International: United States
Vermont could become first US state to make biggest emitters pay for climate-related damages
13 May 2024
Vermont’s House of Representatives has passed S.259, a state bill aimed at collecting recovery costs for climate-related damages from the biggest emitters, such as fossil fuel companies.
What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign
10 May 2024
Donald Trump has pledged to scrap President Biden’s policies on electric vehicles and wind energy, as well as other initiatives opposed by the fossil fuel industry.
Big Oil misled public for decades about climate change
6 May 2024
A new report released details how oil companies knew the consequences of their emissions since at least the 1960s.
Rooftop solar panels are flooding California’s grid. That’s a problem.
24 Apr 2024
As electricity prices go negative, the Golden State is struggling to offload a glut of solar power.
US must choose between cheap EVs or an American industrial renaissance
23 Apr 2024
Chinese electric vehicles—should be a godsend to the Biden administration, whose two biggest priorities are reducing carbon emissions quickly enough to avert a climate catastrophe and reducing consumer prices quickly enough to avert an electoral catastrophe.
Biden administration moves to make conservation an equal to industry on US lands
22 Apr 2024
The Biden administration finalised a new rule for public land management to put conservation on more equal footing with oil drilling, grazing and other extractive industries on vast government-owned properties.
US meat lobby celebrates ‘positive outcome’ of COP28
18 Apr 2024
Industry leaders praise un food and climate plan as “music to our ears”.
Biden awards $830 million to toughen nation’s infrastructure against climate change
16 Apr 2024
The Biden administration on Thursday awarded $830 million in grants to fund 80 projects aimed at toughening the nation’s ageing infrastructure against the harmful impacts of climate change.
Residents of one of Arizona’s last ecologically intact valleys try to detour the largest renewable energy project in the US
15 Apr 2024
The SunZia transmission line that would carry wind energy from New Mexico to California has sparked one of the most consequential fights over the development for green energy.
Challenges to US climate rules sent to conservative-leaning appeals court
26 Mar 2024
A US judicial panel consolidated at least nine lawsuits challenging the US Securities and Exchange Commission's new rules requiring public companies to report climate-related risks in a venue favoured by Republican-led states and a business group.
What do Schwarzenegger, Fonda and Newsom have in common? They’re fighting oil drilling
26 Mar 2024
As the oil industry wages a multimillion-dollar campaign to repeal California drilling restrictions, the campaign to defend the state’s environmental protections is starting to resemble a Hollywood blockbuster.
More than 100 NGOs urge US special envoy to oppose carbon offsetting under Article 6
25 Mar 2024
More than 100 environmental, human rights, and frontline organisations have written to Joe Biden’s new special envoy for climate, John Podesta.
New report shows cancer organisation shares lobbyists with fossil fuel companies
25 Mar 2024
An American Cancer Society advocacy group’s links to firms that promote carcinogen producers called “shameful” and undermining to public health.
"There were no good options"
25 Mar 2024
OPINION: A real estate story in the New York Times might be one of the most telling pieces of climate journalism I’ve seen recently.
Biden seeks to accelerate the EV transition in biggest climate move yet
22 Mar 2024
The EPA’s final rule follows a concession to labor unions worried about a rapid shift to electric vehicles, and a nod that EV sales are slowing.
Connecticut wants to penalise insurers for backing fossil-fuel projects
21 Mar 2024
A new bill could impose a fee on any company insuring a fossil-fuel project in the state.
America's first large offshore wind farm opens
20 Mar 2024
America's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm is officially open, a long-awaited moment that helps pave the way for a succession of large wind farms.
What’s slowing down America’s clean energy transition? It’s not the cost
15 Mar 2024
New report finds renewable energy faces organised opposition and grid connectivity issues.
Researchers coax people to envision greener cities using AI images of familiar streets
14 Mar 2024
By cleverly combining advertising techniques with artificial intelligence, the team increased support for a sustainable transportation bill—particularly among republicans.
John Kerry: ‘I feel deeply frustrated’
14 Mar 2024
When former Secretary of State John Kerry stepped into a newly created post as America’s top climate diplomat in 2021, the reputation of the United States abroad was, in his words, “in the crapper.”
US leads global oil production for sixth straight year
13 Mar 2024
US crude oil production led global oil production for a sixth straight year, with a record breaking average production of 12.9 million barrels per day (bpd), the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said.
