FIRST LOOK: 

Nigerian Communities Sue Shell In UK Court: More than 13,600 people, churches, and schools from two Nigerian communities are suing Shell in a UK court to hold the oil major accountable for devastating pollution and lifeways destruction by its operations there. The plaintiffs from the farming community of Ogale and the fishing community of Bille allege pollution from Shell oil operations have destroyed their ability to carry on their livelihoods. A Swiss study in 2017 found infants in the Niger Delta are twice as likely to die in their first month of life if their mothers live near an oil spill. Shell — which on Wednesday was the subject of an SEC complaint alleging it lied to its investors about its renewables spending — has extracted oil from the Niger Delta for more than 85 years. It has argued for five years that it is not liable for harms caused by its subsidiaries and is now also arguing the plaintiffs lack legal standing to sue because the harms occurred five years ago. "Shell is seeking to leave the Niger Delta free of any legal obligation to address the environmental devastation caused by oil spills from its infrastructure over many decades," Daniel Leader, a partner at Leigh Day, who represents the plaintiffs, told The Guardian. “At a time when the world is focused on 'the just transition,' this raises profound questions about the responsibility of fossil fuel companies for legacy and ongoing environmental pollution.” Shell also announced it made record profits in 2022, boosted by the Russian war in Ukraine, sparking criticism over the skyrocketing energy prices faced by consumers. (Lawsuit: The Guardian, The Intercept, CNBC, FT $; SEC complaint: E&E $; Profits and backlash: Bloomberg $)

Satellite Detects Methane Cloud, Over Wyoming This Time: A satellite detected a 4.6-mile-long cloud of methane over Wyoming containing far more gas than the operator of the gas plant from which it likely originated told regulators it released. Bloomberg reports Tallgrass Energy’s Douglas Gas Plant told regulators it accidentally vented 2.1 metric tons of methane over five separate releases on December 6 and 7, and NASA’s Landsat 9 satellite detected the cloud just before the last release ended. The 4.6-mile cloud required methane to have been released at 76 to184 metric tons per hour, scientists estimated. “It’s highly unlikely the volume reported by the operator could account for the emissions rate observed by the satellite coming from the facility,” Manfredi Caltagirone, head of the International Methane Emissions Observatory, told Bloomberg. Methane traps more than 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than CO2 over a 20-year period. Rapidly slashing methane pollution, especially by fixing leaks and releases from oil and gas operations, is among the most efficient and cost-effective means of limiting short term global warming. The NASA satellite's observations were corroborated by two European satellites. (Bloomberg $)

Loss And Damage Fund In Danger Of Becoming 'Placebo': Months after COP27 ended with the creation of a loss and damage fund, rich countries including the U.S. are failing to contribute. "Money … It’s what we need," U.S. climate envoy John Kerry told the Washington Post. Kerry blamed international development banks for not prioritizing global development over their financial ratings. Kerry said he and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had met with several of the development banks, including the World Bank, to urge “major reform.” He also said the U.S. would likely be unable to contribute more, "given the makeup of Congress." Kerry said that while the U.S. would not compensate countries for the damages caused by America's climate pollution, he did note that the U.S. does frequently assist after emergency crises. Malik Amin Aslam Khan, the former Pakistan minister of state for environment, warned without developed countries being held accountable for their emissions, “the risk is that [the loss and damage fund] shall remain a ‘placebo’ fund without any sustainable funding source.” He added, “The inconvenient truth about using multilateral institutions is that it quickly transforms into a route to repackage existing funding pipelines or to use the term ‘serving old wine in new bottles.’” (Washington Post $)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: The anti-Blackness at the root of police violence (Yes Magazine explainer)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: EU must extend gas demand curbs to prepare for next winter -think tank (Reuters), Norway says it will use wartime oil profits to aid Ukraine (OilPrice, Bloomberg $), Spain boosts LNG port capabilities but Russian gas is in the mix (OilPrice), US oil is replacing Russian crude in EU markets (OilPrice)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Who will buy Kerry’s carbon credits? (E&E News)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: EU faces up to US green subsidies with industrial overhaul (E&E $)

