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Politics

Kamala Harris’ DNC Speech Barely Mentioned Climate Change

On the convention’s final day, stormy weather, and hail damage

Kamala Harris’ DNC Speech Barely Mentioned Climate Change
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Current conditions: Storm Lilian left thousands without power in England • A large fire on the Portuguese island of Madeira threatens the UNESCO-listed Laurissilva forest • Tropical Storm Hone will bring high winds, rain, and strong surf to Hawaii this weekend.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Kamala Harris only mentions climate change once in DNC acceptance speech

The Democratic National Convention came to a close last night, culminating in a speech from presidential nominee Kamala Harris (but not, unfortunately, a surprise performance by Beyoncé ). Harris only mentioned climate change once in her speech, in a comment warning that “the freedom to breathe clean air, and drink clean water and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis” are at stake in the November election. Going light on climate is certainly a deliberate strategic choice, one aimed at avoiding upsetting any voters in natural gas swing states like Pennsylvania. Some environmental advocates seem to be giving her a bit of a grace period, but pressure will build as Election Day nears for her to outline in detail her climate and energy platforms.

2. Hurricane forecasters warn of ‘supercharged September’

Meteorologists from AccuWeather are warning about the potential for “back-to-back tropical threats” in the Atlantic in the coming weeks, forecasting up to 10 named storms between August 27 and September 30. The average for that time frame is six storms. The agency says dry air and Saharan dust have kept the Atlantic relatively quiet but that these conditions are lifting now. “With extremely warm water temperatures, less disruptive wind shear, and less dry air, we could see a storm organizing every few days,” said AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva.

AccuWeather

3. Study: Most climate policies fail to cut emissions

A new study published in the journal Science found that very few of the climate policies put in place over the last 25 years have actually reduced greenhouse gas emissions in any meaningful way. Of the 1,500 policies implemented across the globe since 1998, just 63 were found to reduce emissions, and only by 1.8 billion metric tons of CO2. That falls far short of the amount of emissions we need to eliminate by 2030 in order to meet targets set out in the Paris Agreement. So what’s working? “Most of those emissions reductions were tied to price instruments like changes in carbon prices, energy taxes and fossil-fuel-subsidy reforms,” notedThe New York Times. “And most emissions reductions gained strength in numbers: They happened from the combination of multiple national policies, instead of just one stand-alone policy.”

4. Flooding strands millions in Bangladesh

About 3 million people are stranded in Bangladesh after heavy monsoon rains triggered widespread flooding across the eastern and southern parts of the country. Bangladesh’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said 11 rivers had dangerously high water levels. “These are the worst floods we have seen in three decades,” said Dr. Md Liakath Ali, director of climate change, urban development, and disaster risk management for international development organization BRAC. “Entire villages, all of the families who lived in them, and everything they owned – homes, livestock, farmlands, fisheries – have been washed away. People had no time to save anything.”

Flooding in Moulvibazar, northeastern Bangladesh. BRAC

Up to 6 inches of rain are forecast for eastern Bangladesh over the next three days. Bangladesh is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries when it comes to climate change, which scientists say is making such extreme weather events worse. A report published earlier this year noted that between 2000 and 2019, Bangladesh experienced 185 extreme weather events, and warned that the country’s adaptation measures would struggle to keep up with a rapidly changing climate, especially without new finance efforts.

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  • 5. Terrasmart introduces tool to prevent hail damage at solar farms

    A company called Terrasmart, which provides solar panel trackers, is rolling out a new hail-resistant feature. The tool, called TerraTrak, will link with weather data from AccuWeather to see when a hail storm is forecast and automatically change the panels’ tilt to a “stow” position so they’re less likely to sustain damage. FTC Solar rolled out a similar tool earlier this summer. In March, a hail storm smashed thousands of panels at a solar farm in Texas. Terrasmart said insurance industry reports indicate that “hail accounts for less than 2% of solar project insurance claims by volume – but more than 50% of total dollar losses.”

    THE KICKER

    Consulting firm Wood Mackenzie expects nearly 30% of new solar systems installed at homes this year to also be paired with battery storage, as more homeowners invest in back-up power for when extreme weather causes grid outages.

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    Politics

    The Climate Election You Missed Last Night

    While you were watching Florida and Wisconsin, voters in Naperville, Illinois were showing up to fight coal.

    Climate voting.
    Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

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    Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

    Current conditions: A rare wildfire alert has been issued for London this week due to strong winds and unseasonably high temperatures • Schools are closed on the Greek islands of Mykonos and Paros after a storm caused intense flooding • Nearly 50 million people in the central U.S. are at risk of tornadoes, hail, and historic levels of rain today as a severe weather system barrels across the country.

    THE TOP FIVE

    1. Trump to roll out broad new tariffs

    President Trump today will outline sweeping new tariffs on foreign imports during a “Liberation Day” speech in the White House Rose Garden scheduled for 4 p.m. EST. Details on the levies remain scarce. Trump has floated the idea that they will be “reciprocal” against countries that impose fees on U.S. goods, though the predominant rumor is that he could impose an across-the-board 20% tariff. The tariffs will be in addition to those already announced on Chinese goods, steel and aluminum, energy imports from Canada, and a 25% fee on imported vehicles, the latter of which comes into effect Thursday. “The tariffs are expected to disrupt the global trade in clean technologies, from electric cars to the materials used to build wind turbines,” explained Josh Gabbatiss at Carbon Brief. “And as clean technology becomes more expensive to manufacture in the U.S., other nations – particularly China – are likely to step up to fill in any gaps.” The trade turbulence will also disrupt the U.S. natural gas market, with domestic supply expected to tighten, and utility prices to rise. This could “accelerate the uptake of coal instead of gas, and result in a swell in U.S. power emissions that could accelerate climate change,” Reutersreported.

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