Climate Change
Start-up Hopes ‘Super’ Poplar Trees Will Suck Up More CO2
A start-up called Living Carbon is planting millions of “photosynthesis enhanced” poplar seeds across the U.S. with the aim of providing carbon credits
Stories by E&E News
Climate Change
15 Million People Are at Risk from Bursting Glacial Lakes
At least 15 million people worldwide live in the flood paths of lakes that form as mountain glaciers melt and that can abruptly burst their banks
Climate Change
Rainmaking Experiments Boom Amid Worsening Drought
Scientists and companies are scrambling to find new ways to squeeze more rain from the skies as climate change intensifies drought
Natural Disasters
Disasters Displaced More Than 3 Million Americans in 2022
More than three million adults were forced to evacuate their homes in the U.S. in the past year because of hurricanes, floods and other disasters, according to the Census Bureau
Climate Change
A Climate Scientist Is Evaluating the U.S.’s Spy Programs
President Joe Biden named an expert on paleoclimatology to a White House intelligence panel
Climate Change
War, Politics, Business Make Meeting 1.5 Degrees C Target Unlikely
The transformative social change needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius isn’t happening fast enough, experts say in a new report
Climate Change
More Airports to Use Greener ‘Glide’ Approach to Landing
A growing number of U.S. airports are trying swoop landings rather than staircase descents, a method that saves fuel, cuts emissions and reduces noise
Climate Change
AI Predicts Warming Will Surpass 1.5 C in a Decade
New research from artificial intelligence projects that global warming will hit the threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius somewhere between 2033 and 2035
Renewable Energy
China Invests $546 Billion in Clean Energy, Far Surpassing the U.S.
China accounted for nearly half of the world's low-carbon spending in 2022, which could challenge U.S. efforts to bolster domestic clean energy manufacturing
Conservation
One Third of the Amazon Has Been Degraded by Human Activities
A pair of studies raise concerns that the Amazon rain forest may be approaching a point of no return
Renewable Energy
Making the Entire U.S. Car Fleet Electric Could Cause Lithium Shortages
Converting the existing U.S. car fleet to electric vehicles would require more lithium than the world currently produces, showing the need to move away from private cars as a primary means of travel...
Energy
Government Researchers Aim for Better—And Cheaper—Batteries
Department of Energy researchers are partnering with battery manufacturers to help them find new ways to make cheap batteries that can store a lot of energy
Natural Disasters
Upstart Flood-Damage Insurer Could Pay Claims within Hours
Sensors installed on clients’ buildings detect water levels and immediately trigger the claims process
Climate Change
Temperatures in One of Earth’s Coldest Corners Are the Highest in 1,000 Years
Temperatures in north-central Greenland are the highest in at least a millennium, contributing to ice melt that is raising global sea levels
Climate Change
Global Carbon Removal Efforts Are Off Track for Meeting Climate Goals
Carbon removal is an “unavoidable” part of global climate action, but a new report finds that current efforts aren’t enough to meet the warming limits set by the Paris climate agreement...
Materials Science
Ancient Roman Concrete Has ‘Self-Healing’ Capabilities
Mineral deposits called “lime clasts” found in ancient Roman concrete give the material self-healing capabilities that could help engineers develop more resilient modern concrete and reduce its associated emissions...
Fossil Fuels
Why Capturing Methane Is So Difficult
Oil and gas facilities will soon be charged for releasing methane, but technologies to capture the potent greenhouse gas are still relatively new and untested
Climate Change
Exxon’s Own Models Predicted Global Warming—It Ignored Them
Scientists working for the oil giant Exxon in the 1970s and 1980s estimated temperature increases with remarkable accuracy. Those findings could now be used as evidence in climate litigation...
Oceans
Oceans Break Heat Record for Fourth Year in a Row
The world’s oceans hit their warmest levels on record for the fourth consecutive year in 2022, fueling sea-level rise and contributing to climate disasters
Fossil Fuels
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Went Up Again in 2022
Though renewable energy surpassed coal generation for the first time in 60 years, causing U.S. power emissions to decline, emissions from buildings and transportation went up in 2022
