FIRST LOOK: 

Season 3 of A Matter of Degrees debuts Thursday! Join Dr. Leah Stokes and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson as they tell stories about the powerful forces behind climate change — and the tools we have to fix it.

Human Rights Watch Raises Alarm Over Egyptian Crackdowns Ahead Of COP27: A major international human rights group called on the UN to ensure Egypt, and other countries hosting climate conferences, meet human rights standards on Monday. Egypt will host COP27 this November. Human Rights Watch says it has documented numerous government actions over a period of several years that violate basic human rights, including repression of dissent and intimidation of activists that essentially prevent civil society organizations from operating. “There can be no improvement in the environmental situation without improvement in freedom of expression and the overall human rights situation,” one activist said, quoted anonymously in the report. (AP)

EPA IG To Probe Jackson Water Crisis: The EPA inspector general has dispatched staff to investigate the collapse of the Jackson, Miss., drinking water system. The public water system failure has highlighted the compounding crises of systemic racism and the climate change as 150,000 in the state's predominantly Black capital city remain without safe drinking water. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said last week he was open to privatizing the city's water system, "as they have in many states." A previous IG probe of EPA oversight of the lead drinking water crisis in Flint, Mich., (another predominantly Black city) led to criminal indictments. The Jackson water system — which was knocked out for a month by a severe storm in early 2021 — was overwhelmed by heavy rains and flooding in late August. Typically, inspectors general investigate whether a federal agency failed to adequately oversee a state's implementation of (in this case) the Safe Drinking Water Act. (IG investigation: E&E News/Politico, InsideEPA $, WLBT, WXXV, CNN, NBC, Mississippi Today; Environmental racism: The Root, Atmos; Michigan parallels: Michigan Advance; Climate Signals background: Extreme precipitation increase, Flooding)

Judge Says Enbridge Must Pay For Trespassing On Tribal Lands, Lets Line 5 Keep Running: A federal judge ordered Canadian pipeline company Enbridge to pay the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for "trespassing" across tribal lands with the controversial Line 5 oil and gas liquids pipeline. The judge stopped short of halting the pipeline's operation, including under the extremely environmentally sensitive Straits of Mackinac. (Indian Country Today, Wisconsin Public Radio, WOOD, Wisconsin Examiner, PiPaNews)

LA Bus Passengers Swelter Without Shade: Just one-quarter of Los Angeles County bus stops have any kind of shade or rain shelter, forcing riders like Ken Willis to seek shelter under whatever shade they can find, the LA Times reports. Only half of bus stops even have seating and, “If you sit on the benches, you just sweat to death,” Willis told the Times, while he waited in 103°F heat for the North Hollywood 152 bus last week — the nearby asphalt was as hot as 130°F. High-temperature records have fallen all over the country this summer, including in Southern California. Climate change, mainly caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, is increasing the frequency and severity of heatwaves; the transportation sector is the largest source of climate pollution in the U.S. The oppressive heat is yet another barrier for those who cannot afford to drive, are unable to, or choose not to drive — made worse by its compounding effect on air pollution, including soot and particulate (PM2.5) pollution that causes the same lung cancer as smoking. (Bus stops: LA Times $; Lung Cancer: The Hill, Axios, CNN, Mic, EuroNews, Newsweek, NY1; Nationwide heat records: Washington Post $; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves)

ENVIRONMENTAL (IN)JUSTICE: At 75, the father of environmental justice meets the moment (New York Times $), Climate change in Hong Kong worsens housing crisis for city’s poor (Washington Post $)

PAKISTAN: Pakistan races to keep floodwaters out of power station that supplies millions (Reuters)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: Thousands of low-income households in Belgium to receive energy bill relief via solar power (EuroNews), Leaked paper reveals EU is unlikely to cap price of Russian gas (The Guardian), ‘Huge’ effort is needed to lower UK energy bills, says ScottishPower chief (FT $), Document: European Commission proposes electricity windfall taxes, demand reduction (Politico Pro $), EU to propose mandatory power-demand cut and levy on profits (Bloomberg $), Italy’s Meloni pledges not to expand deficit to fund energy aid (Bloomberg $)

EACOP: Economic lifeline or climate peril? East African pipeline is a new flashpoint (National Geographic), Uganda sees all loan pledges for oil pipeline by end of November (Bloomberg $)