EPA: EPA inspector general to probe Mo. water contamination (E&E $), Meet the aides behind EPA's 2023 to-do list (E&E $)

DOE: DOE: Grid attacks hit highest level in a decade (E&E $), Deputy Energy secretary: No taxpayer funding has gone to China, no plans to ban gas stoves (Politico Pro $), Gas stoves are back under scrutiny with new US limits proposed (Bloomberg $)

DOI: Court: US needs to consider effects of drilling near Chaco (AP)

• WILLOW OIL DRILLING: Outrage as US government advances $8bn Alaska oil drilling plan (The Guardian), 3 things to know about Biden’s Alaska oil decision (E&E News), Fate of $8 billion Alaska oil project comes down to the next 30 days (Bloomberg $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Under pressure, NSF scraps plan to limit staff raises (E&E News)

WHITE HOUSE: Podesta adds two new hires to climate law shop (E&E $), Biden bids farewell to climate operatives (E&E $), Deese, top economic aide to Biden, will step down this month (New York Times $, Bloomberg $, The Hill), White House advances NEPA rule changes (E&E $), Biden to release budget March 9 (E&E $)

HOUSE: Congressional Black Caucus demand police reform in White House meeting following Tyre Nichols funeral (The Root, Black Wall Street Times, Bloomberg $), DeLauro announces House Appropriations subcommittee rosters (Politico Pro $), House GOP shows little interest in flood insurance reform (E&E $), Oversight chair requests details on Kerry’s international climate negotiations (The Hill, Politico Pro $), House panel opens year with debate over guns in meeting room (E&E News), Rep. Ilhan Omar kicked off committee after party-line vote in house (Washington Post $, Bloomberg $), Rep. Ilhan Omar ties GOP vote on her committee post to her identity as a Muslim woman of color (The 19th* News)

SENATE: Climate hawks want the Senate to take on Big Oil (E&E $), Senate Republicans finalize committee rosters (E&E $), Sens. Cruz, Manchin team up to fight a nonexistent gas stove ban (HuffPost, Reuters, The Hill), Manchin says Yellen is ‘not following the law’ on EV tax credits (Bloomberg $), Manchin, Westerman plot new push for permitting reform (E&E News), Top Senate Ag Republican bows out of farm bill climate fight (E&E $), Republican senators challenge Biden water protection rule (The Hill, Politico Pro $), Senators ask mifepristone manufacturer to list miscarriage as a use for abortion pill (The 19th* News)

POLITICS: Copper’s fight for critical mineral status gets political push (Bloomberg $), Farm groups plan rally, concert on climate change (E&E $)

TRIBES: Report: burning gas in oil fields cost tribes $22 million (Grist), Tribal nations face threats to food security funding (Axios)

CITIES AND STATES: Connecticut program helps 15,000 households a year cut their utility bills (Yale Climate Connections), DeSantis keeps heat on gas stoves issue, proposing tax exemption (The Hill), Gov. Hochul proposes allowing New York Power Authority to build, operate renewable energy projects (Utility Dive), Minnesota moves toward 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 (AP), Youngkin cites China concerns on EV plant while critics see presidential ambitions (The Hill)

FERC: Solar group urges FERC to unlock MISO’s ancillary services market for intermittent resources (Utility Dive, E&E $)

IMPACTS: After DC’s warmest January in 73 years, we predict a very mild February, too (Washington Post $), Air above Delaware River Basin has risen 3 degrees in a century, experts say (Philadelphia Inquirer), How do you track an atmospheric river? Climb aboard this highflying reconnaissance jet (LA Times $, LA Times VIDEO $), The Last Of Us is right: Climate change is making fungi more dangerous (Gizmodo), War, politics, business make 1.5C target far-fetched — experts (E&E News)

WINTER STORM & POWER OUTAGES: As ice storm nears end, 500k customers in the dark in Texas, mid-South (Washington Post $, Gizmodo), At least 9 dead as dangerous ice storm lashes the South (Axios, The Hill)

• TEXAS: Power outages linger in Texas after deadly ice storm (AP), Austin doesn’t know when it’ll fully restore power as hundreds of thousands of Texans remain in the cold (Texas Tribune),
• NEW ENGLAND: New England braces for ‘epic, generational arctic outbreak’ (Washington Post $, AP), The coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere will freeze New England this weekend (Axios)

