Pulitzer Prize-winning, nonpartisan reporting on the biggest crisis facing our planet.
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LINZ, Austria—A summer-long series of heatwaves that has been blistering much of Europe since June has turned political. Elected leaders are facing growing scrutiny for their lackluster response to the deadly consequences of climate extremes, even as their parties continue to pursue policies that worsen the crisis.The extreme temperatures, along with drought, have drained rivers, […]
New investigative findings from a Florida sheriff’s office detail the stark conditions of emaciated and dehydrated sloths at a planned tourism attraction where more than 50 of the animals died, including one frothing at the mouth and another that had been lying on the ground for two days, covered in feces. Even so, the Orange […]
Policies promoting solar power construction projects in China have contributed to a decline in bird diversity across the country. Those findings, from a study published Thursday in the journal Science, highlight the environmental impacts of large-scale solar developments and suggest ways that policies supporting photovoltaics could be improved in China, which has installed nearly as […]
Illinois is the latest example of how a state can embrace virtual power plants and see results almost immediately. Today, Solrite Energy is announcing its entry into the Illinois market with a program that provides households with battery energy storage for $20 per month and makes the batteries available to support the local power grid. […]
Wildfires in Europe could burn across about 39 percent more land by the end of the century, even if greenhouse gas emissions decline rapidly over the next few decades, new research shows. With continued high emissions, the burned area could increase as much as 192 percent. Emissions reductions are the key to reducing wildfire impacts, […]
ORLA, Texas—Elected officials and industry leaders warn that Texas is at the “precipice” of running out of underground space to dispose of the nearly 1 billion gallons of wastewater that oil and gas production generates every day in the Permian Basin. The toxic wastewater, known as produced water, is usually injected underground into disposal wells. […]
The federal government alleged that U.S. Steel could have prevented a catastrophic explosion at Clairton Coke Works near Pittsburgh on Aug. 11, 2025, killing two workers and injuring 11. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) issued a final report a year after the incident, saying the company had no procedure for how […]
SEBRING, Fla.—The city of Sebring has an “Old Florida” charm. Citrus trees greet motorists driving into town. Red, white and blue bunting hangs from a white gazebo in the middle of the town circle. Many of the century-old stucco and brick buildings surrounding the downtown circle have generous awnings to protect against the Florida sun. […]
Firefighters are gaining ground on three large wildfires that have burned more than 47,000 acres across southwestern Montana, but unhelpful warmer temperatures, lower humidity and breezy conditions are returning after recent rainfall slowed the fires’ growth. According to the U.S. Forest Service, containment on the Sand Creek Fire, southeast of Wisdom, increased from 2 percent […]
Wired for Profit: Fourth in a series about Alabama Power’s influence over electric rates, renewable energy, pollution and politics in the Yellowhammer State. WESTOVER, Ala.—Shannon Vanden Heuvel said she doesn’t believe a word they say. A marketing designer and proud mom, she’s seen the seemingly endless television advertisements from Alabama Power, the state’s largest electric […]
STONE HARBOR, N.J.—Against a lush carpet of marsh grasses, the five-and-a-half acre island of muddy sediment, shallow pools and tufts of straggly vegetation stood out like a sore thumb. It wasn’t enough to catch the eye of young visitors to The Wetlands Institute, who were far more interested in the diamondback terrapin enclosure that was […]
EL PASO, Texas—Gilbert Morales struggled to compose himself before addressing the El Paso City Council on Tuesday morning. Morales fought back tears as he recounted how his wife died of lung cancer in June, despite never being a smoker. He lives next to Marathon Petroleum’s El Paso Refinery, which is one of the largest sources […]
Despite never making landfall, Hurricane Lala left a path of destruction across Hawaii over the weekend. Strong winds, torrential rain and mudslides damaged or swept away more than 100 homes while felled trees blocked key roads on the island of Hawaii, or the Big Island, which suffered the brunt of the tropical cyclone’s wrath. More […]
In the Western Pacific, protections for endangered leatherback turtles face elimination. In Alaskan waters, Steller sea lion sanctuaries could soon shrink. And in the North Atlantic, gear designed to save right whales from fatal entanglements might be permanently scrapped. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sent letters to the nation’s regional fisheries councils last […]
