CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL.

Big Oil profits are soaring while extreme heat waves scorch the planet this summer. As the world experiences record-breaking heat waves and devastating wildfires, fossil fuel companies are recording unprecedented profits from the climate crisis they helped create.

Once again, Bill McKibben has a stunning piece on the heat, the fires, the drought, and explains clearly why climate change plays such a critical role in the intensity and deadliness of it all. He describes the disasters, primarily in Europe, quoting from many and delves deeply into the global retreat on climate action and the politics driving that, both in Europe and here at home. He is not without hope, however, as the sun, the wind, and batteries provide ever-cheaper power.

Global warming may briefly reach 2°C as El Niño roils weather patterns, pushing humanity closer to irreversible climate tipping points.

• How green energy will survive Trump to fight climate change. A Washington Post Opinion piece takes the position that market forces, state initiatives, and falling renewable costs are maintaining momentum for clean energy despite federal attacks. Industry analysts suggest that the economic fundamentals of clean energy are too strong for federal policy to completely derail the transition.
• California produced over half its May electricity from solar—a world record. The state shattered global records with solar providing, at peak hours, 53% of the state’s instantaneous electricity demand.
• Innovative drilling techniques are reviving abandoned geothermal projects. Energy startup Zanskar has created one of the most productive geothermal wells in the US at a power plant in New Mexico that had been in decline for years.
• Free heat pumps are saving low-income Californians from extreme heat. Climate equity programs are distributing heat pumps to vulnerable populations in mobile home parks. 
• New heat pump rebate program slashes costs for Denver-area residents up to 50%, making electrification affordable for middle-income households.
• Indigenous communities are taking the lead in developing forest management strategies adapted to climate change and wildfire risk. Traditional knowledge combined with modern fire science is creating more effective wildfire prevention strategies.
• Menominee Nation elders are getting solar and battery systems. The installations help keep electricity flowing at this Wisconsin reservation even when a major storm knocks out grid power.
• Plug-in solar panels are starting to sprout in U.S. backyards. Ten U.S. states have legalized systems that can be plugged into standard wall outlets. The technology typically does not require permits or electricians.
• In both May and June, solar was the top source of electricity in the European Union, providing a record-high 25% of its power in June alone.
• Electric vehicle sales and charging stations are booming in states you might not expect, like Florida and Texas. Last month in Georgia, there were 29% more charging ports than a year earlier.
• California just switched on its first canal solar project. Supporters of this pilot program believe this approach could one day help California save more than 60 billion gallons of water every year.
• About 71% of the clean electricity generation and 67% of the power sector emissions reductions projected to arrive thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 are still on track to be realized as of mid-2026.
• Electric heat pumps have outsold gas furnaces in the United States since 2022, and they’re now on track to overtake conventional ACs this year as well after a near-tie in 2025!

A City With a Plan
Cincinnati wants to take in people fleeing climate disasters. By the end of the century, as many as 13 million American climate migrants could move inland from coastal areas because of sea level rise, according to research. If those figures come anywhere close to being realized, it’ll be a bigger demographic shift in absolute terms than the Great Migration of African Americans out of the South and the Dust Bowl flight from the Great Plains. CINCINNATI recently came up with a Climate Migration Readiness Plan that lays out a blueprint for the metropolitan region to absorb as many as 525,000 newcomers by 2050.

• From 1980 through June 2026, the U.S. sustained 438 total billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, with costs exceeding $3.2 trillion. These catastrophic events took an estimated 17,377 lives. In the first half of 2026, $31.9 billion in damages and 183 fatalities were incurred.
• The sea surface temperature anomaly for the equatorial zone El Niño 3.4 again continues setting new records for this time of the year, over 0.8 °C warmer than any other July, with projections that continue rising. Scientists say that there is a real possibility, perhaps 40%, that El Niño will push global temperature averages above 2 °C by early 2027—even as the 2015 Paris Agreement agreed to try to limit warming to 1.5 °C over a 20-year period which has not yet been reached. 11 years later, the expected year where the 1.5 °C average will be hit is in 2029, 13 years earlier than predicted. When the Paris Agreement was made, atmospheric CO2 ppm was at 400 ppm; today it is 432 ppm. And overall temperatures of the top two meters of ocean water are over 1.25 °C warmer than the 1940s.
• Emissions from the largest oil companies were enough to cause 1 in 4 heat waves over the past 2 decades. 

