RECAPS: What happened at COP26 – day 11 at a glance (The Guardian), push on climate action in pandemic shows strength of Paris pact: UNDP chief (Thomson Reuters Foundation, Achim Steiner interview), ‘dangerous trap’: how the world adopted net zero (E&E News)
CARBON MARKETS: Emerging economies spar with US over ‘carbon colonialism’ (Politico), ‘nature-based solutions’ prove divisive at Glasgow climate talks (Climate Home), new plans emerge as clock ticks on accord for global carbon market rules (FT $)
LOSS & DAMAGE: Calls for climate reparations reach boiling point in Glasgow talks (New York Times $), poor countries push for compensation over damage caused by climate change (NPR), who has the most historical responsibility for climate change? (New York Times $)
FINANCE: A climate summit theme: how much should wealthy countries pay to help poorer ones? (NPR), that sinking feeling: poor nations struggle with UN climate fund (Reuters), COP26 draft text struggles over climate finance (Politico EU)(Reuters), a COP26 deal in Scotland would help investors too (Wall Street Journal $), climate-vulnerable nations demand more financial support in COP26 draft deal (Thomson Reuters Foundation), how wealth inequality fuels the climate emergency: George Monbiot & scientist Kevin Anderson on COP26 (Democracy Now), Switzerland pledges $25 million for climate adaptation fund (Reuters)
DRAFT COP26 AGREEMENT: 5 things to know about the potential new climate agreement in Glasgow (HuffPost), takeaways from Thursday at COP26: a fight is brewing over a critical piece of the final agreement (CNN), the COP26 endgame: what to watch if you’re just tuning in (Bloomberg $)
ON COURSE FOR DISASTER: ‘We are not on course’: scientists warn action must match words at COP26 (The Guardian), COP26 targets too weak to stop disaster, say Paris agreement architects (The Guardian), with world’s climate goal on the line, leaders warn UN talks risk falling short (Washington Post $) key COP26 pledges could put world 9% closer to 1.5C pathway (The Guardian), ‘promises ring hollow' - what they are saying at UN climate talks (Reuters, Washington Post $), climate anxiety at COP: ‘being here makes me more worried’ (The Guardian), prevent catastrophic climate change or keep burning coal? You can’t have both. (Buzzfeed), biggest carbon emitter blame game troubles COP26 talks (Reuters)
'22: Egypt to host COP27 international climate conference in 2022 -ministry (Reuters)
CITIES: Cities act on climate while nations delay, Sadiq Khan tells COP26 (The Guardian)
TRANSPARENCY: Policing of net-zero claims to take shape in 2022, UN chief says (Bloomberg $)
INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP: Indigenous women speak out at COP26 rally: ‘Femicide is linked to ecocide’ (The Guardian), photos: activists at COP26 connect environment and violence against Indigenous women (Native News Online), what Indigenous land defenders at COP26 want (Vogue)
US: At climate summit, EPA hypes environmental justice efforts (E&E $), Pete Buttigieg describes how transportation factors into climate goals (NPR), COP26 reveals limits of Biden’s promise to ‘lead by example’ on climate crisis (The Guardian)
CHINA: China resists COP26 push to end coal as energy security prevails (Bloomberg $)
US & CHINA: US and China announce surprise climate agreement at COP26 summit (NPR, Democracy Now, E&E News, The Guardian, NPR), US-China climate deal buoys COP26 summit - but not a 'turning point' (Thomson Reuters Foundation, Reuters), US-China deal on emissions welcomed by global figures and climate experts (The Guardian), US-China thaw on climate change shifts the mood at COP26 (FT $, CNBC, Yale Environment 360), can a China-US pact to boost climate cooperation help get COP26 off 'life support'? (CBS, CNBC), how the U.S. and China plan to 'strengthen and accelerate climate action and cooperation’ (NBC)
INDIA: Can world’s climate target and India’s development coexist? (AP)
RUSSIA: Climate activism in Russia and COP26 (Bloomberg $)
(SOUTH) AFRICA: Asking Africa to leave oil in ground sparks debate on fairness (Bloomberg $), South Africa can’t afford to quit coal. Will rich countries pay for the transition? (Wall Street Journal $), South Africa resurrects plan to sell coal-fired power plants (Bloomberg $)
