US Nominates Banga For World Bank Head: The United States nominated Ajay Banga, a private equity vice chairman and former corporate executive, to be the next president of the World Bank on Thursday. Other countries could nominate candidates, but the U.S. traditionally picks the Bank's leader. Current World Bank president David Malpass, picked by the previous administration, is stepping down a year early following what the New York Times described as a "slow-motion public relations crisis" over his refusal to acknowledge the unequivocal scientific consensus that burning fossil fuels is causing global warming. Pressure is also mounting on the World Bank and other international debt holders to alleviate and even forgive the debt burden of the Global South — a major barrier to those countries' ability to address the climate crisis. Banga advanced efforts to address climate change while he was CEO of Mastercard. Al Gore praised the pick while Greenpeace USA criticized it. The Biden administration is "not tapping a climate expert per se, they are tapping someone who can help them with climate finance,” Scott Morris, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, told the New York Times. “It sends a pretty clear signal that the U.S. wants to look at the bank as a bank.” (New York Times $, AP, Washington Post $, BBC, The Guardian, Axios, Reuters, Wall Street Journal $, Quartz, The Hill, CNN, CBS, Politico, New York Post, USA Today, Climate Home, Al Jazeera, FT $, Bloomberg $, Times of India)

Unhoused LA County Heat Deaths Undercounted: Unhoused people make up just less than three-quarters of one percent of Los Angeles County's population, but they accounted for 5 of every 12 deaths from heat illness or exposure last year, the LA Times reports based on data from the coroner's office. That number, as high as it is, likely undercounts the full toll of extreme heat on the county's unhoused people because causes of death are often attributed to medical conditions exacerbated by hyperthermia instead of the extreme heat itself. “Because of exposure to the elements, people who are homeless are going to continue to be at the front lines of issues related to climate change,” Sherin Varghese, an organizer for Ktown for All, a homeless outreach and advocacy group, told the LA Times. They’re absorbing the impact to a greater degree.” Climate change, mainly caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, is making extreme heat events worse and more frequent. Extreme heatwaves, like the "heat dome" last August responsible for about half of LA County's 2021 unhoused heat deaths, are especially dangerous because high nighttime temperatures rob the body of a chance to cool down. (LA Times $; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves)

EPA Releases $550M For Environmental Justice Grants: The EPA  will disburse $550 million meant to boost efforts to address environmental inequities, the agency announced Thursday. The funds will be distributed among 11 entities, including large non-profits, tribal nations, and universities, that will in turn serve as grantmakers. The Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking is part of the Biden administration's Justice40 Initiative, which seeks to ensure 40% of the benefits of federal climate investments go to historically excluded, pollution-overburdened communities. The grants are funded by $3 billion authorized for environmental justice block grants in the Inflation Reduction Act, and are meant to help groups and projects in historically excluded communities avoid the resource-intense federal grantmaking process. (Reuters, The Hill)

ENVIRONMENTAL (IN)JUSTICE: Environmental justice is a growing operational factor. How are federal and state agencies defining it? (Utility Dive), Forest defenders vow resistance after court green-lights phase [one] of “Cop City” (Truthout), Baltimore to invest in Black communities ravaged by highway (AP), 

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: ‘Energy battle’ between Europe and Russia not over, says global watchdog (The Guardian), How American energy helped Europe best Putin (Politico), Russian oil is still flowing, and that is what the West wants (Wall Street Journal $), The ripple effects of Russia's war in Ukraine continue to change the world (NPR), The unexpected climate impact of Russia's war in Ukraine (TIME), EU's demand for natural gas decreases (AFP via Barron's)

LNG: Cheniere plans major expansion at Sabine Pass, already the nation’s largest LNG facility (Houston Chronicle, FT $), [Freeport LNG] natural gas terminal reopens after massive explosion (Texas Observer, Inside Climate News), China Gas Holdings signs two 20-year LNG supply deals with Venture Global (Reuters)

9:37 🚂 TO THE PETROCHEMICAL DYSTOPIA: Norfolk Southern says it will look at practices after Ohio train derailment (Wall Street Journal $)

