JOHN YANG: Tonight on PBS News Weekend, worldwide nearly half a billion children are experiencing at least twice as many extremely hot days as their grandparents did.
Then, two years after the inflation Reduction Act became law, a look at its economic impact and at the delays in the projects it was meant to spur and Glacier National Park's efforts to manage a crush of visitors and vehicles.
MAN: Glacier is a very special place.
It's natural that people want to come here, but if there's too many people in the park, then the park experience becomes one that just won't be enjoyable.
(BREAK) JOHN YANG: Good evening.
I'm John Yang.
Israel conducted military operations on two fronts today, Gaza and Lebanon.
In Lebanon, an airstrike in a Beirut suburb killed at least 37 people, including three children.
Hezbollah also confirmed the death of another senior military official and 16 other members Across southern Lebanon, Israel said it struck about 180 Hezbollah targets, including rocket launchers, after signs the group was about to fire more rockets and drones into Israel.
In Gaza, 22 people were killed on an airstrike on Gaza City.
Israel says they were targeting a Hamas command center.
The Gaza health ministry says the strike hit a school turned shelter and killed mostly women and children.
FERIAL DALOUL, Displaced Palestinian (through translator): A missile, a missile from the plane hit us and another missile, we saw the whole world covered with smoke and stones, and we saw people and children cut up and a person without a head, all of which were scenes that broke our hearts.
What should we do?
What is our fault for this to happen to us?
JOHN YANG: The health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
Reports that at least 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since fighting began on October 7.
In central Ukraine, a Russian missile strike killed three people.
The Regional Governor said the victims were a one year old boy and two elderly women.
Ukrainian forces aren't backing down, even as they prepare for the third winter of the conflict.
More than 100 of their drones hit an ammunition depot in southwestern Russia, triggering evacuations in the area.
Vice President Harris says she's accepted CNN invitation for a second debate with Donald Trump on October 23 saying on social media that she hopes the former president will join her, but at a rally today in North Carolina, Trump said it was too late for another debate because voters are already casting ballots.
DONALD TRUMP, Former U.S. President: Now, she wants to do a debate right before the election with CNN, because she's losing badly.
You know, it's like a fighter.
She sees the poll, she sees what's happening.
She's losing badly, but it's like a fighter who goes into the ring and gets knocked out.
The first thing he says is, I want a rematch.
I want to rematch.
JOHN YANG: New filings show the Harris campaign raised $257 million in August, compared with the Trump campaign's 85 million that month.
And in Munich, today was the beginning of Oktoberfest, considered to be the world's largest Folk Festival.
The official opening was heralded by the city's mayor tapping the first keg.
Thousands of people had lined up before dawn to claim tables inside big tents where pretzels and beer were served.
Oktoberfest dates back to an 1810 celebration of a royal wedding.
Still to come on PBS News Weekend, a progress report on the inflation Reduction Act Two years on and how Glacier National Park is navigating a flood of visitors.
(BREAK) JOHN YANG: Tomorrow morning is the autumnal equinox, the official end of a summer that's been the hottest on record.
A recent report from UNICEF says that around the world, nearly half a billion children live in places where they've been at least twice the number of 95 degree or more days than there were in the 1960s.
The report says extreme heat creates health concerns for children and for pregnant women.
It increases the likelihood of stillbirths, babies with low birth weight and premature births.
Lily Caprani is UNICEF's chief of Global Advocacy.
Lily, are there places in the world where this problem is especially pronounced?
LILY CAPRANI, Chief Global Advocacy, UNICEF: Well, as you've said, this has been the hottest summer on record, and that's affected every country in the world, including in the United States in Western Europe, but there are some countries that have had it particularly bad.
Some of the countries in West and Central Africa that UNICEF has been studying and researching the temperatures of have had as many as four whole months back to back of extremely hot days over 95 degrees Fahrenheit, children who are living through extreme heat for huge portion of the year now, but it's affecting every country in the world.
