‘In the “Republican Wave” election of 2010, when brothers Charles and David Koch emerged as defining figures in American politics, the greatest beneficiary of Koch Industries largess was the newly elected Congressman Mike Pompeo. Since his election, Pompeo has been referred to as the “Koch Brothers’ Congressman” and “the congressman from Koch.”’

Source: The Nation

‘Mr. Pompeo has questioned the scientific consensus that human activity is changing the climate, and he has strongly opposed the Paris Agreement, a pact among nearly 200 nations to address climate change. He told Congress last year during his Senate confirmation hearing for the C.I.A. post that the notion of climate change as a top national security threat was “ignorant, dangerous and absolutely unbelievable.”’

Source: NYtimes.com

‘As much as half of wildlife and 60% of plants in the world’s richest forests could be at risk of extinction in the next century if stronger efforts aren’t taken to combat climate change, according to a new report on the risks of rising global temperatures.’

Source: Climate Change Could Wipe Out Half of All Forest Wildlife | Time

‘Tesla’s all-electric heavy duty Semi truck makes its first trip, carrying Tesla battery packs, of course.’

Source: Tesla Semi trucks its first all-electric load … of Tesla batteries

‘A ship has made a winter crossing of the Arctic without an icebreaker for the first time as global warming causes the region’s ice sheets to melt.’

Source: First ship crosses Arctic in winter without an icebreaker as global warming causes ice sheets to melt | The Independent

‘…Mr. de Blasio’s decision to confront some of the world’s biggest polluters is possibly transformative and certainly timely. It comes just when the Trump administration is moving in the opposite direction, opening up America’s coastal waters to drilling and removing regulatory obstacles to oil exploration, and generally giving fossil fuel companies pretty much what they want. It follows a year of extreme weather events, including three major hurricanes, that collectively caused $306 billion in damage — the most expensive year on record for natural disasters in this country.’

Source: The New York Times

‘In a landmark decision, the California Public Utilities Commission has decided PG&E can close Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in 2025 — and San Luis Obispo County still won’t get its much-desired $85 million mitigation settlement to support the community through the shutdown.’

Source: Diablo Canyon | PG&E can close nuclear plant, commission says | The Tribune

‘…Five years after Superstorm Sandy, Mayor de Blasio said that the city would follow through on earlier promises to divest its giant pension fund from coal, oil and gas companies — and that it would take the biggest of those corporations to court to sue for damages. In other words: Earth’s mightiest city is now in full-on battle with the planet’s richest, most irresponsible industry.’

Source: Applaud Mayor de Blasio and NYC for climate courage – NY Daily News

‘In this year of devastating hurricanes, in the more frequent floods here in the Midwest, in the reshaping of our weather systems in myriad ways, we can see the impacts of climate change all around us. Last year was the second warmest year on record for the continental United States, and the Arctic is experiencing its second warmest year in 1,500 years, after 2016.’

Source: We’re paying the cost of climate change now | The Gazette

‘Research has revealed the disproportionate impact of climate change in the Arctic, where temperatures are currently rising at double the rate of the global average.’

Source: Climate change in Lapland: The impact of global warming in the land of Santa Claus | The Independent