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TODAY'S CLIMATE AND ENERGY HEADLINES

Briefing date 13.07.2021
Health warnings as Death Valley scorches in 54.4C heat

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News.

Health warnings as Death Valley scorches in 54.4C heat
The Guardian Read Article

Amid continued coverage of the US heatwave, the Guardian reports that Death Valley in California has registered “what could prove to be the highest reliably recorded temperature on Earth”. The newspaper continues: “Following a cascade of record heatwaves in Canada, north-west America, northern Europe and Siberia, the severity of the hot spell has underlined the dangerous impact of human-caused climate disruption and prompted scientists to consider whether computer models may have underestimated the impacts.” Temperatures in Death Valley averaged 107.7F (42C) over a 24-hour period on Sunday, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile, the New York Times warns that, although the US heatwave could soon “break”, “there are more triple-digit temperatures on the way”. A separate New York Times piece warns that temperatures are expected to reach up to 114F (45.6C) in some areas. “Forecasts indicate the Western US is set for another week of above-average heat as the traditional wildfire season begins,” the Hill adds.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports that California is “off to another record-breaking year of wildfires”, having seen twice as much land burned in the first six months of 2021 as it did over the same period of 2020. Scientific American adds that residents are being asked to conserve power, as the combination of heat and fire is threatening California’s power grid. And the Los Angeles Times carries a piece entitled, “How an Oregon wildfire almost derailed California’s power grid”. According to Reuters, hundreds of residents are under mandatory evacuation orders. The Guardian carries a piece entitled, “American west stuck in cycle of ‘heat, drought and fire’, experts warn”. Meanwhile, MailOnline reports that, according to experts, the extreme temperatures killed 1bn sea creatures in the Pacific north-west. And Reuters reports that “more than 100 baby birds bailed from their nests” in Oregon, in a “failed attempt” to escape the heat.

The New York Times says that the heatwave is exacerbating the existing drought and Reuters adds that heat and drought are damaging crops including white wheat and fruit. A separate Reuters piece notes that farmers in Northern US Plains are “on track to harvest the smallest spring wheat crop in 33 years”. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times covers a farmer’s experiences of the drought and a separate piece in the Los Angeles Times carries quotes from Californian residents about the intense heat. US Guardian columnist Rebecca Solnit has penned an opinion piece on the heatwave under the subheading, “People are dying. Aquatic animals are baking in their shells. Fruit is being cooked on the tree. It’s time to act.” Associated Press reports via the Boston Globe that many people “struggled” to get access to resources – such as cooling centres and transportation – to protect themselves from the heat. The New York Times carries an interactive entitled, “Climate change’s fingerprints on heatwaves”. And a separate New York Times article entitled, “Climate change is playing a role in the heat, drought and fires”, notes that the high temperatures “would have been all but impossible without climate change”.

Meanwhile, the Boston Globe notes that July has been “unusually wet” in other parts of the US, adding that Boston is already seeing its third wettest July on record. The Washington Posts‘s Capital Weather Gang adds that New York City has been “slammed by multiple flooding rain events in the past week”, pointing out that this could be linked to climate change: “Higher temperatures increase the speed of evaporation and make more water available in the atmosphere for storms to draw from.” And the Boston Globe carries an article entitled, “It was a scorching June, and it’s been a wet July so far. Is this more evidence of climate change?”.

In other news, the Washington Post discusses the importance of shade during a heatwave and emphasises that in the US, “low-income neighbourhoods and communities of colour have significantly less tree canopy”. Relatedly, Reuters reports that Moscow is experiencing “near-record heat”, with daytime temperatures expected to reach at 30-35C in the coming days.

Separately, the Financial Times says that “the US and Russia have agreed to forge ‘close co-operation’ on climate change, in the first positive sign of a potential easing of tensions between the two countries since a high-stakes presidential summit last month”. It adds: “John Kerry, the White House’s special climate envoy, held talks in Moscow on Monday and pledged to ‘move together’ with the Kremlin ahead of crunch global climate meetings in Glasgow this November. Climate change is one of the few areas where there is hope of enhanced collaboration between Moscow and Washington. It is seen as a promising testing ground for a first step in improving wider ties, which are riven with distrust over cyber warfare, allegations of election meddling and years of tit-for-tat sanctions that have severed many economic ties.”

Rishi Sunak could set out green taxes for imports to help UK hit net-zero target
i News Read Article

According to an “exclusive” in the i newspaper, UK ministers are “drawing up plans to impose carbon taxes on imports from abroad as part of efforts to hit Britain’s net-zero target by 2050”. The piece continues: “The proposals emerged as a ‘civil war’ broke out between ministers over the best way to ensure the public pays for the carbon emissions they produce…Among the proposals being looked at is a carbon border adjustment tax, which will slap levies on goods arriving from abroad. Such taxes aim to prevent wealthy countries such as the UK from outsourcing their carbon emissions to the developing world – known as ‘carbon leakage’.”

