Last year was the hottest year on record by a wide margin, and 2024 has a one-in-three shot at being even hotter, according to the Annual 2023 Global Climate Report by the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Scientists from the European Union found that Earth’s average temperature last year was 1.35 degrees […]
In 2023, 55 percent of Germany’s power came from renewables — an increase of 6.6 percent, according to energy regulator Bundesnetzagentur, reported Reuters. Europe’s biggest national economy has a goal of 80 percent green energy by 2030. The country plans to get rid of most of its coal, has already ceased relying on nuclear power […]
Five of the top Big Oil companies in the world were expected to pay shareholders over $100 billion for 2023. The estimated 2023 payouts from BP, Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies were on track to surpass the dividend payments and share buybacks from 2022, which reached $104 billion, according to the Institute for Energy Economics […]
The Arctic Ocean may be the planet’s smallest ocean, but it is an important carbon sink that absorbs up to 198 million tons of carbon annually, according to a press release from NASA. However, a recent study has shown that thawing permafrost and runoff rich with carbon from the Mackenzie River in Canada is triggering […]
On Friday, Indonesia said palm oil companies operating inside forested areas would be fined a total of $310 million, reported Reuters. Indonesia and Malaysia are responsible for most of the world’s palm oil production — 85 percent — a major driver of deforestation, the Yale Center for Business and the Environment said. Deforestation accounts for […]
The Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest in the world. Spanning eight countries, it has been called the “lungs of the planet” for its vital service of converting enormous amounts of carbon dioxide into oxygen. Now, Brazilian lawmakers have approved a bill to allow conservation funds to be used to pave a highway — BR-319 […]
The Biden administration has announced new steps and unlocked funding to launch its new federal program, the American Climate Corps, that aims to employ thousands of young Americans in the conservation, clean energy and climate resilience sectors. Seven federal agencies — the Departments of the Interior, Labor, Commerce, Agriculture and Energy; AmeriCorps; and the Environmental […]
In a unanimous vote, the California State Water Resources Control Board has approved its first standards for converting sewage waste into drinking water that can be piped directly into the taps of households and businesses. It’s a historic moment for a state plagued by drought and water shortages. “A city produces wastewater during a drought, […]
While major wildfires in the U.S. have typically afflicted the west coast in recent years, a a new study based on data from over 30 years has found an increase in the size and frequency of wildfires on the opposite side of the country. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, reviewed large wildfires, over […]