Issue 4: Oceans
Some 40 percent of all people on Earth live within 60 miles of the coast. That statistic, perhaps more than any other fact or figure, testifies to how much human civilization depends
Jeremy Deaton
The United States Owes a Massive Climate Debt. One Way to Pay It: Let In Climate Migrants.
The United States has generated more heat-trapping carbon pollution than any other nation, but it has not felt the impact of climate change in equal measure. Poorer countries in warmer latitudes are
Issue 3: Climate Migration
Few species have proved as adaptable as Homo sapiens. From their origin in the Horn of Africa, modern humans extended their reach to the frigid plains of Siberia, the torrid deserts of
A Tale of Two Climate Migrants
This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Climate change is fueling longer dry spells, bigger floods and more violent storms across the
The Oil and Gas Industry Is In Denial About Its Own Demise
In one of his first acts as president, Joe Biden paused new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. Companies can still drill areas they had previously leased, and they
Issue 2: The Future of Natural Gas
Throughout the 20th century, coal supplied the bulk of America's electricity. It was coal, by and large, that kept our light bulbs, radios, laundry machines, dishwashers, TVs and computers humming along, and
Teen Scientist Finds Low-Tech Way to Recycle Water
Shreya Ramachandran, 17, remembers witnessing California’s water crisis firsthand on a visit to Tulare County in 2014, when she was still a preteen. Tulare spans a large swath of farmland in California’s
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Severe Floods Worsen Lead Pollution In Northeast Oklahoma
Miami, Oklahoma is caught in a vice, being squeezed from both sides. To the north, dust from abandoned lead mines is seeping into the ground and into waterways. To the south, homeowners
Electric Cars Could Save California’s Power Grid
Climate change ramped up its attacks on California this year, serving up massive wildfires and blistering heat waves, which led to widespread power outages. To fight back, Governor Gavin Newsom took aim
Back-to-Back Hurricanes—A New Climate Peril?
When Hurricane Laura slammed into Lake Charles, Louisiana at the end of August, it downed power lines, felled trees and stripped roofs off houses in its path. After the storm passed and
They Tried to Tame the Klamath River. They Filled It With Toxic Algae Instead. (VIDEO)
The Karuk people define themselves by the Klamath River, just as the Romans did the Tiber or the Egyptians did the Nile. The word “Karuk” means “upstream,” a reference to the waterway, which runs from
Toxic Algae Are a Menace. Humans Are Giving Them Ammunition.
Matteo Farinella is a neuroscientist-turned-cartoonist who uses comics to explain science. You can follow him @matteofarinella. Jeremy Deaton writes for Nexus Media, a nonprofit climate change news service. You can follow him @deaton_jeremy.
Bill Nye: We Are Failing a National Test of Science Literacy
The United States is facing two massive threats — climate change and the coronavirus — that we cannot solve without science. One is playing out slowly, over decades, growing inexorably worse as
A New Ozone Hole? Climate Change Could Be To Blame.
You may have heard about the hole in the ozone layer, which hovers over Antarctica. It has shrunk over time thanks to policies that curbed the use of ozone-depleting chemicals. In the
Climate Change Could Help Spread the Coronavirus
While there is some preliminary evidence that sunlight, heat and humidity could slow the spread of the coronavirus, the summer months also promise a host of new risks, The Washington Post reports.
Facing COVID-19, Cities Push Courts to Cut Pollution
The coronavirus is a case study in the limits of federalism. Where the federal government has declined to gather and distribute masks, gloves and ventilators, states and cities have been forced to
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The Dazzling Ocean Reefs Hidden Beneath Oil Rigs
The 2010 BP oil spill dumped more than 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, where it killed billions of fish. Had things gone as planned, that oil
Methane Levels Reach an All-Time High
A preliminary estimate from NOAA finds that levels of atmospheric methane, a potent heat-trapping gas, have hit an all-time high. Methane is roughly 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, and while
Are We Screwed On Climate Change?
