‘Green News Report’ – April 25, 2024

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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: National Weather Service warns Summer 2024 will be hotter than usual; Power outages have surged in the U.S. along with extreme weather, study finds; Poll finds most Americans support climate action but few have heard about Biden’s sweeping climate policies; PLUS: California hits renewable energy milestone… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): Air quality in some parts of US worst in 25 years, report says; A global study just revealed the world’s biggest known plastic polluters; EPA could allow 10x as much of a toxic pesticide on your tomatoes and celery; EPA Faulted for Wasting Millions, Spread of Superfund Site Contamination; U.S. Requires More Dairy Cows Tested For Bird Flu As Viral Concerns Grow; Biden administration vows to restore 8 million acres of wetlands… PLUS: In Vietnam, farmers reduce methane emissions by changing how they grow rice… and much, MUCH more! …

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

• National Weather Service forecasts Summer 2024 will be hotter than usual:
• When red-hot isn’t enough: New government heat risk tool sets magenta as most dangerous level (AP):
  Forget about red hot. A new color-coded heat warning system relies on magenta to alert Americans to the most dangerous conditions they may see this summer.
• A long, hot U.S. summer is looming, forecasters say (Axios):
  A hotter-than-usual summer is likely to occur in the U.S. and many other parts of the globe, according to new forecasts and scientific research…One wild card this summer will be exactly where persistent areas of high pressure, also known as heat domes, set up. That will determine the areas that see some of the hottest conditions.
• New tools from NOAA and CDC show people their risk from heat as another hot summer looms (NBC News):
  The tools are part of a broader government initiative to better prepare the country for heat waves, which are increasing in frequency, intensity and duration as a result of climate change…Among the new tools is an experimental system from NOAA called “HeatRisk,” which provides a seven-day heat forecast for locations across the contiguous U.S. A numerical and color-coded scale shows users the potential dangers of heat and humidity in their area.
• Summer 2024 Outlook (National Weather Service)
• NWS, CDC collaborate on HeatRisk tool to provide health guidance (NBC-Roanoke, VA)
• VIDEO: NOAA, CDC news conference to unveil new heat forecast tool and health guidance (NOAA)
• Extreme heat risk rising for workers around the world:
• UN labor agency report warns of rising threat of excess heat, climate change on world’s workers (AP):
  “It’s clear that climate change is already creating significant additional health hazards for workers,” said Manal Azzi, the organization’s team lead on occupational safety and health. “It is essential that we heed these warnings.”
• 7 in 10 workers worldwide exposed to extreme heat risks: Study (The Hill):
  Extreme heat linked to climate change threatens more than 70 percent of workers globally, according to a report released Monday by the International Labor Organization (ILO). More than 2.4 billion of the world’s workers were at risk for some level of exposure to extreme heat based on data from 2020, the most recent year for which data was available. The I.L.O. also found that the percentage is growing, up from about 65 percent of workers in 2000.
• Power outages surging across the nation along with extreme weather:
• Weather-related Power Outages Rising (Climate Central)
• US seeing rise in climate-related power outages, report says (Guardian):
  Power outages in the US are rising, as climate-related extreme weather strain an already burdened energy grid. Over the last decade, severe storm outages increased by 74% compared with the previous 10 years.
• Extreme weather is making power outages trend higher (Axios):
  Extreme heat accounts for a smaller share of outages but creates acute public health hazards when it does occur…The states with the most reported weather-related large power outages during the 23-year time frame were Texas, Michigan, California, North Carolina and Ohio.
• 25 Republican-controlled states sue to block new EPA tailpipe emissions rules:
• VIDEO: Suicide Cult: Republican States Sue to Block EVs (This Is Not Cool blog)
• 25 Republican-controlled states sue to block US rules curbing tailpipe emissions in cars, light trucks (Reuters):
  The lawsuit is the latest example of Republican attorneys general turning to the courts to challenge various aspects of the Biden administration’s climate agenda.
• California, 21 other states back EPA vehicle emissions rules (Reuters):
  “California won’t sit back – we’re not going to watch radical Republicans put the profits of big oil over the health of our planet,” said Governor Gavin Newsom in a statement.
  The states joined by the District of Columbia, Los Angeles, New York and Denver, said a win by the Republican states “would contribute to increased short- and long-term emissions of harmful pollution, resulting in direct injuries to state lands, resources, infrastructure, and public programs.”
• New poll shows Americans support climate action, but few have heard about Biden’s policies:
• CBS News poll finds big majority of Americans support U.S. taking steps to reduce climate change (CBS News):
  Majorities across all age groups favor the U.S. taking steps to address climate change, but it’s people under age 45 — many who say they were taught about climate change in school — who are especially likely to be in support of the country taking action.
• Few have heard about Biden’s climate policies, even those who care most about issue (CBS News)
• California hits renewable energy milestone:
• VIDEO: California’s Epic Clean Energy Run Continues (This Is Not Cool blog):
  Mark Jacobson of Stanford interviewed on the remarkable run of more-than-100 percent renewable energy in California. Sure, it’s spring, demand is not as high as it will be in August, but this is exactly where you would expect to see the earliest big results.
• California’s Solar Roll Continues (This Is Not Cool blog):
  Last Saturday, as 39 million Californians went about their daily lives—taking showers, doing laundry, or charging their electric cars—the whole state ran on 100% clean electricity for more than nine hours.
• California just went 9.25 hours using only renewable energy: (Fast Company):
  Nearly every day for the last six weeks, California’s electric grid has run on solar, wind, and other clean energy sources for hours at a time.
• Solar drives renewables milestone in California (Politico)
• California briefly used batteries as its biggest source of power twice in the last week (Business Insider)

‘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

• Tough New EPA Rules Would Force Coal-Fired Power Plants To Capture Emissions (AP)
• Air quality in some parts of US worst in 25 years, report says (Reuters)
• A global study just revealed the world’s biggest known plastic polluters (Washington Post)
• EPA Could Allow 10x as Much of Toxic Pesticide on Your Tomatoes and Celery (Pro Publica)
• EPA Faulted for Wasting Millions, Spread of Superfund Site Contamination (Inside Climate News)
• The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act Is Still A Bipartisan Unicorn (High Country News)
• U.S. Requires More Dairy Cows Tested For Bird Flu As Viral Concerns Grow (Washington Post)
• Bird Flu Virus Found In Grocery Milk As Officials Say Supply Still Safe (Washington Post)
• In Vietnam, Farmers Reduce Methane Emissions By Changing How They Grow Rice (AP)
• Biden Admin Vows To Restore 8M Acres Of Wetlands (E&E News)
• Unstable Nuclear-Waste Dams Threaten Fertile Central Asia Heartland (Reuters)
• How To Spot 5 Of The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Biggest Disinformation Tactics (Guardian)
• The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
• ‘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 (This Is Not Cool blog)
• 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)