Climate Home

2/26/21, Further delay feared as ‘like-minded’ countries resist online climate negotiations

2/26/21, The stakes for Cop26 couldn’t be higher – Climate Weekly

2/26/21, China, US urged to step up as UN warns world ‘very far’ from meeting climate goals

2/25/21, Bangladesh scraps nine coal power plants as overseas finance dries up

2/24/21, Fragile countries call for investment in rooftop solar to expand energy access

2/24/21, “Science-based” corporate climate targets are no such thing, says former advisor

2/23/21, Hit by hurricanes and Covid, more Central Americans go hungry and plan to migrate

2/22/21, EU spent €440 million on failed gas projects since 2013, study finds

2/19/21, Mauritius oil spill: questions mount over ship fuel safety

2/19/21, Cleaning up the Congo – Climate Weekly

2/19/21, Concerns raised about Green Climate Fund flood defence project in Samoa

2/19/21, As US formally rejoins the Paris Agreement, eyes turn to 2030 emissions goal

2/18/21, Under diplomatic pressure, India considers net zero – but major hurdles remain

2/17/21, DR Congo campaigners take minister to court over illegal logging rights claims

2/17/21, Italy creates ecological transition ministry but campaigners warn against gas support

2/17/21, EU member states divided over green reforms of energy investment treaty

2/16/21, Climate leaders welcome reforming WTO chief, as carbon trade wars loom

2/12/21, Angola’s oil dependency thwarts its exit from the group of poorest nations

2/12/21, Time for negotiators to embrace Zoom – Climate Weekly

2/11/21, China’s energy agency floats increase in 2030 renewables target

Yale Environment 360

2/24/21, Brazil Has Weakened Dozens of Environmental Laws During the Pandemic

2/24/21, On U.S. East Coast, Has Offshore Wind’s Moment Finally Arrived?

2/22/21, Noise Pollution Impacting Marine Animals Worse Than Previously Thought

2/18/21, One-Third of Farmland in the U.S. Corn Belt Has Lost Its Topsoil

2/18/21, Why Drilling the Arctic Refuge Will Release a Double Dose of Carbon

2/16/21, An Illicit Trade in Brazil Is Sending Tiny Songbirds to Their Deaths

2/15/21, Submarine Permafrost Has Been Overlooked as a Major Source of Greenhouse Gases, Scientists Warn

2/11/21, Shell Plans to Expand Natural Gas Business Despite Climate Pledge

2/11/21, How Paving with Plastic Could Make a Dent in the Global Waste Problem

2/9/21, As Plastic Pollution in Rivers Gets Worse, Species Are Increasingly Living on Litter

2/9/21, Assisting Evolution: How Far Should We Go to Help Species Adapt?

2/5/21, Denmark Is Building an Artificial Island as a Clean Energy Hub

2/4/21, California’s Rainy Season Now Starts a Month Later Than It Used To

2/3/21, Water Warning: The Looming Threat of the World’s Aging Dams

1/29/21, Major European Lenders Back Out of Oil Trade in Ecuadorian Amazon

1/28/21, World Losing Ice 57 Percent Faster Than In the 1990s, Study Finds

1/28/21, In a Refinery’s Ashes, Hope for an End to Decades of Pollution

1/27/21, Tens of Millions of Birds Pass Through Just Two Western U.S. Corridors

1/27/21, Avoiding a 'Ghastly Future': Hard Truths on the State of the Planet

1/21/21, A New Way to Track Endangered Wildlife Populations from Space

U.S. Global Change Research Program

1/25/21, Updates on NCA5

1/25/21, NASA/JPL Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite Launched November 21, 2020

1/25/21, National Council for Science and the Environment Drawdown 2021 Conference