JOHN YANG: And what are the effects that we see, especially in children?
What effects show up?
LILY CAPRANI: Yeah, the reason UNICEF is worried about this with the UN children's agency, we see that children all over the world are really struggling with the extreme heat.
I mean, it affects all of us.
It affects older people and young people, especially badly for young children, especially very young babies and infants, their bodies are particularly vulnerable to the effect of heat stress, because they're not just like little adults.
Their bodies work differently.
They get hotter more quickly.
It takes more for them to try and cool their bodies down.
Anyone who's held a baby in their arms will know their hearts beat twice as fast.
They breathe more quickly.
They tend not to be able to sweat very well.
And all of these things add up to making them quite vulnerable to the effect of extreme heat, and it can attack their body much more quickly.
So it's a worry for anyone who's a parent, a grandparent, someone who's looking after children in healthcare facilities, that this kind of extreme heat poses a significant threat to the health of young children.
JOHN YANG: And as we pointed out in the introduction, it was also in your report, this also has effect on pregnant women.
What affects them, particularly about this?
LILY CAPRANI: Yeah, extreme heat, when you exposed over time as a pregnant woman is actually associated with lower birth weights.
Premature births can really affect the health of a pregnancy, that affects the mother, and of course, the young unborn baby, especially if they're born preterm.
So there's a lot of associated risks of being exposed to extreme heat, and we know it's happening more often.
These periods of extreme heat are lasting for longer, and they're getting more and more intense as each year goes by.
JOHN YANG: Does this also have an effect on food production, on drought that affects children?
LILY CAPRANI: Yeah, when we think about extreme heat and heat stress, the first obvious thought is about your health, your physical health, but actually the knock on effects are much broader than that, especially for children.
So, if there's very extremely hot days for a long period, it can affect their schooling.
Can they concentrate?
Is it too hot to learn?
Can they even keep the schools open?
And then there's the other effects on the environment around them, especially in countries that maybe don't have the infrastructure, the cooling infrastructure, like air conditioning, or where there's already kind of lots of pressures on the land.
Maybe there's drought, scarcity of clean water, and it can affect food production crops, and that has a big knock on effect on children's not just their learning and their health, but their diets and the prospects for the future.
JOHN YANG: You talk about infrastructure, we think of the United States as being a advanced, wealthy nation, but you say this is also affecting children here in the United States.
LILY CAPRANI: We know that the planet is warming and it doesn't respect borders, right?
So every country is having more heat waves every year.
It's getting hotter and hotter, and the United States is affected.
We know actually, that at least half of the children in the United States are experiencing double the number of heat waves compared to what their grandparents' generation lived through.
So no one escapes this.
We're all in this together.
There are heat trapping gasses that are warming this planet.
There are some practical things we can do to protect children, and we must do to protect children right now, but in the long run, we're going to have to bring down those temperature rises if we want to stop this getting worse.
JOHN YANG: Talk about those short term things you can do right now.
LILY CAPRANI: So anyone who's a parent, a carer, or works with children needs to be aware of the risks to their health, well, to everyone's health, but particularly vulnerable, younger children.
And something you can do if you're a parent and your child is old enough to understand is explain to them to look out for the signs of heat stress, like if it is a really hot day, make sure you stay hydrated.
Drink a lot of water, even if you're not feeling thirsty, keep drinking water.
Keep yourself hydrated.
Take yourself out of the hot place if you can, try to cool down.
If your child appears to be suffering from heat stress, they seem maybe dizzy, confused or feeling a bit nauseous, it's really important to cool them down as quickly as possible.
And if it seems like it's not working, get medical attention.
It can be serious and it can escalate really quickly.
And then all of the services that care for children, whether it's teachers in the classroom, whether it's doctors, nurses, they can also do a lot to help care for children in these situations, try and prevent it happening, be more aware of the risks, because we'll all have to become more and more aware as it keeps happening every year.
JOHN YANG: Lily Caprani of UNICEF, thank you very much.
