International: United States
Climate change makes Typhoon Mawar more dangerous
25 May 2023
Typhoon Mawar is barreling toward the United States territory of Guam. It is pushing a wall of water in front of it, and packs winds powerful enough to snap power poles and uproot trees.
G7 Nations Wrangle Over Ambitious Climate Commitments
22 May 2023
The U.S. finds itself caught between defending President Biden’s climate change agenda and aiding allies intent on increasing their access to fossil fuels.
Carbon emissions cause almost 40% western wildfires
19 May 2023
New research | Almost 40% of forest area burned by wildfire in the western United States and southwestern Canada in the last 40 years can be attributed to carbon emissions associated with the world’s 88 largest fossil fuel producers and cement manufacturers.
Leading US carbon farming programme paid $5.1 million in 2022
18 May 2023
Truterra LLC, the carbon farming and sustainable agriculture unit of cooperative Land O'Lakes Inc, paid U.S. farmers $5.1 million in 2022 for capturing and storing 262,000 metric tons of carbon via sustainable practices.
Skyscrapers turn to carbon capture to lessen climate change
16 May 2023
In a vertical city like New York, any serious effort to address climate change has to focus on the greenhouse gas emissions caused by buildings.
Studies find lower methane emissions in LA
16 May 2023
Two recent studies by researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory used contrasting approaches to measure drops in human-caused emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane in recent years in the Los Angeles region.
Carbon capture key to Biden’s new power-plant rule: is the tech ready?
15 May 2023
The administration of US President Joe Biden has proposed a landmark regulation that aims to curb emissions from the power sector in the United States over the next two decades.
Youth-led climate change lawsuit challenging Montana's pro-fossil fuel policies heads to trial
15 May 2023
A US judge says a climate change lawsuit from young people challenging Montana's pro-fossil fuel policies will proceed to trial despite efforts by the state to derail the case.
USA needs an area the size of Texas for wind and solar.
12 May 2023
Imagine that all 462 billion watts of electricity consumed in the United States last year were supplied by a single source of power, rather than a mixture of different technologies.
El Paso voters soundly reject Proposition K Climate Charter
9 May 2023
El Paso voters on Saturday shot down the controversial Proposition K measure that sought to install policies designed to address climate change into the city’s charter. The Climate Charter was rejected by almost 82% of voters.
How the US Supreme Court could undermine the climate fight
5 May 2023
The US Supreme Court could once again hinder the ability of the executive branch to address climate change when it reconsiders the precedent, set almost 40 years ago, upon which many of its efforts rest.
Supreme Court deals blow to oil companies by turning away climate cases
28 Apr 2023
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has allowed lawsuits brought by municipalities seeking to hold energy companies accountable for climate change to move forward in a loss for business interests.
How the world is spending $1.1 trillion on climate technology
28 Apr 2023
Big money — from the three biggest economies in the world, as well as scores of ambitious venture capitalists — is suddenly flying toward startups promising to help the world build a carbon-free future.
Tesla’s carbon footprint is bigger than it let on
27 Apr 2023
Tesla released its 2022 Impact Report this week, and it gives the clearest picture yet of the electric car company’s carbon footprint. Tesla disclosed numbers on its supply chain emissions for the first time, which makes its overall carbon footprint much bigger than it has reported in the past.
Biden’s newest big climate rule will rest on rarely used technology
26 Apr 2023
The Biden administration will plunge into political and legal fights as soon as this week by proposing stringent requirements on utilities to reduce carbon emissions.
Why the debt ceiling debate is also a climate fight
24 Apr 2023
Congress is once again fighting over the nation’s debt ceiling, the legal limit on how much the United States can borrow.
Facing brutal climate math, US bets billions on direct air capture
19 Apr 2023
The world is failing to cut carbon emissions fast enough to avoid disastrous climate change, a dawning truth that is giving life to a technology that for years has been marginal – pulling carbon dioxide from the air.
Can US automakers meet EPA’s tough new standards?
17 Apr 2023
One big question keeps surfacing after the Biden administration announced plans to raise auto standards so sharply they would likely boost electric vehicle production to 67% of all new passenger vehicle sales in under a decade: Can automakers pull that off?
Biden’s dangerous two-step on climate
17 Apr 2023
If the Biden administration is so gung ho about climate, why did it approve a big-ass oil-drilling project in Alaska a few weeks ago?
Climate change is making the skies less friendly - prepare for a future where you always have your seatbelt on
11 Apr 2023
In his early days in the business, aviation expert John Nance used to make “Tornado Alley runs,” as he and other pilots with Braniff Airlines called them.
The World Bank is getting a new chief. Will he pivot toward climate action?
11 Apr 2023
Under pressure from world leaders, development experts and shareholders, the bank opens its spring meeting on Monday, poised for big changes.
Businesses face more and more pressure from investors to act on climate change
11 Apr 2023
Every spring, shareholders in publicly-traded companies get to weigh in on how they're run. It's a chance for investors to vote on proposals to shape corporate policies for things like executive pay and political spending.
Native Americans get the $720 million for climate they deserve
6 Apr 2023
The Inflation Reduction Act directs unprecedented funding to tribes and Native communities for climate resilience and solutions.
Chemists use bacteria to convert CO2 in the air into bioplastic
6 Apr 2023
A new simple hybrid setup allows bacteria to capture CO2 and produce biodegradable plastic for days, boosting output by 100 times previous efforts.
Oil and gas production in Gulf of Mexico has twice the climate impact of official estimates
5 Apr 2023
Oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico is belching out significantly higher levels of potent, planet-heating gas than previously thought, according to new research, which found the climate effects of the operations are twice that of official estimates.
