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Sustainable Switch

Climate Focus

By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello!

Today’s newsletter turns to countries across Europe and Asia ravaged by heatwaves and wildfires, looking for ways to protect their people and manage such crises better in the future.

The severity of the blazes, and the speed of their spread, have raised questions about whether countries are investing enough in environmental management, such as by clearing forests of dry, flammable vegetation, and restoring wetlands that can act as natural firebreaks.

The European Union will push its member countries to spend more on measures to reduce wildfire risk, its environment commissioner told Reuters, as experts said the economic cost of this summer's blazes had already exceeded €15 billion ($17.3 billion).

EU environment commissioner Jessika Roswall said ⁠Brussels will also scrutinise how wildfire prevention features in governments' national plans for complying with the EU's law on restoring damaged nature, which they must submit to the EU by September.

South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung ordered ministries and local governments to mobilize all available personnel and resources until the heatwave eases, to protect people, particularly the elderly. He also called for stricter enforcement of rest breaks for outdoor workers during the hottest hours.

Seoul endured another stifling night ahead of what turned out to be one of the hottest days in the city's modern history on Friday, with temperatures hitting around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Some countries are turning to nature to help with soaring temperatures. Tourists have been taking shelter in the relative cool of the UNESCO-listed Vjetrenica cave in southern Bosnia.

Numbers allowed to visit the cave are limited because of the sensitivity of the environment. Its constant 11 C (52 F) temperature year-round has made it a refuge for biodiversity as well as for humans. Click here for the full Reuters story.

Climate Buzz

1. Heatwaves expose overcrowding crisis in Europe's ageing prisons

Reuters spoke to more than 40 people in France, Italy and Belgium — inmates, activists, prison directors, doctors, union reps — many of whom described a crisis in jails where this summer's heatwaves have exposed underlying problems with overcrowding and ageing facilities. Click here for the full deep-dive story.

An inmate looks out the window from his prison cell as he tries to stay cool during the heatwave in Orleans, France. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

2. Japan orders evacuations as Typhoon Dolphin approaches, cancels 500 flights

A slow-moving Category 1 typhoon is approaching southwestern Japan, raising the risk of winds that could damage ‌or ⁠collapse some structures, authorities warned. They issued evacuation orders for nearly 260,000 residents in Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures.

3. Europe's would-be water bombers in race to tackle future wildfires

Designs for new or converted water-bombers have gained momentum after nearly 500,000 hectares burned across Europe this year. Click here for more on how a French startup plans to challenge ageing Canadair water-bombers in combatting European wildfires.

4. Water watch: Puerto Rico to begin water rationing due to intense drought

Puerto Rico will begin a rotating water rationing program that will last at least through the end of August, according to details posted on the U.S. territory's Aqueduct and Sewer Authority website. The plan will force tens of thousands of people to go without water ‌for 48 hours at a time.

5. Republican US senators propose to repeal California emissions rules

Four U.S. Republican senators proposed repealing landmark California vehicle emissions rules in a bid to prevent the state from imposing stricter tailpipe requirements than the federal government. The Trump administration has mounted a multi-pronged effort to deny California the ability to require cleaner vehicles and more electric vehicles.

What to Watch

The moon will blot out the sun for millions of people in a total solar eclipse on Wednesday, best seen from parts of Spain and Iceland. Click here to watch a Reuters video with Noelia Noel, an astrophysicist at the University of Surrey, explaining what a solar eclipse is, where it will be visible on August 12, and what to expect.

Climate Commentary

For years, the energy transition narrative has pointed toward a future with natural gas eventually fading into the background. Yet the evolution of the U.S. power system suggests a more complicated reality. Click here to learn more in a piece by Reuters global energy transition columnist Gavin Maguire.
Environmentalists are up in arms about the proposed revocation of climate disclosure rules by Wall Street's top regulator. Click here to learn what’s at stake in a column by Reuters U.S. sustainable business correspondent Ross Kerber.

Climate Lens

Following on from the focus on food insecurity in yesterday’s newsletter, click here for a Reuters story about the world being on the verge of another bout of food inflation as the Iran and Ukraine wars, along with El Nino, create a perfect storm of higher costs and lower crop yields, according to the chief economist of the ‌United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.