1/25/21, American Meteorological Society 101st Annual Meeting

1/25/21, North American Carbon Program 7th Open Science Meeting

1/25/21, American Geophysical Union 2020 Fall Meeting

8/7/20, Remembering Dr. Mike Freilich

11/22/19, USGCRP at the AGU 2019 Fall Meeting

8/9/19, Remembering Tony Janetos

11/20/18, On the release of NCA4 Volume II and SOCCR2: A letter from the Acting Chair of the Subcommittee on Global Change Research and our Executive Director

NOAA State of the Climate updates

2/27/21, January 2021 National Climate Report

2/27/21, January 2021 Global Climate Report

2/27/21, January 2021 Regional Analysis

2/27/21, January 2021 Upper Air

2/27/21, January 2021 Tropical Cyclones

2/27/21, January 2021 Global Snow and Ice

2/27/21, January 2021 Synoptic Discussion

2/27/21, January 2021 Tornadoes

2/27/21, January 2021 National Snow and Ice

2/27/21, January 2021 Drought

The Guardian

2/26/21, Changes in Atlantic currents may have dire climate implications for the next century | Andrew Meijers

2/26/21, Atlantic Ocean circulation at weakest in a millennium, say scientists

2/25/21, A practical guide to tackling the climate crisis – podcast

2/24/21, Arctic ice loss forces polar bears to use four times as much energy to survive – study

2/24/21, To stop climate disaster, make ecocide an international crime. It's the only way | Jojo Mehta and Julia Jackson

2/23/21, Kiribati and China to develop former climate-refuge land in Fiji

2/23/21, Climate crisis hitting 'worst case scenarios', warns Environment Agency

2/18/21, Facebook announces UK trial to tackle climate misinformation

2/17/21, Million-year-old mammoth genomes set record for ancient DNA

2/17/21, Heating Arctic may be to blame for snowstorms in Texas, scientists argue

2/16/21, The Guardian view on Germany's Greens: opportunity knocks | Editorial

2/15/21, Bill Gates: ‘Carbon neutrality in a decade is a fairytale. Why peddle fantasies?’

After putting $100m into Covid research, the billionaire is taking on the climate crisis. And first he has some bones to pick with his fellow campaigners...

Read an exclusive extract from Gates’ new book

Bill Gates appears via video conference – Microsoft Teams, not Zoom, obviously – from his office in Seattle, a large space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lake Washington. It’s a gloomy day outside and Gates is, somewhat eccentrically, positioned a long way from the camera, behind a large, kidney-shaped desk; his communications manager sits off to one side. If one had to stage, for the purposes of symbolism, a tableau of a man for whom a distance of 3,000 miles between callers still constitutes too intimate a setting, it might be this. “As a way to start,” says Gates’ aide, “would it be helpful for Bill to make a couple of comments about why he wrote his new book?” It is helpful, and I’m not ungrateful, but this is not how interviews typically commence.

There is an urge towards deference, when speaking to Gates, which attends few other people of commensurate fame. Celebrity is one thing, but wealth – true, former-richest-man-in-the-world wealth – is something else entirely; one has a sense of being granted an audience with the Great Man, a fact made more surreal by his famously muted persona. The 65-year-old has the lofty, mildly longsuffering air of a man accustomed to being the smartest guy in the room, leavened by wry amusement and interrupted, on the evidence of past interviews, by the occasional peevish outburst – most memorably in 2014, when Jeremy Paxman questioned him about Microsoft’s alleged tax avoidance. (“I think that’s about as incorrect a characterisation of anything I’ve ever heard,” he said, practically squirming in his seat with annoyance.)

