Let's leave to history to see whether the COP26 deal to "phase down" coal instead of "phase out" makes any real-world difference, but what's clear is that any meaningful "phasing" at all is hard.
Why it matters: Coal is the most carbon-intensive fuel. Any pathway to meeting the Paris Agreement goals will require huge reductions in global demand that are nowhere in evidence yet.
The global oil market remains tight but "a reprieve from the price rally could be on the horizon" as U.S. production rises, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Its latest monthly analysis comes as elevated oil — and hence gasoline — prices are another political headache for President Biden amid broader inflation.
This year is almost certain to go down among the 10 hottest in temperature records that date back to 1880, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Driving the news: Its latest monthly climate report finds the January-October average global surface temperature was the sixth-warmest in those records.
Edelman, the world's largest PR firm, is vowing to make climate change a bedrock focus even as it rejects activist pressure to sever ties with Big Oil.
Driving the news: The company on Monday unveiled new principles and plans, along with new hires to guide the efforts.
The pandemic may be on the wane, but the appetite for homes where residents can each have their own space — and enjoy time indoors — will be a lingering legacy.
Why it matters: Builders, architects and interior designers are all adjusting to a new reality in which we spend more waking hours at home and don't take for granted that household members will leave every day for work or school.
An intense "atmospheric river event" has resulted in extensive flooding and wind damage across parts of the Pacific Northwest, per the National Weather Service.
The latest: The extreme storm has triggered record-shattering rainfall in several cities in British Columbia, namely Hope, which had more than 11 inches of rain between Saturday and Monday.
Why it matters: The legislation includes massive investments in roads, bridges, waterways and other “hard infrastructure.” It's the biggest public-works bill since former President Eisenhower created the interstate highway system in 1956.
President Biden Monday proposed a 20-year federal oil and gas leasing ban on lands near Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, a site considered sacred and ancestral to members of Pueblo and other Native American tribes.
Why it matters: For years, tribes have requested a drilling moratorium for lands around the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and preserves one of the most important pre-Columbian cultural and historical areas in the U.S.
One thing that was unavoidable at COP26 was the jarring dissonance between the pledges of action and the current global energy and emissions trajectory.
The big picture: The chart above shows the upward march of global fossil fuel consumption even as renewables have surged.
