FIRST LOOK(s):

EVs are not just for people who live in single-family homes. Renters and those in multi-unit dwellings can own EVs, too! Join Generation180 Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 12pm ET and start the EV charging convo with your property manager or HOA.

The Climate Museum Pop-Up, open through December 22 in Soho, mobilizes the power of art — specifically, Someday, all this by David Opdyke — to inspire visitors to take climate action.

NON, MERCI B EACOP: The completion and operation of the controversial proposed East African Crude Oil Pipeline will result in more than 25 times the climate pollution of the two countries through which it would run, according to a new analysis by the Climate Accountability Institute. The pipeline would transport oil extracted from a national park in Uganda more than 870 miles to a Tanzanian port for export. The EACOP, backed by French oil major TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, has struggled to secure financial backing, with 24 banks and 18 insurance companies refusing to underwrite the project. The exploitation of African fossil fuels will likely be a key point of contention at the upcoming COP27. "Big oil and gas companies are pretending that we need new fossil fuel development in Africa to lift people out of energy poverty," Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate said at the Trust Conference on Thursday. But rich nations and fossil fuel companies seeking to extract new resources from Africa do not have Africans' best interests at heart, she said. "I want to be clear about this: big oil and gas companies have been promising to lift people out of energy poverty for decades. It's a lie. … The pipelines and power lines from coal and oil and gas plants will never reach those who live at the last mile and these corporations know this." (EACOP emissions: The Guardian; Nakate: Context; New extraction: New York Times $)

EU To Effectively Ban ICE Cars & Vans By 2035: The European Union will effectively ban the sale of new internal combustion-powered cars and vans by 2035. The deal reached Thursday by negotiators for member states, the EU parliament, and the EU executive branch, will require automakers to achieve 100% emissions reductions by 2035, with an intermediate target of 55% reductions for cars and 50% for vans by 2030. Cars currently account for 12% of the 27-country bloc's CO2 pollution. Like a similar requirement adopted by California in August, the EU's new rules will likely influence markets outside its borders. (Reuters, Bloomberg $, Deutsche Welle, Wall Street Journal $, Al Jazeera, Market Watch)

Ian's Aftermath Is A Perfect Storm of Corruption And Exploitation: First comes the rapid intensification fueled by exceptionally warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, then comes the rain, wind, and destruction, then come the multimillion-dollar cleanup contracts. In the case of Hurricane Ian, at least one major cleanup contract was expanded to the tune of potentially hundreds of millions of dollars without a competitive bidding process, the AP reports, putting Lee County taxpayers potentially on the hook for huge bills if FEMA retroactively refuses to cover the costs of the uncompetitive contract. In the wake of Hurricane Ian, Florida cleanup efforts, always critically important for communities' recovery after any major disaster, have relied on migrant labor. “Without them Florida is nothing. … No work can be done," a person seeking to hire day laborers told the Washington Post. Hundreds of undocumented workers — who are especially vulnerable to exploitation, unsafe working conditions, and wage theft — have come to Florida since Hurricane Ian, despite low pay and virulent anti-immigrant actions from the governor's office. When Pedro Carias, 37, requested more than $6,000 in back pay after Ian, his former boss pointed to a handgun and threatened to shoot him and his 5-year-old daughter, and report him to immigration officials for deportation. But “I need my money,” Carias told his co-workers, to send it home for his sick son in Honduras. “I have to take care of my family.” (Cleanup contracts: AP; Vulnerable migrant laborers: Washington Post $; Previous reporting on post-Ian migrant labor: USA Today, TIME, NPR, The Guardian, CNN)

ENVIRONMENTAL (IN)JUSTICE: How Black landowners in the South are recovering lost generational wealth (The Margin and The Nation), Can "Blue Zones'' be a solution to environmental injustice? (Environmental Health News), This oil refinery poses a major environmental justice test for Biden (Washington Post $), Clean energy supply bottlenecks hit overburdened communities the hardest, utilities and advocates say (Utility Dive), For the third time, Black residents in Corpus Christi’s Hillcrest neighborhood file a civil rights complaint to fend off polluting infrastructure (Inside Climate News), Latina leader wants to build a more inclusive climate movement (Yale Climate Connections), The energy system is ‘inherently racist,’ advocates say. How are utilities responding to calls for greater equity? (Utility Dive)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN: The evolution of eco-horror (Atmos)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: Discontent rises in Europe as economic war with Russia pushes up cost of living (Wall Street Journal $), Europe's risk of winter energy nightmare recedes for now (Axios), Nord Stream 2 technical availability currently ‘not a given,’ Berlin says (Politico Pro $), France pledges $12B to shield firms from rising energy bills (E&E $), Prices are down. Supplies are good. Europe’s gas crisis gets a reprieve. (Washington Post $)

