Earth Island Journal

Environmental News in Brief: Spring 2026

From the US loosening regulations on air pollution to Norway pausing its explorations into deep-sea mining, here’s our Spring 2026 "Talking Points" roundup of environmental news from the past few months.

Plus: a report on water insecurity, new bird research, a surprising sticker war, and more!

Toiling in Toxic Fields California is failing to protect the health and safety of thousands of child farmworkers.

In the sprawling agricultural fields of California lies a harsh reality: Children toil away in punishing heat and dangerous conditions to pick the fresh produce that feeds America.

Robert J Lopez (@lajourno.bsky.social) reports in this investigation by @capitalandmain.bsky.social and partners.

Ties That Bind Violence against humans is connected to violence against the earth, but healing is possible when we come together.

As EIJ Managing Editor Zoe Loftus-Farren was wrapping up our Spring 2026 issue, she noticed some common threads — namely violence against humans and violence against the earth, which are intimately connected.

But so are “bravery and resilience under harsh, sometimes unimaginable, circumstances."

Our Spring 2026 issue hits newsstands soon!

Inside, you’ll find Ukrainian mushroom foragers, Bosnian bee hunters, child farmworkers, murmurating swifts, paper-cut sea creatures, and unlikely allies against “the Machine.”

Subscribe to our print issue today! donate.earthisland.org/page/20964/d...

Robert Bullard

When Robert Bullard began speaking about the connections between race and environmental harm, he was a voice in the wind. Now, these connections are widely recognized.

To close out #BlackHistoryMonth, we’re revisiting our 2015 Conversation with Bullard, which feels all the more relevant today.

Birdman Bird Brother: A Falconer’s Journey and the Healing Power of Wildlife

Rodney Stotts is a master falconer who rehabilitates raptors and teaches falconry to at-risk teens — teens not unlike his younger self.

“If I didn’t get into animals … I’d have either died in the streets or been locked up,” Rodney writes in this feature from the EIJ archives.

#BlackHistoryMonth

India’s Solar Land Grab Is Displacing Farmers Communities are pushing back against clean energy projects they say were undertaken without informed consent.

The solar revolution in India — touted as a path to clean energy and rural development — has instead brought dispossession and debt to 5 communities (and 500+ people) in Maharashtra.

Writer Naila Khan traces this emerging pattern, and gives voice to the now-landless farmers fighting for justice.

That would certainly be a loss. What bird is that?

Will Your State Bird Disappear? A new study shows that tens of millions of Americans could lose the chance to see their state bird due to climate change.

If you’re a US resident, do you know your state bird? How would not being able to see it affect your relationship with your home?

According to a new study, millions of Americans could lose access to their state bird as the planet warms — with far-reaching consequences, reports @therevelator.org.

Trump’s Big Climate Finding Repeal Could Actually Hurt Big Oil Without federal climate regulation, the fossil fuel industry may be more vulnerable to local lawsuits.

By repealing the “endangerment finding” — which says greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare — the Trump administration was attempting to reward oil companies.

But ironically, the change could make Big Oil more vulnerable to local litigation and policy, reports @theguardian.com #climate

Who Gets to Make Wildlife Films Set in Africa? Decolonizing Africa’s Nature Documentaries

Tired of seeing White filmmakers and characters telling the story of Africa and its charismatic megafauna?

Well, you’re in luck. A growing group of local film producers is helping to decolonize the media landscape and make more space for Africans to tell their own stories. #BlackHistoryMonth

From atmospheric-river rains and historic snows to record heat, drought, and wildfires, California is a land of extremes.

Tune into Terra Verde @kpfa.org for a conversation with climate scientist Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social about weather whiplash.
www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...

The Tentmaking Bats of the Tropics Deforestation threatens the shelter-building bats who construct homes from tropical leaves across Central and South America.

Deep in the forests of Central and South America, Honduran white bats cut and fold tropical leaves into their own tent shelters.

But deforestation and climate change are threatening this rare animal behavior along with the habitats that make it possible, writes Timothy Mihocik.

Romania has slashed greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent, and managed to decouple economic growth from burning fossil fuels faster than anywhere else in Europe. But for some, the transition has been anything but just.

For @theguardian.com, Ajit Niranjan traces the pace and impacts of change.

A Buffalo Soldier Speaks “Mountains and Forests Rise Within Us”

A park ranger for more than two decades, Shelton Johnson has learned the value of wildflowers and mountains, lessons from his mule, and wisdom from his Cherokee and Seminole ancestors.

This #BlackHistoryMonth, enjoy an excerpt from the historical novel Gloryland, from the EIJ archives.

There Is No Such Thing as Neutrality in Science It’s time for us to embrace culturally-informed knowledge systems and their value to ecosystem health.

Western science has long dominated environmental and conservation efforts, in part for its claims of “objectivity” and “neutrality.”

But culturally-informed understandings “are just as valuable, if not more valuable, in solving environmental problems,” writes author Mona Shomali.