• A tornado carved a path of destruction in Wisconsin, staying on the ground for more than 20 minutes. The extended tornado caused extensive property damage and knocked out power to thousands of homes across multiple counties. 
• El Niño is already affecting the weather by intensifying storms, altering precipitation patterns, and amplifying heat across the Atlantic and beyond, creating cascading weather disruptions globally. 
• The Woodside Fire on the Sonoma Coast of California continues to smolder, but evacuation orders and warnings were lifted Friday evening as firefighters made steady progress, allowing some residents and visitors to return while crews turned their attention to reopening Highway 1. Follow live updates here.
• Nearly 65,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in Spokane County, Washington. The three fires – the Old Trails Fire, the Autumn Lane Fire, and the Fairview Fire – have consumed more than 8,000 acres with 0% containment, destroying more than 700 structures since they started Saturday. Across the state, there are 17 major wildfires, with 262,000 acres of land on fire. A man has been charged with first-degree arson in connection with one of the wildfires.
• Ravenous fires. Searing heat waves. Freakish storms. The summer of 2026 has already shattered meteorological records in several European countries. On a continent that has weathered centuries of upheaval — ruinous wars, deadly pandemics — it is the weather itself that now has Europe feeling close to a breaking point.

• As always, big oil is making big money during Iran war market turmoil. Fossil fuel companies are profiting enormously from geopolitical instability, with oil prices surging as shipping routes face disruption. While energy companies rake in record profits, consumers face skyrocketing energy costs. Fossil fuel executives are cashing in on market volatility, with oil and gas stocks surging during geopolitical turmoil and energy shortages. 
• U.S. doesn’t plan to tap oil stockpiles as Iran war escalates. The federal government is declining to release strategic reserves to stabilize prices, leaving consumers to face rising energy costs. This decision contrasts with previous administrations’ use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve during energy crises.
• Pakistan and Bangladesh pay $1 billion more for LNG as Hormuz stays closed. Developing nations are bearing the brunt of energy cost inflation from geopolitical conflict, with liquefied natural gas prices spiking due to shipping lane closures at the Strait of Hormuz. The $1 billion cost increase forces these climate-vulnerable countries to divert resources from climate adaptation investments.
• Trump’s war with Iran and El Niño are driving massive food inflation. Global food prices are climbing as both conflict and climate disrupt agricultural production and supply chains of both food and fertilizer. 

CCR is tracking the total cost of the war here as well as the breakdown per American household. As of August 3rd, it has passed the $78.3 billion mark, or $598.39 per household.

• Trump threatens National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine with debarment. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, President Donald Trump ordered his administration to open a so-called suspension and debarment investigation into the National Academies for what he called a “fraudulent, biased, and misleading” publication on climate change. The move could effectively silence independent scientific voices on climate and environmental issues in government projects. 
• The EPA halted a study on gas stoves and asthma, though even partial results were striking. Research demonstrating the health dangers of indoor gas combustion was terminated, with the partial findings revealing alarming links between gas stove use and respiratory disease in children. The study showed that gas stoves increased childhood asthma risk by up to 42%. The administration canceled continued research anyway.
• Trump’s fossil fuel agenda is making everyone’s lives more expensive. Despite promises to lower costs, administration policies are driving energy prices higher while gutting many clean energy investments. The elimination of clean energy tax credits and subsidies has stalled renewable energy deployment while fossil fuel prices remain volatile.
• Trump administration is undoing plans to boost workplace heat protections. The Biden administration took steps to shield workers from extreme temperatures. The Trump administration is taking a gentler approach with employers.
• In October, the Trump administration announced the federal government would take a 10% equity stake in Trilogy Metals, the mining company behind the Ambler Road project in Alaska, which previously was without permits to build. The deal fully vests when the 211-mile road that would snake past copper and zinc mines is completed.

