Search results

The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) across the Bay Area has brought a small but steady decrease in carbon dioxide emissions to the region, a new study has found. Using an air quality monitoring network set up in the area more than a decade ago, scientists documented a 2.6 percent annual decline in vehicle emissions...

A new report raises concerns about the feasibility of storing carbon dioxide underground in Louisiana, given the state's high number of abandoned oil and gas wells.Nicholas Kusnetz reports for Inside Climate News.In short:Louisiana, leading in proposed carbon storage projects, grapples with the risk posed by 120,000 abandoned wells.Experts worry these wells could leak stored carbon dioxide, undermining efforts to combat climate change.The state's capability to oversee this complex issue is questioned, amidst fears of insufficient regulatory measures.Key quote:"It’s not a question of whether they’re going to leak. It’s a question of how much, how often, and whether it’s an acceptable level of leakage."— Able Russ, director of the Center for Applied Environmental ScienceWhy this matters:Despite its potential, carbon capture and storage faces challenges, including high costs, energy requirements for the capture and compression process, and the need for robust monitoring systems to ensure the CO2 remains securely stored.In 2021, more than 500 environmental and community groups called on United States and Canadian leaders to abandon efforts to capture carbon emissions from fossil fuels and work harder to curb fossil fuel use in the first place.

Tourism to Yellowstone National Park produces 1.03 megatons — more than 1.03 billion kilograms, or 2.3 billion pounds — of carbon dioxide emissions each year, a new study has found. Almost 90 percent of these emissions can be linked to transportation to and from the destination, according to the study, published on Wednesday in PLOS Climate....

Scientists at Tufts University state that soil, which contains 80 percent of the Earth’s carbon, emits more greenhouse gases as droughts cause soils to crack...

New technology could lead to batteries that store energy and capture CO2, offering a significant advancement in environmental technology. Efficient and cheap batteries that can...

The Energy Department plans to award up to $6 billion across 33 projects to wring carbon dioxide from heavy industries like metals, chemicals, and cement.Why it matters: It's the "single largest industrial decarbonization investment in American history," DOE boss Jennifer Granholm told reporters.Industrial processes create roughly a fourth of U.S. CO2 emissions — and even close to a third — depending on how you slice the national pie.It's also the Biden administration's latest in a multi-pronged effort to tame domestic carbon emissions.State of play: The projects are funded largely through the Democrats' 2022 climate law, with some cash from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, too.They would together provide yearly emissions cuts that match the annual CO2 output of 3 million gasoline-powered cars, the agency estimates.It's a federal cost-share with companies, so officials see over $20 billion in total investment.Monday's announcement also touts efforts to use union labor and tackle environmental justice — both key Democratic policy priorities.Data: Rhodium Group; Chart: Axios VisualsThe big picture: Making heavy industries climate-friendly is a tough nut to crack, as these sectors often need massive energy inputs and extremely high heat. And unlike the electricity system, a similarly large CO2 source, solutions are often lacking at commercial scale.Zoom in: Examples of the 33 projects include...Converting a Constellium aluminum plant in West Virginia to use furnaces that can run on cleaner fuels including hydrogen.Installing a CO2 capture and storage system at a Heidelberg Materials cement plant in Indiana.Slashing process heat emissions from Kraft Heinz facilities in nine states by using various electrification technologies.Yes, but: These are initial decisions subject to more grant negotiations. And if funded, a project faces "go/no-go" decision points at various phases, where the agency weighs progress and community benefits.What's next: Officials hope this spurs use of cleaner tech in these industries more widely — in the U.S. and worldwide."The solutions that we are funding are replicable, and they're scalable," Granholm said.

The cutting-edge companies he’s promoting face a struggle: hiring enough people to fill those jobs.

Researchers want to use the ultrafine rock particles left by eroding glaciers — called “rock flour” — to suck climate-warming carbon from the air.

