Civil society is in the process of changing its mind about the relative merits of diesel versus gasoline cars and the winner in the current debate is likely to be Nissan, Tesla and other companies launching battery electric vehicles in the coming years

Last week the United States Senate approved Scott Pruitt to head the country's Environmental Protection Agency where he will roll back as much of Barack Obama's environmental legacy as the courts will allow.

While New York City recovers from its first major snowstorm this year, and Scott Pruitt may be confirmed by the Senate, there is no denying the warmest winter ever and the medium term trend to cleaner, renewable energy.