FIRST LOOK: 

Join The Uproot Project for a storytelling exhibit and networking event at Foley Gallery in NYC on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The gallery is open to the public from 6-8, with a panel discussion starting at 6:30 pm.

Waterborne Diseases And Standing Water Create 'Bleak' Situation For Pakistani Families: Warming temperatures could fuel the spread of a deadly, brain-eating amoeba in the U.S. that killed 147 people between 1962 and 2020. This summer, monsoon-driven flooding made worse by climate change submerged one-third of Pakistan, killing more than 1,500 people in total, including at least 324 people who have died from malaria and other waterborne diseases. “The situation for Pakistani families is beyond bleak," Unicef Pakistan’s representative, Abdullah Fadil, told The Guardian. With floodwaters likely to linger for as long as six months, however, the number who succumb to waterborne and mosquito-vectored illnesses, including diarrhea, dengue fever, and skin conditions. “These all are water-borne diseases. You see standing water in the flooded areas where mosquitoes are rampant and people don’t have clean drinking water and they walk in the contaminated water and drink the same water." Dr. Faiq Ali who sees hundreds of children a day in the clinic he set up in heavily-impacted Warah in Sindh province. “The doctors are asking us to get tests done in Karachi … but we cannot afford that. We don’t have money," Rawat Khan told The Guardian of her children's infected ear and chest. “We only saved our lives. We could save nothing else. We are helpless to see our children falling sick and we are unable to do anything about it." (Pakistan: The Guardian, Reuters; Brain-eating amoeba: The Guardian)

Puerto Rico Still Largely Without Electricity As Finoa Heads For Canada: More than 63% of Puerto Rican electricity customers were still without power Friday morning as Category 4 Hurricane Fiona hammered Bermuda on its path north toward Canada's Maritime provinces. “This could be Canada’s version of (Hurricane) Sandy,” Chris Fogarty, a meteorologist for Canada’s hurricane center, told CNN. President Biden officially declared a major disaster for Puerto Rico on Thursday, freeing up even more relief funds and resources for the island where the storm's official death toll has risen to eight. Hundreds of people remain completely trapped by flooded or washed out roads and about three-quarters of the Island still lack clean water as well, according to the Jubilee USA network, Axios reported. "It's not just the electrical grid — it’s also the sewers, it’s also the streets, highways, bridges, schools," José Caraballo-Cueto, an economist at the University of Puerto Rico, told Axios. "Almost every area of the government infrastructure is needing renovation." The essentially disenfranchised territory's public utility is in bankruptcy, LUMA, which controls the electrical "has failed miserably," according to Caraballo-Cueto, and is coming under even more intense scrutiny after the island-wide blackout, the second in six months, following Hurricane Fiona. (Bermuda: AP, AP video $; Canada: CNN, Yale Climate Connections, Axios; Puerto Rico: Reuters, AP, Axios, Axios; Climate Signals background: Hurricanes)

Biden Admin Gave In To Many Gas Industry Demands: The U.S. methane gas industry, unlike the Russian military, has achieved nearly all of its pre-invasion objectives, The Guardian reports. Before Russian forces had even invaded Ukraine, a U.S. LNG trade association called on the White House to increase drilling on public lands, quickly approve gas export terminals, and pressure FERC to approve gas pipelines. Six months later, the LNG Allies, which operates as U.S. LNG Association and does not disclose its donors, has won major policy victories including a task force to increase gas exports to Europe, greenlighting LNG export terminals, and more — policy changes the industry says were in "direct response" to its requests. The U.S. oil and gas industry has pulled down record profits since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. “The fact that just weeks after those demands were laid out, President Biden was turning industry wishes into policy is a damning indictment of a president who had promised to tackle the climate crisis,” Zorka Milin of Global Witness told the Guardian. (The Guardian)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Civil rights panel criticizes FEMA response to 2 hurricanes (E&E $)

• JACKSON WATER CRISIS: Bipartisan lawmakers push Hill probe of Miss. water woes (E&E News), Jackson, Mississippi residents file lawsuit against city due to water crisis (NBC)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: Inflation Reduction Act: Who qualifies for tax credits and rebates (NBC)

