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Why You Feel So Compelled To Make Resolutions Every Single Year, Even If You Fail

It's not your fault: your brain is hardwired to set goals and then quit.

A new year. A new school year. A new week. Mental health experts say our brains are naturally drawn to fresh starts, wired to find motivation in new beginnings. These moments act like a psychological reset button, nudging us toward self-reflection, habit-building and behavior change. Yet despite making resolutions year after year, many of us struggle to stick with them. Why do we keep coming back for more?Here’s why we crave resolutions and how to harness them in a way that actually boosts productivity and keeps momentum going, helping you feel more accomplished all year long.Why Our Brain Is Drawn To Making ResolutionsThough the start of a new year has long been tied to making resolutions, there’s more behind the tradition than just cultural habit. “For many, fresh starts feel hopeful,” said Jennifer Birdsall, a board-certified, licensed clinical psychologist and chief clinical officer at ComPsych. “Psychologically, they allow people to release the baggage of past experiences, including failures, and set forth on goals with renewed energy and optimism.”This ties into what psychologists call the fresh start effect. When a clear milestone, like a new year, a birthday or the start of a new semester, gives us the sense of turning the page, it helps us mentally separate our past self from our future self, motivating us to break old habits and approach change with a bit of extra momentum.Resolutions can also give your brain a boost. There are actually psychological benefits to making goals, even if you don’t follow through on them. Simply setting resolutions can help you feel a greater sense of control. “This is especially important right now given how much uncertainty people experience in today’s volatile social, political and economic climate,” Birdsall said. Alivia Hall, a licensed clinical social worker and clinical director at LiteMinded Therapy, noted that just picturing a future version of ourselves, one who feels healthier, more grounded and more intentional, activates the brain’s reward system, triggering a dopamine boost.“The anticipation alone can create a sense of energy and momentum before we’ve taken a single step,” she explained.Why Resolutions Often Don’t StickMany of us start the year with the best intentions, only to find our goals slipping away a few months in.One reason, according to Hall, is that we often approach goal-setting with an all-or-nothing mindset, viewing success as binary: either you succeed or fail. So when someone skips a single workout or misses a day of journaling, the brain quickly convinces them they’ve completely blown it. “That harsh, all-or-nothing lens can make people give up on their goals entirely, instead of seeing it as just a small setback they can recover from,” she explained.Another common pitfall is relying on willpower. “Early on, motivation runs high because the brain is lit up by novelty and reward anticipation. But once that dopamine surge fades, sheer discipline often isn’t enough to sustain change,” Hall said. Without structure, environmental cues or a deeper connection to our values, goals can start to feel less like inspired choices and more like chores. “Psychologically, this creates friction between intention and behavior — which is why so many resolutions quietly start to fizzle by February or March,” she added.AscentXmedia via Getty ImagesIt's not your fault: your brain is hardwired to set goals and then quit.How To Really Accomplish A Resolution, Once And For AllWhat we need to be mindful of is falling into a cycle of constantly setting new resolutions, enjoying that dopamine boost, and then quickly abandoning those goals. Here are some tips for sticking to a goal long-term when you start to fall off:Do a self-audit before creating your resolution.“I’m a big proponent of doing a self-audit prior to making resolutions or setting goals, as it encourages a more structured and intentional approach to personal growth by reflecting on one’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as one’s accomplishments and growth opportunities,” Birdsall said. Taking time to look back at what you’re most proud of, what may have held you back and how closely you’ve been living your values can help clarify where you want to focus your energy next and which goals will feel most meaningful to pursue.Anchor your resolutions to your values.“Attune to the aspect of the goal that taps into your motivation,” said Lorain Moorehead, a licensed clinical social worker and therapy and consultation practice owner. So if the end result of finishing a marathon doesn’t excite you, maybe what does is the value of improving your physical health. “The motivation that is there when the goal is initially set can wear off, especially as you become tired or the goal becomes challenging or draining,” she said. But when you stay connected to the deeper why behind your goal, it becomes much easier to keep going, even when the momentum dips.Set micro goals to build self-trust.“Break goals into the smallest possible steps, so small they almost feel too easy,” said Ellen Ottman, founder and licensed therapist at Stillpoint Therapy Collective.For example, instead of running 10 miles per week, start with putting on your running shoes and walking outside three times a week, as completing even tiny goals triggers dopamine, which boosts both motivation and confidence. Form connections with like-minded people.Form connections with other goal-setters who can offer support, encouragement or feedback along the way.“Achieving something can be lonely,” Moorehead said. “People can diminish the goal if they don’t understand the process, so it can be helpful to receive support from others who are committed to a goal.” As a way to foster community, join a group of people practicing the same skill or who have already tackled similar goals.If you falter, reset your resolution and keep going.Some 92% of people fail to achieve their goals, so if you’ve fallen off track partway through the year, you’re not alone. The good news is that it’s never too late to reset without feeling like you’ve failed.“Progress rarely happens in straight lines, so the most powerful thing you can do when you lose momentum is to reset with kindness,” Ottman said. “Shame tends to freeze us, while curiosity and self-compassion help us move forward.”Instead of trying to catch up or scrapping your goal altogether, try reworking it. If your original goal was to read more, make it smaller and more specific, like reading one page a day. “Small, consistent wins rebuild trust and confidence in your ability to follow through,” Ottman said, “creating the true foundation for lasting change.”

Energy

Health

The Top Human Evolution Discoveries of 2025, From the Intriguing Neanderthal Diet to the Oldest Western European Face Fossil

