FIRST LOOK:

Keep Dreaming: Christmas this year--and in the future--might not look how it used to thanks to human-caused climate change. Snow on Christmas is unlikely for most of the US this year, and some cities in Texas could even see record-high temperatures for the day. Looking at historical averages from two different data sets, one from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the other from the University of Arizona, both found the odds of snow on the ground on Christmas has dropped across the country. Warmer temperatures are the most likely reason for declines in southern areas, increasing the chances for rain rather than snow. Winter is warming faster than any other season in the US. Some scientists warn against making conclusions based on complex precipitation data. Still, in the next few decades, “with climate warming, the prospects of a white Christmas in many parts of the U.S. will be slim indeed,” said Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center. (USA Today $, Associated Press Washington Post $, Newsweek; Seasonal changes: Washington Post $)

London Underground Heating Buildings Above Ground: The Borough of Islington in London has devised a plan to use excess, otherwise-wasted thermal energy generated by the London Underground to heat hundreds of homes and buildings. The move would cut emissions, increase efficiency, and save residents money on heating bills. Islington has a district heating network, which is more efficient than individual furnaces or boilers, as the system distributes heat and hot water from a centralized location through insulated pipes. While these types of systems have been around for a while, they have often been powered by fossil fuels. New York City has one of the world’s largest systems, but it's fueled by natural gas and fuel oil. As cities look for alternative energy sources, a few have even turned to waste heat from sewage to heat their cities. “We don’t really need to burn gas at 1,000 degrees centigrade [1,832 degrees Fahrenheit] to get your bath to 30 degrees centigrade. What we need to do is work with nature to optimize the use of heat,” said Jon Gluyas, a professor of earth sciences at Durham University. (New York Times $) 

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Calls for Tighter Methane Rules: Sixteen members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus wrote a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency yesterday asking it to strengthen recently proposed rules aimed at cutting methane emissions. The letter applauds the news rules, which were passed last month, and mentions two additional provisions the lawmakers would like to see: regular inspections for smaller oil and gas wells and more limits on flaring, a pollution-intensive activity that burns off unused gas. Flaring has been linked to health problems like asthma, heart issues and premature births, and Black, Indigenous and Latino communities bear most of the harm. The letter also points out the outsized impact methane pollution has on Latino communities, citing that 1.81 million Latinos live within a half-mile of an oil and gas well. “These improvements must be addressed in a final rule to ensure EPA is protecting frontline communities (often communities of color and low-income communities) from pollution, safeguarding public health, holding oil and gas companies accountable, and acting on climate,” the letter states. (The Hill) 

BUILD BACK BETTER: We’re heading toward a very American climate tragedy (The Atlantic), Why the collapse of Biden’s Build Back Better would be a major blow to the climate fight (The Guardian), It’s been a bad week for Build Back Better. Here’s what it means. (New York Times $), Black lung disease benefit seeks home as Democrats’ plan stalls (Bloomberg Law), Advocates look for Plan B climate legislation (The Hill), Biden faces legacy-defining challenge in salvaging his Build Back Better bill (NBC)

MANCHIN: Manchin’s strategy isn’t climate denial — it’s craftier (E&E News), Advocates, Democrats seek climate plan B after Manchin bombshell (The Hill), America's largest coal miners union asks Manchin to reconsider opposition to Build Back Better (CBS)

YEAR IN REVIEW: The year in climate news (New York Times $), How 2021's floods and heat waves are signs of what's to come (NPR), How 2021's floods and heat waves are signs of what's to come (WBUR), 2021 Notebook: Climate change, weather crises and what next (ABC), Goodbye to 2021, you plague-ridden paradox (Climate Home)

WV: Manchin's West Virginia worst in the nation for power reliability (Reuters)

DENIAL: Social media companies beef up promises, but still fall short on climate disinformation (Fortune)

LOOPHOLES: Military exempt from Biden order to cut federal emissions (E&E News)

FARMING: Mexico’s wheat fields help feed the world. They’re also releasing a dangerous greenhouse gas. (Washington Post $), Withering crops highlight La Nina fears for Brazil soy farmers (Bloomberg $), Soy, corn extend rally on South American weather woes; wheat rises (Reuters)

CHRISTMAS: How the climate crisis is killing Christmas this year (The Hill), A family of Christmas tree farmers has faced major losses and challenges since the 1970s. They say climate change is to blame. (Business Insider)

MEDIA: The crisis of democracy is a media crisis. And the mainstream press is losing (LA Times $)

ENERGY CRUNCH: Europe’s energy crunch continues as gas and power prices soar. (New York Times $)

DREAM TEAM: How electric vehicles have helped labor and climate groups team up (The Guardian)

SUSPICIOUS: Halliburton keeps ‘losing’ evidence of its fossil fuel screwups (Gizmodo)

CIVILIAN CLIMATE CORPS: Republicans could get behind a green jobs program. Just not this one. (Grist)

GOOD NEWS: The rare spots of good news on climate change (MIT Technology Review)

JUDICIAL BRANCH: Congress’ climate inaction puts spotlight on the courts (E&E News)

ERCOT: Entrust Energy's bankruptcy plan approved after deal with ERCOT (Bloomberg Law)

WHITE HOUSE: How successful was the Biden administration in fighting climate change this year? (NPR)