• MANCHIN PERMITTING SIDE DEAL: Capito gives her support to Manchin’s Energy Independence and Security Act (Dominion Post), Lawmakers want to change permitting bill. Will they succeed? (E&E News), Climate activists protesting Manchin’s permitting bill arrested in D.C. (Washington Post $), Manchin’s latest legislation would accelerate fossil fuel projects (Gizmodo), Manchin permitting-reform bill allows DOE to designate ‘national interest’ transmission projects (Utility Dive), Republicans lining up against Manchin’s permitting reform bill (The Hill), Oil wish list or renewables boost? Manchin bill may be both (E&E News), Permitting reform is a decoy for ramping up gas (American Prospect)

HURRICANE FIONA: Hurricane Fiona closes in on Bermuda as Category 4 storm; Thousands in Puerto Rico still without power (CBS), Post-Fiona fuel disruptions spark fear in Puerto Rico (AP), Puerto Rico’s governor hopes to restore power to the majority of the island by the end of the week (NBC), Hurricane Fiona: 'The important thing is we're alive' (BBC), Puerto Rican attorney talks about hurricane maria, political cor­ruption (NY1), The eco-friendly homes that didn’t lose power after Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico (The Hill)

• DISASTER DECLARATION: Biden declares major disaster in Puerto Rico to energize Fiona recovery (Politico, Axios, Al Jazeera)
• PUERTO RICO GRID: Why all Americans should be paying attention to Puerto Rico’s power grid (Vox), After Hurricane Fiona, Puerto Ricans are frustrated with electric grid, infrastructure problems (ABC)

UNGA & CLIMATE WEEK: Vietnam highlights UN role in response to climate change (Prensa Latina)

• "I'M NOT A SCIENTIST": World bank leader, accused of climate denial, offers a new response (New York Times $), World Bank's Malpass faces calls to resign after climate change doubts (Reuters), World Bank's Malpass says he's not a climate change denier (Reuters, CNN, Bloomberg $, Reuters), US under pressure to force out World Bank chief over climate doubt (Climate Home)
• GLOBAL PROTESTS: Protesters fear climate change impacts, demand aid for poor (AP)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: EU emergency energy plan is bad news for renewables (OilPrice)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Palau calls for greater US support as it renegotiates bilateral agreement (Reuters), S.Korea's Yoon asks Biden to resolve concerns over EV subsidy rules (Reuters)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Chevron blames climate change on cartoons? (Gizmodo)

DENIAL & DISINFO: Climate change deniers "harass" fact-checkers (Bloomberg $), Energy scams are spreading like wildfires (OilPrice), JPMorgan CEO claims oil and gas can reduce global emissions (E&E $)

ALL ABOARD!: Inside the plant building the fastest passenger trains in America (Washington Post $)

GOP vs. ESG: BlackRock's pension funds face ESG criticism from New York Comptroller (Reuters)

INSURANCE: California to again protect insurance policies in fire areas (AP)

EPA: Special hiring power boosts EPA infrastructure, regional teams (E&E News)

DOI: Biden admin reverses course, plans Alaska offshore oil sale (E&E $), Deb Haaland celebrates decades of Indigenous education (Indian Country Today)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Engineers use nature and technology to storm proof Air Force bases (NBC)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden meets with UK leader under cloud of climate skepticism (E&E News)

THE HILL: N.M., Colo. Dems want Colorado River funding focused on long-term solutions (Politico Pro $)

HOUSE: Grijalva: Interior must thwart Colorado River 'collapse' (E&E $, Politico Pro $), Rep. Bennie Thompson on the Jackson drinking water crisis (Politico Pro, interview $), Top House Republicans to unveil mine permitting plan (E&E $)

SENATE: Manchin, Barrasso push back on 'mature' forest protections (E&E $), Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s IVF experiences are informing her positions on abortion (The 19th* News)

ELECTIONS: Dem prospects brighten in 3 Southwest fossil fuel districts (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: Boston's Mayor Wu announces investment in trees for cooling, flood reduction and beauty (WBUR), Bloated police budgets do nothing to stop sexual violence—they increase it (Prism Reports), Illinois grapples with implementing 100% clean energy law (E&E News), New York launches 2 GW renewable energy solicitation as natural gas prices drive up electricity bills (Utility Dive), State climatologist: Communities need to prepare for climate change (New Mexico Political Report)

