Climate Change

State & Local Roundup: The ESG Debate Hits a New Frenzy

Plus: Medicaid expansion marches on; Utah restricts social media for minors; More kids eat free; Development without displacement; and more news you can use from around the country.

  • By Daniel C. Vock, Molly Bolan and Elizabeth Daigneau

How Washington Raised $300 Million for Climate Action From Polluters

The state's first "cap-and-invest" auction nearly doubled the price of carbon recently sold in California.

  • By Kate Yoder, Grist

New College Corps Program in California Offers Students Debt-Free Pathways

Working on issues like climate mitigation, education, and food insecurity, students from rural schools help solve some of the most pressing issues rural communities face today.

  • By Kristi Eaton, The Daily Yonder

Federal Grant Requirements Make it Hard for Rural Communities to Prepare for Climate Change

A 2023 study from Headwaters Economics shows that qualifications from federal grant programs disproportionately hurt under-resourced rural areas.

  • By Sarah Melotte, The Daily Yonder

A New Strategy for Western States to Adapt to Long-term Drought: Customized Water Pricing

Even after January’s storms, California faces a water-scarce future. An economist and an engineer propose a way to test higher water prices as a conservation strategy without hurting low-income users.

  • By Matthew E. Kahn and Bhaskar Krishnamachari, The Conversation

The Politics of ESG Investing

COMMENTARY | Leaders in conservative states are hesitant to adopt ESG-related principles. Are their positions purely political or substantive as well?

  • By Hughey Newsome

The States Gaining the Most Clean Energy Jobs

A new analysis finds companies have announced more than 100,000 positions in fields like solar and wind power and battery-making since Democrats pushed through a massive climate law.

  • By Bill Lucia

Minnesota to Require 100% Carbon-free Electricity by 2040

Utilities can use a mix of solar, wind, hydropower, nuclear, hydrogen power, and biomass—energy obtained from burning wood and trash—to meet the 2040 goal.

  • By Zoya Teirstein, Grist

Over $1 Billion Now Available to Convert Bus Fleets to Cleaner Fuels

Purchases of electric and hydrogen-powered buses are among the projects eligible for a new round of federal grants.

  • By Bill Lucia

2022’s Billion-Dollar Disasters: Climate Change Helped Make It US’s 3rd Most Expensive Year on Record

Climate change seems to be making natural disasters more expensive.

  • By Stacy Morford, The Conversation

5 Ways to Build Cities That Can Better Withstand Climate Extremes

Smarter land-use and nature-based solutions are among the approaches highlighted in a new report, which also focuses on equity considerations and how to pay for projects.

  • By Molly Bolan

Wind Farms Deliver Economic Jolt to Rural Middle America

Wind farms boosted seven of 10 counties with the nation’s largest economic output gains.

  • By Tim Henderson
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To Get Off Fossil Fuels, America Is Going to Need a Lot More Electricians

A shortage of skilled labor could derail efforts to "electrify everything."

  • By Emily Pontecorvo, Grist

EPA Unveils $100 Million in Environmental Justice Grants

The Environmental Protection Agency announcement is part of a larger effort by the Biden administration to fight climate change and curb environmental harm in long-neglected communities.

  • By Molly Bolan

A Water War Is Brewing Over the Dwindling Colorado River

Diminished by climate change and overuse, the river can no longer provide the water states try to take from it.

  • By Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica

EVs, Building Emissions Among Biden’s Sustainable Energy Priorities

Public and private sector leaders discussed the first steps to overhauling the nation’s infrastructure in pursuit of a sustainable future.

  • By Alexandra Kelley

Climate Change Impact on the Mississippi River Has Major Consequences

COMMENTARY | More frequent low water levels on the Mississippi River, driven by climate change, mean that river transport is likely to face more backups and delays in the future.

  • By Ray Lombardi, Angela Antipova and Dorian J. Burnette, The Conversation

Lyft Offers Incentives to Drivers Who Switch to Electric Vehicles

The move comes amid new federal subsidies for EVs and as California is mandating emissions cuts for app-based ride-booking companies over the next decade.

  • By Bill Lucia

How a New Subsidy for ‘Green Hydrogen’ Could Set Off a Carbon Bomb

Using electricity to make hydrogen could drive down greenhouse gas emissions. Or it could underwrite a process that actually increases emissions.

  • By Emily Pontecorvo, Grist

A Pivotal Moment Has Arrived for Transforming Coal Country

COMMENTARY | Federal infrastructure, climate and industrial development laws have unlocked billions in new subsidies. Now comes the hard work of ensuring that the Appalachian region successfully taps into these resources.

  • By Amanda Woodrum

Working in Extreme Heat is Risky for Pregnant Workers. Advocates Say Passing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Could Help

But time is running out to pass the legislation before the new congressional term starts.

  • By Jessica Kutz  , The 19th