UAE Failed To Report Methane Pollution For Almost A Decade: The United Arab Emirates, which will host COP28 in December, has not reported its methane gas pollution for nearly a decade, The Guardian reports. UAE state oil company CEO Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, who will serve as president of the UN climate summit, has repeatedly shunned the need to phase out fossil fuels — instead focusing on "fossil fuel emissions" — and has called on nations and companies to be to be “brutally honest” about the current shortcomings of global climate action. Methane, the main component of so-called "natural gas," traps more than 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 20 year time frame. "The UAE wishes to lead the world on climate this year, and methane is a litmus test. Building new fossil gas projects, setting incoherent targets and failing to properly report methane emissions are three ways Abu Dhabi is showing the opposite of leadership," said Kjell Kühne of the Leave it in the Ground Initiative. “Even the best PR in the world cannot hide the fact that we will not save the climate with more fossil fuels. Actions, not words are required from an aspiring leader at this point.” (The Guardian)

Hurricanes Far Deadlier Than Official Counts: Hurricanes killed far more people in the U.S. than are counted under traditional measures, and those deaths were disproportionately concentrated in poor communities and communities of color, a study published Wednesday in Science Advances finds. “People who have the least means suffer the most,” Robbie Parks, lead author of the study, told the AP. Using 'excess deaths' analysis (a standard public health technique), researchers determined more than 18,000 people died as a result of hurricanes from 1988 to 2019 — 13 times more than the NOAA-published number of people directly killed by storms. “There have been many publications over the last few decades for singular disasters that have come to similar conclusions,” Kristie Ebi, a professor at the University of Washington Center for Health and the Global Environment who was not involved in the study, told NBC. “But putting together this decades-spanning report that examines these events and who is most vulnerable is incredibly important.” People who die in the aftermath of a storm — for example by heart and lung problems, infections, injuries, or mental health issues — are left uncounted. “It’s a story of inequality on a large scale,” Parks told NBC. “The poorest counties tend to have the most socially vulnerable people. You’ve got a lack of preparation and resilience when a hurricane hits, and that can be from cheap, unreliable infrastructure, inadequate power supply, lack of transportation and, in many cases, no easy escape routes.” (AP, NBC, The Guardian, Washington Post $; Climate Signals background: Hurricanes)

Canadian Wildfires Rage, Force Mass Evacuations: Wildfires across Canada have already burned nearly 33 million acres — double the acreage of any previous season, an area equivalent to the state of Alabama — and things are not getting better. More than 230 fires are raging in the Northwest Territories alone, displacing hundreds of Indigenous and First Nations peoples and forcing the evacuation of the entire provincial capital of Yellowknife and the neighboring First Nations communities of Ndilo and Dettah. What officials are describing as the biggest airlift in Canadian history is flying in military personnel and flying out evacuees, while escort vehicles are assigned to guide drivers through the intense smoke along the one road to safety leading out of the city. Though extra refueling stations are being set up along the evacuation route as of Wednesday, no reception centers for evacuees had been established.  “It’s all just really terrifying,” said Morgan Tsetta, a member of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation in a TikTok video on Tuesday. Also in Northwest Territories, the hamlet of Enterprise was nearly completely destroyed by fire SS052 on Sunday. "I think there's seven or eight houses left and three or four businesses," Enterprise Mayor Michael St Amour told the CBC. "Between 85 and 90 per cent of the community is gone." (Canadian wildfires: Washington Post $, Grist; Yellowknife: New York Times $, AP; Enterprise: CBC, Cabin Radio, Global News; Climate Signals background: Wildfires)

MAUI FIRES: ‘Where are they?’ with government aid still spotty, Maui locals funnel supplies to fire survivors. (Grist), Fires and others disasters are increasing in Hawaii, according to this AP data analysis (AP), Schools reopening, traffic moving again in signs of recovery from Maui fires that killed 110 (AP), FEMA says dwindling disaster fund can pay for Hawaii recovery (E&E $), Little warning, few escape routes, phones knocked out: The chilling similarities between the Maui and Paradise fires (CNN), Sleeping in cars and tents, some Maui fire survivors ask, ‘What should i do?’ (Washington Post $)

