FIRST LOOK: 

Pilot Program Lowers Bronx Indoor Air Pollution With Electric Stoves: A pilot program in The Bronx to replace methane gas-burning stoves with electric induction dramatically improved the air quality in residents' apartments, The City reports. The program, run by WE ACT for Environmental Justice, replaced gas stoves in 20 apartments in a Watson Avenue public housing complex, and after 10 months, air quality monitoring found those with electric stoves experienced a 35% decrease in concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (which can contribute to or worsen asthma) and a 43% decrease in concentrations of carbon monoxide (which can cause flu-like symptoms, cognitive impacts, and even death). Residents like the new stoves for multiple reasons. “It cooks better and just for the safety of my daughter, that’s why I like the stove,” Shavon Marino said. “As she gets older, I think this stove would be a great teaching tool for my daughter.” The study's results also highlight the need to electrify buildings' less-visible appliances, like furnaces and water heaters, as well, Misbath Daouda, a Columbia PhD candidate who has authored previous studies on the health dangers of indoor gas appliances, told The City. “The transition would need to not only focus on gas stoves as a single appliance, but look at other systems that need to be replaced or improved in those homes to improve air quality and also meet carbon emission reduction goals — and that would include heating systems,” Daouda said. (The City)

LA County Bans New Oil Wells: Los Angeles County banned new oil drilling and set a 20-year phase-out of existing wells in late January. The unanimous Board of Supervisors vote followed similar ordinances passed by Culver City in 2021 and Los Angeles City in 2022. Oil and gas wells are located near more than a million people throughout LA county and their pollution disproportionately harms people of color. (LAist, Bloomberg Law, The Conversation, Inside Climate News, Natural Gas Intel, OilPrice)

Shell Accused Of Lying To Investors Over Renewables, Posts Record Profit: The day after being accused of misleading its investors over its renewable energy plans, Shell posted a record $39.9 billion in 2022 profits as it benefitted from the global upheaval caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On Wednesday, Global Witness submitted an official complaint to the Securities and Exchange Commission alleging the company "misstated its financial commitment to renewable sources of energy by inflating" its spending in the sector. Global Witness alleges Shell spent just 1.5% of its total spending on renewable energy such as wind and solar, far below the 12% the company told its investors it would spend on "renewables and energy solutions" (which it says include carbon capture and retail methane gas and power sales). Shell's nearly $40 billion in 2022 profits more than doubles its 2021 haul. It follows Chevron, which also announced record-high profits last week, and Exxon's Tuesday announcement that it made more in profits than any western oil company, ever. (Accusations: Reuters, Washington Post $, Bloomberg $, The Guardian; Profits: Reuters, AP, CNN, New York Times $, CNBC)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Climate justice organization tackles urban heat and more in Arizona’s Maricopa County (Yale Climate Connections), RIP Anthony Lowe: Video shows LA cops chasing Black man with amputated legs before shooting him to death (NewsOne), Can the police truly be reformed? The US government has limited power to regulate cops (NewsOne)

• TYRE NICHOLS: The life and homegoing of Tyre Nichols (The Root), Tyre Nichols funeral to include George Floyd’s family: report (NewsOne), 'A father 'gone too soon': Tyre Nichols funeral held in Memphis (BBC), ‘We mourn with you,’ Kamala Harris says as Tyre Nichols is remembered (New York Times $), After Tyre Nichols funeral, Biden faces pressure on policing (AP)
• COWARDS: AP African American studies course is watered down after pressure from Gov. Ron Desantis (NBC, The Week, Black Wall Street Times, Washington Post $, Axios, AP, Education Week, The Hill, CNN, HuffPost, Mother Jones, New York Times $)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Islanders sue Swiss cement giant over climate (E&E $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: The Pacific island nation changing the loss and damage debate (Context)

GOP vs. ESG: Top US proxy advisers defend their ESG approaches (Reuters)