• CALIFORNIA: California could ban new gas heaters after 2030. The goal: healthier air (Canary Media, E&E $), High electricity rates could jeopardize California’s electrification efforts: report (Utility Dive), California needs to move on from net metering, advocates, industry and utility leaders say (Utility Dive), California’s EV charging network could use a jolt, a trip down I-5 shows (LA Times $), App helps California volunteers prevent food waste (Yale Climate Connections)

• NEW JERSEY: Murphy orders big jump in offshore wind (New Jersey Spotlight News), Murphy boosts New Jersey offshore wind goal 50% from prior level (Bloomberg $), N.J. sets East Coast’s largest offshore wind target (E&E News, offshoreWIND.biz), New Jersey first state to introduce climate change curriculum in schools (ABC)

IMPACTS: Ruinous floods and constant heat: Scenes from a summer’s extreme weather (Washington Post $), Families without flood insurance struggle to rebuild homes (NBC), In utero exposure to natural disasters linked with high rates of childhood anxiety, depression (The Hill), How was this summer different where you live? (Washington Post $)

DROUGHT: The drying of the Colorado and Rio Grande rivers (Yale Climate Connections)

WILDFIRES: Wildfire smoke is erasing progress on clean air (New York Times $), Wildfire smoke reaches unhealthy levels in Seattle (AP)

HURRICANES: How climate change is fueling hurricanes (Reuters, explainer), Monster typhoon smashes into Japan (Gizmodo photos)

WATER: Satisfying the thirst of almonds while the wells of the people that harvest them run dry (Forbes), Can modern water management save the Rio Grande? (E&E News), Ranchers’ rebellion: The Californians breaking water rules in a punishing drought (The Guardian), 

RENEWABLES: A look into ways to improve, expand hydropower to reach US energy goals (NBC), Incoming Shell CEO Sawan set to fire up renewables drive (Reuters), The pathway to 90% clean electricity is mostly clear. The last 10%, not so much (Inside Climate News), The world’s top ten solar superpowers (Energy Monitor)

• "RENEWABLES": Expansion of a lucrative dairy digester market is sowing environmental worries in the US (Inside Climate News)

LNG: Tellurian plunges after axing $1 billion bond for LNG plant (Bloomberg $)

UK FRACKING: Energy crisis spurs Britain to end its fracking ban, digging up a long-running debate (CNBC, Politico Pro $, FT $), Truss could break fracking election pledge to bypass local opposition (The Guardian), Fracking could affect many protected areas across England as ban is lifted (The Guardian), Jacob Rees-Mogg dismisses ‘hysteria’ over fracking as ban ends (The Guardian), Is Jacob Rees-Mogg right that fracking is safe and vital? (The Guardian, factcheck)

PLASTICS: 'Losing bet': Industry pans Bloomberg plastics plan (E&E $)

MINERALS: How a clean energy future is colliding with mining’s dark past (Grist)

EVs: To ensure access to electric cars, some activists are calling attention to ‘charging deserts’ (Grist), Demand on the rise for electric vehicle charging at multifamily properties (Utility Dive), It’s common to charge electric vehicles at night. That will be a problem. (Washington Post $), Tesla recalls nearly 1.1 million vehicles over faulty automatic windows (Axios)

AVIATION: Activists subvert poster sites to shame aviation and ad industries (The Guardian), CO2-to-vodka startup Air Company aims higher with aviation fuel (Canary Media)

CARBON CAPTURE: Company sells stake in shuttered Petra Nova CCS project (E&E $)

FINANCE: Banks face legal risks if they don't stick to climate goals, ECB says (Reuters), HSBC fund arm toughens thermal coal policy to curb climate change (Reuters)

IN MEMORIAM: Earth First co-founder raised a ruckus in name of conservation, dead at 74 (E&E $)

WILDLIFE: Salmon are nosing at the riverbanks trying to escape the Klamath River (High Country News)

INTERNATIONAL: Macron says he wants to make it easier to build renewable energy projects in France (Reuters)

• UNELECTED MONARCHY: Why the crown’s commitment to climate action falls flat (Atmos), King Charles’s ‘dotty’ environmental views are now mainstream (The Guardian)

