How Controlled Burns Can Help Save Taxpayers Billions
A new study in Science quantifies the economic upside of the U.S. Forest Service’s fuel‑treatment program, finding that every dollar spent on prescribed burns and vegetation clearing averts $3.73 in smoke, health, property and carbon costs. The analysis of 285 wildfires across 11 western states shows a 36% reduction in total area burned and a 26% drop in moderate‑to‑high‑severity fire. The estimated savings total $2.79 billion, driven by $1.39 billion in health and productivity gains, $895 million in structural damage avoided, and $503 million in emissions reductions. Larger treatments—over 2,400 acres—deliver the highest return on investment.
Close Calls at Michigan’s Dams Are a Climate Warning to America
Recent floods in northern Michigan pushed several aging dams to the brink, underscoring a climate‑driven safety crisis for U.S. water infrastructure. More than half of Michigan’s roughly 1,000 state‑regulated dams are past their 50‑year design life, and nationwide the 92,000...
‘Keystone Light’: These Wyoming Oil Tycoons Are Reviving the Controversial Pipeline
President Trump signed a presidential permit for the Bridger expansion pipeline, a project led by Wyoming’s True family that would transport Canadian tar‑sand crude to a hub in central Wyoming. The line is slated to move at least 550,000 barrels...
Democrats Used to Back Energy-Saving Plans. Now They’re Wavering.
Democratic leaders in Maryland, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are moving to scale back state energy‑efficiency programs, hoping to lower customers' immediate electricity bills. The cuts would reduce utility‑funded rebates and surcharges, but analysts warn they could raise overall electricity costs...
Can a Carbon Price Lower Power Bills? Virginia Is Betting Yes.
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed legislation to re‑enter the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap‑and‑trade program that prices carbon emissions from utilities. The move follows a surge in electricity demand driven by the state’s booming AI data‑center sector, which...
The SEC Tried to Silence Activist Investors. Now They’re Fighting Back.
Since the Trump administration, the SEC barred shareholders with less than $5 million in holdings from filing exempt solicitations on EDGAR, the primary channel for activist communication. In reaction, As You Sow launched the Proxy Open Exchange (POE), a public platform...
Trump’s Plan for Ultrafast Meat Processing Would Be a Disaster for Workers and the Environment
The USDA announced proposals to raise line speeds in poultry slaughter to 175 birds per minute for chicken and 60 for turkey, while removing any cap on swine line speed. Over 22,000 comments oppose the poultry rule and more than...
Indigenous Peoples Bear the Brunt of Climate Change — and Get Almost None of the Money to Fight It
Indigenous peoples, hailed as frontline climate guardians, received less than 1% of global climate mitigation and adaptation funding between 2011 and 2020. Despite the Green Climate Fund’s $20 billion portfolio and the Global Environment Facility’s $27 billion disbursements, direct access for Indigenous...
This Supreme Court ‘Victory’ for Oil Giants Is Not What It Seems
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Plaquemines Parish's $745 million lawsuit against Chevron for coastal wetland damage must be heard in federal court, overturning a state‑court judgment. The decision, praised by the Trump administration, is viewed as a procedural win...
The World Is Getting Too Hot to Feed Itself
A joint World Meteorological Organization‑Food and Agriculture Organization report uses Brazil’s 2024 heat wave as a detailed case study, showing sharp declines in soy, corn, peanuts, sugarcane and livestock productivity. The analysis links extreme heat to reduced yields across Chile,...
How New Mexico Is ‘Building a Forest’ by Solving a Seedling Shortage
New Mexico is tackling a massive seedling shortage by building a 155,000‑square‑foot greenhouse complex at the New Mexico Reforestation Center. The facility will triple the state’s current production, aiming for up to 5 million seedlings a year to address the 17.6 million...
AI Is a Double-Edged Sword for Indigenous Land Protection, UN Experts Warn
UN experts warned that artificial intelligence is both a tool and a threat for Indigenous land protection. AI helps communities monitor illegal logging, wildfires and biodiversity through satellite imagery and sensors, as shown in Brazil, the Arctic and Chad. At...
