Last year, as Utah prepared to file a federal lawsuit aiming to take control of millions of acres of federal public land within its borders, state officials sought help swaying public opinion in their favor. So they turned to a group of public relations professionals at Penna Powers, a media...
It’s not just the cities. Extreme heat is a growing threat to rural America.
Summer has officially begun with a blast of scorching temperatures across much of the United States. The National Weather Service is warning of “extremely dangerous heat” baking 160 million people under a heat dome stretching from the Midwest to the East Coast the rest of this week. It’s already proven...
This year’s UN climate talks are already behind — 5 months before COP30 kicks off in Brazil
The United Nations’ Conference of the Parties, or COP, which hosts annual negotiations that draw tens of thousands of top government officials, activists, and journalists every year, is understood to be the world’s primary conduit for international climate action. But a related UN conference held in Bonn, Germany, every summer...
A year after Helene, river guides in Appalachia are navigating a new world
On a clear, sunny day in May, just a few weeks into the Smoky Mountain rafting season, Heather Ellis took a dozen people through the Pigeon River Gorge to celebrate its grand reopening. She led them over and through roaring rapids with a practiced ease. “Forward!” she called. When the...
The Trump administration claims roads in forests prevent wildfires. Researchers disagree.
The Trump administration announced its intention earlier this week to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Policy, also known as the “Roadless Rule,” which restricts road-building, logging, and mining across 58 million acres of the country’s national forests. The administration’s rationale was that the “outdated” Roadless Rule has exacerbated wildfire risks....
Why many low-income households can’t afford this free home improvement program
The federal Weatherization Assistance Program is the oldest and largest energy efficiency initiative in American history. Born from the 1973 oil crisis, it helps low- and moderate-income households make a litany of upgrades to their homes, such as installing insulation, sealing windows, and wrapping water pipes. The program, known as...
Pollution from wildfires can contaminate our water for up to eight years, new study finds
When wildfires devastated a wide swath of Los Angeles last winter, officials warned residents of several ZIP codes not to drink the water, or boil it first if they must. They worried that soot, ash, and other debris from the blazes might have infiltrated the groundwater, or that damaged pipes...
Chicago residents risk daily lead exposure from toxic pipes. Replacing them will take decades.
Growing up in Chicago, Chakena D. Perry knew not to trust the water coming out of her tap. “It was just one of these unspoken truths within households like mine — low-income, Black households — that there was some sort of distrust with the water,” said Perry, who later learned...
UNESCO appoints Indigenous co-chairs to protect languages and knowledge amid climate crisis
For more than 30 years, the United Nations has helped support research positions at universities to delve into the most pressing issues facing humanity: climate change, sustainable development, peace, and human rights. Nearly 1,000 UNESCO chair positions have been established in universities across 120 countries. But only a handful of...
How a 1.3-mile stretch of street became a much-needed park space in Queens, New York
The spotlight During the COVID lockdowns of 2020, people in cities all over the world were desperate to get outside. As everything slowed down, residents and city governments organized to block off sections of some streets to cars, instead giving them over to pedestrians and leisure activities — a global...