FIRST LOOK:

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will host a conversation about opportunities and challenges related to expanding electric vehicle infrastructure in U.S. states. Tuesday, March 22, at 3:00 pm EDT.

🗣️🗣️🗣️ JOURNALISTS 🗣️🗣️🗣️

Register now for embargoed materials & interviews with scientists of the next IPCC report, Mitigation of Climate Change Now. Deadline is March 30. Please contact Climate Nexus with any questions. 

Western Megadrought Expected To Continue — NOAA: The megadrought plaguing the western U.S. will likely continue as high heat and dry conditions reciprocally exacerbate each other, NOAA predicted in its spring seasonal outlook Thursday. “Drought has increased, especially in the West as it has warmed,” Deke Arndt, NOAA’s climate science and services chief, told the AP. “The reason the West is warming is climate change, especially over the multiple decade timeframe.” Climate change, mainly caused by the extraction and combustion, fuels higher temperatures and makes droughts more frequent and severe. The current megadrought, which is the worst since Charlamagne, is now in its third decade. Hot drought conditions also set the stage for supercharged wildfires, Brad Pugh, a drought meteorologist with the NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said. (AP, New York Times $, CBS; Climate Signals background: Drought, Wildfires)

Indigenous Leader Tortured, Murdered In Nicaragua: Salomón López Smith, a leader of the Mayangna Indigenous community in what is now Nicaragua, was brutally tortured and murdered, allegedly, by invading settlers. Systematically targeted by ethnic cleansing for centuries, Indigenous people continue to be targeted and attacked on their lands, disproportionately harmed by climate impacts (and the fossil fuel extraction, transportation, and combustion that causes climate change), and officially excluded from international climate negotiations. “His body showed signs of torture, which indicates it was a killing carried out with savagery, with hate, typical of the behavior of settlers,” Environmentalist Amaru Ruiz, director of the Del Río Foundation, told the AP. The Indigenous Territorial Mayangna Government of Sauni Arungka said López Smith's torture and murder, with shotgun blasts in the back, "represents a hate crime." At least 28 Indigenous leaders and community members have been killed over the last two years in the protected region targeted by illegal mining and logging by settlers who have displaced 3,000 Indigenous people since 2015, according to the Del Río Foundation. (AP)

• New Washington Post series on the Amazon, including the increasing threats to Indigenous people and their lands: Death in the forest (Washington Post $), How deforestation is pushing the Amazon toward a tipping point (Washington Post $)

Indiana Airport Parking Lot Solar Panels Provide Shade, Rain Cover, And Electricity: The solar panels above an Indiana airport are working, even when it's raining, Yale Climate Connections reports. Travelers flying in and out of the Evansville Regional Airport appreciate the shade from the solar panels in the summer and protection from rain as well. The installation also produces 1.3 MW of power, about half of the terminal building's demand. “A lot of people traveling through our region are coming through the airport first. So the first experience [travelers] have at our airport is seeing a beautiful terminal and then ultimately a beautiful solar array,” Nate Hahn, the airport’s executive director, said. “And we think that shows a lot about where our community is at and where our community’s going.” (Yale Climate Connections)

MAKING A KILLING: The Big Oil windfall profits tax legislation targets price gouging (CleanTechnica)

GREENWASHING & ESG: This timber company sold millions of dollars of useless carbon offsets (Bloomberg $), Greenwashing is increasingly making ESG moot (Bloomberg), Sustainable' funds are no more green than traditional products, study finds (Reuters), Texas threatens to hit ESG firms over fossil fuel ‘boycott’ (E&E News)

REGULATORS: The SEC will propose a historic climate disclosure rule. Here's what to know. (Wall Street Journal), [Senate] Committee approves Fed picks after Raskin withdrawal (E&E News), Can Biden get a Fed climate candidate past Joe Manchin? (E&E News)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Nearly 2 years after the 2020 uprisings, the war on Black lives continues (Prism Reports)

