FIRST LOOK(s):

Climate Nexus is seeking to connect frontline, Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led (BIPOC) groups with resources through Energy Equity Grants. Grants range from $20,000-$40,000. Apply here (y en español aquí). For more information and social materials to spread the word, click here. 

The Pew Charitable Trusts will host the White House Council on Environmental Quality, along with local, state, and federal resilience leaders, to discuss government-wide efforts aimed at improving the nation’s resilience to climate and weather-related risks and vulnerabilities. TOMORROW at 10:15 am. Register here.

East Africa On Brink Of Drought-Caused Famine: Warnings and pleas for help are becoming increasingly dire across East Africa as the worst drought in 40 years, is on the verge of (officially) causing a famine that could kill 500,000 children. Climate change, caused mainly by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels is making droughts more frequent and more severe; Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia are responsible for a negligible amount of global climate pollution. "I have three grand-children who have been affected by hunger," Agnes Ekereru told Reuters at a hospital in northwest Kenya. "All my livestock have died because of the drought." The drought, worsened by food shortages, has already killed thousands of people, including at least 900 children under five years old, and countless livestock. Adego Abdinur, 28, walked more than 180 miles with her six children from their home, where her self-sufficient family raised maize and owned dozens of livestock, to a displacement camp in southern Somalia where she hoped to find food to survive. “When we lost the last goat, we realized there was no way to survive,” she told the AP. “We have seen so many children dying because of hunger.” (Reuters, AP, AP explainer; Climate Signals background: Drought)

Ag In 1 Calif. County Uses More Water Than 2 States: California's record-smashing three-year drought will likely continue, state officials said Monday. Most of the state is in severe, extreme, or (the worst) exceptional drought. The 'water year' ending on September 30 saw precipitation at just 76% of average and reservoir levels at 69% of their historic levels. Despite the superlative-straining drought, not everyone is short for water, NPR reports. Farmers in Imperial County, California, currently pull more water from the Colorado river than the states of Arizona and Nevada — combined — water to which they are legally entitled due to a byzantine water rights system and land speculators who dug a canal in 1901. (NPR; Ongoing drought: AP, E&E $; Climate Signals background: Western megadrought)

Opposition Leader Opposes EACOP, Ugandan Police Detain 9 Protesters: Ugandan police detained 9 people protesting against the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline, Tuesday. The pipeline would carry crude oil 897 miles from Uganda to the Tanzanian coasts at an estimated cost of $3.5 billion and would, according to local advocates, displace tens of thousands of people and threaten fragile ecosystems. The project has struggled as multiple major reinsurers have publicly refused to underwrite the project. On Tuesday, opposition to the project gained possibly its most high-profile voice yet as singer, former lawmaker, and past presidential candidate Bobi Wine warned the pipeline's construction would further entrench Ugandan President President Yoweri Museveni's 36-year hold on power and enable human rights violations against those in the pipeline's path. (Detentions: Reuters; Wine: AP)

PAKISTAN: Pakistani hospital overwhelmed as water-borne illnesses spread (Reuters), Pakistan out of money for flood recovery, UN boosts aid request- minister (Reuters, Reuters), Pakistanis save their town from floodwaters by building an embankment (NPR), Pakistan’s ‘End of Days’ 2022 monsoon season (Yale Climate Connections)

HURRICANE FIONA: What Puerto Ricans want to see happen after Fiona (Axios)

HURRICANE IAN: Hundreds of thousands without power in Florida as Ian death toll climbs (Axios, Yale Climate Connections), Florida residents reeling after late evacuation orders (Gizmodo), Far from coasts, flooding from Hurricane Ian devastates inland communities (Washington Post $), What made Hurricane Ian so intense: By the numbers (Washington Post $), Hurricane Ian’s remnants slosh the mid-Atlantic states as a nor’easter (New York Times $), Florida’s leaders opposed climate aid. Now they’re depending on it. (New York Times $, E&E News), Ian sinks Fla. 'dome home' built to survive hurricanes (E&E $)