Gates loves private jets; he calls them his ‘guilty pleasure’. He loves hamburgers and eating grapes year-round

I hope Greta Thunberg isn’t messing up her education. She seems very clever

The idea that the success of Microsoft is so much money for one individual slowly but surely dawned on me

There’s no simple thing like get a vaccine and the climate nightmare ends. It’s way broader than the pandemic

I wouldn’t say to somebody, please don’t have kids. We will make the world a reasonable place to live so kids will be fine

2/14/21, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates; The New Climate War by Michael E Mann – review

2/12/21, 'Colder and deeper’: Scientists close in on spot to drill Antarctic ice core 1.5m years old

2/9/21, Climate crisis pushing great white sharks into new waters

2/8/21, Balloon test flight plan under fire over solar geoengineering fears

2/4/21, Top climate scientist warns PM over 'contemptuous' Cumbria coal mine plan

2/3/21, Terrawatch: the adventurous icebergs that trigger ice ages

2/2/21, Sea level rise could be worse than feared, warn researchers

1/31/21, The Guardian view on climate progress: the need for speed | Editorial

Inside Climate News

2/26/21, Today's Climate - Global Action Is ‘Very Far’ From What’s Needed to Avert Climate Chaos

Today's Climate - Global Action Is ‘Very Far’ From What’s Needed to Avert Climate Chaos

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Today’s Climate – Inside Climate News

02/26/2021

Global Action Is ‘Very Far’ From What’s Needed to Avert Climate Chaos

Emissions of planet-warming gases must be cut by nearly half by 2030 if the world is to have a good shot at averting the worst climate catastrophes, says a new report from the United Nations. The global political response has been underwhelming so far, with new climate targets submitted by countries to the international body likely to reduce global emissions by less than 1 percent, the report said.

(The New York Times)

Commission Bans Fracking in Delaware River Basin

A commission of governors from four states has banned fracking in the Delaware River Basin, an area that spans more than 13,000 square miles across parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. The commission passed the ban on Thursday, arguing that fracking “presents risks, vulnerabilities and impacts to surface and ground water resources” in the region.

(The Hill)

A Clean Energy Milestone: Renewables Pulled Ahead of Coal in 2020

In a year of pandemic illness and chaotic politics, there also was a major milestone in the transition to clean energy: U.S. renewable energy sources for the first time generated more electricity than coal. Big gains in wind and solar power—and a steady showing for hydroelectric—helped to propel renewable energy to pass coal in 2020, according to new data from the Energy Information Administration.

(Inside Climate News)

Former Michigan Gov. Granholm Confirmed as Energy Secretary

Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm won Senate confirmation Thursday to be energy secretary, joining Joe Biden’s Cabinet as a leader of the president’s effort to build a green economy as the United States moves to slow climate change. The vote was 64-35, with all Democrats and 14 Republicans, including GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, voting yes.

(Associated Press)

A Third of All Food in the United States Gets Wasted. Fixing That Could Help Fight Climate Change.

More than a third of all food grown for human consumption in the United States never makes it to someone’s stomach, The Washington Post reports. That’s about $408 billion worth of food, grown on 18 percent of U.S. farmland with 4 trillion tons of water. With a carbon footprint larger than the airline industry, tackling the issue of wasted food would have a major impact on global warming.

(The Washington Post)

How the Race for Renewable Energy is Reshaping Global Politics

As the world transitions to cleaner energy, experts agree that global politics will change as well. Places that master clean technology and export green energy stand to gain from the new system. But will it produce a kind of clean energy realpolitik, with countries vying for advantage, or a more utopian future that reduces conflict?

(Inside Climate News)

2/26/21, A Clean Energy Milestone: Renewables Pulled Ahead of Coal in 2020

A Clean Energy Milestone: Renewables Pulled Ahead of Coal in 2020

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In the 02/26/2021 edition:

A Clean Energy Milestone: Renewables Pulled Ahead of Coal in 2020

How the Race for Renewable Energy is Reshaping Global Politics

A Clean Energy Milestone: Renewables Pulled Ahead of Coal in 2020

Low costs of wind and solar power helped renewables pass coal in electricity generation; gas remains the leader.

By Dan Gearino

How the Race for Renewable Energy is Reshaping Global Politics

The world’s transition to clean energy. But will it produce a kind of clean energy realpolitik, with countries vying for advantage, or a more utopian future that reduces conflict?