ATLANTA ASIAN SPA SHOOTINGS: 1 year after Atlanta-area spa shootings, Asian American community is still healing (NBC, Atlanta Journal-Constitution), A year later, atlanta remembers the 8 people killed in spa shootings (NPR), Screams and silence, revisited (NPR, Code Switch), Asian American communities mark the atlanta area spa shootings a year ago (NPR)

• STILL UNSAFE: ‘We are being hunted’: One year after Atlanta spa shootings, Asian Americans are more scared now than ever (The 19th* News), A year after the Atlanta shootings, asian women live in fear: ‘How are we all going to stay safe?’ (Washington Post $), ‘Can I be next?’ rally against anti-asian violence held in times square (New York Post), A year after the atlanta spa shootings, Asians in America are facing a different kind of abuse (TIME), Assaulted. Harassed. This is the reality for Asian Americans a year after the Atlanta spa shootings (CNN), How the Atlanta Spa Shootings—the Victims, the Survivors—Tell a Story of America (Vanity Fair)
• CALLS FOR CHANGE: ‘Stop Asian hate’: gathering honors spa shooting victims a year later (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), U.S. House members say anti-asian hate crimes didn’t end with Atlanta spa shootings (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Reuters, Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Mourning and organizing: 3 activists on the impact of the atlanta spa shootings (Washington Post $), SF event celebrates strength of Asian women, 1 year after Atlanta spa shootings (KQED), The Stop Asian Hate movement is at a crossroads (Vox)
• MEDIA: A year after Atlanta spa shootings, ABC’s Juju Chang keeps the heat on violence against AAPI community (LA Times $)
• COMMENTARY: The sexual stereotypes that sparked a murderer's rampage in atlanta keep asian women in danger today (USA Today, Sung Yeon Choimorrow op-ed), A year later, asian Americans still struggle to find real safety (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Phi Nguyen op-ed), Asian American residents of New York City feel we're alone in protecting ourselves (NBC, Kai Ma essay)

FOSSIL FUELED WAR: Nations should conserve fuel as global energy crisis looms, [International Energy Agency] warns (New York Times $), Europe faces struggle to escape Russian gas this year (Reuters), Poland 'looking again' at role of gas in green energy transition (Reuters), Ukraine invasion sends carbon markets on rollercoaster ride (Energy Monitor), High energy costs intensify debate over Europe's carbon plan (Reuters), Oil market’s big winners: ‘little guys’ who are eager to drill (Wall Street Journal $)

• US POLITICS: US Senators introduce bill to ban US imports of Russian uranium (Reuters), GOP pushes to add Russian oil ban into trade bill (The Hill)
• GASOLINE PRICES: Biden, Democrats take aim at oil companies for high prices (E&E News), Democrats look to limit gas price fallout (Axios)
• HEAT PUMPS: Heat pumps are a weapon in the EU's energy face-off with Russia (TIME), France ends gas heaters subsidies, boosts heat pumps in bid to cut Russia reliance (Reuters) 
• CLIMATE LITIGATION: Utah youths launch lawsuit in Juliana mold (E&E $), The man who could help big oil derail America’s climate fight (The Guardian)

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN: Chicago educator empowers students to make climate connections in their own communities (Energy News Network)

WILDFIRES, OZONE, MENTAL HEALTH: US wildfires became larger, more frequent and more widespread in last 20 years (CBS), Extreme wildfires’ smoke poses new threat to ozone layer, research finds (Wall Street Journal $, Inside Climate News), Ozone linked to depression in adolescents (Environmental Health News)

WOMEN'S WORK: New series highlights women leading regenerative ranching movement across the West (KUNC), The sacred women of the world (Atmos)

SOCIAL COST OF CO2, CH4, NO2:Appeals court revives key climate measure rejected by Trump judge (Politico, E&E $, AP)

EPA: EPA slates 12 new Superfund sites for cleanup (E&E News)

DOE: DOE nuclear nominee calls for weaning off 'unstable, untrustworthy' foreign fuel sources (Politico Pro $)

• LNG TO EUROPE: Biden administration approves more LNG exports to Europe (Reuters), The Energy Department's delicate LNG position (Axios)

