Unlocking The Secrets of the Octopus's Garden While Mourning Loss Of Thousands Of Emperor Penguin Chicks: Five years ago, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary researchers sent a camera two miles deep off the central California cost, and made a surprising discovery, NOAA marine biologist Andrew DeVogelaere told CBS: "thousands of pearly-colored octopus, all upside down, with their legs up in the air and moving around." Dubbed the "Octopus's Garden," in the years since researchers have sought to understand the behavior, and in a new study, DeVogelaere and co-authors explain why. "They were pushing away potential predators and turning over their eggs" to keep the water flow and oxygen levels consistent, as well as dramatically speed up the eggs' development. The Octopus's Garden is on top of a volcanic vent, warming the surrounding water and as a result, the eggs hatch in just 21 months, as opposed to the four years it takes for other deep-sea octopus eggs to mature. Sadly, warmth in the ocean is hurting, not helping, other marine life, as record melt of sea ice in Antarctica last year appears to have resulted in the complete loss of a generation of Emperor penguin chicks at multiple breeding grounds. Thousands of chicks who had not yet grown their insulating layer of feathers almost certainly died in the frigid waters when the sea ice beneath them broke up earlier than usual, a devastating event that portends a harrowing future for the iconic species beloved for their starring role in the children's film "Happy Feet." Half a world north, an effort is underway to protect the ocean waters and marine life around Baja, California from industrial fishing and unregulated tourism. “I’m supporting this with all I have because humanity needs it,” Cristina Mittermeier, a photographer, activist and marine biologist, told TIME. “Without stories, the ocean dies in silence.” (Penguins: AP, LA Times $, BBC, Science, Space.com, The Guardian, New York Times $,USA Today, Daily Beast, Inside Climate News; Octopus's Garden: CBS; Baja: TIME) 

Public Pays $13 Mil A Minute In Fossil Fuel Subsidies Despite Climate Damages Costing Twice Utility Company Profits: A new study published in Science yesterday calculated that if nearly 15,000 public companies had to pay for the carbon pollution they emit, it would reduce their profits by 44%. For utility companies, damages from pollution are twice their profits, and the authors told the AP the damages, though not calculated in the study itself, would run into the hundreds of billions for US companies, and into the trillions globally. Nevertheless, governments continue to subsidize fossil fuels, with the International Monetary Fund releasing an analysis tallying up $7 trillion in subsidies for the industry in 2022, meaning that even as unprecedented heat waves and simultaneous extreme weather events blow holes in household and public budgets alike, the industry responsible is receiving $13 million from the public every minute. (Subsidies: Bloomberg $, The Guardian, FT $ Damages: AP, Bloomberg $)

Can Tiny Forests Deliver Outsized Climate Benefits? Let's Hope! Good things may come in small packages, but is the same true for forests and climate? A new Tiny Forest craze is spreading, following what's become known as the Miyawaki Method (after its creator Dr. Akira Miyawaki) of densely planting three to five species per square meter, and layering low, medium, and tall plant species to create a miniature forest bursting with life. Neglected spaces like highway shoulders and junkyards can be planted and cultivated into tiny forests, delivering local benefits to people like lower temperatures and cleaner air, and habitat for animals that can take refuge in the miniature ecosystem. And crucially for the climate, these tiny forests mature ten times faster, reaching in just a couple decades the state of carbon-absorbing maturity that a normal forest needs a century to achieve. All that said, tiny forests are no replacement for the real thing, as they require consistent upkeep from locals and expect a significant mortality rate over the long term as the forest matures. “A Miyawaki forest may be like a drop of rain falling into the ocean,” Dr. Kazue Fujiwara told the New York Times, “but if Miyawaki forests regenerated urban deserts and degraded areas around the world it will create a river. Doing nothing is the most pointless thing.” (New York Times $)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) INJUSTICES: Maui fires renew centuries-old tensions over water rights. The streams are sacred to Hawaiians (AP), Asylum seekers in Greece ‘facing two great injustices of our time’ (The Guardian), Tropical storm Hilary and Maui fires show climate change is worsening homelessness (TIME)

