International: United States
Researchers engineer marine bacteria to destroy plastics in seawater
28 Sep 2023
By combining key traits of two bacterial species, the team created a novel bug that can break down plastics in salty conditions—at room temperature.
Can ‘carbon offsets’ help to tackle climate change?
27 Sep 2023
Every day, people are invited to buy products and services with supposed climate benefits – whether this be “carbon-neutral flights”, “net-zero beef” or “carbon-negative coffee”.
Who’s to blame for the climate crisis? Journalist Amy Westervelt is on the case
26 Sep 2023
“I don't really think that you can separate the climate crisis from the power structure that we're dealing with," Amy Westervelt told EcoWatch.
Kerry and China envoy to co-chair first local climate summit
22 Sep 2023
The first local climate summit will take place at the U.N. climate meeting in Dubai later this year.
California sues major oil companies for ‘decades-long campaign of deception’
19 Sep 2023
California is suing five of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, alleging that they engaged in a “decades-long campaign of deception” about climate change.
Thousands march in New York to demand end to fossil fuels
18 Sep 2023
Helen Mancini remembers the last major climate march in New York City, when then-teenage activist Greta Thunberg spoke to a crowd of thousands, demanding world leaders take action on global warming.
Why did this climate scientist chain herself to a pipeline?
15 Sep 2023
Rose Abramoff is determined to stop fossil fuels from destroying a livable climate, no matter the personal cost.
US sets new record for billion-dollar climate disasters in single year
14 Sep 2023
The US has experienced 23 extreme weather events costing $1bn or more already this year, passing the previous record of 22 in 2020.
G20 countries agree to increase clean energy but no deal on phasing out fossil fuels
12 Sep 2023
Group of 20 leaders have agreed to triple renewable energy and try to increase the funds for climate change-related disasters but maintained the status quo with regards to phasing out carbon spewing coal.
Landmark UN study warns of widespread failure to meet climate goals
11 Sep 2023
A landmark United Nations assessment of global progress on cutting emissions shows countries are largely failing to meet their commitments, putting the planet on course for catastrophic global warming.
Four things to know about California’s wildfire smoke, climate change
11 Sep 2023
Wildfires and climate change are locked in a vicious circle: Fires worsen climate change, and climate change worsens fires.
Biden administration blocks oil and gas drilling in Alaska's arctic national wildlife refuge
7 Sep 2023
The US Interior Department canceled seven oil and gas leases in Alaska that were part of a sale held in the waning days of the Trump administration, arguing the sale was legally flawed.
'We're all Maui': Climate change tests emergency alert systems across US
28 Aug 2023
The US summer has tested how well prepared public safety officials and the emergency warning systems they oversee are for the changing climate.
How Hilary turned into a monster storm
23 Aug 2023
Mexico and the western US are reeling from record-shattering rainfall. Blame high ocean temperatures—and prepare for worse to come as the planet warms.
US Midwest is ground zero in the fight over carbon capture
23 Aug 2023
One after another, residents from across Iowa fired off their concerns at a meeting with federal and state representatives to discuss a technology that could help protect the climate — and reshape their backyards.
40% of US climate emissions attributed to richest households
22 Aug 2023
The wealthiest tenth of US households are the source of 40% of national greenhouse gas emissions, according to research published in the journal PLOS Climate.
A carbon tax on investment income could be more fair and make it less profitable to pollute
22 Aug 2023
About 10 years ago, a very thick book written by a French economist became a surprising bestseller.
California’s top methane emitter is a vast cattle feedlot
22 Aug 2023
A “kid gloves” approach to agricultural emissions, including burping cows, raises questions about an environmentally minded state’s commitment to combating climate change.
Oil giants fight climate deception suit at Hawaii supreme court
21 Aug 2023
Oil companies urged justices to dismiss a climate lawsuit they say falls outside of the scope of local law during oral arguments at the Hawaii Supreme Court.
Hawaii fires become deadliest in modern US history as ‘grim’ search for victims continues
16 Aug 2023
Hawaii governor warns of ‘fire hurricanes’ in age of climate change as questions raised about warning system.