GAS STOVES: Cleaner, healthier gas burners were developed decades ago. Why aren't they available? (NPR)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: Exxon weighs in on climate law as it reports record profits (E&E $), EU faces up to US green subsidies with industrial overhaul (Politico Pro $), Turning on subsidy tap for EU green deal a hard sell to smaller countries, critics (Reuters)

SCOTUS: Utility presses SCOTUS to reject transmission battle (E&E $)

EPA: EPA issues rare veto, halting Alaska’s pebble mine (Grist), Report presses EPA to help secure electric vehicle growth (E&E $), Republicans vow EPA scrutiny in Pebble veto’s wake (E&E News)

DOE: DOE proposes efficiency rules for gas and electric stoves and ovens (Politico Pro $, E&E $, Wall Street Journal $, NBC)

DOI: Biden administration recommends major Alaska oil project (AP, Wall Street Journal $, The Hill, Politico Pro $, Reuters)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: People to watch at DOE, Interior, FERC (E&E News), NSF staffers revolt over Trump appointee’s pay plans (E&E News)

WHITE HOUSE: White House directs agencies to use EJ screening tool (E&E $), Biden climate adviser huddles with union leaders on energy policy (E&E $)

HOUSE: House Republicans blast environmental rules in first Energy meeting (The Hill, E&E $), Ocasio-Cortez gets top spot on energy, resources panel (E&E $), Westerman renews call for audit of Interior ethics office (E&E $), House GOP moves to oust Ilhan Omar from Foreign Affairs Committee (Washington Post $, AP)

SENATE: Bipartisan senators push bill aimed at restricting oil reserve sales to China (The Hill), Grassley goes after EPA, Big Oil over E15 delay (E&E $), Senate Democrats name new EPW leaders (E&E $)

POLITICS: The gas industry is under fire. It’s hiring Democratic politicians to help. (Washington Post $)

TRIBES: The Chinook Indian Tribe calls for restoration of federal recognition (Prism Reports)

CITIES AND STATES: Hochul’s $227 billion budget plan targets New York City’s urgent needs (New York Times $), In Pennsylvania, a new administration fuels hopes for tougher rules on energy, environment (Inside Climate News)

• SEEMS DEFINITELY ABOVE BOARD: Texas oilfield waste company contributed $53,750 to regulators overseeing a controversial permit application (Inside Climate News)

IMPACTS: Deadly ice storm stretches from Texas to Kentucky (Axios), Winter storm causes 3rd day of dangerous, icy conditions (AP), Winter storm slams into Texas, knocking out power for over 200,000 (Gizmodo), Is climate change affecting the polar vortex? (Yale Climate Connections), The worst of the rain to hit New Zealand's Auckland may have passed (Reuters), Society isn’t changing fast enough to stop climate change: study (The Hill), 1.5 degrees was never the end of the world (The Atlantic), January’s warmth was unprecedented in much of the northeast (Washington Post $)

• VALLEY FEVER: Dangerous fungi are spreading across US. as temperatures rise (Wall Street Journal $), What is valley fever? fungal infection from the southwest may spread with climate change. (USA Today)

WILDFIRES: Western wildfires destroyed 246% more homes and buildings over the past decade – fire scientists explain what’s changing (The Conversation)

HURRICANES: For some, life after Ian is ‘more tragic than the hurricane itself’ (Washington Post $)

DROUGHT: California has huge snowpack, but dry trend raises worries (AP)

WATER: US states struggle to share dwindling waters of Colorado River (Reuters), There’s a deal to save the Colorado River — if California doesn’t blow it up (Grist), California defends senior stake in Colorado River (E&E $), Pumping Mississippi River water west: Solution or dream? (AP), Confronting California’s water crisis (Inside Climate News), Environmental group urges California to limit the growing of almonds and alfalfa (LA Times $), Report details toll of agriculture, oil and gas sectors on California water crisis (The Hill)

DEFORESTATION: In Congo, activists look to Pope to boost forest protections (AP)