The fires sweeping across Texas offer a terrifying warning
7 Mar 2024
As flames raced eastward across the Texas Panhandle for the fourth straight day at speeds faster than a person can run, a cold front, driving a snow squall, swept over the Great Plains.
Texas battles second-biggest wildfire in US history
4 Mar 2024
A rapidly spreading Texas wildfire has killed one person, forced residents to evacuate, cut off power to homes and businesses, and briefly paused operations at a nuclear facility.
People displaced by climate crisis to testify in first-of-its-kind hearing in US
1 Mar 2024
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will hear how climate is driving forced migration across the Americas.
NYC pensions sued for shedding fossil fuels
1 Mar 2024
Monica Weiss joined college students, financial experts, faith leaders, and then-New York City Public Advocate Letitia James to demand that the NYC's five public pension funds factor the financial risks of climate change into their investment decisions.
Wild weather threatens much of US with snow, tornadoes, heat and fires
29 Feb 2024
Millions of Americans are facing extreme weather whiplash this week — notably in cities including Chicago and Dallas, which were forecast to swing from record highs to wintry lows.
A bureaucratic printer jam holds up a major Biden climate rule
27 Feb 2024
A regulation cracking down on oil and gas pollution is finally being published March 8, ending a three-month delay that gave rule watchers heartburn.
Climate change is throwing the water cycle into chaos across the US
26 Feb 2024
As the planet continues to warm, this cycle is expected to be increasingly stretched, warped and broken.
Record US renewable energy investment not enough to meet climate goals: report
23 Feb 2024
US investment in wind and solar power plants hit record levels last year, but even that dramatic rate of expansion fell short of the level needed to meet the nation's climate change goals, according to an analysis published.
Switching to electric vehicles could prevent millions of illnesses in children by 2050
22 Feb 2024
Hundreds of infants’ lives would be saved across the US if the nation’s power grid depended on clean energy and more drivers made the switch to zero-emission vehicles, according to a new report from the American Lung Association.
Biden vs. Trump: Do young climate voters care?
20 Feb 2024
Biden, who signed the biggest climate law in US history, has angered environmentalists by approving fossil fuel projects.
Ocean system that moves heat gets closer to collapse, which could cause weather chaos, study says
13 Feb 2024
An abrupt shutdown of Atlantic Ocean currents that could put large parts of Europe in a deep freeze is looking a bit more likely and closer than before as a new complex computer simulation finds a “cliff-like” tipping point looming in the future.
New York City is considering a laundry pods crackdown
12 Feb 2024
Laundry and dishwasher detergent pods made with polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, contribute to plastics pollution in US waterways.
Climate change bringing megafloods to California
9 Feb 2024
Southern California is confronting an overabundance of water, in the form of torrential rain and life-threatening floods.
US carbon capture bill fails in first committee voting
8 Feb 2024
US legislation targeting carbon capture, specifically focused on geological sequestration, faced a significant setback as a proposed Senate bill failed to advance past the initial committee.
US states consider a new way to make oil companies pay for climate impacts
5 Feb 2024
Vermont joins three others in a multi-state effort to hold Big Oil accountable for the expensive damage wrought by climate change.
A veteran adviser is taking over as top US climate diplomat
2 Feb 2024
John Podesta, a Democratic political strategist and energy expert, will succeed John Kerry at a crucial time for President Biden’s climate agenda.
What does Biden’s LNG ‘pause’ mean for global emissions?
1 Feb 2024
In a surprise move, US president Joe Biden has announced a “temporary pause” on liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal expansion.
New York’s first all-electric skyscraper doesn’t use a drop of fossil fuel
31 Jan 2024
The architects behind this 44-story tower explain how they designed it to run on electricity alone.
Chicago could be first major Midwestern city to ban gas in new construction
30 Jan 2024
Buildings are Chicago’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but efforts to decarbonize them are facing union opposition.
Electric vehicles use half the energy of gas-powered vehicles
30 Jan 2024
US residents are collectively burning about 8.9 million barrels of gasoline a day, or a little over one gallon each for every person in the country.
Biden administration reportedly pauses approval of ‘carbon mega bomb’ gas export hub
26 Jan 2024
The Biden administration will reportedly pause a decision on approving what would be one of the world’s largest gas export hubs, amid concern from climate experts that greenlighting the project would create a “carbon mega bomb”.
