Wait, What? BP CEO Argues For More Oil and Gas Spending To Solve Climate Crisis: CEO Bernard Looney reaffirmed the energy giant’s fossil fuel spending plans during International Energy Week in London, calling for an “orderly” energy transition and made the case that more oil and gas investment is needed to achieve net zero goals. “An energy system that works is one that provides energy that is secure and affordable as well as lower carbon — what’s known as the energy trilemma,” Looney told onlookers. “To solve it…we need to invest in today’s energy system, which is predominantly an oil and gas system.” Meanwhile, protestors from climate action group Fossil Free London lit flares and held banners blocking the entrance to the luxury hotel where the conference took place, chanting “Climate crisis is a plague, Bernard Looney to the Hague.” Earlier this month, BP reported a record net profit of $27.7 billion in 2022, more than double its 2021 total as the price of oil and gas spiked following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (CNBC, Bloomberg $)

Maryland Gov. Withdraws PSC Nomination of Methane Industry Official: Juan Alvarado, a senior director of energy analysis at the American Gas Association, was slated to join Maryland’s Public Service Commission, an entity that regulates Maryland’s methane industry. But concerns raised by environmental groups about elevating a fossil fuel industry official to a position that must help the state curb climate pollution put enough pressure on Alvarado and Gov. Moore to seek another candidate. The American Gas Association is the methane industry’s largest lobbying firm, and recently opposed a federal attempt to consider how methane affects climate change and environmental justice. “As we look ahead, my administration is fully committed to achieving Maryland’s bold and necessary climate, energy, and resilience goals,” Moore said in a statement.  “Our nominees to the Public Service Commission will be aligned with our administration’s goals, and we will work in partnership throughout this confirmation process to move Maryland forward.” Maryland is aiming to cut 60 percent of their climate pollution below 2006 levels by 2031, and ultimately achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. (AP, Inside Climate News, Baltimore Sun $, Washington Post $)

UN Scientists Want More Research and Regulation Before Considering Solar Geoengineering: A panel convened by the UN Environment Program warns that any solar geoengineering methods are not ready for deployment until there is more research and global regulation. Solar geoengineering consists of spraying sunlight-reflecting aerosols dozens of miles above the Earth's surface, which can theoretically change cloud density and temporarily lower average temperatures. The theory, even as an emergency measure, remains controversial because it doesn't address the root causes of climate change and could lead to unintended consequences like thinning the ozone layer that protects species from cancer-causing sun rays. Overall, the panel called for more research and regulation before any solar geoengineering is deployed. "This expert panel considers that the scientific, technical, social and environmental aspects of a large-scale deployment of SRM have not been fully assessed and deployment is not warranted at present," the report concludes. In response, more than 60 scientists across the globe penned a letter supporting more comprehensive investigation into solar engineering methods and outcomes. (Axios, E&E $)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Facing 'hostility,' climate migrants need help adjusting (E&E $), The American exception (New York Times $), Electric vehicle rebates and tax credits often favor higher-income people (Yale Climate Connections), Georgians plead with state officials to protect the Okefenokee from mining (Grist), In Finland, Indigenous rights take a backseat. again. (Grist), US sues chemical company over cancer risk to minority community (AP), One uprooted life at a time, climate change drives an American migration (NPR)

EPA: EPA puts state climate planning funds on tap (E&E $)

COURTS: Jeffrey Clark opens up about Trump and 'climate courts' (E&E $)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden is betting on government aid to change corporate behavior (New York Times $), 7 ways Jimmy Carter has improved America’s energy future—or tried to (Scientific American)

THE HILL: Rep. Garret Graves and House Republicans make their opening permitting pitch (Politico Pro $), Advocates seek to boost clean energy program in latest Farm Bill renewal (Energy News Network)

HOUSE: U.S. House Republicans target ESG investments in latest culture war salvo (Reuters)

KERRY: Brazil's Amazon must be protected to reach global climate goal, U.S. envoy says (Reuters), US climate envoy Kerry stresses will for Amazon cooperation (AP)

POLITICS: GOP governors tout green bona fides amid anti-ESG backlash (Bloomberg $), DeSantis, Pence allies launching campaign to speed energy approvals (Politico)

UNITED NATIONS: UN chief hails lawsuits against 'climate-wrecking' companies (E&E $), UN sets date for loss and damage talks, risking Asian no-show (Climate Home)

CITIES AND STATES: NYC’s shadow transit network seeks a greener future (Bloomberg $), Climate change sinks in on the parched Great Plains (E&E $), Philly gas customers to see lower bills starting Wednesday (Philadelphia Inquirer)

COLORADO: How Jared Polis plans to boost renewables the 'Colorado Way' (E&E $), Colo. senators pitch $60B forest, watershed restoration bill (E&E $)

