Heading into President Donald Trump’s second term, coal looked like an industry nearing the end of its life. Utilities planned to retire more than half of the nation’s coal-fired power plants by 2028, no new facilities were coming online, and production had been flat for years. Trump’s first year back...
In Bangladesh, thousands of volunteers are battling climate-fueled disease at its source
It is a cloudy, humid September morning near the end of monsoon season in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and one of the world’s most densely populated cities. Streets normally bustling are quiet as residents of the Uttara neighborhood prepare for the weekly prayer. Suddenly, dozens of young volunteers emerge...
Red-state Republicans seek climate ‘liability shield’ for fossil fuel industry
U.S. lawmakers in two red states are attempting to shield the fossil fuel industry from climate liability. In Oklahoma, a newly introduced bill would bar most civil lawsuits against oil companies over their role in the climate crisis, unless plaintiffs allege violations of specific environmental or labor laws. A similar...
Iran’s regime has survived war, sanctions, and uprising. Environmental crises may bring it down.
The anti‑government protests sweeping across Iran, from major cities to rural towns, are fueled by anger over economic collapse and political repression. But beneath the headlines of currency devaluations and street clashes lies a deeper, more permanent driver of dissent: ecological calamity. Decades of ignoring scientists, persecuting activists and greenlighting...
Trump is trying to kill clean energy. The market has other plans.
A year ago, Donald Trump assumed the presidency for a second time and immediately got to work dismantling the climate progress that Joe Biden’s administration had made. Among other sweeping efforts, the White House boosted fossil fuels over renewables, tried to stop states from reducing emissions and adapting to climate...
Daria Egereva fought for Indigenous voices at the UN. Now she’s in a Russian jail.
Russian authorities have detained an Indigenous climate advocate, accusing her of participating in a terrorist organization in what international observers are calling “retribution” for her United Nations advocacy on behalf of Indigenous peoples. Daria Egereva, an Indigenous Selkup woman from the city of Tomsk in western Siberia, has been involved...
Trump’s EPA is taking itself out of the regulation game
In the 55 years since its founding under President Richard Nixon, the Environmental Protection Agency has been a regulatory pendulum, swinging between stringent and lax control of air pollution. Under Democratic presidents, the agency tends to clamp down on emissions from cars and smokestacks. Under Republicans, it tends to give...
This tech could keep EVs from stressing the grid — and save everyone money
If you’re a typical American, you get home from work and start flipping switches and turning knobs — doing laundry, cooking dinner, watching TV. With so many other folks doing the same, the strain on the electrical grid in residential areas is highest at this time. That demand will only...
Why almost none of the homes burned in LA have been rebuilt since last year’s fires
The Associated Press this week reported a stunning fact: Of the 13,000 homes destroyed a year ago in the extraordinary wildfires in and around Los Angeles, fewer than a dozen have been rebuilt. The massive, fast-moving wildfires that tore through Los Angeles County last January directly killed at least 31...
These Finnish homes are being heated by a surprising source: Bitcoin
For someone who cares about climate change, Matt Carlsson had what seemed like a dream job: teaching clients how to decarbonize buildings. But he was frustrated. He could give customers the tools to improve energy efficiency and phase out fossil fuels, but if they couldn’t easily turn his guidance into...