I didn’t watch Tuesday night’s presidential debate. I was at Dodger Stadium, as I always do.
Also, as always, climate change was on my mind.
During the second inning, an acquaintance sitting in the top deck texted me a photo of an ominous cloud of smoke looming over the San Gabriel Mountains, from one of several weather-related fires that have exploded in Southern California in recent days, heralding the dangerous arrival of fall.
Before the game, I spent much of the day attending a solar industry convention in Anaheim. I’ll share more about what I learned next week. But on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, I recall overhearing convention-goers commenting about the scorching weather. The heat was finally easing up. Anaheim’s high on Tuesday was 82 degrees, down from 95 on Monday and 101 on Sunday. I wonder if out-of-town visitors realized how lucky they were.
“Lucky” doesn’t just mean “avoiding discomfort.” The heat is deadly.
In fact, as my LA Times colleague Jireh Deng reported, last Sunday, 35-year-old Orange County resident Bobby Graves died after participating in the Halloween half marathon at Disneyland, not far from the Anaheim Convention Center. While the coroner is still investigating the cause of his cardiac arrest (the half marathon started at 5 a.m.), the burning of coal, oil and natural gas is warming the planet, contributing to an increase in heatstroke deaths.
The day before the half marathon, Graves took to TikTok to talk about the heat.
“I was outside walking my dog for about 20 minutes,” he said. “Ten minutes later I came back in and passed out.”
In related news, scientists and officials from the European Union have declared that the summer of 2024 will be the hottest summer ever recorded on Earth. (via Haley Smith and Shawn Green) Phoenix residents are .
Fortunately, California has not returned to the power shortages and rolling blackouts that plagued the state during its last heatwave four years ago, or the pleas from the Governor’s office to “Save Energy!” when it hits again in 2022. That’s mainly because the state has installed lots of batteries that can store solar power in the afternoon and save it for hot evenings, when the sun goes down and people keep revving their air conditioners.
But that doesn’t mean everyone has access to electricity.
The heat caused parts of the power grid to fail, forcing the closure of the Hollywood Bowl, and 10,000 homes and businesses lost power on Monday, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison.
Meanwhile, the Pasadena Water and Power Authority was forced to implement rolling blackouts after high temperatures caused equipment failures at its gas-fired Glenham Generating Station. The next time you hear politicians and pundits claim that renewable energy cannot provide electricity without fossil fuels, keep this in mind. This is a case of “reliable” fossil fuel-powered power plants being taken out by extreme weather events exacerbated by the climate. In my experience, this is not uncommon.
All of this brings us back to Dodger Stadium and the presidential debates.
The heat wave subsided, making Tuesday a comfortable evening to enjoy the game at Chavez Ravine.
But the temperature at the start of Sunday’s game was so high — reaching 103 degrees Fahrenheit at 1:10 p.m., tying the Dodger Stadium first pitch record, according to Times reporter Jack Harris — that the Dodgers handed out . The San Diego Padres also handed out .
There’s a cruel irony here.
The San Gabriels Bridge Fire broke out shortly after the start of a game on a bitterly hot afternoon after I’d been at the ballpark the night before for a Dodgers-Cleveland Guardians game, a game I called “Fossil Fuel Night.”
The temperature at first pitch (6:10 p.m.) was 91 degrees. The Dodgers handed out bobbleheads of relief pitcher Evan Phillips, sponsored by the oil company Phillips 66, the same company that plasters the 76 gasoline billboards around the stadium, and I’m urging Dodgers owner Mark Walters to end the company’s longtime sponsorship.
Even better, the opposing team, the Cleveland Guardians, were wearing a Marathon Petroleum jersey patch.
As I know, the Ohio-based company owns the Arco gas station chain, another major advertiser at Dodger Stadium, and an oil refinery in the Los Angeles area that pollutes the air millions of people breathe, especially people of color. (Phillips 66 owns another similar refinery in the South Bay.) Marathon also sponsors children’s events hosted by the official Dodgers charity.
Some people ask why I talk so much about baseball instead of spending more time on energy policy or state politics. The main reason, besides the fact that I love the Dodgers, is that research and experts have convinced me that it’s important.
When one of the most recognizable sports teams in the country takes a courageous stand and rejects fossil fuel greenwashing, the ripple effects will be immense across sports, media, and culture. It may take time to see the effects, but if the Dodgers lead the way, others will follow. That’s exactly what happened when Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey integrated baseball. That’s how change happens. There’s always a backlash. History will hail you as a hero, but until then, many will condemn you as a villain.
Dodgers, 7-2. Tuesday night was a boring game compared to the Chicago Cubs.
After Tuesday’s game, I wanted to know if the presidential candidates had anything to say about climate change, and if so, what they said.
I was perplexed but not surprised to read that the ABC News moderator asked just one question about global warming during the 90-minute debate, and that it was the final question of the night.
