Environmental news from mainstream news sources Reuters, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press USA Today and BBC America.
- Ireland's data centers are an economic lifeline. Environmentalists say they're wrecking the planet In the west of Ireland lies a medieval market town, its roots steeped in legend. Beyond the labyrinth of narrow streets of the center are the chimney stacks of housing developments that still puff coal and peat. Past those homes, on the outskirts of Ennis, is an unremarkable but huge plot of land, nestled between a power station and farmland where cattle and sheep graze. This is where a mysterious company has applied to develop a new data center the size of 22 American football fields.
- Oil Spill Triggered by Tsunami Devastates Coast of Peru Initially said to be seven barrels, the oil spill turned out to be 6,000, the environment ministry said, and has led Peru to call for international aid.
- Most ‘Havana Syndrome’ Cases Unlikely Caused by Foreign Power, C.I.A. Says A report concluded that most cases have environmental or medical causes, but the government remains focused on investigating two dozen incidents that remain unexplained.
- CIA rules out hostile foreign power behind medical symptoms known as 'Havana Syndrome' In new intelligence finding, CIA finds that all but a few dozen of the cases of 'Havana Syndrome' are result of other medical or environment factors.
- Larry Fink’s Letter to CEOs Says Stakeholder Capitalism Is Not ‘Woke’Larry Fink’s latest annual letter to corporate America clarifies, and defends, his approach to social and environmental issues at the world’s largest money manager.
- Israeli Artist Turns Plastic Pollution Into ‘Earth Poetica’In Beverly Barkat’s quest to connect people with nature, she found that environmental waste could be a powerful medium.
- Oil Prices Stay High as Output From OPEC and Others Falls BehindOPEC Plus, the United States and others have been slow to ramp up output, lagging production goals.
- As Infrastructure Money Flows, Wastewater Improvements Are KeyThe new law allocates $11.7 billion for wastewater and stormwater projects. Will it get to the impoverished communities who need it most?
- EPA begins enforcement on cleanup of toxic coal-ash pondsThe US Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday it will begin enforcing regulations that require coal-fired power plants to clean up their coal-ash waste -- the toxic byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity.
- When Production Design Plays a Supporting RoleThe visual environments of “West Side Story,” “The Humans” and “Nightmare Alley” feel as alive as the actors.
- A miner trapped in a Fayette County, Pennsylvania, mine collapse has diedA miner who was trapped in a mine collapse in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, on Friday has died, according to a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
- Road Salt Works. But It’s Also Bad for the Environment.The chemical is effective at keeping roads free of snow and ice, but it also has damaging consequences, according to a growing body of research.
- Biden ‘Over-Promised and Under-Delivered’ on Climate. Now, Trouble Looms in 2022.Mounting challenges will make the coming months critical for the president’s environmental agenda, analysts say.
- Europe Plans to Say Nuclear Power and Natural Gas Are Green InvestmentsThe draft proposal could help unleash a wave of investment, but critics say both sources of energy cause damage to the environment.
- A Ghost Hotel Haunts the Spanish CoastlineFor almost two decades, the hulk of a never-finished hotel has marred an idyllic coastline in southern Spain. Its fate remains cloudy, but the lesson is clear: It’s easier to damage the environment than to fix it.
- Kentucky tornado latest in growing trend of Southern twisters that risk ecological disasterDozens of hazardous facilities along the 200-mile track of a tornado in Kentucky highlight the scope of environmental risks.
- Four steps to prepare for the next pandemicPreparing for the next pandemic should be, in some ways, easy. We know the factors that contribute to the emergence of new biological threats -- interactions between animals, humans and the environment, exacerbated by climate change, globalization and the evolution of viruses.
- Even in Retirement, Desmond Tutu Remained South Africa’s Moral CompassThe Nobel laureate retired from public life over a decade ago, but he continued to advocate social justice, gay rights and environmentalism.
- These women are breaking tradition for the survival of the AmazonIndigenous women in Brazil have traditionally been excluded from taking on leadership roles that were often filled by tribal patriarchs. But those roles shifted in recent years as threats against their land rights and natural resources escalated.
