The results of a new Ipsos Mori poll suggest citizens of four major European countries think the impacts of climate change are already affecting them, dispelling the myth that global warming tends to be viewed as a problem for the future, reports The Guardian. Though the survey was carried out in June 2016, before the election of Donald Trump, respondents showed support for financial penalties for nations that refuse to be part of the Paris Agreement. Drilling down into some of the country-to-country differences, Bloomberg says the French are more worried by climate change than their British or German neighbours, but are less keen to pay for a solution. More than any other country in the survey, French respondents were prepared to personally reduce their energy use, yet 74% oppose rising power prices to curb demand and 54% oppose increasing taxes on fossil fuels. With a general election in France fast approaching, the contradiction leaves a puzzle for the candidates vying for the support of voters, says Bloomberg. For a full round up of the candidates’ views on all things climate and energy-related, see Carbon Brief’s interactive grid. New Scientist highlights the finding that less than half of people in the UK (43%), Germany (49%) and Norway (just 34%) think climate change is mainly or entirely due to human activities. the correct answer is more than 100%, the piece notes.

Rising temperatures will disrupt four-fifths of the world’s oceans by 2050 if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t curbed, according to research published on Tuesday. Currently, about 10% of the global ocean is under stress from the twin impacts of high temperatures and acidification, lead author Dr Stephanie Henson, from the National Oceanography centre told Reuters. With fish the main source of food for a billion people, cutting emissions in line with the Paris Agreement would give marine life more time to adapt to warming conditions or shift to cooler waters nearer the poles. “Mitigation doesn’t stop the emergence of multiple different stressors in the ocean, but it does slow things down quite significantly,” Henson told The Washington Post. Carbon Brief has more on the consequences of the new study for creatures all the way up the food chain.

In the latest of a string of setbacks, a federal judge has denied the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe’s request to block the Dakota Access pipeline. The Native American tribe had argued the pipeline project violates its religious freedom due to its placement under Lake Oahe, but U.S. District Judge James Boasberg dismissed that argument on Tuesday. The judge’s refusal issue a preliminary injunction to stop construction of the pipeline makes it increasingly likely that the controversial pipeline will be cleared to start carrying crude oil, reports The Washington Post.

In the days since Scott Pruitt was confirmed as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, he has moved to fill the top offices of the agency with like-minded conservatives, says The New York Times. Drawing heavily from the staff of Senator James Inhofe, Congress’s most prominent skeptic of climate science, many of Pruitt’s new appointments any are “skeptics of climate change and all of them [are] intent on rolling back environmental regulations that they see as overly intrusive and harmful to business,” the piece reads. Former head of the EPA, Gina McCarthy, said that for the first time there seems to be an administrator “who has no commitment to the mission of the agency.” The Hill reports on comments by William Ruckelshaus, the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under Presidents Nixon and Reagan, warning against budget cuts to the agency. Writing in a New York Times op-ed, Ruckelshaus said that the public “will not tolerate changes that threaten their health or the precious environment.”

Facing pressure to encourage companies to squeeze the last of the oil from the North Sea, chancellor Phillip Hammond is expected to see off criticism that he is not doing enough to support the oil and gas industry, reports the Times. Hammond is expected to use his first budget today to announce that he is assembling a panel of experts to examine how taxes can assist the sale of oil and gas fields, helping to keep them productive for longer. Made up of government representatives from London and Edinburgh, the details of the panel are expected to be published within weeks, with the group’s investigation lasting months.

An all-time record of 76.2GW solar PV was installed worldwide in 2016, twice the capacity added in 2015, according to new figures from trade body Solar Power. The skyrocketing by 50% last year was driven by increasing demand from both the US and China, says the report. European installations of solar power fell by more than 21%, despite solar energy prices continuing to fall to their lowest level across much of the continent. The Guardian has more on the new figures.

Just 31% of entrepreneurs in Europe are women and in the field of sustainable energy, that proprtion falls even lower, says Elena Bou, innovation director at InnoEnergy. To mark International Women’s Day, Bou discusses the increasingly important role female entrepreneurs play within the sustainable energy sector. Elsewhere, Energy Live News reports on a new initiative aimed at encouraging more women to get involved in the wind industry. Emma Pinchbeck, Executive Director at RenewableUK said of the ‘Women in Wind’ campaign: “It’s an encouraging sign that our sector is becoming more inclusive but the number of women in senior management roles still needs to increase…This means promoting renewable skills and opportunities to a new generation of women entering the workforce.”

Some of the most intense droughts move across continents in predictable patterns, a new study suggests. While most droughts tend to stay put near where they started, around 10% travel between 1,400 to 3,100km, the researchers find. These moving droughts will tend to become even larger and more intense before conditions get better. The study could help improve projections of future drought, the study concludes, allowing for more effective planning.

A healthier diet for US citizens could save $77-93bn per year in healthcare costs and a per capita cut of 826kg of CO2e emissions per year, a new study finds. These emission reductions would be equivalent to 6–23% of the US Climate Action Plan’s 2020 emissions target. Healthier diets could also reduce the relative risk of coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer, and type 2 diabetes by 20–45%, the study says.