WHITE HOUSE: White House steps up support for HBCUs after bomb threats with funding for mental health services, security training (The Grio), White House: 'too many' oil and gas companies putting profits before people (Washington Examiner)

THE HILL: Why the return of earmarks could be good news for the planet (Grist), Energy crunch draws menu of new and old plans from Democrats (Politico Pro $), Congressional liberals press Biden to declare emergency and restrict fossil fuels (Washington Examiner)

HOUSE: GOP launches probe of FERC commissioner’s renewable ties (E&E News), House progressives urge Biden to support caregiving workforce and execute other Build Back Better priorities (The 19th* News), Republicans resist Dem climate plans for agriculture (E&E $)

SENATE: Water spending woes split senators, raise justice concerns (E&E $), Manchin's blow to Biden's Fed pick reveals weakness of relationship (The Hill), What Manchin's fossil fuel kick means for climate legislation (E&E $)

POLITICS: Climate activists flex their political muscle (New York Times $), Gas prices lead to tensions within Democratic Party (The Hill)

• SUNRISE: 'What more do we need to do to win?' A controversial climate group rethinks its strategy (TIME), Sunrise issues a memo to Democrats calling for green new deal commitments (Teen Vogue)

ELECTIONS: Dr. Oz's first-class flip-flop on fracking (HuffPost)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: 

TRIBES: Raw materials needed for energy have been found on native Americans' sacred land (NPR)

CITIES AND STATES: Kansas impasse shows green energy opposition has lost steam (AP), [Massachusetts Port Authority] unveils net-zero greenhouse gas reduction plan (AP), Mich. bill highlights climate impact on youth mental health (E&E $), Murphy’s first-term climate goals turn to second-term worries for New Jersey green groups (Politico Pro $)

IMPACTS: Canada's badass mountain hut officially too perilous, will be dismantled (Gizmodo), Hailstorms and climate change: what to expect (Yale Climate Connections), Pollen season is getting longer and more intense with climate change – here’s what allergy sufferers can expect in the future (The Conversation), Great Barrier Reef suffers widespread coral bleaching (AP), Rebuild or retreat? Newport eyes Cliff Walk’s eroding future (AP)

HEAT: Baghdad shows how urban growth plays a part in climate change (WBUR)

DEFORESTATION: Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest reaches record levels (NBC)

POLLUTION MONITORING: A new monitor could revolutionize the way air pollution is regulated (Environmental Health News)

GEOENGINEERING: Cloud seeding might not be as promising as drought-troubled states hope (The Conversation)

HFCs: US blocks illegal imports of climate damaging refrigerants with new rules (Inside Climate News)

OIL & GAS: 2-week gas leak reignites concerns over Arctic drilling (E&E $)

PIPELINES: ‘TSA has screwed this up’: Pipeline cyber rules hitting major hurdles (Politico Pro $)

NUKES: Biden officials tout fusion energy's potential to help meet ambitious climate goals (Politico Pro $)

HYDROGEN: Clean energy superstar or smokescreen for fossil fuel use? Here's what you need to know about hydrogen. (Washington Post $)

UTILITIES: Largest federal utility [TVA] chooses gas, undermining Biden’s climate goals (New York Times $), SRP faces backlash on proposed Arizona gas plant expansion: 'You're pushing it down their throat' (Utility Dive), Virginia approves 1 GW renewable energy expansion by Dominion Energy (Utility Dive)

EVs: How the war in Ukraine could slow the sales of electric cars (New York Times $), Electric vehicles are full speed ahead in the southeast (Georgia Public Broadcasting), Complaints against Tesla are on par with how auto workers have long been treated (Prism Reports), Germany backs EU phaseout of new combustion engines by 2035 (Bloomberg $), Starbucks could make EV charging stations as ubiquitous as Starbucks (Protocol), When will EV trucks be ready for large-scale adoption? It’s complicated (Canary Media)

POPULAR OPINION: Americans think tech companies are key to solving climate change (Protocol)