- 2021 in graphicsIn 2021, we showed you broken parts of the environment, infrastructure and international relations. Here are a few of our favorite visual stories.
- 2 Ship Officers Plead Guilty to Light Charges in Mauritius Oil SpillThe leak was an environmental calamity for the Indian Ocean nation, which relies on its beaches and lagoons for tourism and fishing.
- Happier returns? Retailers in race to solve holidays' environmental, logistics nightmareRejected merchandise accounts for 5.8 billion pounds of waste and 16 million tons of CO2, leading retailers to explore some creative solutions.
- A rush to mine lithium in Nevada is pitting climate advocates and environmental groups against each otherIn an ancient and now extinct supervolcano sitting in northern Nevada lies a treasure that its seekers call "white gold."
- Nevada's extinct supervolcano may hold largest lithium deposit in the worldCNN's Rene Marsh travels to Nevada, home to a lithium-rich extinct supervolcano, to see how the rush to procure critical minerals in the United States is pitting environmental advocates against each other.
- Need a Last-Minute Gift for the Holidays? Try Regifting.Regifting is the responsible choice for both your wallet and the environment. And does anyone even need to know?
- Battling for Bolivia’s Lithium That's Vital to Electric CarsChinese and Russian industrial giants seek to tap mineral deposits vital to electric cars. A Texas entrepreneur has his own strategy: the long game.
- Fires, Landslides, Lack of Snow: The Ski Industry Girds for BattleFrom firestorms in California’s Tahoe region to melting glaciers in the Alps, ski areas face a daunting array of environmental threats. Here’s what some resorts are doing.
- Interactive: Environmentalists warn coal ash catastrophe is just waiting to happen in Alabama
- Nearly a foot of rain has fallen over the last 24 hours with more forecast and the state's governor has declared a state of emergency• Honolulu shut down its largest water source • Interactive: Environmentalists warn coal ash catastrophe is just waiting to happen in Alabama • Video: Who can lead the change in combating climate crisis?
- Nasa unveils new class of astronaut candidatesThe six men and four women could fly to the space station and on future missions to the Moon.
- Why New York State Is Experiencing a Bitcoin BoomCryptocurrency miners are flocking to New York’s faded industrial towns, prompting concern over the environmental impact of huge computer farms.
- Pacific Ocean garbage patch is immense plastic habitatResearchers discover coastal species living on debris miles from their natural surroundings.
- Canada issues weather 'red alert' for BCEnvironment Canada has issued its first "red alert" for British Columbia ahead of what officials are characterizing as a dangerous weather system expected to push more atmospheric rivers into the province.
- Bankers Took Over the Climate Change Summit. That’s Bad For Democracy.Environmentalists are skeptical. They should be.
- Lawmakers describe 'toxic' work environment in Congress• Judge orders pro-Trump attorneys who brought frivolous election fraud case to pay more than $180,000 to defendants they sued • Analysis: Trump's selfish refusal to accept the will of voters is laid bare, again
- Cuomo's Office Undermined Health Department, Top Doctor TestifiesThe N.Y. Health Department became a “toxic work environment” early in the pandemic, a high-ranking doctor told officials investigating ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
- Analysis: Fox News contributors resign, protesting 'irresponsible' voices• Analysis: Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal is already rocking a tense political environment
- Analysis: Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal is already rocking a tense political environmentThree days after his acquittal in a polarizing case in Wisconsin, Kyle Rittenhouse is now a teenaged avatar for a nation divided over the nature of justice, the societal role of guns and violence in political discourse.
- N.H.L. Partnership With Chemical Company Leaves Environmental Watchdogs ColdA new report accuses the league of using its N.H.L. Green program to promote refrigerants that will contribute to global warming.
- Colombia Is the World’s Deadliest Place for EnvironmentalistsThe president of Colombia wants to convince the world he is a champion for the environment. But his country is the deadliest place for leaders who guard the rainforest for us all.
