Last week, analysts at First Street, a financial research firm in Manhattan that models the future of property values in a climate-damaged world, issued a report suggesting that home values in…Continue readingLetter to the Sun Belt
Tag: usa
On his first day in office, the president signed an executive order that withdrew all parts of the outer continental shelf from new or renewed offshore leasing activity and suspended the…Continue readingTrump halts construction of big wind farm off New York coast: ‘reckless and overreaching’
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed executive orders to “turbocharge coal mining” in the country, seeking to “more than double” electricity production to keep up with power-hungry artificial intelligence technology.…Continue readingTrump signs executive order to ‘turbocharge’ coal mining across the US
Donald Trump’s new tariffs are set to pummel the renewable energy industry, threatening to push up prices, disrupt supply chains and undercut US ambitions to lead the artificial intelligence revolution, clean-technology…Continue readingDonald Trump’s tariff blitz sparks turmoil for green energy sector
The latest deadline for countries to submit plans for slashing the greenhouse gas emissions fueling climate change has passed. Only 15 countries met it—less than 8% of the 194 parties currently…Continue readingOnly 15 countries have met the latest Paris agreement deadline. Is any nation serious about tackling climate change?
US President Donald Trump’s administration has unlocked almost $5bn in funding for a liquefied natural gas project by France’s TotalEnergies in Mozambique, potentially restarting work on one of Africa’s largest energy…Continue readingUS swings behind TotalEnergies’ vast Mozambique gas project
The world needs more planet-heating fossil fuel, not less, Donald Trump’s newly appointed energy secretary, Chris Wright, told oil and gas bigwigs on Monday. “The Trump administration will treat climate change…Continue readingWhat the world needs now is more fossil fuels, says Trump’s energy secretary
Rich and developing countries on Thursday hammered out a delicate compromise on raising and delivering the billions of dollars needed to protect species, overcoming stark divisions that had scuttled their previous…Continue readingCOP16 countries strike crucial deal on nature despite global tensions
The Senate voted Thursday to overturn a Biden-era rule that required oil companies to pay a fine for emitting methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that has significantly contributed to climate change.…Continue readingUS congress is reversing a tax on this climate superpollutant
Dramatic rainstorms earlier this month brought more than 6in of rain to the California mountains – a full month’s worth of rain in little more than a day – but the…Continue readingCalifornia faces worsening drought despite recent heavy rainstorms
Reykjavik, October 2024: Science increasingly confirms that the Arctic region is a “ground zero” for tipping point risks and climate regulation across the planet. In this region, the Greenland Ice Sheet,…Continue readingOpen Letter by Climate Scientists to the Nordic Council of Ministers
Colorado’s forests store a massive amount of carbon, but dying trees—mostly due to insects and disease—have caused the state’s forests to emit more carbon than they absorbed in recent years, according…Continue readingColorado forests are releasing more carbon than they capture each year
BMW has pledged to continue investing in combustion engine and hybrid technology as it warned of a “rollercoaster ride” in the US transition to electric vehicles following the return of Donald…Continue readingBMW bets on petrol cars as it warns of US ‘rollercoaster’ EV transition
U.N. officials have for several years reminded countries of a crucial looming opportunity to improve the planet’s climate trajectory — by submitting new national-level plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The…Continue readingMost of the world’s big polluters just blew off a major climate deadline
States trying to build a network of EV chargers are reeling after the Trump administration abruptly ordered a halt to a $5 billion program to build the chargers on highways nationwide.…Continue readingTransportation Department suspends EV charger program
The number of monarch butterflies spending the winter in the western United States has dropped to its second-lowest mark in nearly three decades as pesticides, diminishing habitat and the climate crisis…Continue readingMonarch butterfly numbers plummet in US west coast winter habitats
On Thursday, the Trump administration ordered the US agriculture department to unpublish its websites documenting or referencing the climate crisis. By Friday, the landing pages on the United States Forest Service…Continue readingTrump orders USDA to take down websites referencing climate crisis
Human-caused climate change increased the likelihood and intensity of the hot, dry and windy conditions that fanned the flames of the recent devastating Southern California wildfires, a scientific study found. But…Continue readingStudy says climate change made conditions that fed California wildfires more likely, more intense
