One single crazy kayaker

"If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land."

Author

Brad Johnson
June 14, 2022

PRESENTED BY BEAVER INCIDENT

“Saw one crazy single kayaker coming down through, which was kind of insane”: after record rains, Yellowstone National Park is closed by extreme flooding that has washed out roads and bridges.

The water in central Chile is disappearing amid “a historic 13-year drought,” aka fossil-fueled desertification. “We have to beg God to send us water,” a local tells Reuters reporter Alexander Villegas.

France and Spain are baking under extreme heat, and the Agence France-Presse is remarkably clear why:

Recent science has shown beyond any doubt that climate change has already increased the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, and that worse is on the horizon no matter how quickly humanity draws down carbon pollution.

Contrast this to the wishy-washy Associated Press, making the classic type II attribution error:

Scientists say climate change is responsible for more intense and more frequent extreme events such as storms, droughts, floods and wildfires, though single weather events usually cannot be directly linked to climate change without extensive study.

In very hot, very dry California, the fossil-fueled Sheep Fire is exploding in size, threatening San Bernadino.

The Sheep Fire. Credit: Kyle Grillot, Reuters

STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: The Biden administration is taking the crucial step of establishing standards for electric-vehicle charging and has $7.5 billion to support building stations—as Brian Kahn writes, that is “great as a down payment, but a speedy, standardized charging network that spans the U.S. is going to cost a lot more.”

The Bureau of Land Management has approved the Arica and Victory Pass photovoltaic solar power projects for the southern California desert, which will provide 465 megawatts of electricity, “enough to power more than 130,000 homes.”

The Department of Energy has proposed higher energy-efficiency standards for residential gas furnaces, which isn’t as good as getting rid of them all together, but hey.

Governors Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) and Mark Gordon (R-Wyo.) will testify on the catastrophe of methane pollution from their out-of-control fracking industries. Though I’m guessing they’ll claim everything is under control.

House Foreign Affairs is reviewing the budget request for the Peace Corps, Development Finance Corporation, and Millennium Challenge Corporation, all of which the Biden administration has been pushing towards climate action. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.) chairs a hearing on the safety of freight rail, which transports a lot of coal, oil, and even liquefied natural gas. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) chairs an all-male panel on the future of weather research.

The Senate Energy Committee, chaired by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), is voting on the nominations of earthquake specialist David Applegate to be director of the U.S. Geological Survey, Puerto Rican diplomat Carmen Cantor to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular and International Affairs, and MIT Course 2 head Evelyn Wang to be director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.

After voting on the nominees, the committee will hold a hearing on the epic, fossil-fueled Western drought, though I’m sure Manchin and the Republicans will somehow manage to argue that we need to burn more fossil fuels and cut down more trees to help out.

JERBS: Oil Change International is seeking a United States program co-manager ($90K-$105K, remote). NRDC’s science office is hiring a peer review director (PhD required, $125K-$140K, DC/NYC/Chicago).  

The Progressive Caucus is hiring: Rep. Doris Matsui (Calif.-06) seeks a legislative assistant to focus on a portfolio of energy, environment, and climate; Frederica Wilson (Fla.-24) is hiring a legislative assistant or counsel with a broad portfolio; Lois Frankel (Fla.-21) is hiring a legislative assistent for energy & water appropriations and other issues; Joe Neguse (Colo.-02) is looking for a Judiciary Committee legislative assistant; Jan Schakowsky (Ill.-09) is hiring a staff assistant/legislative correspondent.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) seeks a legislative correspondent responsible for environment, climate, interior, transportation, and infrastructure (job # 227893, deadline Friday). Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D-Ohio) Banking committee is seeking applicants for fall internships, open to full-time undergraduate, graduate, law students, or recent graduates (job #227851, deadline Friday). Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is seeking a legislative assistant to manage a portfolio covering energy, climate change, and transportation (job #227820).

Hearings on the Hill:

Finally: Hiroko Tabuchi exposes vegan leather and the corrupt Higg Index.

Thanks for subscribing and spreading the word. DMs are open—@climatebrad

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