Today’s Climate – Inside Climate News

Thank you for supporting Inside Climate News. Updates from Today’s Climate – Inside Climate News 08/05/2021 Fire Engulfs Northern California Town, Leveling Businesses California’s largest wildfire has leveled much of the downtown and some surrounding homes in a small Northern California mountain community, the Associated Press reports. The three-week-old Dixie Fire has grown to over 428 square miles. On Wednesday, the blaze tore through Greenville, destroying businesses and homes as the sky was cast in an orange glow. (Associated Press) Biden Seeks to Boost Fuel Economy to Thwart Trump Rollback The Biden administration on Thursday announced new rules that would reverse fuel economy and anti-pollution rollbacks implemented under President Donald Trump, the Associated Press reports. The administration also won a voluntary commitment from automakers that electric vehicles will comprise up to half of U.S. sales by 2030. The moves are big steps toward the president’s climate agenda.  (Associated Press) Biden’s Lofty Climate Goals Might be Short-Changed as Details of Reconciliation Bill Emerge The Democrats’ $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill may be less focused on climate change than previously thought, potentially setting up a disappointing outcome for progressives who see the legislation as the best chance to take meaningful climate action this decade, The Washington Post reports. One committee that would be key to implementing national climate policy is so far slated for just $50 billion. (The Washington Post) Inside Clean Energy: Three Charts that Show the Energy Transition in 50 States The Energy Information Administration reported last week that, for the first time ever, the United States generated more electricity from renewable sources in 2020 than from coal. But the rate of coal’s decline also depends on where you live. So what do the numbers show when they’re broken down state by state? That and more in the latest Inside Clean Energy by Dan Gearino. (Inside Climate News) Forecasters Upgrade their Hurricane Season Outlook, Predicting More Storms Than Previously Thought After a record start, followed by a near-silent July, the Atlantic hurricane season looks like it will be busier than meteorologists predicted a few months ago, the Associated Press reports. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday updated its 2021 outlook, slightly increasing the number of named storms and hurricanes expected in what is predicted to be another busy hurricane season. (Associated Press) Facebook Let Fossil-Fuel Industry Push Climate Misinformation, Report Finds A climate misinformation campaign led by the oil and gas industry was allowed to spread on Facebook during last year’s presidential election, according to a new analysis from a London-based think tank. The report identified an increase in advertising on the social media site by ExxonMobil and other fossil-fuel companies aimed at shaping the political debate about policies to address global warming. (The Guardian)