It's a momentous U.S. election day, with the outcome likely to speed - or slow - global efforts to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and build a new clean energy future.

President Trump's Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, has promised to make climate action, nationally and internationally, a cornerstone of his administration, while Trump's re-election would likely bring continuing reluctance to address climate threats, policy analysts say.

In the typhoon-hit Philippines, 14-year-old Marshall Cedric Tuazon hopes Americans will spare a thought for him and millions of others at growing risk from extreme weather and rising seas. 

"Go out and cast your ballots with the lives of the future generations – and people in vulnerable countries like us in the Philippines – in mind," urged the school climate striker.

Faster and wider adoption of clean energy might help deal with another problem as well: the COVID-19 pandemic.

As doctors plan how to get an eventual vaccine to billions of people around the world, they hope solar-powered refrigeration could keep doses safe and active in parts of the world not connected to the electricity grid, particularly in Africa.

In coming decades, clean cooling may become vital in places such as West Africa, where climate models suggest unbearably hot days are set to increase.

As the price of solar power continues to plunge, even tourists might help pay for its expanded use. In India, for example, a share of the fee for some trekking expeditions to remote Himalayan villages goes to bringing them solar panels, with the visitors lending a hand to set up the micro-grids.

Looking to the past can also help solve problems. As Zimbabwe struggles to reverse crop losses to worsening drought, it is reviving an old farming technique where seeds are tucked into manure-filled holes and covered with straw, to trap and hold what little water is available. 

"Some methods... were used by our ancestors to conserve water during droughts and now, in the wake of climate change, they are being promoted at a larger scale," noted government climate specialist Lawrence Mashungu.

See you next week!

Laurie

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