• HOUSING: Housing on Maui is scarce. Where will fire survivors go? (Grist), Hawaii governor vows to block land grabs as fire-ravaged Maui rebuilds (AP), Hawaii officials ID first 2 victims of Maui wildfires as Hawaiians warn of real estate vultures (Democracy Now)
• LINGERING DANGER: After Maui fires, human health risks linger in the air, water and even surviving buildings (The Conversation), The toxic aftermath of the Maui fires could last for years (Washington Post $)
• EXPLAINERS: 9 things everyone should know about Maui’s wildfire disaster (Vox), How did the Maui fires start and are they still burning? (Reuters), What to know about Maui wildfires, the deadliest in the US in 100 years (Washington Post $)
• DISINFO: Conspiracy theories falsely tie Maui wildfires to ‘smart cities’ and tech conferences (AP), Old video of Louisiana power line explosion falsely tied to Maui wildfires (AP)
• MEDIA: News outlets went all in on Maui fire coverage. But did they miss a key part of the story? (CNN)
• PROXIMATE CAUSATION: Hawaiian Electric knew wildfires were a rising threat, but waited years to act (Wall Street Journal $), Hawaiian Electric faces financial, cost recovery risks from Maui wildfires: Moody’s (Utility Dive), Hawaiian Electric is in talks with restructuring firms (Wall Street Journal $)
• BIDEN: Biden to visit Maui on Monday to view wildfire damage (New York Times $, Bloomberg $, E&E $, Politico Pro $)

GLOBAL WATER STRESS: Here’s where water is running out in the world — and why (Washington Post $), 25% of global population faces water stress: WRI report (Deutsche Welle, Politico Pro $, CNN, The Guardian, Le Monde, E&E $), Colorado River Basin ranks among the world’s most water-stressed regions, analysis finds (LA Times $, The Hill), Heat, drought and population growth have stressed aquifers that supply water to millions of Texans (Texas Tribune), Water scarcity in Iraq leads to the disappearance of a signature rice (Washington Post $, Deutsche Welle)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: Germany expects gas prices to stay high for several years (Bloomberg $)

MONTANA CLIMATE TRIAL: 'Watershed moment': Montana rules youth have constitutional right to healthy climate (Democracy Now), A court win in Montana could help climate litigation everywhere else (Bloomberg $), Climate ruling fuels political war over Montana Supreme Court (E&E $), Montana kids win historic climate lawsuit – here’s why it could set a powerful precedent (The Conversation, Blavity)

PALESTINE: As Israeli settlements thrive, Palestinian taps run dry. The water crisis reflects a broader battle (AP)

INSURANCE: How a small group of firms changed the math for insuring against natural disasters (New York Times $), Allstate is a BBB credit now (FT $)

DENIAL AND DISINFO: An alarming pattern: Climate disasters hit, and Spanish-language misinformation spreads (NBC)

🐦🗑️🔥: Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover sparked an exodus of climate voices, researchers find (Gizmodo)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: Biden marks 1-year of Inflation Reduction Act: ‘It’s turning things around’ (AP, Bloomberg $, Politico, Reuters, New York Times $), Behind the scenes in the Senate, this scientist never gave up on passing the Inflation Reduction Act. Now he’s come home to Minnesota (Inside Climate News), Biden swipes at Republicans on anniversary of major climate, health care law (The Hill), Biden’s landmark climate law turn[ed] one [yester]day. here’s what you missed. (Grist), Big costs, sweeping changes: What to know about the IRA (Politico), A year after IRA, electric vehicle market shows fitful progress (Bloomberg $), A year into Biden’s climate agenda, the price tag remains mysterious (Bloomberg $), Federal analysis says IRA, infrastructure law could save customers billions on energy bills (The Hill), How the climate law set a 'trillion-dollar shift' for EVs into motion (Yahoo), Biden touts Inflation Reduction Act on first anniversary (Reuters), The Inflation Reduction Act will drive down emissions. But how much? (Canary Media), The IRA turns 1. Many Democrats are already talking about the next climate law. (Politico), The US climate law is fueling a factory frenzy. Here’s the latest tally (Canary Media), What to know about the Inflation Reduction Act (NBC), White House memo hits GOP attempts to repeal year-old Biden climate law (The Hill), Why the Inflation Reduction Act remains astonishing (Heatmap $)

