‘Green News Report’ – February 27, 2024

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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Weather disasters displaced 2.5 million Americans from their homes last year; Texas real estate prices plunge in wake of new flood risk disclosure law; Northeast sled dog race canceled due to lack of snow; PLUS: Chicago sues five major oil companies over climate damages… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): New research from Antarctica affirms the threat of the ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ but funding to keep studying it is running out; The industry ‘scandal’ that might completely upend how America builds houses; Chinese EVs have Detroit in the crosshairs, and by the shorthairs; Methane-spewing gas and oil drillers owe the US billions, in theory; Switching to electric vehicles could prevent millions of illnesses in US children by 2050… PLUS: Conservatives gear up for EPA revamp in 2025… and much, MUCH more! …

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…

• Bizarre winter heat wave, weather whiplash hits Central, Northeastern U.S.:
• Snow, heat, fires and tornadoes: Weather across US this week expected to bring extremes (USA Today/MSN)
• 3 reasons why so much of the US is unseasonably hot (AP)
• What’s behind this winter’s U.S. snow drought? (Yale Climate Connections)
• Can-Am sled dog event canceled because conditions too dangerous for racers (Bangor Daily News)
• February is continuing Earth’s record warm streak (Axios)
• Weather disasters forced 2.5 million Americans from their homes:
• Disasters Forced 2.5 Million Americans From Their Homes Last Year (NY Times/MSN no paywall):
  The United States experienced 28 disasters last year that each cost at least $1 billion. But until recently, the number of Americans displaced by those disasters has been hard to estimate because of the nation’s patchwork response system. Understanding the human toll of disasters, not just the financial costs, is increasingly urgent as climate change supercharges extreme weather, experts say.
• Counting the Americans Displaced By Disaster (HeatMap News)
• Disasters Displaced Nearly 2.5 Million People In US In 2023 (Weather Channel)
• Texas home prices drop in wake of flood risk disclosure law:
• Texas sees home prices drop after forcing sellers to disclose flood risk (E&E News):
  New Fannie Mae research shows the effect — for better or worse — that flood disclosure can have on sale prices. A study released Wednesday found that prices dropped by roughly $15,000 on average for homes most affected by the Texas law.
• Flood Risk Is Hurting Texas Home Prices (Heatmap News)
• Texas Enacts Nation’s Strongest Flood Disclosure Law (E&E News, 1/6/2022)
• The impact of 2019 changes to Texas’ flood disclosure requirements on house prices [PDF] (Fannie Mae)
• Report reveals affordability challenges with FEMA’s flood insurance program (WFTV-9, 8/1/2023)
• How much does flood insurance cost and what does it cover? (CNBC)
• Abandoned, corroding North Sea pipelines can release poisons into the ocean:
• Abandoned pipelines could release poisons into North Sea, scientists warn (Guardian):
  Researchers say toxic chemicals pose a pollution risk as oil and gas companies are allowed to leave pipelines to rot.
• US: Oversight lacking as companies abandon Gulf of Mexico oil and gas pipelines, federal audit finds (NOLA, 4/10/2021)
• Chicago sues Big Oil over climate lies, damages:
• Chicago sues five giant oil companies, accusing them of climate change destruction, fraud (Chicago Sun-Times):
  The suit says BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil and Shell have hurt the city by discrediting science even as their products lead to “catastrophic consequences,” including strong storms, flooding, severe heat and shoreline erosion.
• Chicago sues fossil fuel companies for role in climate crisis (Guardian)
• Mayor Johnson, City Of Chicago Sues Oil And Gas Companies For Climate Deception (press release, Office of the Mayor, Chicago)
• VIDEO: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Update From City Hall (Mayor Brandon Johnson/YouTube)
• VIDEO: Reports: Chicago files massive lawsuit against 5 major oil companies over climate change (9 News-Chicago)

‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…

For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Daily Headlines page

• New Research from Antarctica Affirms The Threat of the ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ But Funding to Keep Studying it Is Running Out (Inside Climate News)
• The Industry ‘Scandal’ That Might Completely Upend How America Builds Houses (Huffington Post)
• Chinese EVs Have Detroit in the Crosshairs, and by the Shorthairs (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Methane-Spewing Gas and Oil Drillers Owe the US Billions—in Theory (Mother Jones)
• Switching to electric vehicles could prevent millions of illnesses in US children by 2050, report estimates (CNN)
• Conservatives Gear Up For EPA Revamp In 2025 (E&E News)
• Shell Launches A ‘Climate Tech’ Startup Advertising Jobs In Oil And Gas (Guardian/Drilled)
• TX Railroad Commission Approves Toxic Waste Ponds Next to Baptist Camp (Inside Climatre News)
• ‘In A Word, Horrific’: Trump’s Extreme Anti-Environment Blueprint (Guardian)
• Plug-in hybrids vs. electric cars: We did the math on which is better for you (Washington Post)
• How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
• Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (Climate Crocks)
• These are the places most at risk from record-breaking heat waves as the planet warms (CNN)
• Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here’s How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
• Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
• Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
• Exxon’s Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
• VIDEO: A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (The Intercept)
• Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)
• An Optimist’s Guide to Solving Climate Change and Saving the World (Vice)