WORLD WATER DAY

The Walton Family Foundation and Morning Consult released a national poll examining voters' climate and water. Read more here.

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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.

SEC Proposes First Ever Climate Disclosure Rule: The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed regulations on Monday to require companies to disclose their exposure to climate change risks, as well as—to varying extents—the greenhouse gas pollution they generate. The proposed rule would give investors a baseline of consistent and comparable information, and “Companies and investors alike would benefit from the clear rules of the road proposed in this release,” SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a statement. The rule would encompass the risks posed by the physical impacts of climate change like stronger storms, droughts, heatwaves, or wildfires, that could affect businesses operations, as well as political and financial risks linked to the transition away from fossil fuels, towards clean forms of energy. The rule would require companies to disclose the direct greenhouse gas pollution their operations emit and the indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the energy they consume ("Scope 1" and "Scope 2" emissions, respectively). It would also require some larger companies to report pollution generated by a firm's suppliers and customers ("Scope 3" emissions) if those emissions are "material" to investors. (Washington Post, AP, New York Times $, Bloomberg $, Axios, Reuters, NPR, The Guardian, E&E News, Grist, Politico Pro $, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal $, Reuters, factbox)

Rich, White Communities Force Themselves To Head Of Line For Resilience Funding With Congressional Earmarks: A federal program designed to aid historically excluded communities recover from climate impacts is being used to further benefit white and affluent areas, E&E reports. FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities has $1 billion to distribute to states and localities for building projects with long-term resilience to flooding, wildfires, and storms, but received applications for $4.2 billion in grants. This means that affected states and localities must compete for funding, which further disadvantages low-income communities and communities of color. Additionally, dozens of congressional earmarks have diverted more than $150 million to projects in white and wealthy areas — like the $2.25 million secured by Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) for a coastal retaining wall in Newburyport, an exclusive enclave on the North Shore with a median income of $111,000 and a 93% non-Hispanic white population. These earmarks mean BRIC “is not a competitive program anymore, so you’re not rewarding projects based on their merit and the criteria that are established every year,” Carlos Martín, an expert on disaster policy at the Brookings Institution, told E&E News. “Places that don’t need the resources and are exerting power," explained Martin. Laurie Schoeman, national director for resilience and disaster recovery at Enterprise Community Partners, agreed: “A lot of communities that get more earmarks are often communities that have higher capacity to administer and apply for program funding.” (E&E News)

Rich Countries Must Stop All Oil And Gas Extraction In 12 Years – Report: Wealthy nations must cease all oil and gas extraction by 2034 if the world is to limit global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) above preindustrial levels, a new report concludes. The report published Tuesday explains developing nations must end oil and gas extraction by 2050, but allows that doing so faster may risk economic and political instability in those countries. Researchers conducted the work before Russia invaded Ukraine, but the conclusions are strengthened by the resulting geopolitical and energy insecurity, Kevin Anderson, a climate scientist at Britain's University of Manchester and co-author of the report said. "Had we spent the last 20 years establishing an efficient and sensible use of energy alongside a massive roll-out of renewables, we would not now be scrabbling around for alternative oil and gas supplies and facing the impacts of volatile prices." (The Guardian, AFP, Thomson Reuters Foundation, France 24, India Education Diary, The Jakarta Post, Times Colonist, The Herald)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Judge: Ex-governor must testify in Flint water civil trial (AP, The Hill), See just how much White men have dominated the federal judiciary (The 19th* News)

FOSSIL FUELED WAR: White House believes Russia is seeing a big drop in oil sales, imperiling key source of funding (Washington Post $), Environmental impact of Russian invasion (CBS), Russia sends more gas to Europe. Is it Putin’s war strategy? (E&E News), Albania dims lights as drought, price spike spark energy crisis (Reuters), EU split on Russia oil sanctions, mulls other steps (Reuters), Europe split on how to spare consumers energy price pain (Reuters)

