News & Commentary

Finally, a Legislative Check on a Runaway White House

January 4, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

What the 116th Congress can do—starting right now—to block Trump’s anti-environment agenda.

2018 Wasn’t a Completely Horrible Year for the Environment

December 21, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The people and the planet can claim more than a few victories—and 2019 is looking better already.

The United States Embarrassed Itself at the Climate Summit in Poland

December 14, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

COP24 attendees mocked the Trump administration for its “clean coal” fantasies—while a shadow delegation of climate-conscious Americans quietly worked the room, mending fences.

Learning to Love the Lamprey

December 11, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

In their native habitat in the Pacific Northwest, these imperiled fish are important ecosystem engineers and food web heroes—despite their bloodsucking lifestyle.

The White House Tried to Bury a Major Climate Report. It Backfired, Big Time.

November 30, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The Trump administration thought that releasing a blockbuster climate assessment on Black Friday would keep people from talking about it. That’s not what happened.

As Statehouses Shift, So Do the Prospects for Clean Energy

November 20, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

A number of governors who campaigned on renewables and other environmental causes won their races—and the chance to get their states moving on serious climate action.

Brazil’s Next President Could Be a Nightmare for the Amazon (and the Rest of the World)

November 2, 2018 Latest NewsInternationalJeff Turrentine

Jair Bolsonaro says there’s too much “wealth underneath it” to leave the rainforest alone.

O próximo Presidente do Brasil pode ser um pesadelo para a Amazônia (e o resto do mundo)

November 2, 2018 Latest NewsInternationalJeff Turrentine

Jair Bolsonaro diz que há muita “riqueza debaixo dela” para deixar a floresta tropical em paz.

Tarantulas the Size of Your Head? Yeah, We Need to Save Them, Too.

October 25, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Arachnids—even large and aggressive ones like Sri Lanka’s tiger spiders—are important predators keeping ecosystems in check.

Climate Scientists to World: We Have Only 20 Years Before There’s No Turning Back

October 12, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

So we’d better get it together and do something NOW.

These Newly Discovered Hummingbirds Can Survive High in the Andes—but Habitat Destruction Is Creeping Up on Them

October 11, 2018 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

Gold mining, fires, and farming have these gorgeous little birds teetering on the edge of extinction.

The Nihilism of Trump’s Climate Policy

October 5, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The administration cites the likelihood of catastrophic global temperature rise to justify gutting fuel-efficiency standards. Yes, you read that correctly.

A Federal Court Revokes Construction Permit, Delivering a Blow to the Mountain Valley Pipeline

October 3, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

The Trump administration’s slapdash approval process for fossil fuel projects just isn’t standing up to legal review.

House Republicans Back a Pro-Extinction Package

September 28, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

These nine bills would weaken the Endangered Species Act—and put our nation’s wildlife at risk.

What the Eight Latest Bird Extinctions Can Tell Us

September 27, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

A new study of critically endangered birds finds a “wave of extinctions washing over the continents.”

Climate Leaders Made History Last Week

September 17, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Here’s why we left the Global Climate Action Summit feeling hopeful.

Hey, Army Corps of Engineers—Show Us Your Work in Your DAPL Report

September 14, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Despite a court order to reassess the Dakota Access Pipeline’s environmental impact, the agency won’t share the results of its new study.

Tracking Climate Commitments from the Global Climate Action Summit

September 12, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Leaders from around the world are gathering in San Francisco right now for the largest climate event ever held in the United States. Here are all the pledges made so far.

California Makes a Clean Break—from Carbon Pollution

September 11, 2018 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

What does it mean for a state that’s bigger and wealthier than many countries to commit itself to clean energy? It could end up meaning the world.

The Oil and Gas Industry Wants Us to Protect It From Climate Change

August 31, 2018 Latest NewsTexasJeff Turrentine

Seriously. It’s asking American taxpayers to fund a 60-mile seawall along the refinery-heavy Texas Gulf Coast.