President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. on Monday to withdraw once again from the 2015 Paris climate agreement — instantly isolating the country from the global campaign to stem catastrophic warming.…Continue readingWhat Trump’s exit from the climate deal really means
Microsoft will pay to restore parts of Brazil’s Amazon and Atlantic forests in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of carbon credits. The US company told the Financial Times…Continue readingMicrosoft secures deal to restore Amazon rainforest and offset AI emissions
A growing number of homeowners nationwide are being dropped by insurance companies as firms and regulators struggle to deal with the unpredictable and costly risks of climate disasters. Nonrenewal notices surged…Continue readingCalifornia isn’t the only place where insurers are dropping homeowners
Twelve fires have ignited in the Los Angeles area since January 7, when a once-in-a-decade Santa Ana wind storm blew across Southern California’s drought-parched landscape. Since then, more than 60 square…Continue readingLA fires were larger and more intense because of planet-warming pollution, study suggests
California officials are withdrawing their final requests to enforce their nation-leading electric vehicle rules, days before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. State officials told U.S. EPA on Monday they wouldn’t seek federal…Continue readingCalifornia withdraws requests to enforce pollution rules ahead of Trump
Thirteen of the ports with the highest supertanker traffic will be seriously damaged by just 1 metre of sea level rise, the analysis found. The researchers said two low-lying ports in…Continue reading‘Ironic’: climate-driven sea level rise will overwhelm major oil ports
By David Spratt at Climate Code Red If an unexpected leap in the global average temperature in 2023 was described by one scientist as “gobsmackingly bananas”, are there even words to…Continue readingA(nother) year of scientific shock and awe
Texas and 10 other Republican-led states are suing BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard, alleging they conspired to curtail coal supplies to further “a destructive, politicised environmental agenda”. The federal antitrust lawsuit…Continue readingRepublican US states sue BlackRock for ‘destructive’ green agenda
Citigroup on Tuesday said it was quitting the world’s largest climate alliance for banks, the latest sign corporate America may retreat from climate goals during Donald Trump’s second term as US…Continue readingCiti says it will exit UN-backed global climate pact
Charter rates for ships carrying liquefied natural gas have hit record lows, with some owners now facing a loss if they lease their vessels out, as the sector grapples with huge…Continue readingLNG freight rates plummet as sector grapples with glut of ships
ExxonMobil announced plans to boost spending on oil production. The biggest western oil company on Wednesday said it had pencilled in $27bn-$29bn for capital expenditure next year, rising to $28bn-$33bn between…Continue readingExxon doubles down on oil production spending
Before the two-year marine heat wave that ended in 2016, Alaska had an estimated 8 million common murres — a quarter of the world’s population — spread across abundant colonies in…Continue readingScientists just confirmed the largest bird-killing event in modern history
British police arrest environmental protesters at nearly three times the global average rate, research has found, revealing the country as a world leader in the legal crackdown on climate activism. Only…Continue readingBritain leads the world in cracking down on climate activism, study finds
Northvolt is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after Europe’s best-funded start-up and main hope for countering Asian dominance in electric vehicle batteries failed to agree a last-minute rescue package with investors.…Continue readingBattery start-up Northvolt files for bankruptcy protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal Wednesday to protect a wide swath of giraffes under the Endangered Species Act, the first time the animal would receive protection under…Continue readingGiraffes are about to join the endangered species list
A new study published in Environmental Research Letters reveals that the severity of the state’s wildfires has rapidly increased over the last several decades, contributing to greater forest loss than would…Continue readingAs climate warms, California wildfires are becoming more severe, killing more trees
Prolonged drought and extreme weather are forcing Canada to import electricity from the US after nearly two decades of exporting excess hydropower to its neighbour. Canada is the world’s third-largest producer…Continue readingCanada imports US electricity as droughts curb hydropower
About 150 miles south-east of the US city of New Orleans, Shell’s newest oil platform looms above the choppy waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Dubbed Vito, the structure embodies a…Continue readingOffshore oil is back. At what cost?
