🌱Reversing methane regulations, questioning climate in 2020 and explaining the fossil fuel economy

In the last week, photos of the [fires raging through the Amazon rainforest]( have flooded social media. Many of those who posted the striking photos said the event was yet again the final straw in the inaction by world leaders on climate change, given the extremity of flames in the iconic rainforest. Within days of the ignition, the leaders of the G7 - a group of the seven largest economies in the world - elected to donate $200 million to Brazil to fight the fires. Though the Brazilian government [rejected the funds]( - a topic more fit for a newsletter on international relations - the gesture represents a form of climate justice that the developing world has (in general) been demanding for a long time, but especially since the Paris climate conference in December 2015. [Low-lying island nations]( which emit some of the smallest amount of greenhouse gases of any country, are most at-risk from global warming-caused sea level rise as well as hurricanes and typhoons. Their argument for aid is that developed countries - the U.S., Canada, western Europe - are the perpetrators of climate change because of their emission rates since the Industrial Revolution and thus should pay the bill for climate-induced disasters. The fundamental environmental question is whether the world should have a system of polluter pays. It seems like an obvious answer: do wrong, pay the price. But, as Brazil's refusal of the aid money highlighted, environmental economics are muddled with geopolitical factors having less to do with a blaze in the rainforest and more to do with leaders vying for power. [Read more on humans and the Amazon fires+]( A wilderness trip to a remote national park in southwest Alaska highlights the striking juxtaposition of some of the grandest landscapes in the world and the intensified impacts of climate change. [Read More +]( [EPA plans to abandon regulations on methane emissions, reports say]( The Environmental Protection Agency plans to abandon federal rules that require the oil and gas industry to install technology that monitors and curbs methane leaks in wells, pipelines and other operational facilities. It's the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to undue Obama-era environmental regulations. [Read More +]( [Why climate change is so hard to tackle: Our stubborn energy system]( Shifting from a fossil fuel-based economy to one driven by renewables is not as easy as kicking a cigarette habit, says Amy Harder, in the second of a two-part column on why climate change is such a tough topic. [Read More +]( [Democratic voters care about climate change, but not enough to support Jay Inslee]( Former presidential candidate Jay Inslee helped to shift the Democratic Party's eyes onto climate change. But his posture on the issue - and the support it elicited from voters - wasn't enough to keep him in the 2020 race. [Read More +]( [Read New York Magazine's interview with Mr. Inslee+]( [West wrestles with Colorado River “grand bargain” as changing climate depletes water governed by 1922 compact]( A new study found the likelihood of those two-year-long 'snow droughts' increased by a factor of six, from about 7 percent of years between 1970 and 1999 and to 42 percent by 2050. [Read More +]( [Bernie Sanders announces a $16.3 trillion Green New Deal]( Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders unveiled a comprehensive climate plan that would eliminate the use of fossil fuels from power plants and cars by the end of the next decade and decarbonize the rest of the U.S. economy by the middle of the century. [Read Here +]( What else we're reading this week - Anchorage enters [“extreme drought”]( for the first time via KTUU - Congress pumps brakes on [Interior push to relocate]( of Land Management via The Hill - Democratic National Committee votes against allowing 2020 candidates to participate in [climate change debate]( via CNN - Trump pushes to [open logging]( in Alaska's largest temperate rainforest via The Washington Post - Hiking trails are a [path to destruction]( for Colorado elk via High Country News [Quote of the day:]( Climate change is "a race of two rapidly accelerating streams of reality. But the passion is undiminished, the need is increasing, and our confidence is increased. And this energy revolution continues to take place." -Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Tip of the day: Swap plastic wrap for wrap made out of bees wax or silicon. [Subscribe now!]( A free weekly environment briefing that comes to you. No algorithms, clickbait or ads – just what's worth reading. I've got your back Hi, my name is Liz Forster. I am a former environment reporter and have a particular interest in public land management, natural disasters, climate change and ecology, among other topics. I received a degree in Environmental Policy from Colorado College, worked for a Colorado newspaper covering environment and am getting my JD in Environmental Law at the University of Montana. Subscribe and each week, I'll comb through newspaper's headlines and send you the latest, most pertinent environment news. Questions, comments, suggestions? Email me at [lizforster856@gmail.com](mailto:liz.forster@gazette.com) or follow me on Twitter at @lizmforster. You're receiving this email because you signed up for Environment Weekly emails The Colorado Springs Gazette, L.L.C. | 100 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 [Unsubscribe {EMAIL}]( [Update Profile]( | [Our Privacy Policy]( | [About Constant Contact]( Sent by noreply@gazette.com