• MIGRANT LABOR: NYC migrants pile into vans they say are headed to Florida for Hurricane Ian cleanup (New York Post)
• LOOMING, SECONDARY, COMPOUNDING REPERCUSSIONS: In hurricanes, more people die from indirect causes than the storms themselves (The Hill), After the storm, the mold: Warming is worsening another costly disaster (New York Times $), Americans tap 401(k) plans after hurricanes and natural disasters (Wall Street Journal $), Hurricane Ian closes some Florida schools indefinitely (AP)
• LET'S (NOT) TALK ABOUT RACE: Black and Hispanic residents criticize uneven recovery efforts (NBC), Floridians endure slow wait for power knocked out by Ian (AP)
• INSURANCE: Ian deals blow to Florida’s teetering insurance sector (AP)
• BIDEN VISIT: Biden to focus on hurricane victims in Florida, not politics (AP), Biden, FEMA head to Florida as survivors scramble for federal aid (Washington Post $)
• ANIMALS: What’s been happening with animals in Florida during Hurricane Ian? (Washington Post $), Rescuers flock together to save 275 parrots stranded by Ian (AP)

LIFE AND DEATH: Where defending nature can be deadly (New York Times $)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: Energy giants return to fossil fuels like coal as Europe braces for winter (CNBC), EU nations agree to tap CO2 permits in shift from Russian energy (Bloomberg $)Hungary aims to eliminate reliance on Russian gas by 2050 (Reuters), Protecting the peatlands of Ireland as fuel costs skyrocket (New York Times $), UK seeks 20-year gas deal with Norway to avoid winter Blackouts (Bloomberg $), German minister criticizes US over ‘astronomical’ natural gas prices (CNBC)

• UK FRACKING: Rees-Mogg’s neighbours fail to share ‘delight’ at back garden fracking (The Guardian), Rees-Mogg seeking to evade scrutiny of new fracking projects, email shows (The Guardian)
• NORD STREAM SABOTAGE: Nord stream leak is a climate disaster that oil and gas repeat daily (Bloomberg $), Sweden sends special diving vessel to area of pipeline leaks (AP), Sweden coastguard says Nord Stream leak still visible on surface (Bloomberg $)

COP27: African countries to push common energy position at COP27 (Reuters), COP27 climate summit’s sponsorship by Coca-Cola condemned as ‘greenwash’ (The Guardian), COP27 must address challenges of the developing world (Reuters), African countries to push for more fossil fuel projects at COP27 (Reuters), Israel, Lebanon near maritime border deal, opening up new gas source for Europe (Wall Street Journal $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Kenya’s Ruto breaks ranks, says Africa must leapfrog fossil fuel (Bloomberg $), Kerry: Western ministers dodged 'family photo' with Russian envoy at climate talks (Reuters), US asks congo to halt oil bids in one of world’s most important carbon sinks (Bloomberg $), US vows to supply green-fuel-laggard Japan with bioethanol (AP)

FLARING POLLUTION: Permian, Eagle Ford and Bakken methane cuts hindered by natural gas flaring inefficiency (Natural Gas Intel, Gizmodo)

DENIAL: Extreme hurricanes show time of climate change denial is over, Vatican says (Reuters)

TEEVEE: ‘This is part of our world now’: Can TV shows adequately reflect the climate crisis? (The Guardian)

POLLUTION IN YOUR KITCHEN: Is your gas range a health risk? (Consumer Reports)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: NextEra, PGE open US’ first wind-solar-battery project as Inflation Reduction Act ups storage options (Utility Dive)

SCOTUS: Fear of Black voting power is on the Supreme Court docket in Merrill v. Milligan (NewsOne), Justice Jackson blasts Alabama’s attempt to gut voting rights law (Black Wall Street Times), SCOTUS floats new Clean Water Act test. Lawyers ‘cringe.’ (E&E News, Grist)

AGENCIES: Federal agency to help pay for Mississippi flood control (AP)

DOI: 'I know folks are frustrated': BLM leader finishes first year (E&E $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: FDIC chief to bankers: We won't overstep on climate policy (E&E $)

WHITE HOUSE: Clip of Kamala Harris on hurricane relief and equity taken out of context online (Reuters, Fact Check), Joe Biden’s disaster presidency (E&E News), Biden pledge to make federal fleet electric faces slow start (AP), 

• PUERTO RICO: Biden pledges extra $60 million to help Puerto Rico 'rebuild it all' (Gizmodo), Biden pledges to transform Puerto Rico’s power system as thousands remain without power (Utility Dive), Biden to announce $60M to bolster flood protections in Puerto Rico (Politico)

