FIRST LOOK:

2021 Greenhouse Pollution Rose, US Far Off Reductions Targets: U.S. greenhouse gas pollution increased 6.2% in 2021 over 2020 levels, fueled by a 17% jump in coal-fired electricity, according to a Rhodium report released this morning. While an increase in greenhouse gas pollution is not altogether surprising given the 10% emissions drop in 2020, it still puts the U.S. far off the Biden administration's goal to cut climate pollution by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. After last year's increase, U.S. emissions are just 17.4% below 2005 levels. The Rhodium report is largely consistent with other recently-released reports from Carbon Monitor and the Energy Information Administration. “It really illustrates how much we’ve depended on cheap natural gas prices to keep coal in decline,” Kate Larsen, a partner at the Rhodium Group, told the New York Times. “Overall, we still expect coal to decline further in the years ahead, but unless there are new policies put in place to clean up the power sector, the coal industry could see a bit of a lifeline if there are big swings in the gas market.” Also today, European scientists at the Copernicus Climate Change Service, released their analysis showing 2021 was the fifth hottest year ever recorded, with the hottest seven years all in the last seven years, with unabated methane pollution overcoming a cooling La Niña cycle. (Rhodium: Washington Post $, New York Times $, CNN, Axios, The Guardian; Copernicus temperature analysis: Bloomberg $, New York Times $, CBS; Both: CNBC; Other emissions reports: E&E News; Climate Signals background: Land surface temperature increase)

SEC Alleges Permian Ponzi Scheme: The SEC alleges a Permian Basin fracking company defrauded investors in order to set up a Ponzi scheme and buy a private jet, a helicopter, and Bahamian real estate. Heartland Group Ventures LLC would hardly be the first oil and gas company accused of spending shareholders' money unwisely, but the federal regulators say the company crossed the line when it allegedly generated less than $500,000 in revenue after raising $122 million from more than 700 investors. Rampant pollution, especially methane, is a major problem in the Permian Basin. (Bloomberg $)

Wildfire Smoke Exposure Prompts Reproductive Health Concerns: Evidence of links between firefighting and fertility problems is mounting, but the most definitive conclusion so far is that the effects of firefighting on people who give birth are woefully under-studied, Grist reports. Six-year veteran wildland firefighter Sophia Huston, who hasn't gotten her period for three years, said she doesn't know the long-term impacts of firefighting on her health and fertility, "I just know it's not good for you." Wildfire smoke carries a toxic cocktail of fine particulate matter (technically known as PM2.5) and surface-level ozone. As climate change supercharges wildfires the population affected, sometimes fatally, by that pollution has grown dramatically. Wildfire smoke exposure in utero is linked to respiratory problems in children and has also been linked to preterm births — with systemic racism causing people of color to be disproportionately harmed by fine particulate pollution. In a profession built around cisgender men, firefighers who give birth are given essentially no information about the potential harms of the job, even though recent research found self-reported miscarriage rates among firefighters were 2.3 times higher than nurses (a cohort that is exposed to similar chemicals and work strains). Other research found volunteer firefighters had higher miscarriage rates than career firefighters — counterintuitive findings that Alesia Jung, a postdoctoral student at the University of Arizona and the lead author of the study, told Grist underlines the need for more research. “Among male firefighters, reproductive issues are also a topic of concern," Jung added. (Fertility concerns: Grist; toxic cocktail: E&E $; Climate Signals background: Wildfires)

PR: After a 60-day review of its roster, Edelman is sticking with polluters—for now (AdWeek)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Judge sends climate case back to Delaware court (E&E $)

FOSSIL VOLATILITY: Electricity prices surge across US Northeast as cold sets in (Bloomberg $)

KAZAKHSTAN: From stability to turmoil - what's going on in Kazakhstan (Reuters, explainer), Kazakhstan’s elite got richer on natural resources. Then came the unrest. (Wall Street Journal $)

UTILITIES & MEDIA: FPL makes unusual public attack on Miami Herald after solar power coverage (Miami Herald)

BIG GREEN: Sierra Club weighs booting Colorado leaders over ‘harmful’ culture (E&E News)

POPULAR CULTURE: What Don’t Look Up’s action campaign gets so wrong (Gizmodo)

ACTIVISM: How the climate movement could level up (Vox)

AGENCIES: Making weather forecasts is hard. getting people to understand them is even harder (NPR)

DOE: Biden faces delays in undoing Trump’s war on efficient dishwashers, dryers and lightbulbs that made him ‘look orange’ (Washington Post $)

DOI: Fight heats up to protect Everglades, Big Cypress (E&E News)

BUILD BACK BETTER ACT: As spending bill stalls, Biden climate goals remain elusive (AP), here’s where things stand with climate legislation in Congress (Canary Media), Pelosi says "there's an agreement to be reached" with Manchin on Build Back Better (CBS)