POLLUTION: Long-term exposure to pollution linked to depression, study finds (Washington Post $)

RENEWABLES: ‘Catalytic’ new incentives may put US in driver's seat for carbon tech (Politico Pro $), BP’s CEO plays down renewables push as returns lag (Wall Street Journal $), First Solar brings US manufacturing investment to $4B after selling out of panels through 2025 (Utility Dive), Four West African nations get $311 million from World Bank for renewables (Reuters), Got milk? Indian camel herders cash in with solar-powered coolers (Context), Maine PUC OKs 1-GW Longroad wind farm, LS Power transmission line amid equity and cost concerns (Utility Dive), New offshore wind group beefs up staff (E&E $), Renewables supplied 88% of Portugal's electricity consumption in January (Reuters)

BATTERIES: How 'modern-day slavery' in the Congo powers the rechargeable battery economy (NPR)

MINERALS: Will the world run out of critical minerals? (Washington Post $)

LNG: LNG interest from Asia's emerging gas markets rises as prices ease (Reuters)

OIL & GAS: Oil giants, after surge in profits, are wary about spending (New York Times $), Oil majors’ expansion plans pay little heed to net zero (Energy Monitor), Basra Oil Company head expects Qatar to take 20-25% stake in TotalEnergies' Iraq project (Reuters), OPEC+ ministers stick to cutting plan amid oil-demand uncertainty (Wall Street Journal $), The oil pipeline dividing Uganda (ABC AU), Total's contested oil projects in Africa: The case of Uganda and Tanzania (Yahoo), A 385% gas-bill jump stuns Californians facing cold, wet winter (Bloomberg $)

PLASTICS: Microplastics are filling the skies. Will they affect the climate? (Yale Environment 360)

UTILITIES: Utilities are cutting off power to millions of Americans amid rising energy costs (CBS), TVA pivots to gas in bid to shutter its largest coal plant (E&E $), Xcel Energy outlines plan to lower Colorado gas bills amid public outcry over high prices (Colorado Public Radio), PG&E to face manslaughter trial over deadly California fire (AP)

GRID: Power grid attacks reached decade-high in 2022: DOE (Politico Pro $)

EVs: ChargePoint, Stem strike EV charging and battery storage deal for highway corridor fast-charging networks (Utility Dive), Rivian initiates a second round of layoffs, cutting 6% of workforce (Wall Street Journal $), 

• NEW HAMPSHIRE. IT'S WHAT'S NEW!: Tourism boosters worry lack of public EV charging could hurt New Hampshire (Energy News Network)

ACTIVISM: ‘Rather die in jail than a nursing home’: climate activists show stiff resolve as they face Queensland court (The Guardian)

AVIATION: More airports to use greener 'glide' approach to landing (E&E $), We can’t afford to offset our aviation emissions (The Verge)

CARS: Why Amtrak service is slow in most of the US (Wall Street Journal $), Trading buses for shared cars. Is that good for the climate? (E&E $)

AGRICULTURE: How New Zealand plans to tackle climate change: Taxing cow burps (Washington Post $)

CARBON REMOVAL: The ocean twilight zone could store vast amounts of carbon captured from the atmosphere – but first we need to build a 4D system to track what’s going on down there (The Conversation)

FINANCE: JP Morgan asset management adds $500 million of southern timberland (Wall Street Journal $)

IN MEMORIAM: We’ve lost a giant: Vale Professor Will Steffen, climate science pioneer (The Conversation)

WILDLIFE: Primates colonised the Arctic during a period of ancient global warming – their fate offers a lesson as climate change speeds up (The Conversation)

INTERNATIONAL: A post-Brexit regulatory ‘bonfire’ could scorch UK environmental protections (Politico Pro $), Brazil authorities probe Amazon ties to capital attacks (AP), China’s ‘clean heating’ policies may have saved thousands of lives: study (The Hill), EU sets out green industry deal to take on US and China (Reuters), German economy minister sees chance to avoid energy price spikes (Reuters), India announces $4.3 billion investment in clean energy (Climate Home)

