PROGRAMMING ALERT:

Hot News, and the rest of Climate Nexus, will be off Monday in commemoration of Indigenous Peoples' Day. We will return Tuesday, October 11.

Young, African Activists Shut Out From 'African COP': Despite organizers' claim COP27 will be "the African COP," activists from the continent least responsible for and most vulnerable to climate change are being shut out, the Guardian Reports. Africa's 54 countries comprise 15% of the world's population but just 4% of cumulative climate pollution; 70% of sub-Saharan Africans are younger than 30 years-old. “I need to be there to advocate for communities like mine to be prioritised in loss and damage finance. We are at the frontline of the climate crisis, facing the risk of extinction,” Mana Omar, 27, of Kenya, the founder and CEO of Spring of the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and member of Fridays for Future, said. The issue of whether wealthy nations should (be required to) compensate developing nations for the losses and damages caused by climate change is a long-contentious issue receiving increasing attention in the runup to COP27. Organizers say COP27 will be the best-attended ever, citing 35,000 registrations, but registration does not guarantee access, and so far zero young advocates from Egypt, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Tanzania, Morocco, Chad, South Africa, Benin, or Somalia have secured badges enabling them to attend. Badges are far from the only barrier, however, even with a badge, and even if an advocate can navigate the byzantine visa system, and even if an advocate can afford to travel to Egypt, they'll still need a place to sleep. “It’s still 50:50,” Omar said, of whether she will be able to attend. “It’s very, very hard to get the funding and the hotel costs are too high.” (Access barriers: The Guardian; Loss & Damage: Bloomberg $, Reuters, Climate Home)

Environmental Racism Harms Health Before Birth: Redlining and systemic environmental racism contribute to poor indoor air quality and poor maternal-fetal health outcomes for families of color, a collaborative reporting project by Grist, Next City, and the California Health Report shows. In Fresno County, California, for example, Black people are nearly 75% more likely to have a preterm birth than white people. Homes in historically redlined neighborhoods are more likely to be located close to freeways and industrial pollution sources, and also more likely to poorly sealed thus allowing more outdoor air pollution inside. This means there is no safe place for families to go to escape air pollution from industry, traffic, ports, or wildfire smoke, and “stay inside” alerts meant to protect the public from poor air quality days do little to protect families of color. The Lancet recently found that air pollution toxins can be found in fetal brain and lung tissue as early as the first trimester. “Preterm birth has a lot of confounding variables,” Mack-Franklin said. “It’s very difficult to say that it’s for one particular reason, unless that reason is racism.” (Racism: Grist/Next City/California Health Report; Fetal pollution: E&E $)

FAT BEAR WEEK Highlights Benefits Of Environmental Protection: The chonkiest of the chonkiest ursine powerhouses are back. That's right, it's FAT BEAR WEEK. The annual celebration of Katmai National Park and Preserve's grizzlies preparing to hibernate began Wednesday and continues through Tuesday, October 11, with daily matchups between the absolute units gorging themselves on the salmon running through the park. Aside from the obvious seriousness of the competition itself, Fat Bear Week also highlights the threats climate change poses to grizzlies, including shortening their hybernations and impacting salmon populations. "Salmon are especially vulnerable to increased temperatures and reduced precipitation and whatever affects the salmon, will affect the bears of Brooks River,” KNP's Amber Kraft told Grid News. It's also a positive example of the importance of conservation, Kraft told Smithsonian Magazine. “A lot of the time, the messages around climate change and the need for conservation are about all these things that are going wrong. This is a story of, ‘Here, things are working—and let’s keep it that way.’” (Grid, Smithsonian Magazine, Gizmodo, USA Today, Mashable, Insider, Washington Post $, NPR, Alaska Public Media, E&E $, Economist)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Mississippi city with water woes also faces trash trouble (AP), States are stepping up prosecutions for voter fraud. But who gets the harshest punishment? (The 19th* News)

HURRICANE IAN: Ian evacuees return to mud, rubble as death toll hits 101 (AP), Black survivors of Hurricane Ian struggle similarly to Katrina victims (Black Wall Street Times), Black residents in 2 Florida neighborhoods say they have been left out of Hurricane Ian relief efforts (CNN), 10 days later, Cubans still recovering from Hurricane Ian (AP), Hurricane deaths have fallen over time, but Ian was a setback (Washington Post $), Hurricane Ian floods leave mess, insurance questions behind (AP)

• CENSUS TRACTS: Hurricane hit areas led US with missing 2020 census data (AP)

STILL ⅙ OF THE COUNTRY: Pakistani FM says water receded 50% in flood-ravaged Sindh (AP)