By Leslie Hook and Henry Sanderson

While the world was locked down by coronavirus last year, Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, chairman of Fortescue Metals Group, was on the move. The billionaire mining magnate and his entourage toured 47 countries over five months, managing to convince some of them to open their borders to the delegation despite the pandemic.

2/25/21, Today's Climate - Haaland, With a Key Vote in Her Column, Appears Headed for Confirmation

Today's Climate - Haaland, With a Key Vote in Her Column, Appears Headed for Confirmation

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Today’s Climate – Inside Climate News

02/25/2021

Haaland, With a Key Vote in Her Column, Appears Headed for Confirmation

Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who heads the Senate Energy Committee, announced Wednesday that he would vote to confirm New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland to head the Interior Department. His vote likely cements the position for Haaland, who has faced harsh GOP criticism as she vies to become the first Indigenous cabinet secretary.

(The New York Times)

Climate Change is Weakening the Ocean Currents That Shape Weather on Both Sides of the Atlantic

Climate change is weakening the Gulf Stream, which shapes weather on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, a new study says. That could mean more heat waves in Europe, increased sea level rise in North America and fish fleeing farther north. “If this continues, the societal consequences will be pretty significant,” one climate scientist said.

(Inside Climate News)

California’s Iconic Redwoods, Sequoias and Joshua Trees Threatened by Climate Change

California’s iconic redwoods, sequoias and Joshua trees—some of which have been around since before Julius Caesar ruled Rome—are increasingly threatened by bigger and more frequent wildfires as the planet warms, CBS reports. Last year, 350 giant sequoias and 1.3 million Joshua trees perished in the state’s worst fire season. An estimated 10 percent of California’s redwoods are expected to die too.

(CBS News)

Inside Clean Energy: The Right and Wrong Lessons from the Texas Crisis

Now that the power is back on in Texas, we are entering a phase with investigations of all the systems that failed. But some of the biggest lessons are already apparent, including that our power grids were built for summer peaks and cities have yet to address poor energy efficiency in buildings. That and more in the latest Inside Clean Energy by Dan Gearino.

(Inside Climate News)

Arctic Ice Loss Forces Polar Bears to Use Four Times as Much Energy to Survive, Study Says

Polar bears and narwhals are using up to four times as much energy to survive because of major ice loss in the Arctic, according to new study. As sea ice dwindles, the animals are being forced to travel farther and work harder to catch prey than in the past, researchers say, with polar bears now swimming an average of three days to find seals.

(The Guardian)

Biden-Trudeau Climate Plan May Target Polluting Trade Rivals

Canada and the United States are working on joint environment plans that could include singling out countries with weaker climate laws, Bloomberg reports. The Canadian leader said his country’s plans to deepen climate cooperation with the U.S. will include complementary policies that take “into account the emissions profiles of industrial competitors around the world.”

(Bloomberg)

SEC to Update Climate-Related Risk Disclosure Requirements

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced Wednesday that it will update its guidelines on how publicly traded companies should disclose climate change-related risks to investors, The Hill reports. The move will likely expand how much information companies are expected to disclose about the risks climate change poses to their business, such as exposure to flooding or stranded assets.

(The Hill)

2/25/21, The Right and Wrong Lessons from the Texas Crisis

The Right and Wrong Lessons from the Texas Crisis

Clean energy stories behind the headlines reported by Dan Gearino

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Now that the power is back on in Texas, we are entering a phase with investigations of all the systems that failed.

But some of the biggest lessons are already apparent.

Here are some of the things I learned, or relearned:

1. Our power system was built for summer peaks, and that’s part of the reason why things went haywire in Texas.

One of the less discussed aspects of the massive power failure was what it says about the changing patterns of electricity demand, and the challenges that arise from those changes.

In most of the country, electricity demand is highest in July or August, when temperatures are at their hottest and air conditioners are running all day. Grid operators spend much of their time preparing to meet demand on hot days.

But the Texas crisis was an example of a winter peak in electricity demand, which can be more challenging to manage than a summer peak.

