The Biden Climate Effect

PRESENTED BY PERCEPTIONWARE AND WEATHERWAVE

The Joe Biden climate effect has been measured: the first year of the Green-New-Deal-influenced Inflation Reduction Act created 150,000 clean-energy jobs, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s clean-air rules will save 200,000 lives unless they’re overturned by Donald Trump.¹

Building new transmission lines for America’s burgeoning solar and wind farms continues to be a challenge for implementing the Biden clean-energy vision. CNN’s Ella Nilson and Bill Weir have a fun explainer about how utilities across the nation are realizing that if they build renewable plants right next to the old coal-fired power plants they’re replacing, they don’t need new power lines.

SUMMER FUN TRAVEL REPORT: Ohio is experiencing its worst drought in decades, and its farmers are struggling. The rain in Spain is coming to an end. Wildfires scorching northern Portugal have killed at least 6 people, including four firefighters. Floods across 14 central and West African nations have killed about 1000 people and affected at least 4 million people, even as Zimbabwe prepares to kill 200 elephants to mitigate famine during its drought. The number of people in Myanmar who have died in floods and mudslides unleashed by Typhoon Yagi rose to more than 220, with nearly 80 others still missing. The fossil-fueled Yagi has claimed more than 500 lives across southeast Asia. Shanghai has been struck by Typhoon Bebinca, its strongest since 1949. At least 19 people have died from the catastrophic flooding that has overwhelmed eastern Europe, as the Danube continues to swell. Climate scientist Friederike Otto tells Ajit Niranjan:

To that point, a stunning report from E&E News’ Thomas Frank finds that U.S. government agencies are ignoring the deadly threat of rising heat due to global warming:

On the good side of the ledger, the United Kingdom High Court struck down the construction of a new coal mine because of its threat to climate.

Now, to the cheery plastics beat: Scientists are really only in the early stages of measuring how petrochemicals are leaching into our brains and bodies. Looking at the big picture, researcher Birgit Geueke and others investigated the 14,000 known chemicals used in food packaging materials, and found that at least one quarter can be found in human blood and tissue samples. Shrink-wrap that! Meanwhile, Luís Fernando Amato-Lourenço and colleagues sniffed out the microplastics residing in the olfactory bulb of our brains. As scientist Phoebe Stapleton told CNN’s Sandee LaMotte:

Responding to the rising risk of pervasive petrochemical penetration, North Carolina, New Mexico and New Jersey are formally demanding that the EPA start to regulate PFAS air pollution.

In a shocking turn of events, the fossil-fuel industry wants Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) to veto the Climate Change Superfund Act, which will collect about $75 billion from oil and gas companies for a climate insurance fund.

And now, a word from our sponsors: George Monbiot offers an excellent warning against climate perceptionware. To keep your day moving, here’s eight hours of Weather Channel vaporwave, from chyllvester:

Climate Action Today:

• 9 PM: Climate Voters for Harris-Walz
  Phone Bank with Washington LG Denny Heck

Thanks for subscribing and spreading the word. If you’ve got job listings, event listings, or other hot news, I want to hear it. Connect with me—@[email protected], @climatebrad on Threads, and @climatebrad.hillheat.com on BlueSky.

Speaking of pervasive petrochemical pollution, the DC press corps is gasping from the toxic influence of their Big Oil sponsors. Today:

• The Axios Generate climate-politics newsletter is Presented by ExxonMobil

• The Politico Power Switch climate-politics newsletter is Presented by Enbridge

• The Punchbowl News AM DC-politics newsletter is Presented by Chevron

This would be illegal in the Hague!

1  The other big Biden climate effect is the surging oil and gas production during his presidency.