ENVIRONMENTAL (IN)JUSTICE: Corporate tree-planting drive in Scotland ‘risks widening rural inequality’ (The Guardian), Much-needed climate funds flee sinking Caribbean islands (Bloomberg $), The housing crisis led them to basement apartments. climate change flooded them out. (Buzzfeed)
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH: Who runs the world? (Atmos)
IPCC WG2: IPCC reports still exclude Indigenous voices. Come join us at our sacred fires to find answers to climate change (The Conversation), Has the IPCC’s bleak warning of climate breakdown been heard? (The Guardian), ‘We need to do all we can’: Five key takeaways from the U.N. climate report (LA Times $), Adapting to the 'irreversible' impact of climate change (Bloomberg $), IPCC report puts climate risk at top of CEO agendas – experts (Energy Monitor), UK not prepared for climate impacts, warns IPCC expert (The Guardian), UN report: Climate change is so severe we're running out of time to adapt (Axios), What does IPCC report II tell energy businesses about their future? (Energy Monitor)
WAR IN EUROPE: War exposes Europe’s failure to heed warnings over Russian gas (Bloomberg $), What does big oil’s Russia exit mean for climate change? (Wall Street Journal $), Ukraine’s nuclear nightmare is only part of the war’s environmental horrors (Politico Pro $), War in Ukraine overshadows energy transition as oil CEOs gather (Bloomberg $), Activists deplore the human toll and environmental devastation from Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine (Inside Climate News), Is climate change hindering Russia's invasion? (E&E $), Russian oil company calls for peace in Ukraine in break with Putin (The Hill), Russia used U.N. climate process to bolster claim to Crimea (E&E News)
- FOSSILS: What Putin’s war could mean for fossil fuels (New York Times $), As Russia avoids energy sanctions, oil majors flee but TotalEnergies stays (Reuters)
- POST-OIL: The complicated question of ending imports of Russian oil (Washington Post $), America can’t solve its gas price problem (or its Russia problem) with drilling (Vox), Murphy calls for replacing Russian oil with renewable energy in case of potential ban (The Hill), Biden called to unleash shale to counter energy crisis (Bloomberg $), Elon Musk: US needs to increase oil, gas production 'immediately' (The Hill)
- EUROPE: Ukraine war prompts European reappraisal of its energy supplies (The Guardian), Europe sizes up renewables to reduce reliance on Russian gas (Thomson Reuters Foundation), Europe’s green energy plans are threatened by the need to wean itself off Russian gas (TIME), Europe fears it could be too late to shake off Russian gas addiction (Wall Street Journal $), Angry dock workers in the UK are refusing to unload Russian oil due to Ukraine invasion (CNBC)
- GERMANY: Germany faces reckoning for relying on Russia’s cheap energy (Bloomberg $), Germany goes ahead with first LNG terminal to cut dependence on Russian gas (Wall Street Journal $, Bloomberg $), Germany to spend $220 billion for industrial transformation by 2026 (Reuters), Ukraine invasion nudges Germany towards new security mindset (FT $)
- CO-BENEFITS: How climate-monitoring satellites are exposing Russian military movements (Salon), How satellites may hold the key to the methane crisis (The Guardian)
- NUCLEAR POWER: ‘Stop this madness’: Fears mount amid Ukraine reactor attack (E&E News), How the war in Ukraine and climate change are shaping the nuclear industry (CNBC), Macron urges securing nuclear plants in call with Putin (Politico EU), Zelenskiy says ‘Europe must wake up’ after assault sparks nuclear plant fire (The Guardian), EU considers energy sanctions on Russia after nuclear power plant attack (CNBC), Russia takes control of Europe’s largest nuclear plant (E&E News), Russian attacks spur debate about nuclear power as climate fix (Reuters)
- BUT IT WAS ON SALE!: Shell defends decision to buy discounted oil from Russia (CNBC), Shell says controversial purchase of Russian crude is to ensure European refinery supply (S&P Global)
CORONAVIRUS: Study: COVID recovery spending has not been green (Axios, Newsweek)
CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Months after pledge, India yet to submit emissions targets (AP)