• US: Europe’s pivot on Russian gas boosts call for US LNG projects (Bloomberg $), Largest US oil field contractors halt future investments in Russia (E&E $)
• GERMANY: German LNG terminal’s developers seek fast track to cut Russian gas reliance (Bloomberg $), German economy minister urges Arab states not to benefit from Russia sanctions (Reuters), German firms sign deals in UAE as Berlin seeks alternative energy supplies (Reuters), Russia suffers blow as Germany strikes natural gas deal with Qatar (Newsweek)
• GUTERRES: Ukraine war threatens global heating goals, warns UN chief (The Guardian, Axios, AP), UN secretary general: World is 'sleepwalking to climate catastrophe' (The Hill)
• OH, COOL: Chernobyl Exclusion Zone radiation monitoring system not working, firm says (The Hill)

CONVENIENT: Finance industry’s climate promises leave plenty of room for oil and gas (Bloomberg $)

DELUSION PREVENTION: Instagram ads can help climate facts reach the ‘super online,’ report suggests (DeSmog)

PUBLIC OPINION: 7 in 10 urban voters want their government to prioritize communities of color when making climate change investments (Morning Consult), As lawmakers determine where federal infrastructure funding will be spent, urban voters support policies that would prioritize public transit (Morning Consult), For urban homeowners and renters, the quality of affordable housing is debatable. but both groups agree on the need for more (Morning Consult)

SCOTUS: Supreme Court declines Oregon ranchers' appeal in water rights case (Politico Pro $)

• KETANJI BROWN JACKSON: Ketanji Brown Jackson gives opening statement at confirmation hearings (Black Wall Street Times), What to know about Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing (The 19th* News, explainer), 5 things to watch at Jackson’s Supreme Court hearings (E&E News), As Supreme Court confirmation hearings begin for Ketanji Brown Jackson, supporters rally in Washington (The Grio), For Black law students, Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic Supreme Court nomination is personal (The Grio), Inside the confirmation process of Ketanji Brown Jackson (The Root), Senators launch Supreme Court hearings with partisan attacks (E&E News)

DOE: DOE turns to energy storage to build resilience, energy affordability in underserved communities (Utility Dive)

WHITE HOUSE: White House to meet with oil, bank, other companies about Russia invasion (The Hill), Biden warns Russian cyberattacks 'coming': tells companies to immediately harden defenses against potential Russian cyberattacks (Politico Pro $), Why Biden can't help Europe rid itself of Russian gas (Politico), Biden wants to spend infrastructure billions on climate and equity initiatives. But it’s not his call. (Politico Pro $)

THE HILL: The GOP climate conspiracy theory that won't die (E&E $), Lawmakers to weigh energy security, climate goals (E&E $)

POLITICS: Decades of lobbying weakened Americans’ gas mileage and turbocharged pain at the pump (Texas Climate News)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Senate sets vote on appeals, district court nominees (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: Massachusetts program funds strategies pairing equity and clean transportation (Energy News Network), States pursue gasoline tax rollbacks as questions loom (E&E $), Businesses challenge Oregon’s new climate program (AP)

FERC: FERC says it will consider greenhouse gas emissions and ‘environmental justice’ impacts in approving new natural gas pipelines (Inside Climate News), Red states, gas industry accuse FERC of overreach in challenges to pipeline policy (Politico Pro $)

INDIGENOUS RIGHTS: Mayans in Belize successfully protest visit from British royals (The Grio), Prince William and Kate Middleton cancel trip to Belize farm following protests (NBC)

IMPACTS: Cherry blossoms explode, reach peak bloom 10 days ahead of average (Washington Post $), The enduring threat to the Arctic from Big Oil (Energy Monitor)

GREAT BARRIER REEF: ‘It’s not supposed to be white’: one of the Great Barrier Reef’s healthiest reefs succumbs to bleaching (The Guardian), Ocean warming threatens more frequent bleaching of Great Barrier Reef, report says (Reuters)

POLES: 'Historic event': Antarctica experiencing record-shattering warmth (CBS), Extremes of 40°C above normal: what’s causing ‘extraordinary’ heating in polar regions? (The Guardian), How Antarctica has changed since Shackleton’s 1915 shipwreck (E&E News), Scientists warn of unusual warming at Earth’s poles (ABC)

TEXAS: ‘Critical’ fire risk remains in Texas as more blazes erupt (Washington Post $), Hurricane-force winds, tornadoes in forecast for Texas (AP), Powerful storm spawns destructive tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma (Axios)