The ‘Age of Electricity’ Is Here. No One Knows What Comes Next.
The International Energy Agency and Ember report that 2025 was a watershed year for renewable energy, with solar becoming the largest electricity source and renewables surpassing coal for the first time in a century. China and India drove the shift,...
Know the Facts About Vibrio, a Bacteria Found in Coastal Waters and Raw Shellfish
Vibrio bacteria, found in warm brackish waters, cause roughly 80,000 U.S. infections and about 100 deaths each year, with most cases occurring from May through October along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. The CDC notes that the majority of illnesses...
How Deep-Red Utah Helped Launch a Portable Plug-In Solar Movement
Utah enacted HB 340, the first U.S. law permitting residents to plug solar panels directly into standard outlets, creating a portable “balcony solar” market. Inspired by Germany’s balcony‑solar surge, the bill caps output at 1,200 watts and requires Underwriters Laboratories (UL)...
The State of Solar: Despite Partisan Rhetoric, the Industry Is Still Booming
Solar and battery storage accounted for 79% of new U.S. generation in 2025 and are projected to grow 49% before the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits expire in 2027. Despite Republican attempts to curtail clean‑energy incentives, the industry is expanding,...
Ask a Climate Therapist: Why Should I Plan for My Future when I Feel We Don’t Have One?
Leslie Davenport, a climate‑aware therapist, answers a young adult’s fear that climate change makes future planning futile. She acknowledges the genuine anxiety while urging a shift from certainty‑seeking to values‑based navigation. Davenport stresses that skills, relationships, and purpose are portable...
Climate Adaptation Funding Is Scarce. Private Investors Could Help.
Cities face a massive funding shortfall for climate adaptation, with low‑ and middle‑income nations needing $256‑$821 billion by 2050. A new C40 report, released at the World Bank spring meeting, showcases ten case studies—including the Dutch Afsluitdijk’s 25‑year private‑financed upgrade—to illustrate...
Republicans Deployed a Little-Known Law to Open Minnesota Wilderness to Mining
Senate Republicans voted 50‑49 to repeal a two‑decade mining moratorium in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters using the Congressional Review Act. The CRA, a 1990s tool meant to overturn regulations with a simple majority, has been weaponized by Republicans, marking only the...
A ‘Super Typhoon’ Just Devastated the Mariana Islands — Months Before Peak Storm Season
Super Typhoon Sinlaku, a Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds, devastated the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) in mid‑April, flooding homes and leaving residents without power, water, or communications for days. The typhoon arrived two months ahead of the...
Many Companies Want Clean Energy. Georgia Power Will Soon Let Them Build It.
Georgia Power has launched a Customer‑Identified Resource program that lets corporate and industrial customers propose and fund clean‑energy projects to be integrated into the utility’s grid. Approved by the state public service commission on April 7, the initiative opens this summer,...
The Spike in Diesel Prices Is Quietly Costing You Billions
Diesel prices have surged 54% since the Iran‑Israel conflict began on Feb. 28, outpacing gasoline’s 38% rise and adding roughly $9.4 billion in extra costs for U.S. households—about half of the $19 billion total fuel burden. The spike stems from the Strait of...
The Skylines of the Future Will Be Made of Wood
Architects are increasingly turning to engineered wood—cross‑laminated and glue‑laminated timber—to construct high‑rise buildings that rival steel and concrete. The 284‑foot Ascent MKE in Milwaukee opened in 2022 as the world’s tallest timber tower, and Vancouver’s Hive recently became North America’s...
Georgia’s Forestry Industry Is in Crisis. One Solution Could Be in Your Medicine Cabinet.
Georgia tops the nation in timber harvest volume and forest‑product exports, but a wave of paper‑mill closures and damage from Hurricane Helene have pushed its forestry sector into crisis. Roughly 92% of the state’s forests are privately owned, meaning landowners...
There’s Hope for the Offshore Wind Industry — Yes, Really
After the Trump administration froze offshore wind leases and halted five under‑construction projects, federal judges issued injunctions and the Interior Department recently let the deadline to appeal lapse, allowing construction to proceed. The five East Coast farms—two off Massachusetts, two...