• NTSB (REPORT): Here's the most thorough explanation yet for the train derailment in East Palestine (NPR, AP, Washington Post $, The Hill, Axios, E&E $, The Hill), 5 unanswered questions on East Palestine derailment after preliminary NTSB report (The Hill), NTSB chair decries politicization of East Palestine train disaster (The Hill)
• POLITICS: Seen in East Palestine: Buttigieg, Giuliani and a total political circus (Politico), 'Enough with the politics': Derailment investigator takes aim at partisan sniping, misinfo (Politico), Trump turns Ohio train derailment into campaign stop (E&E $), Ex-president doles out ‘Trump water’ in Ohio (E&E News), White House slams ‘bad-faith’ attacks on wreck response (E&E News)
• WATER: Water sampling in East Palestine, Ohio, has been a debacle (HuffPost), More than 43,000 aquatic animals are dead near Ohio train derailment (Washington Post $, The Hill, Axios), Toxic wastewater from Ohio train derailment headed to Texas (AP)

TRANSMISSION: The US has billions for wind and solar projects. Good luck plugging them in. (New York Times $), State bills spur debate over who should build transmission: Incumbent utilities or independent companies (Utility Dive)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Pacific island leaders meet to show unity amid super power competition (Reuters), India set to push for green World Bank reforms at G20 (Climate Home), 

DENIAL & DISINFO: Misinformation is spreading that washed up whales died from offshore wind development (NPR)

FOSSIL VOLATILITY: Why the wait for lower heating bills may last for 'months to come' (MarketWatch)

GOP vs. ESG: Texas urges court to block Biden ESG rule (E&E $), The ESG fight has come to this: Bankers suing lawyers (New York Times $)

AGENCIES: Biden’s climate club will get a new member (E&E News), Interior, NOAA use ocean modeling in siting of 1st Gulf of Mexico offshore wind sales (Utility Dive)

EPA: Watchdog dings EPA over missed chemical review deadlines (E&E $)

DOE: Biden admin details plans for floating wind (E&E News), Energy Department opens up $2.5B for carbon capture demonstration projects (Politico Pro $)

DOI: Interior pledges winter storms won't freeze Colorado River planning (E&E $)

THE HILL: Congressional Black Caucus praises Biden administration for racial justice agenda (The Hill), Democrats urge EPA to tighten gas flaring restrictions to curb methane emissions (CNBC)

HOUSE: House Republicans outline oversight expectations (E&E $), Committee scolds EPA over rulemaking, small-business impact (E&E $), Republicans to SEC chair: Hand over climate rule records (E&E $)

POLITICS: As president, Jimmy Carter focused on energy conservation at a time of long gas lines (NPR), New trade group will lobby lawmakers on carbon removal (E&E $)

ELECTIONS: Marianne Williamson confirms she will run for president in 2024 (The Hill)

CITIES AND STATES: 14 AGs warn of safety problems with ethane by rail (E&E $), After a series of winter storms, regulators approve new standards for power plants (Minnesota Reformer), California is racing to electrify trucks. Can the industry keep up? (Grist and KCET)

• GUESS BEFORE YOU CLICK!: Which state is winning at renewable energy production? (Yale Climate Connections)

FERC: Calif. lawmakers ask FERC to investigate high gas prices (E&E $), FERC move splits renewable backers in biggest power market (E&E $)

IMPACTS: A report on flood-ravaged communities in eastern Kentucky asks: what is the real cost of rebuilding? (Grist), ‘Help us fight’: California farmers ask for more aid after deadly storms (The Guardian), Many UK grocers limit some fruit and veggie sales as extreme weather impacts supply (NPR), Which US cities will fare best in a warming world — and which will be hit hardest? (Washington Post $)

TALE OF TWO FORECASTS: A high of 34 degrees in Boston today, while D.C. sees highs in the mid-70s. What’s with the huge difference? (Boston Globe $, The Hill, Washington Post PHOTOS $, Wall Street Journal $)

