U.S. Stands Out in How it Chooses Its Head of State

Pew Research Center | READ STORY

The short answer: No other democratic nation fills its top job quite the way the U.S. does, and only a handful are even similar. Besides the U.S, the only other democracies that indirectly elect a leader who combines the roles of head of state and head of government (as the U.S. president does) are Botswana, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, South Africa and Suriname.

Social Media Update 2016

Pew Research Center | READ STORY

Over the past decade, Pew Research Center has documented the wide variety of ways in which Americans use social media to seek out information and interact with others. Americans are using social media in the context of work (whether to take a mental break on the job or to seek out employment), while also engaging in an ongoing effort to navigate the complex privacy issues that these sites bring to the forefront.

Rural-Urban Voting Gap Widens
Daily Yonder | READ STORY

Final vote totals are not available, but it is possible to see a shift in the nature of American politics from 2012. Democrats saw big declines in their percentage of the vote outside the cities. (See chart.) Republican Trump, meanwhile, had a nearly 7.3 million vote deficit in metropolitan areas almost erased by totals in rural counties and counties with towns under 50,000 people.

Why Invest in Indigenous Lands?

World Resources Institute | READ STORY

New WRI research shows that securing indigenous forestland is also a low-cost, high-benefit investment and therefore makes good economic sense. Given the important role of forests in storing carbon, securing indigenous forestland is a sound climate mitigation strategy.

U.S. Clean Energy Transition Irrevocably Underway

NRDC | READ STORY

NRDC’s Fourth Annual Energy Report published today brings optimistic news in a moment of uncertainty in the federal government: the nationwide momentum for clean energy is undeniable and irresistible because clean energy now costs less than dirty energy. The report, Accelerating Into a Clean Energy Future, includes extensive new evidence of the transition from climate-polluting fossil fuels to renewables and energy efficiency.

2016 Will Likely Be the Warmest Year on Record

The Weather Company | READ STORY

This year is likely to be the Earth's warmest year on record, fueled by El Niῆo conditions early in the year, and long-term warming from climate change. Temperatures for the world from January-September 2016 were 0.88 degree Celsius above the 1961-1990 average, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently announced.