Greenpeace Plans to Sue JBS for Its Climate Impacts, Seeks Details About Major Plans in Nigeria
JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, announced a $2.5 billion investment to build at least six slaughterhouses in Nigeria, marking its first African operation and half of a $6 billion global expansion plan. Greenpeace Netherlands has filed a lawsuit under a newly‑enacted Dutch duty‑of‑care law, demanding detailed information on the project’s environmental and human‑rights impacts. JBS refused to disclose the requested data, citing compliance with existing regulations. The dispute follows JBS’s recent NYSE listing and its 2023 methane emissions that outpaced Shell and ExxonMobil combined.
Scientists Outplant Experimental ‘Flonduran’ Corals in Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park
Scientists from the University of Miami outplanted nearly three dozen lab‑grown elkhorn corals, including the experimental "Flonduran" hybrid, in Florida's Dry Tortugas National Park. The Flondurans combine genetics from Florida and heat‑resilient Honduran colonies, marking the first U.S. field test...
How Utility Companies and States Shaped America’s Clean Energy Transition
Joshua Basseches’s new book *Owning the Green Grid* examines how state‑driven renewable portfolio standards (RPS) have shaped U.S. utility regulation and the clean‑energy transition. The first RPS emerged in Iowa in 1983, but widespread adoption began in the late‑1990s, with...
USDA Extends Pause on Loans for Controversial Digesters That Turn Manure Into Biogas
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended its pause on new loan guarantees for anaerobic digesters until the end of 2026, citing high delinquency rates and realized losses among existing projects. Data show 11% of the 746 lenders are over...
NextEra Energy to Join the Offshore Wind Club, But Does It Matter?
NextEra Energy announced a merger with Dominion Energy, creating a utility valued at over $200 billion—larger than any U.S. energy firm except ExxonMobil and Chevron. The deal gives NextEra control of Dominion’s 2,640‑MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which has been...
Duke University Plans a Data Center It Says Will Boost ‘Environmental Responsibility and Sustainability’
Duke University announced a $23 million, 1.5‑megawatt data center on 12 acres of its Central Campus, with the option to double capacity to 3 MW. Construction began this week and is slated for completion next year. The university says the facility will...
Prescribed Burns and Forest Thinning Averted Millions of Tons of Emissions and Billions in Damages
A UC Davis study published in Science shows that prescribed burns and forest‑thinning operations across the Western United States from 2017 to 2023 prevented the release of 2.7 million tons of carbon dioxide, averted nearly 60 premature deaths and avoided roughly...
New Zealand Moves to Ban Tort Liability for Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Damage
New Zealand’s government announced plans to amend the Climate Change Response Act to bar tort liability for climate‑change damages, targeting claims over flooding, wildfires, drought and sea‑level rise. The change would pre‑empt the high‑profile Smith v Fonterra case, which is set for...
EPA Claims ‘Overwhelming Rejection’ of EVs as It Moves to Loosen Air Pollution Rules
The EPA announced a proposal to delay and later review the Biden‑era Tier 4 vehicle emission standards, citing what it calls an "overwhelming rejection" of electric vehicles (EVs). The standards, set to phase in from 2027, would have capped smog‑producing pollutants...
Sea Level Rise and Sunny-Day Flooding Can’t Stop a Building Boom on the Jersey Shore
Luxury condos and new townhouses are booming along the Jersey Shore despite rising sea‑level warnings. The state’s Resilient Environments and Landscapes (REAL) regulations, adopted in January, require new shoreline homes to be built four feet higher than current FEMA standards...
World Health Organization Must Prioritize Workers, Experts Say
The World Health Organization is scaling back its occupational health programs after the United States, its largest donor, withdrew funding, leading to a $700 million cut in core program budgets. Experts from the Global Occupational Safety and Health (GOSH) coalition warn...
What the US Would Lose If It Eliminates the National Center for Atmospheric Research
The Trump administration announced plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), labeling its work as "climate alarmism," prompting a lawsuit from NCAR’s parent organization. Former NASA chief scientist Waleed Abdalati warned that eliminating NCAR would strip the...
New Paper Shows Surges of Concentrated Precipitation Can Lead to Dryer Landscapes
A new Nature study by Dartmouth and UQAM researchers shows that when annual precipitation becomes concentrated in fewer, intense storms, soils become saturated, leading to surface pooling and increased evaporation. This process reduces water reaching rivers and reservoirs, effectively drying...
An Unusual Heat Wave Strains the World’s Most Populous Country
The April 2026 heat wave made every one of the world’s 50 hottest cities sit inside India, with peak temperatures hitting roughly 112 °F (44 °C) in Banda. The extreme heat is straining health, labor and energy systems, exposing that only about...
As El Niño Approaches, Scientists Predict Fierce Heatwaves, Wildfires and Floods
Scientists warn that a developing El Niño will amplify heatwaves, droughts and floods this year, but emphasize that long‑term warming from fossil‑fuel combustion remains the dominant driver of extreme weather. The warm Pacific phase can lift global surface temperatures by up...