FIRST LOOK: 

“The Carbon Bankroll: The Climate Impact and Untapped Power of Corporate Cash,” illuminates how corporate cash kept on bank balance sheets can be more polluting than a company's direct and indirect operations, and outlines how companies can use this data to catalyze change throughout the financial system. 

Texas Plans To Send Harvey Funds To White Counties Harvey Didn't Hit: The Texas General Land Office plans to direct millions of dollars in disaster preparedness funds away from Gulf Coast counties hit by Hurricane Harvey to disproportionately whiter, inland counties, the Texas Tribune reports. The plan to steer funding to 29 politically conservative, less at-risk counties was put forward by Land Commissioner George P. Bush, who is currently in a republican primary campaign for state attorney general. Two counties where Harvey made landfall, and a third where rainfall totals were highest, have received zero funds. The approach virtually ensures those less disaster-vulnerable counties will end up with twice to four times more money per person than coastal counties. This is consistent with other entrenched racist power structures using disasters to exacerbate societal and racial inequities. “It’s weird to think about disasters as one of the fundamental mechanisms widening social disparity in the United States, but they are,” said Kevin Smiley, an LSU sociology professor whose research has focused on Harvey recovery. “And it’s through nitty-gritty governmental processes that are disbursing mitigation funds that are partly doing it.” (Texas Tribune)

NM Fire Breaks Record As Risks Rise Across US: Fueled by a megadrought worse than any other in the last 1,200 years, the New Mexico's Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire is now the state's largest wildfire on record. As firefighters in New Mexico struggle to contain the blaze, a new report from the First Street Foundation details increased wildfire risk across the country due to climate change. Just under 1 in 6 people in the U.S. (16%) live in an area with hazardous wildfire risk, increasing over the next 30 years to more than 1 in 5 people in the U.S. (21%). Nearly half of the fire-vulnerable population lives in the South, and people of color face disproportionate risk. (New Mexico fire: Reuters, Washington Post $, Axios, KOB-4, KOAT, AP, CNN; Wildfire risk: (Washington Post $, New York Times $, Wall Street Journal $, E&E $, The Verge, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Axios; Climate Signals background: Wildfires, Western U.S. megadrought)

Texas Grid Survives May Heat: The Texas electrical grid survived what its operator described as “unseasonably hot weather driving record demand” over the weekend, but details show signs for concern with summer heat still to come, Utility Dive reports. Six power plants were forced offline, taking down 2,900 MW of electricity supply as ERCOT asked residents to conserve power. “The failure of the grid and skyrocketing energy bills well before peak summertime demand is a preview of what’s to come if Texas continues to invest in more unreliable fossil fuel assets,” Michael Lee, CEO of renewable power supplier Octopus Energy said in a statement. (Utility Dive)

Fossil Fuels Cooking Climate and Putting 53,000 Americans In Early Grave Every Year: In order to limit global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) above preindustrial temperatures, the goal of the Paris Agreement, nearly half of all existing fossil fuel extraction must be shut down, a study in Environmental Research Letters finds. “Our study reinforces that building new fossil fuel infrastructure is not a viable response to Russia’s war on Ukraine," Kelly Trout, a co-author of the study, told The Guardian. "The world has already tapped too much oil and gas.” According to a new study published in GeoHealth, the drop in industrial soot pollution (technically known as PM2.5) that would result from the elimination of fossil fuels needed to meet U.S. climate goals would prevent more than 53,000 premature deaths in the U.S. every year. The UW-Madison researchers calculated that the health savings alone would be around $608 billion a year. Study author Jonathan Patz said their "hope is that our research findings might spur decision-makers grappling with the necessary move away from fossil fuels, to shift their thinking from burdens to benefits.” (50,000 lives: Washington Post $, E&E News, The Hill; 1.5°C: The Guardian)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: ‘The residential school era did not end’ for Indigenous people (The Real News), The downfall of Allensworth: how racism and lies destroyed a Black town in California (NewsOne)

