Climate Point: Weird weather worldwide and supersonic jet comeback could make it worse

Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to climate change, energy and the environment. I'm Janet Wilson, writing to you from Palm Springs, the rainy western edge of a frozen continent. But it's hot down under. That's right, Australia set blistering records for heat this week. How hot was it? So hot that snakes headed for toilets to stay cool, as USA TODAY's Doyle Rice tells us. Meanwhile, normally soggy Oregon remains mired in a drought, as Zach Urness with the Salem Statesman Journal reports. Weird weather could become commonplace: scientists warn that a warming atmosphere will likely mean more extremes.

Here are some other things you might want to know:

MUST READ STORIES

Recycling is evidently a dirty word in Indianapolis, which has a dismal seven percent recycling rate, compared to a national average of 35 percent. And many cities achieve much higher returns, both in numbers of cans and in revenues from businesses that buy the used goods, as Sarah Bowman and Emily Hopkins of the Indianapolis Star lay out in a two-part series.

Up in the sky, a return of high-flying, fuel-guzzling supersonic jets could add more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere that's wreaking havoc below. Per USA TODAY's Elizabeth Weise, supersonic planes fly faster than the speed of sound and at higher altitudes. They could get from Paris to New York in three and a half hours. But they would use five to seven times more fuel per passenger than traditional aircraft, which already emit plenty, according to new findings by the International Council on Clean Transportation. 

And just in case anyone you know needs a gentle reminder, no, the polar vortex doesn’t disprove global warming. Keith Matheny's Detroit Free Press story fills us in: "It's a question on many blue lips this week, as Michigan braces for below-zero temperatures for its daily high on Wednesday: How can global warming be true when it's so cold?"

ALL ABOUT ENERGY

Billions with a "B." Utilities nationwide are overspending by billions as they’ve ramped up spending on aging transmission lines and other equipment, with no competition and little upfront scrutiny, as I report for The Desert Sun. An estimated $8 billion could be saved in five years if just a third of all major transmission projects across the nation were opened up to competition, according to a report by the Brattle Group, which analyzed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and regional data from 2013 through 2017. FERC's chairman says the time is coming to review competition rules. 

More billions. Pacific Gas and Electric went ahead and filed for bankruptcy, as USA TODAY's Mike Snider reports, saying it faces billions in potential lawsuit payouts from victims of wildfires that have often been caused by its aging equipment. I dug into an ongoing legal case against PG&E by a state regulator and major customers saying they're "gold-plating" repair projects, tacking on extra costs with little evidence the work is getting done.

WATER IN THE WEST

California here we come. Just when it seemed like seven Western states would all sign on to Colorado River drought prevention plans by a federal Jan. 31 deadline, a rural water district in southeastern California took it down to the wire, saying it needs $200 million to restore the declining Salton Sea in exchange for its support. I'm covering it for the Desert Sun.

Meanwhile, colleagues at the Arizona Republic tracked the plans relentlessly, including in this explainer by Ian James on how a plan for the lower river would "spread the pain" of water cutbacks in coming years.

Offshore no more. Oregon is poised to permanently ban offshore drilling, Tracy Loew reports for the Salem Statesman Journal, and to prohibit any drilling infrastructure from crossing state waters. A Senate committee heard testimony on a bill that would make permanent an existing 10-year drilling moratorium, set to expire next year.

“We don’t want offshore oil drilling, not in Oregon, not now, not ever,” said Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, who is one of the bill’s 22 sponsors. The bill is widely expected to pass.

AND ANOTHER THING

Guess what? Peregrine falcons, the fastest birds on the planet, are making a strong comeback in New Jersey, as Scott Fallon chronicles for The Record. The falcons have easily adapted to urban settings, becoming what one expert calls a "cosmopolitan predator." Capable of swooping down on prey at 240 mph, they had been largely wiped out due to DDT beginning in the 1960s, until the contaminant was banned per the federal Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. A record 40 nesting pairs were counted in 2018, with at least 75 chicks. Hey, if they can do it, there's hope for the rest of us.

That's all for this week. For more climate, energy and environment news, follow me on Twitter @janetwilson66 You can sign up to get Climate Point in your inbox here

And here's this week's carbon count, aka atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as of Jan. 31, 2019.