From This Collection

Hurricane risk will grow in the coming decades, report warns

Mar 1, 2023
A new tool shows the likelihood of wind damage by property address.
Cleared lots were all that remained of some homes in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, in late January, months after Hurricane Ian ravaged the area.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

New carbon capture methods offer hopeful outlook for addressing climate change

Feb 20, 2023
One startup's method relies on the same natural process that pulls CO2 out of the air to create limestone.
To make progress against climate change, we'll need to invest in technologies that pull carbon dioxide out of the air,  in addition to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Capturing stormwater to deal with California's drought is complicated

Jan 13, 2023
The infrastructure to capture California stormwater could be decades away, officials say.
Rain falls as the Los Angeles River flows at a strong rate on Jan. 9, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Wildfires are more frequent, getting worse — and straining government budgets

Dec 12, 2022
Federal spending by the two main agencies that manage wildfires has doubled in the last decade, Pew found. States are spending more too.
A fire burns east of Eugene, Oregon, in September 2020. Pew researcher Colin Foard pointed out that the state of Washington's average annual spending on wildfires more than tripled during the 2010s.
Tyee Burwell/AFP via Getty Images

To fund climate-friendly agriculture, farmers seek financial support from restaurants

Nov 28, 2022
Some restaurants have joined an effort to support regenerative farming with a 1% charge on sales.
Cows graze at Nick DiDomenico's farm located in Longmont, Colorado.
Rae Solomon/KUNC

In Ilulissat, Greenland, fast climate changes are altering a way of life — for better and worse

Nov 25, 2022
As icebergs melt, fishing with sled dogs on sturdy winter glaciers is no longer safe. But the retreating ice also means bigger catches of fish.
The town of Ilulissat, meaning "iceberg" in Greenlandic, overlooks Disko Bay.
Adrienne Murray/BBC World Service

Are current climate initiatives unfair to developing nations?

Nov 17, 2022
Rahul Tongia of the Brookings Institution argues that a swift, large-scale energy transition is unrealistic for poor countries, and unnecessary.
Participants arrive Thursday at the COP27 climate conference, where world leaders are discussing plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize the impacts of  climate change.
Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

A power plant that captures carbon is coming to Texas, thanks to federal incentives

Nov 8, 2022
The plant will generate almost no greenhouse gas emissions, Net Power says. But critics say there are better alternatives.
Net Power says its planned electric plant will use natural gas but release almost no CO₂. Some critics, though, think wind and solar generation would be better choices. Above, a wind farm and power station in West Virginia.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

When prescribed burns spiral into devastating wildfires, who pays the price?

Oct 21, 2022
A prescribed burn that went awry in New Mexico has some questioning the value of the practice, but scientists say we need prescribed burns more than ever because of climate change.
A scorched structure and vehicle stand on a property mostly destroyed by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire on June 2 near Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Study finds persistent coal ash pollution in lakes

Oct 3, 2022
Climate events like more intense hurricanes are spreading the byproduct of burning coal to water used for drinking and recreation.
The coal ash left behind when coal is burned for electricity contains carcinogens and neurotoxins. Wind turbines, like the one above, are favored as an alternative by advocates of battling climate change and reducing pollution.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images