GOP vs. ESG: BlackRock blasts Republican AGs’ ‘misconceptions’ on its ESG role (Utility Dive)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: These red states don’t want climate targets — but they do want green jobs (Grist), US climate package jump-starts EV, clean energy projects (Reuters Factbox), Climate law omits funding for resilience to weather disasters (Washington Post $), Inflation Reduction Act could raise prices on clean energy, warns Bank of America (Utility Dive), Where US solar is headed after the climate law (E&E News)

• SIDE DEALS: Manchin enlists oil CEOs to get GOP support for permitting bill (Bloomberg $), Progressive opposition grows ahead of permitting bill release (E&E News, Democracy Now), Senate Republicans introduce separate permitting-reform bill (The Hill)

NEXT WEEK: Climate Week NYC 2022: Getting it done (Canary Media)

COLORADO RIVER: 100 years after compact, Colorado River nearing crisis point (AP), As Lake Powell shrinks, a new threat swims downstream (E&E News), In Mexico's dry north, Colorado River adds to uncertainty (AP)

AGENCIES: Climate law: What to watch at Interior, FERC and DOE (E&E News), FEMA removes data showing drop in flood insurance policies (E&E News)

EPA: EPA investigators brace for Trump-fueled backlash (E&E News), EPA workers push Biden to issue climate emergency, hire more scientists (The Real News)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Gas[oline] prices could spike again this winter, Yellen warns (The Hill), US bank regulator names new climate chief (Reuters, New York Times $)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden to boost biotech to tackle cancer, climate change (E&E News), Iconic rock climber [Tommy Caldwell] heads to White House climate party (E&E $), Soldiers called it ‘Camp Hell.’ Biden eyes it as a national monument. (Washington Post $), White House eyes power reliability standards, energy efficiency rules for Bitcoin, other crypto mining (Utility Dive), White House launches effort to bolster domestic biomanufacturing (Politico Pro $), Biden issues executive order ahead of White House climate party (E&E $), Three more national monuments that Biden could designate (Washington Post $)

THE HILL: [House] Hearings set to attack fossil fuel industry and its backers (E&E News), House panel to probe industry threats to free speech rights (E&E $), [Senate] Committee sets hearing on crypto bill with energy mandate (E&E $)

ELECTIONS: Republicans jockey to unseat Democrats in NH, RI (E&E $)

TRIBES: Judge revives long-dormant oil lease on Mont. tribal lands (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: Mich. backs efforts to revive dormant nuclear plant (E&E $), Climate bill boosts California move to clean cars (E&E $)

IMPACTS: ‘Clairvoyant’ 2012 climate report warned of extreme weather (AP), Rains, mudslides prompt Southern California evacuations (AP), Torrential rain and flooding inundate Chicago, southeastern Wisconsin (Washington Post $, Gizmodo), Climate tipping points study provides clearest warning yet (Axios), Modern slavery on the rise as crises fuel poverty - U.N. report (Reuters), Real estate worth $35B could be underwater in 2050 (E&E News), The ancient subarctic forests at risk from climate change and war (FT $), Why coastal communities should fear storm surge (CNN)

HEAT: Extreme California heat knocks key Twitter data center offline (CNN), New wildfires hit southwestern France amid record heat (AP)

DROUGHT: Megadrought in the American south-west: a climate disaster unseen in 1,200 years (The Guardian)

WILDFIRES: Extreme weather in Western states causing dangerous conditions (NBC), Power back on in Oregon after weekend of fire, high winds (AP)

HURRICANES: Kay’s remnants bring flooding to Southwest, 76 mph wind gust to Phoenix (Washington Post $)

DEFORESTATION: Indonesia has lost more tropical forest to mining than anywhere (Bloomberg $), Indonesia, Brazil biggest culprits in tropical forest loss linked to industrial mining -study (Reuters)

RENEWABLES: Big Oil looks to capitalize on the $1 trillion offshore wind boom (OilPrice), California offshore wind projects face hurdles as pressure groups, industry interests weigh in (Wall Street Journal $), EU generated record 12% of electricity from solar in summer 2022 (PV Tech), How sunlight could turn seawater into freshwater for coastal communities (CNN)

• + AGRICULTURE: Farming for crops — and for solar power (Axios), Mixing solar power and agriculture: A blueberry farm does a test run (Canary Media), Vermont growers see potential in pairing saffron and solar production (Energy News Network), What exactly is ​‘climate-smart agriculture’? (Canary Media)

BUILDINGS: ‘Timber cities’ might help decarbonize the world (Inside Climate News)