Right before the Texas blackouts hit last week, the state’s grid operator, the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas, said it was expecting that electricity demand would hit an all-time record of more than 76,000 megawatts. In February!

Actual output never reached that record level because power plants started to go offline for a variety of reasons, leading to blackouts.

The main driver of winter peaks is demand from buildings that use electricity for heating. That demand is likely to increase in the coming years as some state and local governments adopt policies to encourage all-electric houses, and as a result, use less gas for heating.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory looked at some of the implications of increasing electrification of housing and other parts of the economy in a 2018 report. One of the findings was that the increase in electric heating would lead to higher winter peaks in electricity demand, with some states, including much of the Northeast, on track to have winter demand that is higher than in the summer.

A winter peak looks different from demand that peaks in summer. There is, for example, the potential for dueling priorities in the gas market, as gas suppliers face high demand from gas utilities for home heating in addition to high demand from gas-fired power plants that generate electric power. This is different from summer, when power plants have less competition in securing their fuel supplies.

Another difference is that solar power is less available in winter, largely because the days are shorter. Solar can still be an important part of planning to meet winter demand, but there is less of it than in summer.

Wade Schauer, research director for power and renewables at Wood Mackenzie said electricity peaks are less predictable in the winter than in the summer. Most summer peaks are in July or August, while winter temperatures can lead to periods of extremely high electricity demand anytime from December to March.

“That winter period is going to be the most challenging time,” he said.

The larger point is that the increase in electricity demand and the changes in the types of power plants are going to lead to other challenges for which grid operators need to be ready.

Part of the answer might be accelerating construction of offshore wind, which shows promise as a year-round performer, to name one of many possibilities.

Regulators and grid operators need to be clear-eyed about how seasonal patterns in electricity demand are changing, and adapt to meeting the increasing needs in the winter while still meeting needs in the summer.

2. Just about everything failed, so be careful blaming any one power source.

Some of the immediate reaction to the power outages was from conservative political leaders, like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and media personalities like Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who blamed the problem on renewable energy.

Once we began to get more data about what happened, energy systems experts made clear that much of the problem was a failure of natural gas power plants and that any issues with renewables were a smaller concern.

Some environmental advocates have reacted to the data by defending renewable energy and saying that the events in Texas show how gas is unreliable.

Erin Overturf, the Denver-based deputy director of the clean energy program of Western Resource Advocates, said on Twitter that singling out one power source—whether natural gas or renewables like wind and solar—missed the much larger concern. "This is not a resource problem," she said. "This is a system problem."

The conditions in Texas were so extreme that every major source of electricity was affected and this should inspire conversations about the reliability of every technology. Emily Grubert of Georgia Tech touched on this point in our conversation last week, and it’s worth highlighting that again.

But I don’t want to imply an equivalence between the critiques of renewables and gas. Clearly, some of what was said about renewables was way off base, as when Gov. Abbott told Fox News that the failure of wind and solar “thrust Texas into a situation where it was lacking power on a statewide basis.”

Abbott correctly noted that wind and solar accounted for only about 10 percent of electricity generation in the state. So he also should know that gas accounts for more than 50 percent of the state’s electricity generation, and a substantial drop in output from gas power plants is going to be far more harmful than if wind and solar are underperforming.

Schauer of Wood Mackenzie was one of many observers who found much of the commentary to be at best simplistic, and, at worst, misleading.

“Obviously, the blanket blaming of renewables was a mistake,” he told me. “I would call this the all-of-the-above energy failure.”

3. Just below the surface of the Ted Cruz’ scandal was an important message.

One of the sideshows of the Texas crisis was how U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, (R-Texas), was caught escaping the misery of power outages with an impromptu family vacation to Mexico. Once his trip was publicized, he rushed back to the state.

His trip helps to show how families with high incomes have the ability to work around weather disasters in ways that most people can’t.

People with low or moderate incomes are more likely to live in houses that are poorly insulated. They are less likely to own cars that they can use to get relief from temperatures and make trips for supplies. And they are far less likely to be able to jet off to Cancún when the power goes off.

