In ways that proved prescient, Pope Francis was quick to grasp the risks posed by climate change. But his tenure showed humanity’s limits in confronting the peril. My piece on the legacy of the “climate pope.” wapo.st/42paJdW

Francis was the first climate pope. Who will take up his mantle?

Pope Francis was quick to grasp the risks posed by climate change. But his tenure showed humanity’s limits in confronting the peril.

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Who gets to decide whether African countries can exploit their natural resources? Activists and oil proponents are in a showdown over a pipeline in Uganda, with both sides claiming the moral high ground. wapo.st/41X1ktG

How one controversial pipeline reveals the state of the global fight over oil

What are consequences of leaving an African country’s oil in the ground?

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The sides depicted in this story have been fighting for years. They both think they have the moral high ground. This story moves back and forth across the battle lines — and gives a sense of why the future of oil is so emotionally contested. wapo.st/41X1ktG

How one controversial pipeline reveals the state of the global fight over oil

What are consequences of leaving an African country’s oil in the ground?

wapo.st

The consequences of the USAID demolition in Africa: ▪️ The closure of community kitchens amid Sudan’s famine ▪️ Suspended classes at schools in refugee camps ▪️ Aids testing programs halted or in chaos www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Fear, pain and hunger: The dire impact of U.S. funding cuts in Africa

Across Africa, the policies of the Trump administration are already having profound consequences for some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.

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An unprecedented year of heat. 1.6 C above pre-industrial levels. Extremes beyond what humans ever experienced. And yet, in the not-so-distant future, the parameters of 2024 are likely to feel tame. Our take on (another) unsettling record year. wapo.st/429PhK6

You just lived through the hottest year on record. Again.

Scientists on Friday confirmed that 2024 was the first to surpass a dangerous warming threshold of 1.5 Celsius that nations had pledged not to cross.

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I used to love this annual list, but it feels kind of tired, no? I think for the age of overtourism they should have 52 Places NOT to Go and have dystopian dispatches of heat, crowds, bad meals and expensive hotels. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

52 Places to Go in 2025

Where will the new year take you? Kick-start your travel plans by selecting favorites from our annual list.

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“It’s going to burn everything,” one sergeant said. Read this from Brianna Sacks reporting amid the falling embers. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

What it was like on the ground as the Pacific Palisades fire spread

The Pacific Palisades fire erupted in a way that residents knew could happen, but are never prepared for.

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“The Sudanese people once hoped that gold would lift up their country. Instead, it is turning out to be their downfall.” An amazing story reported from three countries by @declanwalsh.bsky.social. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/11/w...

The Gold Rush at the Heart of a Civil War

Famine and ethnic cleansing stalk Sudan. Yet the gold trade is booming, enriching generals and propelling the fight.

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The global cooling that usually follows El Niño still hasn’t arrived. That shifts the odds that other more lasting factors are driving the world’s sustained record heat. @byscottdance.com @bennollweather.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024...

Why a two-year surge in global warmth is worrying scientists

Instead, global temperatures remain at near-record levels.

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Here is your newest Mercedes EV customer.

An astonishing six hours of turmoil that “evoked the military dictatorships that many South Koreans believed had been consigned to the history books.” Read @myhlee.bsky.social. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/1...

Martial law, then a reversal: An astonishing six hours in South Korea

The political roller-coaster of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration then suspension of martial law was extreme even by the standards of South Korea.

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This martial law move would be crazy anywhere, but especially in South Korea, where citizens will happily protest by the millions for weeks… and where oh by the way two of the previous three presidents wound up in prison.

“Most plastics are made from fossil fuels.” So you can guess that nature of the opposition in marathon talks that failed to forge a global plastics treaty. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Nations fail to deliver U.N. treaty on cleaning up plastic pollution

Delegates from more than 170 countries huddled for a week of marathon negotiations but came up short on delivering a treaty.

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Perhaps it was inevitable that this is how global climate finance talks would end: at a miserable windowless venue that had run out of food, with sleep-deprived delegates agreeing to a deal they didn’t want, just before they left to catch planes. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Climate talks reach finance deal blasted as inadequate by developing nations

Negotiators from nearly 200 nations made a nonbinding commitment that wealthy nations would aim to provide $300 billion annually by 2035 to help poorer nations.

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Even if countries come to a deal at COP29 — which I still think is likely, but not guaranteed — this has been a chaotic stumble toward the finish line. We’re 24 hours into overtime, and several negotiating groups (small islands and least developed countries) just walked out.

Excellent reporting from @chicoharlan.bsky.social: a devastating crisis in Zambia with an ominous warning for global development and the climate transition, i.e. the entire future of humanity. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Why hydropower is failing this nation — and could fail others

Warmer temperatures are fueling drought, making it harder for Zambia and other developing nations to generate hydropower.

washingtonpost.com