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20,000 Deaths From Heatwave 'Virtually Impossible' Without Climate Change: The extreme heatwave across Europe this summer likely killed more than 20,000 people in France, Germany, Spain, and the UK according to excess deaths analysis of official data. The heatwave during the record-hot summer of 2022 would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change, mainly caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels. Extreme heat exacerbates existing medical conditions but is rarely described as the official cause of death. Comparing death rates during the heatwave with death rates from other years (excluding COVID-19 deaths), analysts found 3,271 excess deaths in the UK and Wales, 10,420 excess deaths in France, 4,655 heat-attributable deaths in Spain, and about 4,500 deaths in Germany due to extreme temperatures. The death toll is the highest since 70,000 people were killed by extreme heat in 2003 — after which many public safety measures were implemented. Despite those measures, and an increase in (energy-intensive) A/C adoption in the past 20 years, the 2022 death toll was still "higher than expected," Chloe Brimicombe, a heatwaves researcher at the University of Graz in Austria, told Reuters. “Heatwaves are one of the biggest threats posed by climate change," Dr. Friederike Otto told the Guardian. "High temperatures are responsible for thousands of deaths across the world every year, many of which go underreported." (The Guardian, Reuters, Bloomberg $, Forbes; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves)

African Energy Risks Stranded Assets In Absence Of Support for Clean Energy: Mozambique's burgeoning methane gas export industry shows the consequences of industrialized nations' failure to fund developing countries' expansion of renewable energy, Bloomberg reports. Only one-third of Mozambique residents have access to electricity (70% of which is produced by hydroelectric facilities). Now, European nations like Germany and Italy are buying all the gas they can, while discouraging Africa from exploiting fossil fuels. Africa's oil and gas industry is largely owned by companies headquartered elsewhere and the vast majority of the fossil fuel resources will be extracted for others' benefit. But some, like Mozambique President Filipe Nyus, nevertheless claim it is an opportunity to sell fossil fuels, and use the revenue to build renewable energy. That strategy worries analysts like Kofi Mbuk, a senior cleantech analyst at Carbon Tracker, who pointed out that those oil and gas assets will soon be stranded when the global gas crunch eases, especially as the price of new wind and solar falls below running existing coal and gas plants. “All these assets in countries that have bet their long-term strategy on this relationship with Europe will become stranded in the long term,” Mbuk told Bloomberg. “African governments are going to be left in a state of economic turmoil if they bet on gas.” European climate activists like Urgewald director Heffa Schuecking agree. “It’s the old story of Africa: the global North, especially Europe, using Africa’s resources for its own purposes and to feed its own fossil fuel addiction," she said. "It has nothing to do with serving Africa’s energy interest.” (Bloomberg $)

Energy Crisis Fuels Resurgence Of Polish Backyard Coal Mining: The global energy crisis set off by Russia's war in Ukraine and European reliance on methane gas from Putin's authoritarian regime has spawned a resurgence in backyard coal mining in Poland, Bloomberg reports. More than three-quarters of the EU's coal-heated homes are in Poland, where 37% of families heat their homes with coal, despite its significant health risks (and climate impacts). Poland also has lots of easily accessible coal, sometimes as shallow as a meter underground and when people are burning garbage to stay warm and unemployment is as high as 12% in former(ly legal) coal mining areas, "artisanal" (illegal) coal mining pays the bills and keeps houses heated. In Walbrzych, a four-man team can dig up coal worth 1,000 zloty ($220), more than half an average weekly salary, in just half a day. “We will dig here as long as we will be able to extract coal,” Grzegorz, who refused to give his last name, told Bloomberg. “And then we will dig a new pit.” (Bloomberg $)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Blocking climate migration becomes a winning platform for far-right political parties (NPR), How modern-day Thanksgiving obscures holiday’s tragic legacy of violence against Native Americans (NewsOne), Jerry Jones helped transform the NFL, except when it comes to race (Washington Post $), Twitter employees in Ghana fight for their rights after sudden firing (The Grio)