Now Playing | The Carbon Chronicles: Who owns the air? The Carbon Chronicles is an experimental animated visualisation of the build-up of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses has radically altered the Earth’s atmosphere. It is a collaboration between artists from the Manifest Data Lab and scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. The animation maps from the industrial revolution to the present day the regions contributing most to the climate crisis, which can be traced through the stalagmite growths representing CO2 emissions growing out from the different countries. Beginning with the UK in the 1750s, emissions from coal start enveloping the planet, other regions soon follow. By the late 1800s through to the current period, growing industrial and extraction activity in the Global North is responsible for 92% of CO2 with 8% coming from the Global South. The spread of CO2 described in the animation mirrors the wider historic processes of power distribution visited on poorer countries and shows that the atmosphere is as contested a space as the territories beneath it. The work describes a living breathing planet, under the pressure of human produced exhalations of CO2. It attributes responsibility in ways that can inform the need for equitable solutions to the climate crisis that are mindful of the historic consequences of carbon exploitation and its impacts. The Carbon Chronicles informs the need for equitable solutions to the climate crisis that are mindful of the historic consequences of carbon exploitation to ask: Who Owns the Air?

Now Playing | Joep van Dijk is a passionate climate scientist. He likes to search for extreme examples that show how life can be lived sustainably. This documentary follows Joep on his CO2-neutral journey from Amsterdam to the United States of America and shows how this choice inspires himself and others to live a climate conscious life.

AgForce is seeking a judicial review of a 2022 decision that found the project did not need to be assessed under federal environmental lawsSign up for the Rural Network email newsletterJoin the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the communityQueensland farming body AgForce has launched legal action against the federal government in a bid to stop liquified carbon dioxide from being pumped into the Great Artesian Basin.The Carbon Transport and Storage Corporation (CTSCo), a subsidiary of mining giant Glencore, is awaiting state government approval for a pilot scheme to inject Co2 emitted by a coal-fired power station in southern Queensland into underground water aquifers as part of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project trial.Sign up to receive Guardian Australia’s fortnightly Rural Network email newsletterSign up for the Rural Network email newsletterJoin the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the community Continue reading...

The climate benefits of trees storing carbon dioxide is partially offset by dark forests’ absorption of more heat from the sun, and compounds they release that slow the destruction of methane in the atmosphere, the research shows.

Past Presentation | Permafrost, an icy expanse of frozen ground covering one-quarter of the Northern Hemisphere, is thawing. As it does, microscopic animals are waking up and feeding on the previously frozen carbon stored in plant and animal remains, releasing heat-trapping gases as a byproduct. These gases warm the atmosphere further, melting more permafrost in a dangerous feedback loop. With permafrost containing twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, its thaw could release 150 billion tons of carbon by the end of the century. Subtitled in 23 languages and narrated by Richard Gere, Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops is a series of five short films, featuring twelve leading climate scientists, that explores how human-caused emissions are triggering nature’s own warming loops. We submit the five shorts to your festival (total 57:44) for screening of any or all of the films. The film series had its official launch with the Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg and world-renowned scientists in a webcast, “The Dalai Lama with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists: A Conversation on the Crisis of Climate Feedback Loops. ”While scientists stay up worrying about this most dangerous aspect of climate change, the public has little awareness or understanding of feedback loops. Climate change discussion at all levels of society largely leaves out the most critical dynamic of climate change itself. It is urgent we remedy this. The first film in the series, Introduction (13:09), provides an overview of the feedback loop problem. The four other short films explore important climate feedback mechanisms: Forests (14:10), Permafrost (10:55), Atmosphere (8:45) and Albedo (10:35).Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are warming the planet. This warming is then setting in motion dozens of feedback mechanisms, which then feed upon themselves, as well as interact with each other and spiral further out of control. These processes are rapidly accelerating climate change. An example of a climate feedback loop is the melting of the permafrost. In the Northern Hemisphere, permafrost makes up nearly 25% of the landmass. As heat-trapping emissions warm the Earth, this frozen tundra is melting. As it does, large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane are released, which further warm the planet, melting more permafrost in a self-perpetuating loop. Human activity kicks off these feedback loops, but once set in motion, they become self-sustaining. The danger is that this process reaches a tipping point beyond which it is extremely difficult to recover. This is why it is urgent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so we can slow, halt and even reverse these feedbacks and cool the planet.