Smithsonian paleoanthropologists examine the year’s most fascinating revelations

The Top Human Evolution Discoveries of 2025, From the Intriguing Neanderthal Diet to the Oldest Western European Face Fossil Smithsonian paleoanthropologists examine the year’s most fascinating revelations Paranthropus boisei composite hand Courtesy of Carrie Mongle This has been quite the wild year in human evolution stories. Our relatives, living and extinct, got a lot of attention—from new developments in ape cognition to an expanded perspective of a big-toothed hominin cousin. A new view on a famous foot also revealed more about a lesser-known hominin species, Australopithecus deyiremeda. New tool and technology finds, coupled with dietary studies, showed us more than ever about the behavior of our ancestors and ourselves. New fossils gave us a glimpse at the earliest Europeans, predating both our own species and the Neanderthals. Finally, we dove deeper into the blockbuster story of the year, looking at some of the biggest Denisovan studies which give us a clearer than ever picture of these enigmatic human relatives.Human traits of chimps and bonobos Portrait of a bonobo Fiona Rogers / Getty Images A February study investigated theory of mind, or the uniquely human trait of recognizing the cognitive sapience of others, which allows modern humans to communicate and coordinate to an extent not seen in other animals. Study co-author Luke Townrow and colleagues set up an experiment where bonobos would receive a food reward hidden under cups, but only if they cooperated with their human partner and showed them where the food was first. Sometimes the bonobo could tell the human knew where the food was, and sometimes the animal could tell the human didn’t know where the food was. Bonobos pointed to the location of the hidden food more frequently and quicker when they knew the human was ignorant of the food’s location, indicating that they could interpret the human’s mental state and act accordingly, a hallmark of theory of mind. In addition to cooperating, an April study shows that apes also share, especially when it comes to fermented fruit. Anna Bowland and colleagues documented the first recorded instance of fermented food sharing in chimpanzees, observed in Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau. At least 17 chimps of all ages shared fermented breadfruits, ranging between 0.01 percent and 0.61 percent alcohol by volume. While this may not be enough ethanol to result in the sort of intoxication levels desired by many humans, this demonstrates that food sharing, and fermented food consumption, have deep evolutionary roots, supported by the evolution of ethanol metabolism among all African apes. On top of all that monkey business, an October study shows that chimps even have complex decision-making processes. Hanna Schleihauf and colleagues presented to chimps two boxes, one that contained food and one that was either empty or contained a non-food item. The chimps were allowed to choose a box twice, after receiving either weak or strong evidence about which box contains the food. The team found that chimps were able to revise their beliefs about the food’s location in response to more convincing evidence: When they picked the wrong box after the weak hint, they switched to the correct box after the following strong hint. Also, when they picked the correct box after a strong hint, they kept their selection after a weak hint. The study highlights the chimpanzees’ ability to make rational decisions, and even change decisions, in response to learning new information. Fun fact: Chimps may use medicinal herbs In a study last year, researchers collected extracts of plants that they saw chimpanzees eating outside of their normal diets in Uganda’s Budongo Central Forest Reserve. The researchers discovered that “88 percent of the plant extracts inhibited bacterial growth, while 33 percent had anti-inflammatory properties.” A holistic picture of Paranthropus The reconstructed left hand of the Paranthropus boisei Mongle, Carrie et al., Nature, 2025 Besides learning more about our ape relatives, we also learned a lot more about some of our hominin cousins this year. Paranthropus is a genus of hominins consisting of three species, mostly known for their large teeth and massive chewing muscles that they likely used to break down tough plant fibers. However, not much was known about them outside of their mouths and skulls. A Paranthropus study from April helps to close this gap, describing an articulated lower limb from the Swartkrans site in South Africa. Travis Pickering and colleagues described a partial pelvis, femur and tibia of an adult Paranthropus robustus dating back 2.3 million to 1.7 million years ago. The anatomy of the hip, femur and knee indicate that this individual was fully bipedal. This hominin would probably have been only about three feet tall, one of the tiniest hominins on record. Due to a lack of other fossil material for comparison and the pelvis fossil being very incomplete, estimating the sex of this individual is more difficult. However, another study from May pioneered the use of different methods to estimate the sex of Paranthropus fossils. Analyzing proteins preserved in fossil tooth enamel, Palesa Madupe and colleagues were able to determine sex and begin to investigate genetic variability in Paranthropus fossils from South Africa. Using these proteins, the team was able to identify two male and two female individuals, allowing for more accurate hypotheses about sexual dimorphism (sex-based body size and shape differences). The team also found that one of the individuals appeared to be more distantly related, hinting at microevolution within this species. Lastly, a study published in October described a Paranthropus boisei hand from the Koobi Fora site in Kenya, which allowed scientists to learn if Paranthropus could have made stone tools. Carrie Mongle and colleagues looked at the nearly complete Paranthropus hand, which reveals a mostly hominin-looking morphology. Yet with strong musculature and wide bones, the grasping capabilities of Paranthropus seem to converge with that of gorillas, although they likely used this powerful grip to strip vegetation and process food rather than for climbing. Additionally, with a long thumb and precision grasping capabilities, the authors hypothesize that nothing in their hand morphology would have prevented Paranthropus boisei from making and using stone tools. This builds on other recent finds suggesting that the ability to make and use complex tools was not limited to the genus Homo.The family of a famous footThe Burtele foot, a fossil from Ethiopia that was described in 2012 and originally not given a species designation, dates to about 3.4 million years ago. Despite being contemporaneous with Australopithecus afarensis, Lucy’s species, the fossil looked almost nothing like it. The locomotor adaptations were completely different, and the foot still had an opposable big toe, like modern apes and the earlier genus Ardipithecus. In November, Yohannes Haile-Selassie and colleagues published research on other fossils from the same site where the Burtele foot was found. A new mandible with teeth links the hominin fossils at Burtele to a less well-known species, Australopithecus deyiremeda. This species had primitive teeth and grasping feet, with isotopic evidence pointing to a plant-based diet more similar to that of earlier species like Ardipithecus ramidus and Australopithecus anamensis. These new finds show that primitive traits persisted more recently into the timeline of human evolution and that our family tree is even bushier than previously thought.Ancient tool technologies An ancient ochre fragment that shows signs of re-use d’Errico, Francesco et al., Science Advances, 2025 Archaeological sites, by definition, are evidence of past human behavior. But it’s not often a find is unearthed that turns out to be evidence of just one past human’s behavior. A study in August by Dominik Chlachula and colleagues reports on a small cluster of 29 stone artifacts from the Milovice IV site in the Czech Republic that were probably bundled together in a container or pouch made of perishable material: basically, a Stone Age hunter-gatherer’s personal toolkit. The 30,000-year-old blade and bladelet tools were made from different kinds of stone (flint, radiolarite, chert and opal). Use-wear analysis showed they were used for cutting, scraping and drilling, and the kit also included projectiles used for hunting. Now we move farther back in time, to when some of the earliest members of our lineage were making tools. In November, David Braun and colleagues reported on stone toolmaking in the Turkana Basin of Kenya that started about 2.75 million years ago at the new site of Namorotukunan, which contains one of the oldest and longest intervals of the making of Oldowan tools. This simple core-and-flake technology was, as revealed by this new evidence, nevertheless undertaken with enough skill—and the tools useful enough for various activities—to be made consistently for almost 300,000 years, through dramatic environmental changes, highlighting our ancestors’ resilience. However, not all ancient tools were made for practical purposes. In October, Francesco d’Errico and colleagues described three pieces of ochre, an iron-rich mineral pigment, from archaeological sites in Crimea, Ukraine. These artifacts were deliberately collected, shaped, engraved, polished, resharpened and deposited there by Neanderthals up to 70,000 years ago. Although it’s impossible to know what the Neanderthals did with these yellow and red pigments, the fact that they seemed to be kept sharpened suggests that their tips were used to produce linear marks. This suggests that they had a symbolic or artistic function, rather than a utilitarian one, perhaps playing a role in identity expression, communication and transmitting knowledge across generations.Neanderthal eating habitsWhen they weren’t busy coloring with paleo-crayons, our Neanderthal cousins are known for being skilled hunters of large animals, and two studies in July shed new light on their diets. First, Lutz Kindler and colleagues documented that 125,000 years ago, at the site of Neumark-Nord in Germany, Neanderthals processed at least 172 animals at the edge of a lake, most likely to extract bone grease. This “fat factory,” as the researchers called it, is much older than previously documented grease extraction sites, and this extreme bone-bashing behavior had not been seen before at Neanderthal sites. The team documented how Neanderthals transported the bones of these animals, mostly antelope, deer and horses, but even some forest elephants, to the site to crush, chop up and boil to get at the nutritious, calorie-rich fat inside. (Speaking of Neanderthals cooking things, a December study by Rob Davis, Nick Ashton and colleagues documented the earliest evidence of deliberate fire-making from the 400,000-year-old site of Barnham in England, where they found heated sediments, fire-cracked flint handaxes and fragments of iron pyrite—a mineral used to strike sparks with flint—likely brought to the site from far away.) Later in July, Melanie Beasley and colleagues made an intriguing suggestion about the Neanderthal diet. Humans and our earlier relatives can only eat a certain proportion of protein in our diets without getting protein poisoning, but chemical signatures (specifically, nitrogen isotope values) in Neanderthal bones indicate that they ate as much protein as other ancient hyper-carnivores. So, what was causing this? Maybe it was maggots, fat-rich fly larvae. When an animal dies, maggots feed on the decaying flesh, which has higher nitrogen values as it decomposes. Many Indigenous forager groups regard putrid meat as a tasty treat. If Neanderthals were eating nitrogen-enriched maggots feeding on rotting muscle tissue in dried, frozen or cached (deliberately stored) dead animals, that might at least partly explain their unusually high nitrogen values. While our later evolutionary cousins may have munched on maggots, a study in January by Tina Lüdecke and colleagues looked at carbon and nitrogen isotopes in the teeth of Australopithecus and other animal species dating back more than three million years ago from South Africa’s Sterkfontein site. The isotope ratios of the seven Australopithecus teeth were variable but consistently low, and more similar to the contemporaneous herbivores than the carnivores, suggesting they were not consuming much meat. This follows with other recent studies suggesting, contrary to common belief, that carnivory was not a major factor shaping our evolution.The earliest EuropeansTwo studies this year focused on early evidence for hominins in Europe. In January, Sabrina Curran and colleagues reported cut marks on several animal bones from the Graunceanu site in Romania, dating to at least 1.95 million years ago—now among the earliest evidence that hominins had spread to Eurasia by that time. To verify that these were cut marks made by stone tools, they compared 3D shape data from impressions of the marks to a reference set of almost 900 modern marks made by stone tool butchery, carnivore feeding and sedimentary abrasion. They concluded that the marks on eight Graunceanu fossils, mainly hoofed animals like deer, were stone tool cut marks. In March, Rosa Huguet and colleagues reported on the earliest hominin face fossil from Western Europe, dated to 1.4 million-1.1 million years ago, found in Spain. The shape of the left half of the face fossil is more similar to Homo erectus (which had not been documented in Europe), rather than resembling later and more modern looking Homo antecessor fossils found almost 1,000 feet away and dated to between 900,000-800,000 years ago. The scientific name of the new fossil is ATE7-1, but its nickname is “Pink.” This is a nod to Pink Floyd’s album The Dark Side of the Moon, which in Spanish is La cara oculta de la luna (cara oculta means hidden face). Also, Huguet’s first name, Rosa, is Spanish for pink.New Denisovan discoveries A reconstruction of the Harbin cranium by paleoartist John Gurche Courtesy of John Gurche Denisovan fossils have been found in Siberia and throughout East Asia, although they are few and far between. Denisovans may be our most enigmatic cousins, because we’ve learned more about them through DNA, including DNA we got from interbreeding with them, than from their fossils. Until this year, that is. A study from April described a new Denisovan mandible. Takumi Tsutaya and colleagues analyzed the Penghu 1 mandible, dredged up from the coast of Taiwan, and discovered that the morphology and protein sequences both matched it with Denisovans. Proteomics also allowed the team to determine this was a male individual, and this find expands the known range of Denisovans into warmer, wetter regions of Asia. Next, two stories from this summer took a second look at the Harbin cranium, termed “Dragon Man” and given the species name Homo longi in 2021. The first study, in June, looked at the proteome of the Harbin cranium, while the second study, in July, looked at the mitochondrial DNA; both studies were led by Qiaomei Fu. While no DNA was able to be retrieved from the fossil itself, proteomics and the DNA from dental calculus both suggested that this fossil was part of the Denisovan group. Together, these studies give the first look at the face of a Denisovan, lining up morphology with molecules. While more work needs to be done to build the body of evidence and give scientists a more complete view of Denisovan anatomy, habitat and behavior, being able to link complete fossils with the molecular evidence is a huge step forward. While it is unclear what this means for the name “Denisovan” itself, we hypothesize that it will persist as a popular or common name, much like how we call Homo neanderthalensis “Neanderthals” today. Lastly, in September, Xiaobo Feng and colleagues reconstructed and described the Yunxian 2 cranium from China, dating to one million years ago. The skull was meticulously reconstructed from crushed and warped fragments and appears to have a mix of primitive and derived traits, and it is also closely aligned with the Homo longi group. The phylogenetic analysis conducted by the team changes the perspective of late hominin divergence, with Homo longi and Homo sapiens being sister taxa to the exclusion of Neanderthals, and all three groups having evolutionary origins two to three times older than previously thought: at least 1.2 million years ago. While more finds will support or refute these phylogenetic claims, new fossil evidence continues to help refine our understanding of our lineage—and never stops surprising us.This story originally appeared in PLOS SciComm, a blog from PLOS, a nonprofit that publishes open-access scientific studies. Get the latest on what's happening At the Smithsonian in your inbox.

