FIRST LOOK: 

Would you be interested in helping with the Denier Roundup, or do you know someone who might be? Because we're hiring! Check out the job description here. 

Native Communities Hit Hard By Wildfire Smoke: Indigenous communities in what is now the United States are disproportionately burdened by wildfires and wildfire smoke and, as support from the federal government has stagnated, are taking steps to protect themselves from the air pollution produced by the blazes, Grist reports. As climate change, caused mainly by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, continues to supercharge wildfires, the rights of Indegenous communities to hunt and fish established by treaties with the government are increasingly threatened. They are also disproportionately burdened by the fires' deadly air pollution. EPA air grants to help with air quality monitoring and infrastructure upgrades to deal with the increased pollution have remained stagnant for the last two decades, so tribes are working together to install real-time air quality sensors and distribute air filters. The failure to adequately monitor air quality in Native communities is, of course, compounded by the innumerable structural inequities perpetrated upon Indigenous communities by the country and government now failing to adequately protect them — illustrated by the many members of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in what is now Minnesota who lack access to air conditioning. Even when the air is so thick with smoke — as Brandy Toft, an air quality specialist for the tribe put it — "we can cut the air with a knife," residents are forced to keep their windows open. “They can’t shelter in place in 90 degree weather and close up their house,” Toft said. (Grist; Climate Signals background: Wildfires)

Mississippi Flooding Forces Evacuations: Heavy rain and flooding caused widespread damage and forced evacuations across Mississippi on Wednesday. All 31 residents of a Brandon, Mississippi assisted living facility were evacuated as up to three feet of water submerged the building. More than 100 children were also rescued as flooding encroached on a daycare facility in Florence. Two train cars — both carrying carbon dioxide — were also completely swept off the tracks. Climate change, mainly caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, makes extreme  precipitation events worse and more frequent because warmer air is able to hold, and then dump, greater quantities of rain. With more than a foot of rain falling in places, Jackson, Mississippi, broke its one-day rainfall record, almost thirty years to the day after Hurricane Andrew dumped over four inches on August 26, 1992. (CNN, Washington Post $, Clarion Ledger, ABC, NBC, AP; Climate Signals background: Extreme precipitation increase, Flooding)

California Set To Ban New ICE Car Sales By 2035: California is expected to adopt a 13-year deadline for the end of the sale of new, internal combustion-powered vehicles. CARB, the California Air Resources Board, will vote today to require all new cars sold in the state to be powered by electricity or hydrogen by 2035, with an intermediary requirement of 35% of new cars sold to be electrically powered by 2026 with increasing requirements in 2028 and 2030. The state accounts for 10% of the U.S. car market. Significant equity questions remain, in terms of upfront purchasing costs, and charging access for tenants, especially those in multi-unit buildings. (Sacramento Bee $, AP, Bloomberg $, Times-Herald, E&E News, New York Times $, Rolling Stone, The Verge, ABC, The Hill, The Guardian, Politico Pro $)

Investment Firm Questions Over Support Of GOP Anti-Climate Group: Pension fund clients of Federated Hermes, a Pittsburgh-based investment fund manager, are demanding an explanation for its sponsorship of a GOP group working actively to undermine action on climate change, the Financial Times reports. Federated Hermes has built a reputation as a proponent of and expertise in ESG investing. It is also a gold sponsor of the State Financial Officers Foundation, a Republican group threatening to yank state pension funds from finance firms that do not sufficiently support fossil fuel industries. Republican lawmakers and allied groups across the country are mounting coordinated efforts to punish financial firms for insufficiently supporting the fossil fuel industry as part of a broader campaign against investing practices that account for firms' environmental, social, and corporate governance practices. Those efforts include Texas potentially prohibiting BlackRock and nine European firms from doing business in the state, as well as a directive by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to state pension fund managers to ignore potential environmental, social, or governance risks and instead seek only the highest possible returns. (Federated Hermes: FT $; Texas: Reuters, Bloomberg $; Florida: New York Times $, Bloomberg $)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Harvey hit 5 years ago. Its floodwaters did not strike equitably. (New York Times $), Biden administration pressed on EV charging payment equity (Axios)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY WAR: ‘Enough is enough’: Ukrainian climate activists demand end to fossil fueled war (Atmos), Are sanctions on Russia over Ukraine biting? yes, but… (Washington Post $)