• Climate Week congregants should address methane (The Hill, Daphne Wysham op-ed)
• Building Water Trust: Nuestra Casa Tackles Water Justice in the Bay Area (Maven's Notebook, Rosa Nelson interview)
• Why is Puerto Rico so vulnerable to blackouts? (The Hill, Donovan Finn and Ivis García op-ed)
• Sky and the Australian find ‘no evidence’ of a climate emergency – they weren’t looking hard enough (The Guardian, Graham Readfearn op-ed)
• The maxim of the SEC’s climate rule: What you don’t know can hurt you (Utility Dive, Bob Hinkle and Lisa Jacobson op-ed)
• California’s water usage was built on a historic lie. The bill is now coming due (LA Times, Michael Hiltzik column $)
• Americans don’t care about climate change. Here’s how to wake them up (LA Times, Nicholas Goldberg column $)

Gateway Pundit and WSJ Agree That Exploitative Capitalism Stands In The Way Of Real Climate Solutions

In September of 2021, we talked about the differences between organized disinformation, the strategic public relations employed by the fossil fuel industry to deceive the public, and what we called disorganized denial, the growing genre of content attacking the climate issue because it drives clicks on social media from audiences cultivated by the organized denial set. At the time, we talked about how the Daily Caller's loss of Koch-funding and Michael Bastasch marked its exit from the organized denial sphere, and on the disorganized side, we used some Trumpian attacks on Biden over at the Gateway Pundit as the example. 

A year later, Bastasch is back at the Caller and so is steady climate disinformation. But the Gateway Pundit is still just throwing whatever it can find at the wall and hoping something sticks; clearly without the guidance on messaging that the organized denial world is getting. 

Because this week, the Wall Street Journal's opinion page, the major leagues of organized climate disinformation, ran a couple pieces typical of the fossil fuel industry's messaging. On Wednesday, the editorial board took note of a Tesla battery that caught fire in California, warning that "there is no free lunch in producing energy" and that "all sources have costs and carry risks" so "climate lobbyists and the media" shouldn't "fret about oil spills, gas leaks and nuclear meltdowns" because they "ignore the very real costs and risks of renewables." 

But obviously the fossil fuels that Tesla batteries and renewable energy sources are displacing aren't exactly known for being inert. In fact, if there's a defining feature of fossil fuels, it's that they are flammable! 

And while the WSJ could have at least tried to compare actual safety numbers for renewables vs fossil fuels, instead they just present a couple of anecdotes and call it a day. But two can play at that game, and in fact, the disorganized deniers at the Gateway Pundit happened to do exactly that! 

On Thursday, they published a piece wondering "What's going on?" because an explosion at a BP refinery in Ohio killed two people, and is the fourth such explosion since June. The tone and tenor of the article suggest, as is the editorial preference of the outlet, that there's some grand conspiracy at work, concluding that "At a time of high inflation, two major fossil fuel production facility shutdowns, previous explosions and disruptions, it begs the question: Why we are experiencing so many major disruptions in our natural fossil fuel supply production/distribution facilities?" 

Well, it could either be that fossil fuels are inherently explosive and companies have an inherent incentive to skimp on safety protocols because profit motives trump safety concerns … or that secret agents of sabotage are striking fossil fuel production facilities. Hard to say! Even harder to say, though, is that on another pair of stories, the WSJ and Gateway Pundit are actually sort of right! 

On Tuesday, the WSJ's Allysia Finley wrote a column about the fraud trial for the CEO of EV startup Nikola, which is alleged to have vastly misrepresented the viability of their electric trucks. Finely wrote that the case "in some ways mirrors that of Elizabeth Holmes, who founded the Silicon Valley blood-testing startup Theranos. When her technology failed to live up to her hype, she concealed its shortcomings." Back at the Gateway Pundit, Jim "dumbest man on the internet" Hoft picked up a local news story out of St. Louis, about Pink Energy, a company that appears to have misled customers about the amount of power the solar panels they sold would produce.

Both make it clear the American economic system (which both outlets otherwise defend) allows companies to exploit customers, which means it isn't going to save us from climate change. While it's great that the Inflation Reduction Act allocates billions of dollars for clean energy companies, that money is flooding into a system that's designed to generate private profits, not public goods like carbon-free power.

If companies rip off consumers in the process of greedily sucking up subsidies, and they're doing it in the name of solar power, that's just going to make it harder to transition to clean energy. So too will money in the hands of unscrupulous techno-optimists with oNe CrAzY tRiCk to solve the climate crisis.

Empowering people with public ownership of clean power would be quicker, easier, safer and more equitable than outsourcing the stability of the climate to a country full of hucksters looking to get-rich-quick, be it with shoddy solar panels or government subsidies for fake e-Trucks.

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