Big Coal: an unlikely advocate to stay in the Paris climate agreement

Apr 18, 2017
Senior Trump administration officials cancelled a meeting today to talk about whether the U.S. will stay committed to its emissions targets under the Paris climate agreement. Trump has promised to take the U.S. out of agreement. A surprising group wants America to stay in: coal executives. The nation’s three biggest coal companies would rather the […]

Critics say HONEST Act undercuts EPA’s use of science

Apr 10, 2017
Email suggests the head of the EPA ignored staff objections to a measure that could restrict the agency's ability to use the best science
A view of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters on March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Trump puts anti-global warming projects on chopping block

Mar 28, 2017
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday aimed at moving forward on his campaign pledge to unravel former President Barack Obama’s plan to curb global warming. The order will suspend, rescind or flag for review more than a half-dozen measures in an effort to boost domestic energy production […]
President Donald Trump signs one of five executive orders related to the oil pipeline industry in the Oval Office of the White House January 24, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Shawn Thew-Pool / Getty Images

Executive order will discount the cost of carbon pollution

Mar 28, 2017
The White House says it will try to roll back a host of climate initiatives from the Obama administration. These are rules that apply to power plants and coal mines, for instance. But also look out for a sweeping attempt to undercut the government’s way of measuring climate pollution. Right now, federal agencies have to […]

Market forces help stabilize CO2 emissions for third year

Mar 17, 2017
The plateau in emissions comes amid global economic growth.
"The switch from coal to gas really happened because of the shale gas revolution and because of markets,” said Laura Cozzi of the International Energy Agency. Above, a coal power plant from American Electric Power in New Haven, West Virginia.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Big oil is seeking public trust

Mar 10, 2017
The corporate world seems on track to address the issue of climate change even as the Trump administration questions much of the research around its validity. Shell corporation says it’s not just boosting its renewable investments to $1 billion, it’s also tying board member pay to greenhouse gas emissions reductions. It’s not uncommon for fossil […]

As Trump talks coal revival, China seeks props on the fuel's decline

Feb 28, 2017
We now have three years of data points on where China’s coal and carbon emissions are heading: downward. It may have to do with China’s economy becoming less energy-intensive as it moves away from infrastructure and heavy industry. It may also have something to do with policy. Beijing has shuttered coal plants already in construction. […]

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Changing carbon from waste into gold

Feb 23, 2017
Could monetizing carbon emissions drive the fight against climate change?
The limestone rocks pictured here were created from carbon dioxide. The raw material costs a few dollars per ton but sells for $70 to $100 a ton once it’s been manufactured.
Jed Kim/Marketplace

EPA bracing for big cuts under Trump administration

Feb 21, 2017
In addition to being required by law, Environmental Protection Agency funding is critical to state budgets.
Scott Pruitt, Environmental Protection Agency administrator,  is “a leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda,” according to his LinkedIn page.
Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

If NASA’s mission is refocused, what will that do to climate research?

Feb 17, 2017
NASA is the government’s space agency, but not all of what NASA does is linked to space. A good portion of its work is more inward looking and has to do with our own planet — things like weather and climate change. Some Republicans are talking about rebalancing NASA’s priorities and moving away from that […]