Trump not in charge of world's climate future
What we're writing
Trump not in charge of world's climate future
What does the election of Donald Trump really mean for global progress on carbon emissions? This past week saw plenty of justifiable worry and hypothesizing about that question, but also a determination that no single individual – not even a president-elect who has promised to "cancel" US climate efforts – can stop a global trend toward action. In a stories filed from the UN climate conference in Marrakech, Zack Colman reports on how other nations are picking up a leadership role, how a "carbon club" strategy of carrots not sticks might ultimately be used to promote global solidarity, and how Secretary of State John Kerry sees a business case for Trump to stay the course toward renewables. Josh Kenworthy reports how the Morocco conference ended with a remarkable commitment by dozens of poor nations to push toward 100-percent renewable energy supplies. But a big worry remains: How those nations and others will finance the energy transition, with climate aid from rich nations in doubt. // Stories by Zack Colman (photo from Marrakech by David Keyton/AP
For native Americans, pipeline sparks climate awakening
Opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline has unified tribes from across America. Some believe this protest is becoming something bigger – a turning point for both native Americans and the climate movement. // Henry Gass
Global carbon emissions flat for three years in a row
An annual scientific report projects global carbon dioxide emissions will continue to have slowed in 2016. But holding emissions steady, while welcome, is not seen as enough to curb rising global temperatures. // Ben Rosen
Environmental policy: Trump not the only driver
Barack Obama showed how a president can wield broad power over environmental policy. But with a majority of Americans concerned about ciimate change, other forces are also influential. Along with this story by Amanda Paulson, the Monitor's Christina Beck reports how an open letter from 365 corporations symbolizes the role that businesses are claiming as a face of climate action. // Amanda Paulson
What we're reading
America's first 100%-renewables city
In the case of Burlington, Vt., some of the renewables for now are wood chips. // Politico
Military leaders to Trump: See climate as security threat
Former top military commanders send the president-elect a briefing book on the risks. // ClimateWire
Future belongs to decentralized renewables
A scholar in Australia differs with proponents of big nuclear power systems and nuclear-based hydrogen. // Energy Collective
New climate focus in African Methodist Episcopal Church
The AME Church calls on its congregations to make climate change part of its conversation. // Yale Climate Connections
What's trending
Germany outlines path to carbon-neutral by 2050
[It's an ambitious plan, but subject to politics.] "The far-right AfD party, which made huge gains in recent regional elections, questions the validity of global warming science in its official platform and also opposes Germany's climate protection policy." // Writer Bob Berwyn in InsideClimate News
Oklahomans sue energy firms over quake
"We have clients who don't allow their children to go upstairs because they're afraid the roof will fall in on them. There's a lot of fear; when is the next big one?" // Attorney Curt Marshall, referring to lawsuit over injection wells
Obama team bans offshore Arctic drilling
"[The Interior Department] also dropped plans to allow companies to drill for oil and natural gas in the Atlantic Ocean off of four southeastern states, including Virginia." // Writers Brady Dennis and Steven Mufson in The Washington Post