Animals

Chemicals

Greenwashing, illegality and false claims: 13 climate litigation wins in 2025

Legal action has brought important decisions, from the scrapping of fossil fuel plants to revised climate plansThis year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris agreement. It is also a decade since another key moment in climate justice, when a state was ordered for the first time to cut its carbon emissions faster to protect its citizens from climate change. The Urgenda case, which was upheld by the Netherlands’ supreme court in 2019, was one of the first rumblings of a wave of climate litigation around the world that campaigners say has resulted in a new legal architecture for climate protection.Over the past 12 months, there have been many more important rulings and tangible changes on climate driven by legal action. Continue reading...

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris agreement. It is also a decade since another key moment in climate justice, when a state was ordered for the first time to cut its carbon emissions faster to protect its citizens from climate change. The Urgenda case, which was upheld by the Netherlands’ supreme court in 2019, was one of the first rumblings of a wave of climate litigation around the world that campaigners say has resulted in a new legal architecture for climate protection.Over the past 12 months, there have been many more important rulings and tangible changes on climate driven by legal action.Rosebank and Jackdaw approval ruled illegalThe year started with a bang when UK government approval of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea was ruled illegal by the Scottish court of session, because it did not account for greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning the extracted fossil fuels.The judgment relied heavily on a 2024 supreme court ruling in a climate case brought by campaigner Sarah Finch. That ruling also led the high court to throw out planning permission for a new coalmine in Whitehaven, Cumbria, after which the company withdrew its plans.The government published new guidance in June on how these assessments should be undertaken, although the ruling does not automatically prevent regulators from approving fossil fuel projects once they have fully analysed their impacts.Equinor published a revised environmental assessment of Rosebank in October and a decision on approval is imminent. The government has hinted that it may give consent again, and Greenpeace has vowed further legal action if that happens.Plans to build Brazil’s largest coal plant scrappedCivil society organisations have been campaigning for years against a coalmine and power plant in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul planned by the coal company Copelmi. If it had gone ahead, it would have been the largest coal plant in Brazil.The groups argued that the Nova Seival plant and Guaíba mine breached Brazil’s climate obligations, and that the licensing process had not been undertaken properly. In 2022, a court suspended the licences and set out requirements for how the process should be revised. But in February this year, Copelmi formally withdrew its plans, saying the project had become unfeasible.German court opens door for climate damages claimsOn the face of it, it sounds like a failure that a German court rejected a climate case brought by a Peruvian farmer and mountain guide against German energy company RWE.Saúl Luciano Lliuya had sought 0.47% of the overall cost of building flood defences to protect his home from a melting glacier, a proportion equivalent to RWE’s contribution to global emissions.But the decade-old case had always been a stretch, and in reality it set a potentially important precedent on polluters’ liability for their carbon emissions.So it was not a surprise when later in the year a group of Pakistani farmers whose livelihoods were devastated by floods three years ago fired the starting shot in a new legal claim against two of Germany’s most polluting companies.EnergyAustralia settles greenwashing lawsuit with parentsIn May, EnergyAustralia settled a greenwashing lawsuit brought by a group of Australian parents.Climate action group Parents for Climate claimed EnergyAustralia breached Australian Consumer Law when promoting electricity and gas products because the carbon offsets used to secure certification were not backed by meaningful reductions in emissions.As part of the settlement, the utility company acknowledged that carbon offsets do not prevent or undo damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions and apologised to 400,000 customers who were part of the scheme.It was the first case in the country to be brought against a company for marketing itself as carbon neutral.International courts issue landmark climate opinionsTwo international courts issued landmark advisory opinions on climate change in July.First was the inter-American court of human rights, which found that there is a human right to a healthy climate and states have a duty to protect it. This was closely followed by the international court of justice, which said countries must prevent harm to the climate system and that failing to do so could result in their having to pay compensation and make other forms of restitution.The two documents are already being referenced in climate lawsuits around the world. And attempts were made to use them as leverage during climate talks in Brazil last month, although this proved more difficult than anticipated.New South Wales coalmine expansion annulledApproval for the largest coalmine expansion in New South Wales was annulled in July because the state’s independent planning commission did not take into account the project’s full greenhouse gas emissions.Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group, working with the Environmental Defenders Office, filed the case in 2023, arguing MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant Optimisation coal mining project near Muswellbrook would worsen climate change and threaten a unique species of legless lizard.The court of appeal said the commission failed to account for “scope 3” emissions when the coal is exported and burned overseas.Apple scales back carbon neutrality claimsIn August, a Frankfurt court ruled that Apple was not allowed to call its Apple Watch “carbon neutral”.It agreed with German NGO Deutsche Umwelthilfe that the company could not demonstrate long-term carbon neutrality because the claim was based on funding eucalyptus groves in Paraguay, leases for which expire soon.Apple is trying to get a similar greenwashing case against it in the US dismissed.A few months later, tech news websites noticed that Apple had stopped marketing its newly launched watches as carbon neutral in other countries too.Hawaii to cut transport emissions after lawsuitLast year, Hawaii agreed to settle a lawsuit by 13 young people, represented by Our Children’s Trust, who said it was breaching their rights with infrastructure that contributes to climate change.The settlement acknowledged the constitutional rights of Hawaii youth to a life-sustaining climate, and the state promised to develop a roadmap to achieve zero emissions for its ground, sea and inner island air transportation systems by 2045.In October, it delivered. The energy security and waste reduction plan includes new electric vehicle chargers, investments in public and active transport, and efforts to sequester carbon through native reforestation. It will be updated annually.Campaigners called the plan a “critical milestone”.Campaigners put end to coal power plant in KenyaEnvironmental campaigners won a key climate case challenging approval of a coal power plant in Lamu, on Kenya’s southern coast, in October.Litigation against Amu Power (a joint venture between Centum and Gulf Energy) and the Kenyan National Environment Management Authority began a decade ago and construction was ordered to stop in 2019.The environment and land court finally upheld a revocation of the plant’s licence because of flaws in the environmental assessment, particularly a lack of proper public participation. Climate change impacts had also not been properly assessed.TotalEnergies ordered to stop greenwashing in FranceLater in the month, TotalEnergies was found to have made false claims about its climate goals in a French court for false claims about its climate goals.Les Amis de la Terre France, Greenpeace France and Notre Affaire à Tous, with the support of ClientEarth, claimed TotalEnergies’s “reinvention” marketing campaign broke European consumer law by suggesting it could reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 while continuing to produce fossil fuels.The Paris judicial court ruled that some claims on the company’s French website were likely to mislead consumers because there was not enough information about what they meant.Meat companies settle greenwashing claimsIn early November, New York agreed a $1.1m settlement with Brazilian meat company JBS’s US arm to end a lawsuit claiming the company misled customers about its efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.The money will be used to support climate-smart agriculture programmes that help New York farmers adopt best practices to reduce emissions, increase resiliency and enhance productivity. JBS USA also agreed to reform its environmental marketing practices and report annually to the New York office of the attorney general for three years.Soon after, Tyson Foods also agreed to stop saying it will reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and marketing beef as climate friendly to settle a greenwashing lawsuit brought by agriculture industry watchdog Environmental Working Group.UK government publishes tougher climate planThe UK government published a revised carbon budget and growth delivery plan in October after its previous plan was ruled unlawful by the high court.The new document reaffirms the UK’s commitment to decarbonise its electricity supply by 2030 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically by 2037, with specific measures for energy, transport, agriculture, homes and industry.It follows a successful lawsuit by the Good Law Project, Friends of the Earth and ClientEarth. After the striking down of the original net zero strategy in court in 2022, the trio argued that the “threadbare” revised version was still not good enough.However, campaigners are planning another round of legal action challenging national climate strategy, this time at the European court of human rights.Three Norwegian oilfields ruled illegalLicences for three oilfields in the North Sea were declared illegal in November by a Norwegian court because they were approved without the full impacts of climate change being considered.The Borgarting court of appeal upheld a claim by Greenpeace Nordic and Natur og Ungdom challenging permission for the Equinor-operated Breidablikk and Aker BP’s Yggdrasil and Tyrving fields.The decision closely followed the European court of human rights’s dismissal of a lawsuit by the same claimants against Norway, which nonetheless set important standards for how states should undertake environmental impact assessments of fossil fuel projects.However, the Borgarting court stopped short of ordering the fields to stop producing oil, giving the Norwegian government six months to sort out the licences.

Agriculture

Feed a goat and other ways to recycle real Oregon Christmas trees

Here are ways experts suggest a post-Christmas trees can be put to good use.

