Climate Change

NBC News reports: The government’s top public health agency has canceled a conference next month on climate change and health but isn’t saying why publicly. But a co-sponsor was told by the Centers for Disease and Prevention that the agency was worried how the conference would be viewed by the Trump administration. The incoming administration did not ask or order …

The Washington Post reports: In a powerful testament to the warming of the planet, two leading U.S. science agencies Wednesday jointly declared 2016 the hottest year on record, surpassing the previous record set just last year — which, itself, had topped a record set in 2014. Average surface temperatures in 2016, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, were …

USA Today reports: Seth Meyers worries that “one of the most dire consequences” of Donald Trump’s impending presidency is its possible effect on climate change, citing the president-elect’s tweet from 2012, saying it was a farce. “Obviously his statements on climate change have not been promising,” the Late Night host began on his show Wednesday, “like his infamous claim that …

The Washington Post reports: Alarmed that decades of crucial climate measurements could vanish under a hostile Trump administration, scientists have begun a feverish attempt to copy reams of government data onto independent servers in hopes of safeguarding it from any political interference. The efforts include a “guerrilla archiving” event in Toronto, where experts will copy irreplaceable public data, meetings at …

Meanwhile Trump has vowed to abolish coal-related environmental regulations. The Globe & Mail reports: The Liberal government has announced its plan to virtually eliminate the use of traditional coal-fired electricity by 2030, but will offer some flexibility to the provinces. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna unveiled the coal-phase-out plan Monday as one of a series of measures that Ottawa is introducing …