THE HILL: Pressley hosts CBC panel on Black immigration, calls ICE and border patrol ‘racist and rogue’ (The Grio), Europe made a mistake with Russia’s energy and now it needs to spend, Sen. Chris Murphy says (CNBC), Senate liberals press Biden for climate emergency declaration (The Hill)

ELECTIONS: Climate activists reluctantly back John Fetterman in tightening Pennsylvania Senate race (Inside Climate News), Biden boosts Democrat fundraising with James Murdoch event (Reuters), Conspiracy theorists and 16-hour days: Inside the stress elections officials face ahead of the midterms (Texas Tribune), Kemp suspends Georgia tax on gas until after elections (The Hill)

CITIES AND STATES: Cities are largely to blame for climate change. Could they also be part of the solution? (CNBC), Maine program aims to help small towns electrify heat in public buildings (Energy News Network), Virginia governor calls for easing clean energy goals, injecting competition into utility sector (Utility Dive), How California’s Salton Sea went from vacation destination to toxic nightmare (Grist)

FERC: FERC OKs $500K fine for ISO-NE over alleged violations of capacity rules with Salem Harbor power plant (Utility Dive)

IMPACTS: Climate change comes for the freezers, a key tool for Alaska natives (New York Times $), How climate change is likely to worsen inflation (The Hill), Personal responsibility in a new era of catastrophic flooding (CNN), South Asia's poorest city dwellers bear brunt of worsening floods (Context)

HEAT: Front-line health care workers need protection from heat, researcher says (Yale Climate Connections)

DROUGHT: What happens if Lake Powell runs out of water? (The Hill), 

WILDFIRES: Wildfires are getting worse. Can scientists save California’s forests from going up in smoke? (LA Times $)

HURRICANES: Cone of confusion: Why some say iconic hurricane map misled Floridians (Washington Post $)

RENEWABLES: To boost support for renewables, focus on cost savings — study (E&E $), Wave energy machines on Australian south coast would slash renewable energy costs, CSIRO says (The Guardian), Wind and solar are booming, but emissions aren’t falling (E&E News)

STORAGE: Form Energy wins $450M to rust iron for multiday energy storage (Canary Media)

METHANE: Countries pledged to slash methane — but they’re still replacing coal with natural gas (Grist)

OIL & GAS: Oil and gas methane emissions could be solved this decade, experts say (Reuters), OPEC+ girds for contentious meeting over oil-production cuts (Wall Street Journal $), Saudi Arabia and Russia may find their oil pricing power limited (New York Times $)

NUKES: ‘Unproven’ small nuclear reactors would raise energy costs and delay renewable uptake, report says (The Guardian), Is nuclear energy poised for an ESG-fueled comeback? (E&E News)

PIPELINES: Help wanted: Carbon dioxide pipeline companies mark legislative wins by staffing up with lobbyists (Politico Pro $)

TRASH: A global revamp of waste management could significantly reduce emissions: report (The Hill), Report: Eliminating waste is a climate solution (Grist)

HYDROGEN: New York hydrogen-natural gas blending study offers mixed results to cut emissions (Natural Gas Intel)

UTILITIES: PNM proposes 6-year, $344M grid modernization plan including smart meters for all customers (Utility Dive), Utility: damaged power lines in area of California fire (AP)

A TO B: ‘Minimobility’ could fill the gap between micromobility and electric cars, analysts say (Utility Dive)

EVs: EVs add to electricity demand, but not as much as you might think (Bloomberg $, The Guardian)

STUBBORN HOPE: Hope amid climate chaos: ‘We are in a race between Armageddon and awesome’ (The Guardian)

BUSINESSES: Nestle pledges $1 billion to coffee sustainability plan (Reuters)

CARBON PRICING: Countries back rewritten EU plan to raise carbon market cash (Reuters)

CARBON REMOVAL: Occidental lands on 'Brown Pelican' name for carbon project (E&E $), Why $100 per ton is the carbon removal industry's holy grail (Protocol)

CARBON CAPTURE: This carbon capture startup wants to decarbonize the world’s biggest polluters (Protocol)

REDUCE, REUSE … : Carbon recycling company nabs up to $1B in financing (E&E $)

WILDLIFE: An Endangered Species Act celebrity, the snail darter is saved (E&E $), Swimming against the tide, a retired Connecticut official won’t stop fighting for the endangered Atlantic salmon (Inside Climate News)