• SEEMS … NOT GREAT: UK and US banks among biggest backers of Russian ‘carbon bombs’, data shows (The Guardian)
• ENERGY IMPACTS: Europe’s utilities seek fresh debt as tough winter looms (Bloomberg $), Bangladesh is being ‘killed by economic conditions elsewhere in the world’ (FT $), Iran offers to help Europe with oil and gas deliveries this winter (OilPrice), Taiwan's power utility says has made last payment to Russia for coal (Reuters), European power prices smash records in another inflation blow (Bloomberg $)
• UK: Britain imports no fuel from Russia in June for first time on record (Reuters, S&P Global), Half of UK households will be in fuel poverty by January (OilPrice), Trade between Russia and Britain falls to its lowest level on record. (New York Times $)
• FRANCE: French nuclear woes stoke Europe's power prices (Reuters), Macron warns French sacrifices will be needed as tough winter looms (Reuters)
• GERMANY: German government sees problems with coal, oil supplies -document (Reuters), Germany approves rules to turn down heating, lights this winter (Reuters), Fearing energy shortages, Germany prioritizes fuel shipments on railways. (New York Times $, Reuters)
• JAPAN: Japan looks at ramping up nuclear power to ensure energy supply (Power), Japan plans nuclear restart in response to LNG prices, supply volatility (Natural Gas Intel)

CHINA HEAT & DROUGHT: China faces heatwave havoc on power, crops and livestock (Reuters), China's shrinking 'kidney' lake lays bare growing climate challenges (Reuters), China’s summer heat wave is breaking all records (Washington Post $), Shocking photos show China's historic drought (Gizmodo)

CLIMATE) DIPLOMACY: 5 things to know about the suspension of US-China climate talks (Washington Post $), Nigeria seeks $10 billion to fund its energy transition plans (Bloomberg $), Oil swings on speculation Iranian nuclear deal may be imminent (Bloomberg $)

DENIAL & DISINFO: The fossil fuel industry's fake news sites (Heated)

LOOMING CRISIS: 20 million American households are behind on energy bills (OilPrice)

GOP vs ESG: Looming regulation hasn't slowed a boom in ESG labels (Bloomberg $), Nasdaq’s growing ESG business is under threat — from Nasdaq (FT $), Next ESG controversy has potential to redraw financial map (Bloomberg Law)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: In a first, climate law defines CO2 as air pollutant (E&E $), Inflation reduction act benefits: billions in just transition funding for coal communities (Forbes), Inflation reduction act could curb climate damages by up to $1.9 trillion, White House says (CNBC), The climate law will help red states. Can it change minds? (E&E News)

EPA: The EPA just quietly got stronger (The Atlantic), Greens ask EPA to ban new natural gas heating (The Hill)

DOI: Watchdog: Trump Interior Secretary Zinke lied during casino investigation (Politico, Washington Post $, E&E News, The Hill)

SENATE: Government funding talks clouded by Manchin's energy permitting demands (Politico), Murkowski urges federal coordination in tribal land cleanup (E&E $), Manchin delivered for Democrats. Can they return the favor? (Washington Post $)

POLITICS: A GOP misinformation campaign targets Democrats' climate spending packages (NPR), Democrats aren't out of the woods yet on energy prices (Axios)

ELECTIONS: Two incumbent Dems lose in N.Y. primaries (E&E $)

TRIBES: Native groups seek to repair lands damaged by colonization (AP)

CITIES AND STATES: Maryland launches Emmett Till Alert to inform Black leaders of racist, hate-driven incidents (The Grio)

FERC: FERC gives NextEra, ConEd, Equitrans 4 more years to finish $6.6B Mountain Valley gas pipeline (Utility Dive)

IMPACTS: Woman dies after disappearing in Zion National Park flood (AP), How to prepare your house for climate change (Bloomberg $), Monsoon storms bring flooding, surges in rivers (New Mexico Political Report), The Mediterranean may keep drying, even if it stops warming (E&E $), Pace of climate change sends economists back to drawing board (New York Times $)