GOP DEBATE: Presidential debate shows how GOP candidates are struggling to address concerns about climate change (AP), Republican activist says party ‘deserves to lose’ if it fails to address climate crisis (The Guardian), GOP debate: Is climate change real? Only one candidate raised their hand. (LA Times $), GOP stance on climate change in first Republican debate was a ‘disaster for the party’s brand’ (MSNBC), Sorry, Ramaswamy. The EPA administrator just shut down your whole climate change is a hoax thing (The Root), GOP candidates refuse to say climate change is caused by humans; Vivek Ramaswamy calls it a “hoax” (Democracy Now), Republican candidates spark outrage with sweeping climate crisis denial at debate (The Independent), ‘He’s an insider’: Ramaswamy’s deep ties to rightwing kingpins revealed (The Guardian), Climate change is still a huge electoral problem for Republicans (Slate), Climate change made it in the GOP debate. Some young Republicans say that's a win (NPR)

UPSETTING OFFSETTING: Carbon credit speculators could lose billions as offsets deemed ‘worthless’ (The Guardian), Carbon offsets to reduce deforestation are significantly overestimating their impact, a new study finds (Inside Climate News), A leading corporate strategy for battling climate change is ‘hot air,’ study finds The Hill), ‘Worthless’ forest carbon offsets risk exacerbating climate change (The Conversation, Julia P G Jones, Neal Hockley op-ed)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: How Moldova's climate plans are entangled with separatists, Russian troops (E&E $)

9:37 🚂 TO THE PETROCHEMICAL DYSTOPIA: Petroleum asphalt remains in Yellowstone River, even after cleanup from train derailment (AP)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Montana climate case could launch ripple effect in Mass., other states, advocates say (Boston Globe $), Win for Montana youth fuels another climate battle in Hawaii (E&E $), These veteran female activists are fighting a pivotal climate case with science (Nature), Environmental group suffers setback in legal fight to close California’s last nuclear power plant (AP), Campaigners threaten EU with legal action over climate policy (Reuters)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Countries launch fund to protect nature, U.N. calls for more money (Reuters), World must stop new unabated coal-fired power - U.S. climate envoy Kerry (Reuters), EU interest in UK wanes as commissioner goes green (FT $), EU’s new Green Deal chief to reach out to industry and voters (FT $), China, Australia raise climate change, security at Pacific leaders summit (Reuters), Special envoy Kerry says 1.5C target still ‘doable’ but will be ‘very difficult’ (The Independent)

(DEBUNKING) DENIAL: 'Delay and denial': Kerry attacks opponents of climate science (E&E $), More deaths from climate policies than climate change? Scientists say Ramaswamy’s claim is baseless (PolitiFact), Carbon dioxide helps plants grow. That doesn’t mean more of it is good for the planet (AP), Post about climate change being a land grab is parody (USA Today), Vivek Ramaswamy says ‘hoax’ agenda kills more people than climate change (Washington Post $)

GOP vs. ESG: Republican anti-ESG push complicates faith-based impact investing (National Catholic Reporter)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: Neighbors don’t want to be ‘test dummies’ for Biden’s carbon removal hubs (Bloomberg $), Republicans take aim at the ‘next Solyndra.’ Will voters care? (E&E $)

SEASONS TURN: Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte turns 20, whether you like it or not (AP), Extreme weather’s latest victim: the annual fun of fall foliage (Washington Post $), How climate change will hit holidaymaking (Economist), Where will the tourists go? Europe’s winning and losing destinations due to the climate crisis (El Pais)

NEAT: A first look from NASA's new air pollution satellite (New York Times $)

PFAS: Asian Americans have greater exposure to toxic ‘forever chemicals’ than other groups: study (The Hill), Plant-based straws touted as eco-friendly may contain toxic ‘forever chemicals’ (The Hill)

HERE, HAVE A SMILE…: USA's Katie Moon and Australia's Nina Kennedy decide to share women's pole vault gold medal (CBS)