Rural Latino communities are divided about the project, which would capture carbon from an oilfield and power plant — and allow an oil company to keep operating as the state struggles to slash greenhouse gases.

Past Presentation | The world’s forests are responsible for removing a quarter of all human carbon emissions from the atmosphere and are essential for cooling the planet. But that fraction is shrinking as the three major forests of the world—tropical, boreal, and temperate—succumb to the effects of climate feedback loops. The resulting tree dieback threatens to tip forests from net carbon absorbers to net carbon emitters, heating rather than cooling the planet. Subtitled in 23 languages and narrated by Richard Gere, Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops is a series of five short films, featuring twelve leading climate scientists, that explores how human-caused emissions are triggering nature’s own warming loops. We submit the five shorts to your festival (total 57:44) for screening of any or all of the films. The film series had its official launch with the Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg and world-renowned scientists in a webcast, “The Dalai Lama with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists: A Conversation on the Crisis of Climate Feedback Loops.” While scientists stay up worrying about this most dangerous aspect of climate change, the public has little awareness or understanding of feedback loops. Climate change discussion at all levels of society largely leaves out the most critical dynamic of climate change itself. It is urgent we remedy this. The first film in the series, Introduction (13:09), provides an overview of the feedback loop problem. The four other short films explore important climate feedback mechanisms: Forests (14:10), Permafrost (10:55), Atmosphere (8:45) and Albedo (10:35).Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are warming the planet. This warming is then setting in motion dozens of feedback mechanisms, which then feed upon themselves, as well as interact with each other and spiral further out of control. These processes are rapidly accelerating climate change. An example of a climate feedback loop is the melting of the permafrost. In the Northern Hemisphere, permafrost makes up nearly 25% of the landmass. As heat-trapping emissions warm the Earth, this frozen tundra is melting. As it does, large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane are released, which further warm the planet, melting more permafrost in a self-perpetuating loop. Human activity kicks off these feedback loops, but once set in motion, they become self-sustaining. The danger is that this process reaches a tipping point beyond which it is extremely difficult to recover. This is why it is urgent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so we can slow, halt and even reverse these feedbacks and cool the planet.

A new analysis method reveals that fish and invertebrate animals are significantly more impacted by warmer and more acidic seawater than previously understood, according to...

Now Playing | China’s economic development and rapid urbanization has led to a dramatic rise in energy consumption due to excessive heating and air-conditioning causing carbon emissions of immense proportions. China’s government has set the ambitious target of reducing CO2 emissions by 40–45% by 2020 against the 2005 baseline. A UK/China-funded team working on how to solve the problem in some of the most extreme climate regions in China. The team discovers groundbreaking solutions using computational-fluid-dynamics simulations.

Supporters say developing hydrogen as a fuel is critical to slowing climate change. Critics are concerned that producing it with fossil fuels will prop up the oil and gas industry.

Despite its environmental reputation, California emits more of a climate-warming pesticide than all other states combined, mostly from termite fumigation.

Longer growing seasons and increased pollen production driven by climate change could be aggravating your seasonal allergy symptoms

The Biden administration finalized a rule on Wednesday that’s expected to make a significant amount of the new car market electric or hybrid. An administration official told reporters Tuesday that under the new rule, 56 percent of the new vehicles on the market in 2032 could be battery electric, while an additional 13 percent could...

The regulations would require automakers to produce more electric vehicles and hybrids by gradually tightening limits on tailpipe pollution.

