E&E News provides essential energy and environment news for professionals.
This Hurricane Season May See a Key FEMA Disaster Fund Run Out of Money
A key FEMA disaster fund and state insurance programs could run out of money to finance disaster recovery and pay claims, respectively, as hurricane and wildfire seasons begin
Fossil-Fuel Interests Try to Weaken Global Plastics Treaty
Good news: the world is discussing a treaty to stem plastic pollution. Bad news: fossil-fuel interests are trying to weaken it
Climate Change Is Escalating California’s Wildfires
A new analysis finds that dry air and record-breaking temperatures linked to climate change have led to more frequent severe fires in California
Climate Change Is Exacerbating Inflation Worldwide
Rising temperatures could increase global inflation by as much as 1 percent every year until 2035
Thousands of New Creatures Discovered in Deep-Sea Mining Zone
A new study found more than 5,000 new species in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a mineral-rich area of seafloor that companies aim to mine for critical materials
NASA Mini Satellites Will Help Track Hurricanes
Miniature satellites called CubeSats will collect meteorologic data that NASA hopes will help explain how and why some tropical storms intensify as they approach land
U.S. Military Sees Growing Threat in Thawing Permafrost
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks visited Alaska this week to see how climate change is undermining infrastructure at Arctic military bases
Ozone Treaty Delayed Arctic Melting by 15 Years
The Montreal Protocol was intended to save Earth’s ozone layer, but it also helped slow global warming and delayed the melting of Arctic sea ice
Yet Another Massive Heat Wave Was All But Impossible without Human-Caused Warming
New research says climate change was responsible for yet another withering heat wave, which baked South Asia in April
‘SuperLab’ Will Test U.S. Power Grid against Climate Disasters
The Department of Energy is launching an initiative to mimic climate disasters and other threats against the power grid
Hawaii Has Permafrost, and Scientists Are Racing to Study It before It’s Gone
Permafrost can—incongruously—be found in Hawaii, but surveys show it has been shrinking over time, in part because of climate change
Rats Are Finally Gone from This Vulnerable Island
Efforts to eradicate invasive rats that have decimated native species on islands around the world are beginning to bear fruit
New EPA Rules Would Slash Power Plant Emissions
The EPA has announced new draft rules that would require power plants that burn fossil fuels to capture 90 percent of their climate-warming emissions
Some Crabs Are Losing Their Sense of Smell as Oceans Acidify
Commercially valuable Dungeness crabs lose their sense of smell as the ocean absorbs more carbon dioxide and becomes more acidic
Heat Waves Fueled by Climate Change Topple Records around the Globe
High temperature records have been set from Portugal to Thailand as heat waves fueled by climate change have arrived early this spring
Forest Service Explores Moving Trees to Save Them from Hotter Weather
A new program looks to replant warm weather trees in northern Minnesota to help them adjust to a rapidly warming world
More than a Quarter of a Billion People Went Hungry in 2022
The number of people facing acute food insecurity shot up for the fourth year in a row in 2022
Many Bird Species Are Having Fewer Chicks as the World Warms
Many bird species are producing fewer offspring as global temperatures rise, and larger migratory species are particularly affected
Melting Sea Ice May Fog Out the Famed Northwest Passage
Melting sea ice is opening new pathways through the Arctic such as the famed Northwest Passage. But it is also reducing visibility and potentially causing delays
These Are the Places at Greatest Risk from Extreme Heat
Communities in certain spots around the world, such as Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Central America, are likely to experience record-breaking heat events but may not be prepared
What It Would Take for Electric Vehicles to Help Power the Grid
A new bill in California proposes making electric vehicles a backup power source for the electric grid—an idea that has promise but has to overcome several technological hurdles, experts say
How Winners of the ‘Green Nobel’ Are Protecting the Environment
The Goldman Environmental Prize has announced its 2023 awards. Three winners speak about their efforts to protect wilderness and fight polluters
World’s Largest Logjam Stores 3 Million Tons of Carbon
Dead trees have accumulated in an Arctic basin for centuries, creating one of the largest “carbon pools” in the world
Biden Marks Earth Day with New Environmental Justice Orders
The president is creating an Office of Environmental Justice and expanding federal protections for communities that have been historically overburdened by pollution