Climate News links to articles, podcasts

Everyone’s Worried, Poll Shows: A new poll shows that climate change is one of the top issues for Democratic voters in states with upcoming primaries and caucuses, the Atlantic reports. The poll, conducted by Climate Nexus, the Yale University Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication finds that climate change is the second-most important issue for Democratic voters in 26 states – a sample including swing states like Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Michigan. Overall, climate change ranks behind only healthcare in Democratic voter concern, while it is the top issue for self-described liberal Dems. “This is the first time in American political history where climate change is not just a top-tier issue—it is the top-tier issue,” Anthony ​Leiserowitz, the director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, told the Atlantic. (The Atlantic)



The River’s in Trouble: The Colorado River is drying up, and a new study finds that climate change is responsible for half of the 16 percent decrease in flow between 2000 and 2017. As warming continues, the study, published in the journal Science, finds that the river may lose up to one-fourth of its flow in the next 30 years due to precipitation and snowpack decline and evaporation increases. The river is a crucial water source for the West, providing water for 5 million acres of farmland and 40 million people across 7 states, and the decrease in flow in recent years, caused partially by overuse, has forced Western states to reconsider and restructure water policy. “There’s not a drop of that water that no one has a claim on,” coauthor Christopher Milly told the Arizona Daily Star. “If and when that supply is reduced by 10 to 20 to 30%, someone is going to have to stop using as much water.” (Arizona Daily Star, Arizona Republic, Ars Technica, Newsweek, CNN, Scientific American)



Thru-Hiking...Over a Pipeline: The Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday that may determine if a controversial pipeline is allowed to cross the iconic Appalachian Trail. Environmental groups are challenging a permit issued by the Forest Service allowing Dominion Energy and Duke Energy to build a section of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline across a stretch of the 2,200-mile trail in Virginia, arguing that only Congress can grant a permit, since the trail is considered a part of the National Parks system. A lower court agreed with the environmental groups and tossed the permit in December of 2018, and the pipeline owners are depending on a decision from the Supreme Court to get the crucial permit to continue construction on the 600-mile project. (Washington Post $, AP, NPR. Commentary: New York Times, Will Harlan essay $, WSJ editorial $)














POLLING: These swing voters don't like Trump’s environmental rollbacks (Axios), climate change a rising concern for Western voters, poll finds (The Hill), poll: registered Vermont voters divided over state's response to climate change (Vermont Public Radio), Colorado voters care about climate change – this is where the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates stand (Colorado Public Radio)



2020: Mike Bloomberg tries to talk up climate change during an otherwise brutal Nevada Democratic debate (Washington Post $), on climate change, a priority for Nevada voters, debate reveals divide over how they would address fossil fuels (The Nevada Independent), that time Mike Bloomberg installed an AC unit in his SUV (Politico)



NAT GAS: Durham approves $1.4 million to help housing authority install electric stoves (Raleigh News & Observer), California approves natural gas limits on new buildings in nine Bay Area cities (San Francisco Chronicle), natural-gas exporters struggle to lock up buyers despite ‘freedom gas’ pitch (Wall Street Journal $), Ducey OKs bill barring city natural gas hookup bans (AP)



DENIERS: Meet the anti-Greta: A young YouTuber campaigning against ‘climate alarmism’ (Washington Post $), revealed: quarter of all tweets about climate crisis produced by bots (The Guardian, BBC)



IMPACTS: Adapting to rising seas, schools move to the rafters and cats swim (New York Times $), warmest January ever puts 2020 on track to be one of top 10 hottest years (New York Times $), the fires are out, but Australia’s climate disasters aren’t over (New York Times $), Australia's next danger: mudslides (NPR), climate change may doom 1 in 3 species of plants and animals in the next 50 years (CNN), Zimbabwe’s rural elderly battle hunger amid severe drought (AP)



TRUMP ADMIN: One side of a nuclear waste fight: Trump. The other: his administration (New York Times $), US agriculture secretary breaks ranks to endorse carbon pricing (FT $), climate change gets first mention in G20 finance communique of Trump era (Reuters)



CITIES & STATES: In liberal Takoma Park, a bold new climate proposal: Banning fossil fuels (Washington Post $), Gov. Edwards creates task force to respond to climate change (AP), New England states to regulate group of industrial chemicals (AP), Vermont House advances climate change bill (AP)



CRITTERS: A climate-sensitive bird hints at global warming's lasting impact (NBC), 46,000-year-old bird found frozen in Siberia sheds light on the end of the ice age (Washington Post $)



INT’L: Canada’s Teck Resources withdraws application for controversial mine days before government decision (Washington Post $, Wall Street Journal $), for Canada’s Trudeau, the $15.5 billion Teck mine decision may be a lose-lose situation (Washington Post $)



MEDIA: A pipeline runs through Southern news deserts (Columbia Journalism Review)



RENEWABLES: Solar power just miles from the Arctic Circle? In icy Nordic climes, it’s become the norm (InsideClimate News), super-size solar farms are taking over the world (Bloomberg)



PIPELINES: North Dakota approves extension to controversial Dakota Access Pipeline (New York Post)



BUSINESS: What corporate leadership on fighting climate change really looks like (Washington Monthly), can corporations stop climate change? (New York Times $), ‘Greta effect' boosting demand for climate change careers, RSC claims (Business Green)



ECONOMICS: Finance ministers grapple over economic threat of climate change (New York Times $), JP Morgan economists warn climate crisis is threat to human race (The Guardian)

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