PACIFIC ISLANDS: How island nations vulnerable to climate change need rich, polluting countries to act (NPR), for this envoy at COP26, negotiations are a 'lifeline' (Axios)
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi energy minister: Allegations of negotiations sabotage a 'lie' (The Hill)
PANAMA: Panama's team 'make noise' at COP26 for youth and women (Reuters)
IF YOU'RE THERE: Climate leaders are united on one thing: Scotland’s glowing orange drink, Irn-Bru (Washington Post $), nature under threat: a COP26 photographic competition – in pictures (The Guardian), the climate talks' fridges have a dirty secret (Gizmodo)
MEDIA: What it’s like covering the most anticipated climate conference in years (New York Times $)
YOUTH ACTIVISTS: ‘This is a circus': a day at COP26 with a climate activist – video (The Guardian), Vanessa Nakate, speaking for a leery youth movement, offers a challenge: ‘prove us wrong.’ (New York Times $), young people call for fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty as delegates spar over coal, oil and gas (CNN), we should not be too quick to dismiss ‘blah, blah, blah’ on climate (FT, Gillian Tett column $)
OUTSIDE THE CENTER: Outside climate summit, trash in Glasgow piles high (New York Times $) |
(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Judge OKs $626 million settlement in Flint water litigation (AP, Michigan Live, Black Wall Street Times, Washington Post $, CBS, The Hill, Grist), ‘Band-Aid on bullet wound’: Flint water settlement leaves some residents angry (The Guardian), Flint water activist: justice not served in Flint water settlement (ABC-12), e-commerce site pledges 1,800 jobs near Fresno. It’d be ‘a death sentence,’ some say (Sacramento Bee $), forced relocation of Native Americans has made them more vulnerable to climate change, study finds (WBUR), White supremacists find a new platform to spread hate: a federal courtroom in Charlottesville (Washington Post $)
HOLY GROUND: Communities consider 'managed retreat' from climate change (AP)
CLIMATE LITIGATION: Governments and Big Oil were first. The next wave of climate lawsuits will target banks and boards (CNBC)
WE KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE: Meet the ‘inactivists’, tangling up the climate crisis in culture wars (The Guardian), Robert Del Naja: why we need a Massive Attack on climate misinformation (Austin-American Statesman)
FOSSIL VOLATILITY: Electricity prices see highest spike in 11 years (E&E $), US official says Russia ‘took advantage’ of Europe’s energy crisis (CNBC), what would it take to bring down soaring gas and energy costs? (NBC)
ACTIVISM: For Brianna Fruean, the smell of mud drives home the need for climate action (NPR)
(VERY) RICH PEOPLE: Rockefeller heirs are taking aim at JPMorgan and other banks for pouring trillions into fossil fuels by bringing other rich families into the battle (Business Insider)
THE LORAX, BUT WITH A MASS SPECTROMETER: Trees fight back: first-ever use of tree DNA in prosecution sends poacher to prison (Washington Post $)
EVERYTHING HAS (NOT) CHANGED: The strong winds of climate change have failed to move the opinions of many Americans (Washington Post $)
AGENCIES: EPA plans ‘even more ambitious’ methane rule (E&E News), mine money in hand, greens press Interior on coal bonding (E&E $)
TREACHEROUS: Critics say Congress falling short on pandemic preparedness (The Hill)
HOUSE: House Democrats introduce resolution to censure Rep. Gosar over animated video that depicted him killing Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (Washington Post $, AP, New York Daily News, Rolling Stone, MSNBC, Fox News, The Hill, MSNBC)
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL(S): How the infrastructure bill could change DOE, nuclear, grid (E&E News)
ELECTIONS: Texas critic of ESG faces crowded field for oil regulator role (Bloomberg $), here’s what the 2021 elections tell us about the politics of clean energy (InsideClimate News), why green parties have done so poorly despite the focus on climate (FT $)
CITIES AND STATES: Despite GOP gains in Virginia, the state’s landmark clean energy law will be hard to derail (InsideClimate News), San Juan County passes ordinance requiring demolition of San Juan Generating Station (New Mexico Political Report)