WILDFIRES: Study: Where there’s smoke, there’s worse wildfires (The Hill)

DROUGHT: Calif. snowpack is double the average. But will it ease drought? (E&E $, Gizmodo, The Hill), History emerges as Lake Mead recedes (E&E News), Wet winter won’t fix Colorado River woes (Yale Climate Connections)

WATER: US states struggle to share dwindling waters of Colorado River (Reuters), California is isolated and alone in battle over Colorado River water cuts (LA Times $)

DEFORESTATION: Lula's Amazon pledge looks distant as Brazil battles deforestation (Reuters), Custodians of Mexico's indigenous forests confront climate change (Context), Palm oil is actually not that bad (anymore) (Vox)

RENEWABLES: What Lego—yes, Lego—can teach us about avoiding energy project boondoggles (Inside Climate News), Bank of America downgrades First Solar, says climate bill benefits are already priced in (CNBC), How art lovers helped defeat America’s largest solar farm (LA Times $), Solar industry group expects some IRS guidance by Feb. 13 on renewable energy tax credits, with more later (Utility Dive), The US solar boom is still facing some major roadblocks (OilPrice)

"RENEWABLES": Brown gold: The great American manure rush begins (The Guardian)

MINERALS: Nebraskans are sitting on strategic metals. Is mining a patriotic duty? (New York Times $)

WOOD: How to get rid of a wood-burning stove (The Guardian, explainer)

LNG: How the LNG export boom clashes with climate goals (Canary Media)

OIL & GAS: Drilling down on fossil fuels and climate change: Four audio reports (Texas Climate News), Greenpeace activists scale Shell oil platform in the Atlantic Ocean as company announces record profits (CNN), Why we shouldn’t confuse peak oil with the price of bananas (Bloomberg $)

COAL: Coal communities fear South Africa’s clean energy transition (Climate Home)

PFAS: Cleaning up ‘forever chemicals’ is costly and messy — just ask this Wisconsin town (Grist)

GRID: Grid operator urges TSA to adopt NERC cyber standards for pipelines (Politico Pro $)

EVs: California neighborhoods with more EVs see better air quality, public health (The Hill), Netflix to feature General Motors EVs in TV shows and movies in deal that kicks off at Super Bowl (Hollywood Reporter), Tesla expected to announce Mexico project soon, Ebrard says (Bloomberg $), US highways need 1,000 EV fast-charging stations — report (E&E $)

AVIATION: The 747 is out. Green airplanes are in. (Vox)

BOOKS: Johann Hari: our attention spans are being stolen (Atmos), Newly published, from climate fiction to a lost Congolese princess (New York Times $)

FINANCE: PE in crosshairs in $11 trillion investor group’s co2 plan (Bloomberg $)

GREENWASHING: ‘Greenwashing’ is a good thing, according to one renewable energy tycoon (CNBC)

TRUCKS: Greens urge truck makers to ditch industry coalition (E&E $)

WILDLIFE: An El Niño is forecast for 2023. How much coral will bleach this time? (Mongabay), Hawaii whale dies with fishing nets, plastic bags in stomach (AP)

INTERNATIONAL: What's in the EU Green Deal Industrial Plan? (Reuters, Factbox), Can Pakistan break cycle of destruction in flood rebuilding? (Context), Colombia clinches $70 mln development funds for clean power (Reuters), How illegal mining caused a humanitarian crisis in the Amazon (Yale Environment 360), Mexico looks to giant solar park in the desert to assuage carbon concerns (Reuters)