INTERNATIONAL: Australia commits to zero extinctions with new plan to protect 30% of land (CNN, Axios), Japan companies to study making ammonia in Alaska for greener energy (Reuters), Japan moves to fill Asia’s $40tn energy funding gap in China’s stead (FT $), Paris joins big screen boycott of World Cup games from Qatar (AP), What does King Charles reign mean for climate action? (Context), Big Brazilian gold refiner delisted amid Amazon mining probe (AP), Power back in Bangladesh after grid failure causes blackout (AP), 

Supply chain woes boost meat substitutes in Asia, and investors are biting (Washington Post $)

• An abolitionist makes a case for 'no more police' (Yes Magazine, Andrea Ritchie interview)
• Europe is exporting its energy crisis (Bloomberg, Clara Ferreira Marques $)
• We are at a crossroads in history: Africa can and must be a leader in clean energy (The Guardian, William Ruto op-ed)
• Australia sees longer commodity boost from Russia's Ukraine war (Reuters, Clyde Russell column)
• Inflation Reduction Act is giving investors the confidence to bet on the clean energy transition (Energy Monitor, Justin Gerdes op-ed)
• Will the Colorado River survive or collapse? A lot rides on how we spend federal cash (Arizona Republic, Kate Gallego and Caryl Stern op-ed)
• Kamala Harris should tell conservatives where to stick their tired criticism of her remarks on Hurricane Ian (The Root, Keith Reed commentary)
• The COP15 biodiversity treaty needs a hero - now (Context, Li Shuo op-ed)
• GOP killed permitting reform — giving Democrats a new campaign issue (The Hill, Paul Bledsoe and Elan Sykes op-ed)
• The Tories have led on climate — until now (FT, Pilita Clark op-ed $)

Spencer Debunks Monckton and Milloy Posts An L on EPA Lawsuit

In the process of monitoring the upside-down world of disinformation, every once in a while we come across good news or accurate content. But it's rare when it's twice in one day, so today we're looking at two good pieces from the Bad Places. 

The first is from Dr. Roy Spencer, the University of Alabama-Huntsville researcher who runs a satellite temperature data project that used to justify Spencer's skepticism that it was warming- until other (better) scientists repeatedly corrected his (and John Christy's) errors. Now it shows plenty of warming, but Spencer remains one of the last remaining actual climate scientists who rejects the consensus that warming is bad, which is why his blog has been demonetized by Google for spreading for climate disinformation. 

That said, in denial-land, there are layers of wrong-ness, and on Tuesday, Spencer debunked someone who's regularly even more wrong than he is: Christopher Monckton. Though Spencer politely refers to Monckton as "Lord," despite the actual House of Lords telling Monckton to quit doing that, Spencer is not kind to Monckton's latest pet theory, that "climatologists forgot the sun was shining." 

Given that Monckton also claims to have cured AIDS and the common cold, and loves to harass people with legal-looking threats to sue, it's rare for serious people to waste their time on Monckton's ramblings. But Spencer's apparently isn't worth very much so he took the time to "try to explain, based upon actual atmospheric processes, why [Monckton's] argument does not make physical sense." 

Spencer concludes the lengthy explanation of why something stupid is stupid by saying that he considers "Christopher Monckton a friend, and I implore him to stop chasing this rabbit. I am asked about his ideas from time to time, and as a result I must, once again, attempt to explain why I believe he is wrong." Turns out climate scientists do actually know about the sun! 

Great to see that instead of wasting the time of someone doing useful work advancing the science, Monckton's reached a level of wrong so incredible that even his peers are reviewing it negatively.

Peer review, of sorts, is also the subject of the second fun piece we want to talk about: Steve Milloy posted that the EPA won its case against deniers trying to force their way back on to the EPA's advisory committees. "EPA clearly rigged its air quality science peer review with paid-off cronies. Congress never intended to allow EPA to rig scientific peer review," Milloy wrote on his site when posting the court order confirming that the EPA can use real experts instead of Milloy's hand-picked nuclear radiation-risk denier.

As those who remember the Trump administration might recall, polluters stacked the EPA's advisory boards with people who think pollution is good for you. Unsurprisingly, the Biden administration cleared them out of the advisory boards, but a couple of them sued. Unsuccessfully. 

Please excuse our joy here, because while it's not great that they wasted the court system's time with this lawsuit, it is great that they lost! And like Spencer's debunking of Monckton, it's always nice to see someone else confirm that deniers are losers! 

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