AI Could Boost Climate Disinfo: Artificial intelligence stands poised to dramatically accelerate the spread of climate disinformation while consuming massive amounts of energy, belying claims it will address or even solve the climate crisis, a new report warns. “It’s not like AI is ridding us of the internal combustion engine," said Michael Khoo of Friends of the Earth, a member of the Climate Action against Disinformation, which issued the report. "People will be outraged to see how much more energy is being consumed by AI in the coming years, as well as how it will flood the zone with disinformation about climate change,” he added. AI queries could use as much as 10 times more computing power than a regular internet search, in some cases keeping coal-fired power plants running just to meet demand — on top of the energy required to manufacture the semiconductors and chips required. The spiking demand of AI and crypto mining operations "was literally keeping me up last night," DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Wednesday. Furthermore, the CAAD report warns, AI threatens to overwhelm the information marketplace with everything from deepfake videos to armies of bots inundating online platforms. “AI is perfect for flooding the zone for quick, cheaply produced crap. You can easily see how it will be a tool for climate disinformation." Khoo said. "We will see people micro-targeted with climate disinformation content in a sort of relentless way.” (AI threats: The Guardian, The Independent; Electricity demand: Washington Post $; Granholm: E&E $, Axios $; Semiconductor manufacturing: The Verge)

Biden Mentions Climate, Clean Energy In SOTU: Though not the focus of his third official State of the Union address, President Biden touted his efforts to "save the planet from the climate crisis," promote clean energy, and highlighted contrasts between himself and Republicans in a confrontational, overtly political speech. Bidem emphasized the creation of "tens of thousands of clean-energy jobs" including "launch[ing] the Climate Corps to put 20,000 young people to work in the forefront of our clean energy future." Referring twice to the "climate crisis" (as opposed to "climate change") he also called out Republicans denying the reality of climate change. "We are also making history by confronting the climate crisis, not denying it. I don’t think any of you think there’s no longer a climate crisis. At least I hope you don’t," Biden said. He did not mention the Inflation Reduction Act by name. “I’m taking the most significant action on climate ever in the history of the world,” Biden said. “I am cutting our carbon emissions in half by 2030.” (E&E News, New York Times $, Washington Post $, AP, Politico; IRA: E&E News; Guests: E&E $, New York Times $)

EV's Won't Solve 'Car Harm' Analysis Warns: Even if every car in the world were an EV, it would not mitigate some of the most ruinous effects of car-centric infrastructure, a new analysis cautions. The analysis of roughly 400 papers, published in the Journal of Transport Geography, finds "car harm[s]" — everything from the environmental and opportunity costs of road and parking infrastructure to death and injury caused when cars hit people — will continue regardless of vehicles' propulsion system. Cars kill more than 700 children every day worldwide, they disproportionately kill Black and Indigenous people in the U.S., and SUVs are eight times more likely to kill children than regular cars. “It’s quite a grim paper,” Patrick Miner, lead author and a PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh, told Bloomberg. Even as pedestrian deaths in the U.S. hit a 42-year high in 2022, more than half of funding under the 2021 infrastructure law is going to highways. The crises of car harm require policy- and city planning-level solutions, author and dean of the Global School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute Mimi Sheller told Bloomberg, adding that language also plays a key role in how we think about car harm. "You don’t say, ‘A person was hit by a car’,” said Sheller. “You say, ‘A driver crashed into a bicyclist, killing them.’ Make it the active voice. Identify the subject — who’s doing it." (Bloomberg $)

9:37 🚂 TO THE PETROCHEMICAL DYSTOPIA: Deliberate toxic burn following Norfolk Southern derailment was not necessary, safety regulator testifies (CNN, HuffPost)

THE OBVIOUS TRIGGER WARNINGS APPLY: In rural India, climate migrants 'have hysterectomies to survive' (Context), Female genital cutting continues to increase worldwide (New York Times $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Brussels warns of water conflict danger in EU (E&E $)

DENIAL & DISINFO: PragerU is a conservative video giant. Here's why it's trying to get into schools (NPR)

ACTIVISM: Twenty-five trailblazing women leading the fight against climate change (Reuters), How is Europe cracking down on climate protests? (Context)

CULTURAL RESILIENCE: As climate change fractures communities, folklorists help stitch them back together (Grist)

EPA: What EJ leaders want from EPA’s gas rule do-over (E&E $), Watchdog: EPA has spent 6% of infrastructure funds (E&E $)

DOI: Biden admin readies plan to save the sage grouse (E&E $)

SEC: The SEC’s new climate disclosure rule already faces legal challenges (The Verge), Green groups decry SEC’s climate disclosure rule as too weak (Bloomberg $), Making sense of the SEC's climate move (Axios), Reworked SEC climate rule fails to assuage Hill critics (E&E $), SEC climate rule offers escape hatch to corporations, critics say (E&E $)

