portfolio (Reuters), development banks linked to nature loss worth $800 bln per year (Thomson Reuters Foundation), finance chiefs spend more on carbon offsets to bolster green credentials (Wall Street Journal $)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Pig-poop lagoons are huge polluters. A ‘green’ solution might make them dirtier. (Vice), what no one is talking about in the wake of hurricanes and oil spills (CNN)

COP26: China’s power crunch exposes tensions ahead of key UN climate summit (New York Times $, Axios), beyond coal: end to deforestation sought at COP26 climate summit (Thomson Reuters Foundation), COP26 activists fear influx of English officers endangers ‘friendly’ policing (The Guardian), we need more, EU and U.S. urge China ahead of climate summit (Reuters)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: African governments want climate finance to hit $1.3 trillion by 2030 (Reuters), the UN’s top human rights panel is set to vote on the right to a clean and sustainable environment (InsideClimate News)

DENIAL & DELAY: How economists helped Big Oil obstruct climate action for decades (Grist)

FOSSIL PRICES: A global energy crisis is coming. There's no quick fix (CNN), home heating prices expected to skyrocket this winter (ABC), as Europe faces a cold winter, Putin seizes on the leverage from Russia’s gas output (New York Times $), Europe’s current energy crisis was predictable — and was predicted (Clean Technica), natural gas prices are soaring. How long will it last? (Houston Chronicle), natural-gas shortage sets off scramble ahead of winter (Wall Street Journal $), risk of UK power cuts this winter has increased, says National Grid (The Guardian), top Biden aide says U.S. will work with EU to prevent energy supply crisis (Politico Pro $), US natgas flat as rising crude offsets falling global gas prices (Reuters), winter forecast is cold comfort for natural-gas consumers (Wall Street Journal $)

CALIFORNIA HEAT: Climate change is supercharging California heat waves, and the state isn’t ready (LA Times $), as heat waves intensify, access to air conditioning can mean life or death (LA Times $), the L.A. Times investigation into extreme heat’s deadly toll (LA Times $), how to protect yourself and your loved ones from extreme heat (LA Times $)

SOCAL OIL SPILL: Cargo-ship congestion is bringing more dirty air to Southern California (Grist), Coast Guard investigating cargo ship's connection to California oil spill (Axios, CBS), Amplify took three hours to halt California pipeline spill (Bloomberg $, NBC), criminal investigation opened into California oil spill (ABC), timing may limit use of bird law in California oil spill case (E&E News), oil spill off huntington beach renews decadeslong move away from offshore drilling (Wall Street Journal $)

MEDIA: National TV news keeps ignoring the human costs of extreme weather events (Prism Reports)

GULF OIL: Shell warns of possible $500 million hit from Hurricane Ida (AP, Houston Chronicle), Marathon Texas refinery works to contain day-old oil leak (Bloomberg $, Houston Chronicle, KEYT, Democracy Now), video shows oil gushing out of gaping hole in Texas refinery (Newsweek)

AGENCIES: Federal agencies release plans to steel themselves against the climate crisis (CNN, E&E News)

EPA: EPA adds climate change as threat to kids' health (E&E $), EPA power plant rules could be part of bigger initiative (E&E News), EPA taps sustainable farming expert for agriculture adviser (E&E $)

DOE: DOE teams with Xcel, Berkshire Hathaway Energy on cybersecurity program to protect clean energy (Utility Dive)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: How Biden’s NEPA plan could change the energy sector (E&E News), CIA reorganization to place new focus on China (New York Times $), Pentagon climate plan: war-fighting in hotter, harsher world (AP)

THE HILL: Democrats target deforestation in quest to clean up U.S. trade policy (Politico Pro $, E&E $), potential deal on debt limit sets up big December showdown (E&E News)

HOUSE: House Oversight to probe safety record of pipe operator after California oil spill (Politico Pro $)

SENATE: The foul-mouthed farmer sticking his neck out for Democrats’ agenda (Politico), the pace of Biden's clean energy standard is a 'tall order' for utilities, says Sen. King (Utility Dive), western senators question Biden admin's drought response (E&E $)