CLIMATE LITIGATION: Honolulu climate lawsuit poised to make history (E&E $)
DENIAL: ‘Unscientific’: Morrison government wanted IPCC to say Great Barrier Reef ‘not yet in crisis’ (The Guardian)
FOSSIL VOLATILITY: US gasoline prices soar to highest since 2008 on Russia conflict -AAA (Reuters, The Hill, The Guardian, USA Today, CNBC)
FRONT GROUPS: A natural gas giant is waging a sneaky war on a minor Colorado climate policy (HuffPost)
AUSTRALIA FLOODS: ‘It’s not a footnote. It’s the story’: Climate Council says too many Australian leaders silent on cause of floods (The Guardian), ‘Next level destruction’: NSW residents detail the moments floods devastated their homes (The Guardian), ‘Catastrophic failure’: fury among NSW northern rivers locals ‘forgotten’ by authorities (The Guardian), Anatomy of a ‘rain bomb’: scientists strive to understand phenomenon that caused Australia’s east coast floods (The Guardian)
CHINA: China vows new incentives to cut pollution, CO2, but says 'stability' paramount (Reuters), China shuns energy use target to focus on securing fuel supply (Bloomberg $), China to boost coal output, reserves to ensure power supply - NDRC (Reuters), China aims to build 450 GW of solar, wind power on Gobi desert (Reuters)
EPA: EPA science advisers unanimously back tighter soot limits (E&E News)
DOI: Interior advances large solar project on Nev. tribal land (E&E News), ‘Unprecedented killing’: the deadliest season for Yellowstone’s wolves (Washington Post $),
THE HILL: Biden climate-change plans gain momentum as Democrats retool agenda (Wall Street Journal $), Democrats and Republicans are willing to risk higher inflation to punish Russia (HuffPost), EU official: US lawmakers interested in CO2 border tax (E&E $), Ukraine aid, nuclear waste hurdles for spending package (E&E News)
HOUSE: GOP calls to halt Big Oil probe amid Russian invasion (E&E $), GOP lawmakers urge return to 100% wildfire suppression (E&E $)
SENATE: Democrats escalate efforts to electrify Postal Service fleet (E&E $), Full Manchin Interview: 'Forget about the aspirational, we’re living in the real world' (NBC)
POLITICS: ‘Pain at the pump’: the highly flammable politics of American gas prices (Grist), Politicians are willing to pay the price of supporting Ukraine as higher gas costs bite consumers (CNN)
ELECTIONS: Climate change is mostly taking a back seat in mayor’s race (LA Times $)
TRIBES: ‘The good fight’: Roebuck Plains Station and its return to Indigenous owners (The Guardian), The power of the sun: cleaning water and charging cell phones in the Navajo Nation (Yale Climate Connections)
CITIES AND STATES: NYC’s first net zero community brings housing to storm-ravaged neighborhood (Bloomberg $), New York City to transform Brooklyn port into offshore wind hub (Axios), New York City is making a multibillion-dollar bet on Canadian hydropower. Some say the wager won't pay off. (Politico Pro $), L.A. has $556 million and a plan to capture more storm water. But will they ever do it? (LA Times $)
CALIFORNIA: Why a California city is trying to build the state’s last fossil-fueled power plant (CNBC)
FERC: FERC hearing: Gas fights, Manchin and a 'snowball effect' (E&E $), Sens. Manchin, Barrasso slam FERC's 'political agenda' on natural gas, say it will stifle development (Utility Dive)
SCIENCE: In climate research, Arctic scientists and Indigenous people join forces (Wall Street Journal $), Record growth, record heat, record drought: how will Las Vegas weather the climate crisis? (The Guardian)
HEAT: Humans can't withstand temperatures, humidities as high as once thought, Penn State study finds (Philly Voice)
DROUGHT: Droughts continue in the Pacific Northwest despite early snow and rain (Seattle Times, AP, E&E $), Colorado needs more than 100% snowpack thanks to drought. March and April are critical months. (Coloradoan), Drought, water cutbacks take financial toll on Central Valley farmers: ‘It’s getting worse’ (Fresno Bee)
WILDFIRES: New research shows coastal waters affected by wildfires (LAist), Florida wildfires prompts at least 600 evacuations and a local state of emergency (CBS, CNN, AP, AP)
HURRICANES: Florida researchers are building a machine to test the future of mega-hurricanes (The Independent)