TREASURY: Treasury halts plan to seek property insurers’ climate data (E&E $)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden’s climate chief says clean energy spending is winning over Americans (Politico), Podesta touts Biden's climate law, lays out COP29 vision (Axios), Podesta's first day as US global climate boss (E&E $), US climate envoy john Kerry is giving up the job title — but not the fight (NPR), Biden jump-starts EV-charging standards debate (E&E $)

THE HILL: US Democrats urge antitrust regulator to probe oil, gas mergers (Reuters)

ELECTIONS: Biden makes the case on climate (New York Times $)

TRIBES: Apache Stronghold lost this Oak Flat mine battle. But it's not over. Here's what's next (Arizona Republic), Indigenous and queer allies mourn the death of Nex Benedict, call for solidarity (Prism Reports)

CITIES AND STATES: States eye rescue of retiring coal plants (E&E $), Wyoming considers relaxing its carbon capture standards for electric utilities, scrambling political alliances on climate change and energy (Inside Climate News), As Inslee’s final legislative session ends, more work remains to cement climate legacy (AP), New Mexico halts some oil-field lease sales in standoff over royalty rates in Permian Basin (AP), DeSantis insists Florida’s largest insurer is broke. It has $5B. (E&E $)

• CALIFORNIA: Voters in car-centric L.A. approve Measure HLA to make room on streets for bikes, buses (LA Times $)

FERC: Democrats push FERC to boost grid upgrades (E&E $), FERC orders Spire pipeline operator to ramp up restoration efforts (E&E $)

TEXAS WILDFIRES: How climate change primed Texas to burn (Grist), Power lines ignited the largest wildfire in Texas history, officials say (AP), Xcel Energy admits it was ‘involved in ignition’ of Texas’s Smokehouse Creek fire (The Guardian, Texas Tribune, Axios, Wall Street Journal $, The Verge, New York Times $, USA Today, Reuters, Washington Post $)

DROUGHT: Winter storms help end ‘snow drought’ across parts of the US West (The Hill)

WATER: Colorado River states have two different plans for managing water. Here's why they disagree (KUNC)

(DE)FORESTATION: UN climate fund axes Nicaragua forest project over human rights concerns (Climate Home)

OCEANS: We’ve made a cosmic choice for Earth’s oceans (The Atlantic)

RENEWABLES: Solar panels spread across America's heartland as farmers chase stable returns (Bloomberg $), Global wind output primed for new peak as spring breezes blow (Reuters), US sets new clean power installation record in 2023 (Politico Pro $), How wind power and Indigenous rights clashed in Norway (Bloomberg $), US solar wafer build stutters as Chinese surplus bites (Reuters)

BUILDINGS: Span’s plan to get its smart electrical panels into more homes (Canary Media)

LNG: How safe are LNG terminals? Nearby communities have no way of knowing (Canary Media), Hundreds of green groups urge Biden to expand LNG freeze (E&E $), LNG exports from Mexico in limbo while pipeline project plows ahead (Inside Climate News)

OIL & GAS: Fossil fuel firms seek UN carbon market cash for old gas plants (Climate Home)

PLASTICS: First-ever study ties microplastics to higher heart, death risks (E&E $)

COAL: UBS ditches Credit Suisse plan to phase out coal financing (Bloomberg $)

GRID: MISO proposes up to $23B transmission expansion with 765-kV ‘highway’ (Utility Dive), Proposed transmission line for renewable power from Canada to New England canceled (AP)

EVs: EVs will be cheaper to produce than gas-powered cars within 3 years, market research firm says (The Hill)

POP CULTURE: The best climate change movies and TV series of 2023 (Yale Climate Connections), Video game teaches teens to stay calm in a weather emergency (Yale Climate Connections)

WHAT'S IN AN EPOCH?: Quest to declare Anthropocene an epoch descends into epic row (The Guardian)

INTERNATIONAL: Europe faces 3°C of global warming. Here’s how it plans to cope (Bloomberg $), EU climate policies in peril as parliament faces shift to the right (Energy Monitor), Europe's mild winter leaves gas stocks at record high (Reuters), Indian government panel backs higher carbon tax on coal imports (Reuters)

• Measure HLA win shows Angelenos really do want walkable, bikeable, safer streets (LA Times, Editorial Board $)
• Why EPA can cut carbon pollution from power plants without sacrificing grid reliability (Utility Dive, Dena Adler and Jennifer Danis op-ed)
• Exxon barges in on hess deal (Bloomberg, Matt Levine column $)
• Are utility companies heroes or villains of the climate change saga? (LA Times, Sammy Roth column $)
• SpaceS launch opens new front in climate fight (Bloomberg, Michael Bloomberg op-ed $)

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