Why a Kamala Harris Victory Could Prove Critical for the Health of the Planet
Harris speaks at the American Federation of Teachers convention in Houston, July 25, 2024.Jerome Hicks/ZUMA This story was originally published by Slate and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Vice President Kamala Harris all but locked up the Democratic presidential nomination last Sunday. It was also, incidentally, the single hottest day in this planet’s history. That inauspicious timing reveals…
Frackers Are Spraying Toxic Wastewater on Pennsylvania Roads Despite Seven-Year Ban
A Pennsylvania fracking site.Charles Mostoller / Zuma Press This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Siri Lawson and her husband live on a stamp of wooded, hilly land in Warren County, Pennsylvania, nestled in the state’s rural northwest corner. In the summer heat, cars traveling on the county’s dirt…
Joe Biden’s Enormous, Contradictory, and Fragile Climate Legacy
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at a campaign rally in Philadelphia on May 29, 2024.Photo Image Press via ZUMA Press This story was originally published by Vox.com and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The day after President Joe Biden said he would not seek reelection, his White House announced more than $4.3 billion in…
Amid Today’s Extreme Temperatures, Unpaid Power Bills Could Prove Deadly
Arizona, the state with the highest number of heat deaths annually, has banned utility companies from cutting off households for unpaid bills.Matt York/AP This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Millions of low-income households are at risk of having their power disconnected this…
The Problematic Chemicals Fueling America’s EV Revolution
This investigation was reported in collaboration with The Examination, The Post and Courier, Columbia Journalism Investigations, and RTBF, and co-published in partnership with Mother Jones. Propulsion without the need for petroleum: That’s the lithium-ion battery’s promise. Backed by government incentives across the globe, lithium-ion batteries are hailed as key to a green transportation revolution—and for…
Plastics Makers Tout “a World Without Waste.” But what Does That Mean?
Plastic bottles packed together in a recycling plant.Imago via ZUMA Press This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. In the time it takes you to read this sentence—say, four seconds—the world produces nearly 60 metric tons of plastic, almost entirely out of fossil fuels. That’s about 53,000 metric tons…