WHIPLASH: Record rain is hitting drought-stricken areas. That's not good news. (Washington Post $)

FIRST AND WORST: She started fishing for a better life. Climate change is putting it all at risk (CNN)

KENTUCKY FLOODING: Kentucky residents left homeless by floods sue coal company over alleged negligence (Gizmodo)

DROUGHT: Climate change to blame for parched 'Garden of Eden' (CNN), Historic drought reveals dinosaur tracks in Texas riverbed (ABC), Most of the US is being pummeled by drought (Gizmodo), Spanish dams at 27-year low as European energy crisis widens (Bloomberg $)

WILDFIRES: Wildfires breaking out across the world (Reuters factbox), A surprising amount of dry lightning hits California, fueling fire risk (Washington Post $), Forest fires burn twice as many trees as two decades ago, report finds (Washington Post $), Putin says forest fires could worsen in European Russia, Far East (Reuters)

HURRICANES: Hurricane Andrew, 30 years later: NBC's Kerry Sanders looks back (Today Show)

WATER: Oregon officials defy order to halt farmer water deliveries (AP), Ranchers told to stop diverting water in drought-hit area (AP), SoCal facing "precarious situation" as water levels hit historic lows (Axios)

DEFORESTATION: Crucial illegal road threatens Amazon rainforest (AP)

RENEWABLES: Dominion threatens to kill biggest US offshore wind farm (E&E $), How a new national green bank could steer $27B to clean energy projects (Canary Media), In Bangladesh, solar power brings work, but land shortage slows growth (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

LNG: Green Army General Russel Honore takes on LNG industry (KPLC-TV7), Freeport LNG aims for November restart at fire-hit Texas plant (Reuters, E&E $), Energy Transfer signs 20-year LNG supply deal with Shell (Reuters)

BUILDINGS: Tesla’s former energy head has a new electric-home startup (Bloomberg $)

METHANE: Methane hunters: what explains the surge in the potent greenhouse gas? (FT $), Report of an ancient methane release raises questions for our climate future (Washington Post $)

OIL & GAS: Gas use in US electricity hits all-time high (E&E $), Is NEPA a winning strategy to fight oil and gas? (E&E News), Two oil price crashes later, shale investors are finally being paid (OilPrice)

EVs: Dodge crashes the quiet EV party with a howling muscle car (E&E $), Lucky drivers will get discount on Ford EV pickup for helping the grid (Canary Media)

AVIATION: The secret way airlines could immediately reduce their climate impact (Protocol)

BOOKS: Queer YA books are selling in record numbers despite bans targeting them (The 19th* News)

FINANCE: China tightens green bond rules to align them with global norms (Reuters)

WILDLIFE: Large species have a leg up as climate changes, study finds (E&E $), Could climate change mean the spotted lanternfly is here to stay? (The Hill)

• Losing your neighborhood to climate change is sometimes necessary (New York Times, Anna Rhodes and Max Besbris op-ed $)
• Why mature and old forests are so important for climate mitigation and adaptation (The Hill, Beverly Law and William Schlesinger op-ed)
• We are more than an experiment for lithium in the desert (Desert Sun, Cecilia Dora Armenta and Elizabeth Jaime op-ed)
• Hurricane Andrew made landfall 30 years ago today: America still hasn’t learned its lesson (The Hill, Craig Fugate and Roy Wright op-ed)
• One of the best climate solutions is an unlogged forest. Let's keep them that way. (New York Times, Carole King op-ed $)
• China’s power crisis could reach a himalayan scale (Bloomberg, David Fickling column $)
• The American West’s haunting, smoke-filled future (New York Times, David Wallace-Wells column $)
• Give L.A. a little more money to help it take a lot less water (LA Times, Editorial Board $)
• We’ll need hundreds of new critical metals mines to decarbonize (The Hill, Henry Lee and Xin Sun op-ed)
• Cracking down on coal ash: Tough talk and tough choices (Energy News Network, Kari Lydersen, Joshua Irvine, Diana Leane, Tom Quinn, Mrinali Dhembla, Hayley Starshak and Sarah Aie op-ed)
• The challenge of investing in the face of state anti-ESG legislation (Reuters, Lance Dial, Elizabeth Goldberg, and Rachel Mann analysis)
• $10 gas? don’t be alarmed. it’s the other kind (Bloomberg, Liam Denning column $)
• An all-of-the-above approach for permitting energy infrastructure (The Hill, Liza Reed and David Bookbinder op-ed)
• Hey millionaires, drop the plane for a train (Politico EU, Mari Eccles and Louise Guillot op-ed)
• 9 reminders that despite the IRA, climate change is still a crisis (The Hill, William Becker op-ed)