Cruz’s vacation touched a nerve because he was already a divisive figure, and also because of how it forces all of us to confront some of the implications of income inequality.

As climate change makes weather disasters more frequent and severe, policymakers, including Cruz, should try to get an idea of what it’s like to deal with prolonged outages without much money to spare.

4. Some of the best solutions are easy to understand and grossly underutilized.

If the world is ever going to get to net-zero emissions, it will happen by increasing the supply of carbon-free energy and finding ways to reduce energy demand. And we don’t focus nearly enough on reducing demand.

Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, wrote a blog post this week about the Texas crisis and the need to get a better handle on reducing electricity demand.

“To help avert the next massive power outage from extreme winter weather, can policymakers help mitigate such spikes?” he asked. “Almost certainly. That’s because most homes today consume far more energy than necessary to meet their heating needs.”

In the post, Nadel goes through some specifics, including that almost 20 percent of homes in the South Central United States are poorly insulated.

I read this and nodded because I’ve been reporting many of the same points for a long time. But I also know that readers’ eyes tend to glaze over when the topic is energy efficiency.

Maybe the topic is just boring, or the conclusions too obvious, but the underlying issue remains. If homes were properly insulated, then there would be smaller spikes in electricity demand during extreme heat and cold. That would have helped in Texas, and is an important part of the transition to clean energy.

Photo Credit: Thomas Ryan Allison/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Texas power outages have been a showcase for some of the outstanding energy reporters across the country and the state. The Texas Tribune in partnership with ProPublica had a story this week that looks at how Texas lawmakers and regulators failed to act on evidence that the state’s electricity grid was extremely vulnerable. Energy companies fought changes that would cost them money, and they succeeded, helping to set the stage for what happened this month.

In news that has nothing to do with the Texas crisis, the school district in Montgomery County, Maryland, has entered into a contract for 300 electric school buses, and is planning to eventually replace its entire fleet of 1,400-plus buses with electric models, as Steven Mufson and Sarah Kaplan write in The Washington Post. The contract is being described by environmental advocates as the largest single purchase of electric buses in the country, and is an important step toward dealing with the climate and health effects of diesel buses.

Chris Hubbuch of the Wisconsin State Journal wrote this week about questions over whether Wisconsin law allows leasing of solar electricity systems. Leasing is an option in many states that expands the market for solar because the up-front costs are lower than buying the systems. But Wisconsin utilities have said that solar leasing infringes on the utilities’ status as the only entities that can legally sell electricity, leading to a dispute before regulators. One of the key players is Eagle Point Solar, an Iowa company that was part of my 2019 story about Iowa’s solar industry.

Inside Clean Energy is ICN’s weekly bulletin of news and analysis about the energy transition. Send news tips and questions to dan.gearino@insideclimatenews.org.

Go Deeper

How Much Does Climate Change Cost? Biden Expected to Raise Carbon’s Dollar Value

In Attacks on Environmental Advocates in Canada, a Disturbing Echo of Extremist Politics in the US

What’s On Interior’s To-Do List? A Full Plate of Public Lands Issues—and Trump Rollbacks—for Deb Haaland

2/25/21, Climate Change is Weakening the Ocean Currents That Shape Weather on Both Sides of the Atlantic

2/24/21, Today's Climate - Top Executives of Texas Power Grid Resign in Aftermath of Deadly Winter Storms

Today's Climate - Top Executives of Texas Power Grid Resign in Aftermath of Deadly Winter Storms

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Today’s Climate – Inside Climate News

02/24/2021

Top Executives of Texas Power Grid Resign in Aftermath of Deadly Winter Storms

Five board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas—the entity that manages and operates the electricity grid that covers much of Texas—will resign on Wednesday, with a sixth pending member withdrawing his application to join the council, the Texas Tribune reports. The board has been criticized for last week’s mass power outage during a winter storm that has claimed the lives of dozens of Texans.