INFRASTRUCTURE BILL(S): Bernie Sanders challenges Joe Manchin to name benefits he wants stripped from Build Back Better Act (Democracy Now, E&E News, CNN), Democrats court Manchin with two-part climate plan -sources (Reuters), Markey: Senate must pass reconciliation package before global climate summit (The Hill), Sen. Markey and Sen. Coons discuss progress and negotiations on the Democratic agenda in the Senate (MSNBC), Senate climate hawks keep up pressure: "No climate, no deal" (Politico Pro $), coal may get a lifeline in Democrats' reconciliation bill (E&E $)

POLITICS: ‘Long overdue’: liberal voters hold firm to Biden’s stronger safety net (New York Times $), Democrats' red line for Manchin: No climate cuts (E&E $)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Panel grills 9th Circuit pick on Supreme Court precedent (E&E $), Solicitor General nominee heads to Senate floor (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: Flooding deaths push council to demand climate change plan for New York (New York Times $), Cooper receives NC energy bill that gets final legislator OK (AP), should oil and gas companies be exempt from Pennsylvania’s hazardous waste laws? (Environmental Health News)

CALIFORNIA: After siege of blazes, experts say California must improve wildfire evacuation plans (Washington Post $), California judge stops oil-rich Kern County from approving fossil fuel permits (Politico Pro $), judge blocks big California development over wildfire danger (AP)

IMPACTS: 6 aspects of American life threatened by climate change (New York Times $), glacier in Swiss Alps is melting due to climate change (Today Show)

ATTRIBUTION: Climate scientists created a swat team for weather disasters (Bloomberg $)

HEAT: Climate change is making Texas hotter, threatening public health, water supply and the state’s infrastructure (Texas Tribune)

DROUGHT: Drought conditions, climate crisis spur calls for more efficient water infrastructure (Nevada Current), Native American tribes plea for help as Colorado River dries up (ABC), the water you’re drinking may be thousands of years old – growing demand for deeper wells is tapping ancient reserves (The Conversation)

METHANE: Charting the big methane challenge (Axios), can technology solve methane flaring? (Energy Monitor), large methane clouds spotted near gas pipelines in Iran (Bloomberg $)

RENEWABLES: 5 alternative energy sources to speed our transition away from fossil fuels (CNN), GE claims record 14 MW output for prototype offshore wind turbine after 2 years of optimization (Utility Dive)

IP: JPMorgan shares patents to spur low-carbon technology development (Reuters)

BUILDINGS & HOUSING: A sustainable redesign of Mexico’s social housing (Atmos), where the suburbs end (New York Times $)

OIL & GAS: BP buys power startup in latest diversification (Axios)

COAL: Global coal exit list: 1,000 companies driving climate chaos (Mining Review), Coal shortages push up prices, weigh on economies (Wall Street Journal $)

UTILITIES: Avista first utility to file Washington [state] clean energy plan, with focus on demand response, energy efficiency (Utility Dive), Southern, Duke, PJM, others call for more transmission, coordination to handle renewables surge (Utility Dive), utilities form Western grid group that may boost renewables (E&E $)

GRID: Moment of truth for grid expansion: Who pays? (E&E News)

EVs: Electric takeaways from General Motors' new business plan (Axios), General Motors: EVs are coming, but gas cars are staying (E&E $), just 30% of cars worldwide could be EVs by 2050 — EIA (E&E $), Tesla to move headquarters from California to Texas (Axios), Tesla's gigafactory electrifies California-Germany culture clash (Reuters)

AGRICULTURE: Farmers offered climate credits in aspiring carbon market (E&E News), methane from agriculture is a big problem. we explain why. (Civil Eats)

CARBON REMOVAL: Microsoft warns of net-zero failure without carbon removal (E&E $)

FINANCE: Allow a vote on your climate plan, local govt pensions tell UK companies (Reuters)

WILDLIFE: Ozone pollution: an insidious and growing threat to biodiversity (Yale Environment 360)

INTERNATIONAL: Japan's finance ministry to use foreign reserves for ESG investments (Reuters), Merkel and Pope discuss climate change in farewell visit (Reuters), oil companies ask Canada to pay for 75% of carbon capture facilities (Reuters), Spain contacts energy companies as profit clawback roils sector (Reuters), UAE launches plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 (Reuters)