• WINTER STORM: 1 million without power as winter storm grips US, Calif. blizzard alerts (Axios, NPR, Reuters), Winter storms sow more chaos, shut down much of Portland (AP), Winter storm sending heavy snow where California rarely sees it (NPR, AP), Here’s what the winter storm looks like from space (Washington Post $)
• AL FRESCO APOCALYPSE: Washington sets daily record high temperature of 81 degrees (Washington Post $), Record warmth envelops Mid-Atlantic during uneasy, snowless winter (Axios)

HEAT: Inability to cool homes in summer heat making almost 90% of Centrelink recipients ill, survey finds (The Guardian)

HURRICANES: Hurricanes are changing with the climate. Our words about them may need to change, too. (Yale Climate Connections)

WATER: Future of the Salton Sea is tied to fate of imperiled Colorado River (WBUR), How weather forecasts can help dams supply more water (Yale Environment 360), Strong snowpack results in a boost to water supplies for California farmers (Wall Street Journal $), With everything on the line, Arizona and California farmers prepare for fight over Colorado River (WBUR)

DEFORESTATION: In Brazil, criminals dismantle one of the best-preserved swaths of the Amazon (Mongabay)

RENEWABLES: Community solar is about to get a surge in federal funding. So what is community solar? (Inside Climate News), Virginia group’s solar scorecard aims to quantify thorny nuance around development (Energy News Network)

"RENEWABLES": Call to cut UK subsidies as Drax power station profits nearly double (The Guardian)

BATTERIES: Federal incentives help drive $52B of investments in 17 EV battery production facilities: BofA (Utility Dive)

EFFICIENCY: Recapturing excess heat could power most of Europe, say experts (The Guardian)

METHANE: Methane from Australian coal and gas could be 60% higher than estimated (The Guardian)

OIL & GAS: Activists sue BNP over energy loans, TotalEnergies over human rights (Reuters), Venezuela’s oil industry, reopening to investors, is major polluter (Wall Street Journal $)

PLASTICS: Meet the mushroom that could one day replace plastic (The Verge)

COAL: At least six killed in open-pit coalmine collapse in north China (The Guardian, Reuters)

PFAS: Mark Ruffalo urges Biden to accelerate action on ‘forever chemicals’ (The Hill, E&E $), REI to ban PFAS in outdoor clothing and cookware (Environmental Health News, Grist)

AGRICULTURE: It’s possible to reduce fertilizer emissions by 80 percent before 2050 (Modern Farmer)

BOOKS: Climate change is upon us. Jake Bittle’s ‘The Great Displacement’ is an unsettling look at the personal and financial costs of ever-growing threats. (Boston Globe $)

CARBON REMOVAL: The carbon removal industry puts down roots as it grows (Axios)

CARBON CAPTURE: Biden releases $2.5 billion for carbon capture projects (Houston Chronicle), Fervo Energy’s new project will harness Earth’s heat to capture CO2 (Canary Media), How energy from Earth’s crust could pull carbon from the sky (Washington Post $, Washington Post $)

PODCASTS: 6 podcasts to help tackle your climate anxiety (New York Times $)

FINANCE: Clean-energy leaders outperforming indexes, study says (Pensions & Investments), The growing mismatch between financial institutions’ net-zero targets and corporate transition plans (Energy Monitor)

GEOENGINEERING: George Soros wants to block Arctic sunlight. Will he fund it? (E&E News)

WILDLIFE: A basic premise of animal conservation looks shakier than ever (The Atlantic)

INTERNATIONAL: Could focus on climate ease water woes between India and Pakistan? (Context), German mayor strikes deal to stop group’s climate roadblocks (AP), India wants a clean energy transition deal - and its coal too (Context), UK government to help reduce some industry energy costs to remain competitive (Reuters)

OK, BUT, ARE WE SURE THIS WASN'T FUNDED BY 'BIG CORE'?: Scientists found out what’s at the center of Earth’s core. It’s another core. (Washington Post $)

