The Arctic just lost its report card.For two decades, scientists have put out an annual checkup on the Arctic, reporting on sea ice, wildlife, permafrost, and painting the full picture of a region warming about three times faster than the rest of the planet. It’s called the Arctic Report Card, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has backed it…
Our recent conversation with Bill McKibben, founder of Third Act and co-founder of 350.org, explored how the global transition to renewable energy is reshaping not just our climate future but the balance of power, peace, and independence worldwide. We discussed why the rapid electrification and solarization of the planet may be the largest human undertaking…
Wildfire season is in full swing—and it’s shaping up to be one of the worst in recorded history. Since the beginning of the year, the Pacific Northwest has seen millions of acres burn. The fires have prompted more than 100,000 evacuations, destroyed hundreds of homes, and brought wildfire smoke to countless other states—and they’re still battling dozens of active…
This summer, severe weather has really taken center stage. As we speak, tropical storms are driving catastrophic flooding in the Gulf states. Yet another heat wave is bringing record-breaking temperatures to communities across the country. And we can’t forget the hundreds of active wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, which have severely impacted air quality. “Apocalyptic” feels like an understatement. The…
Let’s talk about the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. This landmark legislation is policymakers’ response to America’s housing affordability crisis, and includes more than 40 measures focused on bolstering construction, expanding financing opportunities, and limiting the number of homes large investors can purchase. Getting the bill passed has been a bipartisan effort from the get-go—and with a 358-32 margin in…
President Trump’s complete disregard for the natural world may not come as a surprise anymore—but that doesn’t make it any less appalling. Over the last year and a half, the administration has launched countless attacks on endangered species protections, diverted funds away from national park maintenance, and opened up millions of acres of our public lands and waters to mining, drilling,…
Our recent conversation with Cora Stryker, co-founder of Bright Saver, explored how a grassroots movement is transforming clean energy policy across the United States through plug-in solar legislation. We discussed how a coalition of environmental groups, consumer advocates, and bipartisan lawmakers helped expand plug-in solar from legal in zero states to nearly ten in just…
Devastating executive orders, one regulatory rollback after another, and steep budgetary cuts that jeopardize critical work… Since the start of Trump’s second term, the onslaught of bad news has been endless. In the last few weeks alone, we’ve seen the administration launch their biggest attack on science yet, pay another $1 billion to cancel four more offshore wind projects, and deprioritize…
This summer is shaping up to be one for the books—and not in a good way. Europe just experienced the continent’s worst-ever pre-July heat wave, which broke temperature records in at least nine countries and resulted in more than 1,300 excess deaths. (Likely a massive underestimate, if one scientist’s preliminary analysis proves true.) It’s the 15th-deadliest heat wave in recorded history—and while a…
A super El Niño is officially here. El Niño events occur every two to seven years, when ocean surface temperatures are higher than normal. Anything above 0.5°C constitutes an El Niño event, while numbers beyond the 2°C threshold make it a “super” event. These warmer surface waters shift jet streams and precipitation patterns, affecting weather worldwide. And the…