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE HEAT & DROUGHT: 'Absolutely no doubt': Climate intensified current drought (E&E $, Axios, CNN, Inside Climate News)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: Europe’s gas price cap options, explained (Politico EU), How will UK’s winter weather forecast affect heating bills? (The Guardian, explainer), France's action plan to cut energy consumption (Reuters, Factbox), 4 EU countries propose ‘dynamic’ gas price corridor (OilPrice), Britain could face three-hour power cuts this winter, National Grid warns (Reuters), EU eyes extending easier state aid rules as Ukraine war rages (Reuters), Europe’s gas storage is almost full for winter. But the IEA fears next year may be very difficult (CNBC), Czech Republic plans $6 billion windfall tax to fund energy aid (Bloomberg $), Czechs propose 60% tax on excess energy profits (OilPrice), Germany needs to slash natural gas consumption to avoid a winter emergency (OilPrice), How Europe’s energy crisis has impacted corporate renewable PPAs (Energy Monitor), European gas prices ease as stockpiles and LNG imports climb (Bloomberg $)

• NORD STREAM 'GROSS SABOTAGE': Swedish investigation shows ‘detonations’ caused Nord Stream leaks (OilPrice, CNBC)

EACOP: Oil giants' East Africa mega-project risks causing 'unacceptable' damage - report (AFP), Ugandan police ‘brutally arrest’ anti-pipeline protesters outside EU embassy (Climate Home)

COP27: African countries urge rich nations to honour $100bn climate finance pledge (The Guardian)

VANESSA: Youth climate activist says US should help poorer nations to adapt (Bloomberg $), Ugandan activist visits Florence [South Carolina], praises church for climate justice efforts (WPDE)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY/FRAUD?: The world spends billions to ‘protect’ Indigenous land. Only 17% goes to Indigenous peoples. (Grist)

RENEWABLES: FPL says few of more than 35M solar panels were damaged by Hurricane Ian (Politico Pro $), A clean energy trifecta: Wind, solar and storage in the same project (Inside Climate News), GE is laying off 20% of its US workforce devoted to onshore wind power, costing hundreds of jobs (CNBC, Reuters), Investment in renewable energy needs to quadruple by 2030 (Bloomberg $), Fast-growing solar and wind are still concentrated in a handful of countries (Bloomberg $), US wind, solar tripled over the past decade: Analysis (The Hill), Renewable energy growth is capping emissions despite coal’s comeback (OilPrice), Renewables are meeting demand—but climate disasters are pushing back the tipping point (Gizmodo), Solar and wind farms can hurt the environment. A new study offers solutions (LA Times $)

UNDENIABLY TRUE: The sexiest part of the clean energy transition is big-ass power lines (Esquire)

GOP vs. ESG: Why the ESG vs. GOP war over energy and climate change is going nowhere (CNBC)

COSTS & BENEFITS: Climate failure costs will surpass economic hit of change, says IMF (FT $)

OPEC GRAB BAG: US delivers angry rebuke of massive OPEC+ production cut — and it could backfire for Saudi Arabia (CNBC), Putin, OPEC, Big Oil: Biden’s against whoever’s responsible for gas prices (The Hill), OPEC oil cut spurs calls for boosting US production (E&E $), OPEC+ move reignites Americans' top worry ahead of November midterms (Reuters), US sets out oil and gas drilling auctions required under new law (Reuters), US-Saudi relations take a hit as OPEC cuts oil production (E&E News), House Democrats propose end to US troop protection in Gulf after OPEC cut (The Hill), Democrats launch war on OPEC after production cut (E&E $)

AGENCIES: White House releasing progress reports on agencies’ efforts to combat climate change risks (CNN, E&E $)

EPA: EPA will center climate change response in Texas on sea level rise, floods, drought and severe storms (Texas Tribune), EPA expected to include EV charging under RFS proposal (Politico Pro $), EPA's rules are late. Is it 'foot-dragging' or deliberation? (E&E $), Regan aide [Robin Morris Collin] eyed to lead EPA environmental justice office (E&E News)

DOE: DOE’s [Jigar] Shah on loan critics, $20B goal and emerging tech (E&E interview $)

DOI: Biden administration weighs whether to shrink offshore drilling lease sales (The Hill), Haaland announces expansion of historic site marking Native American massacre (Axios)

