FIRST LOOK: 

The New York Times is examining the long-term costs and consequences of a climate disaster and is seeking help from affected families and businesses in telling that story. More information can be found on the Times' website.

House GOP To Announce "Climate" Plan Increasing Fossil Fuel Use: A new plan to be released today by House GOP leadership will include policies contrary to nearly everything climate scientists say is needed to address the climate crisis. The plan, reportedly produced by an "energy, climate, and conservation, task force" established by Rep. Kevin McCarthy, will call for increasing fossil fuel extraction and LNG exports. Last month, a gas industry official admitted increasing LNG exports are contributing to higher energy prices. The extraction and combustion of fossil fuels unequivocally causes climate change, increasing the frequency and severity of heatwaves, droughts, major hurricanes, and wildfires. Scientists also agree urgent action to reduce fossil fuel use is needed to avoid the most devastating impacts of climate change. (Washington Post $, Politico)

Buick To Go Electric, BNEF Says ICE Cars In 'Permanent Decline': Buick, a division of General Motors, will debut its first EV in 2024 and its North American sales will be exclusively electric by 2030, the company announced Wednesday. The announcement follows similar announcements by other luxury automakers, from GM's Cadillac, to Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce. The announcement comes as Bloomberg NEF's 2022 Electric Vehicle Outlook, also released Wednesday, reported sales of non-hybrid, internal combustion engine-powered vehicles are now in "permanent decline" as EV sales are expected to triple by 2025 — at which point EVs will be reducing oil demand for transportation by as much as 2.5 million barrels per day. "Most importantly, the market is shifting from being driven primarily by policy, to one where organic consumer demand is the most important factor," lead authors Colin McKerracher and Aleksandra O'Donovan wrote in the BloombergNEF report. (Buick: Detroit Free Press, Bloomberg $, Wall Street Journal $, The Verge, The Hill, CNBC; BNEF: CNN, Bloomberg $) [More BNEF and EVs coverage below — Ed.]

Agatha, With Death Toll Now 9, Could Spawn Alex: Hurricane Agatha, the first Pacific hurricane of 2022, killed nine people in southern Mexico, and could spawn the first named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season. Previous reports indicated 11 people died, and the governor of Oaxaca urged residents to remain safe and vigilant of the ongoing danger posed by potential landslides and flooding. The remnants of Hurricane Agatha, over the eastern Yucatan Peninsula early this morning, are expected to concentrate into a consolidated area of low pressure and could dump heavy rain on western Cuba and South Florida. If the depression strengthens into a tropical storm, it would be the first named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially began Wednesday, and would be named Alex. (Agatha: Reuters; Earlier reports: AP, The Independent, CBS, Washington Examiner, BBC; Alex?: Washington Post $, NBC Miami, Tampa Bay Times, Yale Climate Connections, USA Today, CNN, Grist; Climate Signals background: Hurricanes)

FOSSIL FUELED WAR: Russia’s war created a global hunger disaster. Climate change is ramping it up (Mother Jones), Russian oil producers stay one step ahead of sanctions (Wall Street Journal $), Tough new sanctions on Russia could hit world oil supply and change the OPEC+ dynamic (CNBC)

• DENMARK: Russia cuts off natural gas supply to Denmark, company says (AP)
• EU: Europe overcomes Hungary’s veto on Russian oil embargo—at a price (Wall Street Journal $), Europe’s Russian oil ban could mean a new world order for energy (New York Times $)
• GERMANY: Russia's Gazprom cuts off some natural gas to Germany after Shell refused to pay for it in rubles (Business Insider)

BRAZIL: Flooding and landslides kill at least 106 people in northeastern Brazil: 'I lost a lot of friends' (CBS, Gizmodo)

EVs: Elon Musk tells employees to return to the office 40 hours a week — or quit (NPR, Electrek), Electric vehicles accelerate China’s looming dominance as a car exporter (FT $), Ford and GM are going all in on electric cars, and thousands of jobs hang in the balance (Fortune), Ford CEO expects to see industry consolidation as the costs of transition to electric vehicles rise (CNBC), GM is slashing prices for the Chevy Bolt amid high demand for electric vehicles (The Verge), Race for cheaper EVs may face years-long setback on metal costs (Bloomberg $, Quartz), Rapid EV growth hastens the peak, then fall, of internal combustion (Bloomberg $), Supply snags threaten EV revolution, top Toyota scientist says (Bloomberg $), The risk of diverging EV futures (Axios), The US is about to get serious about EVs (Tech Crunch), Traditional carmakers could boost profits by accelerating move to electric (The Guardian), VW ceo says Tesla moves at double speed in changing industry (Bloomberg $)