Past Presentation | The reflectivity of snow and ice at the poles, known as the albedo effect, is one of Earth’s most important cooling mechanisms. But global warming has reduced this reflectivity drastically, setting off a dangerous warming loop: as more Arctic ice and snow melt, the albedo effect decreases, warming the Arctic further, and melting more ice and snow. The volume of Arctic ice has already shrunk 75% In the past 40 years, and scientists predict that the Arctic Ocean will be completely ice-free during the summer months by the end of the century. Subtitled in 23 languages and narrated by Richard Gere, Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops is a series of five short films, featuring twelve leading climate scientists, that explores how human-caused emissions are triggering nature’s own warming loops. We submit the five shorts to your festival (total 57:44) for screening of any or all of the films. The film series had its official launch with the Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg and world-renowned scientists in a webcast, “The Dalai Lama with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists: A Conversation on the Crisis of Climate Feedback Loops. ”While scientists stay up worrying about this most dangerous aspect of climate change, the public has little awareness or understanding of feedback loops. Climate change discussion at all levels of society largely leaves out the most critical dynamic of climate change itself. It is urgent we remedy this. The first film in the series, Introduction (13:09), provides an overview of the feedback loop problem. The four other short films explore important climate feedback mechanisms: Forests (14:10), Permafrost (10:55), Atmosphere (8:45) and Albedo (10:35).Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are warming the planet. This warming is then setting in motion dozens of feedback mechanisms, which then feed upon themselves, as well as interact with each other and spiral further out of control. These processes are rapidly accelerating climate change. An example of a climate feedback loop is the melting of the permafrost. In the Northern Hemisphere, permafrost makes up nearly 25% of the landmass. As heat-trapping emissions warm the Earth, this frozen tundra is melting. As it does, large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane are released, which further warm the planet, melting more permafrost in a self-perpetuating loop. Human activity kicks off these feedback loops, but once set in motion, they become self-sustaining. The danger is that this process reaches a tipping point beyond which it is extremely difficult to recover. This is why it is urgent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so we can slow, halt and even reverse these feedbacks and cool the planet.

Past Presentation | Global warming is altering Earth’s weather patterns dramatically. A warmer atmosphere absorbs more water vapor, which in turn traps more heat and warms the planet further in an accelerating feedback loop. Climate change is also disrupting the jet stream, triggering a feedback loop that brings warm air northward, and causes weather patterns to stall in place for longer. Subtitled in 23 languages and narrated by Richard Gere, Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops is a series of five short films, featuring twelve leading climate scientists, that explores how human-caused emissions are triggering nature’s own warming loops. We submit the five shorts to your festival (total 57:44) for screening of any or all of the films. The film series had its official launch with the Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg and world-renowned scientists in a webcast, “The Dalai Lama with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists: A Conversation on the Crisis of Climate Feedback Loops. ”While scientists stay up worrying about this most dangerous aspect of climate change, the public has little awareness or understanding of feedback loops. Climate change discussion at all levels of society largely leaves out the most critical dynamic of climate change itself. It is urgent we remedy this. The first film in the series, Introduction (13:09), provides an overview of the feedback loop problem. The four other short films explore important climate feedback mechanisms: Forests (14:10), Permafrost (10:55), Atmosphere (8:45) and Albedo (10:35).Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are warming the planet. This warming is then setting in motion dozens of feedback mechanisms, which then feed upon themselves, as well as interact with each other and spiral further out of control. These processes are rapidly accelerating climate change. An example of a climate feedback loop is the melting of the permafrost. In the Northern Hemisphere, permafrost makes up nearly 25% of the landmass. As heat-trapping emissions warm the Earth, this frozen tundra is melting. As it does, large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane are released, which further warm the planet, melting more permafrost in a self-perpetuating loop. Human activity kicks off these feedback loops, but once set in motion, they become self-sustaining. The danger is that this process reaches a tipping point beyond which it is extremely difficult to recover. This is why it is urgent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so we can slow, halt and even reverse these feedbacks and cool the planet.

