Environmental News
Breaking environmental news, policy updates, and ecosystem changes worldwide
The wealthy profit from public lands, and taxpayers pick up the tab
Stan Kroenke doesnât need federal help to make a business flourish. He is worth an estimated $20 billion, a fortune that has allowed him to become one of Americaâs largest...
Google Data Centers Will Bring Nuclear Power Back To Tornado Country
A destructive storm in 2020 prematurely shut down Iowaâs only nuclear plant. With Googleâs plans to reopen it to power nearby data centers, will extreme weather threaten the reactorâs safety?By...
Forestry Carbon Credit Programs Have a Poor Track Record. Can a More Refined Approach Fix the Problem?
The Family Forest Carbon Program pays landowners not to timber their trees, then sells the additional growth as carbon credits. But critics question whether it leads to overall emissions reductions.By...
A New Tool Could Help Track Deep-Sea Mining Activity
Countries are still debating whether to mine the seafloor for minerals, but exploratory efforts have already begun.By Kiley PriceAs demand for critical minerals surges around the world, countries are debating...
IEA: Slow transition away from fossil fuels would cost over a million energy sector jobs
A slower shift to clean energy could leave the world with 1.3 million fewer energy sector jobs by 2035 compared with a scenario in which governments fully implement their green...
South Australian bus ads misled public by claiming gas is âclean and greenâ, regulator finds
Ads to be removed from Adelaide Metro buses after advertising regulator rules they breach its environmental claims codeSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Mortonâs free Clear Air newsletter...
DeBriefed 5 December: Deadly Asia floods; Adaptation finance target examined; Global south IPCC scientists speak out
Welcome to Carbon Briefâs DeBriefed. An essential guide to the weekâs key developments relating to climate change. This week Deadly floods in Asia MOUNTING DEVASTATION: The Associated Press reported that the...
Global Scientists Anticipate Less Reliance on the United States in Future Carbon Monitoring
With Trumpâs budget knife still poised over NOAAâs climate research operations, international researchers see a reduced role for the nation that pioneered CO2 measurement.By Marianne LavelleThis fall, when the World...
Virginia Regulators Approve First New Gas Plant Since Passage of Clean Economy Act
Dominion Energy presented the Chesterfield peaker plant as an answer to ensuring grid reliability. Some residents and clean energy advocates disagree.By Charles PaullinDominion Energyâs proposal for a $1.47 billion natural...
Homeowners Sue Oil Companies as Climate Damage Drives up Insurance Rates
The class-action lawsuit is the first of its kind to target Big Oil over rising home insurance costs.By Dana DrugmandTwo homeowners in Washington state who have seen sharp increases in...
After COP30, Indigenous advocates celebrate gains while warning of unfinished work
If there is one image that encapsulates COP30, this yearâs global climate change conference in BelĂŠm, Brazil, it might be this: Indigenous activists, in traditional clothing and regalia, storming past...
What I saw reporting on the American lives cut short by killer heat
In this weekâs newsletter: Coroners canât agree on how to count heat fatalities â and the dismantling of climate investments is leaving fragile communities exposed⢠Donât get Down to Earth...
âWe can tell farmers the problemsâ: experts say seismic waves can check soil health and boost yields
âSoilsmologyâ aims to map worldâs soils and help avert famine, says not-for-profit co-founded by George MonbiotGeorge Monbiot: Over a pint in Oxford, we may well have stumbled upon the holy...
60,000 African penguins starve to death after sardine numbers collapse â study
Climate crisis and overfishing contributed to loss of 95% of penguins in two breeding colonies in South Africa, research findsMore than 60,000 penguins in colonies off the coast of South...
Trump Administrationâs Threats to Shrink or Eliminate National Monuments Could Endanger Drinking Water for Millions
A new Center for American Progress report found 31 national monuments are the only conservation tool protecting 21,000 miles of rivers and streams that provide water for downstream communities.By Wyatt...
