Yale Environment 360

New European Service Will Investigate Role of Warming in Weather Disasters

A new E.U. service will investigate the role of warming in weather disasters.

Its findings could help insurers better gauge climate risks and help advocates hold polluters accountable for climate damages.

In Myanmar, Illicit Rare Earth Mining Is Taking a Heavy Toll As China has cut back on domestic extraction of rare earth minerals, uncontrolled mining in Myanmar has boomed in areas ruled by ethnic armies. New reporting in Wa territory reveals the activity is da...

As China has cut back on the extraction of rare earth minerals, Myanmar has seen a mining boom in borderlands ruled by ethnic armies.

The surge in illicit mining is destroying forests, tainting water, and harming the health of workers and communities nearby.

How Batteries, Not Natural Gas, Can Power the Data Center Boom Tech companies are turning to natural gas to help power the growing number of U.S. data centers. Jigar Shah, a former top Energy Department official, explains how installing batteries instead can help...

Tech companies are turning to natural gas to help power U.S. data centers.

Jigar Shah, a former top Energy Department official, explains how installing batteries instead can strengthen the power grid, trim electric bills, and help curb emissions.

Race a 'Potent Predictor' of Where Texas Petrochemical Plants Will Be Built

Race is a "potent predictor" of where petrochemical plants have been proposed in Texas, a report finds.

U.S. Data Centers Could Consume as Much Water as 10 Million Americans by Decade's End

By the end of this decade, U.S. data centers could consume as much water as 10 million Americans and produce as much carbon dioxide as 10 million cars, a study finds. via @insideclimatenews.org

Growth of Wind and Solar Keeping Fossil Power in Check

This year, new wind and solar will more than meet growing power demand globally, keeping fossil fuel consumption flat, analysts project.

Climate Plans Focus on Planting Trees Over Protecting Forests, Experts Warn

National climate plans focus too much on “unrealistic” tree-planting schemes and too little on protecting existing forests, experts warn.

World Still Headed for 'Peak' Fossil Fuels Before Decade's End

The International Energy Agency continues to project that demand for fossil fuels will peak before 2030, if countries push forward on their climate goals.

China's Emissions Have Been Trending Down for 18 Months

For 18 months, China’s emissions have been trending down as renewables displace coal and EVs supplant gas-powered cars.

That is the finding of a new analysis, which comes as China takes center stage at the U.N. climate negotiations now underway in Brazil.

As U.S. and E.U. Retreat on Climate, China Takes the Leadership Role As U.N. talks get underway, China is emerging as a key leader in international climate efforts. It is empowering the global energy transition, and along with India and Brazil, is becoming the driving ...

Analysis: China is not only powering the shift to clean energy, but becoming a driving force in climate diplomacy, filling a vacuum left by the U.S. and E.U.

As U.N. climate negotiations get underway, China is staking its claim to the leadership role.

In a Death Valley Shrub, a Blueprint for Heat-Proof Crops

A new study reveals how a tiny desert shrub manages to thrive in the searing heat of Death Valley, California.

The findings could help scientists engineer more heat-resistant crops.

World Appears on Track to Triple Renewable Capacity by 2030

For the fourth year in a row, the world is projected to add a record amount of wind and solar.

Countries appear on track to reach an international goal to triple global renewable capacity by 2030, analysts say.

As Brazil Cracks Down on Forest Clearing, Emissions Fall

Last year Brazil saw its biggest drop in emissions in 15 years, new data show.

Analysts credit the decline to a crackdown on the illegal clearing of forest.

From Ruins to Reuse: How Ukrainians Are Repurposing War Waste Russian bombardments have generated more than a billion tons of debris across Ukraine since 2022. Now, local and international efforts are meticulously sorting the bricks, concrete, metal, and wood, p...

Russian attacks have produced more than a billion tons of debris across Ukraine.

Efforts are underway to recover concrete, metal, bricks, and wood from the rubble and reuse these materials in new buildings and roads.