DROUGHT: As it enters a third year, California’s drought is strangling the farming industry (Washington Post $), Lake Powell water crisis is about to be an energy crisis (Grist), Water restrictions are in place as the historic drought persists in the west (NPR)

WILDFIRES: 6 wildfire terms to understand, from red flag warning to 100% containment (The Conversation)

HURRICANES: Almost 7 months after Hurricane Ida, students return to Grand Isle School: 'I teared up.' (The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate, AP), FEMA trailers for 2020 hurricanes soon to require rent (AP)

WATER: Century old Colorado River Compact imperfect, but immovable (E&E News), Fifty percent of US waterways impaired by pollution: report (The Hill), 'Invisible' solution to water shortages lies beneath our feet (Thomson Reuters Foundation), Untapped groundwater could help African nations endure worsening drought (Yale Environment 360)

DEFORESTATION (AND COLONIAL VIOLENCE): Death in the rainforest (Washington Post $)

SCIENCE: Astronomy's contribution to climate change rivals the emissions from some countries (NPR)

RENEWABLES: What happens to used solar panels? DOE wants to know (E&E News)

BATTERIES: How a few geothermal plants could solve America’s lithium supply crunch and boost the EV battery industry (The Conversation)

BUILDINGS: Consumers Energy to expand low-income efficiency programs under Michigan-approved agreement (Utility Dive), This school wasn't built for the new climate reality. Yours may not be either (NPR)

EFFICIENCY: Realtors can be ambassadors for energy efficiency (Yale Climate Connections)

OIL & GAS: Hundreds of workers on strike at Chevron plant in California (The Hill), Oil producers aren’t crazy to worry about high prices (Wall Street Journal $), Shale companies drilling more, but oil output growing little (Wall Street Journal $), Saudi Aramco will use big jump in profits to invest in more oil production (New York Times $)

COAL/CRYPTO: US company devises method to use coal waste to power crypto (Reuters), Bitcoin miners want to recast themselves as eco-friendly (New York Times $)

EVs: Interest in electric vehicles grows as gas prices rise (NBC), Auto dealers eye a weird electric future (E&E News)

THEATRE: New season at London [UK]’s Donmar to include ‘shocking’ play on climate crisis (The Guardian)

BUSINESS: 8 women entrepreneurs tackling the climate crisis - with tech and funding (Forbes), Boardrooms with more women deliver more on climate, says Arabesque (Reuters)

IN MEMORIAM: Barbadian diplomat and small island ‘defender’ Hugh Sealy dies aged 59 (Climate Home)

WILDLIFE: Hibernating bears adapt to changing climate (CBS), These revered cranes escaped extinction. Can they survive without humans? (New York Times $)

INTERNATIONAL: Johnson announces aim for UK to get 25% of electricity from nuclear power (The Guardian), Kuwait, among world’s hottest places, lags on climate action (AP)

• How can the White House fix environmental injustice if it won’t take race into account? (LA Times, Alvaro Sanchez and Manuel Pastor op-ed $)
• Massachusetts needs to use more electricity, not less (Boston Globe, Ann Berwick op-ed $)
• We need to talk about how we talk about natural gas (Canary Media, Rebecca Leber interview)
• The Guardian view on fuel duty cuts: expediency over the environment (The Guardian, Editorial Board)
• 4 utterly important water questions for Arizona that almost no one is talking about (Arizona Republic, Joanna Allhands op-ed)
• Local versus regional transmission planning: A false dichotomy (Utility Dive, Larry Gasteiger op-ed)
• No Planet, No Pride: Why climate justice is LGBTQ+ justice (Gay Times, Diyora Shadijanova op-ed)
• How energy markets are shaping Putin’s invasion — and the world (New York Times, Ezra Klein Show, Daniel Yergin interview $)
• Indigenous people link West with climate chaos (Diálogo Chino, Martin von Hildebrand interview)
• Gary Gensler stages a climate coup (Wall Street Journal, Editorial Board $)

Climate Denier Knob Tom Nelson Steps Into Limelight To Cheers of Dozens of Fans

Yesterday we were (finally!) treated to the latest installment of Anthony Watts’ pitiful effort to pay people to write climate disinfo posts that he’s far too burned out to do himself, with the publication of the 1st place winner for the general audience submissions for the topic asking “is there really a climate crisis?” If Watts was, like us, hoping for a fresh new take on climate that doesn’t rely on the same stale, debunked narratives, he was no doubt disappointed by all the entries he got, given the one that won. (But at least he got some submissions, unlike in the student category!)

