International: United States
Florida is drowning ... but they're still building condos
20 Feb 2019
People tend to respond to immediate threats and financial consequences – and Florida’s coastal real estate might be on the cusp of delivering that harsh wake-up call.
Trump’s wall violates conservation laws
18 Feb 2019
US President Donald Trump (https://inhabitat.com/tag/trump) is moving forward with the construction of his Mexican border wall, even if it means sidestepping important environmental laws.
Race is on to define Green New Deal
14 Feb 2019
The decision by US Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) to bring up the Green New Deal for a Senate vote is prompting a rush to define the terms of progressive Democrats' ambitious proposal to tackle climate change.
Green New Deal claims bold plan to fight change
8 Feb 2019
New US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is releasing a broad outline of a vision for the Green New Deal, a plan to battle economic and racial injustice while also fighting climate change.
Trump fails to mention climate change
7 Feb 2019
Top scientists have condemned US President Donald Trump's State of the Union address and say future presidents must confront climate change as an urgent priority.
How the polar vortex is linked to climate change
1 Feb 2019
The polar vortex has broken into ‘two swirling blobs of cold air’, bringing the most frigid conditions in decades to the United States midwest.
Intelligence chiefs warn of climate threats
1 Feb 2019
The US intelligence community has warned in its annual assessment of worldwide threats that climate change and other kinds of environmental degradation pose risks to global stability.
Big farms a growing driver of climate change
30 Jan 2019
Industrial farming encourages practices that degrade the soil and increase emissions, while leaving farmers more vulnerable to damage as the planet warms.
Americans are getting the message
24 Jan 2019
Nearly half of Americans say people in the US are being harmed by global warming "right now" - the highest point ever in a decade-long national survey called Climate Change in the American Mind.
Scores of US military bases under threat
23 Jan 2019
A new Pentagon report identifies significant risks from climate change at scores of military bases and says the Defense Department is taking protective measures against the looming threat.
Troubled Tesla cuts 7% of workforce
22 Jan 2019
Tesla is cutting its full-time staff headcount by about 7 per cent, as it tries to reduce the price of its cars and boost margins, CEO Elon Musk has announced
Poor losing the high ground in Miami
21 Dec 2018
Miami's poor are being pressured to leave their high-ground homes as rising sea levels threaten the city's wealthy coastal suburbs.
California insists on electric buses
20 Dec 2018
The Californian Air Resources Board has revealed its plan to have an all-electric bus fleet in California by 2040.
Better land use could slash emissions
14 Dec 2018
US scientists have found a new way to cut or offset 22% of the greenhouse gas emissions from American factory chimneys, car exhausts and power stations -- better land use.
Patagonia gives $10m tax cut to the cimate cause
12 Dec 2018
Outdoor clothing company Patagonia will be giving to the planet the $10 million it made as a result of President Trump's tax cuts.
California plans coastal retreat as sea starts swallowing homes
10 Dec 2018
Ocean-front homes could be demolished along California's coastline under a groundbreaking proposal to preserve the state's made-for-movies beaches before they're destroyed by rising seawater.
War hero president MIA in early climate battles
10 Dec 2018
Among the tributes paid to former US president George H.W. Bush has been plenty of reflection on his war record – but less on how he handled himself during the early skirmishes of the climate battle.
Rising tides bring threat to Pacific military readiness
5 Dec 2018
On a Pacific archipelago 2400 miles southwest of Hawaii, the United States' enormous military capability collides with the accelerating climate risk that threatens to erode it.
It's just worst-case stuff, says Trump
3 Dec 2018
The Trump administration is minimising warnings from scientists by arguing that they are exaggerated and based on the worst-case scenario.
Risks are spiraling, warns US weather scientists
26 Nov 2018
The US government's own climate scientists have issued a blunt warning that global warming is a growing threat to human life, property and ecosystems across the country, and that the economic damage will spiral in the coming decades.
Report over the top, say Trump's people
26 Nov 2018
The Trump administration has tried to downplay the stark findings of its own climate change assessment, as Democrats sought to pressure the White House to avert looming economic and public health disaster.