In other UK news, the Daily Telegraph reports that, according to a new study by the Met Office, the number of days per year exceeding 25C will rise from 10 to 18 in the UK if warming reaches 2C above preindustrial levels. And the Daily Telegraph also covers a warning from grid operators, National Grid, that “households need to turn their thermostats down in winter to help Britain slash greenhouse gas emissions”.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reports a Glasgow Caledonian University study which concludes that “governments should put out daily figures on how many deaths are being caused by adverse weather just like with Covid”. The Daily Mail also covers the views of Countryfile presenter and farmer Adam Henson who “has warned vegetarians that some of their choices may be having a ‘disastrous’ impact on the environment”. The newspaper adds: “The farmer said that beef, sheep and dairy farmers are facing criticism on climate change and people’s health…He said: ‘Beef, sheep and dairy farmers are having fingers pointed at them quite a lot about health and climate change, but the industries are doing a huge amount about that.’”

Finally, the Daily Telegraph says the prime minister Boris Johnson will attempt to see-off a backbench revolt on cuts to the UK’s foreign aid budget by setting out “a new ‘double lock’ on the aid budget”.

EU plan puts spotlight on carbon sinks to tackle climate change
EurActiv Read Article

There is continuing coverage of a leaked draft of a policy document that will be officially published tomorrow as part of Europe’s “Fit for 55” legislation. EurActiv reports that, according the document, Europe “will need to increase the amount of carbon stored by its forests and wetlands to meet a new, more ambitious target for carbon removals in Europe”. The piece continues: [The draft] shows that the European Commission wants to build up the amount of carbon stored to 310m tonnes by 2030…The increase was part of a political agreement made during the negotiations on Europe’s climate law.“ Politico reports that the package “could see shipping included in the emissions trading system” and the Financial Times states that the European Commission plans to “offer measures to help cushion the initial impact on households and parts of European industry”. The i newspaper also previews tomorrows “Fit for 55” package, stating “the most contentious part of the scheme will be the push to cut emissions from new cars, lorries and buses by 65% from 2030 and ban the sales of new petrol-driven cars by 2035”.

There is continuing coverage of a leaked draft of a policy document that will be officially published tomorrow as part of Europe’s “Fit for 55” legislation. EurActiv reports that, according the document, Europe “will need to increase the amount of carbon stored by its forests and wetlands to meet a new, more ambitious target for carbon removals in Europe”. The piece continues: [The draft] shows that the European Commission wants to build up the amount of carbon stored to 310m tonnes by 2030…The increase was part of a political agreement made during the negotiations on Europe’s climate law.“ Politico reports that the package “could see shipping included in the emissions trading system” and the Financial Times states that the European Commission plans to “offer measures to help cushion the initial impact on households and parts of European industry”. The i newspaper also previews tomorrows “Fit for 55” package, stating “the most contentious part of the scheme will be the push to cut emissions from new cars, lorries and buses by 65% from 2030 and ban the sales of new petrol-driven cars by 2035”.

China’s EV battery sector sees over 30% supply shortfall despite higher output
Global Times Read Article

The Global Times, a state-run newspaper, reports that Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery suppliers are having difficulties keeping up with “record” foreign and domestic demand. The publication cites “industry insiders” and says that the shortfall “may reach a record 30-40% this year” despite manufacturers’ efforts to increase output. Meanwhile, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reports that China is experiencing an “EV battery shortage”. It says some car company executives had to go to EV battery factories personally to “snatch” goods. At the same time, some EV battery manufacturers failed to satisfy all of their clients’ demands even though they had run their production lines at full capacity, the report adds.

Separately, Beijixing, an energy news portal, reports that Zhejiang province, one of the biggest emitters in China, has instructed its “key industries” to start evaluating carbon emissions on a trial basis from 8 August. Beijixing cites state-run China News Service and says that the eastern coastal province is the first provincial-level region in China to issue such a directive. The order will cover nine industries, including iron and steel, thermal power, building materials, chemicals, petrochemicals and so on, it says. Elsewhere, Shanghai Securities News reports that an official from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) has described climate investment and financing as “important driving forces” to help China realise its climate goals. The statement was made by Li Gao, director-general of the MEE’s Department of Climate Change, at a climate conference over the weekend, the report says.

In other news, the Global Times reports that some technology firms have showcased their latest robotics and AI technologies “that they argue could help China reach its goal of hitting carbon emissions peak by 2030 and realising carbon neutrality by 2060”. In addition, National Business Daily has an “exclusive” interview with Mei Dewen, president of China Beijing Environment Exchange. Mei forecasts China’s carbon pricing to be “roughly the same as abroad”. He adds that the global carbon market is likely to be merged into one around 2050.

