Peter Dykstra: Midterms go eco-AWOL
Credit: Tim Evanson/flickr

Peter Dykstra: Midterms go eco-AWOL

Climate and environmental issues were deeply impacted by the midterm elections, but once again, were absent from any prominent discussion

Every 45 minutes or so on Election Day, I was treated to the televised strains of "Come Fly With Me," a 1957 crooners' standard made famous by Frank Sinatra.


The occasion? It was the sound bed for an American Petroleum Institute ad reminding Democracy lovers how indispensable its members' products are.

And the relevance? The oily, gassy API ads were the closest anyone came on Election Day to mentioning what many of us regard as the key issue of our lifetimes. And it's not just "us."

In an October Fox News poll of likely midterm voters, more than one-third of respondents rated climate change as "extremely" important to their voting decisions. One-third may seem distressingly low to some of us, but doesn't it rate at least a little bit more than near-silence?

In truth, ignoring climate change is a time-honored tradition in national politics. October 15 this year was the tenth anniversary of the last time a presidential debate included a climate question – and the veteran moderator botched the question: Bob Schieffer of CBS News asked Senators Obama and McCain about "climate control," – a term favored by plumbers measuring building temperature, not scientists measuring disappearing glaciers. (McCain quickly corrected him.)

But let's move from a rant to how some climate-relevant legislators fared at the polls. Marsha Blackburn, a Tea Party-ish Tennessee congresswoman, captured a Senate seat. A staunch climate denier, the Senator-elect's most shining moment occurred in 2012, when she fought a gallant battle against more energy efficient light bulbs on the grounds that our soldiers have fought and died to protect our freedom to be dim bulbs.

Dave Brat, and his 1 percent career score from the League of Conservation Voters, was ousted from his Virginia district by newcomer Abigail Spanberger.

In California, Dana Rohrabacher's 30-year career of repping Orange County came to an end. A lover of surfing and foe of the Clean Water Act, Rohrabacher also professed to love science but hate climate science. Democratic businessman Harley Rouda narrowly beat him.

Now THAT's what I call redistricting 

Both major parties have engaged in the noxious practice of gerrymandering – creating Congressional districts that look like they were drawn by Picasso in order to capture as many seats as possible.

But the GOP and Dems have nothing on Mother Nature, who is poised to re-shape coastal districts from Corpus Christi to Cape Cod.

Republican Carlos Curbelo's south Florida district could completely disappear under rising seas. Curbelo helped found the Congressional Climate Caucus. But as environmental leaders lamented at a post-election briefing on Wednesday, the bipartisan caucus has accomplished little. He lost his job on Tuesday to Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

Remember the push to get scientists to become politicians?

Sean Casten has postgraduate credentials in molecular biology and engineering, and he's the new Congressman from Illinois. Casten is also a clean energy entrepreneur, and talks a big game on climate. He defeated six-term Congressman Peter Roskam, who was criticized for ignoring pollution from a local factory.

Fond farewells 

Retiring House Science Committee Chair Lamar Smith had turned his hearing room into an inquisition chamber for climate scientists. Also quitting is fellow Texan "Smokey Joe" Barton, so christened by enviros for his teenage crush on petroleum; in 2010, Barton demanded that President Obama apologize to BP for his harsh words over the Gulf oil spill.

Term-limited Maine governor Paul LePage dismissed BPA risks by saying the worst case would be "women with little beards."

Rep. Darrel Issa, who pushed to investigate climate scientists, retired and was replaced by Mike Harkey, a Dem with strong environmental and clean energy credentials.

Final rant: Negative ads, but not on environment 

For all of the vile, truth-stomping attack ads that oozed from our TV's this year, I could only find one specific to the environment. The aforementioned, soon-to-be-ex Congressman Carlos Curbelo used third-party ads to attack the woman who defeated him, Debbie Mucarsel Powell for allegedly taking coal money. You see, her supporter, Tom Steyer once worked for a firm that invested in coal, so there you go.

Here in Georgia we were buried with non-environment attack ads in which both parties tried to make their opponents look like thugs, playing voters for fools while enriching campaign consultants and the broadcasters that sell them airtime. Prominently featured were slo-mo, black-and-white images of the puppetmasters, Pelosi and McConnell, designed to add 20 years to the mid-septuagenarians and make them look as ghastly as possible.

We'll know environmental issues have hit the political bigtime when politicians routinely use these ads to pollute the environmental discussion.

Boy oh boy, I can't wait.

Power plant smokestacks spew white pollution into the sky on a sunny day.
Credit: Photo by konrad dobosz on Unsplash

EPA moves to erase power plant emissions rules, claiming climate impact is too small

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to strike down greenhouse gas limits for fossil-fueled power plants, arguing their emissions aren’t a significant threat despite overwhelming scientific consensus to the contrary.

Lisa Friedman reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Wildfire smoke billowing above a distant forested hill.
Credit: Pixabay

Wildfire smoke threatens pregnant patients in underserved areas, study shows

Pregnant people in wildfire-prone counties face higher health risks from smoke exposure but often live far from essential maternal and neonatal care, researchers say.

Sharon Udasin reports for The Hill.

Keep reading...Show less
Bridge and clock tower over Charles River in Harvard University campus in Boston with trees and blue sky.

Harvard’s public health school faces layoffs and funding chaos after federal grant freeze

More than 130 researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health lost federal funding after the Trump administration cut grants over the university’s refusal to comply with political demands.

Jenna Russell reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Welder  with a face shield working on a steel beam in a warehouse.

Coal-fired steel plants push air pollution levels higher in major U.S. cities

Seven U.S. cities with aging coal-burning steel plants rank among the worst in the country for air pollution, according to new research that links emissions from blast furnaces to dangerous levels of ozone and particulate matter.

Alexander C. Kaufman reports for Canary Media.

Keep reading...Show less
a view of a mountain range with trees and mountains in the background.

Trump administration accelerates logging in Black Hills, raising alarms over tribal rights and forest health

A sweeping federal directive to fast-track logging across most of the Black Hills has sparked outcry from Indigenous leaders, scientists, and environmental groups who say it threatens forest integrity, tribal sovereignty, and endangered species.

Anya Kamenetz reports for Grist.

Keep reading...Show less
Earth is more valuable than money protest sign.

Global crackdown on environmental defenders leaves thousands attacked or missing

Environmental activists face growing risks worldwide, with over 6,400 attacks — most unpunished — targeting those who challenge powerful industries and defend their land and communities.

Katie Surma reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
A construction site with cranes and concrete support structures behind a closed gate.

New tech campuses are draining water from Latin America’s driest places

As AI expands, tech giants like TikTok are building energy-hungry, water-thirsty datacenters in drought-prone regions of Latin America, sparking fears of worsening water shortages and community exclusion.

Laís Martins and Francisco Amorim report for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.