While ICE raids grab headlines, Trump mounts quieter attack on Minnesota’s Boundary Waters As the federal siege of Minnesota continues, the Boundary Waters wilderness is also under attack.

"To put a gigantic copper mine (or two) on the edge of the Boundary Waters would be like capping Old Faithful for a geothermal plant or clearcutting the forests at the foot of the Tetons — most Americans wouldn’t support it if they knew about it."
www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...

Tis done. Scrapping #EPA's #endangerment finding doesn't scrap the danger though. Huge setback, but efforts to stabilize our #climate will continue.

Under the Cover of Tear Gas As the federal siege of Minnesota continues, the Boundary Waters wilderness is also under attack.

While the public has been defending Minnesota against ICE assaults, Congress has been pushing for copper mining in the Boundary Waters.

“Most Americans wouldn’t support it if they knew about it,” writes @jasondovemark.bsky.social. “The proposed pillage is happening under the cover of tear gas.”

Connecting with Rural America Climate activist and political organizer Chloe Maxmin on authenticity, climate conversations, and democracy in rural spaces.

“Community is being built,” says Chloe Maxmin of Dirtroad Organizing. “It’s not just showing up for the sake of showing up; it’s showing up because your community needs you.”

In this Winter 2026 Conversation, Maxmin discusses how to connect across differences, and shares what else gives her hope.

Small Dam Removals Create Big Benefits Freeing US waterways of several hundred thousand low-height barriers could help restore watersheds, improve water quality, and enhance public safety.

Removing even small dams can bring back once-common riverine species — from eels and sea lamprey to bluehead chubs and white suckers to James spinymussels.

And that’s just the beginning, writes @taralohan.bsky.social in the new book Undammed: Freeing Rivers and Bringing Communities to Life.

It’s Not Easy Being Green What if we were mutually accountable not only to the environment, but also to each other?

In the pursuit of multiple degrees, Carolyn Finney has found herself in libraries filled with ideas about the nonhuman world. But for her, acts of conservation are remiss without acknowledging the privilege that governs access and narrative.

Read her essay from the EIJ archives. #BlackHistoryMonth

Back to the Land A growing number of African Americans want to reclaim their farming roots. But Black farmers face many of the same racist hurdles of the past.

While decades of oppression and systemic racism have kept Black farmers from owning and cultivating lands, small community farms are empowering reconnection and reclamation.

During Black History Month, enjoy this feature by @shipleywriter.bsky.social from the EIJ archives. #BlackHistoryMonth

Changing the Energy Equation ÉnergieRich works to ensure that the people fueling the global energy sector can access energy themselves.

After visiting one of Niger’s largest uranium mines, Dena Montague became fascinated by how many resources Africa provides while African people are largely left behind.

In 2015, she founded ÉnergieRich to ensure that people fueling the energy sector can access energy themselves. #blackhistorymonth

Why US Household Energy Bills Are Soaring — and How to Fix It Trump has prioritized fossil fuel companies over consumers, hitting the lowest-income families hardest.

While President Trump promised to slash energy prices by 50 percent, his energy agenda has done the opposite: prioritizing fossil fuel producers over consumers.

This will, predictably, hit the poorest households hardest, writes energy economist Mark Wolfe. Repost from @theguardian.com #energybills

Whales Speak. What Would It Mean to Listen? Researchers are working to decode sperm whale communication, opening up legal and ethical questions as well as opportunities for conservation.

Scientists at @projectceti.bsky.social record and listen to sperm whales off Dominica to decode their complex communication.

The research is moving us closer to interspecies communication, opening up legal and ethical questions as well as opportunities for conservation, writes Georgia Good.

Demand for lithium and other minerals is booming — reshaping landscapes, supply chains, and geopolitics.

On this episode of Terra Verde @kpfa.org, political scientist and author @triofrancos.bsky.social talks about the hidden costs of "clean energy."

www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...

Contemplating Nature Outside Your Door in the Sierra In Review: Snow Fleas and Chickadees: Everyday Observations in the Sierra

While the world teems with magnificent species, author Eve Quesnel is most interested in her own backyard: the Sierra Nevada.

In her new book, Snow Fleas and Chickadees, she weaves together vignettes of animal and non-animal entities and argues that “when you name something, you notice it more.”

Green Crimes Don’t Rely on Evil Masterminds, They Rely on Silence Ten years after Dieselgate, a criminal psychologist unpacks what really drove Volkswagen’s emissions scandal.

In 2015, investigators discovered that Volkswagen had installed “defeat devices” that could fool emissions tests in 600,000 cars sold in the US over a decade.

But why did it take employees so long to come clean? @drjuliashaw.bsky.social investigates in her new book, Green Crime. #Dieselgate #VW

Why Dark Skies Matter Losing self and finding sanctuary under Montana’s night sky.

"Perhaps then, when we protect dark skies, we are actually providing a sanctuary for understanding, a place of refuge from artificial illumination where we can learn from the dark." @gabriel-furshong.bsky.social @earthislandjournal.bsky.social

www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...