Wildlife Populations Have Plunged Globally, But Some Buck the Trend

A new report paints a dark picture of the state of global wildlife—but also highlights flickers of light where some populations are on the upswing. Over the past half-century, populations of thousands of vertebrate species across the globe have decreased in size by 73 percent on average, according to the “Living Planet” report published Wednesday […]

insideclimatenews.org

To Block Solar Energy Projects, One Community Lumped Them in With Junkyards and Adult Bookstores

In Montgomery County, Indiana, utility-scale solar projects appear on an official list of undesirable land uses that also includes “adult-oriented businesses.” So it wasn’t surprising that the county Board of Commissioners unanimously rejected a 200-megawatt solar project on Sept. 28. But it still stings for renewable energy advocates. It shows a huge challenge lurking right […]

insideclimatenews.org

Maryland Demands Answers as Fuel Leak Persists From Joint Base Andrews

Maryland environmental regulators say jet fuel continues to seep into Piscataway Creek from Joint Base Andrews more than six months after the spill was reported, despite the base’s assurances that it has isolated the damaged fuel system and stopped the leak. “MDE remains deeply concerned about the ongoing environmental impacts and continues to observe signs […]

insideclimatenews.org

In Harrisburg, Advocates Rally for Tougher Rules on Fracking

Environmental groups and citizens are urging Pennsylvania regulators to increase the minimum amount of protective buffer space between gas wells and homes, schools and water sources. The issue has taken on new urgency as the AI data center buildout spurs more demand for natural gas. On Wednesday, a coalition of environmental and community groups held […]

insideclimatenews.org

Compounding Climate Impacts Drive Tropical Forest Decline

Ozone pollution from fires, along with extreme heat and drought, is further weakening the Amazon rainforest’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, new research shows. The Amazon and other forests absorb more than a quarter of human-caused CO2 emissions each year, more than 11 billion metric tons. But in recent decades, increasingly larger areas of forests […]

insideclimatenews.org

The American Livestock Industry’s Main Lobbying Group Treated Climate Change as a PR Problem

In 1991, Random House published a picture book called “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: ABC’s for a Better Planet,” in which the masked cartoon turtles trade in their signature nunchucks for signs bearing environmental slogans. For “A,” the turtles explain the sources of acid rain. Under “B,” the concept of biodegradability. “Don’t Pollute Dudes!” the turtles […]

insideclimatenews.org

Maine’s Next Governor Will Walk a Tightrope Between Energy Affordability and Climate Action

As Mainers prepare to choose a new governor in November, climate and energy issues may not be top of mind for every voter—but they are having big effects on residents’ lives. The average cost of heating oil recently soared to a record high of more than $6 per gallon, promising an expensive winter ahead for […]

insideclimatenews.org

Alabama Sets Stricter Data Center Rules. But There’s a Loophole.

MONTGOMERY, Ala.—The Alabama Public Service Commission approved a new set of rules for future data center projects Tuesday that require more transparency and disclosure from data center companies and public votes by the PSC for data center approval. But they leave in place what critics call a “disappointing” provision allowing for approval by default of […]

insideclimatenews.org

Scientists Urge Consumers to Stop Buying Products Made From Antarctic Krill

In the Southern Ocean, whales, penguins, seals and seabirds feast on massive swarms of krill that underpin much of the region’s marine food web. Meanwhile, a growing fishing industry in Antarctica is also targeting the tiny crustaceans, used to make Omega-3 supplements, pet food and feed for farm-raised salmon. Now, a coalition of more than […]

insideclimatenews.org

Retailers Warn Europe’s Fishing Industry to Stop Overfishing

Europe’s fish stocks are in such dire straits that even the retailers who rely on them are now telling the fishing industry to slow down. Last week, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea—an intergovernmental marine science organization whose data is used to determine annual catch limits—published its annual mackerel report. Following upward […]

insideclimatenews.org

Water Bills Surged More Than Other Costs in US Homes Over 10 Years, a ‘Striking’ New Report Shows

Drinking water costs spiked faster than inflation, grocery prices and median household income, researchers at nonprofit Food & Water Watch outlined in a first-of-its-kind report released Tuesday. The average community water system increased household drinking water prices by 62 percent between 2015 and 2025—with costs in Louisiana, Maryland and New Hampshire having particularly steep rises, […]

insideclimatenews.org

Development Becomes a Flashpoint in a Key New York House Race

NY-17: The third in a series on the environmental stakes behind one of the nation’s most fiercely contested congressional races. At 8, on her walk home from elementary school, Sylke Jackson would drop sticks, leaves and nut shells in Nyack Brook. They would soften and float along beside her, as if companions. At 10, as […]

insideclimatenews.org

Final ‘Grandmother’ Cottonwood Toppled, Protesters Arrested in Arizona

Armed Border Patrol agents raided a protest camp in Lochiel, in southeast Arizona, making way for contractors to cut down the last standing cottonwood tree Monday morning for a double border wall, after protesters protected it for more than 70 days. Activists in Lochiel said at least 12 people had been arrested as of 8 […]

insideclimatenews.org

Supreme Court Weighs Landmark Climate Deception Case Against Oil Companies

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments from oil companies on Monday that could help decide the fate of more than two dozen lawsuits accusing the industry of deceiving the public about climate change. The claims seek potentially billions of dollars in damages to help pay the costs imposed by climate-related extreme weather. Yet the questions […]

insideclimatenews.org

New York Is Running Out of Room for Its Trash

New York City is running out of places to dump its trash. In the latest draft of the city’s once-a-decade solid waste management plan, the sanitation department warns that the landfills receiving much of the city’s garbage are filling up fast. More than two-thirds of the city’s municipal waste is transported to landfills hundreds of […]

insideclimatenews.org

New California Law Aims to Stop ‘Predatory’ Developers from Moving In on Wildfire-Ravaged Community