How EVs Could Solve a Problem with America’s Rickety Grid
A new study modeling the San Francisco Bay Area shows that vehicle‑to‑grid (V2G) technology can help balance electricity demand, but only if the power system is upgraded in advance. Researchers found proactive grid investments—new transformers and transmission lines—are cheaper than...
Data Centers Are Straining the Grid. Can They Be Forced to Pay for It?
Tech giants are expanding data centers nationwide to support the AI boom, dramatically increasing electricity demand and straining the U.S. grid. A White House meeting led companies like Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI and Amazon to sign a voluntary Ratepayer Protection Pledge,...
The Iran War Is Changing How Millions of People Cook — and What They Eat
India, the world’s second‑largest LPG importer, faced a sudden cooking‑gas shortage after the Iran‑U.S. conflict forced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, choking Middle‑Eastern LPG flows that supply about 90% of its imports. Prices in Delhi spiked roughly 600%,...
Climate Experts Say Spring Is Coming Earlier. How Will that Affect Agriculture and Ecosystems?
Climate scientists report that spring is arriving 3‑5 weeks earlier across the central United States, with leaf‑out dates now six days ahead of 1981 norms. The USA National Phenology Network’s data show regional variations, from 11 days earlier in parts...
What Does $164M Buy Big Oil? Inupiat Land and a Broken Promise.
In March 2026 the Trump administration auctioned $164 million in oil and gas leases covering 1.3 million acres of Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve, including land adjacent to the culturally vital Teshekpuk Lake. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction to reinstate a...
Pocket Gardens: The Tiny Urban Oases with Surprisingly Big Benefits
Pocket gardens—small, intentionally designed green oases on sidewalks, campuses and hospital grounds—are emerging as powerful tools for urban resilience. Research links these micro‑parks to lower summer temperatures, reduced storm‑water runoff, and measurable improvements in mental health. By planting native, drought‑tolerant...
Oceans Are Absorbing the Earth’s Excess Energy. That’s Bad News for Food Systems.
The World Meteorological Organization’s 2026 climate report added Earth’s energy imbalance (EEI) as a new flagship indicator, measuring the net heat the planet retains. It revealed that oceans absorb about 91 percent of this excess energy, setting a record for nine...
Your ‘Widely Recyclable’ Starbucks Cup Is Still Trash
Starbucks, waste hauler WM, and recycling groups announced that over 60% of U.S. households can now place Starbucks’ polypropylene to‑go cups in curbside bins, earning a “widely recyclable” label from GreenBlue’s How2Recycle program. Experts warn the access figure masks a...
Modern Agriculture Is Collapsing Under Climate Change. Indigenous Farming Has Answers.
A new study by Charles Darwin University reviewed 49 articles on Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) and highlighted the environmental and non‑market benefits of traditional farming, such as the “three sisters” intercropping system. The research found a stark gap...
Utah Republicans See Storing Nuclear Waste as a ‘Once in a Lifetime Opportunity’
Utah’s Republican leadership is courting the federal Department of Energy to host a nuclear lifecycle innovation campus in Millard County’s salt caverns, positioning the state as a potential hub for spent‑fuel storage and recycling. The initiative aligns with the DOE’s...
This $400B Biden Climate Program Is Surviving the Trump Administration
The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, backed by roughly $400 billion in loan guarantees, has survived the Trump administration’s attempted purge and continues to fund large‑scale clean‑energy projects. Despite Secretary Chris Wright’s claims of scrubbing 80% of Biden‑era loans, most...
Ask a Climate Therapist: How Can I Balance My Travel Itch with Guilt About Emissions?
Leslie Davenport, a climate‑aware therapist, answers a reader’s guilt about flying by reframing travel as a source of insight rather than shame. She advises turning the discomfort into concrete choices—longer stays, low‑carbon transport, and trips that support conservation. Davenport also...
The Great Lakes Are Ideal for Wind Energy. So Where Is It?