US to auction Gulf of Mexico oil under climate compromise
30 Mar 2023
The Biden administration will auction oil and gas leases across more than 114,000 square miles (295,000 square kilometres) in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday in a sale mandated by last year's climate bill compromise.
Is climate change to blame for the 8,000km long seaweed blob floating toward Florida and Mexico?
28 Mar 2023
A massive 8,000km long blob of seaweed is floating towards Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Want to sequester carbon? Save wild animals
28 Mar 2023
Gray wolves, elephants, wildebeests and sea otters are a few of the species that can help keep global warming below 1.5 degrees C.
US bill could save buyers of bikes $1,500
24 Mar 2023
US lawmakers have reintroduced a bill that would provide a tax break for those buying ebikes.
We know the damage, but who will foot the bill?
23 Mar 2023
Media outlets are hailing the IPCC’s synthesis report as yet another final warning, as a desperate call to act now before it’s too late. It is fundamental to recognize, however, that this will only be achieved if those causing the climate crisis are held to account.
Climate models aren’t dusty enough
22 Mar 2023
Rising mineral dust levels in the atmosphere are counteracting global warming to some extent, according to a study published in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment.
The Incredible Disappearing Doomsday - how the climate catastrophists learned to stop worrying and love the calm
22 Mar 2023
The first signs that the mood was brightening among the corps of reporters called to cover one of the gravest threats humanity has ever faced appeared in the summer of 2021. “Climate change is not a pass/fail course,” Sarah Kaplan wrote in the Washington Post.
Biden administration pours millions into new effort to reduce methane emissions
21 Mar 2023
The Biden administration is pumping federal dollars into a new climate effort aimed at reducing methane emissions. However, they’re also facing criticism this week from environmental advocates because of a different decision.
US Navy secretary cites climate change as top priority as Biden proposes shrinking the fleet
20 Mar 2023
US navy secretrary Carlos Del Toro said he sees fighting climate change as a top priority for the Navy as the Biden administration proposes shrinking the fleet by two ships and worries grow about how the US Navy stacks up to China’s.
Biden approves ConocoPhillips’ Willow project to drill oil in the Alaskan Arctic
15 Mar 2023
The Biden administration gave final approval Monday to a major Arctic oil project, marking one of its most significant and controversial decisions on climate change and energy.
What Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse means for climate tech
15 Mar 2023
As the buoyancy drained out of the tech sector last year, leading to almost 100,000 job cuts in the U.S., cleantech looked like a bright spot.
Washington raises $300M in its first auction for carbon pollution permits – here’s what it means
13 Mar 2023
The results are in for Washington State's first auction of carbon pollution permits. The cap-and-invest program brought in $300 million from many of state’s biggest emitters, including fossil fuel refineries and energy utilities.
The Indigenous congressional climate push
10 Mar 2023
Tribal producers from across the country were among more than a dozen farm groups lobbying Capitol Hill lawmakers this week to empower farmers to address climate change in the 2023 farm bill.
Mass timber should "always start with forest health": expert
10 Mar 2023
Increasing use of mass timber in architecture is driving good forest management practices in the United States, says Forest Business Network co-founder Arnie Didier in this interview as part of our Timber Revolution series.
US treasury secretary Yellen warns that losses tied to climate change could ‘cascade through the financial system’
9 Mar 2023
US treasury secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday warned that climate change is already taking a significant economic toll and could cause extensive losses to the U.S. financial system in the coming years.
Solar takes centre stage as renewables and batteries dominate new power capacity in US
9 Mar 2023
Wind, solar, and battery storage are expected to account for nearly all of the new utility-scale generating capacity set to be brought online in the United States this year.
‘Green hydrogen’ would squander renewable energy resources in Massachusetts
8 Mar 2023
Efforts by natural gas utilities in Massachusetts to replace 20 percent of their fossil gas supply with “green hydrogen” derived from renewable electricity would consume more clean energy than would be produced by the state’s ambitious offshore wind energy buildout in the coming years while yielding few climate benefits, according to a new report.
Activists make final appeal to Biden to block Arctic oil project
6 Mar 2023
Environmental and Indigenous activists rallied outside the White House on Friday calling on President Joe Biden to reject a major Arctic oil project that has been in development for years.
The conservative battle against ‘woke’ banks is backfiring
1 Mar 2023
Conservatives have long held that the government should avoid interfering with private business decisions. But over the last two years, Republican state treasurers and attorneys general in Texas, Florida and other states have sought to blacklist banks that factor climate risks and social concerns into their investment decisions.
Farmers for Climate Action rally in Washington
28 Feb 2023
Farmers and farm organisations from across the country will rally in Washington, D.C., March 6-8 to advocate for a 2023 Farm Bill that addresses and supports climate solutions.
Reversing pubic transport declines with institutional pass schemes
24 Feb 2023
As transit agencies grapple with significant ridership losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, many are looking to bring back riders by selling fare passes in bulk to employers, schools, and other large institutions.
Preparing for climate disclosure in the largest capital market
23 Feb 2023
For corporate sustainability professionals, questions as to what to expect, when and how to prepare for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed climate disclosure rule are numerous, and understandably top of mind.
Will this new carbon capture technology help solve the climate crisis?
20 Feb 2023
Researchers in the United States say they have developed a new system for capturing carbon dioxide that is the least expensive ever created. The process requires less energy and water than any technology produced before it.
Revised carbon bill advances in Washington; timber group leery
20 Feb 2023
The US House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Friday endorsed allowing the state to sell carbon offsets, but not at the expense of logging or farming on public lands.
US announces $27 billion effort to curb emissions and stem environmental injustices
16 Feb 2023
Environmentalists and climate justice advocates cautiously welcomed $27 billion in federal clean energy investment grants announced by the Biden administration, stressing the need to ensure that the public funds reach deserving communities and also address systemic injustices baked into energy and financial systems