FIRST LOOK(S):

The Water Hub at Climate Nexus will host a virtual media briefing on climate challenges and solutions in California's Central Valley, a region on the frontlines of extreme heat, water stress, wildfire risk, and more. TODAY at 10am PT/1pm ET.

The White House Office of Public Engagement will host a discussion on health care and environmental justice, and climate change TODAY at 3:00 pm ET. 

⌛⌛⌛ JOURNALISTS ⌛⌛⌛

The deadline for embargoed materials & interviews with scientists of the next IPCC report, Mitigation of Climate Change Now, is extended to TOMORROW at 5:59 pm ET. The deadline will not be extended again. Contact Climate Nexus with questions.

Administration Makes Concrete Moves On Efficiency, Likely Move On Battery Minerals Extraction: The Biden administration announced steps to improve buildings' energy efficiency and limit carbon emissions from concrete on Wednesday and is expected to invoke the Defense Production Act to spur battery production. The Department of Energy announced $3.16 billion in new funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program. The cheapest energy is the energy that isn't needed and the new WAP funds will enable a more-than tenfold increase in the number of homes eligible for energy efficiency retrofits. DOE also announced new efficiency standards for federal buildings. The General Services Administration, often described as the government's landlord, released new requirements for concrete and asphalt used by federal contractors in major agency projects. Additionally, President Biden is expected to invoke the Defense Production Act to incentivize and expand extraction of the raw materials, including lithium, nickel, graphite, cobalt, and manganese, required for batteries. Increased extraction raises serious concerns for Native and other historically excluded communities who worry their land will now be targeted by mining companies. House Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) has warned Biden against using the DPA for critical minerals because of the risk to "natural resources and environmental justice communities." "Rather than just digging up or importing more, we should start with improved recovery and waste reduction throughout supply chains," NRDC senior lands analyst Bobby McEnaney told the Washington Post. An administration official told E&E news DOE and DOI will not allow extraction undertaken in light of a DPA order to hasten or circumvent permitting or environmental review processes. (WAP: Washington Post $, CNBC; Federal buildings: Utility Dive, The Hill; Concrete: E&E News; Defense Production Act: Washington Post $, E&E News, Wall Street Journal $, Reuters, Politico, Bloomberg $, The Hill)

Climate Change Is Great For Mosquitoes And Ticks Carrying Disease: For Americans on the fence about the need to address climate change despite deadly heatwaves, horrific wildfires, destructive hurricanes, and parching drought, maybe ticks and mosquitos will be the last straws. Climate change, caused mainly by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, is pushing the U.S. into a "goldilocks zone" for mosquitos and scientists expect increased transmission of West Nile Virus, a neuroinvasive disease spread by mosquitoes that can cause paralyzing and even fatal brain and spinal cord swelling. Drought forces birds — which carry the virus and are even more susceptible to infection when their stress hormones are elevated — to congregate, thus making them easier targets for mosquitos. Seasonal periods of tick activity are also lengthening, increasing the transmission of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and tularemia. (Mosquitoes: Kaiser Health News; Ticks: WBUR; Climate signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves, Wildfires, Hurricanes, Drought)

Renewables Growing As Fossil Fuels Keep Growing And Getting Loans: Clean power sources (including nuclear and hydro) generated more electricity than coal worldwide for the first time ever last year, but also burned more coal than ever before as global electricity demand boomed. Global power demand rose by the equivalent of India, according to a report from energy think tank Ember. The wind and solar sectors will need to maintain their combined 20% rate of growth, in order to hold global warming could to 1.5°C (2.7°F) above preindustrial levels — the target established in the Paris agreement — the report says. Doing so will require "radical action,"said Francesco La Carema, head of the International Renewable Energy Agency in conjunction with a report released by that agency. Meanwhile, U.S. and Canadian banks increased lending to fossil fuels by a combined 22.7% last year, with six North American institutions providing nearly half of the $742 billion provided to the fossil fuel industry globally. At least nine of the largest U.S. and Canadian banks, including the six largest investment banks in the U.S., face shareholder votes on climate action in 2022. (Ember: Protocol, Bloomberg $, BBC, FT $; IRENA report: AP, The Hill; Fossil Fuel Lending: S&P Global, Reuters, FT $; Shareholder pressure: E&E $, S&P Global)