The Great Lakes possess enough offshore wind capacity to generate over three times the region’s combined annual electricity consumption, yet no turbines are operating there. While states control lakebeds, projects are hampered by fragmented permitting, high costs, and a lack...
The Supreme Court Takes up a Guam Munitions Case with High Stakes for CHamoru Lands
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal by the Air Force seeking to continue open detonations of obsolete munitions on Tarague Beach, a site that overlies Guam’s sole‑source aquifer and is culturally sacred to the CHamoru people. Plaintiffs,...
How Ann Arbor, Michigan, Is Creating Its Own Clean Energy Utility
Ann Arbor is piloting a city‑run Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) in the Bryant neighborhood, offering residents solar panels, battery storage and other clean‑energy assets while remaining connected to the existing grid. The program, approved by 80% of voters, will be...
Is the World Heating up Faster than We Thought?
Scientists report that global surface temperatures have risen at an unprecedented pace, with the last decade warming 0.35 °C per ten years—about 75% faster than the 1970‑2015 rate. The Geophysical Research Letters study warns the 1.5 °C Paris limit could be exceeded...
4 Ways Trump Is Sabotaging Climate Action Around the World
President Trump’s second term has intensified efforts to derail global climate initiatives, targeting a shipping carbon tax, a plastics production treaty, a UN resolution led by Vanuatu, and the International Energy Agency’s net‑zero modeling. By withdrawing from negotiations, issuing diplomatic...
The Secret Superpower of Brazil’s Vast Savanna
New research reveals Brazil’s cerrado savanna stores roughly 1,300 tons of carbon per hectare in peat‑rich wetlands—about six times more than the Amazon’s above‑ground biomass. The peat formed over millennia under water‑logged conditions, sustained by groundwater that keeps the soil...
As Gas Prices Soar, Trump Is Ignoring the Lessons of the Last Oil Crisis
The U.S. faces a new oil shock as the Strait of Hormuz closure drives gasoline prices above $3 per gallon, echoing the 1973 embargo. While domestic shale production and higher vehicle fuel economy have reduced the economy’s gasoline intensity, the...
The Feds Pulled $1.5B From Tribal Clean Energy. Tribes Are Finding Another Way.
The Trump-era tax bill stripped $1.5 billion from tribal clean‑energy programs, leaving nearly 1,600 projects underfunded. In response, the Colorado River Indian Tribes launched an agrivoltaics pilot through the new financing entity Huurav, pairing solar panels with crops. Tribes are turning...
Ocean Speed Limits Protect Endangered Right Whales. Trump Wants to Weaken Them.
Since 2008 NOAA has required ships 65 feet or longer to travel at reduced speeds in North Atlantic waters where endangered North Atlantic right whales congregate. The rule is credited with more than 270 calf births, though the species remains far...
The US Barely Bothers to Track Geoengineering. What Could Go Wrong?
A recent Government Accountability Office report reveals that the United States lacks effective oversight and transparent reporting for geoengineering activities, from decades‑old cloud‑seeding to emerging solar‑radiation projects. NOAA’s reporting forms have not been updated since 1974, resulting in incomplete, often...
Indigenous Rights, the Environment, and International Law: What’s at Stake at This Week’s Seabed Mining Talks
Indigenous advocates are watching the International Seabed Authority’s meeting in Jamaica, where representatives from about thirty‑six nations will discuss finalizing a global mining code by the end of 2026. The ISA has spent a decade drafting rules for extracting cobalt,...
Why Thinning a Forest Could Get You More Drinking Water
Researchers in Washington’s Cascade Mountains found that thinning forest stands can boost snowpack by up to 30%, translating to roughly 4 million gallons of extra water per 100 acres. By spacing trees 13 to 52 feet apart, canopy interception drops, allowing...
Enbridge Paid Police to Protect One Pipeline. Now It Wants to Do It Again in Wisconsin.
Enbridge has secured a Public Safety Expense Reimbursement Agreement with Ashland and Iron counties, allowing the company to pay Wisconsin law‑enforcement for riot gear, training and policing of Line 5 protests. The uncapped arrangement follows Enbridge’s start of construction on a...