Why the ICJâs advisory opinion on climate change took a backseat at COP30
With the International Court of Justiceâs landmark advisory opinion on climate change hot off the press this July, hopes were high it could be used as a diplomatic lever for...
New Report Warns of Critical Climate Risks in Arab Region
Foundations of daily life, including farms, reservoirs and aquifers that feed and sustain millions, are being pushed to the brink by human-caused warming.By Bob BerwynAs global warming accelerates, about 480...
Inside the climate group working everywhere but DC: âYou can still have huge winsâ
Climate Cabinet supports candidates in state and city races as the federal government ignores the climate crisisWith a president who has called climate change a âhoaxâ, refused to send a...
EV Sales Are in the Tank. So What Happens Next?
The sudden removal of federal tax credits led to a cratering of U.S. electric vehicle sales. But the future is brighter than you may expect.By Dan GearinoSales of new electric...
China risks emissions rebound amid policy shifts, experts warn
After holding stable for two years, Chinaâs carbon emissions may climb back up as the construction of new fossil fuel power plants accelerates and recent policy changes cloud the outlook...
Factory Farms in Iowa Generate 110 Billion Pounds of Manure Per Year. No One Tracks Where Itâs Going.
Manure management planning could prevent fertilizer pollution. But an antiquated system isnât doing enough to track manure, a former state employee says.By Anika Jane Beamer, Nina B. ElkadiThis story is...
Global race to secure critical minerals for weapons threatens climate, warns report
Study reveals US earmarked billions to stockpile critical minerals for military use, including precision-guided weaponry and AI-driven warfareThe accelerating global arms race is hindering climate action as critical minerals that...
The AI boom is heralding a new gold rush in the American west
Once home to gold and prospectors, the Nevada desert is now the site of a new kind of expansion: tech datacentersDriving down the interstate through the dry Nevada desert, there...
Ohio Landfills Take Drilling Waste but Donât Track or Test Much of It
Drilling waste moves through Ohio landfills with little oversight from state regulators, potentially putting waterways at risk.By Julie Grant, The Allegheny FrontThis story by The Allegheny Front was reported in collaboration...
After Missing 2025 Goals, Chesapeake Bay Leaders Agree on Longer Timeline and Tribal Role in Cleanup
The revised watershed agreement extends pollution-reduction targets and bets on voluntary measures to achieve cleanup goals that have remained elusive for decades.By Aman AzharThe Chesapeake Executive Council, the top body...
Zillow deletes climate risk data from listings after complaints it harms sales
Zillow, the largest real estate listing site in the U.S., has removed a feature that allowed people to view a propertyâs exposure to the climate crisis, following complaints from the...
New England warming faster than most places on Earth, study finds
Pace of areaâs temperature rise, outpaced in US only by Alaskan Arctic, apparently increased in past five yearsThe US region called New England is widely known for its colonial history,...
Proposal for global minerals deal meets opposition as China looks away
Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran are among countries opposed to discussing options for agreeing on global norms to protect people and the planet from the impacts of mining, processing and...
Trump Administration Terminates Fuel Economy Standards
Rolling back the mileage rules makes it easier for automakers to sell gas-powered cars. But the world is increasingly going electric.By Arcelia MartinThe Trump administration unveiled a significant rollback of...
UK farmers lose ÂŁ800m after heat and drought cause one of worst harvests on record
Many now concerned about ability to make living in fast-changing climate after one of worst grain harvests recordedRecord heat and drought cost Britainâs arable farmers more than ÂŁ800m in lost...
Rare Win for Renewable Energy: Trump Administration Funds Geothermal Network Expansion
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Massachusetts is set to double in size. By Phil McKennaThe U.S. Department of Energy has approved an $8.6 million grant that will allow...
Cropped 3 December 2025: Extreme weather in Africa; COP30 roundup; Saudi minister interview
We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food and nature over the past fortnight. This is an online version of Carbon Briefâs fortnightly...
How one Seattle organization is turning food waste into plant food
Lea esta nota en espaĂąol. For Maria Perez, joining a project to reduce food waste in Washington wasnât just a job. Her journey with the Duwamish Valley Sustainability Association (DVSA)...
