Current conditions: Torrential rain brought flash flooding to Toronto • A wildfire on the Hawaiian island of Kauai has been contained • Parts of southern Spain could hit 111 degrees Fahrenheit this week.
THE TOP FIVE
1. Intense heat waves and thunderstorms torment millions of Americans
The extreme heat wave over the East Coast may very well break a record in Washington, D.C., today that was set during the 1930s Dust Bowl: the longest stretch of days with temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The mercury yesterday hit 104 degrees, after similarly scorching numbers on Monday and Sunday, tying the existing record of three days. The National Weather Service forecasts a high of 98 degrees for Wednesday but The Washington Post said there’s “an outside chance that it hits 100 (or higher).” Either way, with humidity at 55%, it will feel torturously hot, with a potential heat index of 110 degrees. An “Extended Heat Emergency” is in effect in the city through today. Nearly 75 major cities across the Northeast, South, and Southwest are currently facing dangerous heat levels, according to The New York Times.
A different dangerous weather pattern is playing out in the Midwest, where intense storms caused terrible floods. Residents of Nashville, Illinois, were ordered to evacuate due to an “imminent” dam failure. In St. Louis, Missouri, some streets were inundated, and water was seen pouring into the basement of a local fire house.
2. Vineyard Wind project shut down ‘until further notice’ after broken turbine scatters debris
The Vineyard Wind project, a large-scale commercial offshore wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, has been “shut down until further notice” after debris from a damaged turbine blade began washing up on nearby beaches. One of the project’s 351-foot-long turbine blades reportedly broke off on Saturday, though nobody seems to know why yet. Green and white debris, as well as sharp fragments of fiberglass, have been littering Nantucket beaches, many of which are closed for cleanup. A company notice said debris will be “1 square foot or less,” but some pieces appear significantly larger, like this one spotted by the Nantucket Current:
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The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is investigating the incident. Vineyard Wind is the second U.S. commercial offshore wind farm and is only partially constructed, though its existing 21 turbines are already sending power to the grid. Once completed, it is expected to produce enough electricity to power 400,000 homes. This incident is more bad news (and bad press) for America’s nascent and struggling offshore wind industry.
3. COP29 president says new climate finance goal will be summit’s top priority
The agenda for this year’s COP29 U.N. climate summit is coming into view. This morning the COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev (who is Azerbaijan’s environment minister as well as a former state oil company exec), published a letter outlining the “plan and expectations” for the event, which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital. While the top priority is to agree “a fair and ambitious” New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance, “this is not just our priority,” Babayev wrote, adding: “We all must go the extra mile together to deliver this historic milestone.” The letter urges nations to put forward new National Determined Contributions that are in keeping with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degree Celsius warming limit, submit climate adaptation plans, and finalize Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which sets out “how countries can reduce their emissions using international carbon markets.”
There are several references to Azerbaijan “leading by example” but the underlying message is one of shared responsibility between nations to tackle the climate crisis. The letter includes this rather ominous line: “The multilateral system is under pressure to show it can deliver at the speed and scale needed. COP29 will be a litmus test for the Paris Agreement and global climate action and cooperation.” You can read the full document here.
4. U.K. sets out plans for state-owned energy company
The U.K. is going to create a state-owned energy company, called Great British Energy, that will be a key pillar of the new Labour government’s promise to decarbonize the nation’s energy sector by 2030. GB Energy will not supply electricity directly to households. Instead, it will receive £8 billion (about $10.4 billion – which will come partly from increased taxes on oil and gas companies) to own and operate clean energy assets alongside the private sector, “financing and helping to build low-carbon infrastructure,” The Guardian explained. It’s not clear yet which projects GB Energy will invest in. Analysis from energy think tank Ember suggests that if the U.K. hits its 2030 decarbonization goal, annual household energy bills could be £300 lower.
5. Growth in global fusion investment stalls
Investment growth in fusion energy research and technology is down for the second year in a row, according to the Fusion Industry Association. Overall global investment has risen more than $900 million this year, but that’s less than last year’s $1.4 billion in growth, which was below the 2022 number, marking a downward trend. FIA CEO Andrew Holland called for more support, both private and public. The good news is that public funding in private fusion companies has jumped globally by almost 60%.
THE KICKER
Sales of used electric vehicles were up 63% in the U.K. in the first half of 2024 as prices fall to match those of used combustion engine cars.