Montana judge sides with youth in historic climate trial
15 Aug 2023
A state court said Montana is violating young people’s constitutional right to a clean environment by ignoring the climate effects of fossil fuels.
Can vacuums slow global warming? Biden administration bets $1.2 billion on it
14 Aug 2023
Texas and Louisiana will become a global testing ground for giant machines that suck carbon from the air.
Neo-Nazis are using climate disasters to recruit new members
14 Aug 2023
Experts have been sounding the alarm that the far-right are exploiting climate change and natural disasters.
Fast-moving Hawaii fires will take a heavy toll on the state’s environment
14 Aug 2023
The fast-moving wildfires that raked Maui this week took a heavy toll on humans and property, killing dozens of people and devastating the historic town of Lahaina.
Campaigner blasts climate-denying 'arsonists' as Maui fires kill at least 36
11 Aug 2023
The wildfires offer the latest evidence that President Joe Biden must declare a climate emergency, said one progressive economist.
Climate mitigation patent program boosts green tech financing
10 Aug 2023
The US Patent and Trademark Office’s newly expanded program aimed at accelerating patents for climate mitigation technology is critical to garnering the funding necessary to advance the clean energy transition, researchers say.
The climate wrecking ball striking food supply
9 Aug 2023
Extreme weather events and our warming planet are primed to strike commodities and the food supply like never before.
How many wheels should your next EV have?
8 Aug 2023
E-bikes are now preventing (a lot) more emissions than all the Teslas in the world.
Heat wave puts over half of US population under heat alerts
27 Jul 2023
A heat wave that has hammered the southern US. for weeks has expanded, triggering heat alerts for over 170 million people, according to the National Weather Service.
Forests are losing their ability to hold carbon
27 Jul 2023
US forests could worsen global warming instead of easing it because they are being destroyed by natural disasters and are losing their ability to absorb planet-warming gases as they get older.
‘We are not prepared’: US disasters spread as climate change strikes
19 Jul 2023
The warming planet is causing havoc under the strain from record heat, floods, storms and wildfires, and scientists warn the toll will get worse.
Vermont floods show limits of America’s efforts to adapt to climate change
18 Jul 2023
Flooding in Vermont, in which heavy rainfall caused destruction far from rivers or coastlines, is evidence of an especially dangerous climate threat.
‘Things don’t always change in a nice, gradual way’
17 Jul 2023
Climate change feels more real now than ever and it’s getting hard to keep track of all the overlapping climate disasters.
US refuses climate reparations for developing nations
17 Jul 2023
The US says it will not "under any circumstances" pay reparations to developing countries hit by climate change-fuelled disasters.
The war on climate activism is reaching dangerous new heights
17 Jul 2023
Governments around the world are increasingly deploying the language and methods of counterterrorism to repress climate movements.
US heat wave expands, more than 108 million people under alerts
13 Jul 2023
An expanding, intensifying heat wave prompted the US National Weather Service to issue heat alerts for more than 108 million people, with no letup in sight for some areas.
The cascading effects of bringing back sea otters
6 Jul 2023
In Oregon and California, efforts to repopulate these furry engineers could revive struggling ocean ecosystems.
Climate change keeps making wildfires and smoke worse - scientists call it the 'new abnormal'
5 Jul 2023
As smoky as the northern hemisphere summer has been so far, scientists say it will likely be worse in future years because of climate change.
Climate law will slash emissions—maybe halving them by 2035
4 Jul 2023
The Inflation Reduction Act could drive down U.S. emissions by as much as 48 percent by 2035, according to a new analysis in the journal Science.
White House: study blocking sun’s rays to slow global warming
4 Jul 2023
The White House offered measured support for the idea of studying how to block sunlight from hitting Earth’s surface as a way to limit global warming, in a congressionally mandated report.
Climate change is fueling an insurance crisis. There’s no easy fix.
30 Jun 2023
In California, State Farm and Allstate recently stopped selling new home insurance policies after years of catastrophic wildfires.
40 million people in the US may be exposed to dangerous heat today
27 Jun 2023
Extreme heat kills more people in the United States than any other weather hazard, and the risk of longer and more frequent heat waves is only expected to increase as climate change worsens.