• GETTING THE WORD OUT: Biden’s historic climate law has a problem (Vox)
• NEWS YOU CAN USE: How to decarbonize your home with the Inflation Reduction Act (Heatmap $), Inflation Reduction Act, 1 year on: 6 ways it can save you money on energy costs (CNET)

EPA: The EPA is rejecting calls for tougher regulation of big livestock farms. It’s promising more study (AP, E&E $), 

DOI: BOEM identifies two wind energy areas with up to 2.6 GW of potential offshore Oregon (Utility Dive, E&E News), Court sides with Interior in Wyoming NEPA fight (E&E $), Reclamation eases off Colorado River cuts for Arizona, Nevada (E&E $)

TREASURY: Treasury: IRA tax credits draw huge interest for coal community projects (Politico Pro $)

WHITE HOUSE: Why John Podesta thinks the Inflation Reduction Act is the next Obamacare (Grist interview), Harris embraces her climate change portfolio as administration races to sell the Inflation Reduction Act (CNN, The Hill), Progressive calls for climate emergency swell after Biden says he ‘practically’ declared one (The Hill)

HOUSE: New Mexico congressman in swing district seeks health care trust for oil field workers (AP)

SENATE: Manchin vows to fight implementation of IRA as ‘radical climate agenda’ (The Hill)

POLITICS: How a Republican president could hobble the climate law (E&E News/Politico), Trump Energy Secretary Brouillette to lead Edison Electric Institute (Politico Pro $, The Hill, E&E $)

ELECTIONS: Marjorie Taylor Greene floats Senate run, says she’s open to being Trump’s VP (E&E $), Schumer promises to build on climate law if Dems win (E&E News), Schumer trumpets Dems’ party-line law as GOP pummels Manchin (Politico Pro $)

TRIBES: Clean energy could rival gaming as economic engine for US tribes (Bloomberg $)

CITIES AND STATES: Extreme heat tests new worker protections in Oregon (E&E $), NAACP calls for equitable [Indiana] electric vehicle charging infrastructure (WISH-TV8), Miami-Dade adds 20 new electric school buses to fleet ahead of new school year (NBC Miami), New York City to require more zero-emission cars for ridesharing (Bloomberg $), Republican-controlled states like Oklahoma are rushing to invest in clean energy, even as conservative groups push for more oil and gas (Business Insider), State regulator will ask Louisiana power companies to pause shut-offs in extreme heat (Louisiana Illuminator), Eric Adams promised to be the bus mayor. Riders are still waiting. (New York Times $)

• CALIFORNIA: SoCalGas said its natural gas was ‘renewable.’ Now, it’s paying penalties. (Grist), California’s fear of blackouts blocks goal of fossil-free future (Bloomberg $), Environmental groups sue SoCal air regulator over ozone pollution (Politico Pro $), Lawsuit claims California lets polluters off the hook (E&E $), California town of Paradise deploys warning sirens as 5-year anniversary of deadly fire approaches (AP)

IMPACTS: Heavy rain and landslides have killed at least 72 people this week in an Indian Himalayan state (AP), Warm July breaks dozens of longstanding Australian temperature records (The Guardian), Disappearing glaciers will give way to emerging, 'novel' ecosystems, new research finds (ABC), Europe heat builds as some French citizens told to stay home (Bloomberg $), Oceans absorb 90% of the heat from climate change — here’s why record ocean temps are so harmful (CNBC), UN climate panel chair: Paris agreement's 1.5-degree target 'a big ask' (Axios), US investor group clinches tax credit deal for $1.5 billion renewable power acquisition (Reuters)

