How Olympians are beating the heat

Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Jul 31, 2024 View in browser   By Francisco "A.J." Camacho A young spectator cools off in a misting fountain at the Paris Olympics on Monday. | Vadim Ghirda/AP The specter of heat stroke looms large over the Paris Olympics. But officials have a secret weapon to protect athletes in the heat wave blanketing the French capital: the “Heat Deck.” The ice water immersion tent first emerged at the Tokyo Olympics, where it helped save the life of a race walker whose body temperature soared to 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Its use in his survival has become part of a blueprint for combating extreme heat in sports, writes Ariel Wittenberg. Athletes, despite their peak physical condition, are uniquely vulnerable to heat stroke due to intense exertion and restrictive gear. The Olympics, once unprepared for extreme conditions, now stands at the forefront of heat illness prevention amid ever-rising temperatures. “It’s not a conversation that is going away,” said Rebecca Stearns of the Korey Stringer Institute, which works to prevent heat stroke in athletes. The Tokyo Olympics birthed a comprehensive heat plan, including the now-essential Heat Decks. But a changing climate continues to challenge the games in France, even beyond high temperatures (which climbed to 90 degrees today). Late last week, Paris got its typical monthly rainfall in just two days, flushing pollutants and E. coli into the Seine. That delayed the men’s triathlon from its scheduled start Tuesday. The beach volleyball stadium also saw volunteers hosing down spectators Tuesday — while players took breaks from the hot sand to drape ice over their heads and shoulders. Leading climate scientists have said that such blistering temperatures would have been "virtually impossible" without man-made climate change. Many Olympians signed onto a British Association for Sustainable Sport report, which called on organizers to schedule events during cooler hours, reassess fossil fuel sponsorships and amplify athletes’ voices on climate change. Michael Tipton, the report's lead author, stressed that athlete experiences should drive life-saving measures and climate advocacy. “Sporting fans tune into the Olympics for the spectacle, they want to see athletes compete at the top of their game, they want to see world records being broken,” he said. “But that’s not as likely to happen if the athletes have to worry about collapsing in the heat.”   It's Wednesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Francisco "A.J." Camacho. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to jkirkland@eenews.net. Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Zack Colman breaks down how people involved in global climate policy are preparing for a possible win by former President Donald Trump in November.   Live briefings, policy trackers, and procedural, industry, and people intelligence from POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy this election cycle. Secure your seat.      Power Centers Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.). | Win McNamee/Getty Images Permitting swan song? The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved broad energy permitting and grid development legislation this morning, Kelsey Brugger reports. The legislation, which passed the panel by a vote of 15-4, is likely the last opportunity before the November election to send a permitting package to President Joe Biden's desk. S. 4753 contains a potpourri of provisions: faster permits for renewable energy projects, requirements for oil and gas lease sales that align with industry demands, and timing limits for the Department of Energy to consider liquefied natural gas export applications. The White House hasn't publicly indicated where it stands on the legislation, which is sponsored by committee Chair Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and ranking member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). Some environmental groups have criticized it for opening the door to more oil drilling. But top climate advisers to Biden have stressed the need for permitting changes to allow federal investments in advancing renewable energy development to bear fruit. Hobbling Joe Manchin The capstone of Manchin's political career — a sweeping climate law worth hundreds of billions of dollars — might well have cost him his Senate seat, Kelsey writes. The senator's behind-the-scenes efforts to tailor White House ambitions to include oil and gas provisions and trim the original $3.5 trillion plan didn't matter to the voters of West Virginia. Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 damaged Manchin's political standing in the state, despite the prospect of new manufacturing and energy jobs. Manchin appeared unbothered by a plunge in approval ratings. And that set the stage for Jim Justice, the state's wealthy Republican governor, to run for Manchin's seat on a platform that pillories the Inflation Reduction Act. New pipeline approach A federal appeals court has tossed out an approval for a Northeastern gas pipeline, finding that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had failed to consider significant environmental consequences, writes Niina H. Farah. The decision — from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit — is a major victory for New Jersey’s climate ambitions and advocates who want federal regulators to rethink how they weigh the need for new fossil fuel infrastructure. The record before FERC showed the project would would result in “enormous” emissions for the next half century, Judge J. Michelle Childs wrote in the opinion for the court. “But it then walked away from the issues with a fatalistic shrug,” she said. In Other News Regrets? She has one: A Wall Street Journal columnist details her first year of driving an electric vehicle. Ominous warmth: Ground temperatures in East Antarctica have soared more than 50 degrees above normal in the region's second major heat wave in as many years. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. More than 250,000 EV buyers have claimed the federal incentive since January, new Treasury data shows. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images The climate law has saved consumers $1.5 billion so far this year through its EV tax credit, the Treasury Department announced Wednesday. Four senators introduced a bipartisan bill today that would prohibit companies with links to China from claiming the climate law's lucrative advanced manufacturing production tax credit. Federal regulators approved a 20-year license renewal for the Comanche Peak nuclear plant in Texas, extending the facility's operating life through 2053. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. 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