(RE)INSURANCE AND REAL ESTATE: Dream homes and disasters: Is the government ready to confront climate risk? (Politico), On the edge of retreat (Washington Post $), Catastrophe reinsurance set to soar after year of extreme weather, industry warns (FT $), Dreaming of beachfront real estate? Much of Florida’s coast is at risk of storm erosion that can cause homes to collapse, as Daytona just saw (The Conversation), The Australian suburbs where more than half of properties will be uninsurable by 2030 (The Guardian)

COP27: COP27 delegates rubbed shoulders with energy executives ready to cut deals (FT $), Doctors 'hopeful' that COP 27 took health seriously (E&E $), For many, the global warming confab that rose in the Egyptian desert was a mirage (Inside Climate News), Late-night fossil fuel fight leaves bitter taste after COP27 (Climate Home), The art at COP27 offered opportunities to move beyond ‘empty words’ (Inside Climate News), UN climate summit defers key carbon-credit policy decisions (Wall Street Journal $)

CLIMATE WAR & DIPLOMACY: The Energy Charter Treaty lets fossil fuel firms sue governments – but its future is now in question (The Conversation), The world could be entering a new era of climate war (The Atlantic)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: Biden on Russian oil price cap negotiations: 'It's in play' (Axios), Fearing sabotage, Europe patrols pipelines with mine hunters and unmanned subs (Wall Street Journal $), Flow of Russian gas and cash entangled German state in dependent web (Washington Post $), Zelenskyy urges price cap on Russian oil of $30-$40: Report (Politico Pro $)

• DAY-TO-DAY: Germany warns of rationing this winter if gas storage dips below 40% (OilPrice), Candle fever strikes as blackout-fearing Germans revive festive flames (The Guardian), French police guard water as seasonal drought intensifies (New York Times $), Sober or bright? Europe faces holidays during energy crunch (AP)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Swedish activists sue state over its climate policies (AP), Greta Thunberg joins climate lawsuit against Sweden (The Hill)

DENIAL & DISINFO: Industry rips FERC bid to stop spread of misinformation (E&E $), Self-proclaimed climate 'leader' to host annual climate denier conference (HuffPost), When it comes to climate, DeSantis is Trump in moderate's clothing (Gizmodo)

GOP vs. ESG: Populist House Republicans picking a fight with US business over ‘woke capitalism’ (Bloomberg $)

SHIPPING: Shipping emissions are Black Friday’s dirty secret (Gizmodo), How to clean up the dirty ports that handle our Black Friday junk (Canary Media)

ORIGINAL HEADLINE ≠ REPORTING: The science for determining climate-change damage is [not] unsettled (Wall Street Journal $),The GOP's climate politics are [not] shifting as it prepares to take control of the House (Houston Chronicle)

CARS KILL: The exceptionally American problem of rising roadway deaths (New York Times $), Where ‘vision zero’ is working (Bloomberg $)

WELCOME BACK: 3 climate stories you may have missed over the Thanksgiving break (Washington Post $)

MEDIA: Introducing the Post’s expanded climate coverage (Washington Post $), Why the Washington Post is starting a climate advice column (Washington Post $)

AGENCIES: Black scientists on the rise as NOAA steps up recruiting (E&E News)

EPA: EPA skips stricter aircraft pollution regs (E&E News), EPA looks for ways to speed up CO2 well permits (E&E $)

DOT: Biden admin advances major oil export project (E&E $)

TREASURY: Chevron gets US license to pump oil in Venezuela again (Wall Street Journal $), Chevron to resume Venezuela oil output as US eases sanctions (Bloomberg $, Politico, Axios, The Hill)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Biden’s zero-emission government fleet starts with USPS (Washington Post $), The Marine Corps' Parris Island is a role model for coping with climate change (NPR, NPR)

WHITE HOUSE: Climate activists set to pressure Biden with Congress divided (The Hill)

THE HILL: Ruby, the Capitol christmas tree, is part of a species in climate peril (Washington Post $)