• PROFITEERING: Shell 3Q earnings double, stir debate on energy profit tax (AP), Shell announces $4 billion share buyback as profits double (CNN, Wall Street Journal $), Shell reports second-highest quarterly profit ever (The Hill), The oil industry is set to enter 2023 with record free cash flow. How will it spend the money? (Houston Chronicle)

COP27: The selfish case for climate justice (TIME), ‘Loss and damages’ will be a huge focus of COP27. Here’s what that means (TIME), China urges rich world to shun 'empty slogans' ahead of climate talks (Reuters), The US is finally ready to discuss climate reparations. But is it ready to act? (Grist)

• SUNAK: New British PM Sunak will not attend COP27 climate summit (Reuters, CNN, The Guardian, BBC, The Hill)

• US: Kerry says major emitters must address climate impact on Africa (The Hill), Kerry softens message on climate payments for poor nations (E&E $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Climate crisis funds not reaching countries in need, senior UN official says (The Guardian), Crisis-stricken Cuba caught between ally Russia, nearby US (AP), EU looks forward to working with UK on Ukraine crisis, climate change, von der Leyen says (Reuters), G7 offered Vietnam and Indonesia $15B to drop coal. They said ‘maybe’ (Politico EU)

MEDIA: Long-awaited climate newsletter launches with Chevron sponsorship (Gizmodo)

• BY FORWARDING HOT NEWS TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS?: Climate news can be confusing. Here’s how to make sense of it. (New York Times $)

HOME HEATING COSTS: High oil prices to impact millions across the country this winter (Today Show)

EMISSIONS GAPS: World falls ‘pitifully short’ of meeting climate goals, UN report says (Washington Post $, AP, CBS, The Guardian, NPR, NPR, TIME, Grist, Axios, Gizmodo, NBC, Wall Street Journal $, The Guardian), "Untold human suffering" is in the near future as UN warns climate change is pushing Earth closer to extreme warming (CBS), Unprecedented' economic transformation now needed (Context, WBUR)

IEA WORLD ENERGY OUTLOOK: Report: Global crises can speed up move to clean energy (AP, Gizmodo, The Hill, E&E News, New York Times $), Carbon emissions from energy to peak in 2025 in ‘historic turning point’, says IEA (The Guardian, Politico Pro $, Axios, Wall Street Journal $, Barron's)

AGENCIES: DOJ vows to protect voters and election integrity ahead of midterms (NewsOne), FEMA administrator urges Black communities to prepare for natural disasters after Hurricane Ian (The Grio)

EPA: How to get electric school bus incentives just right (Protocol)

DOE: Republicans question DOE on oil reserve, export plans (E&E $)

DOI: Biden admin picks up pace on Endangered Species Act rewrite (E&E News), A fire, an arrest and a new challenge for the federal burn program (New York Times $)

HUD: Greens ask HUD to phase out fossil fuels in public housing (E&E $)

TREASURY: Why Treasury is the department to watch on clean energy (E&E News)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Climate change back in National Defense Strategy (E&E $)

LAWSUITS: Lawsuit challenges Biden NEPA reviews of N.M. oil leases (E&E $)

HOUSE: Democrat wants more input on Calif. offshore oil plan (E&E $)

ELECTIONS: Right-wing media used OPEC oil cuts to blame Biden for domestic gas price volatility (Media Matters), Whether gas prices are up or down, don't blame or thank the president (NPR), Tax the rich for climate action? Protect towns from floods? It’s on state ballots this November. (Grist), Yellen touts US battery investments in election battleground Ohio (Reuters), 15 state AG races to watch on the environment (E&E News), Here's what 8 GOP gubernatorial candidates say about climate (E&E $), Major green group on track to spend record $100m in midterms (Washington Post $), Misery wrought by Hurricane Ian focuses attention on climate records of Florida candidates for governor (Inside Climate News), Peltola endorsed by late GOP Rep. Young’s daughters, former staffer (The Hill)

