Axios

A large coalition is committing $8 million to plug a funding gap in a program that helps to conserve water in Arizona amid the region's worsening drought.

Why it matters: The announcement shows how coalitions of businesses, nonprofits and state and Native American groups can together pursue agreements to address water management in the Southwest.

New research suggests a problem for policymakers hoping to rapidly move U.S. road transport from gasoline to electricity: drivers of huge-selling pickups and SUVs may be a tough sell.

Driving the news: The working paper explores how electric vehicle adoption is correlated with different forces, such as purchase subsidies, battery range, and "intrinsic" factors like belief in climate change.

Remember little Tropical Storm Eta back in November, and the storm surge that ravaged our coastlines, sent salt water gushing into homes and garages and triggered the rescue of 33 people from high water?

👇 This was the post-Eta Riverwalk in downtown Tampa.

• Eta's storm surge was 3.5 feet. The 1921 hurricane, which made landfall at Tarpon Springs, brought a reported surge of 10.5 feet.
• So in these photos, picture the water over our heads.

Climate-focused news initiatives are pushing media outlets to devote more coverage to the way climate change impacts extreme weather events.

Why it matters: Meteorologists and weather journalists, who worry the topic is under-covered and over-politicized, are leading these newsroom efforts in many instances.

The Great Barrier Reef should be included in a list of World Heritage Sites that are "in danger" from climate change, a United Nations committee said in a report Tuesday.

Yes, but: Australia's government said it will "strongly oppose" the recommendation by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.

A controversial oil refinery in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, is shutting down "indefinitely" because of "severe financial constraints," its owner, Limetree Bay Energy, announced on Monday.

Why it matters: The future of the refinery, which recently showered oil on homes in nearby communities and polluted drinking sources, is unknown, and it is unclear how cleanup in the future would be handled, the Washington Post reports.

There are fresh signs that U.S. oilfield activity is increasing alongside the return of demand and higher prices, but don't look for a return of record pre-pandemic production soon — or maybe ever.

Driving the news: The number of active U.S. oil rigs rose again last week, per the oilfield services company Baker Hughes' rolling tally.

Two foundations just unveiled a $1 billion initiative to help deliver clean energy to huge numbers of people worldwide who lack electricity access — and they hope it catalyzes vastly more outside capital.

Driving the news: The Rockefeller and Ikea foundations said the new program "aims to reduce 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and to empower 1 billion people with distributed renewable energy."

The National Transportation Safety Board announced Sunday that it's sent a team to Alabama to help investigate a fiery multi-vehicle crash that killed 10 people, including nine children.

The big picture: Saturday's crash, south of Montgomery, occurred amid a tropical depression that left 13 people dead in Alabama. It triggered flash floods and tornadoes that razed "dozens of homes" in the Southeast over the weekend, per AP. Parts of the Midwest were also badly hit, including Indiana and Chicago, where a tornado struck late Sunday.