SENATE JOE MANCHIN: Manchin’s choice on build back better: mine workers or mine owners (New York Times $), Bill Clinton, Oprah and his fellow centrists: Democrats go all-out to sway Manchin (Politico Pro $), with child tax credit stance, Manchin runs afoul of former faith allies (Religion News Service)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden calls Colorado's most destructive wildfire 'code red' climate warning (Reuters, Denver Post, The Hill, New York Times $, AP, Washington Post $, Axios), Biden’s top environmental justice official just left the White House. What now? (Grist, E&E $), will Biden’s oil plans unleash an Arctic ‘carbon bomb’? (E&E News), Biden comes out swinging against Republicans as his agenda stalls (New York Times $)

POLITICS: ‘We can’t ignore reality’: Colorado fires highlight urgency of US climate legislation (The Guardian), 2022 is a 'crucial year' for Biden's climate agenda, from Congress to the Supreme Court. Here's what to know. (Washington Post $), 

ELECTIONS: Candidates in Mass. governor’s race are running on climate (Boston Globe $)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Biden nominates ex-Obama official for FEMA resilience job (E&E $), White House taps ex-renewables developer for clean energy role (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: Oregon wants quick fix to high lead levels in Portland’s water (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

• ARIZONA: Ducey says look for 'big things' about water in [Arizona] legislature this session (Tucson.com), Phoenix among those voluntarily losing Colorado River water (The Aspen Times)
• CALIFORNIA: Calif. judge blocks $1B resort, cites wildfire risks (E&E $), Why clean energy advocates are divided over California’s plan to slash solar incentives (The Verge)
• NEW YORK: New York could make history with a fashion sustainability act (New York Times $), New York to double energy storage target to at least 6 GW by 2030 (Utility Dive)
• NORTH CAROLINA: NC governor expands emission goals, seeks environment equity (AP), video: aerial detectives dive deep into North Carolina’s hog and poultry waste problem (InsideClimate News)
• TEXAS: Texas town fracking vote called environmental justice win (E&E $), report: Texans using 'unsafe' thermostat levels to pay bills (E&E $)

IMPACTS: Climate change overtakes archaic NOAA rain records (E&E News), the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else, scientists say (CBS), atmospheric river spurs severe flooding in Washington state (Washington Post $), Washington digs out after record-breaking weather leads to 38 avalanches (CNN)

DROUGHT: The Western megadrought is revealing America's 'lost national park' (NPR), Colorado River forecast improves with early snow, but the outlook could still change (Arizona Republic)

WILDFIRES: Colorado’s suburban firestorm shows the threat of climate-driven wildfires is moving into unusual seasons and landscapes (InsideClimate News), Colorado wildfire destruction was caused by embers flung for miles (Wall Street Journal $)

HURRICANES: Study forecasts greater hurricane risk in Northeastern US (Wall Street Journal $)

RENEWABLES: Blackstone to invest $3 bln in Invenergy Renewables (Reuters), Georgia’s ‘carpet capital of the world’ now makes solar panels, too (Yale Climate Connections), This portable solar panel can generate power at home or on the road (The Hill)

BATTERIES: A race for lithium is sparking fears of water shortages in northern Argentina (Climate Home), in the race for batteries, one scientist has seen it all (Wall Street Journal $)

OIL & GAS: US AGs call for ‘prompt suspension’ of LNG transport by rail rules (Natural Gas Intel), banks extend credit to oil companies as crude prices rebound from pandemic (Houston Chronicle), criminal charges against ‘Gasland’ driller head to court (AP), European gas prices jump 20% as Russia keeps volumes capped (Bloomberg $), tricky business: oil companies puzzle over how to message around climate change (Houston Chronicle), Turkmenistan’s leader wants ‘Gates of Hell’ fire put out (AP)

PLASTICS: Keurig ‘recyclable’ k-cups not quite that recyclable after all (Gizmodo)

COAL: Worker killed in Pennsylvania mine collapse, state officials say (New York Times $), Indonesia holds talks with industry on coal distribution problems, export ban (Reuters)

UTILITIES: Ohio regulators dismiss pleas to investigate utility power shutoffs (Energy News Network), Idaho Power to accelerate coal retirements, add 3.8 GW clean energy (Utility Dive), Why Connexus Energy won't raise electric rates for a fifth year (Minneapolis Star Tribune $)

EVs: Electric-vehicle race heats up as Detroit makes its move (Wall Street Journal $), Sony launches EV company, unveils SUV prototype (E&E $), why Tesla soared as other automakers struggled to make cars (New York Times $)

AVIATION: Ghost flights are polluting the skies thanks to omicron (Gizmodo)

AGRICULTURE: 'Where's the river?' Republican River basin's disappearing water threatens Eastern Plains agriculture, ecology (KUNC)

CARBON CAPTURE: CCS 'red flag?' World's sole coal project hits snag (E&E $)

FINANCE: Shareholder climate activists aim for ‘watershed year’ (E&E News), poll: investors feel growing pressure to move away from fossil fuels (Axios), proxy voting: what fund investors should know about it—and how it is changing (Wall Street Journal $)

BITCOIN: As cryptocurrency becomes mainstream, its carbon footprint can’t be ignored (Truthout), Manchin-connected coal plant tries to pivot to crypto, fails (Gizmodo)