When asked what he would do to combat climate change, he was told by ABC’s Lindsay Davis that the climate issue was a particular concern to “younger voters,” but this doesn’t square with the finding that younger and older voters were roughly equally likely to say that the climate could influence their decisions. Former President Trump has rarely said anything even remotely related to global warming.
Trump “is virtually incomprehensible when it comes to the topic of climate change,” Friedman writes. “On Tuesday night, he said he was a ‘big fan’ of solar power, then complained that solar farms take up too much space. He blasted electric cars, then said he was a ‘big fan’ after receiving an endorsement from Tesla CEO Elon Musk. When asked about global warming, the former president usually responds that the bigger threat is ‘nuclear warming,’ which seems to mean nuclear war.”
Vice President Kamala Harris went further than her Republican opponent, acknowledging the threat posed by rising temperatures and pointing to her role in passing the Curb Inflation Act, which President Biden signed into law.
But the Democratic candidate also boasted that under Biden, the U.S. has “increased domestic gas production to historic levels” — a true but surprising fact for Harris to highlight, especially at a time when her campaign has yet to release a climate change platform.
Harris is, in theory, trying to win in certain battleground states by appealing to politically moderate voters who would be more likely to vote for her if she were less extreme. This is a classic Democratic strategy. I’m not sure if it will work.
But there is certainly a large contingent of young environmentalists who are tired of Biden, despite his many important accomplishments. And as I found, even those who support Harris are patiently waiting to hear more from her on environmental issues. Others are undecided about voting for her, waiting to gauge her level of enthusiasm.
For climate-conscious voters, Tuesday’s debate must have come as a shock.
“Tonight, Harris spent more time promoting fracking than laying out a bold vision for a clean energy future. This is a huge missed opportunity,” the Sunrise Movement said. “With this election so close, every young climate voter we turn out to vote counts.”
Again, I have no idea what’s going to happen in November. I understand less about politics than most political commentators.
But if Harris is counting on climate-conscious voters to back her no matter what, she might want to tread with caution.
Sooner or later, we have to find our way out of the trees and into the full forest, and time is running out.
In the meantime, here’s what’s happening in the Western world:
Climate change challenge
As we mentioned on Tuesday, the LA Times will be running a special edition this week on the climate crisis. The full section will be in print and available to read this Sunday. Here are some new articles published online since Tuesday:
- Is climate anxiety a mental illness or a cultural phenomenon? And why do we need to understand climate anxiety not just in terms of “climate” but also in terms of the many other stressors that affect marginalized communities? Check out this article by Rosanna Xia. If you’re feeling anxious, Rosanna also recommends .
- The fashion industry may be responsible for 8% of global climate pollution, so what are fast fashion brands doing to clean up the mess? reports Stephanie Yang. It doesn’t help that consumers don’t seem to care much either.
- Climate disasters are what keep people up at night, but they’re also what spur them to action, and as The Times’ Melissa Gomez reports, many young people are taking to social media.
- Melissa also writes about the (often hopeful) use of social media by climate scientists.
Join me and my colleagues to discuss these climate issues and others: The LA Times will host “California Climate Live” on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 9 a.m. at the Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles.
If you can’t attend the event but would like to support our climate journalism, please consider joining us.
Political situation
Let’s start with California, whose climate change leadership is not as simple as its leaders would have you believe.
- After years of delays, California’s new rules to protect indoor workers from extreme heat finally went into effect this summer, but are employers complying with them? (Rebecca Previn and Suhauna Hussain, LA Times)
- State officials say the state is making progress toward Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “30 percent in 30 years” goal through conservation efforts. The federal government’s national monument designation also helps. (Haley Smith, LA Times)
- Speaking of which, the Biden administration is preparing to designate the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary off the mid-coast, at the request of the Northern Chumash tribe. It would be… (Paul Rogers, Mercury News)
- Lawmakers are calling on President Biden to create the . (Curtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle)
Second, Newsom has spent a lot of political capital recently fighting big oil companies to lower gas prices (or at least convince the public that he is trying to lower gas prices). After state lawmakers rejected Governor Newsom’s request to pass a bill that would require refineries to stockpile fuel in case of shortages – which in theory could help mitigate spikes in gasoline prices – the Governor ordered the Legislature to reconvene in special session to debate and pass such a bill.
Newsom’s latest push didn’t go over well, with state Senate President Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) refusing to call lawmakers back to Sacramento, but McGuire ultimately backed down a bit, saying the Senate would reconvene in the fall if the Assembly, led by Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), passed the bill first.
Politics! It must mean something to someone.
I also According to Olga Grigoriants of the LA Daily News, Governor Newsom has previously called for the Aliso Canyon gas storage field, owned by Southern California Gas and known for record methane leaks, to be shut down by 2027. It’s been years since Governor Newsom highlighted that effort, but the agency studying the future of the storage sector, the California Public Utilities Commission, appears intent on continuing it for years to come.
There are interesting political developments happening in other Western countries too.
- Utah is seeking to take back about one-third of its land from the federal government in a lawsuit filed directly with the U.S. Supreme Court. The case is riddled with historical (and contemporary) errors. (Hannah Schoenbaum and Matthew Brown, Associated Press and Jonathan P. Thompson, Lands)
- Federal officials are making it a little harder to drill for oil and gas and a little easier to build renewable energy plants on 3.6 million acres of land in southwestern Wyoming. Can you believe it? (Jake Bolster, Inside Climate News)
- Update: “The next time some Utah politician or wannabe Sagebrush rebel whines about the BLM, the Biden Administration, and National Monuments destroying ranches, show them this.” (Jonathan P. Thompson)
- The proposed Love Ridge Wind Farm, which would be the largest wind farm in Idaho, has been halted due to long-standing criticism of its proximity to Minidoka National Historic Site, which preserves the memory of a federally run internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II. (Scott Streeter, E&E News)
Let’s end this section with dollar signs and big numbers.
- Chevron will pay Richmond in exchange for the Bay Area city agreeing to repeal a ballot measure that would have imposed a tax on the company’s oil refineries, a tax that could have added costs. (Dan Brekke, KQED)
- LA Metro gets $893 million in federal funding. (Salvador Hernandez, LA Times)
- California to build thousands of electric vehicle charging ports (Colleen Shalvey, LA Times)
- The National Park Foundation receives funding from the Lilly Endowment. (Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press)
Water and Fire
Four dams along the Klamath River are gone, giving hope to the Yurok and Karuk people after a decades-long struggle to restore the river. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out this article by my LA Times colleague Ian James.
And there’s even more good news:
In other regions, water challenges remain. Here are some examples:
- Governor Gavin Newsom lifted drought declarations in areas including Los Angeles and San Francisco, but not elsewhere, due to global warming and prolonged dryness. (Article by Ian James for the Los Angeles Times)
- Nearly three months after being placed on administrative leave by the Southern California Metropolitan Water Board, the powerful agency’s general manager, Adele Hagekalil, is still asserting the allegations against her. (Ian James)
- It flows into a tributary of the Sacramento River. (Damon Arthur, Reading Record Searchlight)
- Now that rising temperatures are transforming Montana’s rivers, including the iconic Blackfoot, someone needs to remake “A River Runs Through It” for the age of the climate crisis. (Nathan Lott, NPR)
- A New York hedge fund has quietly bought land and water rights in rural Arizona for $100 million, presumably with an eye on expanding into the Phoenix metropolitan area. Not everyone is happy. (Tony Davis, Arizona Daily Star)
Western Periphery
Again, let’s start with the good news.
By July of this year, California’s main power grid (comprised of Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, and San Diego Gas & Electric) had met more than 100% of its electricity demand from solar, wind and other green sources for at least part of the day on at least 100 days of the year, according to a report by Alejandro Lazo of CalMatters.
Renewable energy hasn’t been as strong in other Western states, but as Hannah Glover of the New Mexico Political Report reports, it has narrowly overtaken coal, as symbolized by the smokestacks of the San Juan Generating Station.
Now, the energy challenge is as follows.
- “From Ford to Mercedes-Benz, major automakers are backtracking on aggressive electrification goals they set years ago.” If you’ve noticed this, here’s what’s happening. (Tim Stevens, Canary Media)
- Regardless of how you feel about the failure of the carbon capture project, the reasons for its failure are disturbing: the project’s backers were unable to secure enough clean electricity, in part due to “competition with other energy-intensive customers, such as data center operators.” The more data centers built to power artificial intelligence and other digital devices, the greater the demand for electricity, making it harder to phase out fossil fuels. (Corbin Heer, E&E News)
- Global methane pollution is growing faster than ever before, and two-thirds of it is manmade. This is a frightening discovery in some ways, but it’s also encouraging because it means we can slow global warming. (Haley Smith, LA Times)
About the scenery
Until next week, here are some final stories from the outdoors.
- California wildlife officials made the right decision to euthanize a Mammoth Lakes-area black bear named Victor after it attacked a woman at a campsite, but did they make the right decision? Via my LA Times colleague Lila Seidman.
- In Southern California, a housing development approved by the Jurupa Valley City Council is moving forward, but some worry it could threaten the oldest oak tree on Earth. (Noah Hagerty, LA Times)
- In Joshua Tree National Park, rangers oversee preventative search and rescue programs and help visitors learn about extreme heat, sharp cacti and thirsty bees. It’s pretty cool. (Alex Wigglesworth, LA Times)
Last but not least, one of my favorite reads from the past few months is a series of in-depth reports by Bin Lin of Inside Climate News about the impacts of climate change on the Pacific Crest Trail, some of which are told through Lin’s own experiences hiking the PCT. The stories range from fascinating to a little scary, including a wildfire that broke out near the trail.
I’ll be back on Tuesday. I won’t be on vacation for a while. See you soon.
This is the latest issue of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Or open the newsletter in your web browser .
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