A study in Sustainable Development suggests that there would be great benefits in reducing the planet’s population in half, to about 4B—gradually, by the year 2200. The study explains the relationship between a growing population and wildlife numbers, CO2 emissions, energy consumption, freshwater extraction, mineral use, plastics production, pesticide use…and what sustainable levels of those factors would be. The writers believe that “Gently ending and reversing population growth and moderating per capita impacts is a pro-nature and pro-human strategy.”

• The federal government is turning a Kentucky uranium plant into an AI data center and gas power complex. The U.S. Department of Energy is harnessing the artificial intelligence boom in its bid to convert another Cold War-era uranium enrichment site, tapping private equity to fund, into a $100 billion data center complex that will include its own new natural gas and battery storage power plant.
• A Southern California data center developer filed a lawsuit seeking access to Colorado River water after months of assurance that his massive data center project would not take water from the drought-stricken Colorado River.
• The Trump administration announced that it is exempting power plants that only serve data centers and do not connect to the broader grid from pollution limits that seek to prevent acid rain.

• Your next stove could save you money and upgrade the electric grid. Smart kitchen appliances with integrated battery storage are transforming homes into grid resources that can balance renewable energy fluctuations. These systems allow homeowners to reduce electricity bills while supporting grid stability.
• Plug-in retrofit technology is making electric truck conversion accessible and affordable for existing freight fleets. Retrofitting existing trucks costs significantly less than purchasing new electric vehicles, accelerating fleet decarbonization. 
• Fight forest fire consequences with heat pumps. Widespread electrification of heating and cooling can reduce indoor air quality threats from wildfire smoke and improve emergency response capacity. Electric heat pumps are more resilient to wildfire smoke disruptions than gas-powered heating systems.
• Agrovoltaics, combining solar panel installations with agricultural production, allows farmers to generate revenue from land while maintaining crop yields and reducing water evaporation. Agrovoltaic systems can increase overall land productivity by 30-40% compared to solar or agriculture alone.

Alexandra Fasulo: The influencer teaching millions to fear solar. This year alone, Fasulo has posted about solar more than 500 times, portraying U.S. utility-scale renewable development as a foreign-backed corporate Trojan horse designed to grab American farmland and harm the environment. She has over 2 million followers across platforms.

• MSCI CEO tells investors ignoring climate risk, ‘you only have yourself to blame’. Major institutional investors are warning that climate risk is now a material financial risk, and markets will punish those who ignore it. Asset managers are increasingly incorporating climate scenarios into portfolio risk assessments.
• Investors must account for rising severe weather exposure in property valuations and portfolio risk assessments as storm intensity increases. Real estate increasingly includes climate risk premiums in pricing models.
• Clean energy is cheap energy: how states can rein in sky-high electric bills. Renewable energy deployment offers states a pathway to lower electricity costs and shields consumers from volatile fossil fuel markets. Analysis shows that states investing in solar and wind have lower average electricity rates than fossil fuel-dependent states.
• Nuclear buildout faces a heavy-forging capacity gap. Despite renewed interest in nuclear power, manufacturing bottlenecks in heavy component forging are constraining construction capacity. The nuclear industry faces a critical shortage of forges capable of producing large reactor components.
• Florida’s fix for insurance crisis puts more risk on homeowners. State insurance reforms are shifting financial burden from insurers to individual homeowners, exacerbating climate vulnerability for middle and working-class residents. Rising insurance costs are forcing middle-class families to leave climate-vulnerable areas. 
• The largest U.S. automakers have backed away from electric vehicles, even as global sales are booming. The decision may make them obsolete.

As Europe Burns, a Climate Coverup Continues

By CCNOW

Covering Climate Now, 7/30/2026

Mainstream media continued to fail to adequately connect extreme weather events to the climate crisis during Europe’s catastrophic wildfire season. Coverage of the fires often omitted climate change context, preventing public understanding of systemic causes. More here.