PIPELINES: Congress should require FERC, NERC to monitor gas pipeline capacity to ensure reliability, manufacturers say (Utility Dive)

COAL: Battle fires up over largest Colo. coal plant (E&E $), Coal surge: Report charts rising US carbon emissions (E&E $), Insurance brokers walk away from Carmichael coal mine in Australia (FT $)

HYDROGEN: The Inflation Reduction Act: The moment for US green steel and fertiliser (Energy Monitor), Africa's first hydrogen power plant seen producing electricity in 2024 (Reuters), Bosch to manufacture EV hydrogen fuel cells in South Carolina (Utility Dive)

EVs: This midwestern factory was dead. electric vehicles revived it. (Washington Post $), Auto industry unfazed as consumer interest in EVs declines (E&E $), New York City’s first vehicle-to-grid charging installation is live in Brooklyn (Utility Dive)

CRYPTO: As ether adopts energy-saving 'merge', will bitcoin follow? (Thomson Reuters Foundation), What the Ethereum Merge could mean for mining rigs (Protocol), Will the merge really make crypto greener? (Gizmodo)

BOOKS: Best new books on climate and the environment (FT $), The year’s best graphic novel might just be about life in Canada’s oil sands (Grist, interview), A new book tracks the rise of right-wing extremism in the US (New York Times $)

RICH GUY: Billionaire climate activist may target more major polluters with green campaigns (Bloomberg $)

VIDEO GAMES: Video games get a new boss monster: Climate change (E&E News)

INTERNATIONAL: EU set to ban products made using forced labour (FT $), Not everyone mourns the Queen. For many, she can't be separated from colonial rule (NPR)

• As a rabbi, I want Biden to take world-repairing action on climate (Sojourners, Hannah Spiro op-ed)
• As Virginia religious leaders, we ask Youngkin to stay in the RGGI (Washington Post, Sarah Scherschligt and Rachel Rhodes op-ed $)
• America’s historic climate investment still leaves Gulf communities behind (The Grio, Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. op-ed)
• An 18th-century philosophy to get us through the climate crisis (New York Times, Andrea Wulf op-ed $)
• Europe's climate credentials sullied by coal import binge (Reuters, Gavin Maguire op-ed)
• 4 ways tech is going to change the world (Bloomberg, Jessica Karl column $)
• We just had the most productive Congress since the Eisenhower Era — here’s what that means for the country (The Hill, Rep. Peter DeFazio op-ed)
• You might expect Conservatives to resist workers’ rights, but Labour? Only the Greens stand with strikers (The Guardian, Zack Polanski op-ed)
• Here’s who John Roberts should blame for the Supreme Court losing ‘legitimacy’ (CNN, Dean Obeidallah op-ed)
• Why we should forget about the 1.5C global heating target (The Guardian, Bill McGuire op-ed)
• Charles III saw climate change coming. can he still speak out? (Washington Post, Eugene Robinson column $)

Conservative Pundit Accidentally Argues For Climate Action

Anyone who grew up watching Mystery Science Theater 3000, or enjoyed going to midnight screenings of The Room, or laughed their way through all of the Sharknado sequels knows that some things are just so bad that somehow, they're good. 

That's the vibe of rightwing, uh, thinker(?), Zachary Faria's latest "Beltway Confidential" column for the Washington Examiner, headlined Climate change means Democrats aren't having to answer for their failures.

Faria wrote that "climate change is simply whatever Democrats need it to be to excuse their incompetence," based on things like a (record-breaking) heatwave causing California's grid operator to ask residents to conserve electricity to avoid a blackout, or blaming drought for a lack of water, or warming for wildfires. He even tosses in that "yes, when media outlets aren’t using 'institutional racism' to excuse Democrats for the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, they are blaming climate change, as NPR did." 

Now, yes, things like water access are definitely more complicated than only being driven by climate change, but no one's saying the only reason droughts or wildfires or heat waves exist is because of fossil fuel emissions. 

But still, even if they were, and Faria's strawman were a real boy, the response is pretty obvious, right? If Republicans don't want Democratic politicians to use climate change as an excuse for their policy failures, they could simply do something about climate change! 

Imagine it! If Republicans were to advance a real policy to address climate change, and solve the problem of industrial pollution destabilizing the atmosphere and planet's life support system upon which tens of thousands of years of human civilization are built, then Democrats wouldn't be able to use it as an excuse anymore! 

And if you threw a little social justice in there to get Dems to stop complaining about "institutional racism," boy, wouldn't that show 'em!

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