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In Decade Since Paris Agreement, Climate Outlook Has Improved Dramatically

The climate outlook has improved dramatically in the decade since the Paris Agreement, a report finds.

Still, the world remains far off track from its goal of keeping warming under 2 degrees C.

Warming Made Hurricane Melissa Four Times More Likely

One of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, Hurricane Melissa has killed dozens of people and inflicted billions of dollars in damage.

Warming made the deadly hurricane four times more likely, a new analysis finds.

Carbon Offsets Are Failing. Can a New Plan Save the Rainforests? Brazil is set to unveil an ambitious international plan that would provide up to $4 billion a year to countries that protect their tropical forests. Proponents see it as a potential game-changer for f...

Brazil is set to unveil an investment fund that would channel billions of dollars yearly to countries that safeguard tropical forests.

Proponents see a game-changer for conservation, but critics say the plan will benefit investors first, rather than forests and the countries that host them.

'Death-Ball' Sponge and Glowing Worms Among Creatures Discovered in Southern Ocean

Glowing scale worms and a “death ball” sponge are among the dozens of new creatures discovered in the Southern Ocean.

China Has Added Forest the Size of Texas Since 1990 While the world is continuing to lose huge areas of forest, mostly in the tropics, woodlands are making a comeback in some countries. Since 1990, China has added more than 170 million acres of forest, an area roughly the size of Texas, according to a new U.N. report.

Since 1990, China has added more than 170 million acres of forest, an area roughly the size of Texas, according to a new U.N. report.

During the Last Government Shutdown, Coal Pollution Spiked

With lawmakers still at an impasse over spending, the U.S. government remains shut down.

Researchers warn that during the last shutdown, pollution from coal power plants spiked in the absence of federal oversight.

Dozens of Clean Tech Projects Cancelled in U.S. This Year, Costing More Than 20,000 Jobs

Clean tech firms have scrapped $24 billion in planned projects across the U.S. this year, from solar farms to battery plants to EV factories.

The canceled projects would have created more than 20,000 jobs, most of them in Republican districts.

Facing a Hostile Administration, U.S. Offshore Wind Is in Retreat Offshore wind had been poised to take off along the East Coast, with about 30 utility-scale farms planned. But the Trump administration’s opposition to wind power has caused most of those projects to ...

Offshore wind had been poised to take off on the East Coast, with about 30 large farms planned.

But as the Trump administration pulls support for the industry, most of those projects have been abandoned.

Biggest Meat Producers Unleashing More Methane Than Biggest Oil Firms

The five biggest meat and dairy producers are generating more methane than the largest oil and gas firms, according to a new report.

Mosquitoes Found in Iceland for the First Time

Iceland, one of the last places on Earth to be mosquito-free, recorded its first sighting this month.

Scientists say warming is making the country more hospitable to the insects.

Warming Made L.A. Wildfires 25 Times Larger

Warming made the devastating L.A. wildfires twice as likely and 25 times larger, according to a new report.

When Pollution Spikes in Southeast Asia, Rainfall Shifts from Land to Sea

In Southeast Asia, heavy pollution is suppressing rainfall over land while intensifying it over the ocean.

In Gaza, 95 Percent of Farmland Is in Ruins

As a tenuous ceasefire takes hold in the Gaza Strip, an analysis of satellite imagery reveals 95 percent of cropland has been damaged in the course of the war.

As Jaguars Recover, Will the Border Wall Block Their U.S. Return? Decades of conservation efforts in Central and South America are starting to pay off, with increased protections for jaguars and the corridors that connect them. But the construction of the border wal...

Jaguars are recovering in Mexico and could soon return to the Southwest.

But work on the border wall may stop the big cats from making a comeback in the U.S.

The World Is Failing to Slow the Loss of Its Forests

Despite an international pledge to halt the destruction of forests by 2030, the world continues to lose around 20 million acres a year, an area roughly the size of Ireland.

A new report warns that forests globally "remain in crisis."