• DOMESTIC TERROR: Buffalo suspect may be latest mass shooter motivated by ‘eco-fascism’ (The Guardian, E&E News), The 10 fatal Buffalo shooting victims’ names have been released, and they’re all Black people (NewsOne)

FOSSIL FUELED WAR: Germany’s RWE to follow Kremlin’s rubles-for-gas scheme (OilPrice, Reuters), Leaked EU memo details emergency gas supply shock measures (OilPrice), EU sees economic contraction if Russian gas supplies are halted (Wall Street Journal $), Europe’s push to plug its energy gaps (FT $), The West’s scramble for gas could enrich and empower tiny Qatar (New York Times $)

CORONAVIRUS: Short-term air pollution exposure heightens Covid-19 risk (E&E News)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Glasgow climate deal in danger of ‘fracture,’ says COP26 chief (Politico Pro $), Breaking climate vows would be ‘monstrous self-harm’, warns COP26 president (The Guardian), Former Kiribati president slams Australia’s ‘politicisation’ of climate action and power of fossil fuel lobby (The Guardian)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: How a Philippine inquiry could shape global climate litigation (E&E News)

SOUTH ASIA HEAT: Poor workers bear the brunt of India's heatwave (Reuters), India to get respite after mercury surges to 49 degrees celsius (Bloomberg $)

FINANCE: Cash-rich companies should push banks to act on climate, report says (Wall Street Journal $), Fight brews over cost of SEC climate-change rules (Wall Street Journal $)

AGENCIES: Regan, Haaland to headline this week's budget hearings (E&E $)

EPA: Activists fear EPA's truck pollution rule will miss the mark (E&E $)

Getting environmental justice right at the EPA (Canary Media, Lisa Garcia op-ed)

DOI: Interior burns through $4.6B from infrastructure law (E&E $), Interior seeks FOIA reinforcements amid mixed backlog progress (E&E $)

WHITE HOUSE: Meet the climate and energy wonks in Biden’s embattled science office (E&E News)

THE HILL: This week in Congress: Gouging bill, climate talks, Ukraine (E&E News)

HOUSE: House panel sets hearing on EV workforce concerns (E&E $)

ELECTIONS: Blockbuster primaries tomorrow showcase party divisions (E&E News), In the race for Pennsylvania’s open US Senate seat, candidates from both parties support fracking and hardly mention climate change (Inside Climate News)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Banking Committee takes up Federal Reserve, SEC nominees (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: DeSantis net-metering veto highlights path for solar in red states, advocates say (Energy News Network), Okla. governor warns tribal nations not to create abortion safe havens (Black Wall Street Times), In US, states struggle to replace fossil fuel tax revenue (AP)

• CALIFORNIA: As California confronts the future of its natural gas system, who could get left behind? (Utility Dive), Calif. governor proposes $47B for climate, energy efforts (E&E $, OilPrice)

FERC: After a decade-long lull in transmission investment, FERC may hand power back to utilities (Politico Pro $), FERC’s Phillips on gas, emissions and seeking consensus (E&E News)

IMPACTS: North Carolina house that collapsed into the sea is a warning for millions of Americans (Grist)

DROUGHT: ‘Flash droughts’ are Midwest’s next big climate threat (Grist)

WILDFIRES: How mansions can intensify wildfires (Bloomberg $), Is my home at risk from wildfire? This is how to find out (Bloomberg $), Oregon leaders warn of difficult wildfire season; urge prep (AP)

FOOD: In Indonesia, climate change takes a bite out of apple crops (Thomson Reuters Foundation), ‘Is it all worth it?’: farmers left heartbroken as Queensland floods ruin crops (The Guardian)

WATER: The Colorado River faces a climate change-driven crisis (Washington Post $)

DEFORESTATION: Village uses Indigenous seeds to slow down cerrado deforestation (Mongabay)

BLEACHING: Bleached sea sponges found in New Zealand waters for first time (The Guardian)

SOUTH AFRICA FLOODS: Climate change doubled the likelihood of South Africa’s floods (E&E News)