Donald Trump’s nomination for energy secretary has connections to fracking operations for gas in the Beetaloo basin in the Northern Territory. Chris Wright is the chief executive of Liberty Energy, a…Continue readingTrump’s new energy tsar linked to fracking in Australia’s Beetaloo basin
Every US state except Alaska and Kentucky is facing drought, an unprecedented number, according to the US Drought Monitor. A little more than 45% of the US and Puerto Rico is…Continue readingNearly all of US states are facing droughts, an unprecedented number
With less than a month before the annual U.N. Climate Change Conference, China is so far defying pressure to set ambitious climate targets early and to do more to help poor…Continue readingChina resists mounting pressure to do more on climate change
New global findings in the 8th annual indicator report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change reveal that people in every country face record-breaking threats to health and survival…Continue readingExperts call for trillions of dollars spent on fossil fuels to be redirected
Share prices of US and European clean hydrogen companies have collapsed while projects have been delayed. Shares of hydrogen companies Plug Power, Ballard Power Systems and Green Hydrogen Systems have fallen…Continue readingUS and European hydrogen stock prices collapse as prospects deflate
Since 2016, 21 [US] states have passed a total of 56 laws criminalizing protest or dramatically increasing the penalties for engaging in it. The state of Alabama, for example, can now punish a…Continue readingOutrageous Anti-Protest Laws Can’t Silence the Climate Movement
Google has ordered six to seven small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) from Kairos Power, becoming the first tech company to commission new nuclear power plants to provide low-carbon electricity for its…Continue readingGoogle orders small modular nuclear reactors for its data centres
The overwhelming majority of young Americans worry about the climate crisis, and more than half say their concerns about the environment will affect where they decide to live and whether to…Continue readingOverwhelming majority of young Americans worry about climate crisis
It begins each day at nightfall. As the light disappears, billions of zooplankton, crustaceans and other marine organisms rise to the ocean surface to feed on microscopic algae, returning to the…Continue readingTrees and land absorbed almost no CO₂ last year. Is nature’s carbon sink failing?
Warm water fueled amazingly rapid intensification that took Milton from a minimal hurricane to a massive Category 5 in less than 10 hours. It weakened, but quickly bounced back, and when…Continue readingHere’s what has made Hurricane Milton so fierce and unusual
Global wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 73% in 50 years, a new scientific assessment has found, as humans continue to push ecosystems to the brink of collapse. Latin…Continue readingCollapsing wildlife populations near ‘points of no return’, report warns
As Hurricane Milton bears down on Florida, fueled by a record-hot Gulf of Mexico, a new analysis has shown how the Gulf’s heat that worsened last month’s Hurricane Helene was 200…Continue readingGlobal heating makes hurricanes like Helene twice as likely
Studies have found that, across the world, extreme rainfall has become more common and intense due to climate change; there is a high degree of confidence that such is the case…Continue readingHurricane Helene’s reach was shocking, another example of how climate change ‘is here and now,’ scientists say
Rivers dried up at the highest rate in three decades in 2023, putting global water supply at risk, data has shown. Over the past five years, there have been lower-than-average river…Continue readingClimate warning as world’s rivers dry up at fastest rate for 30 years
Wildfires are burning through the carbon budget that humans have allocated themselves to limit global heating, a study shows. The authors said this accelerating trend was approaching – and may have…Continue readingWildfires are burning through humanity’s carbon budget
Rationing of goods such as meat and fuel can both effectively and fairly reduce consumption with high climate impact. Almost 40% of the public say they could accept such measures. These…Continue readingStudy finds about 40% of public supports rationing measures to fight climate change
Hurricane Helene’s death toll has surpassed 150 as searchers use helicopters to get past washed-out bridges and hike through wilderness to reach isolated homes. Crews were still trudging through knee-deep muck…Continue readingMore than 150 dead after Hurricane Helene dumps over 40tn gallons of rain
Hurricane Helene caused deadly and destructive flooding when it swept through the Southeast on Sept. 26–29, 2024. Across a broad swath of western North Carolina, where the worst flooding occurred, the…Continue readingWhy are so many historically rare storms hitting the Carolinas?
On Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued ExxonMobil, claiming the oil and petrochemical giant had engaged “in a decades-long campaign of deception” about the effectiveness of recycling. The lawsuit seeks…Continue readingIs plastic recycling beyond fixing? Here’s why California thinks so.
The shipping containers were a familiar sight to the villagers of northern Mozambique’s remote and troubled Afungi peninsula: a dozen steel boxes lined up end-to-end with a guarded gate in the…Continue reading“ALL MUST BE BEHEADED”
More than 16 million people in the US were under heat alerts on Friday, according to the National Weather Service, mostly clustered in the southern tips of Nevada, Arizona and California.…Continue readingGrim new death records amid brutal heat plaguing south-west US
BP has put bp Wind Energy, its onshore wind business in the US, estimated to be worth $2bn, up for sale as it trims its renewables business and sells off underperforming…Continue readingBP puts $2bn US onshore wind business up for sale
A new international coalition is disrupting airports to make one demand: the adoption of a treaty to end fossil fuels by 2030. Under the banner Oil Kills, small groups of activists…Continue readingOil Kills: Inside the International Uprising Disrupting the Aviation Industry
The United States is producing more oil and natural gas today than ever before, and far more than any other country. So, what roles did the Trump-Pence and Biden-Harris administrations play…Continue readingUS Oil and Gas Production Surged to Record Highs Under Both Trump and Biden-Harris
The world creates 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year and spreads it from the deepest oceans to the highest mountaintop to the inside of people’s bodies, according to a…Continue readingHumans are pumping out 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year
The 2024 northern summer saw the highest global temperatures on record, beating 2023’s high and making this year likely Earth’s hottest ever recorded. The data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service…Continue readingJune-August 2024 were hottest ever recorded: EU monitor
Phoenix, Arizona, saw its 100th straight day of 100˚F (37.8˚C) heat this week. The hottest large city in the United States broke its previous record of 76 consecutive 100˚F days set…Continue readingPhoenix, Arizona, hits its 100th consecutive day of 100˚F (37.8˚C) weather
The Durango Fire Protection District was repeatedly denied insurance coverage for the construction of its new downtown firehouse earlier this year because of the wildfire risk. “We literally are a fire…Continue readingColorado’s wildfire risk is so high a fire department struggled to find insurance to build a new firehouse
ExxonMobil has said global oil demand will remain virtually unchanged by 2050 and warned that any move to curtail investment in fossil fuels would trigger a new energy price shock. In…Continue readingExxon says global oil use to remain robust and warns of supply shock
Chevron and its partner TotalEnergies have started production from the Anchor project in the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico. The partners sanctioned the deepwater oil project in December 2019 with an…Continue readingChevron and TotalEnergies begin production from Anchor deepwater project
US oil and gas facilities are pumping out four times more planet-warming methane gas than estimated by regulators. Data published by the Environmental Defense Fund on Wednesday estimates leaks, flaring and…Continue readingUS emissions of planet-warming gas far exceed estimates
BP’s shareholders can expect a multibillion-dollar payout this year after the oil giant reported better than expected quarterly profits of almost $2.8bn (£2.2bn) and set out plans to develop a new…Continue readingBP to hand investors $7bn this year as it expands oil operations
Thunderstorms and torrential rain brought another wave of violent floods Tuesday that caved in roads, crushed vehicles, pushed homes off their foundations and led to dramatic boat rescues in north-eastern Vermont,…Continue reading‘Apocalyptic’ floods in Vermont destroy homes as two dozen rescued by boat
For the 2.3 million people who call this valley home, the dangerous elements are harder to ignore. When temperatures climb, shadeless streets are hot enough to cause second-degree burns in seconds.…Continue readingLife at 115˚F (46˚C): a sweltering summer pushes Las Vegas to the brink
Woodside, the largest Australian oil and gas company, has agreed to buy a huge liquefied gas export terminal under construction in the United States, doubling down on demand for the fuel…Continue readingWoodside chases global LNG ‘powerhouse’ crown with latest deal