WASHINGTON: Washington introduces ‘cap-and-invest’ program to charge companies for CO₂ emissions (NBC News), Washington state moves forward with program to charge companies for greenhouse gas emissions (CNBC), Washington state readies first carbon auction (E&E $)

IMPACTS: Recent deadly storms left California farmworkers reeling (Mother Jones), Fighting toxic air pollution (The Hill), Climate change increasing storm risks to coastal communities: study (The Hill), South Asia sweats as climate change fuels food risks, threatening ‘disaster’ for second year in a row (South China Morning Post)

HEAT: Extreme heat is a health crisis, Columbia experts say (AP), Extreme heat is a health crisis, scientists warn. and climate change is making it worse (TIME)

DROUGHT: Somalia drought ‘extremely critical’ but no famine projected (AP)

LAKES: Lake levels are rising across the world and climate change is to blame (New Scientist)

RENEWABLES: Falling prices in largest U.S. power market drive concerns (E&E $), Renewables gain traction as Ukrainians seek energy security (E&E $)

JOBS: America is trying to electrify. There aren’t enough electricians. (Wall Street Journal $)

CARS: Germany threatens to hold up EU’s combustion-engine car ban (AP)

SHIPPING: Russian diesel stuck at sea as mild temps fend off energy crisis (Bloomberg $)

MINERALS: Biden taps Cold War-era law to boost mineral supply chains (E&E $)

SCIENCE: Ice lab gets to the core of the climate crisis (Roll Call), Earth on the verge of crossing critical climate thresholds, Stanford study finds (Stanford Daily)

FINANCE: These ‘net-zero’ banks are still pretty big on big oil (Bloomberg $)

BROADCAST: How broadcast TV networks covered climate change in 2022 (Media Matters)

OIL & GAS: Biden faces dilemma in fight over large Alaska oil project (AP), Chevron boosts annual share buyback rate to $17.5 billion (Bloomberg $), European gas posts longest streak of monthly declines since 2020 (Bloomberg $), Oil posts fourth-straight monthly loss as slowdown fears persist (Bloomberg $), Record profit season is over for US shale (OilPrice)

METHANE: EPA's risky methane gambit: Let outsiders look for leaks (E&E $)

COAL: China’s coal build-out is a dirty, costly backup plan (Bloomberg $), China approved two new coal plants per week in 2022, study finds (EcoWatch)

WIND: Wind turbines are safer for birds than thought, power company says (Bloomberg $)

BIOMASS: EPA watchdog burns wood heater program (Politico Pro $)

NUKES: France calls for Europe to throw its weight behind nuclear power (Bloomberg $)

EVs: Tesla to build northern Mexico EV plant (Bloomberg $), Tesla’s 70% rally faces key test with Musk’s latest master plan (Bloomberg $)

SOLAR: As millions of solar panels age out, recyclers look to cash in (Yale Environment 360), Solar already Australia’s largest source of electricity as rooftop capacity hits 20GW, consultancy says (The Guardian)

HEAT PUMPS: Meet the heat pump: An old technology that’s the future of home heating (Canary Media)

ACTIVISM: “It’s almost like a cult.” Activists shout down rural renewable energy projects (Yale Climate Connections), Norway protests target wind farm on land used by herders (AP)

AVIATION: Airbus slams US Inflation Reduction Act for challenging European aerospace firms (Reuters), Scientists pour cold water on UK aviation’s net zero ambitions (The Guardian)

GRID: DTE Energy, Consumers Energy face power-outage challenges (AP), As utility costs rise, small business owners must get creative to save money (Philadelphia Inquirer)

FINANCE: US may need new trade agreements so EV makers can meet anti-China rules (Bloomberg $)

FOODIES: These foods are climate-friendly and, just as important, delicious (Washington Post $), How sugar kelp may help to tackle the climate crisis (The Guardian), Enbridge commits $1 bln to company turning food waste to energy (Reuters)

GEOENGINEERING: Could imitating volcanos fix the climate crisis? Science is spilt (Al Jazeera), Why climate credits for solar geoengineering are a bad idea (The Verge)

TREES: The little-known physical and mental health benefits of urban trees (Yale Climate Connections)

WILDLIFE: Endangered Mexican wolf population makes strides in US (AP), Animals and people are clashing more frequently thanks to climate change, new study says (Inside Climate News)

GREENWASHING: EU to crack down on greenwashing with ‘proportionate’ penalties (The Guardian)

WHALES: Why 23 dead whales have washed up on the east coast since December (New York Times $)

CHINA: The United States has caused the most global warming. When will China pass it? (Washington Post $)

