CLIMATE ROUNDUP: Are heat wave deaths the new normal, already?
Just two weeks ago in this newsletter we discussed a supposed work of science fiction that warned of deadly heat waves and resulting human fatalities. That book — “The Ministry for the Future” — imagined a brutal Indian heat event that killed millions when wet-bulb temperatures surpassed what a human being can handle.
Now it looks like such predictions and fears could become the new normal a lot sooner than anyone anticipated. So maybe the novel wasn’t science fiction, after all.
Climate news this week having been stocked with all manner of stories on this summer’s heat both in the United States and around the globe. From Wired magazine to the Washington Post to ESPN, the focus was thick with dire coverage.
Even at the Olympics, in Tokyo, the mainstream media was preoccupied with heat. A notable ESPN story about a scorching midday tennis match went with this headline: “Medvedev struggles with extreme heat in advancing to Olympic men's tennis quarterfinals.”
The article recounted how Danil Medvedev, a top-ranked Russian player known for being candid, suffered through Tokyo’s humidity, having called three medical timeouts during a match he ultimately won. On another court, Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa left in a wheelchair after forfeiting a match due to heatstroke.
"I can finish the match, but I can die," Medvedev reportedly told the chair umpire, when the official asked if he was okay. "If I die, are you going to be responsible?”
By week’s end, organizers in Tokyo had deferred to a player request to schedule matches later in the day. The matches have been banned between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. until further notice.
Air conditioners: The new carbon currency?
The Washington Post was also on top of developments. The paper ran a feature story that looked at how climate change is “making parts of the world too hot and humid to survive” and offered an analysis of what is meant precisely by wet-bulb temps. The phrase references how much water is in the air, meaning how much humidity plus heat and the point at which the human body can no longer cool itself by sweating.
“The trends are prompting doomsday questions: Will parts of the world soon become too hot to live in? How will we survive?” the story began, pointing to Mexico, Central America, the Persian Gulf, India, Pakistan and Southeast Asia as "all careening toward this threshold before the end of the century.”
And then, in the Middle East, news outlets detailed how the wealthiest have been surviving heat waves with back-up generators to serve air conditioners, while the less fortunate swelter through temperatures that in Iraq topped 122 degrees Fahrenheit, or 50 degrees Celsius.
The stories have noted how underinvestment in power grids and a drought that’s impaired hydroelectric operations have left governments struggling to produce and transmit electricity. Anger and outrage have followed, including protests in Iran that have led to security forces firing into crowds to disperse them, according to a report by Amnesty International.
“Since protests over severe water shortages erupted in Khuzestan on 15 July, security forces have killed at least eight protesters and bystanders, including a teenage boy, in seven different cities,” Amnesty reported. “Scores of people, including children, have been injured, including by birdshot, and several are hospitalized in critical condition due to gunshot wounds. Security and intelligence forces have swept up dozens of protesters and activists, including many from the Ahwazi Arab minority, in mass arrests.”
A recent study on weather-related death found that about 5 million people die each year because of extreme hot or cold — with cold contributing the most to the number.
The study, in the journal Lancet Planetary Health, cautioned that heat-related deaths are on the rise and likely to continue rising, while deaths due to cold are dropping. The study estimated that extreme weather causes 9.4 percent of global deaths per year.
Climate tech soars
Meanwhile, other outlets were looking at how climate-tech investment is raging this year, partly in response to all the news about extreme weather and early wildfires.
Axios led with a story by Ben Geman, in its Generate newsletter, that noted a number of big-money deals, including: Brookfield Asset Management closing $7 billion for its “Global Transition Fund,” which aims to help help carbon-intensive industries cut emissions; and private equity giant TPG announcing $5.4 billion raised for its TPG Rise Climate fund.
Quoted in Geman’s piece was a report from PitchBook that found that a “flood of capital” has led to a fast-paced first half of the year for venture-backed climate tech firms, which have raised more than $14.2 billion this year globally.
“So far in 2021, global investors have already closed as many climate-focused funds as were raised during the previous five years combined,” said PitchBook, in an analysis.
The Substack Climate Tech VC also made much of the PitchBook analysis. In the last two weeks, the newsletter has reported on $4 billion in new funds, including: Generate Capital having raised $2 billion to expand their sustainable infrastructure project finance model; a $700 million new venture by Carlyle’s solar and storage infrastructure fund, Copia Power; and a $1 billion KKR investment in Sol Systems, a U.S. renewables company.
The newsletter said it has tracked about $10 billion in new and dedicated climate-tech venture funds across 31 funds in 2021.
“Overall, the surge in the number of new funds is healthy for the climate tech ecosystem, and is far from over (we hear whispers of at least another 30+ funds this year),” wrote Climate Tech VC, which by the way is one of the most useful newsletters on Substack.
Cli-fi and other entertainments
On a lighter note, a work conversation at Preston-Werner Ventures this week about whether climate content is too boring to satisfy mainstream consumers led this pessimistic reporter to discover a whole new thing (for me): Potential Energy Coalition videos on Vimeo.
Our staff agreed that this one was our favorite. The campaign is “Vote like a Madre,” the idea being to attract Latina mothers alarmed about climate change to vote. The use of miniature cars and other toys to terrorize power plant employees was particularly welcome.
But, please, don’t try those strategies at home. We do not condone anyone raiding industrial facilities, generally, but this video certainly was fun to watch.
Thanks for reading.
— Colin Sullivan
Sullivan is the former West Coast bureau chief and congressional editor for E&ENews. He’s based in D.C.