‘Green News Report’ – September 5, 2024

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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: Most humid summer on record in U.S. intensified by Midwestern corn sweat, as Western U.S. swelters; August 2024 was the hottest August on record globally; PLUS: Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest saw record number of wildfires in August… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!

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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season keeps underperforming expectations; African nations are losing up to 5% of their GDP per year with climate change, a new report says; EPA restores industrial air pollution rule axed by Trump; What has worked to fight climate change? Policies where someone pays for polluting, study finds; World is pumping out 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year; Drying lakes and thirsty trees: In drought-hit Greece, water trucks are keeping crops alive; Former VW boss goes on trial for cheating on emissions tests… PLUS: Biochar doesn’t just store carbon – it stores water and boosts farmers’ drought resilience… and much, MUCH more! …

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

• Extreme heat wave strikes US West:
• ‘Dangerously hot’ weather roasts US west as brutal summer continues (Guardian):
  California, Nevada and Arizona swelter in what could be the most intense heatwave of an already blazing season.
• 100 days of 100-degree misery: A summer of relentless, oppressive heat across the West (LA Times)
• August 2024 tied with 2023 for hottest August on record:
• The Global temperature in August 2024 tied with August 2023 for the warmest for any August on record (Brian Brettschneider/Twitter)
• 2024 on track to become Earth’s warmest year on record despite slight global temperature drop: Copernicus (ABC news)
• Explainer: Why is climate change causing ‘record-shattering’ extreme heat? (Carbon Brief)
• Brazil’s wildfires turbocharged by man-made climate change:
• Climate change made the ‘supercharged’ 2024 Pantanal wildfires 40% more intense (Carbon Brief)
• Hot, dry and windy conditions that drove devastating Pantanal wildfires 40% more intense due to climate change (World Weather Attribution)
• Brazil’s Amazon rainforest fires in August reach 14-year high (Reuters)
• 2024 likely most humid summer on record globally, and in U.S.:
• You just lived through the most humid summer on record (Washington Post):
  The United States and the entire planet are poised to clinch their most humid summer on record, scientists say. The sweltering conditions, which have pushed this year’s heat close to the limits of survivability in some areas and fueled flooding downpours, are part of a long-term increase in humid heat driven by human-caused climate change.
• VIDEO: It’s Not In Your Head: This Summer Was More Humid (Weather Channel)
• Summer 2024 unleashed wild weather across the US:
• Wild week of US weather includes heat wave, tropical storm, landslide, flash flood and snow (AP)
• From cold towels to early dismissal, people are finding ways to cope with heat wave (AP)
• Hiker deaths in Grand Canyon rise amid extreme weather linked to climate crisis (Guardian)
• Phoenix sets new record for streak of consecutive 100F degree days:
• Phoenix, Arizona, hits its 100th consecutive day of 100F weather (Guardian):
  Hottest large city in US broke previous heat record from 1993 as temperatures are expected to reach 110 [again] tomorrow.
• In a first, Phoenix hits 100 straight days of 100-degree heat (Washington Post):
  Summers in Phoenix are notoriously hot. But after two punishing summers of record-breaking heat, the latest milestone, set Tuesday, may be the most ominous yet…The relentless heat is testing the will of Phoenix residents. While accustomed to hot summers, many have never endured anything like this. And the heat has proved dangerous for vulnerable groups such as outdoor workers and unhoused populations.
• To beat the heat, an Arizona man offers free water. His HOA is fining him. (Washington Post)
• Corn sweat intensifying Midwestern humid heat:
• Sweaty corn is making it even more humid (AP):
  Over 40% of corn grown in the U.S. is turned into biofuels that are eventually guzzled by cars and sometimes even planes…The consumption of ethanol also contributes to planet-warming emissions.
• Don’t blame ‘corn sweat’ — climate change is also making Midwest humidity worse (NPR)
• Feeling Sticky This Summer? ‘Corn Sweat’ Could Be Raising the Humidity (Smithsonian):
  The natural process of plant evapotranspiration is pumping moisture into an already hot and humid atmosphere, especially in the corn-growing areas of the Midwest.
• Dangerous heat wave continues in Midwest (CBS News)
• Nearly all new power plants built in the US in 2024 are zero carbon:
• Chart: Almost all new US power plants are carbon-free (Canary Media):
  The U.S. is pretty much only building clean energy these days, and mostly solar and batteries. That’s good news — but the pace still needs to pick up.

‘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

• The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season keeps underperforming expectations (Axios)
• African nations are losing up to 5% of their GDP per year with climate change, a new report says (AP)
• EPA Restores Industrial Air Pollution Rule Axed By Trump (Washington Post)
• What has worked to fight climate change? Policies where someone pays for polluting, study finds (AP)
• The World Is Pumping Out 57 Million Tons Of Plastic Pollution A Year (AP)
• Drying lakes and thirsty trees: In drought-hit Greece, water trucks are keeping crops alive (AP)
• Why landslides are suddenly tearing homes apart in Southern California (Washington Post)
• Florida State Parks Whistleblower Fired After Exposing Ron DeSantis’ Plans (Guardian)
• Biochar doesn’t just store carbon – it stores water and boosts farmers’ drought resilience (The Conversation)
• Former Volkswagen boss Winterkorn goes on trial over diesel cars rigged to cheat on emissions tests (AP)
• How to power your home through an outage without a gas generator (Washington Post)
• VIDEO: John Oliver on Trump’s Project 2025: Blueprint for the Death of Democracy (This Is Not Cool blog)
• Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point? (The Oceanography Society)
• How Oil Companies Manipulate Journalists (Drilled)
• Abrupt reduction in shipping emission as an inadvertent geoengineering termination shock produces substantial radiative warming (Nature)
• How To Spot 5 Of The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Biggest Disinformation Tactics (Guardian)
• The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
• 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)
• 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)
• Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)