• John Kerry says oil chief leading COP28 is 'terrific.' It's terrifying. (Newsweek, Rachel Rose Jackson and Jean Su op-ed)
• Will Steffen fought passionately for our planet. To honour him we must follow his lead (The Guardian, Penny Sackett op-ed)
• Tyre Nichols just wanted to live but America's corrupt policing system wouldn't allow it (Ebony, Savannah Taylor op-ed)
• Big Oil mega-deals would put investors on the spot (Reuters, George Hay column)
• The battle for the Colorado River is a water warning to us all (FT, Gillian Tett column $)
• Jordan Peterson’s ‘zombie’ climate contrarianism follows a well-worn path (The Guardian, Graham Readfearn op-ed)
• Shell is having a use-of-cash flow crisis (FT, Helen Thomas column $)
• A chat with Tasha McCarter, VP of solar engineering at RWE (Canary Media, interview)
• Why wetlands are so important for both nature and climate (Context, Jane Madgwick op-ed)
• Beware the great battery industry fallacy (FT, Robin Harding column $)
• Black history month begins with Ron DeSantis waging war against Black history (NewsOne, Zack Linly op-ed)
• ‘A serious threat’: Calls grow for urgent review of England’s wood-burning stoves (The Guardian)
• Freeze across the South: Darkness is the new normal (The Hill, Jen Brady op-ed)
• Vehicle-to-grid charging is coming fast — here’s how regulators and utilities can prepare now (Utility Dive, Laura Sherman op-ed)
• Biden faces his Nixon moment on Alaskan oil (Bloomberg, Liam Denning column $)
• Shell’s lack of ambition is maddening: It’s time to speed up transition to renewables (The Guardian, Nils Pratley column)
• Climate change consumer deception lawsuits threaten free speech. Will the Supreme Court take note? (The Hill, Donald Kochan op-ed)

Big Tech's Trolls Turn Online Conspiracy Theories Into Real World Harassment for Oxford's 15-Minute City Plan

Yesterday, we laid out the backstory of Oxford's recent moment in the disinfo spotlight thanks to a conspiracy theory in UK's Vision News, which resulted in multiple fact checks that did little to stop the stream of abuse directed at local public officials. 

So how did a plan to let people walk without fear of getting hit by a car turn into a sinister scheme to be violently and illegally opposed? In short, the climate disinformation machine picked up Vision News's story, turned the conspiracy theory up to 11, and unleashed the audience of trolls that Big Tech has helped cultivate. 

The trigger event that moved this story from standard conspiracy to turbo-charged harassment campaign likely occurred on December 3, when Joanne Nova, an Australian climate denial blogger, former Shell lackey, and former children’s television show host, followed in Vision News’s footsteps in her blog. Nova spread the idea that Oxfordshire’s traffic filters proposal would usher in climate lockdowns, and she added her own fun twist by blaming the World Economic Forum (WEF), since the WEF has previously written about 15-minute cities. This piece injected the conspiracy theory into the climate disinfo-sphere.

A day later, the US climate disinformation website “Watts Up With That?” picked up on Nova’s piece and further fanned the flames of this conspiracy theory, this time invoking fears about China. Author Eric Worrall offered his two cents, writing, “In my opinion Britain has been edging closer to naked communism for at least half a century, so I guess it was inevitable that an attempt would be made at some point to introduce Chinese style movement restrictions on British people.”

By December 6, 2022, Australian political commentator and conspiracy theorist Topher Field was on YouTube stating, “Oxfordshire is being turned into the world's first open air free-range World Economic Forum prison. And yes, I am exaggerating a little, but not by as much as you may think.” Field didn’t stop there, though, ending his video by openly encouraging people to break laws. “You need to start thinking about what the limit of your obedience is going to be,” Field urged, “At what point here in Australia or wherever in the world you live… are you going to say, 'You know what? Enough is enough.’ …For me it was COVID. I went from being a law-abiding goody-two-shoes to someone who lives by the motto that good people break bad laws."

By combining traffic filters, 15-minute cities, COVID lockdowns, China-bashing, and fears of the WEF into one monster conspiracy theory and literally just making stuff up, disinfoland conspiracy theorists were able to do what they regularly and falsely accuse climate scientists of doing: creating panic for no reason.

As a result of this, misled audiences hurled abuse at the Oxfordshire County Council and the Oxford City Council, translating the digital disinformation into real-world threats.

In a world where proposed policies aiming to even slightly address climate change and make life a little less car-dependent get blown up into unhinged conspiracy theories, it is more important than ever to push Big Tech platforms to address their role in spreading disinformation that mobilizes political violence.

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