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Halfway through 2024, is the global power sector on track for lower emissions?

Jul 2, 2024
Emissions worldwide hit a record high last year. But at the same time, more renewables have been coming on line.
A variety of energy sources will be key to sustainably lowering emissions and keeping them low, says Melissa Lott of Columbia University’s Climate School.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

In Massachusetts, land preservation is a waiting game

Jul 1, 2024
The state Conservation Land Tax Credit gives private landowners up to $75,000 to cover some of what their land would be worth to developers and the cost of appraisals, surveys and legal fees. 
Carol Williams walks through the woods behind her home which she hopes to restrict from future development.
Robin Lubbock/WBUR

Climate change forces third-generation fisherman to rethink this year

Jun 25, 2024
Warming ocean temperatures affect albacore tuna’s migratory patterns, and that’s made it more difficult for local fishermen to make a living catching them.
Scott Hawkins photographs his crew, including his sons, Wyatt (left, blue helmet) and Colton (front, red jacket), with dozens of albacore tuna they caught in minutes.
Courtesy Scott Hawkins

Heat waves are a drain on the economy. And they're getting worse.

Jun 17, 2024
Many industries have to slow down, or shut down, when it's too hot to work.
Extreme heat can slow down or halt outdoor jobs like construction, causing ripple effects through the economy.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

He assesses climate risk on the housing market, and he wants your attention

Jun 12, 2024
As people become more aware of living in vulnerable areas, home prices will gradually reflect that risk, says Tim Judge of Fannie Mae.
"We do need every state to have flood disclosures," says Fannie Mae's Tim Judge. Above, water from a flash flood surrounds a home in Thermal, California, after a monsoonal thunderstorm in September.
David McNew/Getty Images

Nanobubbles help this lakeside cope with toxic algae — and the changing climate

Jun 5, 2024
As climate change warms water, algae is killing fish and plants in U.S. lakes, including California's Lake Elsinore. New tech could save them.
After a new investment and a wet winter, Lake Elsinore is the bluest and cleanest it’s been in years.
Caleigh Wells/Marketplace

Will workers be protected from extreme heat on the job?

Jun 3, 2024
More than 400 workers died due to heat exposure between 2011 and 2021, according to federal records. Five states have created their own workplace heat safety rules, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is working on a new safety standard.
Five states have created their own workplace heat safety rules and several more are close to adopting them, says Anastasia Christman at the National Employment Law Project.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Why the cost of coffee beans is climbing

May 27, 2024
Higher global demand for the drink and climate change's effect on supply are behind the upward trend.
A coffee producer in Minas Gerais, Brazil, holds up a handful of robusta beans. Vietnam and Brazil, the top growers of robusta, are suffering droughts. 
Douglas Magno/AFP via Getty Images

The Mexico City water crisis, explained

May 27, 2024
The most populated North American metro area is facing a "Day Zero" scenario, and longstanding issues with infrastructure and water management are part of the problem.
"One of the things that really jumps out to me about Mexico City is the way this is exacerbating inequality," said Vox's Caroline Houck. "There's obvious tensions around who does get water, whose pipes regularly work, but also when they don't work, who has the money to pay for that increasingly expensive use of water."
Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. banks remain the world's largest funders of fossil fuels

May 16, 2024
Banks have invested trillions of dollars since the Paris Agreement went into effect.
JPMorgan Chase was the number one fossil fuel financier in the world last year, according to the 15th Banking on Climate Chaos report.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images