Politics
How Our Obsession With Parking Fuels the Climate Crisis
What could a city like New York achieve if it repurposed some of its 3 million curbside parking spots? It could get rid of rats by moving trash off the sidewalks and
We’re Approaching Several ‘Positive’ Climate Tipping Points. Is It Enough?
When it comes to climate change, tipping points are typically a bad thing. They refer to a threshold at which irreversible, self-perpetuating and catastrophic environmental changes – often referred to as feedback
How Tearing Down a Highway Brought New Life to Milwaukee
Before the freeways came in, Bronzeville, on Milwaukee’s North Side, was a vibrant neighborhood known for its restaurants, bars and jazz scene. The area had been home to successive waves of immigrants
New Heat Regulations Could Save Hundreds of Workers’ Lives. Do Employers Care?
Extreme heat — a phenomenon that is increasing in severity and frequency as the planet warms — is the deadliest weather related disaster, killing more than 5,600 people each year, according to
A Dilemma for California Legislators: Preserve Public Beaches or Protect Coastal Homes
Up and down California, rising seas are threatening seaside property. As of 2018, around 148 miles of the California coast have been fortified with jetties, breakwaters, sea walls and other hard barriers
Does Orange County, California Actually Need That $350 Million Desalination Plant?
Once again, California is in a drought. Much of Northern California and the Central Valley are experiencing “acute water supply shortfalls,” and the Sierra Nevada snowpack, a critical water source for Californians
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
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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
Climate Change Is Sowing Chaos Up and Down the Mississippi River (VIDEO)
This story was produced in collaboration with PBS News Hour. Over the centuries the United States has deployed vast fortunes and an untold number of workers to divert, dam and contain the
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
Sea-Level Rise Is Already Taking a Toll on Annapolis
Ryan Lamy began his restaurant career selling hot dogs from a cart in Pasadena, Maryland. But all the while, he longed to open a real café. In 2009, his dream came true
Filling Potholes Cuts Pollution
With Democrats in control of the House of Representatives and Republicans in control of the Senate, Congress is unlikely to produce any significant legislation on divisive issues like climate change. However, lawmakers
A New Language for Grappling With Climate Change
This month, a major UN report on climate change declared that humanity has just a few short years to make the drastic changes needed to stave off an environmental catastrophe. While news
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
City Trees Are Disappearing
Forests are essential to combating climate change. They drink up huge amounts of planet-heating carbon from the atmosphere and provide shelter for species struggling to adapt to global warming. For that reason,
Women on the Margins of UN Climate Panel
A 2013 special issue of Nature took a look at gender bias in science, and concluded that the field still was “institutionally sexist.” Women scientists make less money, and receive fewer promotions