US Inflation Reduction Act Won't Solve Global Warming, Obviously. But Why's The Washington Post Running WSJ-Style Disinfo? 

Yesterday we discussed how Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal opinion page is basically bursting at the seams with climate disinformation. Apparently it's also an inspiration to the Washington Post, hardly considered a bastion of conservative propaganda, like the WSJ, but nonetheless seems happy to publish content that leaves their readers ill-informed.

Back when the Inflation Reduction Act passed the Senate, the Wall Street Journal's editorial board was scrambling for a response, and apparently found one in Bjorn Lomborg's back-of-the-envelope calculation that it would "reduce the estimated global temperature rise at the end of this century by all of 0.028 degrees Fahrenheit in the optimistic case. In the pessimistic case, the temperature difference will be 0.0009 degrees Fahrenheit." 

It's an interesting attack, because, even assuming it's accurate, which would be quite a bold assumption, what it shows is that despite being the biggest federal investment in climate action ever, it's still not enough to justify flying a "Mission Accomplished" banner and moving on to other issues. The climate crisis is so large that yes, the IRA can be a huge investment and still not be enough to secure climate safety. 

And, of course, no one's saying that it is! Even the bill's boosters have been forthright that it only puts us on a path to meeting the country's goal of cutting emissions in half by 2035 and to zero by 2050. So while activists might worry that the bill's passage would mean that people think we've solved the climate crisis and can therefore forget about it, Lomborg and the WSJ are accidentally helpful in showing that no, it's still a big problem that's going to require a lot more work. 

One would think that in the ensuing two weeks since that WSJ editorial, they could have found a different line of attack, one that doesn't inadvertently justify further climate activism and action. 

Nope! On Tuesday, the WSJ ran an op-ed by none other than Bjorn Lomborg, who still hasn't been able to think of something original or clever or even do a more robust calculation about the emission reductions, instead repeating the 0.0009 and 0.028 figures once again for the WSJ's apparently slow-on-the-uptake readers. Most people would say that if it's not new it's not news, but for Rupert Murdoch's media outlets like the WSJ, it's the opposite. Murdoch knows the importance of message discipline. You have to repeat the propaganda over and over again for it to sink in. 

Fortunately for Murdoch and the fossil fuel industry propagandists from whom they apparently take direction, the WSJ is being echoed by a decidedly not-conservative outlet. 

Because also on Tuesday, the Washington Post ran a nearly identical column by Marc Thiessen — a Fox panelist, employee of the Koch-funded AEI, and for some inexplicable reason, Washington Post columnist. "The Inflation Reduction Act won't reduce inflation. Or climate change," reads Theissen's headline, published and tweeted just hours before the WSJ ran Lomborg's similarly headlined "The Inflation Reduction Act Does Little To Reduce Climate Change." 

And like he has in the past, Theissen brings WSJ-style disinfo to the Post's pages, repeating, and thus validating, Lomborg's 0.0009 and 0.028 figures, though of course with the spin that this means that the bill is useless, and not that it's just the first step of a long journey to climate safety. 

(And no, neither Theissen nor the Washington Post editorial staff thought it necessary to include the unit of measurement, which we would assume is in Fahrenheit, but either way it's a problem when something makes it in the Washington Post that would immediately lose points on a 10th grade chemistry quiz.)

The US just took its first big step in the multi-decade marathon to reduce emissions. But for Lomborg, Theissen, the WSJ and apparently WaPo, the fact that this small step didn't get us to the finish line is portrayed as a reason to believe it's not worth running the race. 

One wonders how these people get anywhere in life, when the first step of the driving directions doesn't end at their destination!

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 ($)