JUNE 23, 2022
Updated: Sep 6, 2022
Dear Friends:
Want to highlight climate change impacts – extreme weather conditions, especially heat, mitigation setbacks, assessing Ukraine war impact on climate policy.
Belle, Victoria and the Climate Team
Links to Articles
EXTREME WEATHER
Extreme weather is tormenting every U.S. region, and it’s far from over
Excessive heat, violent storms, flooding and fires are all afflicting the Lower 48 states. Nearly every corner of the Lower 48 is dealing with some sort of wild weather, with fires, floods, tornadoes and a punishing heat wave all wreaking havoc.
Forgotten Victims: Animals Swelter, Die in Heat
HEAT
US temperatures hit record levels as south-west bakes in heatwave
Phoenix reported 114F, Las Vegas soared to 109F and Denver hit 100F, while inland areas of California reached triple digits
Scientists also say more frequent and intense heatwaves are likely in the future because of the climate crisis and a deepening drought in the American west.
Burning planet: why are the world’s heatwaves getting more intense?
Heat waves, floods, rains sign of India's climate change battles
The specter of climate change is here to stay and even worsen, say climate scientists as searing winds blow across swathes of north India, including Delhi where temperatures have crossed 49 degrees.
Over 15 locations broke their all-time records, including 6 that smashed their previous all-time record high by 1°C or more.
Medical Concerns Rising about Heat Impacts
GHG EMISSIONS – MITIGATION TRENDS
The invasion of Ukraine will, at least initially, complicate the transition path to a net-zero economy, but this tragic development could still prove to be a turning point in accelerating progress in the medium run.
Could Google's Carbon Emissions Have Effectively Doubled Over Night?
A new report suggests the money that Big Tech companies keep in the banking system can do more climate damage than the products they sell.
By Bill McKibben
Offset markets struggle in the face of surging commodity prices
Prices of carbon offsets are too low
Carbon Capture: A brief Guide to CO2 removal
The Science of Climate Change Explained: Facts, Evidence and Proof (article attached)
Definitive answers to the big questions.
CLIMATE POLICY
Jimmy Carter, at 97, Steps Into a Big Fight Over a Small Road in Alaska
The legal battle over the gravel route could gut an environmental law that the 39th president called one of his highest achievements.
Biden Administration, Settling a Long Feud, Moves to Block a Mine in Alaska
The E.P.A. has proposed to ban the disposal of mining waste in the Bristol Bay watershed, a decision that very likely means the end of the Pebble Mine project.
ELECTRIFICATION
San Anselmo requires new homes to be all electric
From Nuclear to Hydro – Climate Slamming Electric Production
RENEWABLES
As Coal Fades, a West Virginia Wind Farm Draws Support
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
How Australia’s electoral system allowed voters to finally impose a ceasefire in the climate wars
By Michael Mann and Malcolm Turnbull
Corporations Pledge to Buy ‘Green’ at Davos Gathering
A global buyers’ club of more than 50 companies, including Microsoft and Ford Motor, say they will buy “green” steel, aluminum and other commodities by 2030.
The impact of the war in Ukraine on Europe’s climate and energy policy
By Sophie Pinkham
The cliché, avidly promoted by Moscow, is that Russia will be a relative winner in climate change, but a new book argues that the country will find itself in trouble.
BIDEN’S CLIMATE INITIATIVES
What America Needs Is a Liberalism That Builds (article attached)
President Biden Takes Bold Executive Action to Spur Domestic Clean Energy Manufacturing
June 6, 2022
INVOKING THE DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT FOR CLEAN ENERGY
Historic Actions Include Authorizing Defense Production Act to Lower Energy Costs, Strengthen Power Grid, and Create Good-Paying Jobs
Biden hosts climate meeting amid high gas price pressure
Equating the oil and gas industry to Big Tobacco, @antonioguterres said Friday that “fossil fuel producers and financiers have humanity by the throat.” But President Joe Biden wasn’t quite itching for a fight.
Biden Administration, Settling a Long Feud, Moves to Block a Mine in Alaska
The E.P.A. has proposed to ban the disposal of mining waste in the Bristol Bay watershed, a decision that very likely means the end of the Pebble Mine project.
PLASTICS
California bill would reduce single-use plastic products 25%
WILDFIRES
Scientists are mapping the riskiest areas for disastrous wildfire. These are the Bay Area hot spots
California Commission Deadlocks on Protecting Western Joshua Trees as Threatened Species
EDUCATION
Stanford’s New School of Sustainability Is a Gift to Fossil Companies