The post by C.M. Compton is a regurgitation of decades of disinfo, attempting to rebut the idea that rising temperatures are unusual, and also that future warming won’t be catastrophic. With zero online presence, but a name and writing style eerily reminiscent of professional denier C. Monckton, C.M. Compton writes that, because there were ice ages in the past, our current temperature change isn’t unique, and otherwise relies on all the old stand-by denial attacks we’ve seen circulating for decades now. Based on the citations, you’d think that ol’ C.M. was writing from at least five years ago. There’s a lot of old references to out-of-date IPCC reports, hockey stick attacks, and other basics of climate disinfo. 

What it doesn’t include, of course, is any attempt to rebut the physics of carbon dioxide’s warming effect, or address the litany of attribution studies connecting deadly disasters to climate change, both of which are more suitable underpinnings for justifying a crisis than whether people living in caves could adapt their non-existent infrastructure and cross non-existent borders to survive an ice age. 

But it shows that without a set of professionals producing climate disinfo, there would be little to nothing for such a “general audience” to cling to when denying climate science. 

This message also came through loud and clear on one of the saddest little podcasts we’ve ever had the distinct displeasure of sitting through. No, not Steve Koonin on Joe Rogan, but instead someone who’s clearly a Rogan wanna-be, bringing on a climate denier who’s clearly a Koonin wanna-be to his podcast’s dozens of fans.

The 'Out of the Blank' podcast describes itself as “just conversation from people with PhD’s or even hits of LSD its a free thought free flow show no script just enjoy the ride.” [And don't blame us for the lack of punctuation! — Ed.] 

Though the LSD might sound enticing, the podcast was super boring, in no small part because host Robbie Robertson really likes to hear himself talk, and doesn’t have a single interesting thing to say that you couldn’t find in any other edgy-try-hard Rogan impersonator. (What is it with people whose first and last name are the same? Looking at you, Erick Erickson!) 

Anyway, the hour-plus conversation we listened to was with Tom Nelson, who for years has been shouting about climate into the Twitter void. We’ve watched his incredibly active Twitter feed because Nelson isn’t professionally involved with any of the disinformation organizations, so he serves as a bellwether for what a “normal,” unfinanced climate denier finds share-worthy. 

But when on air with Robbie Robbie, who promotes the podcast as “no script”, it was obvious that Tom, too, is utterly reliant on professional cranks, and simply walked Robertson through his pre-scripted list of links. From repeating the classic myths about “global cooling” and “global greening”, Nelson recommended professional liars like Marc Morano and burn-outs who can barely stand their disinfo jobs like Anthony Watts. Tom claimed not to be a conspiracy theorist or anything, and said that he thinks most alarmists really believe it, he also said that climate change is a “hot buzzword” scientists use to get more funding, which is basically a conspiracy theory. 

His catchphrase though, is “which paper proves CO2 is the control knob” for climate? And the answer, of course, is this 2010 paper in Science, titled “Atmospheric CO2: Principal Control Knob Governing Earth’s Temperature.” 

Somehow, though, neither Nelson nor the host, who complained repeatedly and at length about how vegans and climate scientists will cite all sorts of studies and evidence they’ve never seen, managed to find this study and answer the exact question they think is unanswerable. 

And don’t expect a robust comments section to give them the answer. The most popular of all of Out of the Blank’s YouTube videos has just 755 views, and 11 days after publication, Tom Nelson’s episode, #1047, has racked up all of 193 views. That makes it the first of the channel’s daily episodes to break 100 views since a Feb 8th episode with a UFO-debunker, and puts it as the 14th most popular out over 1,000 episodes, a true testament to the power and efficacy of Tom’s thousands of hours building up 32,500 twitter followers.

(By comparison, YouTuber potholer54’s debunking of Roy Spencer’s climate disinfo got more than 32,000 views in just a few days.)

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