Ready to remove a real Christmas tree from the living room? Consider donating it to feed a goat. The 130-acre Topaz Farm on Sauvie Island will accept trees, stripped of their holiday decorations, 10 a.m.-noon Jan. 3-4, at 17100 N.W. Sauvie Island Road in Portland.Most of the trees dropped off for free at Topaz Farm, however, will be used to make biochar to improve soil health, according to owners Kat Topaz and Jim Abeles.“Bringing the tree to the farm can be a family tradition that gets people outside and keeps trees out of landfills,” said Topaz, who serves as an elected representative for the West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District. While at the farm, visitors can also see and hear sandhill cranes and bald eagles, said Topaz, who also sits on the board of the nonprofit Bird Alliance of Oregon.The trees to be converted into biochar are burned in a kiln at high temperatures to minimize smoke. While still in a charcoal state, they’re extinguished with compost tea. The biochar is then put into fields where it acts like a sponge in the soil, holding water and nutrients in place and storing carbon underground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere, Topaz added. “Combined with compost and cover crops, it helps us grow healthier, more nutrient-dense food,” Topaz said. “It’s a practical example of regenerative farming — taking a material many people consider waste and using it to rebuild the soil."The Oregon Department of Forestry encourages repurposing only Christmas trees grown in the state. Non-native Christmas trees sold at some stores can carry invasive pests.If you suspect there is a bug on an out-of-state Christmas tree, contact the forest department, cut up the tree, place the pieces in plastic bags, and seal them in your garbage can. Do not leave it in the backyard for an extended period or donate it to a group that will use it in a forest or waterway.Environmental groups are authorized to collect cut trees to strategically submerge into creeks to protect young salmon and steelhead from predators, and for wetland restoration work.Biodegradable trees cleared of ornaments, lights, tinsel, wire, nails, spikes, stands, plastic and other non-plant products can also be chipped and used as ground cover at parks.Collecting trees and wreaths after Christmas are fundraising projects for Scout troops and other nonprofits. For a small fee and on specified days, volunteers will pick up greenery set on curbs and driveways outside a home or brought to designated sites.Find Oregon Scout troops at beascout.scouting.org.Garbage collection services accept trees as recyclable yard debris if the tree fits inside the bin and is collected on the regularly scheduled pick-up day. A large tree can be cut up and the debris placed in the bin and picked up over several weeks. Some haulers charge an additional fee for the extra garbage, and some do not accept flocked trees, those sprayed to look snow-covered.Visit Metro’s Find-A-Recycler to determine the closest yard debris recycling facility or seasonal tree recycling event. Send a question, call 503-234-3000 or contact your garbage hauler.Repurpose a treeWishing Well is a family-owned business in Medford sells cut Oregon-grown fresh Christmas Trees.Janet Eastman/The Oregonian/OregonLiveOnce stripped of decorations and non-plant materials, a real Christmas tree can be used in the yard as mulch or a wildlife habitat. Here are ways experts suggest a post-Christmas trees can be put to good use:Make mulch: Cut off the boughs and place them around plants to insulate roots from the cold. Decomposing wood releases nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, improving soil quality and plant growth. Wood chips can also be used to fill in garden paths and reduce weeds.Enhance a compost pile: Bend blogger Linda Ly of Garden Betty suggests cutting the tree into smaller pieces and letting the pile sit until the pine needles have fallen off and the branches are dry and brittle. Then, use these brown materials as a carbon source for a compost bin, as needed.Benefit wildlife: Move the tree in its stand outdoors for the winter, where it can provide food and shelter for wild birds. Hang a bird feeder or suet cage from the branches. Ly wrote that her goats like eating the trees and that putting branches in a chicken run “is a good way to help chickens beat winter boredom.”A fish home: With the pond owner’s permission, sink a tree in a deep pond to become habitats for fish and aquatic insects. In shallow wetlands, trees can act as barriers to sand and soil erosion.Make a trellis: Move the tree to a corner of the yard and in the spring set it up in the garden as a trellis for peas or beans.

Conservation

How the climate crisis showed up in Americans’ lives this year: ‘The shift has been swift and stark’

Guardian US readers share how global heating and biodiversity loss affected their lives in ways that don’t always make the headlines The past year was another one of record-setting heat and catastrophic storms. But across the US, the climate crisis showed up in smaller, deeply personal ways too.Campfires that once defined summer trips were never lit due to wildfire risks. There were no bites where fish were once abundant, forests turned to meadows after a big burn and childhood memories of winter wonderlands turned to slush. Continue reading...

The past year was another one of record-setting heat and catastrophic storms. But across the US, the climate crisis showed up in smaller, deeply personal ways too.Campfires that once defined summer trips were never lit due to wildfire risks. There were no bites where fish were once abundant, forests turned to meadows after a big burn and childhood memories of winter wonderlands turned to slush.We asked Guardian readers to share some of the ways these changes have affected their lives this year, and how they’ve tried to adapt.The Pacific north-west dad: ‘My children have no memories of the winter I grew up with’Growing up near the Puget sound, Heath Breneman remembers his dad shoveling drifts off the roof of his garage and the powder delicately collected in his pant cuffs after a day spent sledding. He recalled how the snowplows would push enormous piles off the parking lot of his elementary school to create the perfect berms for kids to play on. He can still conjure the satisfying crunch of how it sounded under his boots and the thrill of the chill each year that made warmth feel earned.The sun shines over the Space Needle during a record-breaking heatwave in Seattle in 2021. Photograph: Ted S Warren/APNow he’s a father of four, and his kids haven’t felt the same magic. Temperatures have been steadily rising across the region, with averages expected to climb up to 6F annually by midcentury. Scientists have warned that precipitation will increasingly fall as rain rather than snow.“My children have no memories of the winter I grew up with,” Breneman says. “The shift to a true two-season climate the past 20 years has been swift and stark.”He has taken his kids, who now range from their teens to their 20s, places where they can sled, but the enjoyment and life in the moments he associated with winter “is hard to impart”, he says.“There’s a part of the world you can tell them about,” Breneman says. “But it is like the old guy next to the campfire telling us about the lights that used to be in the skies.”The Appalachian trial hiker: ‘There wasn’t any water at all’Maria Martin looked down at the cracked earth with dismay. This was the second dried stream she’d come across on a five-mile stretch of the Appalachian trail, the popular hiking route that stretches across thousands of miles and 14 states that hug the US east coast, where she spent the summer.An overlook near Great Smoky Mountains national park along the Appalachian trail. Photograph: kyletperry/Getty Images/iStockphotoMartin grew up traipsing through the backcountry in the mid-Atlantic, where she says water is typically abundant even in the warmer months. “It is famously very humid and wet,” she says. The concerning conditions stood in sharp contrast to a lifetime of memories of camping in the summers there with her family, filled with sporadic downpours and swimming holes.But on a hot morning last August, “there wasn’t any water at all. It wasn’t even mud – it was just dirt”, she says, recounting how she had to search the woods for a place to fill her empty canisters. “I heard the same thing from hikers heading north or south,” she adds. “There was one section of the trail that had a nearly 30-mile gap between viable natural water sources.”Depleted water sources and spiking temperatures aren’t the only climate extremes that have hindered those attempting the renowned through-hike. Parts of the region are still in recovery from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, a category 4 storm that struck the south-eastern US in September 2024. Last spring, strong storms pummeled the landscapes and flooded low-laying areas, Martin says, leaving behind the perfect habitat to help mosquitoes thrive. Hordes of the bloodsucking buzzers descended on campers for the rest of the summer, she says, sending them scurrying into tents even before the sun set.But by that August morning, pools of water were exceedingly sparse. In the span of a few months working for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Martin experienced the extremes flipping from wet to dry.Lashed by the heat and unsure that there would be other options to hydrate, she decided to double back to an area where she’d spotted an outflow from a nearby beaver pond. It wasn’t an ideal source: The water was tinged with orange and smelled like rotting plants. She filtered it twice.These sharp seasonal shifts are adding urgency to questions about overuse and recreation management in increasingly natural areas. They are also creating new safety issues even for those with much outdoor recreation experience. Water scarcity is a challenge that can turn dangerous quickly for hikers and campers in any environment.“I can handle it being hot,” Martin says. “But when you can’t get water, that’s something else completely.”The gardener whose growing season is shrinking: ‘The plants dry up and die’For the second year in a row, Ky Gress wasn’t able to grow a single squash. A lush home garden fills Gress’s front yard in Sacramento, California, the result of more than a decade of dedication. “Nothing tastes better than perfectly fresh food,” Gress says, adding that she doesn’t use pesticides on her plants and that’s made all the difference.But the seasons in her community are shifting. With them, the windows to grow things that once sprung to life in the warm, dry northern California enclave are narrowing.“We can’t plant in the fall like we used to,” Gress says. “The plants dry up and die.” Sometimes it’s the heat that singes her plants past the point of production. Others, an ill-timed hard freeze limits their potential. Lately, she’s noticed that pollinators are visiting less often, even with the scores of plants meant to entice them that line the perimeter of her garden.To produce the bounty she once enjoyed takes a lot more work and delicate adjustments in timing. She attunes her attention more closely to changing conditions, constantly monitoring soil moisture and sharp spikes or drops in temperature. There’s always a learning curve. Two years ago, her plums were lost to a freeze. Her root vegetables had to be pushed back after summer weather lingered longer. The planting season is growing shorter. “I have had to abandon some plants,” she says.Avocados are now easier to grow in Sacramento due to the changing climate. Photograph: Panoramic Images/Getty ImagesThe area where Gress lives was already hot and dry; now bouts of extreme heat and longer periods without moisture have put pressure on plants. The relief once offered overnight, when warmth tends to soften, is disappearing – lows aren’t as cool as they once were.To expand her garden in changing conditions, Gress has ventured into new varietals, including seeds that are common in northern Africa – cow peas and broad beans, which are drought-tolerant legumes that love warm climates and have thrived in her yard.“We couldn’t grow avocados in Sacramento – now people have 20ft trees,” she says.As the conditions shift, it’s become more challenging to produce what she once did. But she’s leaned into the change, adapting to make the most of what otherwise might be a worrying sign. Even when it’s harder, it is always worth it.“This is what we need, for kids to know the wonder of the garden,” she says.The wildlife enthusiast mourning the loss of biodiversity: ‘Every year there are less butterflies’Tim Goncharoff has always loved wildlife. “From deer to birds to the smallest creepy-crawlies,” he says.Starting when he was a very little boy, Goncharoff would venture into the world to marvel at the butterflies and the birds, all the growing things and the bugs on the ground. “I thought they were all wondrous miracles and I couldn’t get enough of it,” he says.Over his 70 years, he’s witnessed the brilliant abundance of life in the world around him grow quieter.“I think a lot of this is about the arc of a long life,” he says, “but I have noticed year by year, that there aren’t so many butterflies. There aren’t so many birds. The variety of species has diminished.”Roughly 1 million species are threatened with extinction, according to a 2019 assessment from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, including roughly 40% of amphibians and a third of reef-forming corals, marine mammals and sharks.A monarch butterfly in Vista, California. The species has seen a massive decline from the millions of monarchs that once clustered in the state. Photograph: Gregory Bull/APInsects – considered the bedrock to biodiversity and the foundation of most ecosystems on earth – are in rapid decline. About 80% of insect species have yet to be identified and some are disappearing before they can be named.The Smith’s blue butterfly, which once flourished along the California coast where Goncharoff spent much of his life, has been listed as endangered.Goncharoff dedicated his years fighting to protect things that were endangered, working as an environmental planner for the city of Santa Cruz, and he says there was always a sense that they were losing ground despite the effort. He hasn’t quit, even though he’s now mostly retired.He loves to spend afternoons near his home on the Suisun marsh, where the fresh rushing waters of the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta that flood into the salty San Francisco Bay provide habitat for scores of creatures that live on shores and sea.“I love to go down and watch the migrating herons and egrets and cranes and ducks and geese – it’s just marvelous,” he says. But even along the largest marsh remaining on the west coast, there have been severe declines. “There are times you’d expect to see them and they just aren’t there.”The animals and plants that he marveled at throughout the years are fading, he says. Goncharoff hasn’t seen a bluebird in years. There are far fewer butterflies.“I do feel a sense of loss and a feeling of mourning,” Goncharoff says. “But I am determined not to get caught up in that.”For Goncharoff, the change he’s seen among the landscapes he loves is a call to action.“There is a lot of damage baked into the system now, but we still have a chance to limit that,” he says. “There’s a lot of good work to be done to keep things from getting worse.”