When Congress passed the biggest investment ever in climate and clean energy, a little more than two years ago, President Biden called it a giant step forward.
Tonight, Ali Rogin looks at how it's measuring up so far.
ALI ROGIN: The Inflation Reduction Act or IRA signed by President Biden back in 2022 invest close to $370 billion to combat climate change, and to date, there's been more than $100 billion in private investment and roughly 100,000 new jobs created in clean energy manufacturing.
Together, the IRA and its companion bill, the CHIPS Act, offer more than $400 billion in funds focused on jump starting manufacturing industry, reducing emissions and providing cleaner electricity to the economy.
But a mammoth undertaking like this is not without obstacles, worsening market conditions, overproduction in China and uncertainty in the 2024 U.S. presidential election are putting up roadblocks for a number of these projects.
According to analysis by the Financial Times newspaper, 40 percent of major IRA manufacturing projects have been delayed or paused indefinitely.
Jack Conness is a policy analyst at Energy Innovation Policy and Technology, a nonpartisan research and analysis firm.
Jack, thank you so much for being here.
So we're two years into the IRA you've been tracking these projects.
What do we know?
JACK CONNESS, Policy Analyst, Energy Innovation Policy and Technology: The inflation Reduction Act has signaled to the private market that the U.S. clean energy economy is open for business.
What I've tracked are investments and jobs in batteries, electric vehicles, solar and wind manufacturing projects.
Up to this point, a majority of investments in jobs have been seen in battery and electric vehicles, while most of the remaining jobs and investments are in solar manufacturing.
All this has led to the US taking a leadership role at a global scale when it comes to a clean energy future.
ALI ROGIN: Why are we seeing more investment in some of these types of projects and not as much in others?
JACK CONNESS: Yeah, so I think there's a pretty large market signal when it comes to electric vehicles and what that looks like in the future.
So auto manufacturers are understanding that batteries and electric vehicles will be a major part of our future.
So a lot of investments are being made in that space.
ALI ROGIN: And as we mentioned, about 40 percent of these major projects have been found to be delayed or paused indefinitely.
Why is that happening?
And is that mostly due to the market, as you mentioned, not heeding the signals that the IRA is sending.
JACK CONNESS: So you can't turn a billion dollar factory on overnight.
The scale of these projects is massive, but there's a contextual way I think about it.
Let's say you're walking around your neighborhood and you see a new home or an apartment building under construction.
It feels like you can walk by it for weeks or months or even a year and see little progress being made, but eventually it gets built, and we've built millions of houses over hundreds of years, and it's a pretty standardized process.
So as we embrace clean energy technologies and a new prosperous economic future, these projects will become more standardized and efficient over time.
So when we look at some of these quote, unquote delays, some are just a few months or even a year.
So let's say we had a project that was pushed from 2024 into 2025, it's inconsequential when you consider these projects will impact local communities and state and federal outcomes for decades into the future.
ALI ROGIN: But that's not the case for many of these projects, right?
We're not just talking about delays over red tape.
We're talking about structural, systemic issues with the marketplace, whether it's overproduction from China, they have a glut of solar panels on the market, a lack of skilled workers able to fill these positions.
Headwinds from the economy, inflation and high interest rates.
Aren't those all contributing to reticence on the part of the market to invest in some of these projects that the IRA was meant to spur?
JACK CONNESS: Yeah.
So to your point, I mean, the marketplace loves certainty.
The private marketplace loves certainty.
It's the most important thing businesses seek when making investments, especially ones that involve hundreds of millions or billions of dollars.
So in this instance, for you know, we're talking about policy certainty, which is strong because the Inflation Reduction Act incentives are in place for 10 years.
That gives the private market an incredible decade long opportunity to invest in clean energy future and create tens of thousands of good paying American jobs.
But policy uncertainty is the other side of the coin, which is what businesses loathe and what causes them to pause on making large new investments.
ALI ROGIN: Is this just always the tension that occurs when the federal government is seeking to make investments in the private sector?