IN MEMORIAM:‘A towering figure’ in American law, Harvard professor Lani Guinier dies at 71 (Boston Globe $, The Root, Washington Post $, NPR, AP), the voting rights legacy of Lani Guinier (The Grio, Sophia Nelson obituary), legendary actor sidney Poitier has died (Essence, Black Wall Street Times, The Root, CNN, New York Times $, BBC, AP, The Guardian), how Sidney Poitier’s screen life intertwined with the civil rights movement (NewsOne, The Conversation), Sidney Poitier wielded Black power in his own way from humble beginnings to Hollywood star (Black Wall Street Times, Deon Osborne commentary), legendary actor sidney Poitier portrayed Black men with the dignity they have off screen (USA Today, Njeri Mathis Rutledge column), ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ told the story of many families, including mine (LA Times, Mary McNamara column $)

WILDLIFE: Climate change is helping invasive species take over trout habitats in Montana (Washington Post $)

INTERNATIONAL: Czech Republic to end coal use by 2033, boost nuclear power (AP), Poland recalls ambassador to Prague over coal mine comments (AP)

• California must stop burying its head in winter snow (Mercury News, Editorial Board)
• Fire and ice: PG&E’s Dixie Fire liabilities, snow outages show California utility unchanged (Sacramento Bee, Editorial Board $)
• Imagine if the rich countries that caused climate change actually took responsibility (TIME, Surangel Whipps Jr.)
• How to farm in a dry world (LA Times e-newspaper, Stephanie Pincetl op-ed)
• Fire suppression myths (The Hill, George Wuerthner op-ed)
• Is nuclear power part of the climate solution? (Wall Street Journal, Gernot Wagner essay $)
• 2022 is when oil supply panic replaces fears about demand (Bloomberg, Julian Lee column $)
• We are playing whack-a-mole with variants – and the virus is winning (Telegraph, Madhukar Pai and Manu Prakash op-ed)
• There's a way to end energy poverty—and it has the side effect of making fossil fuels obsolete (TIME, Nicole Poindexter op-ed)
• Many Californians fear having their water shut off in the new year. That’s unacceptable (Sacramento Bee, Nydia Medina and Uriel Saldivar op-ed $)
• Hollywood’s third strike on climate change? (Environmental Health News, Peter Dykstra review)
• Safe, affordable water is the world's most essential human right (The Advocate, Rebecca Malpass op-ed)
• No climate warriors in frozen foxholes (Wall Street Journal, Editorial Board $)
• Supreme stakes on vaccine mandates (Wall Street Journal, Editorial Board $)
• ‘I know what the end of the world looks like’ (New York Times, Sara Menker interview $)
• Is climate change in your problem top 10? (Wall Street Journal, Andy Kessler op-ed $)
• California is about to stumble in the climate fight (The Hill, Wendy Wendlandt op-ed)

Fox News Follows Denier Cues, Misrepresents A Warning of Climate Authoritarianism As Though It Were A Call For It

Efforts to bring an end to the Covid-19 pandemic under control as we roll into 2022 have not exactly been successful, to put it lightly. Nevertheless, deniers are eager to use what actions have been taken as a cudgel to fearmonger about climate change. 

Back in October of 2020, we called out deniers portraying a call to take climate action to AVOID a Covid-esque climate lockdown as though it were an embrace. Tucker Carlson ran a similar schtick in June of 2021, and in October of 2021 the anti-extremist online intelligence organization ISD published a whole report about how deniers were exploiting covid to fight climate action. 

Unsurprisingly, deniers haven’t learned their lesson. (That’s why they’re called deniers!) 

In December 2021, the American Political Science Review published an article by a climate ethicist, professor Ross Mittiga, in which he warns that unchecked climate change may present such a huge threat that it would potentially justify an authoritarian approach, on the level of the pandemic’s travel restrictions. 

Deniers, of course, from Heartland/WUWT to ClimateDepot, deliberately misread it as a push for climate authoritarianism, and Fox News took the bait and ran a story headlined “Cambridge peer-reviewed study suggests ‘authoritarianism’ might be necessary to fight climate change.” (Cambridge Press publishes the journal that ran the article, the American Political Science Review, but it’d be unreasonable to expect Fox or deniers to be all that familiar with proper attribution of peer-reviewed publishing.) 

And, of course, using authoritarian policies to counter climate change is not what the study suggests. In fact, quite the opposite, and Fox’s Andrew Mark Miller, who wrote the story, knows as much. 

How do we know Andrew Mark Miller knows he wrote fake news? Because Miller’s January 6 story concluded with a link to Mittiga’s response to the rightwing spin published on December 31st, and quoted Mittiga’s statement emphasizing that his work was “meant to be a warning about the threats climate change poses to democratic governance and human rights” and that we need to take climate action “*precisely for the sake of preserving democracy and human rights*.” [* for emphasis are Mittiga's] 

It’s a whole story debunked by its subject a week before it was published but run anyway because apparently Miller and his editor(s) don’t expect Fox readers to bother reading all the way to the end of the story to find out it’s fake. 

Or they know that for those paying attention enough to read all the way to the end to find Mittiga’s anti-authoritarian response are so used to Fox New’s cheerleading for authoritarians that they’re still mad at Mittiga any way.

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