HOUSE: Alaska Native Mary Peltola wins full term as state’s sole House member (HuffPost)

POLITICS: Manchin’s side deal on brink as GOP seeks his 2024 ouster (The Hill)

TRIBES: Land back for Tunica-Biloxi (Indian Country Today)

CITIES AND STATES AND DISENFRANCHISED COLONIAL TERRITORIES: Puerto Rico’s power failures worsen after private takeover (Wall Street Journal $),  Environmental advocates call on [Maryland] Gov.-elect Wes Moore to roll back state funding for fossil fuel industry (Inside Climate News), Here's why electric bills are soaring in Maine — and what the state's trying to do about it (Maine Public Radio), Minnesota's DFL lawmakers vow progress on fighting climate change (Star Tribune $), New Mexico court asked to reconsider electricity rate case (AP)

IMPACTS: Corn nourishes the Hopi identity, but climate-driven drought is stressing the tribe’s foods and traditions (Inside Climate News), Giving thanks for a beloved sugar maple (New York Times $), ‘Climate heartbeat’: Scientists hunt for world’s oldest ice (E&E News), An engineering marvel just saved Venice from a flood. What about when seas rise? (Washington Post $), How hospital emergency preparedness is evolving (TIME), Report: Climate extremes hitting Australia, more intense weather to come (Axios), Warmer, more volatile winters limit lake ice skating opportunities in Vermont (Yale Climate Connections), Finding safe haven in the climate change future: The Southwest (Yahoo)

• CORAL REEFS: Coral reefs near Texas may not escape greater damage from climate change (Texas Climate News), Record heat over Great Barrier Reef raises fears of second summer of coral bleaching (The Guardian), 

• LANDSLIDES: Landslide kills at least 14 attending funeral in Cameroon capital (Reuters), Landslide kills at least seven on Italy's Ischia island (Reuters, AP), Landslide on Italian island sweeps away homes and turns roads into rivers of mud (New York Times $)

HEAT: Kenyans turn to tradition to fight rising heat (Context)

• WORLD CUP: A Qatar-style World Cup building boom may not be possible in a hotter world (TIME), Energy-rich Qatar faces fast-rising climate risks at home (AP)

HURRICANES: A small town ballfield took years to repair after Hurricane Maria. Then Fiona came. (NPR)

WATER: The Colorado River Compact turns 100 years old. Is it still working? (KUNC), Authorities in western US agree to rip-up grass lawns for water conservation (Gizmodo), Wells are running dry in drought-weary Southwest as foreign-owned farms guzzle water to feed cattle overseas (CNN)

POLLUTION: Across New York, a fleet of Google Street View vehicles tracks an array of key pollutants (Inside Climate News)

RENEWABLES: Are solar panels a good investment? (New York Times $), After decades as a nuclear powerhouse, France makes its play in offshore wind (CNBC), Renault wants to use water from depths of 4,000 meters to supply heat to an old production plant (CNBC)

• UK WIND: Giant wind farms arise off Scotland, easing the pain of oil’s decline (New York Times $), Truss, Johnson join rebellion against Sunak for onshore wind (Bloomberg $), Former Tory chair joins rebellion over Sunak’s onshore windfarm ban (The Guardian)

LNG: Pull that plug (Martha’s Vineyard Times), Natural gas production could skyrocket as Houston’s LNG industry grows (Houston Chronicle), ConocoPhillips lands 5 mmty of offtake, 30% Port Arthur LNG stake in Sempra agreement (Natural Gas Intel)

• GHOSTS OF STRANDED ASSETS FUTURE: US natural-gas pioneer struggles in his second act (Wall Street Journal $)

OIL & GAS: Exxon Mobil has a potash problem in the Permian Basin (Wall Street Journal $), Hackers could cause next Deepwater Horizon-level disaster (Gizmodo)

NUKES: US nuclear waste repository begins filling new disposal area (AP)

COAL: Australian court recommends against new coal mine on climate concerns (Reuters)

UTILITIES: Why utilities resist simple upgrades to boost renewables (E&E News)