Past Presentation | Fossil fuel emissions from human activity are driving up Earth’s temperature—yet something else is at work. The warming has set in motion nature’s own feedback loops which are raising temperatures even higher. The urgent question is: Are we approaching a point of no return, leading to an uninhabitable Earth, or do we have the vision and will to slow, halt, and reverse them? Subtitled in 23 languages and narrated by Richard Gere, Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops is a series of five short films, featuring twelve leading climate scientists, that explores how human-caused emissions are triggering nature’s own warming loops. We submit the five shorts to your festival (total 57:44) for screening of any or all of the films. The film series had its official launch with the Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg and world-renowned scientists in a webcast, “The Dalai Lama with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists: A Conversation on the Crisis of Climate Feedback Loops. ”While scientists stay up worrying about this most dangerous aspect of climate change, the public has little awareness or understanding of feedback loops. Climate change discussion at all levels of society largely leaves out the most critical dynamic of climate change itself. It is urgent we remedy this. The first film in the series, Introduction (13:09), provides an overview of the feedback loop problem. The four other short films explore important climate feedback mechanisms: Forests (14:10), Permafrost (10:55), Atmosphere (8:45) and Albedo (10:35).Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are warming the planet. This warming is then setting in motion dozens of feedback mechanisms, which then feed upon themselves, as well as interact with each other and spiral further out of control. These processes are rapidly accelerating climate change. An example of a climate feedback loop is the melting of the permafrost. In the Northern Hemisphere, permafrost makes up nearly 25% of the landmass. As heat-trapping emissions warm the Earth, this frozen tundra is melting. As it does, large amounts of carbon dioxide and methane are released, which further warm the planet, melting more permafrost in a self-perpetuating loop. Human activity kicks off these feedback loops, but once set in motion, they become self-sustaining. The danger is that this process reaches a tipping point beyond which it is extremely difficult to recover. This is why it is urgent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so we can slow, halt and even reverse these feedbacks and cool the planet.

Past Presentation | A film about our love affair with carbon.

A new analysis concludes that unless California almost triples its rate of cutting greenhouse gases, the state won't meet its 2030 climate change target. Some emissions were rising.

Past Presentation | Carbon Nation is an optimistic, solutions-based, non-preachy, non-partisan, big tent film that shows tackling climate change boosts the economy, increases national & energy security and promotes health and a clean environment.

Past Presentation | A compelling documentary about the collision of climate change, the desperate search for firewood, dirty water, and the burdens placed on women and girls. The film has provoked environmental and green film audiences in Durban, South Africa at the COP-17 meetings, to the Planet in Focus Film Festival in Toronto, where it won "Best International Short." It has also been selected to screen at the Colorado Environmental Film Festival and is being considered to become part of the program at Rio+20

Past Presentation | Meet Allen Williams, Gabe Brown and Neil Dennis - heroes and innovators! These ranchers now know how to regenerate their soils while making their animals healthier and their operations more profitable. They are turning ON their soils, enabling rainwater to sink into the earth rather than run off. And these turned ON soils retain that water, so the ranches are much more resilient in drought. It’s an amazing story that has just begun.

Now Playing | Planet Earth - a brief history - depicting the evolution of the planet from the Hadean period to the Anthropocene period. An evolutionary history of life on Earth. The Earth has undergone constant change in its 4.54 Billion year history with life evolving in response to those changes - in particular to the changing atmospheric compositions of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Species extinction has been a natural part of the evolutionary process of the planet however there are now thought to have been at least 8 mass extinction events in the history of the Earth - each of major consequence to life on the planet and of import to our modern understandings of climate change. This 6 minute animation has been created by paleoartist Bruce Currie and has been commissioned by the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum – Bathurst.

Leaks of heat-trapping methane – about 3% of gas produced in US – cost $9.3bn yearly in climate damage, but the problem is fixableUS oil and natural gas wells, pipelines and compressors are spewing three times the amount of the potent heat-trapping gas methane as the government has determined, causing $9.3bn in yearly climate damage, a new comprehensive study calculates.But because more than half of these methane emissions are coming from a tiny number of oil and gas sites, 1% or less, this means the problem is both worse than the government has determined but also fairly fixable, said the lead author of a study in the journal Nature. Continue reading...

