FIRST AND FOREMOST:

For the second time since Trump’s decisive 2020 election loss, hundreds of his maskless, racist followers went to Washington DC, and cities across the country, to convince themselves Trump won by day, and drunkenly wander the streets inciting violence by night. This weekend, prevented from freely attacking memorials at Black Lives Matter Plaza by people who actually live in DC, the “Western chauvinists" hate group that call themselves the Proud Boys targeted historic Black churches and burned Black Lives Matters banners. “It pained me especially to see our name, Asbury, in flames,” Reverend Lanther M. Mills of Asbury United, the oldest Black Methodist church in DC, said in a statement. “For me, it was reminiscent of cross burnings.” Yet she remained resolute, continuing to say that “We are a resilient people who have trusted in God through slavery and the Underground Railroad, Jim Crow and the civil rights movement, and now as we face an apparent rise in white supremacy.”

If you are able, please join Climate Nexus staff in supporting Black Lives Matter DC, or a group local to you.

Paris Agreement Proves Resilient With Room To Improve On 5th Anniversary: Wood is the traditional fifth anniversary gift because it symbolizes the durability of a relationship. Had they met in person, wooden gifts may have been exchanged between the heads of state from more than 70 countries who instead gathered virtually for a Climate Action Summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, with many announcing new and more ambitious climate targets at, or in the lead up to, the event. The virtual summit was held in lieu of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP) which was postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Despite, or possibly in part because of, outgoing President Trump's efforts to undermine the Paris Agreement — the U.S. government officially had no presence at the virtual summit — the agreement has remained resilient. In a statement early Saturday, President-elect Joe Biden said the U.S. would increase its domestic emissions reduction target and commit to a 2050 net zero goal, following a call from 1,500 leaders from cities, states, businesses, and other entities prior to the summit urging an “America is All In” mobilization on climate. Governors Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) and Charlie Baker (R.-Mass.) attended the virtual event. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on every country to declare a “climate emergency” and pressed rich nations to increase financing and aid to less developed countries, which are the most impacted by, and least responsible for, climate change. (AP, TIME, Thomson Reuters Foundation, AP, Teen Vogue, The Guardian, Politico EU, Thomson Reuters Foundation, MarketWatch, FT $; Guterres: Politico Pro $, Reuters, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Axios, The Hill; Brazil: Quartz, UK: New York Times $, TIME, AP, Reuters, The Guardian; Canada: Politico Pro $; China: New York Times $, FT $, Axios; EU agrees to slash carbon emissions by 2030 New York Times $, TIME, Vox, AP, Climate Home, Washington Post $; India: Reuters; Vatican: Reuters; Gifts: Brides.com)

Texas Oil Waivers Failed Public Notice Requirements: Texas oil regulators are barred from granting new environmental waivers, and from enforcing those already granted over the past seven months because they failed to adequately notify the public. The order, issued by a Texas judge late last week, will remain in effect until the Texas Railroad Commission properly notifies the public or until the case is heard in May. Last May, at the suggestion of the oil industry, the commission waived fees, extended environmental cleanup deadlines, and expanded the types of facilities in which oil companies could store crude oil. The moves were intended to benefit the oil industry in light of the oil price collapse sparked by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Public Citizen, which brought the lawsuit, said the rule changes were a “handout to the oil and gas industry” at the expense of public health and safety. (Bloomberg $, Oil Price, Reuters, Law360)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Environmental justice leaders look for a focus on disproportionately impacted communities of color (InsideClimate News)

CORONAVIRUS: Putting the pandemic year's record emissions drop into context (Axios)

DENIAL: PR firms are being shamed for helping fossil fuel companies ‘green’ their image (HuffPost)

EXPLAINERS: Why is everyone talking about 'net zero'? (Thomson Reuters Foundation), the real math behind “net zero” carbon emissions (AP)

ACTIVISM: In Weymouth, a brute lesson in power politics (Boston Globe $), unfriended: former Facebook climate chief turns to activism (E&E $)

AGENCIES: DOE riles critics with final efficiency rule (E&E $), 'insanely fast' flood project races past Interior pushback (E&E $), Ryan Zinke’s official portrait a final slap in the face to native American tribes (HuffPost), 'good cause': EPA moves could obstruct Biden rules (E&E $), Trump team hurries to finish environmental rollbacks before Biden takes over (Washington Post $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Groups blast Trump logging plan aimed at reducing wildfires (AP)

THE HILL: Republicans urge Fed to protect fossil fuels, ignore climate (E&E $)

TRANSITION: For Biden’s economic team, an early focus on climate (New York Times $), Biden faces pressure to take action on racial justice issues (The Hill), iIncoming US climate envoy John Kerry to face China as the world’s biggest polluter (South China Morning Post), Vilsack promises to deploy USDA against climate change (E&E $)