CITIES AND STATES: [Nevada] approves historic $100 million for water conservation (News 3 Las Vegas), As the earth warms, city parks will become climate oases (NPR), Chasing our climate (NBC New York), After California, Colorado could become the second state to stop subsidizing natural gas connections (Colorado Public Radio)

• CALIFORNIA: Calif. Backs first U.S. utility rate for EVs to charge grid (E&E $)

FERC: Senate panel eyes Nov. hearing for FERC chair renomination (E&E News)

IMPACTS: You can now find out how climate change is affecting today's temperature (TIME), The Nile Delta isn’t ready for climate change (Quartz)

SUPERSTORM SANDY: The scars of Hurricane Sandy, 10 years later (New York Times $), 10 years after Sandy, renters remain most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change (The Nation), 10 years later: Shocking images from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy (Gizmodo), Will post-Sandy repairs be enough for the next big storm? (AP)

HEAT: A plan to cool off the hottest neighborhoods (The Atlantic), After blistering summer, France and Spain bathe in unseasonably warm autumn (Reuters), Climate change raised temperatures for 7.6 billion (Axios), Climate crisis fuelling unseasonably warm October in UK and Europe, say experts (The Guardian)

WILDFIRES: Official: 2021 Colorado wildfire losses surpass $2 billion (AP)

HURRICANES: Hurricane Ian one month later: Inside Florida’s recovery (NBC), Two Atlantic disturbances could develop into named tropical storms (Washington Post $)

DROUGHT: Saltwater is moving up the Mississippi river. Here's what's being done to stop it (NPR), What it looks like as drought strangles the mighty Mississippi (Washington Post $), Sixth set of human remains found in Lake Mead (E&E $)

DEFORESTATION: Nigeria's vanishing forests spell trouble for traditional medicine (Context)

RENEWABLES: Enphase to manufacture solar inverters in US, spurred by new tax credits (Canary Media), FirstEnergy subsidiary JCP&L and Shell-EDF tapped for New Jersey’s transmission-first offshore wind plan (Utility Dive), How Biden’s made-in-America solar strategy may backfire (E&E News), LS Power, Longroad Energy win contracts for Maine transmission line, 1,000-MW King Pine wind farm (Utility Dive), N.J. shakes up offshore wind industry with historic $1B plan (E&E $), White Earth Tribal College becomes a bright spot for solar-energy job training. (Sahan Journal), Maine advances $1.8B of projects to bolster clean energy (E&E $)

BATTERIES: Ascend Elements raises $200 million to recycle EV batteries (Axios), Small Minnesota town at center of nickel boom (CBS), The EV battery boom is here, with manufacturers investing billions in midwest factories (Inside Climate News)

METHANE: Scientists probe newly discovered methane emissions (Yale Climate Connections), There was a record-breaking increase in methane in Earth’s atmosphere last year (The Verge), Your gas stove might be polluting your home’s air even when it’s turned off, a new study finds (LA Times $)

OIL & GAS: Pioneer Natural Resources beats profit estimates on soaring crude prices (Reuters), Saudi oil giant Aramco unveils $1.5B sustainability fund (E&E $)

COAL: Coal baron or climate warrior? The dizzying rise of Asia’s richest man. (New York Times $)

UTILITIES: Utility CEOs expect climate law to boost profits, lower rates (E&E $), Utility studies coal-to-nuclear conversion for climate fix (E&E $), Utility commissions key to unlocking climate law, report says (E&E $)

EVs: BMW invests $1.7B to expand EV output in the US (Utility Dive), Nickel mine could open in Minnesota amid rising electric vehicle demand, raising concerns: "It's going to devastate the land" (CBS), Will electric vehicles kill the gas station? (E&E $)

STICKY ACTIVISM: ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ targeted by climate activists (AP), Climate activist arrested after gluing head to "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (Axios, New York Times $, The Guardian)

PFAS: Evidence of PFAS found in tampons — including organic brands (Environmental Health News)

AGRICULTURE: Maine is changing its signature crop to keep up with the effects of climate change (WBUR), UN-backed investors set fresh targets in sustainable food shift (Reuters)

BOOKS: Fen, bog & swamp' explains why the wetlands matter and why they're disappearing (NPR)

WILDLIFE: Last resort: Moving endangered species in order to save them (Yale Environment 360), This scientist uses drones and algorithms to save whales — and the rest of the ocean (Washington Post $)

