Currently in Austin — September 18, 2023: The heat returns

The weather, currently.

Delightful rain showers and cooler temps over the weekend reinvigorated the plants, the birds and the long-silent peeper frogs in my neighborhood. But just like that, we’re back to the heat with a sunny Monday, a high near 94 and zero chance of rain.

Despite some brief but decent rain over the weekend, Austin is still in Stage 2 water restrictions. Upwardly mobile temps and rising humidity the rest of the week promise at least a few more days of summer ahead, while an overnight low of 69 today teases the possibility of fall.

What you need to know, currently.

The State of California filed a lawsuit on Friday against the five largest oil companies and their lobbyists, alleging that they deliberately misled the public to protect their profits — putting lives at risk and worsening extreme weather, creating billions of dollars of damage in the process.

"Oil and gas companies have privately known the truth for decades — that the burning of fossil fuels leads to climate change — but have fed us lies and mistruths to further their record-breaking profits at the expense of our environment. Enough is enough," said Rob Bonta, California's attorney general.

The lawsuit pits the largest US economy against the heart of the global fossil fuel system — and is analogous to the recent successful lawsuits against utility companies in California for their role in sparking deadly wildfires. This time, California is demanding the oil companies pay their share of damages to the state for their decades of lies.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, in the largest climate march since Covid, more than 75,000 people rallied in NYC explicitly to end the era of fossil fuels. The demands were clear: President Biden must declare a climate emergency and take immediate action to wind down fossil fuel production and use throughout the economy. And that work needs to be done with climate justice at its center.

Here’s AOC’s full speech at Sunday’s global climate march to end fossil fuels in NYC:

It’s happening, y’all.

— Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

Currently Sponsorships are short messages we co-write with you to plug your org, event, or climate-friendly business with Currently subscribers. It’s a chance to boost your visibility with Currently — one of the world’s largest daily climate newsletters — and support independent climate journalism, all at the same time. Starting at just $105.

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: