Elizabeth Kolbert
@elizkolbert.bsky.social
I am a New Yorker staff writer and author of "H is for Hope," "Under a White Sky," and "The Sixth Extinction," and “Life on a Little-Known Planet." Learn more at elizabethkolbert.com.
This should be truly shocking, but unfortunately isn't.
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him (Gift Article)
Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.
nytimes.com
Up is down; black is white; and habitat destruction doesn't hurt endangered species.
Trump rule says habitat destruction does not harm endangered species
A new rule rescinds the definition of what it means to “harm” a plant or animal under the Endangered Species Act and could lead to more habitat destruction.
washingtonpost.com
430.07 parts per million (ppm) CO2 in air 02-Jul-2026 keelingcurve.ucsd.edu
The Keeling Curve
The Keeling Curve is a daily record of global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration maintained by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
keelingcurve.ucsd.edu
The Trump administration is trying to permanently kill off one of the most unambiguously successful public policy instruments of the last half-century.
Trump Is Trying to Strangle Money-Saving Standards for Appliances
And not for the first time.
heatmap.news
Heat records are getting broken. Electricity prices are soaring. The administration's response? Let's gut energy efficiency rules for appliances.
Trump administration moves to gut energy efficiency rules for home appliances
The Energy Department wants to permanently restrict longstanding efficiency mandates, calling them a “scam.”
washingtonpost.com
What's causing record temperatures? Hmmm, I have an idea...
Live Updates: Brutal Heat Wave Broils Eastern U.S.
nytimes.com
Really hard to know whether to laugh or cry over this one:
A new executive proclamation opens parts of three Pacific marine national monuments, including Rose Atoll and Papahānaumokuākea, to commercial fishing. The Trump administration cites economic opportunity, while conservationists and Native Hawaiian groups warn of severe threats to endemic wildlife.
US moves to allow commercial fishing in Pacific marine protected areas
On June 11, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive proclamation to open additional commercial fishing grounds in remote areas of the Pacific. The proclamation says restoring access to these…
mongabay.cc
I realize we are way beyond wake-up calls. But if we weren't, this would be one:
Europe Is Sweltering in an Extreme Heat Wave. Here’s the Latest.
nytimes.com
The latest from the spiraling debacle that is the Reflecting Pool:
A dead duck was seen in the Reflecting Pool. Then two more were found nearby.
The two ducks that were recovered from Constitution Gardens will undergo necropsies to determine their cause of death.
washingtonpost.com
This headline on the NYT homepage running next to a headline that reads: "Interior Dept. Moves to Relax Rules for Drilling on Public Lands.
Justice Department Makes It Easier to Bypass Pollution Controls on Pickups
nytimes.com
“Carbon dioxide has once again reached a record annual peak. Unsurprisingly, it’s another reminder that greenhouse gas levels are still rising and the climate system is responding.” In case you missed our latest climate science briefing, check out the recording here: youtu.be/xJ2SiFMGMP0?...
Climate Central’s Monthly Briefing Highlights: May 2026
YouTube video by Climate Central
youtu.be
Depend on the Trump administration to defend polluters:
D.O.J. Seeks to Halt Air Pollution Lawsuit Against xAI Data Center
nytimes.com
“I think that attracting, hiring, and retaining great scientists to the EPA after this administration is going to be incredibly difficult.” In an interview with Elizabeth Kolbert, a former EPA researcher details the agency's assault on science.
An EPA Researcher Details the Agency's Assault on Science
In late January, the Trump administration began shutting down projects within the EPA’s independent science division that touched on climate change and environmental justice. Air quality researcher Thomas Luben, who had worked at the agency for 18 years, was fired for objecting.
e360.yale.edu
The ripple effects of these firings will be brutal. From @elizkolbert.bsky.social:
Yale Environment 360@yalee360.bsky.social · 2mo ago“I think that attracting, hiring, and retaining great scientists to the EPA after this administration is going to be incredibly difficult.” In an interview with Elizabeth Kolbert, a former EPA researcher details the agency's assault on science.
Just what the world needs: less information about what's happening to the oceans.
Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Monitoring System
nytimes.com
My friend Lawrence Douglas has written a history book that is, unfortunately, all too relevant:
The Criminal State
A sweeping history of the struggle to hold states to account for their gravest crimes
press.princeton.edu
Maybe it's not a good time for the U.S. to dismantle its public health agencies?
Large Ebola Outbreak Is Declared in Congo
nytimes.com
Two indigo buntings visited the front yard this morning. A rare and wonderful sight in New England.
The USPS has trouble delivering letters to the right address!
Proposed Rule by Postal Service Could Allow Handguns to Be Mailed
nytimes.com
Why does everyone treat falling birth rates as some kind of calamity? It may reflect young people's concerns about calamity, but in itself it is not calamity. In fact, it could be argued, just the opposite.
Opinion | Why So Few Babies? We Might Have Overlooked the Biggest Reason of All.
nytimes.com
ICYMI: Lee Zeldin is undoing decades of environmental protection at EPA. Will America's health and the environment survive it? @elizkolbert.bsky.social of New Yorker with @npr.org's Terri Gross: bit.ly/3R1B2n0 @sherrodbrownoh.bsky.social @amyactonoh.bsky.social @ohdems.bsky.social
How Trump's EPA head has transformed the agency — and sided with polluters
New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert says EPA chief Lee Zeldin has rescinded regulations, cut or eliminated departments and terminated the jobs of many scientists. Trump calls Zeldin "our secret weapon...
bit.ly