WATER & DROUGHT: The language of water (Atmos), ‘Consequences will be dire’: Chile’s water crisis is reaching breaking point (The Guardian)

• CALIFORNIA DROUGHT: A massive rockfall crashed down on Lake Powell. Record-low water levels from drought could be to blame (CNN), California drought could cut state's hydropower in half this summer (CNN, The Verge), 
• CALIFORNIA RESTRICTIONS: Defiance, acceptance and cries of ‘bull—’ as sweeping L.A. water restrictions begin (LA Times $), In worsening drought, southern California water restrictions take effect (Washington Post $, Gizmodo, CNBC, LA Times $)

EMISSIONS & POLICY FAILURE: Current policies will bring ‘catastrophic’ climate breakdown, warn former UN leaders (The Guardian), Report: Denmark, UK on track for net-zero emissions by 2050 as US lags (Washington Post $), Trump-era rollbacks left US behind peers in climate change fight: report (The Hill)

COP27: Egypt stresses importance of global summit on climate change (Prensa Latina)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: ‘Furious and disappointed’: African activists excluded from Stockholm+50 summit (Climate Home), A $97 million shortfall leaves COP26 ETF on brink of liquidation (Bloomberg $)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Hawaii youth sue state over transportation climate harms (AP)

GOP vs. ESG: Bills in red states punish climate-conscious businesses (Washington Post $)

😳: Bronze Age city emerges from river in Iraq amid extreme drought (Gizmodo)

AGENCIES: FEMA fund debuts as natural disasters grow more damaging, costly (Bloomberg $), Watchdog opens probe into huge Social Security fines to poor, disabled (Washington Post $)

DOI: Biden administration cuts fees for renewable energy on public lands (New York Times $, NPR, Reuters, The Hill, Washington Examiner)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Wall Street’s lawyers attack SEC effort to crush greenwashing (Bloomberg $)

WHITE HOUSE: Harris unveils plan to ‘elevate’ water security in foreign policy (The Hill)

POLITICS: Democrats and the endless pursuit of climate legislation (Grist)

CITIES AND STATES: NJ residents say they’re waiting for Ida aid 9 months later (AP), Pacific Northwest plan calls for 3.5 GW of renewables, more energy efficiency by 2027 (Utility Dive), Austin’s new chief resiliency officer talks equipping communities in face of extreme weather, violence, injustice (Utility Dive), Gov. Scott signs environmental justice policy and 2 other major environmental bills into law (Vermont Public Radio), Las Vegas becomes unlikely model for water conservation (CBS), Minnesota, Iowa agencies support Alliant Energy-led complaint seeking lower ITC Midwest equity ratio (Utility Dive), States are tackling climate, using federal cash as Congress lags (Bloomberg Law), California gears up for a new composting law to cut methane emissions and enrich soil (Inside Climate News)

USPS: USPS expects to boost purchase of electric delivery vehicles (Reuters)

IMPACTS: 5 historical US landmarks threatened by climate change (PBS NewsHour), Coverage of migration from place to place within the US (Yale Climate Connections), Extreme weather will displace 200 million people within 20 years, disaster relief charity CEO warns (CBS), Heat, sewer problems and less lobster: New report details climate change's impact in Boston (WBUR)

HEAT: Heat breaks records in east while storms, sharply cooler air close in (Washington Post $), More heat waves, rising seas, and intensifying storms will pummel the Boston area, new report finds (Boston Globe $), A hotter world: climate change’s effects are already unequal. (New York Times $)

HURRICANES: 3 years after being leveled by Hurricane Michael, Mexico beach is coming back (NPR), Furious streak of hurricanes is set to persist in the Atlantic (Bloomberg $), Hurricane season begins —how to prepare for another above-normal year (MarketWatch)

GRID INSTABILITY: Floods, power outages pile pressure on South African economy (Bloomberg $)

