Super Typhoon Yutu, which struck the Northern Mariana Islands as the strongest tropical cyclone to hit U.S. soil since 1935, appears headed for a second significant landfall — this time in the northern Philippines.
The big picture: Super Typhoon Yutu continues to push westward, and has turned into a larger, more sprawling system with estimated maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour. This puts it back to Category 5 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It's forecast to intensify further, to a 165-mph monster, during the next 24 hours, before slowly weakening.
During the first wave of mobility disruption, ride-hailing companies found niches beyond the reach of traditional regulation. But as modes of transportation expand — from shared bikes and scooters to the anticipated rollout of autonomous vehicles — governments and regulatory agencies have begun to re-assert themselves.
The big picture: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and many other cities are actively setting policy, rather than merely reacting to private players. Since AVs are likely to be deployed in business models that look more similar to Lime and Bird than (classic) Uber and Lyft, cities will look to carry over the policies they develop around vehicle caps, permits, data sharing and more.
A group of roughly three dozen scientists and other energy experts are claiming a seminal United Nations report on climate change is biased against nuclear power.
Why it matters: A global entity like the UN climate panel can have a big impact on the acceptance of nuclear power, as calls to address climate change intensify and the challenges facing the nuclear industry grow around the world.
On Sept. 24, Senator Elizabeth Warren, along with seven co-sponsors, introduced the Climate Risk Disclosure Act of 2018. If enacted, this bill would require public companies to disclose a substantial amount of new information about their exposure to climate-related financial risks to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The big picture: As climate change concerns continue to mount, members of Congress, academics and investors are calling for public companies to make increased disclosures about environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, such as management of a company's carbon footprint.
Super Typhoon Yutu hit the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on Thursday as the strongest storm to hit U.S. soil since 1935, leaving devastating damage in its wake.
Why it matters: Per Axios' Andrew Freedman: With maximum sustained winds of 180 mph when it hit Tinian, Saipan and Rota, Super Typhoon Yutu was tied for the strongest storm seen on Earth in 2018. It was the latest in a string of major hurricanes to hit the U.S. in recent years, including 3 major hurricanes in 2017 and Hurricane Michael so far this year.
A new National Academy of Sciences report calls for a "substantial research initiative" to quickly advance technologies that directly remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Why it matters: It's a stark recognition that expansion of zero-carbon energy sources will not be enough to meet the internationally recognized goal of holding the global temperature rise below 2°C/ 3.6°F, let alone 1.5°C/ 2.7°F — which are recognized benchmarks for avoiding some of the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
Oil-and-gas giant Equinor posted a $4.8 billion third-quarter profit on Thursday morning, roughly double the amount from the same period last year.
Why it matters: The results from the multinational oil giant formerly known as Statoil show how the industry is reaping the benefits from higher oil prices even though their haul was slightly below analysts' forecasts.
Few people — except maybe Elon Musk himself — predicted Tesla's impressive third-quarter profit results, especially after the sideshow of the past three months.
Why it matters: This could be a turning point for Tesla. The operating improvements reported today suggest the company has the potential to buckle down and deliver sustained profits after losing money for much of its 15-year existence.