TREASURY: Yellen calls for World Bank revamp to tackle global challenges (Reuters), Yellen to announce first $1 bln Treasury loan for multilateral Clean Technology Fund (Reuters), Treasury seeking input on climate law's $270B of tax incentives (Axios)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden shifts his climate message to adaptation after storms (E&E News), Biden blames climate change for Hurricane Ian’s path of destruction in Florida (Democracy Now), Biden voices disappointment in Saudi rebuff, weighs US response (Bloomberg $), Florida mayor laughs off Biden's hot mic F-bomb (NBC, The Guardian), White House's Hochstein says ‘some work’ to do on Strategic Petroleum Reserve (Bloomberg $), In historic move, Biden announces he will pardon thousands of federal cannabis offenses (High Times, Washington Post $, The Root, Black Wall Street Times, NewsOne, AP, New York Times $, CNBC, The Hill, CNN, Politico, Bloomberg $) (Deadline, Deutsche Welle)

THE HILL: Congressional HBCU caucus presses DOJ, FBI over ongoing bomb threats at historically Black colleges (NewsOne), Energy and Commerce Republicans staff up on oversight (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: Georgia wins top EV contracts thanks to long South Korea courtship (FT $), Hawaii to US Navy: Quit polluting our waters (Grist), Houston mayor touts city’s climate action plan following major flooding disasters (CNBC), Six key energy questions that winners of Ohio’s high court races will decide (Energy News Network), Washington to launch carbon cap-and-trade program in January, with tie to California program possible (Utility Dive), What's the Inflation Reduction Act worth to New York? $70 billion — or more (Albany Times-Union)

FERC: Can a new FERC grid planning proposal succeed in the South? (E&E News), MISO energy users cannot leave system without paying their capacity fees: FERC (Utility Dive)

IMPACTS: Climate Migration: Floods displace villagers in Indonesia (AP), Climate-hit businesses pin hopes on Bangladesh's new plan to adapt (Context), Kentucky still reeling in wake of catastrophic floods (CBS), Sydney posts wettest year on record — and it’s only October (Washington Post $), The floodwaters in Florida are toxic and dangerous, officials warn (Gizmodo)

GLAD IT'S WORKING OUT FOR SOMEONE: Climate change likely aiding Alaskan cruise season -Norwegian Cruise CEO (Reuters)

HURRICANES: Bill Karins: Climate change causing ‘more rapid intensification, stronger storms, wetter hurricanes’ (MSNBC), Potential Tropical Cyclone 13 drenching southern Caribbean (Yale Climate Connections)

DROUGHT: Snow loss is fueling the West’s megadrought (Grist)

WATER: Amid punishing drought, California is set to adopt rules to reduce water leaks. The process has lagged (Inside Climate News)

(DE)FORESTATION: Phantom forests: Why ambitious tree planting projects are failing (Yale Environment 360)

ZOONOTIC SPILLOVER: Climate crisis causing tropical viruses to spread (The Guardian)

BATTERIES: Michigan incentives attract 2 battery plants, $4B in investment (E&E $), US court sets January 2023 hearing for Lithium Americas mine suit (Reuters)

BUILDINGS: Green building nonprofit gets new CEO (E&E $)

LNG: Canada's Trudeau under pressure from Conservative rival to back new LNG (Reuters), 5 questions investors should ask about LNG projects (Greenbiz)

PLASTICS: Can anti-coal tactics work against plastics? (E&E News)

COAL: Nearly half of the coal industry is still on an expansion course in ‘reckless’ mining rush (CNBC, The Guardian)

NUKES: Putin’s war exposes risks to deploying small nuclear reactors (Bloomberg $)

EVs: Building EV charging through public-private partnerships (Utility Dive), Toyota restarting EV production after finding wheel, airbag fixes (The Hill)

ACTIVISM: Social media engagement increases government action, reduces pollution: Study (The Hill)

AVIATION: Delta moves to clean up its contrails (Protocol), Judges appear dubious over challenge to Trump aircraft greenhouse gas rule (Politico Pro $)

ART: Richard Mosse: Depicting ecological collapse in the Amazon (Atmos interview)

BOOKS: Where will we live in the future?: How climate change is remapping humanity (CNN)

BUSINESSES: Auditors fall down on climate risk as corporate polluters fail basic tests, study shows (FT $)

FINANCE: Munich Re to stop its backing for new oil, gas fields (AP, FT $, Reuters), The climate investor who bet right on ExxonMobil on how to stay ahead of the market for the next decade (CNBC), US probes whether London-based oil trader manipulated prices (Bloomberg $)

WILDLIFE: Climate change, drought may be impacting aquatic species, wildlife (Navajo Times), 1 in 8 birds threatened with extinction due to habitat loss, pollution and climate crisis (Democracy Now)