HEAT: Extreme heat is on everyone's lips. Too bad it can't get political traction. (Politico Pro $), Average Gulf Coast temperatures reach record highs (The Hill), Bring back the parasol (New York Times $)

WILDFIRES: Evacuations ordered after winds whip Northern California wildfire near site of 2022 deadly blaze (AP), Lightning sparks fast-growing fires in Northern California (Washington Post $), Gov. Greg Abbott declares wildfire disaster for three-fourths of Texas (Texas Tribune), Most wildfires aren’t forest fires (Heatmap $), Wildfire on Spain's Tenerife spreads across island's north (Reuters, The Guardian)

HURRICANES: Hurricane remnants may bring ‘high impact’ deluge to California, Southwest (Washington Post $), Tropical activity heats up in Atlantic and Eastern Pacific (Yale Climate Connections), Tropical Storm Hilary forms off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast (AP, Axios, New York Times $)

WATER: Time for new math in the Colorado River Basin? (E&E $)

RENEWABLES: Flush with the promise of tax credits, clean energy projects are booming in Texas (Inside Climate News), Great Lakes gets its first wind farm – but some fear environmental fallout (The Guardian), Inside the slow, yet ‘incredible’ installation of a $78,000 Tesla solar roof (Wall Street Journal $), Offshore wind turbine catches fire off east coast of Britain (CNBC), Offshore wind's cost troubles still growing, execs say (E&E $), Tracking the flow of clean-energy investment (Axios)

BUILDINGS: ‘Heat pump coach’ helps Massachusetts residents ditch oil and gas furnaces (Yale Climate Connections), Heat pumps can decarbonize food and beverage processing, but report warns of bottlenecks (Utility Dive), 

• PENN. EXPLOSION: Sixth person dies from injuries suffered in Pennsylvania house explosion (AP), Homeowners were having issues with hot water tank before deadly blast in Pennsylvania, officials say (AP)

LNG: Industry plans thousands of miles of new gas pipelines to boost LNG exports (DeSmog)

OIL & GAS: Research suggests link between fracking, rare childhood cancers (The Hill, AP, E&E $), Millions in the US live near abandoned oil and gas wells linked to explosions and toxins (NBC), Texas pipeline firm Energy Transfer adds to shale holdings in $7.1 billion deal (Wall Street Journal $), US gas[oline] prices hit year high as market tightens (OilPrice), The latest front in the war against gas: Snack food (Washington Post $), Would you vote to halt drilling? In Ecuador, they’re getting the chance. (New York Times $)

PIPELINES: The Midwest is ground zero for the fight over carbon capture pipelines (Bloomberg $)

COAL: This bold plan to kick the world’s coal habit might actually work (Wired)

HYDROGEN: BP backs green hydrogen start-up aiming to cut fuel's costs (Reuters), Houston energy firm to produce clean hydrogen with natural gas at West Virginia facility (AP)

UTILITIES: Duke pitches new nuclear reactor at North Carolina coal plant (Bloomberg $), Duke's energy plan adds gas, renewables and nuclear (E&E $)

EVs: Charging problems threaten EV growth, report finds (E&E $), Electric bus maker Proterra’s bankruptcy reveals ‘finite window’ for EV startups (Bloomberg $), Texas and others create ‘punitive’ barriers to EV transition (E&E News)

AVIATION: US puts $235 million in startup making low-emission jets (Bloomberg $)

REPORTING: Following the science, above the ground and below (New York Times $)

SHIPPING: Shipping's greener fuel quest runs into climate complications (Bloomberg $)

BOOKS: A mind-infecting virus: The dark dreams of QAnon (FT $), Books for our new, climate-changed summers (Yale Climate Connections)

CARBON REMOVAL: Occidental to spend $1.1B on carbon removal startup (E&E $)

RELIGION: Threat from climate change to some of India’s sacred pilgrimage sites is reshaping religious beliefs (The Conversation)

WILDLIFE: A Nigerian forest and its animals are under threat. Poachers have become rangers to protect both (AP)