…WE KNOW YOU NEED IT: The kids are not all right: How young people are dealing with increasing climate anxiety (CBC), In the Gulf of Maine, scientists race to save seabirds threatened by climate change (Environmental Health News)

DAS BIKE: On the streets of Berlin, bicycles have enriched city life — and stoked backlash (Inside Climate News)

AGENCIES: DHS, FEMA organizing extreme heat summit (The Hill), Judge OKs updated Great Lakes fishing agreement between native tribes, state and federal agencies (AP), PHMSA pushes new natural gas pipeline rule to reduce explosion risks (Politico Pro $)

EPA: Only 6% of gas capacity needs major changes to meet EPA’s proposed GHG rules: RMI report (Utility Dive)

DOE: DOE reports tout potential of U.S. wind power amid cost, supply chain constraints (Politico Pro $), DOE details wind’s post-climate law headaches, growth (E&E $)

DOI: Louisiana, API, Chevron sue to force Interior to expand offshore oil lease sale (Politico Pro $)

CALIFORNIA: California Is On the Verge of a World-Changing Climate Bill — But It’s in Trouble (Capital and Main)

IMPACTS: Canadian wildfires led to spike in asthma ER visits, especially in the Northeast (AP, The Hill), Flooding fills tunnels leading to Detroit airport, forces water rescues in Ohio and Las Vegas (AP), Heavy rains cause street flooding in the Detroit area, preventing access to Detroit airport terminal (AP), El Niño has started. Preparations must too (Economist)

HEAT: Risk of heat-related deaths has ‘increased rapidly’ over past 20 years (Carbon Brief), See you on Copacabana? Unusually balmy weather hits Brazil in a rare winter heat wave (AP), What happens when the heat repeats? (The Atlantic)

WILDFIRES: Firefighters in Greece struggle to control wildfires, including the EU’s largest blaze (AP), Wildfire that prompted evacuations near Salem, Oregon, contained (AP), As fires endanger the ‘lungs’ of Athens, Greek anger rises (New York Times $)

MAUI: Maui County sues power company, saying utility did not turn off electricity during deadly wildfires (AP), Maui utility may have compromised evidence in fire probe, lawyers say (Washington Post $), Maui officials blame utility for allowing deadly fire to start (New York Times $)

HURRICANES: Dominican officials inspect damage inflicted by Tropical Storm Franklin after heavy flooding kills 2 (AP)

WATER: Houston issues mandatory water restrictions due to intense heat, worsening drought (CNN), One man's quest to heal the oceans—and maybe save the world (TIME), NH's coastal communities are trying to protect drinking water access from climate change (NHPR)

DEFORESTATION: A tale of two biomes as deforestation surges in Cerrado but wanes in Amazon (Mongabay), Support grows for sustainable development, a ‘bioeconomy,’ in the Amazon (AP)

RENEWABLES: US offshore wind pushes ahead despite industry turmoil (Canary Media), Green energy groups step up training to close skills gap (FT $), A climate tech project's backers seek new model to ease community angst (Politico Pro $)

BATTERIES: Could sand be the next lithium? (Washington Post $), The search for winners in the new battery era (FT $)

COAL: Activists slam coal pollution from Indonesia’s production of ‘clean’ batteries (Mongabay)

NUKES: Japan begins releasing treated radioactive water at Fukushima (New York Times $)

UTILITIES: Utilities are becoming a risky business thanks to climate change (TIME)

GRID: Texans asked to reduce energy use again as ongoing heat wave strains power grid (Texas Tribune), Texas warns of potential Blackouts on extreme heat and low wind (Bloomberg $), What if your town doubled as a residential power grid? (New York Times $)

EVs: Acura, Honda EVs will adopt Tesla charging port (AutoNews)

ACTIVISM: Three climate protesters arrested at National Museum of Natural History (Washington Post $)

AI: The internet’s next great power suck (The Atlantic)

AGRICULTURE: Washington OKs killing 2 wolves in southeastern part of state after cattle attacks (AP)

CARS: Public consultation ‘overwhelmingly’ supports fuel efficiency standard for cars, Labor says (The Guardian)