Crisis

20 stories of Oregonians who inspired us in 2025

From a 16-year-old chess grandmaster to a bus driver who thwarted a hijacking, these Oregonians made remarkable impacts in their communities this year.

Among the accomplishments of elementary and high school students, business owners, professional athletes and artists, The Oregonian/OregonLive journalists had no shortage of inspirational stories to tell in 2025. This year, we celebrated remarkable Oregonians such as Rosie Lanenga, Oregon’s Kid Governor, who championed climate change awareness, and Manny Chavez, who courageously addressed the impact of immigration enforcement on his community. We also highlighted the philanthropic efforts of athletes such as Blake Wesley, who exemplified compassion through his outreach, and artists like Aaron Nigel Smith, who brought history to life with his folk opera. These stories reflect the resilience and creativity that define Oregon, reminding us all of the potential for positive change in our communities. Here are some of the Oregonians who inspired us to be kinder, braver, determined and selfless in 2025. Woman Grandmaster Zoey Tang at the Portland Chess Club.Samantha Swindler/ The OregonianZoey TangAt just 16 years old, Zoey Tang made history as Oregon’s first woman grandmaster in chess, a prestigious title awarded by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE). During her junior year at Westview High School in Beaverton, Tang’s achievement was remarkable in a field where only about 500 players worldwide hold the woman grandmaster title, out of approximately 350,000 active FIDE-rated players, Samantha Swindler reported in January. Tang, who held a rating of 2306 and was a FIDE Master in January, aims to achieve the open grandmaster title within the next four years. She is also the Oregon state champion, competing successfully against players of all genders and ages. Beyond her competitive success, Tang founded Puddletown Chess, a nonprofit aimed at increasing participation among young players, particularly women and those from underrepresented backgrounds. Her journey reflects a commitment to not only excel in chess but also to foster a more inclusive community in the game.2025 Kid Governor Rosie Lanenga poses for a photo at the Oregon Capitol on Thursday, January 16, 2025, in Salem.Vickie Connor/The OregonianRosie LanengaOregon’s 2025 Kid Governor, Rosie Lanenga, made climate change her top priority this year when she stepped into her role. Elected by her peers from across the state as a fifth-grader last school year, the student from Portland’s Riverdale Grade School was sworn in at the Oregon State Capitol alongside her cabinet members in January, Samantha Swindler reported. Lanenga emphasized the importance of addressing climate change, stating, “I want Oregon to stay as beautiful as it is right now, and climate change is affecting that.”As part of her campaign, Lanenga introduced her A.C.T. plan, which encourages individuals to take action at home, hold discussions about reducing carbon footprints and share knowledge with others. With aspirations of becoming a lawyer and a passion for politics, Lanenga engaged with state leaders throughout her yearlong term. Her commitment to environmental advocacy highlights the potential of young leaders to influence positive change in their communities.Mike Perrault, a TriMet bus driver, faced an armed man on his bus in January of this year.SubmittedMike PerraultTriMet bus driver Mike Perrault displayed extraordinary bravery during a harrowing 12-minute hijacking of his Line 4 bus in Portland on Jan. 29. With nearly a decade of experience, Perrault faced an armed man who forced him to drive through the streets of Old Town. Despite the life-threatening situation, he remained calm and focused on de-escalating the tension, assuring the hijacker that he would be safe on the bus.“I told him that while he was on my bus, he’d be safe. He could give me the gun or he could put it down, but while he was on the bus, I wouldn’t let anything happen to him,” Perrault told reporter Zane Sparling.Perrault successfully persuaded the gunman to surrender his weapon, allowing Perrault to toss it out the window and escape the bus unharmed. Perrault’s quick thinking and composure under pressure garnered widespread praise, highlighting the resilience and dedication of public transit workers in the face of danger. Anthony and Marlie Love on their trip to Coos Bay. Photo courtesy of Traveling While Black.Traveling While BlackAnthony and Marlie LoveAnthony and Marlie Love, a Seattle-based couple originally from Missouri, are making waves in the travel community as advocates for Black travelers in the Pacific Northwest. Through their YouTube channel, “Traveling While Black,” they provide essential resources and insights, including a unique Black comfortability rating system for various destinations. Earlier this year, the Loves appeared on the Peak Northwest podcast in February to discuss their Oregon coast trip, where they highlighted local Black history and the importance of safe travel experiences. Although they are from Washington, their mission extends beyond state lines, aiming to foster inclusivity and understanding in travel. With over 170 episodes under their belt, the Loves are inspiring a new generation of travelers to explore the region while acknowledging its historical context and promoting a welcoming environment for all.Jenn LockwoodJenn Lockwood, training supervisor at the Mt. Hood Meadows Learning Center, is the face of Mt. Hood Meadows’ She Shreds program, which empowers women in the skiing and snowboarding communities. Featured on a March episode of Peak Northwest, Lockwood discussed how the program offers both camps and clinics designed to create a supportive environment for women to learn and develop their snowsport skills together.The She Shreds initiative encourages participants to leave their egos behind, fostering a sense of camaraderie and community among skiers and snowboarders. Many women who join the program go on to form lasting connections, continuing to shred together long after the clinics conclude. Lockwood’s insights highlight the transformative power of community and empowerment in sports, making She Shreds a vital resource for aspiring female skiers and snowboarders.Sprague High's constitution team team of two, Matthew Meyers, in red sweater, and Colin Williams, in black shirt, hold hands with each other and members of the Lincoln High School constitution team while they wait to find out if both teams made it into the final rounds of the national civics education competition We the People.Courtesy of the Lincoln High constitution teamMatthew Meyers and Colin WilliamsA two-student civics team from Salem’s Sprague High School, with no history of national wins and far fewer resources than their competitors, delivered one of Oregon’s most improbable academic victories this year, Julia Silverman reported in April. Seniors Matthew Meyers and Colin Williams stunned judges and peers alike at the national We the People Constitution competition, mastering the same exhaustive constitutional law, history and casework typically divided among teams of 20 to 30 students. Working largely on their own — supported by their social studies teacher and fueled by marathon research sessions — the pair advanced from regionals to state, then shocked the field by reaching the national finals. They initially emerged as sole national champions before a scoring correction elevated Portland’s powerhouse Lincoln High School into a shared title. The result: an unexpected, “can’t-make-this-up” co-championship that returned the trophy to Oregon.In Venezuela, Nava Ulacio planned to be a civil engineer. Moving to the United States allowed her the opportunity to pursue her music dreams.Allison Barr/The OregonianSofia Nava UlacioSofia Nava Ulacio, a 21-year-old Venezuelan immigrant, graduated from Portland Community College with a perfect 4.0 GPA and a full scholarship to Lewis & Clark College, Eddy Binford-Ross reported in June. In 2022, Nava Ulacio arrived in Oregon unable to speak English, having fled political unrest in Venezuela. To overcome language barriers, she immersed herself in school activities, using Google Translate for her coursework and joining the jazz band, theater and choir. At PCC, she excelled in her music studies, founded a choir club, and now teaches music at Backbeat Music Academy. Nava Ulacio leads the Sofi Nava Trio, performing Latin and contemporary music. She aims to inspire other female Latin musicians and views her music as a connection to her roots, honoring her family’s sacrifices and her cultural heritage.Jamie Breunig leads a one-woman community paramedic program in Clackamas County focused on providing medical care to people living outside.Beth NakamuraJamie BreunigAs Clackamas County’s sole community paramedic, Jamie Breunig delivers medical care, treating patients where they live, even if that means beside a tent or in a motel room. Since the county launched its community paramedic program in October, Breunig has provided medical care or case management to more than 110 unhoused residents, aiming to improve health outcomes while reducing costly 9-1-1 calls, ambulance transports and emergency room visits.Funded by the regional homeless services tax, the $200,000 program reflects a growing recognition that unsheltered people cannot be ignored and that emergency rooms are often the wrong place for basic care, reported Lillian Mongeau Hughes in June. A veteran paramedic and former foster youth, Breunig builds trust with patients who are often deeply distrustful of institutions, helping manage chronic illness, prevent medical crises and, at times, reconnect people to housing, family and hope.Instructors Anna Schneider and Karen Ceballos demonstrate moves for attendees to follow.Allison Barr/The OregonianQueer Baile leadersThroughout the year, the leaders of Queer Baile broke gender norms and fostered community through free Latin dance lessons. Founded by Lydia Greene in 2019, Queer Baile offers inclusive, nongendered classes that celebrate the joy of dance while creating a welcoming space for all. “The space feels way less intimidating than a lot of dance scenes can feel,” Karen Ceballos, a bachata instructor, told me in June.With a focus on cumbia and bachata, the group has seen attendance soar, transforming from a small gathering at a local bar to a vibrant community event at the White Owl Social Club. Volunteer instructors, including Sarah Arias and Kylie Davis, emphasize the importance of consent-based dancing, allowing anyone to lead or follow, regardless of gender.Oregon Representative Thủy Trần has created a new play, “Belonging: A Memoir,” based on the events of her life. Jamie Hale/The OregonianThủy TrầnIn August, state Rep. Thủy Trần shared her journey as a Vietnamese refugee in a one-night theatrical performance titled “Belonging: A Memoir,” which marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. The show at the Winningstad Theatre recounted Trần’s escape from Vietnam at age 9 and