(Texas Tribune)

As Haaland Faces Second Confirmation Hearing, Indian Country Gripped by Historic Nomination

For many Native Americans, Deb Haaland is a reflection of themselves, someone who will elevate their voices and protect the environment and tribal rights. As Haaland faces her second confirmation hearing in front of the Senate on Wednesday, tribal communities are watching closely, the Associated Press reports, with some virtual watch parties having already drawn hundreds of people.

(Associated Press)

In Attacks on Environmental Advocates in Canada, a Disturbing Echo of Extremist Politics in the US

The government of Alberta, home to Canada’s oil industry, is in the final stages of a public inquiry targeting environmental advocates. But critics of the inquiry say it has devolved into incompetence and relies on reports published by the government that are laced with conspiracy theories and climate denial. “This has been a witch hunt from the very beginning,” one activist said.

(Inside Climate News)

‘Climate Change’ Is Back, ‘Illegal Alien’ Is Out. New Administration Changes the Language of Government.

The phrase “illegal alien” was replaced with “noncitizen.” The words “climate change” reappeared on government websites and documents. Since the first days President Biden took office, his administration has moved quickly to replace the language and imagery used under Trump, signaling the new president’s more inclusive and science-driven approach to policy, The New York Times reports.

(The New York Times)

Biden Says United States and Canada Will Work Toward Achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2050

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to “align our policies and our goals” to work toward achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The partnership comes after Biden revoked a key permit for the Keystone XL pipeline that would have carried oil from Canada into the U.S. Many believed that move would aggravate tensions between the countries.

(Reuters)

Maryland’s Capital City Joins a Long Line of Litigants Seeking Climate-Related Damages from the Fossil Fuel Industry

George Washington once stood in the 242-year-old Maryland State House in Annapolis. But that building, along with many other landmarks along the state’s historic waterfront, face increased threat of tidal flooding, natural disasters and sea level rise as a result of climate change, the city argues in a new lawsuit against the fossil fuel industry.

(Inside Climate News)

2/24/21, In Attacks on Environmental Advocates in Canada, a Disturbing Echo of Extremist Politics in the US

2/23/21, Today's Climate - U.S. Energy Regulator to Examine Climate Change’s Threat to Power Reliability

Today's Climate - U.S. Energy Regulator to Examine Climate Change’s Threat to Power Reliability

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Today’s Climate – Inside Climate News

02/23/2021

U.S. Energy Regulator to Examine Climate Change’s Threat to Power Reliability

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will look at how extreme weather and climate change threaten the nation’s energy reliability after last week’s blackout in Texas following a winter storm, Reuters reports. The storm caused days-long power outages for millions of people and led to at least two dozen deaths.

(Reuters)

As Deaths Surge, Scientists Study the Link Between Climate Change and Avalanches

This winter, 31 people have been killed in avalanches in the United States—already exceeding the annual average of 27 deaths—with warnings of more to come in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Some social psychologists have begun asking whether it’s possible that global warming plus a global pandemic equals a recipe for deadly avalanche accidents.

(Inside Climate News)

Interior Nominee Haaland Vows ‘Balance’ on Energy, Climate

President Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Interior, Deb Haaland said she is committed to “strike the right balance” in managing U.S. energy development and federal lands. Haaland, who would be the first Native American to serve as a cabinet leader, begins confirmation hearings on Tuesday.

(Associated Press)

Annapolis Sues 26 Oil and Gas Companies for Their Role in Contributing to Climate Change

On Monday Maryland’s capital city joined 24 other jurisdictions in suing fossil fuel companies, claiming ExxonMobil, Chevron and others knew how their industry contributed to climate change and did not take action. The lawsuit said Annapolis faces destruction of property, lost tax revenue and costs to prepare for climate change, the Capital Gazette reports.

(The Capital Gazette)

The Battle Over Climate Change is Boiling Over on the Home Front

Several cities and towns are mandating that new buildings run on electric power, but a natural gas trade group is resisting the regulations in statehouses around the country. Burning natural gas to heat water and food releases carbon dioxide, though not as much as oil and coal.