US exporters find new coal friend in India
23 Nov 2018
US coal exporters have effectively lost a promising market in China since the imposition of tariffs but have managed to find other buyers in Asia, chiefly India.
What exactly is the Green New Deal?
20 Nov 2018
In a Democratic clash on Capitol Hill, progressives are pushing an ambitious plan to wean the U.S off fossil fuels. Meet the "Green New Deal."
Climate changes threaten navy shipyards
20 Nov 2018
Damage from climate change to key US military shipyards would undermine the Pentagon’s ability to respond to military crises and counter China’s ambitions.
Crab fishers sue fossil fuel industry
19 Nov 2018
The largest US West Coast commercial fishing association is suing 30 fossil fuel companies it says are accountable for harming shellfish and livelihoods as the ocean warms.
Trump plans to target heavy trucks
15 Nov 2018
The Trump administration plans to cut air pollution from heavy-duty trucks, marking one of its first moves to regulate US industry rather than roll back environmental standards.
Environment crusaders head to Congress
13 Nov 2018
They’ve taken on polluters and built climate solutions. Now they’re bringing activism to Congress in one of the most diverse freshmen classes in US House history.
How the US interior department became a tool of big business
13 Nov 2018
Since his first day on the job, when he surrounded himself with a police escort and rode through Washington on a horse named Tonto, US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has exhibited a flair for ostentation.
JFK first to be warned about climate change
9 Nov 2018
John F. Kennedy was warned about "climate control" in February 1961, becoming perhaps the first American president to learn about people's impact on planetary temperatures.
Climate change back on US political agenda
8 Nov 2018
With their win of control of the US House of Representatives, Democrats will now have the numbers to put climate change issues back on the Congressional agenda.
Court allows children's climate case to go ahead
6 Nov 2018
Two weeks after it put the case on hold, the US. Supreme Court has allowed a lawsuit brought by 21 children and young adults against the federal government over climate change to proceed.
US makers double down on utes and SUVs
2 Nov 2018
The big three US vehicle makers - GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler - talk about a cleaner future, but in reality are pushing the sales of gas-guzzling SUVs and utes.
Climate change drives migrant caravan
1 Nov 2018
While violence and poverty have been cited as the reasons for the Central Amica exodus, experts say the big picture is that changing climate is forcing farmers off their land – and it’s likely to get worse.
US scientists keen to get political power
24 Oct 2018
More than a dozen scientists are candidates for US House and Senate seats this year in a wave fueled by the Trump Administration’s anti-science agenda.
US emissions fell in 2017 as coal plants shut
23 Oct 2018
Greenhouse gas emissions from the largest US industrial plants fell 2.7 per cent in 2017 as coal plants shut, according to the Trump administration.
Trump tries again to stop youngsters' case
23 Oct 2018
President Trump’s administration has for a second time asked the US Supreme Court to put the brakes on a lawsuit filed by young activists who have accused the government of ignoring the perils of climate change.
Judge rules youngsters can sue the state
18 Oct 2018
A lawyer for a group of young Americans suing the federal government over climate change said a judge’s decision to allow the suit to move forward should clear the way for a trial to begin this month.
There's something there, says Trump
17 Oct 2018
US President Donald Trump, speaking during a hurricane recovery briefing in Georgia, said he believes "there is something there" when asked about climate change, but once again cast doubt on the overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is caused by human activity.
I sued the state of Washington because I can't breathe there
8 Oct 2018
Summers in my home city of Seattle didn’t use to be smoggy to the point that they make me and my friends sick. Now they are – and that violates our rights.
MOVING OUT: America's era of climate mass migration is here
26 Sep 2018
By the end of this century, sea-level rises alone could displace 13 million Americans. Many states will have to grapple with hordes of residents seeking dry ground.
WHY US STANDS TO LOSE THE MOST
25 Sep 2018
The United States stands to lose a lot more from climate change than it realises.