FINANCE: Brazil aims to raise $2 bln in ESG sovereign bonds in September (Reuters), Norway has a chance to transform climate finance (FT $)

STEEL: Steel is getting cleaner (New York Times $)

WILDLIFE: Norway rebuilding reindeer fence along border with Russia to stop costly hooves’ crossings (AP), Canada: 14 whales have died at aquarium since 2019, exposé reveals (The Guardian)

INTERNATIONAL: Norway to spend $6 million a year stock-piling grain, citing pandemic, war and climate change (AP), Scholz pushes expansion of geothermal energy in Germany (Reuters), Climate climbdown kerfuffle (Politico EU)

• Hawai‘i, from ashes to sustainability (Science, Keolu Fox op-ed) 
• The age of climate disaster is here (Foreign Affairs, Alice Hill)
• Climate action requires interfaith collaboration (National Catholic Reporter, Editorial Board)
• The message from Ecuador is clear: people will vote to keep oil in the ground (The Guardian, Jonathan Watts)
• Solar and windfarm investment is drying up – and Australia needs a wake-up call on the future of the electricity grid (The Guardian, Adam Morton)
• Norway has a chance to transform climate finance (FT, Michael Grubb op-ed $)
• The extreme climate ride (Washington Post, Michael de Adder editorial cartoon $)
• Mapping trees in urban areas can help fight climate change (Next City, Rodrigo Fernandes)
• The U.K.’s windfall tax downfall (Wall Street Journal, The Editorial Board $)
• Biden pushes electric vehicles, which kill union jobs (Wall Street Journal, Linda McMahon and James Sherk $)
• ESG busters need a new playbook (Wall Street Journal, Paul H. Tice $)

LIVE KINDLY, But Post Snarky: 'Goop-esque' Luxury Brand Finds Virality Critiquing Consumerism 

In addition to once again showing how the fossil fuel industry and its stooges dominate Facebook ads and organic content, this week's edition of the Climate Monitor also covered how "a pro-climate brand discovered the secret sauce to going viral online." 

"Now, on the surface," Climate Monitor explained, "this account – and the brand behind it, LIVE KINDLY– is a luxury eco-friendly shopping experience that offers products in beauty, home, food, and fashion." With locations in glamorous "Los Angeles, New York, London, and Dubai" and numerous vegan-focused articles on its blog, "Live Kindly gives off a very strong Goop-esque vibe – an ultra-luxury, self-care-based climate activism experience." (For the uninitiated, Goop is actor Gwyneth Paltrow’s luxury wellness brand that has been accused of spreading medical misinformation.)

But despite its similarities with Goop, LIVE KINDLY regularly posts viral climate content, the tone and tenor of which targets Goop's elite spenders:

"Online, however, LIVE KINDLY has cultivated an incredibly strong presence in the climate-related space – a 'community of 774k+ planet champions' that pulls no punches when it comes to attacking people who harm the planet. With snarky posts that bash consumerism and billionaires (which is exactly how Gen Z likes their social media), the @livekindly Instagram account has amassed a lot of attention and a huge following."

What's more, they're multi-platform: 

"Their high-performing content isn’t just limited to Instagram. LIVEKINDLY also has a TikTok account that has amassed 125,000+ followers, which they use to post videos to 'de-influence' people from popular trends, products, and brands that harm the environment." 

"There is undoubtedly some irony at play here" because "this is a brand that hates capitalist consumerism… but also seems to position itself as a luxury experience based out of some of the world’s most expensive cities."

Nevertheless, as Climate Monitor explains, “By using some biting Gen Z humor and tapping into the 'give no f***s' energy that has permeated the Internet since the COVID-19 crisis, they have created a blueprint for how people can get important topics in the climate conversation to go viral. It’s an impressive feat – and a strategy that other pro-climate brands should definitely consider trying.”

Now, excuse us as we go read a LiveKindly post about how “Soon, [We’ll All] Be Wearing the Scent of Old Carbon Emissions!”

[Editor's Note: The Denier Roundup will be out next week, see you after Labor Day!]

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