Articles
On Monday night, more than 200 activists tuned into a “rapid response” Zoom call organized by the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA. It was a chance to regroup after a rollercoaster week where it looked as though a DSA-authored climate bill might make it through the state legislature. The …
The expansion of liquefied natural gas export terminals in the United States — up to 25 projects currently underway — could end up emitting more than 90 million tons of greenhouse gases in a year, according to the Environmental Integrity Project, a non-profit that analyzed state and federal permits. That figure is roughly equivalent to …
Liquefied natural gas business is booming. But at what cost to the climate? Read More »
This story was originally published by The Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Almost 2,000 times more particle pollution is produced by tire wear than is pumped out of the exhausts of modern cars, tests have shown. The tire particles pollute air, water, and soil and contain a wide range of toxic organic …
Car tires produce vastly more particle pollution than exhausts, tests show Read More »
When companies want to cut their electricity emissions, they have a few different options. They can install rooftop solar panels on their factories and stores. They can sign long-term contracts with developers to buy power from new solar or wind farms nearby. Or they can opt for a much cheaper, easier alternative — buying “renewable …
Companies are reporting cleaner electricity. Researchers say it’s a mirage. Read More »
In February, the White House Council on Environmental Quality released the beta version of a screening tool meant to identify “disadvantaged” communities across the U.S. The release was part of the Biden administration’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to send at least 40 percent of the benefits of government spending on infrastructure, clean energy, and other …
Three open questions about Biden’s new environmental justice tool Read More »
In January, a poll commissioned by the ocean conservation nonprofit Oceana showed that 82 percent of Americans would support a ban on the sale and distribution of single-use plastics by the National Park Service. Now, that vision will become a reality. The Department of the Interior, or DOI, has announced a phaseout of single-use plastics …
Interior Department to phase out single-use plastics on all public lands Read More »
For those hoping to slow the halt of climate change, aviation often seems like a near-intractable problem. Roughly 115,000 flights take off and land around the world every day, accounting for 3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. A single passenger flying from San Francisco to London is responsible for around 1 metric ton of …
Aviation can meet Paris targets — if it makes massive changes Read More »
As the heavy rainfall of Hurricane Harvey thundered down on the Texas Gulf Coast at the end of August 2017, the roof on a massive ExxonMobil storage tank “partially sank.” The collapse caused the facility to release more than 185,000 pounds of pollutants, including carcinogenic compounds like benzene. That same week, Harvey damaged storage tanks …
How 60-year-old weather data is flooding Texas with pollution Read More »
This article is part of Ask Umbra’s guide on How to Build a Flood-Resilient Community. When scientists say climate change will bring flooding, most people think of big coastal cities: New Orleans, New York, Newport News. They picture TV coverage of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, crashing waves and blown-away beaches. But across the U.S., flooding is …
This article is part of Ask Umbra’s guide on How to Build a Flood-Resilient Community. Imagine you’re moving from Tampa, Florida, to Dallas, Texas. You own a house in Tampa, but you’re changing jobs, so you put the house on the market. Soon, potential buyers start showing up. You tell them about the nice neighborhood, the …
Is there a moral obligation to disclose that your house has flooded? Read More »