FLOODING: Climate Council says too many leaders are silent on global heating’s role in ‘megafloods’ (The Guardian)
MIDWEST TORNADOS: Tornado outbreak kills 7 in iowa, with severe damage near Des Moines (Washington Post $, AP, CBS, ABC, USA Today, NBC)
MENTAL HEALTH: For mental health, landmark climate report spells disaster (Grist)
WATER: The 'tricky balance' of tackling water scarcity and carbon emissions (Marketplace)
OCEANS: Using the ocean’s power to fight climate change (Wall Street Journal $)
NATURE BATS LAST: Hunga Tonga volcano spewed ash 36 miles high, a world record (Washington Post $)
BOOZE: This high-end Sonoma winery is preparing for climate change by growing grapes closer to the ocean (San Francisco Chronicle)
EIA ANNUAL ENERGY OUTLOOK: Fossil fuel dominance will limit US emissions decline through 2050, EIA says (Politico Pro $, E&E $), Light … or blight? Anger rises at plan for Britain’s biggest solar farm (The Guardian)
RENEWABLES: A Brooklyn marine terminal is going to become a major offshore wind hub (Electrek), Australia's Victoria state sets out fast growth plan for offshore wind power (Reuters), Erthos rakes in $17M to install solar panels directly on the ground (Canary Media)
OIL & GAS: Texas rig count drops despite soaring prices (Houston Chronicle), War, climate change and spiking oil prices, just in time for CERAWeek (Houston Chronicle, Reuters), Why Colorado drillers are unlikely to pump more oil amid Russia-Ukraine crisis (Colorado Newsline)
ORPHANED WELLS: Colorado has an abandoned oil well problem. Now it’s asking drillers to pay up. (Grist)
PLASTICS: Oops, cleaning the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was probably a bad idea (Vox)
COAL: Coal runs hot as Russia-Ukraine war risks Europe’s climate agenda (Wall Street Journal $), Coal mine workers stall W.Va. bill to change safety law (E&E $)
HYDROGEN: Houston's plans for hydrogen hub face 'green' competition (Houston Chronicle)
GRID: Grid operators’ ‘seam’ study paves way for renewable expansion (E&E News)
EVs: Can the EV help save the electric-power grid? (Wall Street Journal $), EV buyers face long waits, price hikes above sticker cost (E&E News), Inflation, production backlogs hit electric transit bus manufacturer Proterra (Utility Dive), Tesla wins approval for German Gigafactory but still has to meet conditions (The Verge, CNBC), The cold hard truth about electric vehicles in winter (Axios)
THE KIDS ARE … RESPONDING RATIONALLY: 'Listen to Our Cries:' Gen Z artists confront issues like climate change and gun violence (PBS NewsHour)
AGRICULTURE: Cow burps are a major contributor to climate change — can scientists change that? (PBS NewsHour)
FINANCE: Drought-riven Chile makes world first in environmental bonds (Bloomberg $), To divest or not to divest? Sometimes the choice is made for you (Bloomberg $)
IN MEMORIAM: Maggy Hurchalla, formidable Florida environmentalist, dies at 81 (New York Times $)
PETS: This company wants you to feed insects to your dog (Yale Climate Connections)
INTERNATIONAL: Could ex-president Lula's return mean a Green New Deal for Brazil? (Thomson Reuters Foundation), Trudeau environment czar counting on carbon capture and EV push (Bloomberg $) |
Why Does Politico Run Ads For Lying, Polluting, Cancer-Causing Industries? And Why Do They All Sound The Same?
On Friday we were nice to Politico, so for balance, today we’re pointing out one of their flaws — running disinformation ads for tobacco, chemical, and fossil fuel industry interests.
Now to be fair, this has absolutely nothing to do with the reporters at the outlet, who though not perfect, are clearly not heavily influenced by the advertisers (as much as some may be inclined to preserve their access to lying Republican sources) and regularly produce high-value content, with original reporting, plenty of scoops, and some solid expert analysis in stories and across a variety of daily newsletters. Their journalism is valuable, which is why they can charge, depending on the organization and number of log-ins, about a thousand dollars a month for subscriptions to PoliticoPRO content. (And we pay it! As do plenty of other organizations and companies!)
