In continuing coverage of the “Inflation Reduction Act”, which was passed by the US Senate over the weekend, the Guardian says the bill “is a far cry from Biden’s original ambition, but it nonetheless represents victory for the president”. The paper says the bill would invest nearly $375bn in climate change over the decade – including $60bn for a clean energy manufacturing tax credit and $30bn for a production tax credit for wind and solar. The paper also notes a late addition to the bill that would designate $4bn to combat a mega-drought in the west. Elsewhere, Bloomberg says the bill would force oil companies to pay more for drilling on federal land. And Forbes says the bill could “help boost struggling nuclear plants” thanks to a new tax credit. Separately, Bloomberg says the bill will allow the US to develop more offshore wind, by reversing a ban on wind energy leases for US territories. The Wall Street Journal calls the bill a “big win” for “green-home remodellers”, noting that it “reshapes tax credits on home improvements”. Meanwhile, the New York Times carries a piece headlined: “Electric cars too costly for many, even with aid in climate bill”. Politico says the bill “is raising several critical energy questions for the nation’s climate future”, including where new wind turbines and solar panels will go. Reuters and the Hill also summarise key points from the bill.

Reuters reports that the measures would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, relative to 2005 levels. However, it adds that “a good chunk of the bill” will be used for “supporting fossil fuel development by protecting federal drilling auctions and supporting upgrades of coal and gas facilities – concessions required to win over West Virginia’s Democratic Senator Joe Manchin in the party-line vote.” The Washington Post notes the bill was “largely the product of private negotiations between Manchin and Schumer”, meaning that “rank-and-file Democrats were not privy to the pair’s compromises on fossil fuels, including a requirement for the Interior Department to hold oil and gas lease sales before approving rights-of-way for renewable energy projects on public lands”. BusinessGreen lists 10 ways the bill will “turbocharge US climate action”. The Washington Post outlines how the bill got “off life support”. Meanwhile, BusinessGreen quotes reactions to the bill from “Green business figures, politicians, energy experts, economists, and climate groups”. The Guardian notes that the bill must now go through the House, adding that Democratic leaders have expressed confidence that it will pass. DeSmog says Democratic senator Bernie Sanders “was happy to support” the bill, but called it a “very modest step forward” which “doesn’t go anywhere near as far as it should”. The New York Times calls the bill a “merger of multiple priorities, any one of which would typically be a significant legislative victory, and several of which had eluded Democrats for many years”, in a piece entitled “Biden is on a roll that any president would relish. Is it a turning point?” Similarly, the Washington Post has published a piece on Biden’s “hot streak”.

In other US news, the Independent reports that Biden has visited Kentucky in the aftermath of flash flooding at the end of July. According to the paper, Biden called the floods “another sign of dangerous climate change” and pledged more money to the state. The Guardian, the New York Times, CNN, the Hill and Reuters also cover Biden’s tour of the state.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued a level three health alert for the coming week, the Guardian reports. According to the paper, temperatures are expected to reach the mid-30s C from midday on Tuesday to 6pm on Saturday this week. This is the second health warning of the summer, as a level four alert was issued for the 40C heat last month, it adds. The newspaper continues: “As England experiences its driest eight months from November to June since 1976, the warning comes with recommendations to avoid barbecues due to dry conditions and points to a heightened risk of wildfires like those seen in last month’s heatwave.” Level three alerts require social care and healthcare services to “target specific actions at high-risk groups”, the Financial Times notes. The Independent adds that the hot weather will not reach the same temperatures as the July heatwave, but will last longer. Elsewhere, the Scotsman reports that Edinburgh will be hotter than Portugal this week. Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph reports that according to Met Office figures, south-east England has seen 144 days with little or no rain – the most in nearly half a century. Hosepipe bans have been implemented in response to the drought and could remain in place until October, the Independent reports. It adds that in July, England recorded just 35% of its average rainfall. Separately, the paper has published “before and after photos” of UK reservoirs.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to ban new bonuses for water company executives until more leaks are fixed, the Independent reports. The paper notes that water company executives paid themselves £27m in bonuses in two years, while 2.4bn litres of water leaks every day. Analysis by the party finds that “executives at England’s water and sewage companies were paid £48m in 2020 and 2021, including £27.6m in bonuses, benefits and incentives”, the Guardian adds. Separately, the Daily Telegraph says: “Water companies are increasing efforts to find and fix leaks when a drought is looming, prompting accusations they are waiting until a crisis to act.”

Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that Europe is facing its “worst drought ever”. Separately, the paper says: “The EU European Drought Observatory has calculated that 45% of the bloc’s territory was under drought warning by mid-July, with 15% already on red alert”. The Daily Telegraph notes that “Four major European countries have introduced emergency measures to save water as temperatures are set to top 40C in parts”. This comes as the Financial Times reports that Norway will curb its electricity exports due to low reservoir levels. The paper says: “Norway is to curb electricity exports to Europe if water levels for its hydropower plants remain low in a blow to hopes that the Nordic country could help ease its neighbours’ energy concerns ahead of a difficult winter. Under political pressure from high local electricity prices despite abundant hydropower resources, Norway’s centre-left government decided on Monday to prioritise refilling its reservoirs when their water levels are below seasonal averages.” The Guardian adds: “The move is a blow to the UK, as well as countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, which rely on cheap Norwegian hydropower.” The Times says: “Ministers have insisted that Britain will have the electricity it needs to prevent blackouts this winter after Norway confirmed that it was considering plans to ration power exports.” Elsewhere, Reuters reports that “France’s nuclear power regulator has extended temporary waivers allowing five power stations to continue discharging hot water into rivers”.

China’s national observatory on Monday “continued to issue an orange alert” for high temperatures as an “intense heatwave lingers in multiple regions” of the country, reports Xinhua. The state news agency writes that during daylight hours on Monday, some provinces are “expected to experience high temperatures over 35C”, according to the National Meteorological Center. Temperatures in parts of Shaanxi, Hubei and Chongqing may surpass 40C, the article adds, according to the centre. Citing the centre, the article says that “measures should also be taken to prevent fires caused by excessive power load on wires and transformers due to excessive electricity consumption”. China Daily also covers the heatwave, saying that the “persistent” heatwave, which has “smothered many parts” of China for the past week, is set to “linger for another week”. The “unusual” heat “will not subdue until mid-August due to the influence of strong subtropical high pressure”, the state-run newspaper adds, quoting meteorologists.

Meanwhile, Xinhua carries an article featuring a “virtual power plant” at a “shopping mall in the heatwave-hit Jiangsu Province”. Yang Kun, executive president of the China Electricity Council, a non-profit supervised by the National Energy Administration (NEA), is quoted saying: “[I]nstalled in heavy consumers such as factories, it [a virtual power plant] controls electrical appliances, including air conditioners and lights. Without affecting  normal operation, it helps maintain the balance of electrical supply and demand through accurate power management.”

Separately, Xinhua reports that Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina met with visiting Chinese state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi, with both sides “vowing to strengthen partnership and deepen bilateral cooperation”. The news agency reports: “China is willing to enhance the dovetailing of the Belt and Road Initiative with Bangladesh’s Vision 2041, share development experiences  and advanced technologies, and deepen cooperation in infrastructure, digital economy, green development and clean energy, said [Wang].”

Elsewhere, an article, titled: “Overseas investors find sweet spots in China’s green transition”, by China Daily, says that foreign enterprises have “ridden the wave of China’s green transition over the past decade, as the country’s long-term pursuit of low-carbon and sustainable growth nurtures new business opportunities”.

“Boris Johnson and both Conservative leadership candidates have ruled out an emergency cost of living Budget until the next prime minister is chosen, amid calls led by Gordon Brown for immediate action,” the Daily Telegraph reports. The paper continues: “Figures close to Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak indicated on Monday that they would not meet to discuss any announcements before the new prime minister is unveiled on 5 September… It means Britons will have to wait until 6 September at the earliest for any changes amid the escalating cost of living crisis, with inflation at a 40-year high and energy bills continuing to rise. No 10 instead pointed to the £37bn of financial support already announced during Johnson’s premiership.” The Times quotes a government spokesperson saying: “By convention it is not for this prime minister to make major fiscal interventions during this period. It will be for a future prime minister.” Separately, the Times reports that the cost of living crisis has been “largely absent from this Tory leadership campaign”, in a piece outlining how energy prices are likely to evolve over the coming months and years. Elsewhere, the Independent says that Labour has “attacked the ‘zombie’ Tory government”, while the Guardian reports that Johnson has been accused of allowing a “summer drift” on cost of living. And the Scotsman reports that Nicola Sturgeon has urged Johnson to bring forward an emergency meeting on the cost of living. Elsewhere, the Times has quoted former Brexit minister Lord Frost and Liz Truss supporter, who said that “the next prime minister should stop focusing on ‘medieval technology’ like offshore wind turbines and promoting ‘unsatisfactory’ electric cars”.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey says that the new UK prime minister “should cancel the £1,400 energy price cap increase in October in a new ‘energy furlough scheme’ and government should absorb the £36bn cost of the hike”, the Guardian reports. According to the paper, Davey has warned that neither Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak “appeared to have any policies that grasped the magnitude of what could happen this autumn”. And the Guardian reports that MP Chris Skidmore – head of the Conservative Net Zero Support Group – has urged the next prime minister to reinstate the role of minister for climate change. In other UK news, the Guardian reports that “ScottishPower is planning to build a £150m green hydrogen plant at the Port of Felixstowe to power trains, trucks and ships”.

Bloomberg reports that German and French energy prices “hit record highs as a heatwave bolstered demand, putting pressure on energy supplies ahead of the critical winter period”. German power contracts rose as much as 1.8% to €414 per megawatt hour, before paring gains to trade little changed, notes the outlet. It details that “a long drought has sapped reservoirs and rivers that provide a vital source of low-carbon power in places such as Spain, Italy and Portugal”. In addition, it says, “Nordic nations are also experiencing hot, dry weather that makes it hard to refill hydropower reserves that are already low for the time of year”. Deutsche Welle notes another aspect: “growing anxiety about the extent to which Germany’s export-dependent economy has been left exposed by a string of global events in the past few years”. Commerzbank, one of the biggest German corporate lenders, said last week that the gas crisis could lead to a “severe recession”, comparing the consequences to the global financial crisis in 2008, according to the German media outlet. Furthermore, it says Germany’s BASF, the world’s largest chemicals group, announced it would cut ammonia production due to soaring energy costs, a decision which could have implications for ammonia-dependent sectors such as plastic production, the making of fertilisers and the fizzy drinks industry. However, Reuters reports that German chancellor Olaf Scholz “does not consider support for Russia sanctions to be waning even with energy bills expected to surge further”, citing a government spokesperson.

Meanwhile, Der Spiegel carries an editorial about the plans of Germany’s largest energy companies, E.on, RWE and EnBW, on the last three nuclear power plants in the country. The outlet notes that the Atomic Energy Act has prohibited the groups mentioned above from operating the reactors beyond the end of the year. However, Scholz emphasised last week that the federal government is currently subjecting electricity generation to a “very, very strict stress test”, it says. RWE head Markus Krebber is quoted saying: “The hurdles would be very high, and the contribution to gas savings would be small”. His group operates the Lingen nuclear power plant in Emsland. The article continues that the E.on group, which operates the Isar 2 nuclear reactor in Bavaria, is now promising efforts and at the same time increasing the pressure on the federal government.

Elsewhere, Clean Energy Wire reports that “global warming could make Germany a breeding ground for mosquitoes and ticks transmitting tropical diseases such as dengue fever”, the president of Germany’s national disease control authority, Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, warned in an interview with Funke Mediengruppe, which quotes him saying: “Climate change leads to an expansion of habitats for mosquitoes and ticks in Germany.”

Finally, Der Tagesspiegel reports that the German initiative of the €9 ticket, which allows inexpensive use of local and regional trains, has “no clear climate advantage”, according to initial scientific evaluations.

The Independent covers new research, which finds that “58% of human infectious diseases have been helped along by climate-related disasters”. The paper continues: “Some connections between climate and disease are rather straightforward. For example, flooding can lead to cases of leptospirosis, a bacterial disease, contracted when people wade through infected waters… Some disease pathways are more indirect but still related to the climate crisis. For example, after a disaster hits a community, the subsequent lack of access to adequate healthcare could increase the spread of venereal diseases like gonorrhoea, the study authors note.” The New Scientist says that “researchers have found more than 1,000 ways 10 climate hazards may aggravate transmissible diseases, from flooding to heatwaves”. Meanwhile, the Guardian notes that about 16% of infectious diseases “were diminished by climate impacts”. Associated Press also covers the research.

Meanwhile, the Independent covers a new study, which estimates the environmental impact of 57,000 food products in the UK and Ireland. The research finds that veggie sausages and burgers are up to ten times better for environment than meat, according to the paper. BBC News says that thanks to the study, supermarket foods could soon carry “eco-labels”. The New Scientist, i newspaper and the Times also carry the research. Meanwhile, the Washington Post has outlined new research, which “found newborn lizards with prematurely aged DNA, a potential sign of how climate-related stress passes from one generation to the next”. Elsewhere, the Independent covers new research warning that “Hot nights due to climate change could increase death rate up to 60% across world”. And BBC News says: “Scientists have identified the weather conditions that create dry lightning, which starts California’s most devastating wildfires.”

US president Joe Biden has “pulled off the most significant climate change bill in American history”, says an editorial in the Financial Times. It continues: “The fact that almost every observer, including many Democrats, had written off any chance of a breakthrough makes it all the sweeter… Washington is finally taking a lead on global warming. On this basis, Biden has earned a place in the history books. The fact that Congress was still unable to embrace a carbon tax – a step that most economists insist will nonetheless be essential – should not cloud the bill’s impact.” The editorial says that the significance of the bill will be twofold: “First, its $369bn fiscal outlay over the next decade will crowd in private investments… The second effect will be to boost America’s ability to kindle a sense of global urgency.” A Washington Post editorial says the new bill “is obviously not Build Back Better”, but that “there is still a lot to like”. Meanwhile, an editorial the Wall Street Journal says that “the climate provisions in this ballyhooed legislation will have no notable impact on the climate”. It adds that “no matter what the US does to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, it will be dwarfed by what the rest of the world does”.

