Before a packed crowd of oil and gas executives on Monday, Chris Wright, the new U.S. energy secretary, delivered a scathing critique of the Biden administration’s energy policies and efforts to fight climate change and promised a “180 degree pivot.” Mr. Wright, a former fracking executive, has emerged as the most forceful promoter of President…
Chances are, your favorite exercise attire is synthetic, made from petroleum-based fibers like nylon, spandex and polyester. Materials that don’t exactly scream “climate friendly.” Natural fibers have issues, too: Growing cotton can use huge amounts of water and pesticides, the sheep that give us wool emit methane, and processing bamboo can produce a lot of…
When New Yorkers get a sky-high energy bill, many turn to social media and vent their frustrations on Instagram, TikTok or Reddit. Recently, their rage has been directed toward a state-run website, too. In January, the Department of Public Service, which regulates utilities, began considering a request for a rate increase by Con Edison, the…
A multibillion dollar dispute between the Environmental Protection Agency and several nonprofit organizations escalated on Saturday when one group sued the E.P.A. and Citibank, seeking access to grant money that has been frozen under President Trump. Climate United, a nonprofit organization, claimed that the E.P.A. and Citibank have illegally withheld a nearly $7 billion award…
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the nation’s premier agency for weather and climate science, is set to lose another 1,000 workers under the Trump administration’s downsizing of the federal government. The new dismissals would come in addition to the roughly 1,300 NOAA staff members who have already resigned or been laid off in recent…
For the past two days, under the soft lights of chandeliers in a Marriott basement a block from the White House, energy ministers and tech founders from across Africa gathered to discuss how best to bring electricity to more than 600 million people on the continent who have none. Much of their hope, and fear,…
After a blistering February heat wave in South Sudan’s capital city caused dozens of students to collapse from heat stroke, officials closed schools for two weeks. It was the second time in less than a year that the country’s schools closed to protect young people from the deadly effects of extreme heat. Climate change, largely…
America’s national parks saw more than 331 million visits last year, a record. But the Trump administration does not want to call attention to those numbers, according to a National Park Service memo, amid mass firings of rangers and other employees at the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Arches and other popular destinations. The internal memo, issued…
Earlier this week, Lisa Friedman, Brad Plumer and I reported on the head-spinning moves by the Trump administration that are undermining the government’s ability to combat climate change. Trump’s policies, which are promoting fossil fuels and reducing support for clean energy investments, are expected to increase emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases. The changes comes as…
The Trump administration has moved to rewrite rules designed to prevent disasters at thousands of chemical facilities across the country. The Environmental Protection Agency filed a motion in federal court on Thursday pulling back the safety regulations, introduced last year under former president Joe Biden. The rules, which took effect in May, require sites that…