Earth’s Warming Primed France and Spain to Burn, Scientists Find

By Raymond Zhong

The New York Times, 7/30/2026

The likelihood of hot, dry weather that helps wildfires spread has increased sharply in Europe in recent decades, according to a new report. More here. 

Seven leading state clean energy programs win national award from CESA
By Jesse Jacobs
Environmental Protection, 7/31/2026
Five states are recognized for innovative policies driving renewable energy deployment and clean energy jobs as federal support wanes. Award-winning states are serving as models for how clean energy can thrive even amid federal obstruction. California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York were the states with the winning programs. More here and here.

A new Colorado River plan requires water cuts for three states; deeper cuts are still possible.
By Sarah Kaplan and Hannah Knowles
The Washington Post, 7/31/2026
Arizona, California and Nevada will be required to curb their use of water from the river by a combined 20 percent over the next two years, according to three officials. The federal water management proposals fall short of what experts say is necessary to prevent ecological collapse, with deeper restrictions likely inevitable. More here. 

Are Californians willing to pay for clean energy? 
By Sammy Roth
Climate Colored Goggles, 7/28/2026
Public polling reveals tensions between support for clean energy and resistance to the upfront costs of the transition. While 70% of Californians support clean energy goals, only 45% support the taxes or rate increases needed to fund them. More here.

Colorado residents are ratting each other out over water use during drought
By Annie Gowen
The Washington Post, 7/29/2026
Scofflaws violating water restrictions have sparked tension throughout Denver, turning residential streets into checkerboards of virtue and vice. More here.

Controversial plastic recycling technology divides Albany Democrats. 
By Mona Zhang
Politico, 7/31/2026
A thorny question is dividing Democrats in Albany and thwarting legislative efforts to reduce toxic plastic waste: Does chemical recycling actually work? States are grappling with the environmental trade-offs of emerging plastic-to-fuel technologies. More here.

California’s push to limit groundwater pumping could leave small farmers in the dust
By Ian James
Los Angeles Times, 7/31/2026
California’s tightening regulations limiting groundwater pumping are proving difficult and costly for many small-scale farmers. Researchers say small growers need help to adapt. One farming family in Merced County is leaving half their land dry, fearing new pumping fees could cost them thousands of dollars. More here.

In Ohio, Toxic Wastewater Is Bubbling Up Out of the Ground 
Quinn Glabicki and Maddie McGarvey
The New York Times, 7/29/2026
The state is a major importer of fracking wastewater, which gets pumped underground but doesn’t always stay there. The city of Marietta is fighting back. More here. 

• Tell the EPA: Protect children from toxic truck exhaust
• Support electric school buses
• Defend the Endangered Species Act
• Tell the Forest Service: Stop spraying glyphosate in our national forests
• Wildfires are growing worse—speak up today
• Defend endangered species: Stop Trump administration attacks on the Endangered Species Act

The 2°C threshold is not a precise boundary between safety and catastrophe. Instead, it is an organizing principle that represents a level beyond which climate risks become especially dangerous and continue to escalate. Economist William Nordhaus first proposed the figure in the 1970s because warming beyond 2°C could push global conditions outside the range experienced by human civilization. Later climate research used 1°C and 2°C as reference points for estimating increasingly severe consequences.

Governments eventually adopted 2°C because it was considered both ambitious and potentially achievable, giving countries a clear goal around which to organize climate policy. The Paris Agreement defines it as an upper limit, while identifying 1.5°C as the preferable target because it would substantially reduce the risks of extreme weather, water stress and other climate impacts. Current international efforts, however, remain insufficient to guarantee that the world will stay below either threshold.

Learn more from this article from MIT Climate.

Q: So what if we reach 2°C of global warming? Why is it such a big deal? 

A: If global temperatures rise 2°C above preindustrial levels, the risks from climate change would become much larger and more widespread. Extreme heat waves, droughts, water shortages and severe weather would affect a greater portion of the planet, while rising seas and ecological disruption would increasingly damage human settlements and natural systems. At that level, scientists expect dramatic changes in Earth’s ability to maintain the relatively stable conditions on which human societies and other species depend.