RENEWABLES: China says a third of electricity will come from renewables by 2025 (Reuters), COVID-19 and Ukraine war threaten clean energy gains for poorest (Thomson Reuters Foundation), Google and France’s Engie team up to accelerate wind power (Bloomberg $), Record renewables output helps India ease coal shortage in May (Reuters)

BATTERIES: As EV sales are rising, recyclers are getting ready for spent batteries (Energy Monitor), The next holy grail for EVs: Batteries free of nickel and cobalt (CNN)

BUILDINGS: Weatherization and efficiency upgrades can help mobile home residents save money (Yale Climate Connections), Here’s how the government wants to disaster-proof your home (AP)

OIL & GAS: EOG Resources says natgas markets facing 'structural change' (Reuters), Oil group OPEC+ reportedly considering suspending Russia from supply deal (CNBC), Oil prices rise as OPEC prepares to set new output targets (The Guardian), Pump shock: why gas prices are so high (Washington Post $), Saudi Arabia sits on its oil-boom windfall as it seeks to diversify economy (Wall Street Journal $)

• INTERESTING CHOICE OF WORDS: JPMorgan's Dimon says higher oil prices will power hurricane in economy (Reuters)

PLASTICS: What you need to know about bioplastics (Gizmodo)

NUKES: NuScale makes public debut but requires ‘a lot of financing’ to launch small nuclear reactor in 2029 (Utility Dive)

CRYPTO: Oman backs US firm mining crypto to cut gas flaring (Bloomberg $)

STRUCTURAL CHANGE: We cannot adapt our way out of  climate crisis, warns leading scientist (The Guardian)

NOT AN ANALOG FOR ANYTHING: ‘We’re playing with fire’: US Covid cases may be 30 times higher than reported (The Guardian)

IVY LEAGUE: Dartmouth touts progress on emissions, but critics see lack of urgency on climate (Energy News Network)

AVIATION: Big airlines are betting on false solutions to cut emissions, Greenpeace says (Bloomberg $)

AGRICULTURE: Climate change could spell the end for Midwestern corn, study finds (Yahoo), Minimizing common air pollutant [NOx] could lead to better crop yields: study (The Hill)

ACT LOCALLY: With global warming intensifying, here are 10 ways you can fight climate change this summer (USA Today)

CARBON REMOVAL: High-speed carbon dioxide catcher heralds new era in fight against climate change (Newsweek)

CARS: BMW still hammering out details of promised fossil-fuel free plant (Reuters)

FINANCE: From Elon Musk to the Feds, 'sustainable' investments are under fire (CNN), Impact startups dedicated to tackling issues like global warming raised $458 million in 2021. But even they struggle to balance survival with sustainability, investors say. (Business Insider), Lagarde has open mind on ECB lending as a climate-crisis tool (Bloomberg $), New global fund invests in nature to shore up climate change fight (Thomson Reuters Foundation), Time to take the ‘E’ out of ESG investing (Wall Street Journal $), US investors shy away from corporate climate proposals (FT $)

INFLUENCERS: He quit Google to work on climate change. Now, he’s helping others do the same thing (Fast Company)

IN MEMORIAM: Extinction obituary: how the Bramble Cay melomys became the first mammal lost to the climate crisis (The Guardian)

WILDLIFE: ‘Sea forest’ would be better name than seaweed, says UN food adviser (The Guardian), Marine biologists scramble for solutions to prevent coral from dying due to climate change (PBS NewsHour), Record low wild salmon catch in Scotland alarms ecologists (The Guardian), Roseate spoonbills feeling the effects of rising seas and warming climate (USA Today), World’s largest plant is a vast seagrass meadow in Australia (AP)

INTERNATIONAL: Australia's power woes challenge new leader's climate, energy promises (Reuters), Can Africa grow without fossil fuels? (FT $), First Bangladesh city climate plan targets industrial-hub pollution (Thomson Reuters Foundation), In a small Dutch town, a fight with Meta over a massive data center (Washington Post $), Ireland at risk of missing climate targets as plans sputter (Bloomberg $)