JACK CONNESS: I think what we see really, in any industry, across any part of the economy, are delays when it comes to, you know, new buildings, manufacturing, industry spending.
So when we look at what the IRA is doing for the clean energy economy, it's not necessarily anything unique that we're seeing in that space that we wouldn't see in other industrial or manufacturing sectors across the economy.
ALI ROGIN: Let's talk a little bit more about those projects that are taking off and are on, on track.
You mentioned the EV marketplace.
What are those manufacturing sites look like right now?
What sort of activity is going on?
JACK CONNESS: At a micro level since the IRA was signed, we've already seen multiple announced solar manufacturing projects come online.
So these are projects that were announced after IRA was signed into law, and they're already up and running.
So we have thousands of new solar manufacturing jobs that have been created in Ohio and Texas and Georgia.
And then we've also seen on the battery plant project announcements.
Many of them have broken ground and are working towards completion, as we alluded to before.
Those projects naturally take a bit longer, but many of them are progressing well and will be online in the coming years.
ALI ROGIN: And how are lawmakers responding to these?
I mean, even if they didn't support the IRA, are they embracing these projects that are in their areas?
JACK CONNESS: Yeah.
So one of the beautiful things about the Inflation Reduction Act is it -- is just a signal to the private market to engage in a clean energy economy.
It doesn't pick winners, it doesn't pick losers, and it certainly does not pick where these investments will take place.
So the private market has come in and has made their decisions on their own internal checklists on where to make these investments across the country, and what we've seen up to this point are a number of investments made in what are traditionally red or purple states.
We've seen a number of lawmakers across the political spectrum embrace these announcements.
We've seen significant announcements made in places like Georgia and South Carolina, which, again, are traditionally either more red or purple states, but they've been the recipients of some of the largest investments up to this point.
So we're really seeing an embrace of clean energy technology in states that are traditionally voting, you know, on the right side of the aisle.
ALI ROGIN: Jack Conness with Energy Innovation Policy and Technology.
Thank you so much for joining us.
JACK CONNESS: Thank you for having me.
JOHN YANG: Glacier National Park in Montana attracts millions of visitors a year.
Three years ago, officials began a vehicle reservation program to try to ease congestion of both people and vehicles, as AJ Williams of Montana PBS reports, there have been unintended consequences.
AJ WILLIAMS (voice-over): For the last five years, Glacier National Park's visitation numbers have hit record highs, but the increase to 3 million park goers has led to overcrowding in popular areas, and the traffic they bring has led to safety concerns.
DAVID ROEMER, Superintendent, Glacier National Park: Glacier is a very special place.
It's natural that people want to come here, but if there's too many people in the park, then the park experience becomes one that just won't be enjoyable.
AJ WILLIAMS (voice-over): In the last four years, the park has been piloting a vehicle reservation system for traveling through glaciers, most congested areas.
Glacier National Park Superintendent Dave Roemer says that they use monitoring across the park with cameras and traffic counters to inform their decisions, as well as staff observations and hearing from the broader glacier community.
This year comes with some substantial changes.
DAVID ROEMER: We've changed the hours of the Vigla reservation system from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and that's consistent throughout all the areas.
AJ WILLIAMS (voice-over): Locals say this is an improvement, but for those without a vehicle reservation, entering mid-afternoon still doesn't necessarily afford getting far into the park.
LUCINDA CRISTLER, Owner, Mini Golden Inns: If they want to do a long day hike, that's not going to work.
You know, you need to be up there really early in the morning, and I find a lot of my guests are leaving really early in the morning to beat that, as is everybody else who doesn't have a ticket.
This is probably most people's favorite.
AJ WILLIAMS (voice-over): Lucinda Cristler is the owner operator of Mini Golden Inns just outside of glaciers, west entrance.
She took over the family business five years ago, just before the pandemic hit.
And despite the park's drastic increase in visitors, Cristler has seen a decline in revenue since the vehicle reservation system has been put in place.