Finally, China’s first “carbon-neutral smart city monitoring and management platform” has been launched in southern China’s Guizhou province, reports China Radio International. The platform will sound an alarm if any company under its surveillance has “unusual” carbon emissions, the article says. And Reuters reports that China has “started construction of the first commercial onshore nuclear project using its homegrown “Linglong One” small modular reactor (SMR) design”.

Almost one in three globally go hungry during pandemic
The Guardian Read Article

The Guardian covers a new report by the United Nations (UN), which finds that almost one third of people did not eat enough food during the Covid-19 pandemic. The outlet says: “Five UN agencies said the number of people without access to healthy diets grew by 320 million last year to nearly 2.37 billion people – more than the increases in the previous five years combined. The number of people who went hungry grew by about 161 million last year to 811 million.” It continues: “The report showed food insecurity was driven by a variety of factors, sometimes in combination, including economic crises, conflict, the climate crisis and inequality”. The Washington Post adds: “After years of gains, efforts against food insecurity began running into head winds in the mid-2010s amid economic stagnation, global conflicts and climate change-driven droughts and floods.”

In other news, the Guardian reports that the UN has published the first draft of its global agreement for tackling biodiversity loss. According to the newspaper, the UN’s “ambitious draft goals to halt biodiversity loss” include “protecting at least 30% of the world’s oceans and land and providing a third of climate crisis mitigation through nature by 2030”. However, it adds that “proposed changes to food production [are] expected to ‘raise eyebrows’”. It notes that the summit on biodiversity loss, originally scheduled for October, “is expected to be delayed for a third time due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is now likely to take place in Kunming [China] in the first half of 2022, pending in-person preparatory negotiations that could happen in Switzerland early next year.”

Comment.

Devolved regional powers are chance to make a difference to net-zero
Andy Street, The Times Read Article

Writing in the Times, the Conservative mayor for West Midlands argues that “now is the time to back local leaders to take responsibility for delivering [net-zero[”. He continues: “We know our areas, from the workshops of the Black Country to the Victorian city suburbs, and can overcome the issues that will arise when trying to retrofit such a vast array of differing buildings. We can also use our existing devolved powers to ensure local workers have the right skills to move into the jobs that will be created, such as by putting on specific training courses and bootcamps in areas like insulation and double glazing which we know will be key to retrofitting. Not only would a devolved model help make the Government’s mammoth task more manageable, but it also means the programme could be delivered at pace and create thousands of jobs in the process.”

The SEC must require companies to disclose their risk from climate change
Joe Kennedy III and Steven M Rothstein, The Washington Post Read Article

The Washington Post carries an opinion piece by Joe Kennedy III, a Democrat who represented Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District from 2013 to 2021, and Steven M Rothstein – managing director at Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets. The piece argues that the US Securities and Exchange Commission “must update its regulations and clearly require that companies disclose the risk that climate change poses to their businesses, and that they use standardised, transparent methodologies to do so that result in current, reliable data”. It continues: “Fifty-five percent of Americans own some form of stock…This means that lack of information about climate-related business risks poses a direct threat to the economic security of millions of American families.” The authors note that, according to the nonprofit Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, climate change is “a material risk factor” for 68 out of 77 “defined industry sectors”. Furthermore, “A 2019 survey of 215 of the world’s 500 largest companies found nearly $1tn in reported climate-related financial risk,” they adds. They conclude: “In this moment, there is no more important assistance the SEC can provide to every family and business than approaching climate change with the urgency and rigour it demands.”

Science.

Changes in temperature and heat waves over Africa using observational and reanalysis data sets
International Journal of Climatology Read Article

Increasing trends in heat in Africa “clearly reveal that heatwave occurrences have emerged from natural climate variability”, a new study says. The researchers use a range of datasets to assess changes in temperature and heatwaves over different regions of the African continent. The findings show statistically significant warming over all regions of Africa, the study says. It adds: “Most data sets agree in identifying 2010 as a peak heat year over Northern and Western Africa while Eastern and Southern Africa experienced the highest heat wave occurrence in 2016.” Earlier this year, Carbon Brief published a guest post on why Africa’s heatwaves are “a forgotten impact of climate change”.

Conserving the Cerrado and Amazon biomes of Brazil protects the soy economy from damaging warming
World Development Read Article

The loss of forest and savannah vegetation in the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado regions caused a loss in revenue from growing soy because of extreme heat, a new study says. Tropical ecosystems help regulate extreme temperatures, the authors explain, and land conversion over 1985-2012 in the regions resulted in lost soy revenue of almost US$100 per hectare in 2012-13. By 2050, “agricultural growth, ecosystem conversion and climate change could boost extreme-heat regulation values by 25% to 95%”, the study finds. The authors conclude: “By regulating the exposure of agriculture to extreme heat, ecosystem conservation can create considerable value for the soy sector.”

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