EXPECT THREE METRES OF SEA-LEVEL RISE, CITIES HEAR
25 Sep 2018
California coastal cities should be prepared for the possibility that oceans will rise more than three metres by 2100, the state Coastal Commission warns.
HOME INVASION: It's time to move away from the coasts
17 Sep 2018
For an increasing number of people, coastal flooding and erosion is a real threat to property, the local economy and, in some cases, life.
EPA loses 1600 employees under Trump
12 Sep 2018
The US Environmental Protection Agency lost 1600 employees in the first 18 months of the Trump administration, including 260 scientists and 185 specialists. Fewer than 400 people have been hired.
California governor ups the clean-energy game
12 Sep 2018
California solidified its role as a world leader on climate action as Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation to shift the state to 100 per cent carbon-free electricity by 2045.
Thousands march across US to protest at environment crisis
11 Sep 2018
Tens of thousands of people took part in marches and other events across the US at the weekend, calling for a swift transition to renewable energy.
California plans to run on carbon-free power by 2045
31 Aug 2018
Legislation has been passed to move California towards 100 per cent clean energy by 2045.
Dire climate report raises fears for California
29 Aug 2018
California’s summer of deadly wildfires and dangerous heatwaves will soon be the new normal if nothing is done to stop climate change, a new report warns.
Trump guts US climate control regulations
23 Aug 2018
The Trump administration has proposed to replace the nation's landmark climate regulations with a watered-down version that would do next to nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and wouldn't even set a specific national goal.
New York wants skyscrapers to slash emissions
23 Aug 2018
New York City lawmakers have announced a bill to order massive energy use cuts to big buildings, the largest source of carbon dioxide.
“Dirty and expensive:” City of Sydney bans gas as it votes to electrify all new big buildings
Thu 6 Nov 2025
The City of Sydney has followed the example of the ACT and Victoria governments and voted unanimously to require all newly built residential buildings, medium to large commercial buildings, hotels, and serviced apartment buildings, to be all-electric.
Why climate change now threatens China’s future
Tue 4 Nov 2025
Extreme weather is hurting its economy and worrying its leaders.
EU ministers agree to 90% emissions reduction target
Today 11:45am
European environment ministers have reached an agreement on a contentious plan to cut the bloc's greenhouse gas emissions but with caveats.
How climate change worsens heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods
Thu 6 Nov 2025
Many extreme weather events are becoming more common and more intense around the world, fuelled by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels.
Canada could eliminate oil and gas emissions cap, budget plan says
Thu 6 Nov 2025
Canada could scrap a cap on oil and gas emissions in favor of other measures like strengthened industrial carbon pricing and the deployment of carbon capture and storage technology, the government said in a budget plan unveiled on Tuesday.
From mapping high-risk areas to building ‘sponge cities’: How Vietnam is adapting to climate extremes
Thu 6 Nov 2025
Vietnam is rethinking how it copes with floods after a year of relentless storms has collapsed hillsides and turned streets into rivers.
Mystery heatwave warms Pacific Ocean to new record
21 Oct 2025
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to BBC analysis of a mysterious marine heatwave that has confounded climate scientists.
Scientists discovered something alarming seeping out from beneath the ocean around Antarctica
13 Oct 2025
Planet-heating methane is escaping from cracks in the Antarctic seabed as the region warms, with new seeps being discovered at an “astonishing rate".
Nigerian billionaire plans expansion of Africa’s biggest oil refinery
31 Oct 2025
The billionaire owner of Africa’s largest refinery plans to expand its capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day to meet growing fuel needs in the continent and beyond.
Brazil’s Lula puts forward new vision for protecting the Amazon rainforest
Today 11:45am
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva put forward his vision for how the Amazon rainforest should be protected, a future that didn’t depend on donations from wealthy nations and large philanthropies but instead included a major fund that paid countries to keep forests standing.
UN chief scolds nations for failing climate goals ahead of COP30 summit
Today 11:45am
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tore into nations for their failure to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as Brazil hosted world leaders for a summit ahead of the COP30 climate conference in the rainforest city of Belem.