Like the rest of us, the Environmental Protection Agency seems to have noticed that cars are an increasingly rare sight on American roads, having been rapidly displaced by seemingly ever-larger trucks and SUVs. In its impact analysis of the agency’s new tailpipe emissions standards, a final version of which was unveiled this week, the EPA considers its own role in killing the sedan.The issue, the EPA analysis says, may have been the “attribute-based GHG standards for light-duty vehicles,” which first applied to new cars released in 2012. While federal regulators had distinguished between passenger and “non-passenger” vehicles since the 1970s, this Obama-era change amended U.S. corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards such that vehicles would be held to different emissions standards based on their size—specifically, the vehicle’s wheelbase multiplied by its track length (width). This meant that larger cars—those classified as light trucks—would be held to less stringent standards than passenger vehicles. What might sound like a wonky bureaucratic tweak has dramatically changed how Americans drive.In less than a decade after that change took effect—between 2012 and 2021—the EPA found that the percentage of new vehicle sales classified as passenger cars and those classified as light trucks has essentially flipped. In 2012, 64 percent of new vehicle sales were classified as passenger vehicles, while 34 percent were classified as light trucks. By 2021, light trucks accounted for 63 percent of sales while passenger vehicles accounted for 37 percent of sales. “Sedans have largely been replaced with taller vehicles such as truck-like sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and crossover utility vehicles (CUVs),” the agency writes. Pickup trucks’ share of new cars sales jumped from 10 to 16 percent over the same period. During that time, the overall average footprint of new cars grew by more than 5 percent.American autos aren’t bigger because consumers have suddenly embraced off-roading, the construction trades, or home improvement projects. They’re bigger because automakers want to escape regulations. Each manufacturer is required to comply with boutique greenhouse gas emissions standards, which are calculated based on the size and capabilities of the cars in their fleets. Smaller cars are held to different standards than larger cars. So are those with specialty features like all-wheel drive or large towing capacities. By changing the makeup of their fleets, in other words, car companies can change the standards to which they’re held. Those greenhouse gas emissions targets are measured in grams of carbon dioxide or its greenhouse gas equivalent per mile.As the EPA points out in its impact analysis, carmakers’ shift to larger vehicles has undermined the effectiveness of EPA regulations. The recent, rapid growth in car size, the agency writes, “has permitted compliance under higher numerical standards.” As a result of the increased average footprint of cars, automakers in 2021 could emit eight more grams per mile than in 2012. The EPA had projected the rules it implemented that year would result in average targets that were 22 grams per mile lower than those that were actually in place in 2021. And it therefore projected its 2012 rules would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3.5 percent per year from 2012 through 2021. Instead, the agency found it reduced emissions by about 2 percent per year.The EPA—which did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication—seems aware of the sweeping, unintended consequence of changing the way that cars are classified. I’ll be writing soon about the ways its new tailpipe emissions rules do and do not address that challenge. On its own, though, the agency’s analysis of how dramatically its policies have shaped the way Americans drive should serve as a cautionary tale for just how influential even the most boring regulatory shifts can be when it comes to long-term emissions.

A new UN report finds that our problematic relationship with electronic trash is worsening, but solvable

For two years, Australia had a carbon price. Now we have a shadow price which won’t be paid by any emitter.

In Maryland, discussions intensify over ending subsidies for trash incineration, with advocates urging action before a legislative deadline.Aman Azhar reports for Inside Climate News.In short:Maryland faces pressure to end public subsidies for trash incineration due to environmental and health concerns.Trash incinerators emit harmful pollutants, worsening air quality and health conditions like asthma in nearby communities.Legislation aims to remove trash incineration from the state's renewable energy credit system, with advocates hoping for gubernatorial support.Key quote:“... once I learned that I was funding this pollution through my utility bills, I became extremely upset because it felt I was paying for my demise.”— Shanae Thomas, community activist and residentWhy this matters:When garbage is burned, it doesn't simply disappear. Instead, the process transforms solid waste materials into gas and ash. This transformation releases various pollutants into the air, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and even forever chemicals such as PFAS.

Past Presentation | A short documentary about the 2009-2010 Miss South Pacific Pageant in Suva, Fiji that tackles climate change, rising sea levels, and a beauty pageant. Contestants from all the major Pacific Island Nations implore audiences to reduce global carbon emission lest their island homes will be lost to rising seas.

