The Big Story 

Wednesday marked the Earth’s hottest day ever recorded, according to the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute.

© Getty

Worldwide temperatures on July 4 averaged 62.92 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the institute, which extrapolated from more than 40 decades of data from the U.S. National Centers for Climate Prediction.

The previous single-day record was this Monday, July 3, 2023, with temperatures averaging 62.62 degrees. An estimated total of 57 million people were exposed to dangerous temperatures Tuesday, according to The Washington Post’s Heat Index Forecast.

The record temperatures come after June’s record-breaking Texas heat wave, which spread through much of the southern U.S. in recent weeks.

Experts warned similar records may lie ahead. “This is driven by the combination of El Niño on top of global warming, and we may well see a few even warmer days over the next 6 weeks,” Robert Rohde of the University of California, Berkeley tweeted Tuesday, even before that day’s temperatures officially broke the previous day’s record.

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Read more from our colleague Julia Shapero at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.

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Essential Reads 

How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:

‘Forever chemicals’ in 45% of US tap water: study

Markey, Frost introduce bill to require full Medicare coverage of climate-resilient medical equipment

UN touts rise of windfall profit taxes as inflation stays sticky

In Other News 

Branch out with a different read on The Hill:

Ben & Jerry’s calls for return of ‘stolen indigenous land’ in July Fourth message

Ben & Jerry’s called for the return of “stolen indigenous land” in its Fourth of July message, pointing to Mount Rushmore as the place to start.

What We’re Reading 

News we’ve flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:

• ‘Double agents’: fossil-fuel lobbyists work for US groups trying to fight climate crisis (The Guardian)
  
  

• Study: Crop failure risk is underestimated in climate models (Axios)

   

•  Japan will soon release Fukushima radioactive water into the ocean. How worried should we be? (CNN)
  
  

•  Republicans seek FERC conferences to assess grid effects of EPA’s proposed power plant carbon limits (Utility Dive)

Upcoming Event 

The Hill’s Clean Energy Permitting Reform: The Path Ahead, Wednesday, July 26, 2023, 8-10 a.m. ET | National Press Club

Join The Hill on July 26, 2023, from 8-10 a.m. at the National Press Club as we convene lawmakers, clean energy experts and executives to discuss renewable energy infrastructure deployment, reaching clean energy goals and the outlook for greater reforms.

Guests include, Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), Vice Chair of the Energy, Climate & Grid Security Subcommittee and Vice Chair of the Federal Lands Subcommittee; Xan Fishman, Director of Energy Policy & Carbon Management at the Bipartisan Policy Center; Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Member of the Energy & Natural Resources Committee; and Heather Reams, President of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES)

What Others are Reading 

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

China is in default on a trillion dollars in debt to US bondholders. Will the US force repayment?

Every country should pay its sovereign debt. Default, we are told, is not an option. But has anyone told China? Read more

Special counsel subpoenas Arizona secretary of state office in Jan. 6 probe

The Arizona Secretary of State’s office has been subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, a spokesperson confirmed to The Hill. Read more

Opinions in The Hill 

Op-eds related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill: