Yale Environment 360
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An online magazine offering reporting, opinion, and analysis on global environmental issues. Published at the Yale School of the Environment. Our newsletter: e360.yale.edu/newsletter
“Land Less” — Third-Place Winner of the 2026 Yale Environment 360 Film Contest — follows the activists fighting a bill that would transfer thousands of acres of Alaskan rainforest to five Native corporations, opening the land to logging. Watch the film: bit.ly/4g0zin8
In March, the world passed a major energy milestone, adding its third terawatt of solar power. While rich countries initially powered the solar buildout, as prices fall, poorer countries are increasingly taking the lead.
The World Adds a Third Terawatt of Solar Power
In March, the world passed a major energy milestone, adding its third terawatt of solar power. Increasingly, poorer countries are leading the shift to solar, analysts say.
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El Niño is expected to intensify in the weeks ahead, fueling more severe heat across the globe, according to the WMO. The forecast comes as blistering heat shatters temperature records from Europe to Asia.
In an Already Broiling Summer, El Niño Is About to Turn Up the Heat
Temperatures forecasted between August and October of this year. Red areas are projected to be far warmer than normal. World Meteorological Organization
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A landmark study of Australia's towering ash trees, launched in the 1980s, boosted the case for clearcutting. But when scientists returned to the abandoned study site years later, they came to a much different conclusion.
Abandoned Study of Australia's Towering Ash Trees Challenges Case for Clearcutting
A landmark study of the towering ash trees that grow in the mountains of Victoria, Australia, which was launched in the 1980s, boosted arguments for clearcutting the iconic trees. But when scientists returned to the site years later, they came to a much different conclusion.
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Since the colonial era, India has regarded its scrublands and savannas as little more than degraded forest. Now, amid a growing recognition of the value of rangelands globally, India plans to map its ailing grasslands, with a view to restoring them.
‘Wastelands’ No More: India Charts a Future for Its Grasslands
Since the colonial era, India has regarded its native scrublands and savannas as little more than degraded forest. Now, amid a growing recognition of rangelands globally, officials are working to map the nation's ailing grasslands, with a view to restoring these vital ecosystems.
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In May, a group of Indonesian fishers was dismantling an unexploded WWII shell when it went off, reportedly killing seven people. Officials have concluded the group was harvesting materials from the shell for use in blast fishing.
Fatal Detonation of WWII Explosive in Indonesia Linked to Illicit Fishing
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In a first, Germany drew more power from wind and solar than from fossil fuels last year.
In Germany, Wind and Solar Overtake Fossil Fuels
Together, wind and solar generated 44 percent of Germany’s electricity, while fossil fuels generated roughly 43 percent, according to data from the Energy Institute, a think tank based in London. The figures represent a major milestone for the German “Energiewende,” or “energy turnaround,” a national push to ramp up renewable energy and phase out gas, coal, and nuclear power.
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A sharp swing from wet to dry weather, a signature of climate change, helped fuel the devastating wildfires in France and Spain, scientists say.
Weather Whiplash Fueled Devastating Wildfires in France and Spain
In a summer of record heat waves, France and Spain are now facing wildfires that have forced the evacuations of more than 300,000 people. Scientists say that a sharp swing from wet to dry weather, a signature of climate change, helped fuel the blazes.
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Warming has brought extreme rainfall to the parched African Sahel, which is seeing aquifers refill after decades of drought. But heavier downpours alone cannot explain the groundwater revival. Experts say efforts to harvest rainfall may also be paying dividends.
After Decades of Drought, Water Is Rising in the African Sahel
Warming has brought extreme rainfall to the parched Sahel, which is seeing aquifers refill as monsoons grow stronger. But heavier downpours alone cannot explain the water revival, say hydrologists, who believe efforts to harvest rain, along with tree-planting projects, may be paying dividends.
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Last year in the Brazilian Amazon, the acres of rainforest burned reached its lowest level in at least four decades.
Brazil Saw Sharp Drop in Rainforest Lost to Fire Last Fire
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Sixty years after surveyors first uncovered evidence of a sprawling coral reef off the coast of Benin, scientists have at last found the reef. via @insideclimatenews.org
Long Presumed Dead, a Sprawling Coral Reef Is Discovered in West Africa
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In Appalachia, severe floods are linked to spikes in opioid overdose deaths, new research finds.
In Appalachia, Severe Floods Linked to Spikes Opioid Deaths
Across the U.S., the heaviest downpours are becoming more severe, giving rise to more intense floods. The new study, which analyzed flooding and mortality data from counties across Appalachia, found surges in lethal overdoses following severe floods, with the effects persisting for up to a decade. On average, yearly opioid deaths rose by 26 percent in the year or two after a flood, according to the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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The draining of the Aral Sea has liberated huge stores of carbon once trapped in the lakebed. Since 1960, it has unleashed 748 million metric tons of carbon dioxide — three times the yearly emissions of Spain, a study finds. via @grist.org
Drained Under Soviet Rule, Aral Sea Has Become a Huge Source of Emissions
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A Japanese steel giant has pledged billions in new investment in Pennsylvania’s Mon Valley, raising hopes that it would clean up pollution from its steel mills in the region. But documents show that its plans to ramp up production will worsen air quality.
In Steel Country, the Fight for Clean Air Faces New Obstacles
A Japanese steel giant has pledged billions in new investment in Pennsylvania’s Monongahela River Valley, raising hopes that it would clean up pollution from its steel mills in the region. But documents show that its plans to ramp up production will worsen local air quality.
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Scientists have identified a new species of monkey in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is just the fifth new species of African monkey recorded in the last 75 years.
New Species of Monkey Discovered in the Congo
Scientists have identified a new species of monkey in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is just the fifth new species of African monkey discovered in the last 75 years.
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China is erecting the largest hydropower project on Earth atop an active fault line in the Himalayas. Chinese scientists are calling on engineers to reinforce the project to guard against risks from earthquakes.
In China, Scientists See Risks from Massive Dam Project on Active Fault Line
China is erecting the largest hydropower installation on Earth atop an active fault line in the Himalayas. Chinese scientists are calling on engineers to guard against risks from earthquakes.
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Europe recorded more than 10,000 excess deaths during an unprecedented June heat wave, an analysis finds.
Europe Saw Deaths Spike During Brutal June Heat Wave
Last month was the hottest June on record in Western Europe, measuring 5.5 degrees F warmer than the recent average, according to the E.U. Copernicus Climate Change Service. The June data “underscored how profoundly the climate is changing,” said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus.
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A group of Ugandan farmers has brought suit in the U.K. High Court against a controversial oil pipeline being built in East Africa. The suit is a last-ditch effort to halt the project before it goes online in October.
Ugandan Farmers Sue to Halt East Africa Pipeline Before It Goes Online
Four Ugandan farmers have launched a suit in the U.K. High Court against a controversial oil pipeline being built in East Africa. The suit is a last-ditch effort to halt the project before it goes online in October.
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As EV sales boom, researchers are racing to develop batteries that are cheaper, more powerful, and less reliant on hard-to-source materials. Lithium-ion still dominates, but sodium-ion and solid-state technologies are moving from lab to market.
Beyond Lithium: New Battery Tech Starts to Break Through
As EV sales boom and grids seek more energy storage, researchers are racing to develop batteries that are cheaper, more powerful, and less reliant on hard-to-source materials. Lithium-ion still dominates, but sodium-ion and solid-state technologies are moving from lab to market.
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How much plastic is in our bodies? Microplastic contamination and unreliable methods have complicated efforts to find an answer. Scientist Cassandra Rauert — who built a plastic-free lab to study human exposure — explores the challenges for researchers.
What Do We Actually Know About the Microplastics Inside Us?
Pervasive plastic contamination and flawed analytical techniques have clouded the science on microplastics in the human body. In an interview, Australian scientist Cassandra Rauert, who built a plastic-free lab to study human exposure, explores the challenges for researchers.
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As oceans warm, a key system of Atlantic currents is at risk of collapse. According to a new study, there is at least a 10 percent chance that a collapse is already “locked in.”
Collapse of Atlantic Currents May Already Be ‘Locked In’
A vast system of Atlantic currents that delivers warmth to northern Europe is at risk of collapse, according to a growing body of research. The latest study to warn of its demise finds there is at least a 10 percent chance that a collapse may already be “locked in.”
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In the Adriatic Sea, large numbers of bottlenose dolphins are looking to fishing trawlers as a source of food, a sign that dolphins may be struggling to feed themselves in waters depleted by overfishing.
In Overfished Adriatic Sea, Dolphins Look to Trawlers for Food
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As home batteries have become cheaper, smaller, and more energy dense, a growing number of households are storing their excess solar power. Now, programs in dozens of countries are buying up that stored energy and using it to balance the grid.
A Home Battery Revolution Is Reshaping the Power Grid
As residential batteries have become more energy dense, cheaper, and smaller, more households are storing their excess solar power. Now, utilities and energy companies in dozens of countries are buyin...
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In mountain regions from the Andes to the Himalayas, Indigenous people see the retreat of glaciers as a sign that they have lost the favor of their gods or ancestors.
The Loss of Glaciers Is Inflicting a Spiritual Toll on Indigenous Mountain People
Indigenous people in the Peruvian Andes undertake a pilgrimage to the Qulqipunku glacier. The glacier is retreating as the climate warms. Salwan Georges / The Washington Post via Getty Images
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As a 900-mile oil pipeline project in East Africa nears completion, its ecological risks are coming into focus. The pipeline is set to come online despite the reported abuse of people living in its path, and a campaign that rallied major banks against it.
In East Africa, a Controversial Oil Project Is Poised for Production
Despite years of opposition, a 900-mile crude oil pipeline through East Africa is about to be completed, and its environmental and social risks are coming into focus. Campaigners in Uganda and abroad are making a final push to halt the project before the oil starts to flow.
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A new study shows how a group of sperm whales in the eastern Mediterranean developed its own distinct dialect.
Like Humans, Mediterranean Sperm Whales Have Their Own Dialects
Much like human languages, the vocalizations of sperm whales evolve over time, as disparate groups of whales develop distinct dialects. A new study shows how an isolated group of sperm whales in the eastern Mediterranean developed its own dialect based on vocalizations used by other whales.
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Europe is sweltering through an intense heat wave that is setting temperature records in the U.K. and France. It comes on the heels of another record heat wave in May.
Europe Faces Record Heat for Second Month in a Row
Europe is sweltering through an intense heat wave that is setting temperature records in the U.K. and France. It comes on the heels of a record heat wave in May.
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As the Iran War has driven up fuel costs in Africa, demand for electric motorbikes has grown.
Amid Iran War, Africa Sees Demand for Electric Motorbikes Grow
Motorbike taxis — motorcycles with room for one paying customer — are a major mode of transport on the continent. Since the Iran War began at the end of February, the cost of fueling a motorbike taxi has risen from $4.20 a day to $5.10, The Financial Times reports. An electric motorbike, by comparison, can run for around $2.30 a day.
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Rising temperatures are set to drive up emissions from wildfires, wetlands, and permafrost, but these “feedback loops” are poorly captured in climate models. Scientists are racing to make sense of these emissions to gauge how much warming may lie ahead.
A Missing Piece in Climate Models: Nature’s Own Emissions
Rising temperatures are set to drive up emissions from wildfires, fermenting wetlands, and melting permafrost, but these “feedback loops” are poorly captured in climate models. Scientists are racing to make sense of these emissions to gauge how much warming may lay ahead.
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“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.
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