Inside Climate News

ICN's climate, energy and environmental justice reporting, plus top headlines from around the web, delivered every weekend President Trump talked about 2017's extreme weather in his State of the Union speech this week, but he didn’t mention climate change. He celebrated American energy, but only fossil fuels, and boasted about jobs and trade, without acknowledging the thousands of U.S. solar jobs his tariff plan puts at risk. It takes effort to ignore the risks of climate change. Just this week, measurements confirmed California’s snowpack is near drought-year lows, and scientists showed through polar bear cameras the challenges ahead as Arctic sea ice disappears. If you’re hearing people say, “but it’s cold out!” take a look at our jet stream explainer.

State of the Union: Trump Glorifies Coal, Shuts Eyes to Climate Risks BY: JOHN H. CUSHMAN JR. Trump talked of the year's climate disasters without saying "climate change" and while repeating his usual promotion of fossil fuels. Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images Is California's Drought Returning? Snowpack Nears 2015's Historic Lows BY: GEORGINA GUSTIN The snow in the Sierra Nevada, source of about a third of California's water supply, is at a worrisome 27 percent of normal right now. Credit: Max Whittaker/Getty Images Polar Bears Wearing Cameras and Fitbits Reveal an Arctic Struggle for Survival BY: SABRINA SHANKMAN As Arctic sea ice disappears with global warming, polar bears will have a harder time catching seals. A new study that tracked bears in Alaska shows how that puts their survival at risk. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey Did you hear? "If you are not a climate-aware investor, then you are fundamentally not doing your job." —Brian Deese, global head of sustainable investing for BlackRock, speaking to top fund managers at the Investor Summit on Climate Risk Join the InsideClimate Circle to help ensure ICN remains fiercely independent and courageously persistent. Members receive exclusive benefits. Click here to join today! Polar Vortex: How the Jet Stream and Global Warming Bring on Cold Snaps BY: BOB BERWYN Parts of the U.S. are in for another blast of Arctic air over the coming days. While it might seem counterintuitive, global warming plays a role. Here's how. New York’s Giant Pension Fund Doubles Climate-Smart Investment BY: NICHOLAS KUSNETZ The increase was announced at the Investor Summit on Climate Risk, where top fund managers discussed the value of investing in a low-carbon future. Scott Pruitt Closely Monitored Scrubbing of EPA Climate Websites, Emails Show BY: NEELA BANERJEE Internal documents show the EPA chief had details about the Clean Power Plan removed from government websites while he was preparing to rescind it. Stay informed about the energy transformation shaping the world. Trump's Arctic Oil and Gas Lease Sale Violated Environmental Rules, Lawsuits Claim BY: SABRINA SHANKMAN Earthjustice and other groups say the National Petroleum Reserve lease sale failed to consider how burning the fossil fuels might impact climate change. EPA Chief Evades Key Senate Questions, Can't Recall Saying Trump Would Abuse Power BY: MARIANNE LAVELLE Scott Pruitt was asked about a 2016 interview where he said Trump was a "bully" who would be "more abusive to the Constitution than Barack Obama." Governor Rejects Shutdown of Great Lakes Pipeline That's Losing Its Coating BY: PHIL MCKENNA Michigan’s Pipeline Safety Advisory Board had recommended immediately shutting down the 65-year-old crude oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. Trump’s Top Environment Pick, a Fossil Fuels Evangelist, May Be in Trouble BY: MARIANNE LAVELLE Kathleen Hartnett White’s past actions in Texas involving radiation in drinking water and opposition to ethanol could turn Republicans against her. In Case You Missed It Dilbit Disaster: Inside the Biggest Oil Spill You've Never Heard of Meltdown: Terror at the Top of the World Trump Administration Tears Down Regulations to Speed Drilling on Public Land (Washington Post)   Trump’s Environmental Rollbacks Were Fast. It Could Get Messy in Court. (The New York Times)   Trump ‘Really Didn’t Care’ About Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Then a Friend Called. (Alaska Public Radio)   Coal Firms Plead to Courts, Trump for West Coast Export Terminals (Reuters)   State Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Appeal in Colorado Teens’ Fossil Fuels Lawsuit (The Longmont Times-Call)