| Trump’s War on Science Sparks Pushback: Senate Democrats on Friday called for a federal investigation into the Trump transition team’s questionnaire sent to the Department of Energy. In a letter to the US Office of Special Counsel, nine senators expressed concerns that the questionnaire violated regulations protecting civil employees from partisan coercion and asked that the Special Counsel “take a close look at the motives” behind the questions targeting climate science. The scientific community has continued to speak out, with Michael Mann writing in a Washington Post op-ed on Friday that scientists “fear an era of McCarthyist attacks on our work and our integrity.” (Letter: Washington Post $, The Hill, E&E $. Scientists: NPR Weekend Edition, Time, Mashable. Commentary: Washington Post, Michael Mann op-ed $)
Cities Drive Climate Action: The city of Madison, WI will vote today on measures that would take the city towards using 100% renewable energy. Madison is just the latest in cities and states moving forward with clean energy plans: as this weekend’s New York Times outlines, much of the clean energy transmission and emission reductions under a Trump administration is expected to be at the local level. Madison’s vote comes on a wave of local climate action last week, as Portland adopted a citywide electric vehicle strategy, Las Vegas announced it was powered by 100% renewable energy, and Albuquerque’s push for solar was highlighted in Politico. International mayors last week wrote an open letter to their US counterparts in support for American cities’ climate policies. (Cities: New York Times $. Madison: Wisconsin State Journal. Albuquerque: Politico. Las Vegas: E&E $. Portland: E&E $, UtilityDive, InsideClimate News. Mayors’ letter: International Business Times, The Independent.)
Antarctica Melting From Below: The largest glacier in East Antarctica is melting away from the bottom due to warming water, scientists have confirmed. New researchpublished last week in the journal Science Advances shows that Totten Glacier in Antarctica is experiencing basal melt, caused by warm ocean waters flowing in towards the glacier. This basal melt, the research shows, is causing the glacier to disappear by 32 feet annually. (Washington Post $, Vice, Climate Central)
How To Talk To Uncle Bill About Climate Change: Communicating effectively to conservatives about climate change may simply be a matter of finding the right topics and language, two new studies released last week revealed. A post-election poll of over 1,000 registered voters conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication showed broad support among conservatives for developing clean energy, staying in the Paris agreement, and taking action on GHGs (including implementing a carbon tax). Meanwhile, a study published in the journal PNAS demonstrates that messaging focusing on preserving the past increased conservatives’ support for environmental policies. (Yale: E&E $, CNBC, Nexus Media News. PNAS: Quartz, LA Times$, Ars Technica, Nexus Media News.) |