- Biden and the Democrats face a grim political environment• This could actually be the week Biden's Build Back Better passes the House
- Democrats Shouldn’t Panic. They Should Go Into Shock.“No administration is going to thrive in that economic environment.”
- Why the Biden administration is reopening oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of MexicoOne of President Joe Biden's boldest environmental campaign promises was to ban new oil and natural gas leasing on public land and water. But on Wednesday his administration will open more than 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to auction for drilling.
- Space junk is a massive problem. Russia's anti-satellite missile test just made it worseDays after world powers wrapped up a monumental climate summit in Glasgow, another environmental emergency was unfolding -- this time in space.
- With Gas Prices High, Calls Grow to Tap Strategic Oil ReservePresident Biden is under pressure to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Here’s how it works, and how it might lower prices (modestly, and maybe not for long).
- Decades before Steve Bannon was charged with contempt of Congress, Rita Lavelle was triedIt’s rare for the Justice Department to bring contempt charges against government officials refusing to comply with subpoenas, but it happened in the case of Rita Lavelle, a federal environmental official under President Ronald Reagan.
- Here’s How Mexico Can Clean Up Its Dirty Energy IndustryLópez Obrador’s energy “counter reform” hurts his country’s environmental record.
- Veterans exposed to burn pits will get expanded health care support, White House saysThe Biden administration on Veterans Day announced a series of new support options for veterans who had been exposed to "contaminants and environmental hazards," such as burn pits, while serving.
- DHS bulletin warns of terrorism threats ahead of holidaysThe Department of Homeland Security warned in a new terrorism bulletin Wednesday of a "diverse and challenging threat environment" ahead of the holidays, pointing to the spread of violent extremist narratives online, coronavirus pandemic-related stressors and the potential to exploit recent events in Afghanistan.
- Nasa's Moon return pushed back to 2025The first Nasa mission to return to the surface of the Moon has been delayed by one year to 2025.
- Fossil fuel companies have more people at COP26 than any single country, report saysMore than 100 fossil fuel companies are understood to have sent 500 lobbyists to the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, more than any single country at the summit, according to the environmental campaign group Global Witness.
- An Environmental Hero or Outlaw? Can It Be Both?Steven Donziger, who won a $9.5 billion settlement against Chevron over dumped oil, began serving a six-month sentence for contempt of court last week.
- Cambo, a Proposed Oil Field, Is Drawing Controversy in U.K.What is Cambo? It’s a proposed oil field deep underwater off Scotland that has become an intense focus of environmentalists and the energy industry.
- Indonesia signals about-face on COP26 deforestation pledgeIndonesia's environment minister has dismissed as "inappropriate and unfair" a global plan to end deforestation by 2030, days after her country, home to a third of the world's rainforests, joined 127 other nations in making the deforestation pledge.
- OPEC and Russia Will Ponder Oil Output Under Pressure From Biden.Big oil producers decided to stick with a scheduled increase, rejecting calls for a bigger jump in production.
- UN report says world isn't adapting fast enough to climate crisisDespite countries taking steps to cut greenhouse gas emissions — steps researchers say aren't nearly strong enough to address the climate crisis — the gap is widening between climate impacts and the world's effort to adapt to them, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme.
- Ex-'Rust' crew member dismisses theory from armorer's attorneyCNN's Chris Cuomo talks with Lane Luper, the A-camera first assistant on "Rust" who resigned from the production due to concerns about an unsafe work environment. Luper weighed in on an interview with the attorney for armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed in which he theorized that someone "sabotaged" the set.
- Analysis: Democrats face a desperate political environmentIf Democrats are to avoid a far more devastating election night next year than they suffered on Tuesday, they must finally defeat the pandemic from which so much economic pain and voter angst flow.
- 'Rust' armorer thought she loaded the gun with dummy rounds, lawyer saysThe head of the "Rust" camera department who submitted a letter of resignation one day before the fatal shooting on the Santa Fe, New Mexico, movie set last month is going public with claims of an unsafe working environment, calling safety on the project a "massive issue."