META DENIAL & GREENWASHING: Facebook drives sceptics towards climate denial (BBC), Facebook paid GOP firm to malign TikTok (Washington Post $), Most climate action 100+ companies are failing on emissions (Bloomberg $)

FOSSIL FUELED WAR: Is green energy the answer to Russian oil dependence? (MSNBC), How to move Europe from gas heat to heat pumps — fast (Canary Media), Europe woos Qatar as alternative to Russian gas (Wall Street Journal $), Government adviser calls on Germany to keep nuclear plants running (Reuters)

• RATIONING: Germany and Austria plan for gas rationing over payment stand-off with Russia (FT $, Politico Pro $, Reuters, Axios, CNBC), Europe told to turn down the heating in Russia gas standoff (Reuters), Russia won't demand immediate switch to rouble gas payments, Kremlin says (Reuters)
• RIPPLE EFFECTS: Vietnam faces imminent power shortage, calls for energy-saving (Reuters), India cuts coal supply, puts hold on auctions as inventories slump (Reuters), The LNG export boom is draining US natural-gas supplies and lifting prices (Wall Street Journal $)

FOSSIL VOLATILITY: More Americans worried about energy costs, availability: poll (The Hill)

• HMMMM: Everyone is worried about gas prices, but diesel is driving inflation more than you think (CNBC), Switching to zero-emission cars and trucks could save more than 100,000 lives over the next three decades (Grist)

EACOP: Activist Nakabuye challenges European leaders over support for crude oil pipeline project (Nile Post)

WIN-WINS: Aligning climate and affordability goals can save states billions (Utility Dive)

EU FINANCE: EU lawmakers move to reject green gas and nuclear investment rules (Reuters)

SCOTUS: Collins to give Supreme Court nominee Jackson a GOP vote (E&E News)

AGENCIES: Agency watchdogs slated for boost in Biden's budget (E&E $), HHS budget retreats on climate funding (E&E News)

EPA: EPA faces added legal pressure on 'good neighbor' ozone plans (E&E $), EPA still flunking air toxics review deadlines (E&E $), Watchdog knocks EPA for major delays on air toxics regulations (Politico Pro $)

DOE: DOE details plans for revamping clean energy (E&E News)

DOI: US set to hold auction for floating wind farms off California coast (Bloomberg $), Stone-Manning: BLM sage grouse changes, grazing rule coming soon (E&E News)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: [FDIC] joins effort to press banks to gauge climate-linked financial risks (Reuters)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden expected to announce massive release of oil reserves (Washington Post $), Biden wants more staff for CEQ, beleaguered science office (E&E $)

THE HILL: Democrats bring laundry list of priorities for Biden to tackle by midterms (Bloomberg $), Democrats take aim at Big Oil in lead up to midterms (The Hill)

HOUSE: Oil company CEOs agree to testify before one committee, spurn another (Washington Post $)

SENATE: Joe Manchin just hired a natural gas lobbyist to his energy panel even as he blocks Biden's climate agenda (Business Insider)

POLITICS: Energy production vs. climate protection: Americans are split along party lines (CNBC), The green-energy culture wars in Red States (The Atlantic), The public pulse on energy (Axios)

ELECTIONS: Race begins for Don Young’s Alaska House seat (E&E News, New York Times $)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Senate confirms OMB, mine safety nominees (E&E $)

TRIBES: [White Earth Band of Ojibwe] calls for redo in 'rights of nature' pipeline fight (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: A test for congestion charges in smaller cities (Bloomberg $), Colorado lawmakers tackle budget; crime, climate top issues (AP), How a Virginia bill could upend the state’s unique citizen oversight boards (Energy News Network)

CALIFORNIA: Constellation NewEnergy agrees to pay $4.7M to settle allegations it violated CAISO's market rules (Utility Dive)