• Facebook's the latest example that we must rewrite laws on corporate harm (The Hill, Anthony Biglan op-ed)
• Our planet is not doomed. That means we can, and must, act. (Washington Post, Dagomar Degroot op-ed $)
• Sacrificing for the Climate (Boston Review, David McDermott Hughes essay)
• Fact Check-Meme claiming that wind turbines are inefficient misquotes expert (Reuters, fact check)
• What killed the blue-collar struggle for social justice (New York Times, Farah Stockman column $)
• Pallavi Pant on decolonizing global air pollution research (Environmental Health News, interview)
• Sustainable farming expert weighs in on California’s historic investments in ‘climate smart’ agriculture (InsideClimate News, Jeanne Merrill interview)
• The Flint water crisis still hasn’t taught Michigan its lesson (Blavity, Jeremy Orr op-ed)
• The Amazon rainforest is losing 200,000 acres a day. Soon it will be too late (The Guardian, Kim Heacox op-ed)
• Sky high natural gas prices will hurt low-income Americans the most this winter (CNN, Mark Wolfe op-ed)
• Without intervention, the climate crisis may result in voter suppression (NewsOne, Nsé Ufot op-ed)
• 15-year-old poet calls on people to apply their talents to fighting climate change (Yale Climate Connections)
• Climate change: 10 key things (Boulder Daily Camera, Rob Motta and James White op-ed)
• Climate change barely affects poverty (Wall Street Journal, Bjorn Lomborg op-ed $)

Australia’s Richest Person Warns Students About Money-Driven Propaganda, Proceeds To Give Example With Climate Denial

On Monday, the industry-funded Heritage Foundation’s Daily Signal podcast featured Greg Wrightstone of the industry-funded CO2 Coalition, where he mostly complained about being banned from LinkedIn (lol) because of his climate denial. 

But one little nugget late in the interview stood out (thankfully they provide a transcript), when Wrightstone describes new work they’re doing. They’ve apparently “brought in educational experts,” and are “writing lesson plans.” Not for public schools, because they “recognize that it’s just not going to happen” and instead what they’re “doing is targeting the homeschooling crowd” by launching new “Kids Corner” videos on their website and “working through a series of children’s books” in conjunction with with “a group out of Brazil” that’s “called the Intellectos.” 

The fact that some deniers have essentially given up on public schools after years of attempts to integrate their brand of climate disinformation into curriculums is encouraging. For more on how the industry has infiltrated schools in the US, check out the ABCs of Big Oil, a new podcast from Earther and Amy Westervelt. 

It’s hardly just an American phenomenon, though, and fortunately someone in Australia is sounding the alarm about “propaganda intruding on real education and rational thinking.” Unfortunately, that person is Gina Rinehart, Sydney University dropout and richest person in Australia, thanks to the iron mining company she inherited from her father. 

In a message celebrating the 125th anniversary of her grade-school alma mater, St. Hilda’s Angilcan School for Girls, Rinehart warned the students to “please be very careful about information spread on emotional basis, or tied to money, or egos, or power-seekers.” 

Yes, the richest person in Australia warned the students at a school whose science building is named for the Rinehart family because of their donations, to be careful about the corrupting influence of money on facts. 

Rinehart then went on a 10-minute tirade that demonstrated exactly the type of emotional, money-tied propaganda the students should be skeptical of: for example, that it’s the sun and volcanoes that are really causing climate change. Climate Analytics’ head Bill Hare said Rinehart was “shockingly wrong on every single issue she mentions.” 

To their credit, the school only showed the first part of Rinehart’s video, that focused on her experiences there, and not the 10 or so minutes of what climate scientist Will Steffen called “clear misinformation” from someone who “doesn’t have any standing whatsoever in the scientific community.”  

Good on St. Hilda’s for standing up to someone who’s a big enough donor that their science building bears her name. 

But then again, maybe the school should incorporate the full clip into the curriculum, as it offers a prime example of the sort of “propaganda intruding on real education and rational thinking” that the students will be exposed to by Rinehart, and the professional disinformers her vast fortune has bought.

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