CITIES AND STATES: Mayor Genrich campaigned on broadening diversity, environmental stewardship in Green Bay. Meet the two new employees making that happen. (The Gazette), In an East Coast first, New Jersey will phase out diesel trucks (Grist)

IMPACTS: Climate change is happening now: Meet the people on the front lines (The Guardian), Changing climate parches Afghanistan, exacerbating poverty (AP)

HEAT: December in Houston may be even hotter than what climate change is predicting (Houston Chronicle)

DROUGHT: ‘Heading into the worst’: How drought drives conflict in Kenya (Al Jazeera), Drought ghost towns (CBS)

TYPHOON: Philippine supertyphoon Rai 'exceeded all predictions' - forecaster (Reuters), Philippine surfing paradise Siargao wiped out by typhoon just as tourists return (The Guardian)

FLOODING: Malaysia warns of more floods as Prime Minister admits lapse in rescue efforts (CNN), Death toll from Malaysia’s worst floods in years rises to 27 (Al Jazeera)

STORMS: Wet weather heading to Southern California: What to expect this holiday weekend (LA Times $), California gets a cold, wet start to winter. Here's what to expect (Ventura County Star)

ICE: Drone captures images of ice cave caused by climate change in Switzerland (NBC)

ECOCIDE: The essential advocate, Philippe Sands makes the case for a new international crime called ecocide (InsideClimate News)

BLACKOUTS: Texas is urging power plants to prepare so there won't be another winter Blackout (NPR)

SOLAR: Solar power has changed Syrian refugees’ lives in Jordan – and they want more (Climate Home), Biden administration moves to expand solar power on U.S. land (NBC)

LNG: A flotilla of U.S. LNG cargoes is headed to fuel-starved Europe (Bloomberg $)

MILITARY: How the US military fuels climate change (Boston Globe $)

COAL: U.S. coal enjoyed a good 2021. It’s unlikely to last (E&E News), Over 13 years, coal ash cleanup workers have endured to forge a legacy of public good (Knoxville News Sentinel)

EXPORTS: U.S. sees new bright spot in Europe: Greece (Wall Street Journal $)

GREENWASHING: A South Korean company said a natural gas project was 'CO2-free.' It's being accused of 'greenwashing' (TIME)

🤔: In N.Y., battling climate change means killing 1,000 trees (E&E News)

TECH: Silicon Valley won’t save us (Slate), Youth climate activists get boost from Dutch tech billionaire (Axios)

EVs: GM wants to electrify your old, gas-powered truck (Barron's), Why a Chinese company dominates electric car batteries (New York Times $), Michigan utilities get approval to offer special rates for EV plants (Detroit News), U.S. faces tough choices in 2022 on mines for electric-vehicle metals (Reuters), Can EV chargers act like gas stations? That won’t be easy (E&E News)

SOLAR CARS: Solar-powered cars are here, but there’s a long road to wide use (Marketplace)

NUCLEAR: After years of doubts, hopes grow that nuclear fusion is finally for real and could help address climate change (Boston Globe $)

FOOD: Fight climate change by eating your leftovers this holiday season (The Verge), Taking stock and looking forward: food system overhaul (Civil Eats)

BUSINESS: Nissan, Sumitomo partner to back Japan localities in green push (Bloomberg $)

FINANCE: The problem with ESG investing, in one chart (Quartz), A $180 billion green-debt boom grows faster than its impact (Bloomberg $), Why green stocks are slumping during an ESG boom (Bloomberg $)

WILD HOGS: Wild hogs pose a climate threat to Georgia by munching on marsh mussels (Forbes)

SOLUTIONS: NYC unveils plan to protect waterfront from climate change (Scientific American)

CRYPTO: Mayors make crypto push despite the environmental burden (NBC)

DON’T LOOK UP: Don’t Look Up is a climate-change comedy that hates having to entertain (Vulture)

QUIZ: News quiz of 2021 (Climate Home)

INTERNATIONAL: Critics pan a plan for the Barrier Reef as bleaching threat rises (Sydney Morning Herald), Japan falls short on tackling climate change, top official says (Bloomberg $)

• ‘Good starts' in the climate crisis aren't cutting it (The Hill, General Russel Honoré op-ed)
• General electric has tried everything, except investing in American workers (Fortune, Chris Shelton commentary)
• Another tool in the fight against climate change: storytelling (MIT Review, Devi Lockwood op-ed) 
• At last I have good news on the climate crisis: all of us really can do something about it (The Guardian, Zoe Williams op-ed)
• Global stakeholders should use AI to mitigate impact of heat islands in cities (Tech Crunch, Shravan Kumar Alavilli op-ed)
• Colorado River basin states must embrace conservation now to avert disaster (Denver Post, Ved Nanda op-ed)
• David Wallace-Wells takes a ‘look’ at Adam McKay’s sci-fi satire (Variety, David Wallace-Wells Commentary)
• Carbon capture can be part of the climate solution (Jacobin, Spencer Roberts analysis)
• The geopolitical consequences of the EU's green ambitions (The Hill, Andreas Raspotnik & Romain Chuffart op-ed)
• Proposed electric vehicle tax credit hurts trade and threatens Tennessee jobs (The Tennessean, Louise Blais op-ed)
• The meaning of Manchin’s ‘no’ (Wall Street Journal, Daniel Henninger op-ed $)
• The future in which we can no longer dream of a white Christmas (Deseret News, Benki Backet op-ed)

We're off this week! See you in 2022.

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