CRYPTO: Crypto's energy demand threatens its growth, report says (E&E $), DCG’s Barry Silbert reveals crypto firm has $2 billion in debt as he tries to calm investors after FTX (CNBC)

ART: Climate change gave a Kenyan youth a 'crazy' idea: Become a world-class ice sculptor (NPR), Criticism mounts of ‘climate killer’ modern art museum in Berlin (The Guardian)

ACTIVISM: They’re knee deep in the climate trenches. Here’s what gives them hope (LA Times $)

ARTSY ACTIVISM: Activists aggravate art insurers' climate headache (Reuters)

GEOENGINEERING: Melting point: Could ‘cloud brightening’ slow the thawing of the Arctic? (The Guardian)

AVIATION: Forget electric cars, the future of battery technology is in airplanes (TIME)

BOOKS: ‘They teach us’: How whales can help dispel the myth of green capitalism (The Guardian), Disasterology: A book review (Yale Climate Connections)

FOOD: Food waste is contributing to climate change. What’s being done about it? (PBS NewsHour)

WAG: NOT VERY?: How green is your cruise? (New York Times $)

IT'S GETTING HOT …: Less attractive, less picky: How mating is changing in a hotter world (Washington Post $)

FINANCE: The 'great reclassification' of sustainable funds (Energy Monitor), [Bank of Japan] to conduct annual survey on climate finance to nurture ESG market (Reuters)

RELIGION: Catholic church issues guidelines for ethical investing (New York Times $), Vatican tells Catholics how to make ‘faith-consistent’ investments (Wall Street Journal $)

WILDLIFE: Wildlife conference boosts protection for sharks, turtles (AP)

INTERNATIONAL: Canada to invest C$1.6 bln in first national climate adaptation strategy (Reuters, Politico Pro $), Climate concern the main reason [Australian] voters swung to independents at federal election, study finds (The Guardian), Downing Street draws up UK energy saving campaign (FT $), Germany sets windfall tax at 90% for clean power generators (Bloomberg $), Gordon Brown says China must pay into climate fund for poor countries (The Guardian), London mayor extends ultra low emission zone in green transport push (FT $), Queensland faces ‘significant’ wellbeing decline if it doesn’t quickly transition to renewables, report says (The Guardian), UK government to introduce grants to make homes more energy efficient (The Guardian), UK households have cut energy consumption by 10%, say suppliers (The Guardian), 3 weeks after hack, [Vanuatu]’s government is still off-line (New York Times $)

• Leadership does not equal GFANZ (Environmental Finance, Michael Northrop op-ed)
• India's electricity shortage erased by renewables growth (Reuters, John Kemp column)
• The case for mandating climate-risk disclosure (Project Syndicate, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Timothy Meyer, and Gernot Wagner op-ed)
• 'Africa’s COP’ made some big promises. Here’s how to deliver (CNN, Adjoa Adjei-Twum op-ed)
• The world took a bold, toothless step forward on climate justice (New York Times, David Wallace-Wells column $)
• Jerry Jones being in a racist 1957 photo is shocking to who? (Black Wall Street Times, Ezekiel Walker op-ed)
• Embrace what may be the most important green technology ever. It could save us all (The Guardian, George Monbiot column)
• Rich nations have promised to pay for the climate crisis – but will they? (The Guardian, Gordon Brown op-ed)
• Long stretches of the Mississippi river have run dry. What’s next? (New York Times, Laurence Smith op-ed $)
• State of the climate: what Australians need to know about major new report (The Conversation, Matthew England analysis)
• For Don Peebles, ‘economic apartheid’ is not a figure of speech (The Grio, Michael Harriot op-ed)
• Journalists I’m thankful for (Environmental Health News, Peter Dykstra column)
• Get ready for a net zero business backlash (FT, Pilita Clark column $)
• Climate 'reparations' are a new name for foreign aid (Wall Street Journal, Holman Jenkins, Jr. op-ed $)

The Denier Roundup is recovering from the Thanksgiving holiday.

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