INTERNATIONAL: ‘We are facing dependence on China’: EU battles to support green industry (The Guardian), Bigger targets needed to spur premium for South African projects (Bloomberg $), EU greenhouse gas emissions fall 3% in the first quarter (Reuters), Europe space chief warns over political wavering on climate (Reuters), India approves $7 billion plan to electrify public transport (Bloomberg $), Norway oil fund chief attacks UK backlash against green measures (FT $), Heavy rain in Germany causes flooding and leads to flight cancelations in Frankfurt (AP)

• BRAZIL: Brazil to cap carbon emissions for large polluting companies (Bloomberg $), Brazil's Lula discussed with Biden climate change, job creation initiative (Reuters), Lula aide says no contradiction in backing new Brazil oil exploration fronts (Reuters)
• INDONESIA:  Indonesia delays $20bn green plan, after split with rich nations on grants and new coal plants (Climate Home, Reuters), Just energy transition partnerships and how they work (Bloomberg $)

• Why Texas regulators refuse to investigate role pipelines played in 2021 blackouts (Houston Chronicle, Chris Tomlinson column)
• The scourge of climate doomism (FT, Pilita Clark column $)
• Reform the permitting process to support a stronger economy for Alabama (Alabama.com, Cam Lanier op-ed)
• Consumers are seizing the energy transition from big business (Bloomberg, David Fickling column $)
• The Guardian view on protecting corals: what lies beneath matters too (The Guardian, Editorial board)
• India's coal emissions set for new highs on low-grade imports: Maguire (Reuters, Gavin Maguire column)
• It’s been one year since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed — here’s what we need to implement it (The Hill, Jackson Ewing op-ed)
• Sorry, kids, the courts won’t save the planet (Bloomberg, Mark Gongloff column $)
• For too long, my Chicago neighbors and I have lived with lead in our water. Enough is enough. (Chicago Tribune, Vanessa Bly op-ed)

Proterra Bankruptcy Shows Politics Trumps Economics Every Time Clean Tech Innovation Isn't Easy

Should government subsidies go to well-established technologies, industries, and companies (that make people sick and pollute the atmosphere)? Or should they be used to nurture emerging technologies, nascent industries, and fledgling companies (that protect the public from pollution)?

This shouldn't be a tough question. Public funds should be used for the public good, so if there's an issue where a new technology needs to supplant an old one, it makes sense for the government to subsidize those companies by taking on bets that are perhaps too risky or not profitable enough for the market. When it comes to a challenge as big as climate change, there are plenty of potential technological solutions out there, but it can be difficult to figure out the path from research and development across the infamous "valley of death" to widespread adoption. Yes, some companies will fail, but as long as others succeed, then overall, the technology and investments are a success. 

That's exactly what happened a decade ago, when Republicans turned the bankruptcy of Solyndra, a solar panel startup, into an indictment of the Obama-era investments in clean energy. They of course ignored the fact that the overall loan program that Solyndra was part of went on to recoup all its costs and make a ton of money for taxpayers.

Ever since, Republicans have been searching for another example of a failed bet on clean tech. 

Last week, they got it. 

As Allison Fisher and the Media Matters for America crew explained yesterday, "Right-wing media tried and failed to make electric bus company Proterra 'Biden's Solyndra'". Citing Fox and The Washington Times and Red State and Newsmax, Media Matters documents plenty of examples, but even that is just the start. MRCTV, The Washington Free Beacon, the Washington Examiner, Townhall, and of course, The Wall Street Journal also celebrated Proterra’s bankruptcy, though they stopped just shy of making the direct comparison to Solyndra. 

But here’s the rub: as Canary Media columnist Michael Grunwald pointed out, the same day that Proterra declared bankruptcy, so did the trucking company Yellow — despite receiving a $700 million loan from the Trump administration. "This failed Trump loan is a WAY worse scandal than Solyndra," Grunwald said, because "Solyndra wasn't a real scandal. It was a reasonable bet on an innovative firm that the Bush DOE had put at the top of the list. It failed because solar got cheap, but the clean energy loan program made money for taxpayers. Yellow was a political scam." 

Guess which bankruptcy all the supposedly budget-minded conservatives are upset about? 

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