• CNN’s East Palestine coverage exposes media bias for whites (Black Wall Street Times, Ezekiel Walker op-ed)
• Industrialized water containment projects ignore the needs of Indigenous communities (Prism Reports, Lyla June Johnston interview)
• Next Labor secretary should protect child farmworkers (The Hill, Margaret Wurth op-ed)
• How New York’s Utilities Are Spreading Disinformation About Renewable Energy (The City, Juan-Pablo Velez op-ed) 
• US World Bank pick comes with green finance cred (Reuters, commentary)
• Can geoengineering slow climate change? We need research to find out. (Washington Post, Gernot Wagner op-ed $)
• The American climate migration has already begun (The Guardian, Jake Bittle op-ed)
• The Ukraine war lesson Europe refuses to learn (Wall Street Journal, Joseph Sternberg op-ed $)
• Chemical disasters will keep happening (The Hill, Mathy Vathanaraj Stanislaus op-ed)
• Enjoy the weather. Worry about the climate. (The Hill, Susan Joy Hassol and Michael Mann op-ed)
• Our disastrous flood-control policies (The Hill, William Becker op-ed)

Just the Idea of “Climate Rationing” Sparks Conservative Outrage

A paper published on February 19 by researchers at the University of Leeds is gaining the attention of conservative commentators and media outlets across the Anglosphere.

The paper argues “that rationing could plausibly play an important role in an effective and fair means of reducing emissions and is therefore worthy of serious consideration,” despite the fact that the practice “is considered by many to be an unpalatable option.”

The authors consider multiple forms of rationing. One option is a version of wartime rationing, which would use taxation to limit specific goods like petrol, meat, clothing, and even household energy and aviation, since “many of the things that were rationed in wartime are – coincidentally – things that one might want to ration in response to climate change.” A second option is personal carbon trading (PCT) schemes, which would allow the wealthy to consume more by buying additional allowances.

Ultimately, the authors defend an “egalitarian conception of rationing (ECR),” which would reject the prioritization of some groups over others. Instead, an ECR seeks to establish a basic minimum amount of resources for everybody, provide equal resources for equal needs, and allow for different rations for different needs. For example, people who engage in heavy labor would need more calories than those who engage in lighter work, the paper explains.

The authors conclude by writing that they “hope this paper will stimulate further debate about the role that rationing could play in climate change mitigation,” and it certainly did just that.

On February 20, British newspaper The Times covered the paper in an article entitled, “How to fix global warming? Bring back rationing, say scientists,” and TalkTV aired a segment on the same topic. Unsurprisingly, this burst open the floodgates of conservative outrage on Twitter. UK climate policy opposition group Net Zero Watch shared The Times piece and accused the authors of the original paper of being “woke.” Even public figures joined the debate, with Brexit Party co-founder Nigel Farage warning his audience of 1.7 million people that “these crackpot ideas will soon be mainstream,” despite no evidence suggesting that rationing will be implemented as a climate change mitigation policy any time soon.

By February 21, the panic about rationing had reached climate disinformation spheres in the US and Canada. American climate denier and tobacco and fossil fuel industry crony Steve Milloy shared The Times story and commented, “Climate is tyranny disguised as necessity.” Matthew Wielicki, a former professor at the University of Alabama who recently gained Twitter popularity for his prolific climate misinformation, declared, “Get ready folks. Climate rationing is coming. The Brits have absolutely lost their minds.” Even Canadian misogynist and major climate disinformation amplifier Jordan Peterson weighed in on the issue of rationing.

In addition to the immediate Twitter fracas, mainstream conservative news sources, including GBNews, Breitbart, and Fox News, also stoked fears this week about rationing as a potential climate change solution in response to the University of Leeds paper.

By February 23, the climate rationing disinformation had also reached fringe sites like The National Pulse, which tied in existing conspiracy theories about 15-minute cities, proclaimed that “it seems choice won’t be a factor in whether we change our lifestyles to suit the climate-change narrative,” and encouraged readers to consider how they can “fight back.”

This ongoing (and exhausting) climate rationing saga clearly demonstrates how even a single paper weighing different climate solutions can rapidly mushroom into widespread international climate disinformation.

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