- Scientists say they now know what turned miles of the world's driest desert into glassThe Atacama Desert in Chile has been used as a way to simulate alien environments, like Mars on Earth. Now, researchers believe it was the site of an ancient comet explosion intense enough to create giant slabs of silicate glass, according to a new study.
- EPA orders town to improve water quality to protect residents from lead exposureThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan, to take immediate actions to improve the quality of its drinking water to protect residents from lead exposure.
- Exclusive: Boris Johnson talks up COP26 climate deals but stumbles on Attenborough mask controversyBoris Johnson struggled to explain his decision not to wear a mask while sitting next to 95-year-old environmentalist David Attenborough as he tried to put a positive spin on this week's COP26 climate summit, in an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
- Analysis: The memory of Trump is hanging over Biden's Europe trip like a dark cloudJoe Biden said sorry to the world on Monday for the environmental negligence of his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, at the start of the UN climate conference in Scotland. The President also showed up with a $555 billion vow to reduce US carbon emissions — the biggest-ever US climate budget.
- Robert Redford: What I see when I think about the futureThere is so much I can envision for this planet. I can see a world where human and planetary health and justice are fundamental values. I can see a world where everyone has a safe place to live. Where environmental and economic injustices are addressed and repaired.
- Europe Fears That Rising Cost of Climate Action Is Stirring AngerMemories of the Yellow Vest movement are prompting officials to ensure that spiking energy prices don’t fuel inequality or populist discontent.
- Modern Times Call for Folk HorrorFilms like “Antlers,” “Lamb” and other new releases turn rural environments and ancient belief systems into subjects for terror.
- Leaders Gather to Take On Climate Change and Vaccine AccessProtesters are also flocking to Rome, with demands for urgent action to address environmental and social issues. Here’s the latest on the meeting.
- Supreme Court to review EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gases and address climate crisisThe Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a case from Republican-led states and coal producers challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gases and address the climate crisis.
- Urgency pervades COP26 climate change summit as US grapples with environmental justiceClimate change affects housing, health care, food, water - and the US is a microcosm of the environmental justice inequalities, a COP26 attendee says.
- ‘America Is Back,’ Biden Declared in June. The World Is About to Test Him.Arriving in Europe with an unfinished economic and environmental spending plan, the president will confront new challenges, some self-inflicted, at two major summits.
- COP26: Arnold Schwarzenegger angered by world leaders' climate policiesThe Terminator actor also says reducing meat intake does not have to mean sacrificing something.
- Biden Urges Democrats to Back $1.85 Trillion Framework for Spending BillPresident Biden said the fate of his revised economic and environmental plan would determine that of his party’s hold on Congress. Get the latest in politics.
- Lawyer Who Won $9.5 Billion Judgment Against Chevron Reports to PrisonSteven Donziger, an environmental activist who won what is considered the largest ever lawsuit against an oil company, was found guilty of contempt of court in July.
- China Digs More Coal for Power Needs, Despite Climate ChangeFaced with electricity shortages, the country is racing to expand mining despite risks to the environment, miner safety and the economy.
- Old Power Gear Is Slowing Use of Clean Energy and Electric CarsSome people and businesses seeking to use solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles find they can’t because utility equipment needs an upgrade.
- Thousands of dead sea creatures are washing up on English beachesBritish environmental watchdogs have launched an investigation after thousands of dead sea creatures washed up on beaches in North East England.
- At McKinsey, Widespread Furor Over Work With Planet’s Biggest PollutersA letter signed by more than 1,100 employees has called for change at the consulting firm, which has advised at least 43 of the 100 most environmentally damaging companies.
- Canadian PM Justin Trudeau holds major cabinet shakeupThe major shuffle sees changes in portfolios including defence, the environment and foreign affairs.
- The world promised to cut emissions. These countries are failing to meet their targetsNearly 200 countries have pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions to prevent the worst consequences of the climate crisis, but there is still a huge gap between what's been promised and what scientists say is needed, according to a report by the UN Environment Programme.
- Leaf Blowers Destroy the EnvironmentNearly everything about how Americans “care” for their lawns is deadly, but these machines exist in a category of environmental hell all their own.
