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- Currently in Austin — October 4, 2023: Last day of heat
Currently in Austin — October 4, 2023: Last day of heat
Plus, could a coalition Speaker of the House avoid a shutdown?
Eric Holthaus & A Hebert
October 03, 2023
Last day of 90s, chance of showers
The weather, currently.
Congratulations, Austin—it’s the tail end of the hottest-ever June through September, and we made it through! Wednesday is the last day of heat before the first of two cold fronts roll in and shake up our weather pattern. Before then, we’ll see a high near 91 with a 70% chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Expect high humidity and a heat index near 100. Wednesday night brings increasing clouds, a low around 74, and a 60% chance of rain. With Travis County still in “exceptional” drought, we’ll welcome both the rain and the cooler temperatures with open arms.
-Anne Hebert
What you need to know, currently.
A US government shutdown just become more likely — again.
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted out their leader for the first time in national history. What comes next isn’t readily apparent.
What are the odds we get 12 fully funded appropriation bills in the next six weeks? Zero or less than that? 🙃
— em dash aficionado (@imjacobnotjames)
11:43 PM • Oct 3, 2023
While the House is in a chaos of their own making, no business will get done. And the deal to stop a shutdown last weekend gave only a 45-day window — until November 17th — to formulate and pass funding bills for the entirety of the federal government.
The Washington Post has a good overview (gift link) of all the effects on the environment, climate, and weather operations of the federal government if the government shuts down. Some highlights:
Less enforcement of clean air and water protections. Closure of national parks and other public lands. Interruption of some environmental cleanups. Delays in new federal rules aimed at boosting clean energy.
Those are some of the potential effects of a federal shutdown — consequences that could compound the longer Congress is unable to agree on a way to keep the government operating.
While we are in the middle of an escalating climate emergency, having a functioning federal government is in everyone’s best interest — it helps direct disaster aid, it helps coordinate greenhouse gas regulations, it can stimulate investment in renewable energy.
There’s also a scenario in all this mess that Republicans effectively lose control of the House — and form a coalition government with Democrats — something that has hardly ever been tested in national American politics but is common in other parts of the world. Here’s hoping.
If there are 8 Republicans, perhaps moderate ones, interested in a Coalition government, even temporarily, Hakeem Jefferies would make a great Speaker of the House.
— MidwestCharm (@voter_indie)
12:26 AM • Oct 4, 2023
What you can do, currently.
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One of my favorite organizations, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, serves as a hub of mutual aid efforts focused on climate action in emergencies — like hurricane season. Find mutual aid network near you and join, or donate to support existing networks:
