Trump team's approach to climate change: Emphasize uncertainty
In this edition: How President Trump's Cabinet nominees talk about climate; why Scott Pruitt sees an EPA in need of restraint; will Republicans curb Endangered Species Act?
What we're writing
On global warming, Trump nominees try having it both ways
Cabinet candidates听aren't calling climate change a 'hoax,' but they're听taking on climate science by emphasizing a lack of modeling precision and disagreements among scientists.听//听Zack Colman听补苍诲听Amanda Paulson听
Why the EPA nominee wants to be a political wrecking ball
Scott Pruitt has made a career of asserting states' rights against federal authority, primarily by suing the agency he may run. Now, he gets a chance to shift that balance. //听Zack Colman
Endangered Species Act: get ready for big changes, says GOP
Republican lawmakers are preparing to roll back the influence of the Endangered Species Act, arguing that the law is an unnecessary hindrance to economic development. //听Gretel Kauffman
Does the bald eagle's comeback spell bad news for other species?
The national bird has made a dramatic comeback in the last few decades. But now, the predator is seeking out livestock and even some endangered species as food. //听Weston Williams
What we're reading
The number of Americans "very worried" about climate change reached a record high (19 percent) since measurements began in 2008. // The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
Days before leaving office, the Obama administration gave half-a-billion dollars to the United Nations Green Climate Fund, which helps the poorest countries tackle the effects of climate change. President Trump has threatened to halt US contributions to the fund.听// BBC
The plan, which aims to cut carbon emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, is being seen as a counter to the incoming Donald Trump administration. // Reuters
Only 12 miles of ice now connect an ice shelf larger than Rhode Island to Antarctica, researchers say.听// Reuters
What's trending
"[Consecutive annual records] are capturing the same signal. It's a pretty unmistakeable signal.... They're singing the same song, even if they're hitting different notes along the way." // Deke Arndt, chief of the monitoring branch of the National Centers for Environmental Information, quoted by ClimateCentral
"I am absolutely against transfer and sale of public lands. I can鈥檛 be more clear." // Ryan Zinke, nominee for Secretary of the Interior, quoted by The New York Times
"If you asked him on that first day he said yes, he would have said, 鈥業 want to be an advocate for energy'....听If you asked him now, he鈥檇 say, 鈥業鈥檓 serious about the challenges facing the nuclear complex.鈥� It鈥檚 been a learning curve."听// Michael McKenna, a Republican energy lobbyist, quoted by The New York Times