 Energy & Environment |
Energy & Environment |
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Scorching heat wave may portend climate future |
As the nation bakes under a heat dome, experts say the extreme temperatures could be a sign of what's to come. |
© Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images |
A broad swath of the Midwest and eastern U.S. are currently under a heat dome, caused by a high-pressure system in the Earth's upper atmosphere that compresses the air beneath it, making it expand into a dome shape.
This weekend, Washington D.C., for example, is expected to see temperatures in the high 90s (or highs of about 37 Celsius for our international readers). The extreme temperatures come as the globe recently concluded a 12-month period in which every month set a temperature record. "Every summer we get heat waves, and heat waves are getting more extreme and they're getting more frequent and they're lasting longer," said Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. Much of this summer's extreme heat is attributable to the impact of climate change, but El Niño has also been a factor, Overpeck said. Now that El Niño has ended, he said "we're really looking at the next few months to tell us whether something dramatic is surprising us in the global temperatures." "If it starts cooling off, [and] it hasn't started to do that yet, we can ascribe [these] more unusual temperatures to the El Niño. If it keeps rocketing up, we'll have to think about why climate change [is] accelerating." Read more in a full report at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, we're Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains. |
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How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: |
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The Biden administration is proposing new protections for old-growth forests, but stopping short of blocking all logging of the carbon-storing plants. |
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| Advocates for the expansion of federal benefits to Americans exposed to radiation by the federal government expressed disappointment after a meeting with staffers for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) this week, saying they believe the Speaker hopes to wait them out and deliver a smaller bill. |
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Global fossil fuel consumption and energy emissions hit an all-time high in 2023, according to research compiled by the Energy Institute, a U.K.-based nonprofit group. |
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As much of the nation faces sweltering heat, government agencies are updating their climate adaptation plans. |
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Branch out with a different read on The Hill: |
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The cost and security advantages of renewable energy are driving their adoption on U.S military bases — a development with significant long-term implications for the civilian market. The military's … |
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News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: |
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Bayer lobbies Congress to help fight lawsuits tying Roundup to cancer (The Washington Post)
The Delusion of "Advanced" Plastic Recycling (ProPublica) European Sanctions Target Russian Liquefied Natural Gas for First Time (The New York Times)
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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Justice Neil Gorsuch chastised the Supreme Court majority for ruling against a drug trafficking defendant Thursday, arguing the decision gives the government too much prosecutorial power. Read more |
| Senate Democrats have added language to the annual defense authorization bill to require women to register for the draft, prompting a backlash from Republicans and social conservatives and complicating the chances of moving the bill on the Senate floor before Election Day. Read more |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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