Risks of letting Big Oil influence climate policy

+ why swatting a fly is so hard US Edition - Today's top story: Influential oil company scenarios for combating climate change don't actually meet the Paris Agreement goals, our new analysis shows [View in browser]( US Edition | 17 August 2022 [The Conversation]( President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed what’s being heralded as the nation’s most ambitious climate bill ever. The new law, which also includes spending on health care and tax measures, aims to push the U.S. closer to its pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. It contains about $370 billion in climate and energy investments, largely in renewable energy and energy efficiency. But how do policymakers actually determine the best ways to decarbonize economies? As strange as it may sound, some of the most influential decarbonization roadmaps come from the companies considered responsible for that carbon in the first place – namely, oil giants like BP and Shell. Many policymakers and investors rely on them because the companies also happen to know the energy industry best. Although these roadmaps are often described as consistent with the international Paris climate agreement, a new study led by University of Dayton Professor Bob Brecha [finds they actually fail to meet its goals](. The analysis showed that following their scenarios would lead to higher temperatures and rising risks. Also today: - [Young people’s easy access to guns is driving up suicides rates]( - [Why Liz Cheney lost her primary battle so badly]( - [Veterans win health care victory after decades of benefit denials]( Stacy Morford Environment + Climate Editor BP, Shell and Equinor all produce widely used scenarios of energy’s future. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images [Influential oil company scenarios for combating climate change don’t actually meet the Paris Agreement goals, our new analysis shows]( Robert Brecha, University of Dayton; Gaurav Ganti, Humboldt University of Berlin Most claiming to be compatible with the climate agreement show a strong continuing reliance on natural gas and coal. Ethics + Religion - [What is a fatwa?]( Myriam Renaud, DePaul University The attack on Salman Rushdie promptly led to speculation if the attacker had been influenced by the 1989 fatwa against the author. A scholar explains that a fatwa rarely calls for death. Politics + Society - [Wyoming GOP voters oust Liz Cheney for her outspoken criticism of Donald Trump]( Robert B. Talisse, Vanderbilt University Liz Cheney has been a conservative GOP congressional policymaker since 2016. But when she turned against Donald Trump, GOP voters in Wyoming turned against her. - [PACT Act providing health care to burn pit victims caps decades of denied benefits for veterans]( Jason A. Higgins, Virginia Tech President Joe Biden signed into law the most expansive health care package for military veterans in recent history – despite initial GOP opposition. - [How easy access to guns at home contributes to America’s youth suicide problem]( Matthew Miller, Northeastern University; Deborah Azrael, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Youth suicides in the US have increased by around 50% over the past decade – gun availability is a big part of that trend. Science + Technology - [When COVID-19 or flu viruses kill, they often have an accomplice – bacterial infections]( Hayley Muendlein, Tufts University Coinfections with bacteria can make viral infections even deadlier. Researchers have identified a protein in immune cells that may play a role in fighting both types of pathogens. - [Flies evade your swatting thanks to sophisticated vision and neural shortcuts]( Jamie Theobald, Florida International University; Ravindra Palavalli-Nettimi, Florida International University Why is it so difficult to swat a fly? A team of insect experts explains how a fly’s sophisticated vision allows it to quickly react to visual cues. Environment + Energy - [Electric school buses are taking students back to school – bringing cleaner air and lower maintenance costs to school districts across the country]( Andrea Marpillero-Colomina, The New School They look like conventional school buses, but electric versions are cleaner, quieter and cheaper to maintain. States, utilities and federal agencies are helping school districts make the switch. Trending on site - [What are muscle knots? An exercise physiologist explains what those tight little lumps are and how to get rid of them]( - [You don’t have to be a spy to violate the Espionage Act – and other crucial facts about the law Trump may have broken]( - [Which microbes live in your gut? A microbiologist tries at-home test kits to see what they reveal about the microbiome]( Today's graphic [A chart showing the number of commercial Earth-observing satellites from 1985 to 2022.]( From the story, [War in Ukraine highlights the growing strategic importance of private satellite companies – especially in times of conflict]( - - About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. 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