• REPARATIONS: California [task force] votes to limit reparations to descendants of enslaved Africans (Black Wall Street Times, The Root, CAL Matters, Ebony, AP, The Guardian, Democracy Now, New York Times $, WBUR, MSNBC), California’s reparations effort moves ahead: Here’s what’s next (LA Times $), Unpacking reparations eligibility in California (KQED)

IMPACTS: Climate-related disasters pose 'major' growth threat in Middle East, Central Asia - IMF (Reuters), Damaging storms sweeping across deep south (Washington Post $), US taxpayers are spending billions on crop insurance premiums to prop up farmers on frequently flooded, unproductive land (Inside Climate News), Damaging storms, tornadoes sweep across deep south (Washington Post $)

IRREVERSIBLE IMPACTS: Can the world overshoot its climate targets — and then fix it later? (Grist)

DROUGHT: Incredible before and after photos show just how much this critical reservoir [Lake Powell] has dried up (CNN)

FLOODING: Global flood losses hit $82 bln last year, as study highlights UK risk (Reuters), Paradise underwater: the floods that caught Byron Bay off-guard (The Guardian)

WILDFIRES: It’s official: larger, more frequent wildfires are here (Grist), Wildfire near Smoky Mountains prompts mandatory evacuations (AP)

DEFORESTATION: McDonald’s linked to Amazon deforestation in new report (Bloomberg $), Indonesia revokes forest concession permits covering over 400,000 hectares (Reuters)

BIODIVERSITY: New global nature pact hangs in balance as 'world burns' (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

RENEWABLES: How high power prices present an opportunity for renewables generators (Energy Monitor, Wall Street Journal $), Veterans can fight climate change by taking jobs in the solar industry (Yale Climate Connections)

BATTERIES: Australian state utility picks Tesla batteries to back up renewable energy (Reuters), Calif. sprints to install batteries but can’t find parts (E&E News)

BUILDINGS: New clean energy marketplace joins Silicon Valley rush to green buildings (Bloomberg $)

OIL & GAS: How the Ukraine war gave fracking in the UK a second chance (New York Times $), OPEC and Russia are set to meet as the war continues to roil the oil market. (New York Times $)

COAL: In Zimbabwe, coal power project seeks other backing after China's U-turn (Reuters), Power sector emissions jumped to record as world turned to coal (Bloomberg $)

HYDROGEN: Abu Dhabi’s Spanish refiner aims to be global hydrogen behemoth (Bloomberg $)

BITCOIN: Exxon is selling its gas leaks to Bitcoin mines as electricity. It’s a novel—but dubious—solution to emissions (Fortune), Climate groups push together for greener bitcoin (Axios)

GRID: This tech leader is harnessing collective action to green the grid (TIME)

EVs: EVs: The next grid battery for renewables? (E&E News), Poll finds bipartisan support for policies supporting EV adoption (Green Car Reports)

AGRICULTURE: A regenerative grazing revolution is taking root in the Mid-Atlantic (Civil Eats)

CARBON PRICING: Will the EU's carbon import tax hurt poor nations? (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

FINANCE: Berkshire Hathaway remains lowly rated on climate action (FT $)

INTERNATIONAL: Canada’s new climate plan ups the ante on oil and gas (Politico Pro $), For Indian tree lovers, plantations are a poor substitute for lost forests (Thomson Reuters Foundation), Taiwan vows $32 billion clean energy spree as it lags on targets (Bloomberg $), UK’s contested Cambo oil field secures license extension (Bloomberg $), UK faces £60 billion wind bill and rising energy import dependence risk -report (Reuters)

• White America, if you want to know who’s responsible for racism, look in the mirror (Chicago Tribune, Dahleen Glanton column)
• Uranium industry is the latest to hop on the bandwagon taking advantage of tragedy in Ukraine (The Hill, Rep. Raúl Grijalva op-ed)
• US using Ukraine as cover to lock us into fossil fuels for years to come (The Hill, Andreas Karelas op-ed)
• Why the SEC is right to make climate risk disclosure mandatory (FT, Anne Simspon column $)
• Reimagining green jobs (The Hill, Christine Todd Whitman and Sue Duke op-ed)
• The Met Office will declare fewer heatwaves: what a gift for climate crisis deniers (The Guardian, Eleanor Salter op-ed)
• This crisis could be the making of Europe’s carbon market (FT, Helen Thomas column $)
• Daniel Cohan of Rice University on charting a path out of climate gridlock (Texas Climate News, interview)
• How are we still subsidizing climate change? (The Hill, Tefere Gebre op-ed)
• The worst possible candidate for governor (Drilled Podcast)
• Bolsonaro said his ‘specialty is killing.’ He's been true to his word. (New York Times, Vanessa Barbara op-ed $)