(The Washington Post)

Seismic Survey of Alaskan Arctic Refuge Won’t Move Forward

An Alaska Native group did not conduct a seismic survey of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge before a deadline last week, killing the group’s proposal to survey the region. The survey would have used reconnaissance flights to detect polar bear dens in the refuge as a step toward accessing its oil reserves.

(The New York Times)

2/23/21, As Deaths Surge, Scientists Study the Link Between Climate Change and Avalanches

As Deaths Surge, Scientists Study the Link Between Climate Change and Avalanches

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In the 02/23/2021 edition:

As Deaths Surge, Scientists Study the Link Between Climate Change and Avalanches

As Deaths Surge, Scientists Study the Link Between Climate Change and Avalanches

There are clues globally that the avalanche threat is escalating in some regions as the planet warms, triggered by greater temperature swings and more intense rain and snow storms.

By Bob Berwyn

Big dumps of powder snow are a precious gift in the best of times around the West, where 40 or 50 feet can fall during a winter, forming frozen mountain water towers that slowly melt and sustain the region through hot, dry summers with life-giving water.

2/22/21, Today's Climate - Texas Freeze Led to Release of Tons of Air Pollutants as Refineries Shut Production

Today's Climate - Texas Freeze Led to Release of Tons of Air Pollutants as Refineries Shut Production

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Today’s Climate – Inside Climate News

02/22/2021

Texas Freeze Led to Release of Tons of Air Pollutants as Refineries Shut Production

The nation’s largest oil refiners released tons of air pollutants into the skies over Texas this past week, as refineries and petrochemical plants in the region scrambled to shut down production during frigid weather, Reuters reports. As the industry responded to the deadly winter storms, shutdowns led to increased flaring, or burning and releasing of gases, to prevent damage to their processing units.

(Reuters)

Climate Threats Could Mean Big Jumps in Insurance Costs This Year

The cost of federal flood insurance will need to increase significantly in much of the country to meet the growing risks of climate change, new data suggests, creating a political headache for the Biden administration. The data shows premiums on high-risk homes would need to quadruple under the National Flood Insurance Program to reflect the risks the homes already face.

(The New York Times)

What’s On Interior’s To-Do List? A Full Plate of Public Lands Issues—and Trump Rollbacks—for Deb Haaland

Public lands, which are responsible for about a quarter of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, are set to play a pivotal role in the Biden administration’s ambitious climate change agenda. We look at what could be the Interior Department’s priority list, starting this week with the confirmation of Deb Haaland, who could become the first Native American to lead the agency.

(Inside Climate News)

First Arctic Navigation in February Sends a Worrying Climate Signal

Melting ice in the Arctic allowed a gas tanker to sail through the Northern Sea Route in the middle of winter for the first time, showcasing just how quickly climate change is accelerating in the region, Bloomberg reports. The ship, accompanied by a nuclear-powered icebreaker, sailed back to Russia this month after carrying liquified natural gas to China.

(Bloomberg)

Warmer Temperatures May Offer California Farmers a Rare Silver Lining: Fewer Frosts

Few things affect where fruit and nut trees can thrive more than temperature. Nuts and many fruit trees need enough cold hours to produce quality yields but not too much cold to kill crops—especially at the wrong time. Now, in a rare bit of good climate news for California farmers, a recent study suggests that orchards may see fewer crop-destroying frosts by midcentury.

(Inside Climate News)

Warming Trends: A Facebook Plan to Debunk Climate Myths, ‘Meltdown’ and a Sad Yeti

Facebook says it will now label posts that are about climate change as part of the platform’s efforts to combat misinformation. Scientists are criticizing countries for including burning biomass as part of their net-zero strategies. And ice cover on the Great Lakes in January was the second-lowest on record this year. That and more in the latest Warming Trends.

(Inside Climate News)