• For 50 years, governments have failed to act on climate change. No more excuses (The Guardian, Christiana Figueres, Yvo de Boer and Michael Zammit Cutajar op-ed)
• The pandemic showed us how interconnected we are. Will our climate response reflect that? (Arizona Republic, Joan Meiners commentary)
• How to create a more resilient power grid to avoid blackouts (The Hill, Dan Lashof and Jennie Chen op-ed)
• When Elon Musk dreams, his employees have nightmares (New York Times, Edward Niedermeyer op-ed $)
• Appalachia does not need more fossil fuel greed (DeSmog, Emily Satterwhite op-ed)
• If conservatives won’t act on climate change, who will? (Deseret News, Grayson Massey op-ed)
• Our changing energy landscape will stretch beyond Europe (The Hill, John C. Hulsman op-ed)
• We’ll have to ask you to back away from the spigot, California (LA Times, Los Angeles Times Editorial Board $)
• To fight inflation, pass EV tax credits now (The Hill, Robbie Orvis op-ed)
• Why new SEC rules could deliver a victory for climate-conscious investors (Fortune, Shane Khan op-ed)
• Inflation should make US all vegetarians (New York Times, Annaliese Griffin op-ed $)
• The Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial was an orgy of misogyny (The Guardian, Moira Donegan op-ed)

Deniers Confused By Press Release, Adding To List Of Things They Apparently Don't Understand: Google, States, Time, Climate, etc. 

Usually, you have to wait a few sentences for deniers to say something stupid, but a recent post at the industry-funded Heartland Insitute's daily disinfo hub is wrong in the very second word!

This is impressive,even for Heartland's ClimateRealism page, where past (mostly false) posts have proven that they apparently don't understand Google, or what "proportion" means, or how natural variability and time work. (Reminder: James Taylor apparently proved he deserved to be Heartland's president by finally learning the difference between Iowa and Idaho.) 

Heartland's strategy is to pressure media outlets, so each of its posts is framed around an ill-informed attempt to shame the responsible press parties, which makes this latest example so amusing. "Examine the Data, Phys.org," the headline reads, because, supposedly, "Climate Change Is Boosting Crop Production, Not Threatening It." 

In his first sentence, H. Sterling Burnett writes, "an article in the online science publication Phys.org says that unless significant adaptations are made, America’s 'corn belt' won’t be able to sustain crop production by 2100 because of climate change." 

Burnett says that such a claim "is based on flawed computer models and is likely mistaken." 

So… he doesn't know if the claim is mistaken or not, but nonetheless plows forward with Heartland's ancient disinfo talking points about CO2 and warming being good, actually, and chastising "the phys.org article" because it "takes at face value claims made by researchers at Emory University that climate change will make vast portions of America's breadbasket, or as Phys.org labeled it[,] America's corn belt, unsuitable for crop production by 2100." 

But Phys.org didn't take anything at face value, didn't write an article, and the only thing it labeled wasn't "America's corn belt," but instead this "article" as "Provided by Emory University," because it's just a press release! 

For those not in the know, a press release is the summary of a study or report that gets sent out to the media to announce the publication and try and get them to cover it. Sites like Phys.org often serve as repositories where Universities and others can post their press releases for the public to see as well. 

Apparently in his zeal to yell at Phys.org, Burnett failed to note that this press release was clearly labeled "by Carol Clark, Emory University" in the byline at the top, and again, "Provided by Emory University" at the bottom, suggesting to readers with multiple functioning brain cells that this was not a production of Phys.org, but was provided by Carol Clark of Emory University. 

Targeting issues aside, Burnett's argument itself is also very intentionally dumb. He claims, in part, that farmers can just adapt to any negative developments. But those measures won't be enough to compensate for climate change, and that's pretty much the whole point of the study, which is open access, had Burnett chosen to read it himself.

But he didn't even need to read the study to find that out, as the press release includes this quote from the study’s author Emily Burchfield: "Relying on technology alone is a really risky way to approach the problem. If we continue to push against biophysical realities, we will eventually reach ecological collapse."

To recap, Burnett's Heartland rebuttal to a press release for a study showing that agriculture faces limits to technological adaptation to climate change falsely blames Phys.org for writing an article it didn't produce, falsely argues that rising CO2 levels and temperatures are good for agriculture and concludes with boilerplate disinfo that if climate change does happen to be real and bad, then farmers can just use technology to adapt– which is exactly the claim the study found to be false and would lead to ecological collapse. 

Other than that, though, great piece! Keep up the good work over there, fellas!

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