FERC: FERC kicks off 3-year task force examining transmission issues, state-federal divide (Utility Dive), FERC, 10 states weigh transmission overhaul to unlock clean power (E&E News)
IMPACTS: ‘Our children may not want to be farmers’: living on the frontline of global heating (The Guardian), California agency to beach towns: plan for 10 feet of sea rise (E&E $), ‘the whole place feels wrong’: voices from across America on what the climate crisis stole (The Guardian), scientists are breeding coral to reinvigorate Great Barrier Reef's damaged areas (ABC), 84 million people displaced worldwide: UN (The Hill)
HEAT: Family’s disappearance reflects toll of California’s deadly heat (New York Times $)
DROUGHT: Any less water in Murray-Darling system means ‘Armageddon’ for South Australia, conservationist says (The Guardian)
RENEWABLES: Biden trade decision seen as 'major victory' for solar (E&E $), Asia solar manufacturers soar after US says no to tariff probe (Bloomberg $), why are unions clashing with the solar industry over clean energy batteries? (LA Times $), renewable energy fuels new wave of investment trusts (FT $)
"RENEWABLES": Burning wood pellets isn't the 'clean energy' it claims to be, critics say (NPR), Europe burns a controversial ‘renewable’ energy source: trees from the US (National Geographic)
BUILDINGS: This Colorado community was proof an all-electric, net-zero future is possible. Now that vision is under siege (CNN), disaster-resilient New Orleans apartment complex is also affordable (Yale Climate Connections), how building design can turn cities into carbon sinks (Bloomberg $), what does it take to build a disaster-proof house? (New York Times $)
COAL: China’s coal shortage threatens farmers in India and truckers in South Korea (Wall Street Journal $)
UTILITIES: Entergy Mississippi readies push into renewable power with plans to add 1 GW (Utility Dive)
EVs: Wall Street embraced EV newcomer Rivian. Now what? (E&E $)
AVIATION: Low-carbon aviation fuels are on the horizon. But for now, activists say we need to stay grounded (The Guardian), Air Canada inks deal to remove carbon from the sky (E&E $)
SAD BEAUTIFUL TRAGIC: Amitav Ghosh turned to legends to write a story large enough for climate change (NPR), sonnets for solidarity with the Earth (Atmos)
BUSINESS: Google wants to save the planet with satellite images (Bloomberg $), Rush of ‘science-based’ climate pledges puts pressure on group that checks them (Wall Street Journal $), why fear of a bad reputation could be what really makes firms focus on climate change (CNBC)
SHIPPING: Planes, trains and automobiles are cutting emissions. Will big ships do it too? (TIME)
FINANCE: Bezos Fund CEO joins calls for reboot of development banks for climate (Reuters), green investors say transportation pledges hinge on tech advances (Reuters)
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN BROS: European business schools join forces to offer free climate training (FT $)
INTERNATIONAL: These surreal Indian festival photos reveal a huge environmental problem (Gizmodo)
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With COP Closing, Deniers Publicly Beclown Themselves, Then Cry ‘I’ve Been Cancelled!’ When People Laugh
The disinformation around this year’s climate negotiations got off to a stupid start, got slightly funny and gross there for a minute, and then just gross as a TERF called climate reporters biased. But not to worry, it’s still getting stupider, and more offensive!
On the stupid front, a member of the new denial PR pop-up CAR26 that we warned about last week tweeted on Monday that she was “chased” out of COP26, and had to do an interview while “hiding in the disabled loos.” But it turns out no one chased her out of COP26, she was just asked to leave a private meeting room at a side event, presumably because it was about to be used for, you know, a meeting.
“Anti-climate actors rely on a reactionary dynamic with ‘mainstream’ institutions, media, or experts,” Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) disinformation expert Jennie King told DeSmog, “and cultivate their brand, especially on social media, around being ‘cancelled’ or outcast by perceived elites.”
