A Sad Countdown: Scientists Watch a Species Go Extinct
Reading Time: 5 minutes Conservationists thought they were close to saving a species on the brink of extinction — until their plan took a devastating turn.
The Man Who Called Donald Trump a “Moron”
Reading Time: 7 minutes Rex Tillerson has reportedly called Donald Trump a “moron.” But what epithet might apply to Rex Tillerson? For many years, Tillerson headed ExxonMobil, a company that obfuscated what it knew about climate change — to the detriment of the planet.
Team Trump’s Hostility Toward Science Is No Hoax
Reading Time: 3 minutes Many Americans only believe in science as long as it doesn’t conflict with their political views. Unfortunately, some of them hold influential positions in government.
Cities, States and Kids Sue to Stop Climate Change
Reading Time: 9 minutes The courts have the power to set a deadline for federal agencies to slash carbon emissions. Or make Big Oil liable for climate damages. Could Hurricane Harvey be a factor in their decision?
Will Zeal for Profits Hinder High-tech Farming from Feeding People?
Reading Time: 8 minutes Vertical farmers are bringing agriculture inside — and launching baby greens into outer space. But will political and marketplace realities bring vertical farming back down to earth?
When Toxic Politics Clash With Toxic Chemicals
Reading Time: 7 minutes For 40 years, the federal government has failed to protect the public from toxic chemicals. Last year, a bipartisan Congress passed a law to change that state of affairs. Public health advocates worry that the Trump administration is now undermining it.
Dominion Energy Pulls Out All Stops for Pipeline Win
Reading Time: 7 minutes Dominion Energy wants to build a $5.5 billion natural gas pipeline that will cross three states, including Virginia. As Virginians prepare to go to the polls this month, their vote may determine whether the utility giant gets its way.
Donald Trump vs. the Tide of History on Climate Change
Reading Time: 5 minutes While scientists say the US president’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change is disastrous, they also describe a cyclical pattern where, driven by greed, humanity periodically comes to the brink of catastrophe.
Trump Turns Climate Agreement Announcement into a Circus
Reading Time: 2 minutes By turning his announcement of the decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement into a spectacle, President Donald Trump needlessly (further) irked the countries that think climate change is real — i.e. all of them other than Syria.
Kentucky Coal’s Adapt-or-Perish Moment
Reading Time: 4 minutes Can a solar farm bloom in the devastation left by an abandoned strip mine? Developments in Kentucky are putting a new face on the energy future of Appalachia — even as the Trump administration looks to turn the clock back to the 19th century.
Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Part 2: Big Oil, Bigger Lies
Reading Time: 9 minutes Second excerpt from Horsemen of the Apocalypse: The Men Who are Destroying Life on Earth and What It Means for Our Children
Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Part 1: Rex Tillerson
Reading Time: 7 minutes First part of an excerpt from Horsemen of the Apocalypse: The Men Who are Destroying Life on Earth and What It Means for Our Children (with an Introduction by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.).
Conflict of Interest Questions Dog Former EPA Official
Reading Time: 3 minutes A former EPA official involved in a controversial study of the health effects of Monsanto’s glyphosate is being taken to court by public interest advocates who want to know more about his ties to the company and the chemical industry.
Deadline Looms for New Water-Sharing Deal Between US and Mexico
Reading Time: 7 minutes Rivers are not affected by border walls. Instead, they are subject to complicated treaties between countries. One such deal involving the US and Mexico now has to be urgently renewed. President Trump’s tough talk against Mexico does not make things easier.
Will Activists Be Able to Stop the Atlantic Coast Pipeline?
Reading Time: 10 minutes The Atlantic Coast Pipeline will enrich investors, but it may permanently scar the Appalachian Trail and jeopardize the health, safety and peace of mind of the region’s most vulnerable residents.
Keystone XL Is a Dirty Deal for America
Reading Time: 22 minutes President Donald Trump has reversed Barack Obama’s decision on Keystone XL and given a green light to the construction of the controversial pipeline. The project would accomplish very little of what Trump promised but can cause a lot of problems.
Diving for Disaster: When the Coral is Gone
Reading Time: 4 minutes As this powerful, colorful documentary makes clear, coral is not just an exoticism: it is part of the cycle of life on earth. When it’s gone, so, eventually, will we be. And it’s going fast.
Don’t Avert Your Eyes from “Inconvenient” Climate Disaster
Reading Time: 5 minutes If you really want your grandchildren to have a future, watch this film.
Can the EPA Survive Trump & Congress?
Reading Time: 10 minutes With draconian budget cuts, behavior causing committed staff to leave, and the passage of laws that would make it impossible for an agency to function under any administration, are Trump and Congress trying to destroy the Environmental Protection Agency?
China Invests Big Bucks in Green Energy While US Goes Dirty
Reading Time: 4 minutes Both China and the US are about to change course on how they produce energy. While the incoming Trump administration wants to refocus on fossil fuels, China is investing hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy, which could give it a major competitive advantage down the road.