If you are a climate scientist, you are likely to hear the same question, again and again, from inquiring minds at weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthday parties and cocktail hours — are we screwed? It’s
How Black Miami Came to the Rescue After Dorian Battered the Bahamas
In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian tore through the Bahamas, killing 70 people and inflicting billions in damages. While nearby Florida escaped mostly unscathed, those with deep ties to the Bahamas felt a
Buffalo, NY: Your Climate Refuge
When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Maria Robles saw rainfall so severe that it punched a hole through her roof and flooded her home in San Juan. “We lost everything inside the
Americans Say It’s Okay to Report On Climate Change — Even in the Middle of a Hurricane
Earlier this month Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas, delivering winds upwards of 180 miles an hour and widespread flooding, enough destructive force to kill at least 50 people and leave
Farming with Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Our Food Supply
Wine growers have a neat, if unusual, trick for making more flavorful wine — don’t water the vines. Let the vines go dry right before harvest, and they will yield smaller grapes with more
How to Make More Electric Cars Without More Destructive Mining
Climate warriors like to imagine a future where electric cars put oil companies out of business. Firms would stop injecting known carcinogens into the ground to break up the layer of hard,
The Killer Argument for a Profoundly Dangerous Climate Fix
The UN Environment Assembly recently considered a proposal to research solar geoengineering, as it’s known, an outlandish scheme to cool the Earth by blanketing the heavens with aerosols — chemicals that would reflect a
Big Automakers Grudgingly Buy Into EVs. Oil Majors Still Lag Behind.
In just three years, many electric cars will sport the same sticker price as their gas-powered counterparts, according to a recent analysis. Electrification, as well as other advances like ride-sharing and driverless
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Climate Change May Be Fueling Cold Winter Spells in the Northeast
Early this week, record cold blasted the Northeast, as Boston, Massachusetts saw a high of 10 degrees F, and nearby Worcester saw the temperature top out at just 1 degree F. Meteorologists
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Consumers Don’t Know Jack About Electric Cars (VIDEO)
This article is part of a series about barriers to the widespread adoption of electric cars. The telephone should have been an instant hit. It revolutionized human communication overnight, and yet it
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Swim Across Pacific Thwarted by Storm
Some people like to support a good cause by hosting a bake sale or maybe a car wash. The more spritely do-gooders might run a 5K or — if they are especially vigorous— a
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How to Dance Like a Glacier (VIDEO)
Eighteenth century French choreographer Jean-Georges Noverre once wrote, “A fine picture is but the image of nature; a finished ballet is nature herself.” Noverre was arguing for the immediacy of dance. Twenty-first
This Map Shows Which Communities Need the Most Help in a Disaster
Armed with howling winds and punishing rain, Hurricane Florence laid siege to Lumberton, North Carolina earlier this month. To a town where more than a third of residents live below the poverty
Too Little Power Can Be a Dangerous Thing
In Port Arthur, Texas, where most residents are black or Hispanic and close to a third live below the poverty line, influence is a difficult thing to come by. It is not
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Katrina Survivors Call for Reproductive Rights (VIDEO)
Thirteen years ago, Hurricane Katrina stole the lives of more than 1,800 Americans and plunged New Orleans into pandemonium. Locals marked the storm’s anniversary by looking to the past, reflecting on its
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Climate Change Is Creating an Affordable Housing Crisis in Miami (VIDEO)
Miami ranks among the most valuable real estate markets in the country. Palatial homes astride warm, teal waters sell for millions. But it’s not Miami’s ocean-front neighborhoods where property values are rising
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Extreme Heat Is Killing Farm Workers. The Government Won’t Protect Them. (VIDEO)
In the Lake Apopka region of Florida, a typical August day might yield a high temperature of 92 degrees F, a heat made all the worse by the stifling humidity. The weather
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Atomic Weapons and Nuclear Power Spark Outrage in Georgia (VIDEO)
You could be forgiven for taking a Geiger counter on a visit to Shell Bluff, Georgia. The town lies just across the Savannah River from a nuclear weapons facility and just down
A Manmade Problem With a Feminist Solution
You might know Irish stand-up Maeve Higgins from her work on Inside Amy Schumer, her appearances on StarTalk, or her critically acclaimed podcast about immigration, Maeve in America, and book of the
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A Power Boost for Formula E
Cars zipped past at blistering speeds, only slowing to round the hairpin turns etched into the waterfront course in New York City. Spectators lined up at the edge of the roadway, close
Climate Change Is Fueling Record-Breaking Heat
Soaring temperatures shattered records from Ottawa to Oman this week, as the Northern Hemisphere endured an oppressive hot spell. A heat dome cooked much of the eastern United States and parts of
Water, Water Everywhere, Any Drop to Drink
A winter of exceptionally meager snowfall has revived California’s water woes. Snowpack typically supplies the state with much of its water during the spring and summer, but this year, snow is in
Uncovering the Mental Health Crisis of Climate Change
The young man believed he only had five years to live. “Not because he was sick,” said Kate Schapira, “not because anything was wrong with him, but because he believed that life
States Promised to Fulfill the Paris Agreement. Here’s How They’re Going to Do It.