With a subscription cost that includes a comma, it’s a pricey product. But the reporters make it worth the cost. That’s what makes it so incredibly frustrating that the business side of the outlet injects misleading advertising from some of the worst corporate actors in the world alongside the reporting we’re already paying top dollar to receive.
For example, Politico’s Morning Energy has been called out before for being sponsored by ExxonMobil, but that hasn’t stopped them. March 1st’s PROMorning Energy was “presented by ExxonMobil,” whose mid-newsletter text told readers they’re “committed to playing a leading role in the energy transition” by “advancing climate solutions, including carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and advanced biofuels. And, by 2050, we aim to achieve net-zero emissions (Scope 1 and 2) from our operated assets…” (Screenshot)
Why, by that, you’d think ExxonMobil was a clean energy company founded to address the climate crisis, not one of the primary reasons we’re in the crisis in the first place!
What’s interesting, though, is that other equally evil advertisers are employing the exact same rhetorical strategy in other Politico newsletters.
Take Politico Playbook, “the unofficial guide to official Washington,” per their tagline, capturing their inside-the-beltway brand. It’s been sponsored recently by the chemical and plastic lobby, bearing “A message from ACC and America’s Plastic Makers: Through bold action, we can solve great problems. That's why America’s Plastic Makers® created '5 Actions for Sustainable Change' – a comprehensive national strategy that would move the United States toward a sustainable, circular economy in which plastics are made to be remade. Learn more.”
Their “learn more” link is to their propaganda page, because it’s not like they were going to link to the Rolling Stone feature on how plastic recycling is mostly just another industrial disinformation campaign attempting to shield polluters from accountability.
But take the ad at its word, and you’d get the impression that they’re eco-warriors saving us from the industry producing the plastic choking our oceans, lands and lungs, and not that industry causing those problems it’s claiming to solve and profiting off all the while.
And that’s not even the most brazen example of how the PR industry serves profits of death in a Politico newsletter! Because they’re renting out their readers to none other than the Biggest Bad of Big Bads, Big Tobacco!
Politico Influence, their newsletter covering the lobbying and professional influence industry, was sponsored last week by tobacco giant Altria.
And just like how the plastic industry wants you to think they’re about solving the plastic problem, and ExxonMobil wants you to think they’re “playing a leading role in the energy transition,” Altria offers the reassuring message that they’re “moving beyond smoking” (apparently they’ve hired Beyond Petroleum BP’s old PR team) and the tobacco giant is now “leading the way in moving adult smokers away from cigarettes.” Oh how lovely!
Instead of profiting off of getting people addicted to nicotine delivered in cigarettes, they’re “taking action to transition millions toward less harmful choices” by “investing in a diverse mix of businesses to broaden options beyond traditional, combustible cigarettes.”
And what does that all-of-the-above-esque sentence mean? Why, vaping, of course! Instead of selling dirty old cigarettes, they’re going “from tobacco company to tobacco harm reduction company,” by feeding (off) people’s nicotine addiction digitally with sleek cool nicotine delivery systems that are charged instead of rolled, so that means they’re, like, totally safe and stuff! You can trust the people who said cigarettes were totally safe when they say that, it’s not like they would lie to you for money, again, right?
Seriously though, the lesson here isn’t that anything’s particularly wrong with Politico’s reporting, which is supported by the hefty subscription costs so it needn’t rely on ads, and so good that we wouldn’t be surprised to see Politico reporters could do a story on how their publication’s ads illustrate how the PR industry is propping up some the dirty and deadliest industry actors on the planet, all in the same exact way. (Not to mention their “defense” ads, or Facebook’s!)
What these interchangeable advertisements accidentally showcase is that whether it’s nicotine addictions, plastics or pollution, there’s only one way left to sell death and destruction: by pretending you’re protecting people from the very threat you pose and profit off.
Almost like a petrostate authoritarian defending his decision to invade a country led by a popular Jewish president by claiming that really he’s going to “denazify” the country.
But that might be Putin too fine a point on it…
|
|