INTERNATIONAL: Fished out at sea and smoked out on land, Senegal fishers take on a fishmeal factory (Mongabay), Swiss pursue home-grown energy panacea - reluctantly (Reuters), UK offers new North Sea oil, gas licenses despite opposition (AP)

• The most terrifying case of all is about to be heard by the US supreme court (The Guardian, Steven Donziger op-ed)
• Ignore the 'can't do' anti-climate action chorus (Albany Times-Union, Peter Iwanowicz op-ed)
• A transmission boom is needed to realize the Inflation Reduction Act’s benefits, and it will pay for itself (Utility Dive, Barbara Tyran op-ed)
• How to make people safer during the next deadly hurricane (CNN, Cara Cuite and Rebecca Morss op-ed)
• Finance for climate action could make or break COP27 (Context, Mohamed Adow op-ed)
• The battle for control of the global oil market (FT, Editorial Board $)
• The old men and the CPAC: Conservatives regaled with tired tales of climate misinformation (The Guardian, Graham Readfearn op-ed)
• UK power blackouts may be unavoidable this winter (Bloomberg, Javier Blas column $)
• People of colour have been shut out of the climate debate. Social justice is the key to a greener world (The Guardian, Julian Agyeman op-ed)
• Putin and MBS are laughing at US (New York Times, Thomas Friedman column $)
• Three ways the CHIPS Act will advance the nuclear energy industry — and it’s a good thing (The Hill, Leslie Dewan op-ed)
• China's clean air campaign holds lessons for global climate action (Context, Ma Jun op-ed)

WSJ Mad About Anti-Climate Disinfo Efforts, As CFACT Pretends Not To Be 

We promise that next week it'll be back to bad news only here, but for the third day in a row we're going to do a bit of celebrating, because once again, deniers are losing!

Lesley Clark reported yesterday at E&E News that "Minnesota’s highest court has delivered a victory to Attorney General Keith Ellison in legal action surrounding the state’s climate liability lawsuit against the oil and gas industry." 

More specifically, the Minnesota Supreme Court decided not to let tobacco-turned-fossil-fuel-backed lawyer and harasser of climate scientists and public servants Chris Horner's front group try and recreate Climategate, but this time with emails from Attorney General Keith Ellison's office concerning their litigation against fossil fuel companies. 

Meanwhile, it was heartening to see that CFACT is so desperate for signs of its effectiveness that it's emailing people to brag about the "six hit pieces referencing [Marc] Morano since July."

Two of those are from MediaMatters, one where Morano is mentioned by name only once, in passing, and another where his appearance was noted in a larger piece on Tucker Carlson. The other four are from yours truly, who CFACT describes as seeming "to have a love-hate relationship" with Morano. 

Which is true, in that we love how easy it is Morano makes it to write about how deniers are wrong on purpose for money by constantly saying dumb stuff, like that some 1930's New Deal book is proof of a 2022 plot for world domination through a Great Reset. The other example they linked also only mentioned Morano in passing, as one of many disinfo-spreaders proving YouTube is failing to enforce its demonetization policy. Not exactly evidence of effectiveness.

They unfortunately did not clear up the mystery of whether our memory that Marc Morano told Bill Nye that he uses Ambien to sleep at night is accurate, but the fact that even our petty sniping is enough to warrant an email blast to subscribers shows how little evidence they actually do have that they're making a real impact. People ridiculing you does not necessarily mean they're threatened by you. Sometimes it just means you're ridiculous.

Because this is, admittedly, not exactly a big news outlet with the largest readership in the world, and we're happy about that! This space is for people who have to deal with deniers, the general public shouldn't have to know about professional goobers! 

Similarly, if some equally small-time, dedicated opposition outlet like the Daily Caller were to run something on anti-climate disinfo efforts, that wouldn't be worth writing home about either. 

But if the paper that does have one of the largest subscriber lists, the Wall Street Journal, took the time to complain about something its opposition is doing, that might be something worth celebrating! 

And what do you know, Thursday's print edition of the Wall Street Journal, going to some 2 million subscribers, featured an editorial complaining about "the climate-change censorship campaign."

Yes, one of the biggest papers in the country decided that a letter from green groups asking Big Tech companies to include climate disinformation when complying with the EU's Digital Services Act was worth its column inches and readers' attention. 

Given that Bloomberg, Common Defense and The Hill were the only other coverage, landing news of the letter on the WSJ's pages was quite a score, if even in the shape of it calling on Elon Musk to use Twitter to "shut down the climate censors." 

Sounds like the WSJ's the one that wants to censor its opponents! 

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