Carbon startups pin hopes on future regulation to boost their fortunes
26 Jan 2024
Carbon credits startup, Ceezer, is part of the new wave of tech-driven offsetting and/or removal platforms trying to bring transparency and cohesion to a sector that has been rocked by charges of “green-washing”.
Extreme cold still happens in a warming world – in fact climate instability may be disrupting the polar vortex
23 Jan 2024
Extremely cold Arctic air and severe winter weather swept southward into much of the US in mid-January, breaking daily low temperature records from Montana to Texas.
Americans abandoning neighbourhoods due to rising flood risk
21 Dec 2023
Rising risk of floods is hollowing out counties across the United States — creating abandoned pockets in the hearts of cities.
Plan to stash planet-heating carbon dioxide under U.S. national forests alarms critics
19 Dec 2023
Around 140 groups have called for an extension of public comment period over U.S. Forest Service proposal amid questions about safety and impact.
This start-up hopes to use old tyres to power electric cars
18 Dec 2023
According to a report from the Federal Highway Administration, in the United States alone, around 280 million used tires are tossed away each year, with only 30 million of those getting recycled, retreaded, or reused.
US announces $3 billion pledge to green climate fund
4 Dec 2023
Vice President Kamala Harris announced COP28 that the US is pledging $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund — the world’s largest climate fund — created to help developing countries handle climate change.
How the US, oil industry plans to drastically cut methane emissions at the forefront of COP28
4 Dec 2023
The US government and the oil industry have announced plans to drastically reduce emissions of methane, one of the most dangerous GHGs, due to its heightened ability to raise global temperatures.
US expected to reach new record for fossil fuel production this year
1 Dec 2023
The year 2023 is already expected to be the hottest on record, following a record-hot summer. But despite this, the US is expected to reach record numbers in fossil fuel production for the year.
Datacentres should be forced to invest in wind and solar energy, all states agree – except Queensland
Wed 13 May 2026
Power hungry datacentres that are growing to meet the demands of artificial intelligence could be forced to invest in enough new solar and wind generation to completely cover their electricity needs.
China’s leadership calls for ‘strict control’ of fossil fuels
28 Apr 2026
Chinese government leaders published a policy document on 22 April – Earth Day – calling for stricter controls on fossil-fuel consumption and greater oversight of heavy emitters.
Inequality causing 100,000 extra deaths a year from heat and cold in Europe
Tue 12 May 2026
Economic inequality adds more than 100,000 deaths to the vast toll from heat and cold in Europe each year, research has found.
Risk of drought in UK grows after unusually dry start to spring
Thu 14 May 2026
The risk of drought is rising after an unusually dry start to spring has pushed river flow, groundwater and reservoir stores below normal levels across much of the country, especially in central and southern England.
Carbon capture ‘doesn’t work’: Former British Columbia premier
8 May 2026
Former British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell warned the costly, troubled technology has failed to deliver, undercutting a central justification for billions in public subsidies and new oil infrastructure.
While the world hesitates, India must continue leading on climate
Thu 14 May 2026
India’s updated climate targets must translate into systems that secure growth, resilience, and autonomy.
How climate change threatens the economic backbone of the Pacific
4 May 2026
The vast Pacific Ocean and the islands dotted within it produce more than half of the world's tuna.
‘Triple whammy of climate chaos’: Why Antarctica's sea ice collapse is no longer a mystery
Mon 11 May 2026
Scientists have finally identified the ‘triple whammy’ behind Antarctica’s dramatic collapse, shedding new light on the chain reaction that has pushed its sea ice to record lows.
With its first marine reserve, Ghana protects its ocean to secure its future
5 May 2026
Comment: Last month, Ghana made news when it declared its first marine reserve and sited it in one of the nation’s most ecologically and biologically significant marine environments.
The country where lethal hantavirus cases are on the rise. Experts blame climate change
Wed 13 May 2026
Experts believe environmental degradation caused by climate change and human activity is contributing to its spread by allowing the rodents that transmit the virus to thrive in new areas.
UN methane alert system expanded to coal and waste sectors after Indian landfill named among world’s top emitters
6 May 2026
The United Nations is expanding its methane monitoring system to cover coal mines and waste facilities, after satellite analysis identified a landfill in India among the world’s three largest methane-emitting sites.
