What we're writing

Henry Gass/The Christian Science Monitor Pamela Berstler of Green Gardens Group points to a bioswale designed to harvest rainwater, in July 2016. It's part of a drought-friendly garden owned by Deborah Butler in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Recent storms have toppled a drive-through sequoia tree and are easing the state's long drought. What hasn't changed, though, are forecasts that southern California won't be able to rely as much on distant melting snows for its future water. So residents and water managers near Los Angeles are exploring how to capture and use more of the rain that falls right in their local region. One result promises to be fewer traditional lawns. // Story, and photo above, by Henry Gass

Unlike some other Trump Cabinet picks, Rex Tillerson acknowledges climate change. His confirmation hearing to become secretary of State, however, leaves doubts about how much climate action he supports. // Zack Colman

A study finds that greenhouse gases such as methane that break down quickly in the atmosphere may have a greater effect on warming oceans than was previously thought. // Weston Williams

New guidelines give Energy Department scientists expanded freedom to share their views with the press and publish in peer-reviewed journals. // Ellen Powell

To some in the industry, it's a bittersweet moment as the iconic jumbo jetliners are set to be retired by US airlines. The positive is it's part of a trend toward greater fuel efficiency that the industry greatly needs. // J Walker Glascockack

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What we're reading

Preserving pristine areas not only counters overfishing, it may also lessen the impacts of climate change. // National Geographic

A study concludes the benefits far outweigh the costs of expanding reliance on renewables. // EnergyWire

Winters grow shorter in the Alps, and rain displaces snow at some elevations. // Bloomberg

What's trending

"Why is this important? Pollinators are small but mighty parts of the natural mechanism that sustains us and our world." // Tom Melius of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, quoted by CNN

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“We don’t believe the federal government should mandate energy conservation.... But we don’t think the federal government should prohibit the states from doing so.”// Nicolas Loris, a Heritage Foundation policy expert, quoted by Climate Central

“Since 1 January, 100 percent of our trains are running on wind energy.... We in fact reached our goal a year earlier than planned.” // Ton Boon, spokesman for Dutch rail company NS, quoted in The Guardian