INTERNATIONAL: 100 UK universities pledge to divest from fossil fuels (The Guardian), Australia to spend $500 million to move or flood-proof homes in inundated areas (Reuters), Brazil's Green New Deal: Lula promises environmental policy overhaul (Reuters), Climate fund approves plan to speed up coal retirement in Indonesia (Climate Home), NZ's Ardern visits Antarctica to highlight climate change challenges (Reuters)

• The US should take Musk’s China entanglements much more seriously (The Hill, Akhil Ramesh op-ed)
• The Guardian view on Brazil’s election: Bolsonaro’s return would cost us all (The Guardian, Editorial Board)
• The flood of green finance must be diverted from the West (FT, Gillian Tett, op-ed $)
• I’m going to spend five months with penguins, and no wifi or running water – here’s why (The Guardian, Mairi Hilton op-ed)
• Egypt isn't qualified to host COP27 (TIME, Sahar Aziz op-ed)
• Is hydrogen really the Holy Grail of green energy? (The Hill, Mark Brownstein op-ed)
• ESG Watch: Insurers flex muscles ahead of COP27 by refusing to finance oil and gas (Reuters, Mike Scott analysis)
• I lost my home to climate change. I'm fighting so others won't (TIME, Nyombi Morris op-ed)
• Greta Thunberg's rise from teen activist to global climate leader (Context, explainer)
• Why election results may not be known right away (AP, explainer)
• Higher LNG exports may turbocharge US energy transition: Maguire (Reuters, Gavin Maguire column)
• The climate art vandals are embarrassing (The Atlantic, Robinson Meyer commentary)
• Where my climate doubts began to melt. Yes, Greenland’s ice is melting but... (New York Times, Bret Stephens column $)

Semafor Shows How Not To Cover Climate While Heated, CAAD, And Drilled Show How To Do It Right

People don't trust "the news" these days, in part because when you ask people about their thoughts on "the news," could mean a lot of things to them — an actual newspaper, Fox "News", Facebook's "news" feed, or even the banner ads flashing around news articles. Supposedly bringing a new approach "in an effort to rebuild trust from our audience," new news startup Semafor promises to be something better. 

So far, it's not looking like it is. 

But the good news is that there is good news out there, as for example Emily Atkin used her HEATED newsletter to call BS on Semafor's "infuriating climate misinformation." But it's not the coverage itself, it's the fact that a lead sponsor of their climate newsletter is none other than climate destroyer Chevron. 

How does a journalism effort supposedly trying to "address the very real consumer frustrations of today, including trust in news, bias and polarization" justify exposing its own audience to an ad from Chevron that actively attempts to mislead readers into thinking the polluter is legitimately "working toward a lower carbon future?" 

It doesn't! Semafor co-founder Ben Smith refused to talk to Atkin about it, and sent her to a spokesperson, who ignored her "detailed request." Just like other climate and energy newsletters carrying climate (and other) disinfo ads, Semafor doesn't seem keen to justify running ads that directly contradict the reported facts found in the stories carrying those ads. 

Sure, it's tough to raise the $25 million Semafor did without selling out a little, but it's not like Chevron is a "good" corporate actor the public should trust! As Atkin notes, "more than 20 cities and states are suing the company for misleading the public about the devastating climate impact of its products." 

And there are, thankfully, plenty of reporters trying to cover climate disinformation well, and in the process, rebuild some of that trust that Semafor is trading on. One of those exemplars is Amy Westervelt, and she's sharing some wisdom in the latest Drilled podcast (and accompanying write-up). 

Westervelt spoke with Connor Gibson, a climate disinfo expert who, with the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition, has published a Journalist Field Guide to climate disinfo. It's a resource for journalists that pulls together the latest and greatest advice and techniques for covering climate denial. 

Gibson and Westervelt talk through some of the suggested best practices for debunking disinfo without accidentally spreading it, and he's gracious about how it's not something that's necessary "because climate reporters are particularly gullible or anything like that," but because of "the relentless nature" of professional climate deniers and "the economics of the newsroom" that push low-quality content that gets clicks. 

"The capitalist economics of keeping news outlet functioning actually creates a breeding ground for misinformation," Gibson said, and creates "a tension between the responsibility of a reporter to communicate something accurately without feeding into conspiracy theory or myth, and the responsibility of an editor to keep the newspaper in circulation and financially healthy."

Exactly the kind of thing we bet that Emily Atkin would have asked Ben Smith about Semafor. 

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