MEDIA: Bob Iger slams “inaccuracy” in news in Jon Stewart sit-down: “news is not news as certainly we knew it,” ex-Disney boss says (Deadline)

CARS: Volkswagen eyes US market as war in Ukraine disrupts European production. (New York Times $), VW joins sustainable mining initiative to boost scrutiny (Reuters)

FINANCE: The hottest investment in 2021? Climate tech. (Protocol)

WILDLIFE: Unnatural barriers: how the rapid rise of fences is harming wildlife (Yale Environment 360)

INTERNATIONAL: ‘Obsessed by coal’: former Queensland LNP minister hits out at Morrison government (The Guardian), [Australian] defence personnel not allowed to speak about climate ‘unless they go through Peter Dutton’s office’ (The Guardian)

• US shale oil and gas are the key to a renewable future (Wall Street Journal, Christopher James op-ed $)
• Why we need to ‘electrify everything’ according to saul griffith (Washington Post, interview $)
• St. Patrick's Day is a great excuse to think green (The Hill, Jessica Tarlov and Antjuan Seawright op-ed)
• Biden is in climate denial (Wall Street Journal, Kimberley Strassel op-ed $)
• States can be laboratories for climate policy (The Hill, Wil Burns and Toby Bryce op-ed)
• Buying votes with gas tax rebates (Wall Street Journal, Editorial Board $)

Warren Warren Attacks Science in ScienceAdvances With Output Of Human Centipede of Conspiratorial Climate Disinfo

Do we need to “stop calling people who do not buy premature ‘consensus’ deniers and stop accusing them of spreading misinformation and bias?” That’s what Warren Warren published last week in ScienceAdvances, with an editorial headlined “Earning the public’s trust.” 

Warren² is concerned about media hyperbole exaggerating or misrepresenting science, because a paper on face masks he co-authored in 2020 was not received the way he had intended. He then goes on to relate that to climate change, dredging up the ridiculous RCP8.5 faux-conspiracy, and justifying it by linking to a scientific study he, ironically, misrepresented. 

And we know Warren didn’t understand the paper, because one of the co-authors told him! “You clearly have not understood the citations,” NASA’s Gavin Schmidt tweeted, as they “have nothing to do with use or misuse of RCP8.5.”

Whoopsies! Man who complains about the media misrepresenting science, misrepresented science in the media! 

And it gets worse! Responding to other criticisms about the total lack of citations for the “dozens of decades-old failed apocalyptic predictions about climate change” that Warren Warren wrote about, he claimed to have been “limited in the number of references I could use” and provided two additionally examples. And they are not compelling, to say the least. 

Because one was a link to a 2004 story from the UK’s Observer, which has been making the rounds in disinfo circles for years as it claims the Pentagon was warning of massive climate catastrophe. As we pointed out in 2020, when Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal misrepresented it, and as Schmidt tweeted, this report was a “worst-of-the-worst scenario planning” that the Pentagon commissioned, not any sort of climate science prediction. 

The other was a link to Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post, not exactly known for its science coverage, and even then it was an editorial, not an actual reported piece. And that editorial? It’s a list of misrepresented predictions that they credit Bjorn Lomborg for putting together. 

As you may remember, a month and a day ago, we pointed out that Bjorn Lomborg plagiarized his NYPost oped in another oped in CityAM, about a supposed 50 years of failed climate predictions. Those identical op-eds were, in turn, based on a list compiled by professional climate disinfo spreaders, which was in turn based on a list conspiracy theorist Tony Heller first assembled.   

Warren, who has a taste for climate disinfo, consumed the end result of a Sandy Hook Truther and Obama Birther’s list of things someone said once — as passed through professionals who spread disinfo on behalf of the tobacco industry before doing it for fossil fuels — published by a rightwing tabloid picking up on a self-plaigarising professional denier. 

It’s the steaming pile from the end a human centipede of disinfo, and Warren loved it.

In his ScienceAdvances editorial, Warren complained in his editorial that “some reporters who cover science issues have little science background.” 

So what’s his excuse?

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