I feel like the ice cream in our cover photo looks… it’s not even that hot temperature wise, but the humidity is melting me. Not to mention, the evenings don’t cool off anymore. I love a pleasantly warm summer day but I want to drape a sweater over my shoulders or toss on a sweatshirt at night. Is that too much to ask?
This week’s must read: The Hidden Price of the Changing Climate: A Growing Threat to Our Federal Budget (A Second Opinion)
After having him on the podcast at the end of season 10, I subscribed to Senator Bill Frist’s (free) Substack. And unlike most Substacks I am subscribed to, I read his posts.
This one caught my eye, as I had watched his 2023 testimony before the Senate Budget Committee on the topic of the growing financial risk of extreme weather events and a changing climate.
“In 2022, the U.S. experienced 18 climate-related disasters each costing over $1 billion. In 2023, this figure climbed even higher, with the United States experiencing a “record-breaking 28 ‘billion-dollar’ disasters.” And from 2017 to 2023, 137 such events have occurred, costing well over $1 trillion and killing 5,500+ people. In the last 10 years, federal wildfire suppression costs have increased by nearly 400 percent,” he writes. “Higher temperatures and more frequent disasters understandably mean a greater burden on the federal budget.”
Quote of the week:
“This document was written for the American people, paid for by the taxpayers, and it contains vital information we need to keep ourselves safe in a changing climate, as the disasters that continue to mount demonstrate so tragically and clearly.”
——Dr. Katharine Hayhoe—a climate scientist and chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy—speaking in response to the Administration’s announcement they would not publish the latest Congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment on the NASA website, where past assessments have been housed.
More from Katharine:
Spoiler: This is now a Katharine Hayhoe Fan Club Newsletter.
If you’ve been following the news of the devastating flood in Texas, I appreciated Katharine’s take in this op-ed: I’m a Climate Scientist in Texas. Here’s What the Floods Tell Us (TIME).
“Texas is no stranger to floods and other weather extremes. In fact, Texas is tied with Arkansas for the second most billion-plus dollar flood events of any state other than Louisiana,” she writes. “But as the world warms, that warmer air holds more moisture; so when a storm passes through, it’s capable of dumping much more rain than it would have, fifty or a hundred years ago. As a result, what used to be considered a 500-year flood has already happened multiple times in recent memory. The city of Houston experienced three such events from 2015 to 2017 alone. And so-called 100-year floods are becoming commonplace.”
This week’s must listen: Danny Richter on Resources Radio
While you’re eagerly awaiting season 11 of the EcoRight Speaks (I did my first recording and have three more interviews scheduled for recording next week), if you need your carbon tax fix, listen to our friend (and past pod guest) Danny Richter of the Carbon Pricing Initiative, talk about the present and future of carbon pricing, produced by Resources for the Future.
Policy Symposium Agenda: National Clean Energy Week 2025
The organizers of National Clean Energy Week, held this year from September 15th to the 19th, have released the beginnings of their lineup for the policymakers symposium.
(Pictured above: Heather Reams addresses last year’s conference.)
They always feature an impressive array of clean energy experts, policymakers, and stakeholders. They continue to add speakers up until the end, so keep checking their lineup for updates. And be sure to register!
LAST CALL: Take our poll
This is your last chance to take our summer poll! Who should be leading us on climate change? Inquiring minds (ours, that is) want to know.