Nuclear and coal lobby groups are using a cold snap on the US east coast to call for bailouts, reports Bloomberg, while renewable advocates argue that clean power supports grid resilience. The winter storm is challenging the US energy industry, reports Reuters. An article at Vox says: “Energy markets, not coal bailouts, will keep the east coast warm this week.” In the New York Times, Henry Fountain explains how climate change may be part of the answer to the intense cold gripping much of North America. Fountain writes: “Some scientists studying the connection between climate change and cold spells, which occur when cold Arctic air dips south, say that they may be related. But the importance of the relationship is not fully clear yet.” The Associated Press also explores the unusual weather conditions behind the cold snap, noting that there is “hot debate and research among scientists” who think the shifting ‘polar vortex’ causing the cold weather is: “probably [due to] a mix of human-caused climate change and natural variability.” It cites a scientist explaining that climate change has “probably” made the vortex move more.

Most of the electricity generated in the UK last year was from low-carbon sources for the first time, reports the Thomson Reuters Foundation, covering yesterday’s Carbon Brief analysis. Yet the UK still “needs to invest more in clean energy to meet climate change targets,” Thomson Reuters Foundation adds, citing several “experts”. It notes that most emissions reductions so far have come in the waste and power sectors, with transport and building sector emissions currently rising. Elsewhere, the Press Association, Business Green, City AM and the Independent are among those reporting on Carbon Brief’s analysis.

The recent surge in atmospheric methane levels can now be better explained, reports the BBC, thanks to a study that found fewer wildfires were taking place around the world. The BBC adds that methane emissions from oil and gas production, “such as losses from fracking operations”, explain 17 teragrams per year of methane increase, with microbial production from wetlands and rice paddies adding another 12 teragrams. But these are only part of the picture for methane concentrations, with the falling number of fires cutting emissions by about 4 teragrams a year.

Large increases in snow accumulation in the eastern Antarctic could reduce the ice sheet’s contribution to sea level rise, reports the Washington Post, covering a study by scientists from NASA and other institutions. Snow accumulation has been increasing since around 1900 and is most marked in recent decades, the paper says, in line with predictions that climate change would increase precipitation.

“The UK and the EU27 have said they want a close partnership post-Brexit but this year could test their co-operation on environmental protection in three ways,” write Antony Froggatt and Georgina Wright from thinktank Chatham House and Silke Goldberg from law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, in a piece for the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. They explain: “Firstly, Brexit could have short term implications for the monitoring and reporting of the European Emissions Trading System – precisely at a time where annual allowances are up for negotiation. Secondly, planning for longer term climate action will become more challenging in the absence of a clear steer from the UK on whether it plans to participate in EU climate schemes and targets post-Brexit. Finally, the loss of a strong proponent of climate action in the European Council could also constrain the EU27’s ambition for global climate action post-Brexit.”

While drafting tweets for the US Environmental Protection Agency, “I was told…Don’t mention climate change or going ‘green’,” writes former intern at the agency Katie Miller, in the Washington Post. Miller recounts how she asked EPA administrator Scott Pruitt why she was being asked to remove mentions of climate change from EPA social media accounts and he gave two “equally dissatisfying answer[s]”, including saying: “‘No, actually, we’re trying to start a discussion about it.'” Miller also describes the “fear and loathing” taking hold under the surface at the EPA.

“The global energy system is on the cusp of a revolution and investors in the sector risk sleepwalking into a period of momentous change,” write Anton Eser, chief investment officer for Legal & General Investment Management, and Nick Stansbury, the firm’s fund manager and commodity specialist, in an opinion piece for the Financial Times. They conclude: “There are two credible actions long-term investors can take. The first is to start to position portfolios to be ready for the third energy transition. The carbon intensity of portfolios will inevitably fall over time. The renewable sector will need tens of trillions of dollars of capital and we should be ready to invest it with them. The second is to engage. As one of the UK’s largest investors in the energy industry, we know there are still management teams — and boards — with their heads stuck in the sand. If we are to fulfil our social responsibility as long-term owners of these businesses, we need them to be alert to the risks. Energy is changing faster than we had ever thought possible and investors need to take action today to prepare for the future world.”

The UK was the first country in the world to introduce legally-binding carbon targets and was “instrumental in securing the historic Paris Agreement”, writes climate minister Claire Perry in a piece for City AM. She says: “The growth of the renewables sector has been a real UK success story…The shift to clean energy presents a multi-billion pound investment opportunity for businesses.” Perry says the UK government is “determined to lead the world in this transition to a low-carbon economy…to ensure we leave the world in a better place for future generations”. She adds that she is “confident” the UK will meet its future carbon budgets.

“There’s a debate in climate circles about whether you should try to scare the living daylights out of people, or give them hope,”writes Lucia Graves for the Guardian. But she adds: “Communication is everything when it comes to the climate change debate – and there isn’t just one way to speak to people’s emotions.” Effective communication, Graves says, is about “above all, knowing your audience and what’s relevant to them.”

Global warming could be driving major changes to rainfall in Kruger National Park, South Africa, new research suggests. The national park is the native home of many endangered animals, including the black rhinoceros and several golden mole species. The new study shows that climate change could be making both the dry and rainy seasons more severe, increasing the risk of extreme weather such as drought. “High-rainfall seasons are generally receiving more rainfall while low-rainfall seasons are receiving less,” the researchers say.