Two large surveys indicate that millennials and members of Gen Z are more emotionally engaged with climate issues than older generations.
Why it matters: Younger people are growing up with the effects of global warming are visible all around them, from heat waves like the one this week to extreme precipitation events.
ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods' public apology for two lobbyists' unfiltered comments is unlikely to put the controversy behind the oil giant, and the revelations may also intensify the glare on the wider industry over climate change.
Driving the news: A government affairs official compared lobbying to catching lawmakers like fish and acknowledged that the company's carbon tax support is mainly for show, in a video captured by a Greenpeace activist posing as a corporate recruiter.
New Jersey regulators have awarded development rights for nearly 2.7 gigawatts of offshore wind power capacity to separate projects headed by Danish wind giant Ørsted and a venture between Shell and France's EDF.
The big picture: The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities awards bring the project pipeline off the state's coast to over 3.7 gigawatts, the agency said. This includes a separate, previously approved Ørsted project.
Authorities in Canada, Oregon and Washington are investigating hundreds of deaths likely caused by the Pacific Northwest's worst heat wave on record, AP reports.
Mark Gallogly, a private-equity titan who's been working for John Kerry to line up private-sector financing to combat climate change and serve as a liaison to the business community, is leaving the administration, Axios has learned.
The big picture: Gallogly is departing almost as quietly as he joined, with one difference: Kerry, President Biden's special envoy for climate, is publicly acknowledging his role — and his contributions.
An Exxon government affairs official compared lobbying to catching lawmakers like fish and acknowledged that the company's carbon tax support is mainly for show, unlikely to produce results in a video captured by a Greenpeace UK activist posing as a corporate recruiter.
Why it matters: The comments Greenpeace published Wednesday — while offered under false pretenses — provide an unfiltered look at two Exxon lobbyists' views. They also prompted a remarkable public apology from Exxon CEO Darren Woods, who insisted they don't reflect Exxon's positions.
Nearly 500 people have died in British Columbia since Friday as a historic heat wave grips the region, Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said in a statement Wednesday.
Why it matters: The heatwave in the Pacific Northwest has shattered records and alarmed scientists. In Lytton, British Columbia the temperature soared to 121°F on Tuesday, conditions which, in North America, are usually reserved for the desert Southwest.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) urged people to "believe your own damn eyes" when it comes to climate science, during remarks on Wednesday after meeting with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other administration officials to discuss the threat of wildfires on the West Coast.
Driving the news: Wildfire season has started early because of the severe drought and record-breaking heat wave affecting the Pacific Northwest. In California, the Lava Fire grew to nearly 18,000 acres overnight and is continuing to spread.
The extreme heat that shattered records across the Pacific Northwest — and still has not abated in many areas — has no precedent in modern record-keeping, data analyses shows. This is especially the case in British Columbia, where the temperature soared to an almost unimaginable 121°F in Lytton on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Heat of this magnitude is proving to be deadly, which is consistent with findings that heat waves are typically the deadliest weather phenomena in the U.S. each year. The temperatures are also shocking some scientists.
The White House hopes to use the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process to mandate that power companies supply escalating amounts of zero-carbon electricity, according to a memo from two top aides obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The policy, called a "clean energy standard," is a priority for environmentalists, and the memo comes as activists fear infrastructure talks will leave major climate measures on the cutting room floor.
In the midst of the worst heat wave in the history of the Pacific Northwest and an early start to the West's wildfire season, the Biden administration is moving to raise federal firefighters' pay while taking other steps to bolster wildfire preparedness.
Why it matters: With a severe drought gripping the West, particularly California and Arizona, Biden and other members of his administration will convene virtually with a group of western governors Wednesday to discuss the challenges that lie ahead this summer and fall.
Record-breaking Pacific Northwest heat offers a window into the global need for more air conditioning as climate change makes heat waves more extreme.
Why it matters: Extreme heat is the deadliest weather hazard in the U.S. and many other countries, and with average temperatures climbing due to climate change, the risks and severity of heat waves are escalating even faster.
The Pacific Northwest heat wave has been linked to dozens of deaths in Canada — where Lytton reached 121°F Tuesday. It's the third consecutive day the British Columbia town had smashed the country's all-time high temperature record.
What's happening: From Friday, when the heat wave began, to Monday officials in the West coast province had recorded at least 233 deaths — roughly 100 more reports than they would typically receive over a four-day period, the B.C. Coroners Service said in a statement on the fallout from the extreme heat.
Driving the news: The lightning-sparked Lava Fire in Siskiyou County has scorched more than 13,330 acres of land, expanding nearly tenfold since Monday, per the U.S. Forest Service.
