Sign In or Create an Account.

By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy

Sparks

Fat Bear Week Is Saved at the 11th Hour

The social media sensation is back, thanks to bipartisanship.

A brown bear.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Over the weekend, Congress (temporarily) got its act together and passed a 45-day stopgap bill to avoid a government shutdown. Federal agencies will remain open, and the deal even includes an additional $16 billion in federal disaster assistance.

This is all well and good, but one thing is especially important: the National Park Service is funded, which means the employees of Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska will be going to work this week, which means Fat Bear Week is continuing as planned.

Fat Bear Week is, rightly, a sensation. More than one million people voted in last year's contest, which was briefly rocked by revelations of vote-stuffing before a bear nicknamed 747 was crowned the winner:

Fat Bear Week is run by national park employees, however, and a spokesperson told the AP that a shutdown would have meant a change in schedule. If a delay went on for too long, the bears could have gone into hibernation before voting began.

But! Fear not. Thanks to a rare (dare I say heroic?) showing of bipartisanship in the House, Fat Bear Week begins as planned on Wednesday, October 4, and ends next Tuesday, October 10 — Fat Bear Tuesday. You can cast your vote on the Fat Bear Week website: https://explore.org/fat-bear-week

Yellow

You’re out of free articles.

Subscribe today to experience Heatmap’s expert analysis 
of climate change, clean energy, and sustainability.
To continue reading
Create a free account or sign in to unlock more free articles.
or
Please enter an email address
By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy
Sparks

Majority of North Carolina Voters Want to Keep the IRA, Poll Finds

The state’s senior senator, Thom Tillis, has been vocal about the need to maintain clean energy tax credits.

A North Carolina sign and solar panels.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

The majority of voters in North Carolina want Congress to leave the Inflation Reduction Act well enough alone, a new poll from Data for Progress finds.

The survey, which asked North Carolina voters specifically about the clean energy and climate provisions in the bill, presented respondents with a choice between two statements: “The IRA should be repealed by Congress” and “The IRA should be kept in place by Congress.” (“Don’t know” was also an option.)

Keep reading...Show less
Green
Sparks

The Trump-Elon Breakup Has Cratered Tesla’s Stock

SpaceX has also now been dragged into the fight.

Elon Musk.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

The value of Tesla shares went into freefall Thursday as its chief executive Elon Musk traded insults with President Donald Trump. The war of tweets (and Truths) began with Musk’s criticism of the budget reconciliation bill passed by the House of Representatives and has escalated to Musk accusing Trump of being “in the Epstein files,” a reference to the well-connected financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in federal detention in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The conflict had been escalating steadily in the week since Musk formally departed the Trump administration with what was essentially a goodbye party in the Oval Office, during which Musk was given a “key” to the White House.

Keep reading...Show less
Sparks

Rhizome Raises $6.5 Million for AI Grid Resilience

The company will use the seed funding to bring on more engineers — and customers.

Power lines.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

As extreme weather becomes the norm, utilities are scrambling to improve the grid’s resilience, aiming to prevent the types of outages and infrastructure damage that often magnify the impact of already disastrous weather events. Those events cost the U.S. $182 billion in damages last year alone.

With the intensity of storms, heat waves, droughts, and wildfires growing every year, some utilities are now turning to artificial intelligence in their quest to adapt to new climate realities. Rhizome, which just announced a $6.5 million seed round, uses AI to help assess and prevent climate change-induced grid infrastructure vulnerabilities. It’s already working with utilities such as Avangrid, Seattle City Light, and Vermont Electric Power Company to do so.

Keep reading...Show less
Blue