Inside Climate News

Petrochemicals Are Killing Us, a New Report Warns in the New England Journal of Medicine

By Liza Gross — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:45:00 +0000

It’s well known that fossil fuels are the primary driver of climate change. A dirty secret is that they’re also the source of toxic chemicals linked to rising rates of chronic and deadly diseases.

By Liza Gross

Use of petroleum-based chemicals skyrocketed during the postwar era, most of them entering the market with little concern for safety. Now, mounting evidence links petrochemicals to the rapidly rising prevalence of a slew of chronic and deadly conditions, a review published in the New England Journal of Medicine warned earlier this month.

In the ‘Armpit of the Universe,’ a Window Into the Persistent Inequities of Environmental Policy

By Kiley Bense, Victoria St. Martin — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Researchers found that the effectiveness of the Clean Air Act is often a function of race and socio-economic factors. In Clairton, Pennsylvania, residents say they see that firsthand.

By Kiley Bense, Victoria St. Martin

Germaine Gooden-Patterson has lived in Clairton, Pennsylvania, for more than 15 years, but it wasn’t until she began a job as a community health worker in 2019 that she understood how much air pollution was affecting her neighbors’ lives—and her own.

‘Greenhushing’ Is On the Rise as Companies Go Silent on Climate Pledges

By Kiley Price — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 10:40:38 +0000

Facing backlash from both the left and right, companies are backing away from climate initiatives—at least publicly.

By Kiley Price

For years, eagle-eyed environmentalists have called out banks and consumer businesses—from Barclays to fashion brand ASOS—for making misleading claims that their practices or products are sustainable, otherwise known as greenwashing.

Rewilding Japan With Clearings in the Forest and Crowdfunding Campaigns

Photos and story by James Whitlow Delano — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Preserving the nation’s biodiversity requires opening up meadows in its vast cedar plantations. Conservationists are making headway, but progress depends on reconnecting youth with nature.

Photos and story by James Whitlow Delano

“Atta!” shouts Seiichi Dejima, of the Nature Conservation Society of Japan (NCSJ), as he raises binoculars to his eyes. He’s spotted one of a breeding pair of endangered Japanese golden eagles on a perch, high above, in the 10,000 hectare (25,000 acre) Akaya Forest in Japan’s Gunma Prefecture.

To Stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a Young Activist Spends 36 Hours Inside it

By Keerti Gopal — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 08:55:00 +0000

Two seniors also locked themselves to a derelict car to block workers. The actions marked the end of an escalated week of pipeline opposition, including nine arrests.

By Keerti Gopal

Last week, a 22-year-old activist spent nearly 36 hours inside the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Virginia, halting construction on a section of the pipeline for two days.

A Gas Tanker Crashed in Birmingham and Spilled 2,100 Gallons Into Nearby Village Creek. Who Is Responsible?

By Lee Hedgepeth — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 09:10:00 +0000

Officials say they’ve worked to contain the gas spill and document a resulting fish kill. A local riverkeeper says more could be done.

By Lee Hedgepeth

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—As Kacey Brantley entered her neighborhood earlier this month, she thought the car in front of her was having some kind of mechanical issue. A pungent smell, like gas and burnt plastic, filled her lungs.

Virginia Lawmakers Try to Use Budget to Rejoin RGGI – But Success Is Questionable

By Hannah Chanatry — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 09:05:00 +0000

State lawmakers added an amendment to the budget bill demanding the state rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative but draft changes could prompt a veto from Gov. Youngkin.

By Hannah Chanatry

Closed-door negotiations during Virginia’s budget process may have undercut lawmakers’ plans to rejoin a regional emissions reduction program.

Q&A: What’s So Special About a New ‘Eye in the Sky’ to Track Methane Emissions

Interview by Aynsley O’Neill, Living on Earth — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Though its data collection is stealth, that data is public.

Interview by Aynsley O’Neill, Living on Earth

From our collaborating partner “Living on Earth,” public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by Producer Aynsley O’Neill with Dr. Stephen Conley, an atmospheric scientist and the founder of Scientific Aviation.

A ‘Gassy’ Alabama Coal Mine Was Expanding Under a Family’s Home. After an Explosion, Two Were Left Critically Injured

By Lee Hedgepeth, James Bruggers — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 00:29:01 +0000

Oak Grove Mine has a long history of safety violations. In 2006, federal officials evacuated its workers because of dangerous levels of methane, a flammable gas.

By Lee Hedgepeth, James Bruggers

ADGER, Ala.—He’d said he thought his home would explode. He was right.

Controversial Maryland Data Center Bill Tests Governor’s Climate Credentials, Environmentalists Say

By Aman Azhar — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 18:45:00 +0000

Governor Moore’s administration is supporting legislation to exempt data centers from environmental scrutiny. Advocates say that amounts to reneging on previous climate promises.

By Aman Azhar

“We endorsed Wes Moore primarily because of his forward-facing climate agenda. We liked what he said and his level of commitment. And that’s why this bill has been so difficult,” said Kim Coble, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters (LCV), choosing her words with caution.