Can Harris Rebrand Climate Policy as an Economic Strategy?

Current conditions: Typhoon Jongdari is expected to bring flooding to South Korea when it makes landfall tomorrow • Wildfire smoke from North America turned the moon red for stargazers in the U.K. • California’s Park Fire, which started on July 24, is still burning .

THE TOP FIVE

1. Trump attacks Harris on energy and environment

While the Democratic National Convention got underway in Chicago yesterday, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance went on the offensive in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. In separate speeches, Trump and Vance slammed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ energy and environmental policies. Trump accused her of waging “war on American energy” and promised to “unlock American energy” if he is elected to the White House again in November. He reiterated his pledge to scrap the Biden administration’s rules limiting power plant pollution, saying Harris is on “a regulatory jihad to shut down power plants all across America.” He also hinted at giving Tesla CEO a cabinet position. Vance told a crowd: “We are going to drill, baby, drill.” In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece , Vance claimed Harris “cares more about climate change than about inflation.” A New York Times /Sienna poll last week showed Harris inching ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania, as well as in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Allies have encouraged Harris to lean into the environmental wins of the past four years, including the Inflation Reduction Act, but it’s anyone’s guess how much of her big speech on Thursday will be about climate. For his part, President Biden used his moment in the spotlight yesterday to tout emission reductions and his initiatives to expand EV charging stations across the country.

2. Climate groups launch $55 million ad push for Harris

A group of climate organizations are putting out a $55 million ad campaign for Kamala Harris in swing states this week, The New York Times reported . The ads frame the current administration’s climate and energy policies as economic wins. “The goal of her presidency: strengthen America’s middle class,” one ad says. “We get there by investing in growing fields like advanced manufacturing and clean energy – good-paying jobs that don’t need a four-year degree.” The ad campaign is backed by L.C.V. Victory Fund, E.D.F. Action Votes, Climate Power Action, and the Future Forward super PAC.

3. Maine to build first U.S. floating offshore wind research site

The first floating offshore wind research site in the U.S. will be located in the Gulf of Maine. The Biden administration this week issued a lease for the research site, which “will inform how floating offshore wind operates and can co-exist with ocean users and ecosystems,” the Maine governor’s office said in a statement. The area is about 28 nautical miles from the shore and covers 9,700 acres, enough to accommodate 12 floating offshore wind turbines designed by the University of Maine. Floating offshore wind platforms enable wind power generation in deeper waters, and the Interior Department has a goal of deploying 15 gigawatts of floating capacity by 2035. Construction on the Maine site won’t start for another few years.

4. Sinking of luxury yacht off Sicily could have climate link

Climate change may have contributed to the freak storm that sank a luxury yacht Monday off the coast of Sicily, leaving one person dead and six missing, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch. As rescue efforts continue, one Italian climatologist told Reuters the accident could have been caused by a water spout that produced high winds. Data suggests these weather events are becoming more frequent in Italy. “The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), which is almost 3 degrees more than normal,” said Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian meteorological society. “This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms. So we can't say that this is all due to climate change, but we can say that it has an amplifying effect.” The Mediterranean is bracing for more intense storms today.

5. U.S. grid’s utility-scale electric capacity continues to grow

The U.S. power grid added 20.2 gigawatts of utility-scale electric generating capacity in the first half of 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That’s a 21% jump compared to the same period last year. In the second half 2024, the grid could expand capacity by another 42.6 GW “if utilities add all the solar capacity they are currently planning.” Solar accounted for 59% of additions through June this year. Battery storage made up 21% of additions, and wind power made up 12%. Meanwhile, coal and gas plant retirement has slowed.

EIA

THE KICKER

Starting this fall, both Arizona State University and the University of California San Diego are requiring students to take a course on climate change and sustainability.

Read more: This Is How You Die of Extreme Heat