This dynamic is absolutely unmistakable across the deniersphere, to the extent that it even entices people who try to distance themselves from it, like “honest broker” author Roger Pielke Jr. While he’s long attempted to portray himself as sitting squarely within the consensus, and expresses support for a carbon tax, he’s also done plenty of work that’s immediately used by the sorts of people who cry persecution when they lock themselves in a bathroom, like alleging that Democrats have corrupted climate science.
And deniers return the favor by supporting him, for example with a new 20-page report published by GWPF detailing how, due to persecution, his university office is tiny and filled with boxes from his shuttered projects. Based on an interview with Donna LaFramboise, who’s past works have centered on smearing the IPCC, it’s built on the idea that the tenured professor who once complained about being silenced in the Wall Street Journal has been, as King described of the bathroom-dweller, “‘cancelled’ or outcast by perceived elites.”
(On Tuesday, a COP26 event honored the lives of the 1,000+ environmental activists murdered since the Paris Agreement in 2015, a third of whom were from indigenous communities. But everyone should really feel very sorry for Pielke, because his office is very small and doesn’t even have any windows!)
While most may not be moved by such a harrowing tale of being told you’re wrong, refusing to admit it, and facing consequences for your toxic actions, one person who did praise Pielke yesterday was Michael Shellenberger. Also on the anti-elitist kick, Shellenberger tweeted a link to his new substack post a couple dozen times as well, so we took the bait and gave “Why Wokeism Is A Religion” a read. And surprisingly, we were glad we did!
Because for years now, Shellenberger has slowly been evolving beyond his brand as the liberal presenting hard truths in the name of a stronger and more successful progressive movement, and despite naming his post-Breakthrough spin-off “Environmental Progress,” he is moving fully into the reactionary, alt-right space. This undoubtedly confirms it.
Shellenberger’s new “taxonomy” of the “woke religion” is a project with fellow anti-woke-ist Peter Boghossian, who recently quit Portland State University after getting blowback for writing fake academic papers and in an apparent preemptive self-cancellation, as announced on the substack of fellow preemptive self-canceller Bari Weiss.
Similar to the TERFs and trans disinfo we talked about last Thursday, this “woke religion taxonomy” links racism, climate change, trans people, crime, mental illness, and drug and homelessness issues by suggesting each has an “original sin” (history) committed by “guilty devils,” (white capitalists, mostly) perpetuated by “myths” (sociology) and impacting “sacred victims” (actual victims of racism) who “the elect” (((elite))) protect with “supernatural beliefs” (facts) and by outlawing “taboo facts” (alternative facts) and “taboo speech” (hate speech), and can only be improved through “purifying rituals” (reducing emissions, being respectful of people's identities by using their pronouns) and by embracing “purifying speech” of words and phrases as outlandish as “Black,” “Renewables,” and “Trans women are women.”
Seriously, those are the actual examples!
Somehow, though, that’s not even the most disgusting content coming from a supposed ally of climate action yesterday. While the Republican plan to export natural gas as a climate cure would lead to a catastrophic 3.1°C of warming, apparently even that is too much climate action for so-called skeptical environmentalist Bjorn Lomborg.
In this week's Wall Street Journal column, Lomborg argues that a "reasonable alternative" to the COP26 talks is to allow for 3.5°C (6.3°F) of warming. But just the difference between 1.5°C and 2·°C of warming is significant, with upward of 1 billion additional people who would be at risk of dying from extreme heat if they spend a summer day outside at 2°C (and half the world population is at risk at 4°C). Allowing fossil fuels to pollute us to to 3.5°C would put at least 275 million people’s homes under water, including entire island nations (and Louisiana communities) that will be submerged by sea level rise after just 2°C of warming, literally committing cultural genocide.
Experts were quick to debunk Lomborg's claims, for example pointing out that if you look at the updated version of the study he cites to justify that genocide, it now matches the Paris goals.
While the antics of obvious anti-climate activists hiding in bathrooms may be an entertaining distraction, it seems these days the real danger is coming from those “honest brokers” pretending to offer “reasonable” advice. |
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