A year ago today, President Trump announced the United States would exit the Paris Climate Agreement. His decision drew harsh criticism from world leaders, CEOs and U.S. elected officials, both Democrats and
A Clever Fix to the Biggest Climate Problem
Climate change is a big, unwieldy problem with no easy fix. To stem the rise in temperature, we need to transform how we power our homes, fuel our cars, grow our food
Climate Change Gets Personal for Shellfish Growers
A great wine is the product of many things, from the strain of yeast used in fermentation, to the variety of wood used in the casks, to the soil, climate and topography
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Citizen Scientists Find Evidence of Climate Change (VIDEO)
Climate change is causing spring to arrive earlier and earlier, posing a challenge for plants and animals — as well as the scientists who study them. An early thaw can throw off the rhythms
Cities Are Short on Housing. That’s Bad News for the Climate.
Over the last decade or so, white-collar workers have flocked to cities, driving up rents and triggering shortages of affordable housing. Now, advocates and policymakers are in a pitched battle over what
The Biology of Superheroes
Evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton loves reading comic books almost as much as he loves studying unusual animals. Now he’s combining his twin passions in a new podcast, The Biology of Superheroes, co-hosted
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California’s Snow Drought Is a Recipe for Danger
California is likely facing another year of water woes. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which supplies up to a third of California’s water, is exceptionally meager this year. Experts found around half as
Unforgettable Sights of Our Changing World
President Trump’s proposed 2019 budget would slash funding for NASA’s Earth Science Division, and while his budget hasn’t gained traction in Congress, it is an important statement of the administration’s priorities. In
Three Outlandish Ideas to Cool the Planet
Climate change is a big, ugly, unwieldy problem, and it’s getting worse by the day. Emissions are rising. Ice is melting, and virtually no one is taking the carbon crisis as seriously
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Third Nor’easter in 10 Days Bears Down on New England (VIDEO)
The Eastern Seaboard is enduring its third nor’easter in 10 days. Winter Storm Skylar is expected to blanket New England in more than a foot of snow. The National Weather Service has
‘Acoustic Lighthouse’ Alerts Birds to Wind Turbines
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke recently falsely claimed that wind turbines kill 750,000 birds each year. In actuality, wind turbines kill a little more than 350,000 birds annually — which is far fewer
Climate Action 101 (VIDEO)
More than 300 U.S. colleges and universities have committed to major carbon reduction targets and climate resiliency plans as part of Second Nature’s Climate Action Network. The goal is to make college
Everything Old Is New Again (VIDEO)
The River Beech Tower, a conceptual design for a wood skyscraper in downtown Chicago. Source: Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat The home of the future won’t look like The Jetsons. It
Finding a Recipe for a Healthy Energy Mix
Over at the Energy Desk this week we’ve been thinking about diets. Energy diets, of course — but first, a metaphor. Imagine a doctor tells you your cholesterol is dangerously high and you need