DISASTER RECOVERY: Climate change has created a new workforce (Yale Climate Connections)

BUT HOW WILL THEY SKI DURING THE BREAKS???: Snowless Davos readies new face for World Economic Forum meeting (Reuters)

RENEWABLES: Floating offshore wind prepares to go commercial (Energy Monitor), Greens' letter assails Biden admin solar probe (E&E $), India, Nepal agree to build hydroelectric power plant (Reuters), Michael Bloomberg plans a $242 million investment in clean energy (New York Times $), PURPA fight could sway solar’s future in Ga. (E&E News)

BUILDINGS: Zero-carbon flat glass made for the first time by Saint-Gobain (Bloomberg $)

OIL & GAS: UK plans to label gas as a green investment to replace coal (Bloomberg $), Big Oil gets investor reprieve as energy worries trump climate concerns (Reuters), Bahrain still evaluating giant shale oil discovery despite high oil prices: minister (S&P Global), Highest ever US gasoline prices aren’t destroying demand (OilPrice), Iran can double oil exports if necessary (OilPrice), Saudi oil exports dropped in March from two-year high in February (OilPrice)

UTILITIES: America leans on aging power plants to keep the lights on (Wall Street Journal $), Major power company [Talen Energy] files for bankruptcy amid rising prices (E&E $)

(ALLEGED) UTILITY CORRUPTION: FirstEnergy continues to play hardball with Consumers’ Counsel and others (Energy News Network)

GRID: Enel eying US market for grid business (Reuters)

EVs: New Zealand to speed electric car adoption to cut emissions (Bloomberg $), Nigerian entrepreneur builds electric mini-buses in clean energy push (Reuters), Rivian warns dispute with seat supplier threatens production of Amazon delivery vans (Wall Street Journal $), Uber adds electric cars and stadium food to its menu (Axios, The Hill, NBC)

AVIATION: Johnson’s ‘jet zero’ plan unrealistic and may make UK miss CO2 targets – report (The Guardian)

INTERNATIONAL: Botswana plans $2.5 billion coal-to-liquids plant to cut fuel imports (Reuters), Australian authorities to buy out fisheries, citing climate crisis (The Guardian), Canada opens public consultations on national climate adaptation strategy (Reuters), How the long recovery from bush fires could decide Australia’s election (New York Times $), How the new Latin America left is seeking a greener future (Reuters), New development strategy to better target aid, says Britain (Reuters)

• Gas is a dangerous distraction for Africa (Al Jazeera, Vanessa Nakate op-ed)
• ‘I really needed to reclaim my life’: Rep. Gwen Moore shares her abortion story (Elle)
• A green salvo to counter Putin’s war in Ukraine (Politico EU, John Podesta and Julian Popov op-ed)
• Calls for increased natural gas production ignore US infrastructure needs (Utility Dive, Amy Andryszak op-ed)
• Zoonotic spillover is the apocalypse you’ll be hearing about a lot (Bloomberg, Andreas Kluth op-ed $)
• America was founded on white supremacist violence. Dismantling it requires a shift in how we approach racism and hate (NewsOne, Anoa Changa op-ed)
• The deep roots of the racial wealth gap—and how we undo it (Yes Magazine, Ericka Taylor op-ed)
• The kids are not OK (Yale Climate Connections, Julia Steinberger op-ed)
• Clean energy future relies on workforce development programs and union jobs. (Centralmaine.com, Justin Walsh op-ed)
• One way to do more for the environment: do less with your yard (New York Times, Margaret Renkl column $)
• Food insecurity is a bigger problem than energy (FT, Megan Greene column $)
• The human cost of the white supremacist terror attack in Buffalo (Black Wall Street Times, Nate Morris op-ed)
• The new ESG realpolitik and the fossil fuel bonanza (FT, Patrick Jenkins column $)

The Problem With 'Radicalization' Is That White Supremacy Is Mainstream, As Yet Another Domestic Terrorist Proves

On May 10th, the Bulletin of Technology & Public Life published a review of the scientific literature on far-right online radicalization. Among other things, lead author Alice Marwick noted they found, "the internet does not cause radicalization, but it helps spread extremist ideas, enables people interested in these ideas to form communities, and mainstreams conspiracy theories and distrust in institutions (as do politicians & hyper-partisan media)." 