her path to becoming an Oregon legislator. Co-created with actor Libby Cozza, the production featured a nearly all-Vietnamese cast and three actresses portraying Trần at different life stages. Funded by a $10,000 grant, the project aimed to benefit local organizations, including Portland Public Schools’ Vietnamese Dual Language program, Megan Robertson reported in July. Trần described the experience as a challenge to be vulnerable and authentic, showcasing her remarkable journey from refugee to state representative.Tim Cook, the president of Clackamas Community College, poses at Portland Community College's Sylvania campus on Aug. 1, 2025. He ran more than 1,400 miles around Oregon to raise money for students' basic needs.Allison Barr/The OregonianTim CookClackamas Community College President Tim Cook achieved an extraordinary feat by running 1,400 miles across the state, raising over $127,000 to support students facing basic needs. On this 52-day journey, Cook visited all 17 of Oregon’s community colleges while highlighting food insecurity and homelessness among students, wrote reporter Maddie Khaw in August.Running roughly a marathon each day and wearing through six pairs of shoes, Cook’s determination shone through. He said witnessing students living in cars and struggling to access food sparked the fundraising campaign to provide essential resources to help students stay in school. Cook’s journey not only raised over $177,000 for community college student basic needs but also drew attention to the urgent need for systemic solutions to support students in crisis across Oregon.Marcus Lattimore poses for a photo on the steps outside the Portland Playhouse, a performing arts theater in Northeast Portland. Sean Meagher/The OregonianMarcus LattimoreMarcus Lattimore, a former football star and standout running back at the University of South Carolina, has reinvented himself as a poet in Portland, finding new purpose and identity through spoken word. After a knee injury cut his football career short, Lattimore turned to poetry as a means of expression, exploring complex themes of race, culture and personal growth.Now performing at open mic nights and engaging with the local theater community, Lattimore is making waves in Portland’s arts scene. He has since published a book of verse and continues to expand his work through teaching and performance, marking a significant shift from the career that once defined him, Bill Oram reported in September.Shantae Johnson and Arthur Shavers announce the official reopening of Multnomah County's CROPS farm Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025.Austin De Dios / The OregonianShantae Johnson and Arthur ShaversShantae Johnson and Arthur Shavers, a Portland couple with deep roots in the Black farming community, have transformed Multnomah County’s CROPS Farm into a vital food hub for East Portland, wrote Austin De Dios in September. Their journey began with a small garden at their condo, which ignited their passion for horticulture and led them to leave their careers to pursue farming full-time. Officially reopened on Aug. 27 after five years of development, the 3-acre farm now distributes fresh produce to around 200 families weekly and offers training and support for Black, Indigenous and people of color who are farmers. With a commitment to community, Johnson and Shavers aim to expand their services and create a local food hub in Gresham, where they recently acquired a 5-acre property. Oregon Army National Guard Physician Assistant Maj. Tommy Vu looks up during his world record attempt for most chest-to-ground push-ups at West Coast Strength gym in West Salem on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025.U.S. Army National Guard photo by Maj. W. Chris ClyneTommy VuMajor Tommy Vu of the Oregon Army National Guard set a remarkable new world record for the most chest-to-ground pushups in September, completing an impressive 1,721 repetitions in one hour at West Coast Strength gym in West Salem. Vu’s achievement, which surpasses the previous record of 1,530 pushups, marks his sixth world record, Sean Meagher reported.The 38-year-old Vu maintained a steady pace using a metronome set to 2.1 seconds per repetition during the grueling hour. Vu donated $1 to the Oregon Humane Society for every pushup completed, totaling $1,721, in memory of his in-law’s beloved dog. Looking ahead, Vu is already preparing to reclaim the chest-to-ground burpee record, previously held by him."York the Explorer‘s" book and music were composed by Grammy-nominated producer Aaron Nigel Smith.Image courtesy of The ReserAaron Nigel SmithAaron Nigel Smith, a Portland-based composer and producer, made waves through his folk opera, “York the Explorer.” The show premiered in late October as part of the inaugural York Fest, honoring the legacy of York, the only Black member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Smith was inspired to create the opera after a bust of York in Mount Tabor Park sparked renewed interest in his remarkable story, which has often been overlooked in history.“It’s just a story of hope, perseverance and courage,” Smith told me in September. “I think not only Black and brown people around the world, but all people can really benefit and learn and grow from knowing this story.”With a commitment to amplifying York’s contributions, Smith has dedicated two years to researching and composing this significant work. The opera not only aims to educate audiences about York’s historical impact but also serves as a platform for fostering community engagement and awareness of Black history in Oregon. Through his artistic vision, Smith is helping to ensure that York’s legacy is celebrated and remembered for generations to come.Mary E. Brunkow poses for a portrait after winning a Nobel Prize in medicine for part of her work on peripheral immune tolerance, in Seattle, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)APMary E. BrunkowMary E. Brunkow, a molecular biologist and graduate of St. Mary’s Academy in Portland, in October was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for her groundbreaking research on peripheral immune tolerance. This prestigious award recognizes her significant contributions to understanding how the immune system distinguishes between harmful pathogens and the body’s own cells, a discovery crucial for developing treatments for autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes and lupus. Brunkow, now a senior program manager at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, shares this honor with fellow researchers Fred Ramsdell and Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi. Their collaborative work has unveiled critical pathways that regulate immune responses. Emily Purry surfing in Costa Rice during a Surf Bikini Retreat. Photo courtesy of Emily Purry and Surf Bikini Retreat.Surf Bikini RetreatEmily PurryEmily Purry, a blind surfer from Oregon, entered the world of adaptive surfing at the age of 40, transforming her life and advocating for inclusivity in outdoor sports. After being encouraged to compete, Purry quickly made waves, earning a spot on Team USA Para Surfing just weeks after her first competition in Japan. Despite the challenges of navigating international travel alone and adapting to her sight loss from Stargardt’s macular degeneration, Purry’s resilience shines through. Surfing has not only restored her confidence but also helped her reconnect with her identity, she told Peak Northwest podcast listeners in November, when she discussed her participation in the ISA World Competition in Oceanside, California. Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Chavez, a teenager from Hillsboro, offers an emotional testimony on the toll of immigration enforcement at a city council meeting on November 4, 2025.The OregonianEmmanuel ChavezEmmanuel “Manny” Chavez, a 16-year-old from Hillsboro, captured national attention with his November testimony about the impact of immigration enforcement on his family and community. Speaking at a Hillsboro City Council meeting, Chavez expressed his fears for his parents’ safety amid escalating ICE detentions, stating, “I shouldn’t be scared. I should be focusing on school.” His heartfelt remarks resonated with many, leading to over 3.4 million views after a local newspaper shared the video on social media.Chavez, a junior at Hillsboro High School, was inspired to speak out after witnessing the detention of friends’ family members, wrote Gosia Wozniacka in November. In the wake of a sharp increase in ICE arrests in Oregon, he has taken action by launching an online fundraiser to support families affected by these enforcement actions, raising over $8,000 in just two days. Community members and leaders have praised his courage, with his soccer coach highlighting his admirable leadership and solidarity.The 15th annual Tatas for Toys raised over $60,000 for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.Allison Barr/The OregonianTatas for Toys performersIn December, exotic dancers and burlesque performers in Portland became unlikely champions for children in need through the annual Tatas for Toys fundraiser. Over the past 14 years, the event has raised $183,000 worth of toys for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, Samantha Swindler reported in December. The 15th annual event added another $60,000 to that total. Founded by Aaron Ross, the event evolved from a small toy drive at Dante’s nightclub into a theatrical extravaganza featuring dance, magic, and live auctions. The performers not only entertained but also actively engaged the audience, encouraging donations to support the hospital’s Child Life Therapy Program, which helps children cope with hospitalization through play and creative activities. Portland Trail Blazers guard Blake Wesley poses for photos during the NBA basketball team's media day in Portland, Ore., Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)APBlake WesleyBlake Wesley, a player for the Portland Trail Blazers, displayed his commitment to philanthropy during a recent Christmas Eve encounter with a homeless man named Dave. After finding his favorite sneaker store closed, Wesley spontaneously invited Dave to share a meal, treating him to gyros and donuts from Voodoo Doughnut, wrote Joe Freeman in December. Wesley said the encounter reflected his deep-rooted belief in helping those in need, a value instilled in him by his parents.Wesley is not only known for his generosity on the streets but also through his nonprofit, The Wesley Legacy Foundation. The foundation focuses on empowering youth and their families, offering free basketball camps and community support initiatives. Recently, it hosted the “Warm a Heart for the Holidays” event in South Bend, where hundreds of children received new coats. Faith and cultural connectionsThe Oregonian/OregonLive receives support from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to bring readers stories on religion, faith and cultural connections in Oregon. The Oregonian/OregonLive is solely responsible for all content.