The demise of the Key Largo tree cactus is the first recorded case of sea level rise driving a local species to extinction in the United States. Tree cactus is a…Continue readingEulogy for a cactus
“A likely harbinger of a hyperactive season” was how CSU researchers characterized Beryl, which set numerous records on the way to its Texas landfall, including the earliest category 5 hurricane, strongest…Continue readingAfter Hurricane Beryl’s destruction, climate scientists fear for what’s next
Chinese manufacturers seem to have made too many solar panels, according to the US, the European Union, and their allies. They’re now calling on Beijing to rein in the overcapacity of…Continue readingChina made so many solar panels that even its own grid can’t support all the energy produced
Las Vegas set a new record on Wednesday as it marked a fifth consecutive day over 115˚F (46˚C). The brutal milestone marks yet another record for the Nevada desert city this…Continue readingLas Vegas sets record for number of days over 115˚F amid its ‘most extreme heatwave in history’
Despite a much publicized pause on the approval of liquefied natural gas terminals in the United States, a federal regulatory agency Thursday approved the construction of the nation’s largest LNG terminal,…Continue readingFlouting Biden pause, agency OK’s largest LNG terminal in US
The research, published in Nature Communications, found that icefield-wide, rates of glacier area shrinkage were five times faster from 2015–2019 relative to 1948–1979. Additionally, 100% of glaciers mapped in 2019 have…Continue readingMelting of Alaskan glaciers accelerating faster than previously thought, research suggests
Flash flooding and landslides swept away cars and houses, with at least one person known to have died, alongside widespread damage to transport infrastructure. Unsettled conditions persisted around the Alpine region…Continue readingHeavy rain in Switzerland and Italy causes flooding
A combined team of Earth scientists and climate specialists at the University of California San Diego and the National Center for Atmospheric Research has found via modeling that geoengineering projects such…Continue readingMarine cloud brightening models show unexpected consequences of geoengineering
The frequency and intensity of extreme wildfires has more than doubled worldwide over the past two decades as human activity has warmed the planet. The intensity of the 20 most extreme…Continue readingExtreme wildfires doubled over past two decades: Study
Local sea level has risen about a foot in the last 80 years, with 8 inches of that total in the last 30 years, the Herald reported in May. The second…Continue readingRemember they said Miami would be under water? A preview of the future
The world faces a “staggering” surplus of oil equating to millions of barrels a day by the end of the decade, as oil companies increase production the International Energy Agency has…Continue readingWorld faces ‘staggering’ oil glut by end of decade, energy watchdog warns
President Joe Biden’s signature climate law is nearly two years old, and the tug-of-war over its future is only getting more fierce. The Biden administration is facing election year pressure from…Continue readingGas, greens and brownouts: The energy war is boiling over
A Northern California city council voted early Wednesday morning to cancel the nation’s first outdoor experiment into the potential to limit global warming by altering cloud behavior. The five-member Alameda City…Continue readingCalifornia city votes to block solar geoengineering experiment
As the Biden administration seeks to promote cleaner energy to meet its goals for fighting climate change, it is eager to turn around a nuclear power industry hampered by cost overruns,…Continue readingAs nuclear power flails in the U.S., White House bets big on a revival
The staggering electricity demand needed to power next-generation technology is forcing the US to rely on yesterday’s fuel source: coal. Retirement dates for the country’s ageing coal fleet are getting pushed…Continue readingUS slows plans to retire coal plants as power demand from AI surges
Dozens of rivers and streams in Alaska are turning rusty orange, a likely consequence of thawing permafrost, a new study finds. The Arctic is the fastest-warming region in the globe, and…Continue readingWarming climate is turning rivers rusty with toxic metals
Mountain rivers in the US state of Colorado are going rusty and the warming climate is to blame, according to research. An increase in toxic heavy metals has also been observed…Continue readingWarming climate is turning rivers rusty with toxic metals
In the last 80 years, sea level rise has risen about a foot, with 8 inches of that total in the last 30 years, said Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate…Continue readingSea levels are starting to rise faster: Here’s how much South Florida is expecting