Elsewhere, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman says: “This is a very big deal. The act isn’t, by itself, enough to avert climate disaster. But it’s a huge step in the right direction, and sets the stage for more action in the years ahead. It will catalyse progress in green technology; its economic benefits will make passing additional legislation easier; it gives the US the credibility it needs to lead a global effort to limit greenhouse gas emissions. There are, of course, cynics eager to denigrate the achievement. Some on the left rushed to dismiss the bill as a giveaway to the fossil fuel industry posing as environmental action. More important, Republicans – who unanimously opposed the legislation – are shouting the usual things they shout: Big spending! Inflation! But actual experts on energy and the environment are giddy over what has been accomplished, and serious economists aren’t worried about the effect on inflation.” And Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson has penned a piece entitled: “The Dems are no longer in disarray, but the GOP is goofing off”. Meanwhile, Financial Times financial columnist Matthew Lynn says the bill will “crash the world economy”.

The Guardian has penned an editorial on the UK’s cost of living crisis, under the subheading: “As the Conservative party talks to itself, a chance to grip the challenges of the autumn and winter is being wasted”. The paper says: “On the prime minister’s first day back from holiday, Downing Street announced that there will be no emergency summer budget or new cost of living measures while he remains in office. Yet again this government, now effectively leaderless, demonstrates its disastrous talent for failing to grip and get ahead of a crisis.” And a separate Guardian editorial argues that valuable trees should be granted protection.

Meanwhile, an editorial from the Daily Telegraph says that “One reason why the country faces such a perilous winter is because of the failures of 13 years of Labour government”. (The Conservatives have been in power for 12 years.) It concludes: “The lasting legacy of the Brown era was the Climate Change Act which committed the country to targets for reducing carbon emissions, later tightened by Theresa May to a ‘net-zero’ approach with all the added costs that entails. The energy policies of successive governments are partly responsible for the crisis the country faces this winter, with soaring gas and electricity bills. Brown is by no means the only culpable ex-PM; but before lecturing others he might acknowledge his role in the unfolding calamity.” Meanwhile, Daily Telegraph writer Sherelle Jacobs says: “The Tories are in an almost impossible position on the cost of living, and the Left have scented their chance”. Jacobs writes that Liz Truss is “in a tricky position”, and “should stand firm on tax cuts, while being careful not to misrepresent what they can do”. For the Times, climate sceptic columnist Melanie Phillips falsely claims there is enough shale gas under the UK “for a hundred years”. (Even the most optimistic estimates put the figure at 50 years, whereas more recent analysis suggests more like five.) She also claims: “The government has reduced the supply of fossil fuels.” (The government’s legislated target is to “maximise economic recovery” of North Sea oil and gas.) Phillips also writes: “Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss shouldn’t need mass protests to tell them that the government to which they both belong has created an unprecedented fuel emergency. This needs not just relief for the poorest. It requires a ditching of net zero and a rethink of their entire energy strategy.” Elsewhere, Daily Telegraph writer Sam Ashworth-Jayes writes that “Smart meters have become agents of the nannying state”, in a piece with the subheading: “Improved technology was meant to empower us to make more choices about our utility use. They have become a regulators’ spy in our homes.”

Nearly 60% of pathogen-caused diseases that affect humans have been “aggravated” by climate-related hazards such as warming and drought, according to a new study. Using a systematic literature review, researchers identify how 375 infectious diseases around the world have been affected by a range of climatic hazards. They find that while 16% of infectious diseases have “at times” been reduced by climate hazards, there are more than 1,000 “unique pathways” by which pathogenic diseases were exacerbated by climate change. The authors write that these pathways are “too numerous for comprehensive societal adaptations” and say that this work highlights the “urgent need to work at the source of the problem: reducing GHG emissions”.

A new study finds that expanding renewable energy capacity could meet almost half of the cooling demand in Ahmedabad, India by 2030 – even taking into account the increased demand for cooling as the world continues to warm. Researchers use a model that integrates climate warming, economic and population growth and energy demand, then adjust adaptive measures to analyse how energy demand will change over the next decade. They find a “nearly threefold growth” in the amount of energy needed for cooling by the end of the decade. Widespread use of “cool roofs” as an adaptation measure “could more than offset the city’s climate change-driven 2030 increase in cooling demand”, they write.