This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Meeka Outlaw spent most of her childhood growing up in a South Philadelphia rowhouse that was essentially sandwiched between an oil refinery and an electrical power plant. Less than a mile north of her home on Latona Street, there’s the […]

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa school district adopted electric buses, heralding a new era of eco-conscious school transportation.Daniel Cusick reports for E&E News.In short:A Minnesota tribal school district becomes an early beneficiary of the Biden administration's Clean School Bus Program, transitioning to electric buses.The electric buses are seen as aligning with the tribe's values of environmental stewardship and as a teaching tool for students.Concerns remain about electric vehicles' performance in extreme climates, a challenge for the rural, colder regions where the buses will operate.Key quote:“Ultimately, we think this fits with the direction we’re going on sustainability, and the fact that we want to be attuned to clean energy and the natural environment.”— Tim Lutz, Red Lake School District superintendentWhy this matters:Electric buses contribute to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike diesel buses, which emit a considerable amount of carbon dioxide—a potent greenhouse gas—electric buses operate on electricity, substantially cutting down the pollutants released into the atmosphere. Expanding electric vehicle access will help improve air quality and mobility in low-income communities plagued by environmental racism.

The acquisition of Aera Energy by California Resources Corporation poses a significant challenge for the state's new legislation aimed at managing orphan wells.Joe Fassler reports for DeSmog.In short:California's largest gas producer, CRC, plans to merge with Aera Energy, potentially becoming the primary holder of idle oil and gas wells.New state law AB 1167 requires companies to secure bonds for the decommissioning of such wells, putting the merger under scrutiny.The enforcement of AB 1167 is uncertain, raising concerns about future environmental hazards and financial burdens on taxpayers.Key quote:"We have to put some kind of brakes on this slow-moving crisis, and we are now presented with a very significant opportunity to do that."— Ann Alexander, director of energy solutions at the NRDCWhy this matters:Addressing the orphan well problem requires coordinated efforts between governments, environmental organizations, and the oil and gas industry. Orphan wells can leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas, contributing to climate change. Methane's ability to trap heat in the atmosphere far exceeds that of carbon dioxide in the short term, making these emissions particularly concerning for global warming.Abandoned oil and gas wells leave the ocean floor spewing methane.

In a rapidly evolving energy sector, Germany's solar panel manufacturers are navigating a competitive landscape shaped by low-priced Chinese imports and stringent U.S. trade policies, even as the demand for renewable energy sources surges.Melissa Eddy reports for The New York Times.In short:Germany, once a pioneer in solar energy production, now struggles against China's dominating low-cost production and U.S. protectionist measures.German manufacturers advocate for government incentives to sustain the industry, emphasizing the environmental and reliability benefits of local production.Europe's heavy reliance on imported solar panels has intensified debates about trade protectionism and the future of domestic manufacturing in the renewable energy sector.Key quote:“While other countries such as the United States and China are strongly promoting the establishment and scaling up of solar gigafactories, the German government has yet to take concrete action.”— The German Solar AssociationWhy this matters:On one hand, the availability of inexpensive Chinese solar panels has been a boon for the solar installation sector, contributing to a surge in solar energy adoption by making it more financially accessible to a broader population. However, this pricing disparity has put pressure on American and European manufacturers, who argue that they are at an unfair disadvantage due to China's state-backed subsidies and lower labor costs.With solar leading the way, clean energy capacity growth is helping the planet avoid billions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

California's extensive use of sulfuryl fluoride for termite fumigation not only poses health risks but also significantly contributes to the state's greenhouse gas emissions.Phil McKenna and Liza Gross report for Inside Climate News.In short:The pesticide sulfuryl fluoride, used in California for termite control, is a potent greenhouse gas.Despite its climate impact, the state has resisted including these emissions in its greenhouse gas inventory.Health risks include severe respiratory, neurological issues, and even death upon exposure to sulfuryl fluoride.Key quote:"This is a greenhouse gas that is not being treated as a greenhouse gas and has sort of slipped under the radar."— Dylan Gaeta, environmental health and engineering researcher at Johns Hopkins UniversityWhy this matters:Despite its efficacy in exterminating termites, the environmental cost of using sulfuryl fluoride is significant. It has a high global warming potential, meaning it is capable of trapping a large amount of heat in the Earth's atmosphere over a specific period, much more so than carbon dioxide over the same time frame. Its long atmospheric lifetime further compounds the issue, allowing it to remain in the atmosphere for decades and continue to exert its warming effect.Cities and counties are increasingly banning toxic pesticides—and some are taking aim at fertilizers. But industry attempts to buck local efforts remain a significant hurdle.