ALTADENA, Calif.—Sylvie Andrews walks among the brilliant white poppies, purple California grapes and olive-green thorns surrounding her yard’s blackened pizza oven—one of the only things that survived last year’s devastating Eaton Fire. But her eyes scan the block beyond, ever-aware of changes to her neighborhood. Andrews says virtually all of her neighbors have received unsolicited […]

insideclimatenews.org

A Colorado Water Trial Could Decide the Future of an Agricultural Valley

Water regulators and farmers in Colorado’s San Luis Valley are in a lose-lose situation. Either they adopt a plan to aggressively manage the use of groundwater from their rapidly declining aquifer, likely forcing a contraction of the local agricultural economy, or continue overpumping and further lower the water table, which will likely force mass shutoffs […]

insideclimatenews.org

‘Nature-Based’ Solutions Could Save Insurers and Policyholders Billions

After years trudging through marshes around San Francisco Bay studying conservation practices, coastal ecologist Megan Kelso realized that one of the largest determinants of wetland health may not be an invasive species lurking with her among the sea grasses, but decisions made miles away in the executive suites of insurance companies. Wetlands absorb massive volumes […]

insideclimatenews.org

SEC Move Would Make it Harder for Shareholders to Push Companies on Climate Action

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission wants to scrap a rule that allows shareholders to formally petition companies, one of the ways that shareholder advocacy groups have pressed for more action on climate and sustainability. Investor and advocacy groups warn that the SEC’s move would block a longstanding avenue for pressuring public companies to factor […]

insideclimatenews.org

Our Future Might Be Darker—and That’s a Good Thing

From our collaborating partner Living on Earth, public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by Jenni Doering with author Craig Childs. Think about the darkest sky you’ve ever seen. Did you see the Milky Way? Did starlight cast shadows? This kind of experience is becoming rare in our brightly lit world, but the stars are […]

insideclimatenews.org

Federal Judge Slams the Brakes on Big Bend Border Wall Construction

EL PASO—Federal Judge Kathleen Cardone granted a preliminary injunction Friday to halt construction on the border wall in Texas’ expansive Big Bend sector, including the national and state parks. Cardone read a brief order from the bench after hearing more than four hours of testimony from conservation groups and residents of the Big Bend region, […]

insideclimatenews.org

Europe’s Extreme Summer Triggered Cascading Climate Shocks

During this past summer of climate extremes, more than half of Europe experienced dangerous levels of heat stress, the combined effect of temperature, humidity, wind and sunshine on the body’s ability to cool itself. In some places, that amounted to a “feels like” temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. The heat stress spread across […]

insideclimatenews.org

Long-Awaited Senate Deal to Speed Permitting Faces Familiar Hurdles

The so-called “lame duck” session of Congress after November’s midterm elections could be momentous for clean energy as lawmakers are set to consider a long-sought bipartisan deal to speed permitting of large energy and infrastructure projects. Clean energy advocates and policy experts view the bill as a rare opportunity to deal with a major clean […]

insideclimatenews.org

21 States Sue EPA to Reinstate Climate Pollution Rules for Power Plants

More than 20 states, including North Carolina, New York, California and Pennsylvania, as well as several cities, are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its repeal of most greenhouse gas emissions standards for coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. The agency’s proposal would also thwart future administrations from reinstating the rule. The state attorneys […]

insideclimatenews.org

New Jersey’s Middlesex County Sues Big Oil Over Escalating Climate Impacts

A New Jersey county has become the latest local government to sue major oil and gas companies, seeking to recover costs from damage caused by worsening flooding and other climate change impacts. The filing comes just days before the U.S. Supreme Court takes up Boulder, Colorado’s climate case against Big Oil in a proceeding whose […]

insideclimatenews.org

As Negotiators Struggle to Advance a Plastics Treaty, Iran War Underscores the Urgency

As nations met this week in Bangkok for informal meetings on a United Nations plastics treaty, more than 70 developing countries supported addressing all causes and drivers of plastic pollution, environmental advocates said. Countries that comprise more than a quarter of the global plastics demand support strong measures to fight plastic pollution, said Giulia Carlini, […]

insideclimatenews.org

California to Vote on Landmark Tribal Petitions for Coastal Protections

Drive the Pacific Coast Highway, spearfish alongside Great White sharks, surf in Santa Cruz, dive for lobster, cast a line or set a crab pot: California is defined by its 840-mile coastline. Managing the miles of beach, reef and cliffsides that define the state is a complicated and controversial process and has long left out […]

insideclimatenews.org

Chesapeake Bay Restoration Obstructed by Federal Policy Shift, Tribal Withdrawal

Two major challenges could complicate efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay. First, a new executive order from President Donald Trump revoked the longstanding framework for coordinating federal efforts to protect the bay. Second, seven Virginia tribes withdrew from formal participation after the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership denied them the signatory status they sought. The new […]

insideclimatenews.org

America’s Largest Producer of Foundry Coke Is Operating Under an Expired Permit. Who Is at Fault?

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—It’s time to act. It’s long past time. That was the case made by lawyers for the Southern Environmental Law Center, who filed a petition Wednesday in Jefferson County Circuit Court asking a judge to force local health officials to act on a 2023 air permit renewal application for ABC Coke, the nation’s largest […]

insideclimatenews.org

All Hail Electrification. But Let’s Talk About the Hard Part.

If one form of energy becomes the cheapest, most secure and cleanest, you’d probably adjust your economy to use more of it, right? That’s one of the ideas underpinning a report the International Energy Agency issued last week about the global move toward electrification. Fatih Birol, head of the IEA, discussed some of the concepts […]

insideclimatenews.org