Will Obama goal of 54.5 miles per gallon stick?
What we're writing
EPA aims to preempt Trump on听fuel economy
The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to lock in its goal for US fleetwide fuel economy to reach 54.5 miles per gallon in 2025. It's not everyone's favorite approach to curbing emissions, and a Republican-led Congress may find a way to thwart this 11th-hour move by the Obama administration. But if the target is reached the result could听be a significantly lower carbon footprint for America.听//听Zack Colman
Mayors chart four paths to cut听megacity emissions
"Deadline 2020," a report unveiled on Thursday, lays out four paths toward reducing the major role that cities play in greenhouse gases. Which path to pursue depends on a city's听wealth and current CO2 emissions.听 //听Rowena Lindsay
Vietnam battles erosion of beaches 鈥� and of tourism
Walking along Cua Dai is like visiting a beach-restoration technology exhibition, with efforts ranging from stone seawalls to fiber-and-sand wave breakers. // Coco Liu
Oklahoma听earthquakes wane after wastewater rules
After a sudden increase in earthquakes, which have been linked to oil extraction practices, Oklahoma instituted new limits on wastewater injection. Since then, the quakes have dropped off significantly, according to a new analysis.听 //听Rowena Lindsay
What we're reading
A daunting battle against desertification, but with huge promise. Planting trees and crops together can help听the land regain its fertility. // Thomson Reuters Foundation听
A听venture capitalist (and Trump supporter) turned energy innovator.听// Bloomberg
The armed forces are distributing听water to cities, emergency wells are being drilled,. //听Climate News Network
If streets need pavement anyway, why not turn that surface into a source of solar power? It's a theory that's being, well, road-tested.听// Yale Climate Connections
What's trending
"The issues she鈥檚 talking about are ones she鈥檚 always talked about.... She is playing a critical role in being able to have issues that moderate and liberal women care about [including climate]听and creating a bridge to the other side."听// Politico, citing a source "close" to the daughter of President-elect Donald Trump
听
"We need to break down ... barriers within and between nations. If we are to stand a chance of doing that, the world鈥檚 leaders听need to acknowledge that they have failed and are failing the many." // Physicist Stephen Hawking in The Guardian
"The decline [of mercury levels in Atlantic bluefin tuna] is real. The decline is almost in parallel with declines in mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants and the decline of mercury in the air. It appears that the fish are听responding almost in real time. We thought that was pretty exciting.鈥澨�// Marine scientist Nicholas听Fisher, quoted in The Washington Post