TRANSITION, PERSONNEL: Haaland, eyed for Interior, stresses need for Native American representation (The Hill), anxiety over House majority may thwart Haaland Interior bid (E&E $), Biden faces intense pressure from all sides as he seeks diverse cabinet (New York Times $), McEachin signals interest in Biden administration environment role (The Hill), why Mary Nichols could lose climate clout at EPA (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: California homebuilders tout disputed deal in bid to avoid looming climate rules (Politico Pro $), Maryland, Illinois may pursue legislative MOPR exit, despite new FERC nearing (Utility Dive), Texas GOP, Dems tried to solve a climate change problem together 10 years ago. Then it unraveled. (Houston Chronicle)

IMPACTS: U.S. to shatter record for billion-dollar climate disasters in 2020 (CBS), climate change is flooding the remote North with light – and new species (PBS NewsHour), climate-proofing homes for extreme weather ahead (Wall Street Journal $), monster iceberg's 42-month journey towards wildlife island (Reuters), more CO2 in the atmosphere hurts key plants and crops more than it helps (Yale Climate Connections), the climate scientist who is demystifying extreme weather (Vice)

WILDFIRES: The year wildfires in the West spread like the plague (Wall Street Journal $)

IMPACTS' IMPACTS: Honduran storm survivors form US-bound migrant caravan (The New Humanitarian), Honduras hurricanes push thousands into homelessness (Reuters)

AUSTRALIA: Australia’s severe 2019-20 wildfires acted like a volcanic eruption, slightly cooling the globe. (Washington Post $), after fires, Australia gets ready for floods (Reuters)

RENEWABLES: The new green energy giants challenging Exxon and BP (Wall Street Journal $), US renewables look to plug funding gap as pandemic hits tax incentives (FT $)

OIL & GAS: Louisiana LNG operator to offset carbon emissions for proposed $11B plant in Cameron Parish (The Advocate), oil and gas job losses in Texas were even worse than reported (Houston Chronicle)

PIPELINES: Trump admin wants Supreme Court to take pipeline battle (E&E $), water protectors, supporters oppose Line 3 pipeline (Indian Country Today)

COAL: The end of coal? Why investors aren't buying the myth of the industry's 'renaissance' (The Guardian)

HYDROGEN: Could green hydrogen power a low-carbon future? (Yale Climate Connections), does low-cost renewable energy, storage mean hydrogen is here to stay? (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES: Duke, Dominion, Southern file SEEM proposal with state regulators, plan to file with FERC by end of year (Utility Dive, Politico Pro $)

WATER: Much of California’s water wells are contaminated with chromium-6. Could a costly fix be coming? (Capital Public Radio)

AGRICULTURE: Biochar traps water and fixes carbon in soil, helping the climate. But it’s expensive (InsideClimate News)

FOOD: Where's the beef with a greener future that also makes us happier and healthier? (The Guardian)

AVIATION: Air travel was down significantly this year. Climate activists hope it stays this way. (Washington Post $), making sense of United Airlines' carbon pledge (Axios)

BEZOS BILLIONS: Jeff Bezos' clean energy fund accused of 'greenwashing' (E&E $)

BUSINESS: Amazon is going to generate its own renewable electricity over South Africa’s national grid (Quartz)

CARBON PRICING: Price of polluting in EU rises as carbon price hits record high (FT $)

FINANCE: A $7 trillion climate change warning to the stock market from its biggest shareholder [BlackRock] (CNBC), FTSE giants fail to disclose their carbon footprint (The Guardian), fund managers with $9tn in assets set net zero goal (FT $), political battle lines emerge over Wall Street's focus on climate (Axios)

GRETA: Greta Thunberg says she’s ‘more than happy’ that U.S. is rejoining Paris climate agreement (HuffPost), world in denial on climate action five years after Paris accord, says Thunberg (Reuters)

• These nine women should have key roles in the new administration (Scientific American, 500 Women Scientists)
• Where I find hope (New York Times, Al Gore op-ed $)
• The costs of tackling climate change keep on falling (FT, Adair Turner op-ed $)
• I am proud to have negotiated the Paris Agreement, at my first UN summit (Climate Home, Agripina Jenkins Rojas essay)
• Climate action and clean energy can regenerate the next decade (Energy Monitor, Andrew Higham op-ed)
• A better way for billionaires who want to make massive donations to benefit society (The Conversation, Andrew J. Hoffman op-ed)
• Where we stand on climate (The New Yorker, Bill McKibben column $)
• The exponential failure of doing nothing (Earther, Brian Kahn commentary)
• We have set an end date for oil and gas production. The world should follow (Climate Home, Dan Jørgensen and Andrea Meza Murillo op-ed)
• US oil and gas stock surge fuels hopes of ‘last hurrah’ rally (FT, Derek Brower op-ed $)
• Another green subsidy bust (Wall Street Journal, Editorial Board $)
• Build on common ground (New York Times, Editorial Board $)
• Having kids increases global warming. But don’t blame the parents… (The Guardian, Eva Wiseman column)
• Yes, there’s still bitter division over climate policy. That’s progress, folks. (Grist, Eve Driver op-ed)
• Do hominoids dream of solar sheep? (Virginia Mercury, Ivy Main op-ed)
• Emphasizing 'opportunity' to help bridge divide on climate action (Yale Climate Connections, Jeff Berardelli commentary)
• We ignored pandemic warnings and now look. Let’s not do the same for climate change. (Environmental Health News, Peter Dykstra commentary)
• Until recently, pressure on Australia to drop carryover credits had little impact. But times change. (The Guardian, Richard Denniss op-ed)

