Peggy Shepard walked into her living room on Tuesday morning when her husband told her Jesse Jackson, the civil rights titan from South Carolina, had died. “Immediately tears started coming,” said Shepard, co-founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice, a New York City-based nonprofit. Nearly 40 years...
Would you pay $49 a month to drink recycled wastewater?
One day, you’ll appreciate drinking recycled toilet water. Urban populations are growing as water supplies are dwindling, often due to worsening droughts. In response, some communities are treating wastewater, rendering it perfectly safe for consumption. It is so pure, in fact, that if a treatment facility doesn’t add enough of...
Ask a Climate Therapist: How do I deal with friends and family who won’t stop polluting?
Dear Leslie, How do I deal with the frustration and anger that comes with having family members and friends who continue to fly and pursue other behaviors that worsen the climate crisis? They know better, yet they don’t act differently. — Frustrated Climate Activist Dear Frustrated Climate Activist, Your anger...
Two months after being arrested, this Indigenous climate leader remains imprisoned in Russia
A Russian court is continuing to hold an international advocate for Indigenous peoples on terrorism charges despite international calls to release her immediately. Daria Egereva, who is Indigenous Selkup from Russia, is co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, which represents Indigenous peoples’ perspectives at United Nations...
The nation’s largest public utility is going back to coal — with almost no input from the public
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s quarterly meeting in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, opened with a triumphant video homage to its work during Winter Storm Fern. Energy had come through, yet again, to defeat extreme cold. The montage credited this to the utility’s “coal workhorses,” then noted that nuclear provided “uninterrupted power” and “hydro...
The cowboy who got rich selling veggie burgers
The first thing Andy Barrientes noticed when he showed up for his shift at RMS Foods on Valentine’s Day, 2005, was the cloud of black smoke emanating from the building. A fire had started in the factory around 4:20 p.m., not long before Barrientes was scheduled to clock in as...
What’s behind your eye-popping power bill? We broke it down, region by region.
It’s no secret that U.S. electricity prices have been rising over the last few years: The average residential energy bill in 2025 was roughly 30 percent higher than in 2021. This jump is largely in line with the overall inflation Americans have experienced during this period. As the cost of...
Despite court order, a critical FEMA program remains frozen
When it comes to adapting to the consequences of climate change, the federal government has relied heavily on one flagship program: Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC. Administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, BRIC has doled out $4.5 billion in grants to help states and cities prepare for...
A massive climate resilience program is escaping Florida’s DOGE purge
When it comes to government spending, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is taking a cue from the Trump administration. As his second term nears its end, DeSantis is spearheading a campaign to slash property taxes, which provide around 30 percent of local government revenue. He’s also looking to dramatically pare down...
What’s geologic hydrogen? What to know about the clean energy source buried under Michigan.
Michigan might be at the forefront of a new clean fuel source — and it’s buried right under the state. Last month, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said her administration wants to make the state a hub for geologic hydrogen, a potentially untapped reserve of clean fuel below the Earth’s surface that...