US House passes bill to block federal gas stove ban
15 Jun 2023
The House passed bipartisan legislation to prevent the US federal government from banning gas stoves — the latest Republican bid to stop what they say is the Biden administration’s anti-fossil fuel agenda.
US Dept of Agriculture Conservation gives millions to farms that worsen climate change
13 Jun 2023
A new report tracks grants from the agency and finds that the largest contracts are going to big California dairies.
Youth bring Montana climate case to trial after 12 years
12 Jun 2023
Whether a constitutional right to a healthy, livable climate is protected by state law is at the center of a lawsuit going to trial Monday in Montana, where 16 young plaintiffs and their attorneys hope to set an important legal precedent.
‘Game changing’: US lawsuits calls big oil to account for climate crisis
8 Jun 2023
Climate litigation in the US could be entering a “game changing” new phase, experts believe, with a spate of lawsuits around the country set to advance after a recent supreme court decision, and with legal teams preparing for a trailblazing trial in a youth-led court case beginning next week.
DeSantis accused of ‘catastrophic’ climate approach after campaign launch
29 May 2023
Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, accused of a “catastrophic” approach to the climate crisis after he launched his campaign for US president saying he rejects the “politicization of the weather”.
Methane hunters tap new technology to reshape policing of US greenhouse emissions
29 May 2023
An employee of environmental group Earthworks, is hunting for methane - a greenhouse gas accounting for about a third of global warming that has become a focus for the oil industry's and the Biden administration's climate agenda.
Snowpack predicted to retreat in California’s mountains due to climate change
29 May 2023
This winter’s major storms laid down one of the largest snowpacks recorded in California’s Sierra Nevada, along with an unusual amount of snow at low mountain elevations.
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.
Australia's battery subsidies spark rooftop solar resurgence
Tue 7 Jul 2026
The rooftop solar boom shows how countries stifled by transmission line logjams can continue reducing emissions, analysts say.
China warming faster than global average as extreme weather intensifies, report says
Mon 6 Jul 2026
China is warming faster than the global average, while extreme heat, heavy rainfall and other severe weather events are becoming more frequent and intense as climate change accelerates worldwide.
Europe may face 'more deadly weeks' as new heatwave builds, WHO warns
Today 12:15pm
The World Health Organization warned Europe could face “more deadly weeks” ahead, with another intense heatwave forming over the Atlantic.
Low-cost loans for solar panels could save households hundreds on bills – thinktanks
Today 12:15pm
Millions of UK households could save hundreds of pounds a year on their energy bills if the government were to approve low-cost loans for solar panel installation, research has found.
Canada advances Alberta pipeline to Pacific Coast to expand oil exports beyond the US
Mon 6 Jul 2026
Canada took a step toward opening a new route for its vast oil reserves to Asian markets as Prime Minister Mark Carney advanced a Pacific Coast pipeline from Alberta, seeking to reduce the country’s dependence on the U.S. while easing separatist tensions and preserving environmental protections.
Enhanced flash flood risks in Hindu Kush Himalaya
Today 12:15pm
The communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region could face enhanced risks from flash floods due to bursts of extreme rainfall and cloudbursts during the southwest monsoon season along with high temperatures which could lead to accelerated glacier and snow melting.
‘Those blocking climate science are not our friends': Pacific leaders warn at Bonn talks
23 Jun 2026
Pacific nations and civil society groups have united at UN climate talks, pushing back against efforts to weaken agreed language on global temperature limits as negotiations continue behind closed doors.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
16 Jun 2026
A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’.
Ugandan farmers launch UK court case against East African oil pipeline
Today 12:15pm
Four Ugandan farmers filed a case with London’s High Court aiming to stop the East African Crude Oil Pipeline from starting to operate by asking the court to apply Uganda’s laws against the project’s UK-registered company.
Colombia’s climate crossroads: Trumpism casts shadow over presidential battle
26 May 2026
Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?
Strong El Nino will develop rapidly over coming months, says UN weather agency
Tue 7 Jul 2026
The United Nations weather agency on Friday raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Nino in the coming months, warning that the phenomenon is likely to drive global temperatures higher.