Culture

It’s easy to feel powerless about climate chaos. Here’s what gives me hope

I’ve spent six years writing about environmental justice. The uncomfortable truth is that we’re not all in it together – but people power is reshaping the fightIt’s been another year of climate chaos and inadequate political action. And it’s hard not to feel despondent and powerless.I joined the Guardian full time in 2019, as the paper’s first environmental justice correspondent, and have reported from across the US and the region over the past six years. It’s been painful to see so many families – and entire communities – devastated by fires, floods, extreme heat, sea level rise and food shortages. But what’s given me hope during these six years of reporting as both an environmental and climate justice reporter are the people fighting to save our planet from catastrophe – in their communities, on the streets and in courtrooms across the world. Continue reading...

It’s been another year of climate chaos and inadequate political action. And it’s hard not to feel despondent and powerless.I joined the Guardian full time in 2019, as the paper’s first environmental justice correspondent, and have reported from across the US and the region over the past six years. It’s been painful to see so many families – and entire communities – devastated by fires, floods, extreme heat, sea level rise and food shortages. But what’s given me hope during these six years of reporting as both an environmental and climate justice reporter are the people fighting to save our planet from catastrophe – in their communities, on the streets and in courtrooms across the world.I have always tried to use a justice and equity lens in my journalism on the causes, impacts and solutions relating to the climate crisis. For me, that has meant telling the stories of people who are often ignored or sidelined despite their lived experience and expertise – especially Indigenous people, protesters, activists and local communities fighting back. I have also tried to examine how the climate crisis intersects with – and often exacerbates – other forms of inequity, such as economic inequality, racism, misogyny, land struggles and unequal access to housing and healthcare. The uncomfortable truth is that we are not all in this together. We didn’t all contribute to the climate crisis equally, we’re not all feeling its impacts equally and we don’t all have equal access to resources that might help us cope with or even solve it.In my final piece for the Guardian, I salute the grassroots organizers, scientists, health workers, Indigenous peoples, students and youth activists, peasant farmers, human rights experts and journalists taking on governments and corporations. The climate justice movement scored major victories in 2025, and it has shown us that ordinary people power can – and is – dismantling the status quo.People power is reshaping the climate fight“While the majority of states and businesses try to continue doing business as usual, we’re starting to see cracks in that inertia as the power of the people has helped to give light to what is not working – and identify the actual actions that we need,” said Astrid Puentes Riaño, the UN special rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.Despite the UN climate negotiations in Belém failing to agree, yet again, to phase out fossil fuels, Cop30 did establish the first-ever just transition mechanism (JTM), a plan to ensure that the move to a green-energy economy is fair and inclusive and protects the rights of all people, including workers, frontline communities, women and Indigenous people.Activists perform the death of fossil fuels at Cop30 in Belém, Brazil, on 15 November. Photograph: Pablo Porciúncula/AFP/Getty ImagesWhile far from perfect, the JTM was agreed only after years of civil society organising, including impossible-to-ignore protests during Cop30. The mechanism represents an important step in putting people at the centre of climate policy after decades of technocratic fixes, according to Puentes.There were also encouraging signs that a growing number of states – from the global south and north – have had enough of the inertia and obstructionism blocking meaningful action, and are prepared to stand with affected communities and go their own way.Colombia and the Netherlands, backed by 22 nations, will independently develop a roadmap to fossil fuel phaseout, beginning with a conference in April 2026 in the coal port city of Santa Marta, Colombia. The plan is for states, cities, affected communities and health, science, human rights and other experts to share experiences and best practices, and implement policy ideas outside the snail-paced, consensus-based Cop process.This parallel fossil-fuel roadmap initiative could establish regional solutions and a trading bloc with the power to sanction nations – and financial institutions – that continue to support fossil fuels.Elisa Morgera, the UN special rapporteur on climate change and human rights, said the new alliance could be the gamechanger. “We now have a sizeable group of states from all regions who want to engage in good faith and make progress on phasing out fossil fuels and cannot wait any longer for the Cop process,” she said.“It is so important for people around the world to see that there is political will and political power to advance this, and to see what it looks like, as there is a big gap in imagination. We’ve been so bombarded by climate disinformation from fossil fuel companies that it is hard to imagine what our life would be like without them, but there are examples of cities, towns and communities doing it.”An Indigenous group blocks an entrance to Cop30, on 14 November in Belém. Photograph: André Penner/APBoth Colombia and the Netherlands were pushed hard by ordinary people to do the right thing.In 2023, Colombia, a major fossil fuel producer with fierce, well-organized climate and social justice movements, signed on to the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty that now includes 18 countries, 140 cities and subnational governments, the World Health Organization, more than 4,000 civil society organisations and more than 3,000 scientists and academics.It was this civil society-led initiative that first created a blueprint to halt new fossil fuel projects and manage an equitable phaseout of coal, oil and gas.“Many political leaders are captured by fossil fuel interests or lack the courage to challenge them, while developing countries are held back by the rich world’s failure to deliver finance and technology anywhere near a fair share,” said Harjeet Singh, a veteran climate activist and strategic adviser to the non-proliferation treaty. “That’s why movements are indispensable watchdogs – naming the polluters, exposing greenwashing and demanding the funds, timelines and protections workers and communities need to transition with rights and dignity.”And change can be contagious. After mounting protests and litigation by Indigenous communities and environmental groups over Brazil’s expansion of oil and gas projects in the Amazon, Cop30 president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced the first step toward a national fossil fuel phaseout roadmap. Still, head-spinning contradictory policies are all too common among states lauded as climate leaders – and Brazil also recently passed the so-called “devastation bill”, which critics warn will accelerate deforestation in the Amazon.Courts are becoming a frontline for climate justiceFailure to transition away from fossil fuels is a violation of international law, according to an international court of justice (ICJ) ruling in July 2025, alongside multiple other international courts and tribunals.The ICJ advisory opinion, which was initiated by Pacific Island law students, confirmed what communities had argued in courts around the world for a decade. Governments have a whole host of legal duties arising as a result of the climate crisis, including phasing out fossil fuels and regulating polluting corporations.The landmark ruling by the highest court in the world can be traced back to a 2015 lawsuit when the Netherlands became the first state ordered to take stronger climate action, in a case brought by 900 Dutch citizens and the Urgenda Foundation, an environmental group.Solomon Islands youth climate activist Cynthia Houniuhi speaks during public hearings of the UN’s international court of justice (ICJ) on defining countries’ legal obligations to fight climate change, in the Hague, Netherlands, in 2024. Photograph: Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters“In just 10 years, climate litigation has evolved from a handful of complaints before domestic courts to a global accountability system recognised by the highest international courts and tribunals,” said Dennis Van Berkel, legal counsel at the Urgenda Foundation, in a recent report by the Climate Litigation Network. “That transformation was built case by case, country by country. Some judgments failed, but each contributed – refining arguments, strengthening alliances, raising public awareness and laying the groundwork for those that followed.”A recent judgment in South Africa halted a major internationally funded offshore gas and oil project opposed by coastal communities and environmental groups. The government has paused all other new oil and gas proposals, pending an appeal.“Access to justice and litigation is the most peaceful way to advance and help states and businesses to correct mistakes, make the right decision and advance climate action. It’s not that litigation solves everything, but it’s a very important piece in order to advance the systemic changes that we need,” Puentes of the UN said.Indigenous knowledge points the way forwardFor thousands of years, Indigenous peoples have lived in respectful harmony with the planet – using, not exploiting, natural resources from our forests, seas, rivers and land. In addition to this vast ancient knowledge, we have 21st-century tools and technologies, and innovative grassroots and regional solutions that together should be the heart of global efforts to tackle the climate crisis.Next year, like every year, it will fall on ordinary people to harness their immense power through the courts, protests, multilateral spaces and the ballot box to ensure climate-impacted communities and human rights become the centre of negotiations and climate action.“If we wait for Cop31 to save us, we have already surrendered,” said Raj Patel, a research professor at the University of Texas and author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System.“The test is not whether diplomats can craft better language in Antalya [in Turkey] next year, but whether farmers’ movements, Indigenous movements and climate movements can generate enough political pressure to make governments fear inaction more than they fear confronting corporate power.”