Conservatives Supposedly On Verge Of Dumping Climate Denial, Even As They Deny Democracy 

As a wide swath of the Republican party embraces the denial of lame duck President Trump’s election defeat — and attempts to overturn democracy because their candidate clearly lost — some people think now is apparently the time for Democrats to reach out to conservatives for climate compromises. 

Some of this is coming from generally unconstructive people, like the Breakthrough Institute for example, who argue in the crypto-right Persuasion that even though President Biden won, “the balance of power in American politics is held by rural and industrial states'' that “tend to be culturally hostile” to regulations. 

Now, where some might talk about policy being held hostage by the toxic legacy of white supremacy, in the form of disproportionate power to southern white slave-owners, Ted “my-uncle-is-the-famous-one-and-even-his-work-kinda-sucks” Nordhaus and Alex Trembath instead sidestep all those messy historical facts and instead declare that “a more pragmatic environmental movement” would accept that climate policy should be whatever those areas can be persuaded to agree to (not necessarily what the science demands). 

In addition to running into and then away from the structural racism they identify as the root of the undue power of rural states, there’s another elephant in the room their argument conveniently ignores. And it’s one also being ignored by a couple others offering similarly themed (though much better) advice. 

Because last week, Republican Bob Inglis, a former South Carolina Congressman, and CBS meteorologist Jeff Berardelli published pieces advising the climate community and Democrats on how to reach conservatives. 

To be clear, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with Berardelli’s piece in Yale Climate Connections, where he talks to a climate communications researcher who explains how to more effectively talk to conservatives about climate change. And Inglis, who has been a strong and passionate voice for a real rightwing climate policy ever since the Kochs primary’d him for proposing a carbon tax bill in 2009, was absolutely correct when he wrote in USA Today that among youth GOP groups and faith-based climate organizations and the like, there is “a community of conservatives ready to help” tackle the climate crisis. 

But the problem is, it doesn’t matter how much the average conservative cares about climate change, or how many Young Republican groups are responding to the fact that climate denial is a losing political position, because they're not the ones standing in the way of policy.

Elected officials whose campaigns are funded by the fossil fuel industry are what need to change. No amount of carefully targeted, message-tested, conservative-approved public communications are going to change the vote in Congress of an official who knows that if he (mostly he, anyway) wants to stay in Congress, he needs to appease his fossil fuel campaign donors. 

If he doesn’t, then the Koch network will primary him out of office, or in GOP parlance, he’ll Get Inglis’d. 

The premise of these pieces arguing that if Democrats just say the right thing to persuade hold-outs, or design just the right policy to appeal to Republicans in just the right way, suddenly the decades of denial and delay will disappear. Ask yourself, in the last ten or twenty-plus years, if there is literally anything that has happened that makes you believe this will be true now. 

A vast majority of people already strongly support government action on climate change to reduce emissions and build out solar and wind energy. A majority of Republican voters, even in those rural states supposedly in need of convincing, support funding renewable energy research and regulating CO2 as a pollutant. As of now, a minimum 65% and up to 80% of Republicans around the country want to fund renewable energy research. How much more support would be needed before their elected leaders respond? 

Something like 80-90% of Republicans support background checks and “red flag” gun control laws, yet somehow that’s not enough to make policy happen. 

Because it’s not about public preferences, or your tone of voice. It’s about money, and the power it buys. And if you think the right is on the verge of suddenly dumping Trumpiean denial, coming to its senses, and respecting voters’ desires on climate policy, remember that at least 126 House Republicans, including House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, signed their name to an attempt by 18 Republican state Attorneys General to overthrow the will of the voters in the 2020 election — an election in which a lot of them were victorious! And what’s more, where support for climate action is weakest is also where confederate flags fly and statues still stand in denial of a loss a century-and-a-half ago. These are the people to whom the climate community should cater for lasting success?  

But if you’re serious about getting Republicans on board, we might know One Crazy Trick…

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