Meta* Pays To Spread Fake News About TikTok As Facebook Pushes Users Down Climate Disinfo Rabbit Hole 

A couple weeks ago, Benjamin Woffard at WIRED revealed the depth of Republican control over Facebook, via executive Joel Kaplan, the climate-denying election stealer who has time and again protected climate deniers and election stealers from any and all internal efforts to reduce the damage those forces do while abusing the platform. 

With that in mind, it perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise that Meta* was recently revealed by the Washington Post to have contracted with a GOP consulting firm to spread disinfo about TikTok and fearmonger about its Chinese ownership. Taylor Lorenz and Drew Harwell obtained internal emails that show Facebook contractor and Republican attack dog Targeted Victory’s underhanded tactics, including, for example, seeding news stories about dangerous Tik Tok trends like the “slap a teacher” challenge, when “no such challenge existed on Tik Tok.” 

So not only is the company allowing (GOP) disinformation, it’s actually funding it directly! 

And while Facebook claims to be cracking down on climate denial, a new report from Global Witness shows that it’s still radicalizing users and pushing disinformation to them. The set-up is simple, they created two accounts, and subscribed one (“Jane”) to a couple climate disinfo pages, and the other (“John”) to the IPCC. 

A Facebook statement to Global Witness claimed, “our systems are designed to reduce misinformation, including climate misinformation, not to amplify it.” 

But that’s clearly not true, as the report found that when “Jane” liked the GWPF, a UK nonprofit that had to make a spin-off because it lied too much to be an educational charity, it recommended Marc Morano’s ClimateDepot’s page, because why wouldn’t the company drive you to the page of someone who encouraged January 6-style attacks on states across the US?  

With just those two clicks informing Facebook’s algorithm, the resulting recommendations didn’t show Jane any climate or energy organizations that might leave her better informed. Instead, the report found, “of the 27 pieces of content that we graded across the first three recommended climate pages, 100% of it was climate disinformation that either fell into ‘distract and delay’ or denial categories.” 

The system works! Ask for harmful content, and Facebook serves it up. 

They then tried again with two other pages, and Facebook recommended 18 additional pages. Only one didn’t have climate disinfo. A dozen were exclusively climate disinfo. 

Global Witness researcher Mai Rosner told BBC’s Merlyn Thomas that "Facebook is not just a neutral online space where climate disinformation exists - it is quite literally putting such views in front of users' eyes.” 

And it doesn’t have to! 

It is certainly within the power of a company with billions of dollars at its disposal to figure out how to push people towards reputable sources instead of disinformation, huxters, and extremists. And they did it! 

The same policies and programming changes to the algorithm that Facebook could use to make it harder for terrorists to use white supremacy to radicalize and recruit, would also make it less likely for young people to be bombarded with self-esteem-destroying pro-anorexia content, and would address the spread of financially-motivated industrial disinformation. 

But since those changes would also make it harder for Republicans to use Facebook as an industrial-grade-propaganda tool that uses white supremacy to radicalize and recruit. Joel Kaplan killed those projects, and Meta* has since, it seems, embraced disinformation instead of trying to fight it. 

*We will refer to “Meta” only to connect it firmly with the Facebook brand they’re trying to escape, apparently by doing the exact same terrible things with a shorter name.**

**We promise to limit future discussion on how we write about Meta, because no one needs more of this sort of meta- Meta statement.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up to receive Hot News every morning!

Send updates or feedback to nkauffman@climatenexus.org
Submit events and other items for consideration for a First Look using this form
Some articles require logins or subscriptions ($)