The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments from oil companies on Monday that could help decide the fate of more than two dozen lawsuits accusing the industry of deceiving the public about climate change. The claims seek potentially billions of dollars in damages to help pay the costs imposed by climate-related extreme weather. Yet the questions […]
New York City is running out of places to dump its trash. In the latest draft of the city’s once-a-decade solid waste management plan, the sanitation department warns that the landfills receiving much of the city’s garbage are filling up fast. More than two-thirds of the city’s municipal waste is transported to landfills hundreds of […]
ALTADENA, Calif.—Sylvie Andrews walks among the brilliant white poppies, purple California grapes and olive-green thorns surrounding her yard’s blackened pizza oven—one of the only things that survived last year’s devastating Eaton Fire. But her eyes scan the block beyond, ever-aware of changes to her neighborhood. Andrews says virtually all of her neighbors have received unsolicited […]
Water regulators and farmers in Colorado’s San Luis Valley are in a lose-lose situation. Either they adopt a plan to aggressively manage the use of groundwater from their rapidly declining aquifer, likely forcing a contraction of the local agricultural economy, or continue overpumping and further lower the water table, which will likely force mass shutoffs […]
After years trudging through marshes around San Francisco Bay studying conservation practices, coastal ecologist Megan Kelso realized that one of the largest determinants of wetland health may not be an invasive species lurking with her among the sea grasses, but decisions made miles away in the executive suites of insurance companies. Wetlands absorb massive volumes […]
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission wants to scrap a rule that allows shareholders to formally petition companies, one of the ways that shareholder advocacy groups have pressed for more action on climate and sustainability. Investor and advocacy groups warn that the SEC’s move would block a longstanding avenue for pressuring public companies to factor […]
From our collaborating partner Living on Earth, public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by Jenni Doering with author Craig Childs. Think about the darkest sky you’ve ever seen. Did you see the Milky Way? Did starlight cast shadows? This kind of experience is becoming rare in our brightly lit world, but the stars are […]
EL PASO—Federal Judge Kathleen Cardone granted a preliminary injunction Friday to halt construction on the border wall in Texas’ expansive Big Bend sector, including the national and state parks. Cardone read a brief order from the bench after hearing more than four hours of testimony from conservation groups and residents of the Big Bend region, […]
During this past summer of climate extremes, more than half of Europe experienced dangerous levels of heat stress, the combined effect of temperature, humidity, wind and sunshine on the body’s ability to cool itself. In some places, that amounted to a “feels like” temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. The heat stress spread across […]
The so-called “lame duck” session of Congress after November’s midterm elections could be momentous for clean energy as lawmakers are set to consider a long-sought bipartisan deal to speed permitting of large energy and infrastructure projects. Clean energy advocates and policy experts view the bill as a rare opportunity to deal with a major clean […]
More than 20 states, including North Carolina, New York, California and Pennsylvania, as well as several cities, are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its repeal of most greenhouse gas emissions standards for coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. The agency’s proposal would also thwart future administrations from reinstating the rule. The state attorneys […]
A New Jersey county has become the latest local government to sue major oil and gas companies, seeking to recover costs from damage caused by worsening flooding and other climate change impacts. The filing comes just days before the U.S. Supreme Court takes up Boulder, Colorado’s climate case against Big Oil in a proceeding whose […]
As nations met this week in Bangkok for informal meetings on a United Nations plastics treaty, more than 70 developing countries supported addressing all causes and drivers of plastic pollution, environmental advocates said. Countries that comprise more than a quarter of the global plastics demand support strong measures to fight plastic pollution, said Giulia Carlini, […]
Drive the Pacific Coast Highway, spearfish alongside Great White sharks, surf in Santa Cruz, dive for lobster, cast a line or set a crab pot: California is defined by its 840-mile coastline. Managing the miles of beach, reef and cliffsides that define the state is a complicated and controversial process and has long left out […]
Two major challenges could complicate efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay. First, a new executive order from President Donald Trump revoked the longstanding framework for coordinating federal efforts to protect the bay. Second, seven Virginia tribes withdrew from formal participation after the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership denied them the signatory status they sought. The new […]
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—It’s time to act. It’s long past time. That was the case made by lawyers for the Southern Environmental Law Center, who filed a petition Wednesday in Jefferson County Circuit Court asking a judge to force local health officials to act on a 2023 air permit renewal application for ABC Coke, the nation’s largest […]
If one form of energy becomes the cheapest, most secure and cleanest, you’d probably adjust your economy to use more of it, right? That’s one of the ideas underpinning a report the International Energy Agency issued last week about the global move toward electrification. Fatih Birol, head of the IEA, discussed some of the concepts […]
For Europe’s fishing industry, it turns out size does matter. Of 60,000 European-flagged fishing boats, just 638 are responsible for most of the harm, according to a new report by French non-profit BLOOM. The largest in the fleet, at 108 feet or longer, pose the greatest threat to food security, cost taxpayers the most and […]
PLYMOUTH, N.C.—Fall had just arrived when a nor’easter began stewing in the Atlantic Ocean, its gale-force winds carrying the pungent smell of chlorine westward, away from downtown. Against the backdrop of dingy stratus clouds, the Domtar pulp mill loomed. The plant occupies 2,400 acres at the confluence of Welch Creek and the Roanoke River, where […]
Amid political pressure and rising energy prices, the European Commission is considering pausing a part of its landmark methane regulation, which is set to take effect in January. The move comes after French President Emmanuel Macron urged the Commission in a September 18 letter to postpone new methane reporting requirements and ease other fuel-related rules […]
By Phil McKenna
2 hours 25 minutes ago
Pulitzer Prize-winning, nonpartisan reporting on the biggest crisis facing our planet.
