Climate Change

Powering down: To prevent wildfires, states try turning off the grid

COMMENTARY | The trend started in California, but now more states are opting to shut off power to parts of the grid in extreme conditions.

  • By Kyri Baker, The Conversation

Turf wars: States, cities grow skeptical of artificial grass

Bans on synthetic turf look to address its impact on the environment and human health.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

These ‘green banks’ are getting billions to decarbonize disadvantaged communities

The Biden administration just distributed $20 billion in IRA funding to loan to individuals and communities across the country.

  • By Syris Valentine, Grist

With energy demand surging, utilities fall back on their old standby: Fossil fuels.

Federal incentives for clean energy are struggling to overcome old-school planning.

  • By Emily Jones, Grist

Florida is about to erase climate change from most of its laws

The state is spending big on adapting to sea level rise, but Republicans don't want to name the cause.

  • By Kate Yoder, Grist

Automakers get some breathing room in EPA air pollution rules

The Biden administration is still pushing for a major shift to electric vehicles by 2032, but many Republicans remain skeptical.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Big Oil faces a flood of climate lawsuits—and they’re moving closer to trial

A quarter of Americans now live in cities and states taking companies to court over lying to the public.

  • By Kate Yoder, Grist

The race heats up for massive IRA state and local climate funding program

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program will award $4.6 billion to states and metro areas this year to implement aspects of local climate action plans.

  • By Kari Lydersen, Energy News Network

States turn up the heat on ESG investing

At issue is whether mandates about environmental, social and governance investment strategies infringe upon a state fiduciary’s duty to maximize returns.

  • By Liz Farmer

Federal permitting hampers climate goals and natural disaster mitigation, counties say

Officials, who are calling for reforms, say environmental regulations shouldn’t lead to yearslong waits to build transmission lines or impede their ability to respond to natural disasters.

  • By Kery Murakami

Cities pay a climate penalty as air pollution worsens

Communities vulnerable to deteriorating air conditions and the resulting public health issues may find it ever more difficult to adapt to the changing environment, a new report suggests.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Today’s real-time wildfire data helps prepare for a changing climate

Rapid response and early detection data tools are helping agencies paint a clearer picture of incoming wildfire risks.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson
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Power outages leave poor communities in the dark longer

Evidence from of a study of 15 million outages raises questions about recovery times.

  • By Chuanyi Ji and Scott C. Ganz, The Conversation

9 states band together to phase out fossil fuel heating in homes

The signatories say the agreement’s focus on building emissions will signal to manufacturers that there will be a robust market for heat pumps in the coming years.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

As summers grow ever hotter, OSHA appears ready to protect workers

Many in the construction and agriculture industries are opposed, but new research shows it would help them, too.

  • By Katie Myers, Grist

Infrastructure ‘bootcamps’ help smaller cities win federal grants

The Local Infrastructure Hub has helped participating cities win millions of dollars to address pressing needs in transportation, climate, flood mitigation, rails, broadband and more.

  • By Elizabeth Daigneau

Easier said than done: Tips for community relocation amid a changing climate

As eroding coasts and raging wildfires drive people from their homes, a new report offers guidance for community relocation programs.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Federal rule forces oil states to cut planet-warming methane emissions

Some states say the new regulation is too heavy a lift.

  • By Alex Brown, Stateline

Preparing for climate change risks to the 2024 elections

COMMENTARY | A natural disaster could quickly overwhelm a voting district and render prior planning moot, so officials should plan and practice how they will conduct elections in the wake of a disaster that displaces voters, destroys blank ballots or damages election equipment.

  • By Quentin E. Hodgson

The latest youth climate lawsuit tries a novel argument: The unique environmental vulnerability of children

Eighteen California children say the EPA fails to recognize the unique physical and mental impacts climate change has on kids.

  • By Katie Myers, Grist

Transportation must adapt to an aging population and a changing climate

COMMENTARY | State and local leaders have an unprecedented opportunity to deliver mobility solutions that work better for everyone.

  • By Danielle Arigoni