A new study, led by UCL scientists in collaboration with experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, reveals that giant sequoia trees, when introduced to...

A new study indicates that plant-based polymers can degrade within a seven-month period. Microplastics are tiny, nearly indestructible fragments shed from everyday plastic products. As...

While the International Space Station (ISS) was traveling more than 262 miles over the South Atlantic Ocean, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to station’s...

A study led by the University of Barcelona warns of the oil resources that should not be exploited to meet the commitments of the Paris...

Nine states this week sued the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over a rule that makes publicly traded companies disclose some climate-related information to potential investors. The lawsuit, led by the state of Iowa, comes after 10 states separately sued the SEC over the rule last week. The rule in question requires publicly traded companies...

Automakers back the tighter emissions regulation, which climate advocates welcome but feel "falls far short of what is needed."

"Argentina's certification approach relies on a silvopastoral system"

At the Green Propulsion Laboratory in Italy, scientists are trying to harness natural organisms to rehabilitate the environment. Photographer Luigi Avantaggiato explores

Carbon schemes are touted as a way to transfer billions in climate finance to the developing world – but people at the Kariba project in Zimbabwe say most of the profits never arriveIn the districts surrounding Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, most people have little idea their villages were at the centre of a multimillion-dollar carbon boom. Punctuated by straw-thatched mud houses, the Miombo woodlands on the edge of the enormous artificial lake are mostly home to smallholder farmers. The gravel roads are full of potholes; cars are infrequent, as are medical facilities and internet connections. Data on the region is patchy, but Hurungwe district, that covers a number of the villages has an average poverty rate of 88%.These communities fall within the vast, lucrative Kariba conservation project, encompassing an area almost the size of Puerto Rico. It is among the largest in a portfolio of forest offsetting schemes approved by Verra, the world’s largest certifier. Since 2011, this project alone has generated revenue of more than €100m (£85m) from selling carbon credits equivalent to Kenya’s 2022 national emissions to western companies, according to now-deleted figures published by the project developer. Proponents say these schemes are a quick way of transferring billions of dollars of climate and biodiversity finance to the developing world through company net zero pledges. Continue reading...

The new rule is not a ban on gas cars. Here’s how it works.

Twenty Democratic state attorneys general on Monday filed a motion in defense of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) oil and gas methane rule, following a lawsuit against the rule by Republican AGs. Twenty-four GOP states, led by Oklahoma’s Gentner Drummond, sued over the rule last week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District...

Coming Soon | Mr. Aes Gener is a greedy mega-entrepreneur in the energy business. Through his story we get into the dirty business he has done in Chile and the world with coal, while we see, through archival footage, the damage to people and nature of this obsolete and polluting fossil fuel.

The first commercial timber sales of the Penn Butte and Late Mungers wildlands are scheduled to begin May 15. Thousands of acres of land have already been logged under these Oregon projects, inspiring protests in the community.

In the process of converting plants into fuel, the initial phase — decomposing the plant material — has consistently posed the greatest challenge. Recent research...

Environmental advocacy group the Sierra Club is suing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), arguing the agency’s new rule doesn’t give investors the full truth about a company’s climate risks. The Sierra Club and the Sierra Club Foundation, represented by Earthjustice, filed the lawsuit Wednesday, joining a growing list of states that have filed challenges to the...

Gas platforms in the area are among the oldest offshore oil and gas operations in the countryFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe offshore oil and gas regulator is investigating after an undersea gas pipeline ruptured off the Victorian coast, causing a visible “sheen” on the ocean’s surface.The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (Nopsema) confirmed it received a notification about a potential spill from ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso on Saturday morning.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge belongs to the planet. And we can still save it.