News & Commentary

The United States Is the Most Wasteful Country In the World

July 12, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

We’re number one! We’re number one!

Columbus Makes Its Historically Disadvantaged Neighborhoods a Key to Its Climate Future

July 9, 2019 DispatchColumbus, OhioSarah Stankorb

Self-driving shuttles and energy audits are helping to keep this Ohio boomtown booming (without the carbon bust).

To Become a Less Car-Centric City, San Diego Takes Aim at Parking Lot Quotas

June 5, 2019 DispatchSan DiegoBecca Cudmore

In addition to cutting carbon pollution, Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s climate initiatives could give a boost to public transit and affordable housing options.

Fishing in Warming Seas, North Carolinians Trek North to Reel in Their Catch

June 3, 2019 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

As climate change sends fisheries into flux, managers must keep up with the latest science to sustain them.

U.N. Report: A Million Extinctions and Ecological Collapse Are on the Way

May 13, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

We got ourselves into this mess. It’s high time we got ourselves out of it.

L.A. Takes a Fresh Look at Recycled Water

May 13, 2019 DispatchLos AngelesLauren Evans

Facing dwindling freshwater supplies, the city is ready to stop dumping millions of gallons into the Pacific—and to follow Orange County’s lead.

When Your Planet Calls 911

May 10, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The systems that allow life on earth to exist are breaking down. We’re responsible. But we also have the power to turn things around.

Hawaii Stands Up for Its Sharks With Fishing Ban

April 24, 2019 DispatchHawaiiStarre Vartan

The Aloha State is on track to become the first in the nation to ban shark fishing outright, creating a critical safe harbor for these threatened animals.

Has Climate Gentrification Hit Miami? The City Plans to Find Out.

March 11, 2019 DispatchMiamiRobynne Boyd

As the sea rises, low-income neighborhoods on high land are starting to feel squeezed out.

Portland Makes Strides to Cut Emissions and Move Beyond Four Wheels

March 4, 2019 DispatchPortland (Oregon)Becca Cudmore

The Rose City, a winner of the American Cities Climate Challenge, will reduce emissions as it revamps its transportation system—part of a new strategic plan called Central City in Motion.

Is the Future of Grocery Shopping B.Y.O. Container?

February 15, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

A new wave of entrepreneurs aim to wean consumers from single-use plastic.

With Tahlequah’s Newborn and Scarlet Gone, Orca Advocates Race to Save Their Kin

February 11, 2019 DispatchWestLora Shinn

The plight of the Southern Resident orcas is bringing together a coalition of state and tribal leaders, scientists, and grassroots communities to avert a looming extinction.

Why Is HUD Ghosting America’s Hurricane-Ravaged Communities?

February 8, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The Trump administration promised $16 billion to help places like Texas, Puerto Rico, and Florida weather future storms. Now, nearly a year later, it won’t even return their calls.

Welcome to Oslo! NO PARKING.

February 1, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJeff Turrentine

More and more European cities are effectively banning automobiles from their city centers—and it seems to be working out just fine for local businesses.

The Carolinas Face a Climate Trifecta: Floods, Fire, and Heat

January 28, 2019 DispatchNorth Carolina, South CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The National Climate Assessment’s outlook for the two coastal states is daunting, but local leaders are starting to dig in for a fight.

Climate Change Is Already Driving Mass Migration Around the Globe

January 25, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

To ignore this fact—as the Trump administration insists on doing—is to hamper U.S. foreign policy.

The Festering Sanitation Crisis at Our Border

December 3, 2018 DispatchArizona, Mexico, CaliforniaTim Vanderpool

As the Trump administration ratchets up its rhetoric demanding billions for a wall, American communities along the Mexico border are in need of basic services, like reliable sewage treatment.

Discovery of an Ancient Reef Off South Carolina Is One More Reason Not to Drill the Atlantic

November 19, 2018 DispatchSouth CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The coral system is 85 miles long and has been there for hundreds of thousands of years.

In the Pacific Northwest, Testing Out New Wildfire Defenses on the Front Lines

October 30, 2018 DispatchWest, Washington, OregonLora Shinn

Where quick-spreading fires are the “new normal,” some state officials and communities are willing to try whatever it takes to prevent—or better prepare for—the next big blaze.

These Alaska Residents Are Watching Their Hometowns Slide Into Rising Waters

October 29, 2018 DispatchAlaskaAlisa Opar

At least 31 villages now face imminent threats from climate change and may have to relocate, at a cost of as much as $200 million each.