Hello! Tens of millions of people in major cities across the northeast United States are facing record high heat this week, with temperatures in the eastern half of the country soaring above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), as regional electric grid operators try to avoid rotating blackouts. But before we dive into all things extreme weather, please note that Sustainable Switch will be off until July 3 when I'll be back to give you the latest environment, social and governance news before taking a slightly longer break in July – it is summer after all! Now, back to the heat in Washington and Boston which soared to 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), beating previous records by as much as 6 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. In New York City, residents who cast their votes in the Democratic mayoral primary elections were compelled to endure the soaring temperatures which reached 99 F (37 C) in the city's Central Park, surpassing the area's past high of 96. For those who missed it, Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker and self-described democratic socialist, won the New York City's Democratic mayoral primary over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Also on my radar today: |
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People cool their feet in a water feature at the World War II Memorial, amid a dangerous heat wave afflicting eastern United States, in Washington, U.S. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein |
But how did people handle the heat? |
Soaring temperatures bring a great need for cooling. But how are people cooling down? Well, I took this question to LinkedIn, where the majority of voters are "blasting their air conditioners", while others opt to just stay indoors or use their fans. Click here to have your say on the poll question. People opting to stay indoors and blast their AC also puts pressure on electric grids, as my colleague Gavin Maguire wrote in his column here. U.S. regional electric grid operators are trying to avoid rotating blackouts, preserving razor-thin power generation margins as temperatures in the eastern half of the country rose above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius). | |
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The price of staying cool |
Jammed and overheated transmission lines are causing congestion and lifting wholesale electricity prices in New York, the largest city in the United States, to nearly $2,400 per megawatt hour (MWh) during peak evening demand. New York ISO, the state's grid operator, warned it may initiate emergency actions after operating reserves declined. PJM Interconnection, which covers one in five Americans as the largest U.S. power grid operator, ordered several utilities in its territory to curtail electricity to customers in voluntary reduction programs. "Load reductions should continue until released by PJM," the grid operator said. PJM issued several warnings throughout the day as it battled to keep electricity flowing across overheated high-voltage transmission lines. Generation output also ebbed as gas-powered turbines operated at reduced capacity in the extreme heat. In keeping with power production, global carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector hit a record high for the fourth year running last year as fossil fuel use kept rising even as renewable energy reached a record high, the Energy Institute's annual statistical review of world energy showed. Click here for a Reuters explainer on why that's important. |
Protesters march during demonstrations to mark the first anniversary of the deadly 2024 anti-government protests in Nairobi, Kenya. REUTERS/Donwilson Odhiambo |
- Kenya protests: Sixteen people died during nationwide anti-government protests in Kenya on Wednesday, most of them killed by police, the head of Amnesty Kenya said, a year after deadly demonstrations against proposed tax increases culminated in the storming of parliament. Thousands of people marched across the country from Nairobi to Mombasa to commemorate last year's demonstrations, in which more than 60 people died.
- China floods: Towns and villages by a major river in China's Guangxi lay half-submerged as floodwaters from a province upstream roared into the mountainous region, with the expected landfall of a tropical cyclone later on Thursday compounding disaster risk.
- Trump v unionizing case: U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco blocked President Donald Trump's administration from eliminating union bargaining for hundreds of thousands of federal workers at 21 agencies. Donato agreed with the American Federation of Government Employees and other unions that Trump's March 27 executive order exempting many federal agencies from obligations to bargain with unions was likely illegal.
- U.N. funding: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a U.N.-mandated commission investigating suspected human rights violations and war crimes in Democratic Republic of Congo, cannot proceed due to a funding crisis in the U.N., according to a letter seen by Reuters. OHCHR is facing a major cash crunch caused by some countries failing to fully pay their contributions, compounded by major cuts in foreign aid by the U.S. under President Trump. Click here for the full Reuters story.
- Gaza aid: Speaking of U.N. funding cuts, Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said he may have to take an "unprecedented decision" about the services it provides if funding is not found soon to ease a cash flow crisis. "Cash flow is managed on a weekly basis," he told reporters in Berlin. "Without additional funding I will soon have to take an unprecedented decision affecting our services to Palestinian refugees." Lazzarini gave no further details of what that decision might entail.
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U.S. President Donald Trump urged fellow Republicans in the Senate to advance his sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act', as party hardliners and moderates squabbled over proposed spending cuts. Senate Republicans are at odds over the bill's details. Some want to make fewer cuts to social programs, including Medicaid healthcare for lower-income Americans, while hardliners want deep spending cuts to limit growth of the federal deficit. Click here for the full Reuters story. |
Two killer whales are "allokelping", where one whale uses kelp to massage the back of another whale near San Juan Island, Washington, U.S. Center for Whale Research, NMFS NOAA Permit 27038/Handout via REUTERS |
"You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours." That's what new research on killer whales has found in today's spotlight as scientists from Washington state and British Columbia observed the marine mammals using stalks of seaweed as tools to groom each other. Killer whales are known for exceptional intelligence, displaying complex social structures and sophisticated communication. The killer whales find large stalks of a type of seaweed called bull kelp, either attached to the seabed or floating at the surface. They then bite off the end of the stalk, position it between themselves and another killer whale and roll the kelp between their bodies. |
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Sustainable Switch was edited by Jane Merriman. |
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