INTERNATIONAL: Senegal's artists are fighting the system with a mic and spray paint (NPR), Europe’s green battery is recharging to ease the energy crunch (Bloomberg $), Total escapes court censure over East African oil pipeline (Climate Home), Kenya lifts ban on new power deals in green energy push (Bloomberg $), Iceland shows the world how to run on reliable, clean energy (Bloomberg $), Confusion surrounds China’s energy policies as GDP and climate goals clash (The Guardian)

• Transatlantic policy makers give hydrogen a clear mandate: scale now (Energy Monitor, Natalie Janzow, Oleksiy Tatarenko and Thomas Koch Blank op-ed)

   

• Fossil fuels kill more people than Covid. Why are we so blind to the harms of oil and gas? (The Guardian, Rebecca Solnit op-ed)

   

• Before the floods I thought climate change wasn’t my problem. Now, I’m not waiting for someone else to fix it (The Guardian, Ella Buckland op-ed)

   

• Why this needs to be the year Gulf Cooperation Council states take the lead in climate crisis mitigation  (The Hill, John B. Craig op-ed)

•  

  When the climate crisis brings despair, I cultivate my inner connection to nature – and find hope (The Guardian, Claire Ratinon op-ed)

EU Experts: Big Tech Turns Big Oil's Big Tobacco-Inspired Disinfo 'Into a Viable Business Model'

Hear, hear! It's hearing season in government buildings across the country, and Republicans are running the House of Representatives like a clown show, with hearings on permitting reform proposals to gut bedrock environmental protections that will go nowhere in an otherwise Democratically-controlled DC. The hearings will make it seem like they're working hard, just like a bill markup session they held yesterday. 

But adults are doing important work elsewhere. For example, climate hawk Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has the gavel of the Senate Budget Committee, and today he is convening a hearing on the economic risk that climate change poses to coastal communities.

And yesterday, the European Union's "Special Committee on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation" held a lengthy hearing, with three experts speaking on climate disinformation. 

Longtime climate disinformation researcher John Cook gave a great overview of climate disinformation narratives and measurements of what type of content is being spread online. In response to a question about the efficacy of attacks on scientists, the most common type of disinformation his research has found, Cook explained that it's the scientists harassed are the ones who publish the most impactful and persuasive studies, having the chilling effect of wasting researchers’ time and slowing them down, and giving people an excuse to deny the science. 

Cambridge psychologist Jon Roozenbeek made his point plainly and repeatedly, right from the title of his presentation: "The most harmful climate disinformation is partly true." He started with the example of the tobacco industry's disinformation playbook, as exposed in 1994 when "Mr. Butts" sent 4,000 tobacco docs to researchers. The tobacco industry used three tactics: sowing doubt about the science, counter-attacking scientists, and not lying too much so that their position remained defensible. 

The fossil fuel industry has, as we well know, followed the same playbook. That led Roozenbeek to three main conclusions: Climate disinfo is a serious rhetorical strategy; this strategy primarily targets policymakers, which is why disinfo needs to feel truthy; and that climate disinfo is used as a tactic in public relations campaigns to delay and soften climate legislation. 

He told the EU policymakers it is a "mistake to assume that many of these arguments are made in good faith" because "the point is not to have an honest discussion about the best way to fight climate change." 

Next, disinformation expert Jennie King of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue explained how disinformation warps public understanding of issues and makes it more difficult "to build a public mandate based on credible science" to meet the EU's policy commitments. 

COVID-19 was a "crucible" for the digital disinformation ecosystem, and "the trauma of that period is being weaponized by climate deniers," who cultivated new conspiratorial audiences with vaccine denial. White supremacists and anti-Semites found the narrative around COVID lockdowns to be "fertile soil" for spreading hate and "mobilizing a more general public audience" of people who haven’t been exposed to these narratives in this way before.

King told the European Parliament members that there is a widespread "erosion of trust" in elected bodies, scientists, media, etc., with a "mass of baseless claims and propaganda" drowning out legitimate questions and concerns about climate policy.  

She explained how the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition has found that the spread of disinformation is being "fueled and compounded by weaknesses" in online platforms, as vulnerabilities allow mis/disinfo to rise to the top and dominate discussions of climate policy, at a time when the IPCC says there is "a brief and rapidly closing window to act." 

Flaws in online spaces are exploited by fossil fuel companies, those with vested interests, and hostile actors who see climate as another axis to spread distrust, drive division, and weaken democratic processes in the EU and around the world. 

Between the three Big Tech problems related to advertising, monetization, and amplification, social media has "created a funding model" for disinformation that goes beyond the disinfo that is funded directly by the industry and by conservative billionaires. Thanks to how easy it is to game social media with outlandish claims and vile hate speech, social media companies have turned disinformation "into a viable business model." 

So while it may be a tall order to get Big Oil to stop using the Big Tobacco playbook, the least companies like Google and Facebook could do, if they're not too busy bragging about how much they care about climate change, is not help disinfluencers make money from lying to users. 

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