What we're writing

Henry Gass/The Christian Science Monitor Protest organizer Joye Braun, left, says a revival of religious tradition is powering efforts by native tribes to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The controversy over the Dakota Access Pipeline is about water, fossil fuels, and questions of tribal sovereignty. But this report from the protest encampments near Bismarck tells how, beneath all that, something else signficant is going on: Tribes from across the US say they're unifying around revitalized Indian traditions and religion. // Story and photo above by Henry Gass

Critics say the initiative deceptively asks Floridians to vote 'for the sun.' At issue is whether utility customers with rooftop panels are subsidized by non-solar customers, or vice versa. // Amanda Paulson

It's hard to be sure, actually, but one new study tries to crunch the math. Driving 75 miles in a fossil-fuel powered car equals one square foot of ice melted Arctic ice, it reckons. // Eva Botkin-Kowacki

If you build it, they will come. That is, if "it" is things like beehives and an organic market, and "they" are the new residents your rural town of just 400 people is kind of desperate for. // Sara Miller Llana

If you haven't seen this installment of the Monitor's "Politics of US" series, here's your pre-election opportunity. Coloradans showcase the nation's contrasting views on global warming, and the story is packaged with other elements including charts that are worth a look. // Amanda Paulson

Part of the same "Politics of US" package, this column is a parable for our times on climate conversation. // Mark Gerzon.

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What we're reading

The utility says solar panels its own buildings can literally empower those who lack rooftops of their own. // The New York Times

A Nature Conservancy study looks at the benefits of trees in 245 cities worldwide. // Minnesota Public Radio

The 5,500-mile Colonial delivers about half of the refined products used on the East Coast. // Bloomberg Businessweek

Safeguarding rights of traditional forest communities could also safeguard the environment, researchers say. // Fusion

What's trending

"The 10 firms, which jointly produce around 20 percent of the world's oil and gas, have already screened a list of 200 [carbon capture, use, and storage] technologies and are now assessing which one or ones to develop to commercial scale." // Reuters

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Native American activist Kandi Mossett "said she thought the police could easily detect whether Facebook users were falsely checking in from other locations, ... but added that it was still nice to see so many mentions of Standing Rock on social media." // The Guardian

"Tesla hasn't revealed yet how much it will cost to own and operate the system, or how efficient the solar panels will be." // CNN Money