The economic theory behind solar tariffs is simple: Solar cells and panels made abroad are often cheaper, thanks to lower manufacturing costs and generous government subsidies from countries like China. So taxing imported panels should give the U.S. solar industry a fighting chance at survival. At least that has been the thinking over the last …
In 2014, former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office announced an ambitious new climate target: 80 percent fewer emissions city wide by 2050. In order to reach that goal, the city aims to install 1,000 megawatts of solar technology within the five boroughs by 2030, enough to supply 250,000 homes with electricity. But New York City …
NYC wants more rooftop solar. Its fire code is getting in the way. Read More »
The European Commission — the primary executive arm of the European Union — announced a plan Wednesday to wean itself off Russian natural gas, as the war in Ukraine wages on and global gas and oil prices continue to climb. The plan, known as REPowerEU, calls for increases in energy efficiency, a build-out of renewables, …
Europe has a plan to get off Russian gas. Energy experts say it is not enough. Read More »
On election night in 2016, Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya set fire to a bulldozer and construction equipment at a Dakota Access Pipeline construction site in Iowa. Over the next few months, the activists used oxy-acetylene torches to melt holes in pipeline valves at three other locations in the state. It was at the height …
Jessica Reznicek set fire to Dakota Access Pipeline construction. Is she a terrorist? Read More »
World leaders aren’t doing enough to address pollution at its source, leaving nearly 9 million people each year to die from its effects. That’s the message delivered on Tuesday by public health experts from the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, a high-profile panel of scientific experts. In a new progress update, they report that …
Report: Pollution is connected to 9 million deaths worldwide each year Read More »
You’ve finally found it. That white whale apartment, seemingly too good to be true: a tasteful kitchen renovation complete with a dishwasher, ample natural light, an extra bedroom — all within your price range. You submit an application and move in two weeks later. Then the cracks start to show — literal cracks that bring …
What if apartment listings had to include energy-efficiency scores? Read More »
This story was originally published by The National Observer and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Last summer, most of the fields surrounding Joel VanderSchaaf’s Prairie farm were baked and brown, withered by one of the most severe droughts in recent memory. One stood out among the rest: A plot the Saskatchewan potato …
European supermarket chains like Aldi and Sainsbury’s, European pet food producers, and Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in the U.K, profit from human rights abuses and Indigenous land theft in Brazil. That’s according to a new report that details human rights abuses in a chicken supply chain from Brazil to Europe. The report comes amid violence …
Report: Europe’s chicken supply chain has a human rights problem Read More »
September in Oklahoma is typically a rainy season, when farmers take advantage of the state’s third-wettest month to plant winter wheat. But last year, many were caught off guard by abnormally dry weather that descended without warning. In the span of just three weeks, nearly three-quarters of the state began experiencing drought conditions, ranging from …
‘Flash droughts’ are Midwest’s next big climate threat Read More »
Millions of Americans own homes that could flood at any moment. Many of them don’t have a clue. That’s what happened to Ralph Patricelli, a 57-year-old real estate agent who bought a house in North Carolina’s Outer Banks last summer. Last week, the four-bedroom waterfront vacation home he purchased with his sister for $550,000 was …
North Carolina house that collapsed into the sea is a warning for millions of Americans Read More »