• Public lands are not neutral. We must grapple with their racist roots (Environmental Health News, Carolyn Ramirez op-ed)
• Getting politics out of utility bills (Utility Dive, David Pomerantz op-ed)
• California has major stake in Colorado River water use fight (Mercury News Editorial Board)
• How to stop the spread of climate disinformation (The Nation, Erika Seiber and Michael Khoo op-ed)
• L.A.'s Long, Troubled History With Urban Oil Drilling Is Nearing an End — After Years of Health Concerns (KCET, Jill Johnston op-ed)
• Cow burps have a big climate impact. Solving that is harder than you'd think (TIME, Joseph McFadden op-ed)
• Biden can help reduce home energy prices and emissions by better managing LNG exports (The Hill, Mark Wolfe and Tyson Slocum op-ed)
• What could influence Black cops to savagely beat a Black man? No one should be surprised (NewsOne, Rashad Shabazz)
• Joe Biden’s Big Oil profits (Wall Street Journal, Editorial Board $)

Oxford Gets 15 Minutes of Disinfo Fame With Wild Conspiracies About its “15-Minute City” Plan

If you’ve ever doubted the real-life harms that climate disinformation and conspiracy theories can create, just take a look at what happened last month in Oxford, UK, where proposed city and county council policies ignited global conspiracies leading to local harassment.

A firestorm of disinformation starting in late November had the predictable effect of inciting abuse of public servants by social media trolls, with city and county “council staff receiving threatening and abusive calls and social media messages from residents.”

This harassment of staff and councilors led the Oxfordshire County Council and the Oxford City Council to release a joint statement on December 7 which debunks conspiracy theories related to their proposed policies and confirms that the Council has turned to law enforcement to address the most extreme abuse. Many news outlets also mobilized to debunk the raging disinformation, but at that point, the damage had already been done.

How did it get to this point? To understand the disinfo, you first have to understand the real story.

This saga started when Oxfordshire County Council proposed the introduction of six traffic filters to “reduce unnecessary journeys by private vehicles” and help “deliver an affordable, sustainable and inclusive transport system.” How do these filters work, exactly? The Council explains, “When they are operating, private cars will not be allowed through the traffic filters without a permit. All other vehicles including buses, coaches, taxis, vans, mopeds, motorbikes and HGVs will be allowed at all times.” The County Council created a months-long process starting in February 2022 through which to receive feedback and consult relevant groups about this policy, which, to be clear, is basically just requiring permits for drivers who want to drive through particular neighborhoods, in order to protect the people who live there from getting run over while riding their bikes and breathing polluted air.

However, on November 30 (a month and a half after the pre experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) consultation period ended on October 13), the COVID and culture wars-focused disinformation outlet Vision News hysterically framed this policy as a “climate lockdown,” referencing the preexisting conspiracy theory that emerged in 2020 as a response to the 'lockdown' measures taken to address the COVID pandemic. Vision News also conflated the traffic filters proposal with the concept of 15-minute cities.

The 15-minute city aspect of the conspiracy theory has roots in Oxford City Council’s Local Plan 2040, which is still in development. The Plan lays out the concept of communities having “access to all of their daily needs within a 15–20 minute walk or cycle ride,” which would “not only reduce the negative impacts of future pandemics, but also promote healthier and more active lifestyles as well as reduce our impacts upon the climate and the natural environment.”

As Thom Waite at Dazed points out, the 15-minute city as an urban planning concept “isn’t [even] a brand new idea,” having been coined back in 2016, long before the COVID pandemic started. Furthermore, this concept was already a way of life for most people prior to public policies prioritizing cars and the suburbanization of modern development.

So how did Oxford's 15-minute city plan turn into 15 minutes of disinfo fame? Tune in tomorrow to find out!

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