Heard of the Arctic Council?

It may lack the name recognition that many of the world’s other regional bodies enjoy, but it does have a lot going on right now. The foreign ministers of its eight member nations just met in Fairbanks, Alaska. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson represented the United States. The leaders of six indigenous groups were on hand.

Most representatives were tightly aligned around global warming being the “main driver of change” in their softening backyards. Those closest to a challenge often understand it best. A shared perspective can emerge. We saw that this week when Arizona Sen. John McCain ignored party lines – some have debated his real motives – to help stop the repeal of an Obama-era rule aimed at limiting methane leaks from drilling operations on public lands. (A cloud of methane hangs over the Southwest.)

In Alaska, though, Mr. Tillerson took more of a wait-and-see approach. While handing over the council’s two-year chairmanship to Timo Soini of Finland, he addressed whether the US will remain a party to the Paris Agreement. “We’re not going to rush to make a decision,” he said. “We’re going to work to make the right decision for the United States.”

Here are today’s five stories.