Brazilâs Congress defies Lula to push through âdevastation billâ on COP30âs heels
Brazilâs Congress has pushed through legislation to weaken environmental safeguards for mining, infrastructure and agricultural projects, overriding a partial presidential veto just days after the end of COP30 and setting...
Brazilâs Congress defies Lula to push through âdevastation billâ on COP30âs heels
Brazilâs Congress has pushed through legislation to weaken environmental safeguards for mining, infrastructure and agricultural projects, overriding a partial presidential veto just days after the end of COP30 and setting...
The environmental costs of corn: should the US change how it grows its dominant crop?
Amid concerns over greenhouse gas emissions, the Trump administration has abolished climate-friendly farming incentivesThis article was produced in partnership with FloodlightFor decades, corn has reigned over American agriculture. It sprawls...
Trade breaks into agenda of UN climate talks â but will it have teeth?
After two years of stonewalling, governments agreed at COP30 to hold a series of annual discussions about how their trade policies can enable emissions reductions while helping, rather than hindering,...
Analysis: Why COP30âs âtripling adaptation financeâ target is less ambitious than it seems
One of the headline outcomes to emerge from COP30 was a new target to âat least tripleâ finance for climate adaptation in developing countries by 2035. Vulnerable nations stress that...
A Hurricane Season That Surprised with Record Storms and Notable Lulls
Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica as a stunning Category 5 storm. But the U.S. was spared as the Federal Emergency Management Agency faces drastic change.By Amy GreenThe 2025 Atlantic hurricane season...
Alabama Regulators Approve Two-Year Electric Rate Freeze and Two Solar Projects for a Meta Inc. Data Center
Critics say the rate freeze will only delay financial burdens on Alabama Power customers while preserving a high profit rate for the utility.By Dennis PillionMONTGOMERY, Ala.âThe Alabama Public Service Commission...
LA Wildfire Survivors Want to Rebuild All-Electric, but a Utility Is Using Customer Funds to Incentivize Gas Appliances
Californiaâs utility regulator said it would eliminate ratepayer-funded incentives for gas appliances in new construction, but created an exception that allows rebates for them in wildfire rebuilds.By Hilary BeaumontAfter January...
EV sales are way down. Hereâs why that might not be a big deal.
Electric vehicle sales have cratered. Across the country, dealers sold about 20 percent fewer used electric cars in October than in September and saw a staggering 50 percent drop for...
âThe dinosaurs didnât know what was coming, but we doâ: Marina Silva on what needs to follow Cop30
Exclusive: Brazilâs environment minister talks about climate inaction and the course we have to plot to save ourselves and the planetSoon after I returned home to Altamira from Cop30, I...
Reuse and return schemes could help eliminate plastic waste in 15 years â report
Pew Charitable Trusts finds plastic pollution will more than double globally by 2040 unless action taken The 66m tonnes of pollution from plastic packaging that enters the global environment each...
As Countries Take Steps to Protect Wildlife in Legal Trade, Animal and Plant Trafficking Rages On
Countries are meeting in Uzbekistan to negotiate trade protections for threatened plants and animals.By Kiley PriceWhether people realize it or not, traces of the global wildlife trade are ubiquitous, from...
New Analysis Provides More Evidence That Heat Standards Save Lives
As the Trump administration is expected to finalize a standard to prevent heat-related injury and illness for workers by early next year, a new study shows that clear, comprehensive rules...
Global heating and other human activity are making Asiaâs floods more lethal
Much improved response systems are struggling to cope with ever more powerful and destructive stormsDeath toll from Indonesia floods passes 700 as 1 million evacuatedFamilies stranded on their rooftops. Homes...
Tanzania pushed African nations to oppose fossil fuel transition at COP30
Tanzania, a fossil gas producer that led African nations at COP30, urged African ministers to position themselves against transitioning away from fossil fuels ahead of critical negotiations in the final...