A polycrisis has shattered our world this year. But with care, we can put it back together | Elif Shafak

The challenges and strains have been almost too much to take. But in 2025, words of depth and courage have been an antidote to numbnessI once saw a young glassblower in Istanbul, still new to his craft, shatter a beautiful vase while taking it out of the furnace. The artisan master standing by his side calmly nodded and said something that I still think about. He told him: “You put too much pressure on it, you kept it unbalanced and you forgot that it, too, has a heart.”The year we are leaving behind has been plagued from the start by a series of social, economic, environmental, technological and institutional challenges, all happening with such speed and intensity that we are yet to fully comprehend their impact on our lives, let alone on future generations. As the overwhelming strain of domestic and geopolitical changes continues to build up, I cannot help but remember the man’s words. Too much pressure. Unstable, uncertain and replete with deep inequalities. This could well be the year we forgot that the Earth, too, has a heart. It definitely feels like the year when the world was broken. Continue reading...

I once saw a young glassblower in Istanbul, still new to his craft, shatter a beautiful vase while taking it out of the furnace. The artisan master standing by his side calmly nodded and said something that I still think about. He told him: “You put too much pressure on it, you kept it unbalanced and you forgot that it, too, has a heart.”The year we are leaving behind has been plagued from the start by a series of social, economic, environmental, technological and institutional challenges, all happening with such speed and intensity that we are yet to fully comprehend their impact on our lives, let alone on future generations. As the overwhelming strain of domestic and geopolitical changes continues to build up, I cannot help but remember the man’s words. Too much pressure. Unstable, uncertain and replete with deep inequalities. This could well be the year we forgot that the Earth, too, has a heart. It definitely feels like the year when the world was broken.In 2024, to be fair, many of the current problems were already present and growing. But there was also a strong wave of positive expectations and public excitement as more than 1.6 billion people went to the polls. It was a time of unparalleled concentrated democratic activity full of promises, incautious confidence, passionate speeches and fiery oratory. Many voters were keen to express their anger and discontent, and express it they did. The mammoth year of elections revealed the importance of not only the ballot box, but also of the surrounding democratic institutions and norms. Language matters. How we talk to each other matters. Democratic decline always starts with words. When political opponents are treated as “enemies”, or even worse “enemies of the people”, the whole system suffers.Compared with that, the past 12 months have been marked by an emotional and intellectual fatigue for many people across different borders. What we are used to calling “the liberal international order” no longer carries weight. Deeply fractured and unable to hide its cracks, it is coming apart. The housing crisis, the lack of affordable rents and equal opportunities, and social and economic injustices have all eroded trust. Meanwhile, climate breakdown, AI threats and risks to pluralism, the possibility of another pandemic, and increasing militarism and jingoism alongside shifting alliances have contributed to the sense that the system that emerged from the ruins of the second world war has come to an end. As we close the first quarter of the century under the shadow of a new nuclear age, uncertainty is everywhere.In 2025, divisions have sadly deepened. At a time when humanity is faced with immense global challenges, we have been pushed further into boxes of “us v them”.An Afghan girl carries drinking water in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August 2025. Experts have warned that the city could become the first in the world to completely run out of water. Photograph: Samiullah Popal/EPAAn existential anxiety affects and drains many of us – east, west, north and south. Young and old. Perhaps some people are better at hiding their emotions than others, but when we look underneath polished social media facades of happy and fulfilled lives, we can see that anxiety is actually widespread. Fear. Frustration. Enervation. A new word has been coined to define the zeitgeist: “polycrisis”. The worst thing we can do, individually and collectively, is to allow ourselves to descend into numbness. To become desensitised to the pain and suffering of others: in Gaza, in Sudan, in Ukraine. This is why good and honest journalism matters all the more today. Many pieces published in the Guardian this year not only showed a remarkable depth and breadth, but also helped us to remain engaged and connected. In that sense, they are an antidote to numbness.There were sentimental moments this year, too. In the UK, we cried again over the Sycamore Gap tree and the senseless, meaningless hatred displayed by two men, convicted this year, who decided it would be fun to cut down something that had brought joy to so many for so long. It is interesting that the human sentimentality that we were allowed to display in response to the death of a beloved tree was denied to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, when she was caught on camera crying in the Commons. The media and social media coverage was rather sexist. Amelia Gentleman wrote a coruscating piece asking why women’s workplace tears are regarded as a source of shame. Delving into another emotionally difficult subject, Polly Toynbee wrote courageously on the assisted dying debate, underlining how a decent life can end in a decent death.One of the most poignant and important pieces published this year was co-written by Malak A Tantesh and Emma Graham-Harrison about the despair of parents and grandparents in Gaza watching their children and grandchildren with skeletal bodies, so malnourished that they have become vulnerable to all kinds of horrible diseases: “We have faced hunger before, but never like this.” Dan Sabbagh composed an article about Ukraine that highlighted the devastating consequences of the occupation and war for ordinary families, with one person stating: “We never thought the war would come to our village.” Amplifying human stories can help to dismantle the cold and elitist rhetoric that treats people as sheer numbers.Oasis perform during their reunion tour in Melbourne in October 2025. Photograph: Joel Carrett/EPAA recent report revealed that Kabul could soon become the first modern city to completely run out of water, with all the aquifers drying up as early as 2030. More than 6 million people live in Afghanistan’s capital. In the UK, there is a growing public resentment and anger against water companies that keep pumping sewage into our rivers. Meanwhile, rivers are dying elsewhere, with the Middle East and north Africa being home to seven out of the 10 most water-stressed nations. The climate crisis is the story of water and the ones who disproportionately bear the brunt are always women, children and tpoor people.There were some moments of light. Even small miracles, such as the reunion of Oasis. We have seen a heartwarming rise in book clubs and reading parties. Unexpectedly, in this time of hyperinformation and fast consumption, many young people are taking up traditional hobbies. It feels as if the faster our world spins, the more urgent and universal our need to slow down, to connect, to think, to care.In Argentina recently, an 18th-century painting called Portrait of a Lady that was stolen from a Jewish art collector by the Nazis was recovered after being spotted on an estate agent’s listing. She looks at us calmly, the woman in the portrait, in her flower-embroidered dress; she who has seen too many atrocities but is still resilient and full of life. As always, art, culture and literature offer us a sanctuary, a home, a sense of togetherness. Glassblowers remind us that even the worst shattered glass can be melted, resculpted and revived. It all begins with an honest recognition of what remains broken and a willingness to mend.

Crisis

Water

New laws in 2026 target climate change, drunken driving

A slate of new laws will go into effect in states across the country beginning Jan. 1. From Hawaii imposing a tax on tourists to address conservation, to California raising its minimum wage by $0.40 an hour, 2026 will bring a host of policy changes. Here is what to know about four state laws that take effect in the new year. Hawaii launches “Green Fee” Hawaii is raising its Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) from 10.25 to 11 percent starting on Jan. 1. The TAT is imposed on those operating tourist accommodations, as well as travel brokers, agents and tour packagers. The 0.75-percent increase, which Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) dubbed the “Green Fee,” is expected to generate roughly $100 million in additional annual revenue for environmental stewardship, climate resilience and sustainable tourism projects. Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism reported that over 9.6 million individuals visited the islands in 2023, an increase of 4.6 percent from 2022. Meanwhile, recovery in Lahaina, on the island of Maui, is ongoing in the wake of the deadly 2023 wildfires there. “As an island chain, [Hawaii] cannot wait for the next disaster to hit before taking action. We must build resiliency now, and the Green Fee will provide the necessary financing to ensure resources are available for our future,” Green said in June, upon signing the increase into law. Utah tightens restrictions on drunk drivers In Utah, courts will be able to prohibit individuals convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) from purchasing alcohol starting on Thursday. That is thanks to H.B. 437, which Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed into law in March. The law allows judges to designate an individual convicted of extreme DUI as an “interdicted person.” Under the law, those guilty of extreme DUI are defined as individuals with a blood or breath alcohol content of 0.16 or higher, more than triple the state’s legal limit. From 2022 to 2023, DUI charges and alcohol-related crashes and fatalities in Utah decreased from 908 to 847 and from 69 to 47, respectively, according to the state’s Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice. Texas establishes AI standards In the Lone Star State, lawmakers set a uniform standard regarding artificial intelligence (AI) with the Responsible AI Governance Act. H.B. 149, which Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed in June, prohibits the use of AI to produce sexually explicit content or child pornography, obtain biometric data without an individual’s consent and manipulate human behavior — specifically inciting or encouraging self-harm. Texas joins over a dozen states with laws regulating AI. Debate over whether to leave AI governance to states or to impose a federal standard has split the GOP, as the Trump administration and House Republican Leadership have backed a federal preemption of state AI laws. California boosts minimum wage California employers will be required to pay their workers at least $16.90 per hour starting Jan. 1, establishing a 40-cent increase for the minimum wage. The rise was calculated by the California Department of Finance, which is mandated by law to adjust the state’s minimum wage based on inflation. The increase applies to hourly workers, as well as salaried employees who do not receive overtime pay. Starting in 2026, minimum-wage salaried employees in the Golden State will make $70,304, an increase from $68,640 previously. As of April 2024, the fast-food employees in California had to be paid at least $20 an hour, while health care workers also have a higher minimum wage that adjusts for inflation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Conservation