On May 13th, Marwick, a professor at NC-Chapel Hill, spoke with Justin Hendrix of Tech Policy Press, explaining that while a lot of disinfo literature uses "radicalization" as a frame to understand white supremacy and far-right terrorists, the fact that the term was popularized during the post-9/11 era makes it unfit for understanding far-right domestic terrorists. More helpful, perhaps, would be a frame of "mainstreaming," because "the lines between mainstream and extremist rhetoric are so porous." 

"The political strategy that the far-right in the United States has adopted," Marwick says, "is to try to mainstream their points of view through the Republican party." 

Marwick and her colleagues found a person would be more likely to justify the use of political violence if,  

You see yourself as having the moral high ground and the other people as being the enemy who, in some way, are victimizing you. 'You’re threatening white culture, you’re taking economic opportunities away from white people, you’re threatening white children, you’re threatening the white family.' All of these things make it more likely that you’re going to justify committing violence against these people because they become a threat to you. Whether or not they’re actually a threat to you is of no consequence. It’s about this threat perception.

"You can see a really clear through line between that type of mainstream rhetoric and taking on these far-right or white nationalist’s or white supremacist’s values," Marwick warned.   

We need to stop thinking about this stuff as extremist, we need to stop thinking about this stuff as radical, and start grappling with and reckoning with the fact that ideas that just 10 years ago would have been seen as unspeakable are now things that people encounter every day. … Unfortunately, I think one of the implications of that is that we’re going to see increased justification for political violence and more propensity for things like the January 6th attacks. 

The next day, an 18-year-old white man drove two hours to a predominately Black area and shot 13 people, livestreaming the domestic terrorism attack movitaved, per a manifesto posted online, by his fear of the "great replacement theory" that white people are under attack from Black, Jewish, Asian, and other non-white/Western/Christian/patriarchral forces. 

The killer, who surrendered himself alive and unharmed by police, also embraces the label "eco-fascist," like the white nationalist mass murderers in Norway, New Zealand, and El Paso, who combine a xenophobic white supremacy with anxiety over the climate crisis to conclude that the white Western world needs to be violently defended from the very Black, Jewish, Muslim and otherwise-marginalized people white Westerners have long exploited and abused. 

As journalist Talia Lavin, whose reporting focuses on the alt-right, explained in Rolling Stone, the shooter "may have, as he claims, become radicalized by over-enthused browsing of the Internet’s sewers, principally 4chan. But his fixations mirror those of the right wing more broadly, from violent transphobia to a loathing of immigration to a preoccupation with the possibility of civil war."

From Tucker Carlson's nightly hatemongering echoed at the Daily Caller et al., to the attacks on trans people to overturning Roe to building a wall on the Mexican border and slandering "shithole countries," "once you understand an obsession with racial composition and white fertility to be the driving engine of Republican politics, a number of seemingly disparate movements begin to fit together into an ugly whole." Like the New Zealand mass-murderer, the Buffalo terrorist's manifesto began "with a screed on the supposedly apocalyptic consequences of 'sub-replacement fertility rates' among white women." 

Given Justice Samuel Alito's line in the draft decision to overturn abortion rights about the "domestic supply of infants," Lavin concludes that "the Republican Party caters chiefly now to those who claim that to be born the wrong color is an act of genocide, and act with appropriate fervor. There has never been a lone wolf when it comes to racist terror in the United States; it suffuses every aspect of our politics and policy, and in latter years the mass howl of fear at change comes from a jaw that drips with blood. As long as we fail to recognize the wellspring of racial animus that animates the right wing in this country, the corpses will continue to accrue." 

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