LUCINDA CRISTLER: It has affected me in a negative way, revenue wise, because of occupancy rates, mostly with cancelations, or more than that, even people cutting their trip short, even though I've been here living solid since 2019 I've only been to the park four times, and that was in the off season after the tickets were no longer required because I simply couldn't get him.
My window of opportunity sometimes I only know an hour in advance if I can get away, and that leaves me out.
And I hear that from a lot of other locals too.
AJ WILLIAMS (voice-over): After reviewing data and receiving input from the Blackfeet Nation Tribal Council as well as local businesses, the park opted to keep two of the east side entrances out of the vehicle reservation system.
DAVID ROEMER: So we've got two options there on the east side where people will be able to visit the park in an impromptu, unplanned fashion, without needing to obtain vehicle reservations every day.
AJ WILIAMS (voice-over): Flathead County Commissioner Brad Abell believes vehicle reservations are still needed on the west side entrances near his district.
BRAD ABELL, Flathead County Commissioner: Everybody's concerned about waiting in a line where you're you're kind of trapped there in the middle of traffic.
AJ WILLIAMS (voice-over): Because of these concerns in part, the park decided to change where vehicle reservations begin when entering from the west side, but Abell says local businesses expressed that they experienced financial loss due to the reservation system.
BRAD ABELL: I have heard from the businesses that are inside the park.
They did have concerns about the ticketed entry, because those people could not get in to do business with their businesses.
And the ticketed entry, people were kind of going right straight on through and those businesses were suffering.
AJ WILLIAMS (voice-over): Another change for this season is when you can book vehicle reservations.
Before, reservations could be made 8:00 a.m. the day of entry.
Now they can be made 7:00 p.m. the night before.
DAVID ROEMER: I think that's a change that is going to be beneficial to both people that live locally, 7:00 p.m. is outside of your work hours, and for people planning a trip, just plan your dinner around that 7:00 p.m. hour.
AJ WILLIAMS (voice-over): The vehicle reservations now last one day instead of three, which will cut down on unused reservations and increase availability.
Cristler says, as a business that provides lodging to park goers, the vehicle reservation system puts another burden on her to educate every customer to navigate the system.
LUCINDA CRISTLER: A lot of people have problems navigating that internet system, and they want a voice to talk to, and oftentimes that voice ends up being me, which I don't want to complain about that, but it does take a lot of time to explain that system to them, a system that I'm not even really fully 100 percent, you know, an authority on.
AJ WILLIAMS (voice-over): But she expects the system to smooth out and hopefully for the visitor experience to get better over time.
And as a resident, she hopes that the park will work better with the locals to make sure that they can enjoy the park itself.
LUCINDA CRISTLER: I think that it's really important that the powers that be that make these rules be aware of how upsetting it is for a lot of Montanans who this is their backyard and they can't even enjoy it.
That's unfortunate, and I don't know what the answer is, but you know, there should be something done that would allow these people access.
DAVID ROEMER: People are still going to come to Glacier and they're still going to enjoy glacier, but we've removed those peaks, those high points where things get really congested, unsafe and non-enjoyable, not conducive to a park experience.
That's going to be inspiring.
It's going to be educational, that could be spiritual.
All the things that people come to Glacier for you can't experience that in good luck traffic.
AJ WILLIAMS (voice-over): As glacier enters year four of piloting its vehicle reservation system, visitors will be the judge of what changes work.
WOMAN: Hi.
Welcome to Glacier.
AJ WILLIAMS (voice-over): For PBS News Weekend.
I'm AJ Williams.
JOHN YANG: Now online, medical experts recommend which vaccinations should be at the top of the list for adults and children to get this fall.
All that and more is on our website, pbs.org/newshour.
And that is PBS News Weekend for this Saturday.
On Sunday, why baby food on supermarket shelves may not meet recommended nutritional guidelines.
I'm John Yang, for all of my colleagues, thanks for joining us.
See you tomorrow.
