Message From the Editor

On August 30, during a tour of the damage from Hurricane Laura, a reporter asked President Trump about the risks that stronger hurricanes, intensified by climate change, pose to the fossil fuel industry along the Gulf Coast. His answer — “That’s the way it is” — echoes his dismissal of the rising death toll from COVID-19 just a month earlier.

Sharon Kelly reports on Trump’s comments and Hurricane Laura’s impacts on the Gulf, with powerful photos by Julie Dermansky. Check out the story.

With memories of Hurricane Sandy still fresh, Hoboken, New Jersey this week filed a climate lawsuit trying to hold accountable major oil companies and the industry’s largest trade group, the American Petroleum Institute, for their “deceptive actions” around climate change. Dana Drugmand has the story.

Also joining the wave of climate lawsuits this week is a group of young people in Portugal, who launched a case against almost all of Europe (33 countries) for failing to properly address the climate crisis that they say threatens their fundamental human rights

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: editor@desmogblog.com.

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Thank you to all the readers who’ve already donated to support our public interest journalism during these difficult times. Donating even $10 or $20 right now will help keep us going.

‘That’s the Way It Is’: Trump’s Dismissal of Hurricane Laura and Climate Crisis Echoes Remarks on COVID-19 Deaths

— By Sharon Kelly (11 min. read) —

At an August 30 briefing in Orange, Texas, during a visit to tour damage from Hurricane Laura, President Trump answered a question about climate change and hurricanes. Texas has had big storms for a long time, he said, and “that’s the way it is.”

The phrase carried echoes of his remarks on COVID-19 — made at a time when the coronavirus had killed over 156,000 and infected over 4.7 million in the U.S. — that the virus’s death toll “is what it is.”

Hoboken, New Jersey Sues Oil Industry for Climate Impacts From its 'Deceptive Actions'

— By Dana Drugmand (5 min. read) —

New Jersey has now joined the wave of lawsuits seeking to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for climate impacts. The city of Hoboken today filed a case against major oil and gas companies and the American Petroleum Institute (API), a powerful industry trade group which has played a major role in promoting “uncertainty” about climate science.

The lawsuit seeks to recover costs associated with climate impacts like extreme flooding and sea level rise. Like other climate liability lawsuits targeting fossil fuel companies, Hoboken's suit alleges that the oil and gas companies and their lobbying group not only knew early on about the climate harms resulting from their products, but actively engaged in campaigns of deception to undermine climate science and avoid policy responses.

Latest Youth Climate Lawsuit Filed Against 33 European Countries Over Human Rights

— By Dana Drugmand (7 min. read) —

Six young people from Portugal have filed an unprecedented climate change lawsuit against almost all of Europe, targeting 33 European nations for failing to take adequate action on the climate crisis that they say threatens their human rights.

It is the latest in a series of legal actions brought by young people around the world demanding urgent climate action to protect their fundamental rights and safeguard their futures.

As Climate-Fueled Wildfires Worsen, Communities Wrestle With Paying the Costs

— By Karen Savage, Climate Docket (9 min. read) —

Pennie Opal Plant spent much of last weekend anxiously scanning the horizon for smoke from California’s growing wildfires, packing and repacking treasured items into her car, and trying to decide which to bring if she needed to evacuate.

Plant, the co-founder of Idle No More SF Bay, a group led by Indigenous women dedicated to climate activism, is no stranger to climate-fueled disasters, including California’s growing wildfire crisis. But for the first time ever, Plant was preparing to flee from the flames at a moment’s notice. She has lived in her home in Richmond for more than 20 years.

Principia Scientific International (PSI) is an organization based in the United Kingdom which promotes fringe views and material to claim that carbon dioxide is not a greenhouse gas. The PSI website says the organization is “for everyone who supports the traditions [sic] scientific method against the rise of sinister and secretive government funded 'post normal science'.” In 2020, the organization has been promoting conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database or our new Koch Network Database.

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