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Earth

Keeping It Green

Atmospheric CO2 Levels

(Monthly Averages)

August 26, 2026: 428.5 ppm
10 years ago: 396 ppm
Pre-industrial base: 280
Safe level: 350 ppm

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Page Updated:
Sept. 22, 2026

• The 2024 Clean 15 (Safe Foods)
• Get the Lead Out Toolkit
• Oil Spill History
• Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act

• US Emissions by Sector Chart

  
  

  Where is all that CO2 coming from? This graph breaks it down by economic sector.

• Greenest U.S. Cities
• Safe Water in Pictures
• U.S. WEA Grassroots Accelerator
• Safer Habitats

• • Drones and Korean Pilots Deliver Lifesaving
  Warnings in Mozambique Flood

  Zero Lives Lost in Mozambique’s Worst Flood in Decades
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  Sept. 19, 2026 -In January, a northern Mozambique community faced one of its fiercest floods in decades. Rushing waters rose fast, yet not a single life was lost.

  Small, agile drones piloted by Korean specialists gave search-and-rescue teams live aerial views. Swift warnings reached every household in time.

• • Macron Asks EU to Relax Energy and
  Climate Rules to Ease Soaring Fuel Prices

  The French President Wants the European Commission to Delay a Law That Would Fine Oil and gas Companies Which Fail to Report Methane Emissions
  
  {POLITICO}

  Sept. 22, 2026 -French President Emmanuel Macron has asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to ease EU rules on the make-up of fuel and on methane emissions in a bid to keep soaring energy prices under control.

  The call comes as the conflict in the Middle East pushed oil prices to around their highest point since May, while gas prices were more than double their level before the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran in February, prompting the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

• • The Big Threat Has Been Climate Change. Now Comes A.I.

  Both Are Human-Caused, Both Are Frightening, And...

  

  Sept. 22, 2026 -New warnings that humans are flirting with out-of-control artificial intelligence raise an uneasy question: has A.I. surpassed climate change as one of humanity’s gravest risks?

  Though the danger of the technology is hard to assess, the worst-case scenario — human extinction — makes other earthly concerns seem small.

• • Coastal Massachusetts Towns Urge Storm Preparations

  Towns Are Urging Residents and Boat Owners to Prepare For a Potential Storm By Securing Property and Taking Safety Measures
  
  {WCVB5}

  Sept. 22, 2026 -In Scituate, a boater was seen pulling his vessel from the water, saying he would rather be safe than sorry.

  "Last year we had some decent swells that came through the inlet here and kind of rocked the marina a little bit, so just to be safe I thought, pull it out early," said boat owner Mike Gaudette.

  Scituate Town Manager Jim Boudreau encouraged residents to act now.

• • Bear Encounters Are Rising Across the United States

  Here’s Why

  

  Sept. 22, 2026 -Agencies in at least 15 states have reported increased calls this year, as drought and population growth drive the animals closer to people in search of food.

  They climb through bedroom windows and open car doors. They sneak into restaurants, fire stations and vacation rentals. Across the country, black bears are foraging for food.

• • Extinction Scenarios Are Taking Over the AI Debate

  Is This How the World Ends?

  

  Sept. 21, 2026 -At a beachfront resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico, SpaceX founder Elon Musk joined a three-hour discussion on humanity’s dire fate if artificial intelligence started to rapidly improve.

  The afternoon panel was part of a private conference hosted in early 2015 by the Future of Life Institute, a new nonprofit whose founders — mostly outsiders to AI — believed the nascent technology would grow so powerful it could render humans extinct.

• • EU to Keep Opposing New Arctic Oil
  Drilling, Despite Pressure From Norway

  Norway Wants EU to Drop Its Opposition to New Arctic Oil and Gas Drilling

  

  Sept. 21, 2026 -The European Union will maintain its opposition to new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic, a European Commission spokesperson said on Monday, despite Norwegian pressure to drop the EU ban.

  The EU currently supports a ban on new drilling in the Arctic, over environmental concerns, including the risk posed to sensitive Arctic ecosystems by industrial activities and pollution.

• • How Saudi Oil Scientists Ended Up Working
  On the World’s Most Important Climate Reports

  Fossil Fuel Links of IPCC Authors, With Experts Declaring the Body’s Conflict of Interest Policy ‘Not Fit For Purpose’

  

  Sept. 21, 2026 -On her first day as an expert author on the world’s most important climate reports, Prof Julia Steinberger knew nobody else, so she sat down at a stranger’s table for breakfast.

  “Hi, I’m Julia. I’m from the University of Lausanne,” she said. The man across the table replied: “I’m Mustafa Babiker. I work with Saudi Aramco.”

  Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state oil company, is responsible for more of the carbon emissions driving the escalating climate crisis than any other company in history, and the kingdom has long been a major blocker of climate action.

• • A Carbon-Credit Land Rush is
  Hollowing Out New Zealand Farm Country

  From Feral Goats to Falling Power Lines, the Pine-Planting Boom is Upending Rural Life

  

  Sept. 21, 2026 -At the start of lambing season, Fiona Ramsden’s farm near the New Zealand village of Pongaroa is a picture of rural life: newborn lambs trailing their mothers across steep pasture, fields dotted with spiky native palm trees, and a pretty white homestead that dates back about a century.

  But pine trees are closing in.

  On neighboring land once grazed by sheep and cattle, young Monterey pines – also known as radiata pines – carpet the hills, planted to earn carbon credits under the country’s emissions trading scheme.

• • China’s Stranglehold On Rare Earths Must Be Ended

  Says Hopeful Supplier to EU

  

  Sept. 20, 2026 -The head of a mining company hoping to supply the EU with rare earths in two years’ time has said it is “paramount” to end China’s stranglehold on the supply of the raw materials used in everything from cars to wind turbines and military jets.

  As Donald Trump and China’s president, Xi Jinping, prepare to meet on Thursday in their second summit of the year, Rafael Moreno said it was also “imperative” that they do a deal for Beijing to ease up, once again, on its threat to ban exports of rare earths.

• • The September 11 Cancer Wave Ahead

  Despite Official Assurances At the Time, the Dust Was Toxic
  
  {CTV NEWS}

  Sept. 19, 2026 -After the collapse came the dust. It billowed across Lower Manhattan in the wake of the 2001 World Trade Center terror attacks, turning people into ghosts as they trudged to safety.

  It blew into buildings through broken windows and air intakes, settling into carpets, curtains and upholstery and leaving a fine powder on surfaces. People wrote messages in the dust coating the windows of buildings.

• • Oil Interests Threaten Life in Arctic
  Refuge’s Fragile Coastal Plain

  The Coastal Plain, At 1.5 Million Acres, is Not Very Big, Just a Slice of the 20-Million Acre Refuge

  

  Sept. 19, 2026 -Over twining rivers and gray-visaged mountains we fly, peak after peak, until suddenly the land lies down, verdant and soft.

  Water pocks the tundra with lakes and ponds, marshes and rills. Streams rush to the sea, which shimmers blue where it meets the shore but is frosted white in the distance with pack ice on the Beaufort Sea. With a thump, our bush plane lands on a gravel patch, and we spill out the door like laundry, uncrumpling from the tiny plane.

• • The Sheep That Stop Wildfires

  Herds of Livestock Are Munching Through Overgrown, Hard-To-Reach Vegetation That Could Otherwise Become Fuel For Firestorms

  

  Sept. 18, 2026,By Ingfei Chen -Late one night in October, 2017, Jane Marx, a landscape architect in the wine country of Northern California, woke up to the smell of smoke and the sound of an eerie, howling wind. She dialled 911. “There are three fires in your area, and we’re on it,” a dispatcher told her. But the blazes, sparked by downed power lines, quickly spread. Fire raced up a thickly forested mountainside and moved west into Bennett Ridge, the idyllic rural development where Marx lives. Soon her subdivision was engulfed in flames. Propane tanks were exploding nearby. Marx and her husband, David, had recently returned from a trip. They threw their still packed luggage into two vehicles and fled. “It was just ‘Run for your life,’ ” she told me.

• • Colorado Approves New Methane
  Regulations For Oil-And-Gas Producers

  Colorado Air-Quality Regulators Approved a Third and Final Set of Rules Friday to Reduce Methane Emissions Released in Oil and Gas Production
  
  {THE SUM SUBSTANCE}

  Sept. 18, 2026 -State leaders considered and passed the rules in three phases over the past 19 months. In February 2025, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission established a timeline to phase out natural-gas-driven compressors and pumps by 2029. Then, earlier this year, commissioners created a crosswalk between federal requirements and Colorado’s decade-old methane regulations that helped to inform producers on how to meet the federal standard.

• • Spanberger Slaps New Guardrails On Data Centers

  Her Actions Friday Follow a Contentious Fight With State Legislative Leaders Over Data Center Tax Incentive
  
  {POLITICO}

  Sept. 18, 2026 - Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) on Friday unveiled what she called the “highest standards in America” for data centers, including what she said is the country’s first crackdown on on-site power plants using natural gas.

  “Starting today, this industry won’t have carte blanche to play by their own rules in Virginia,” Spanberger said at a press conference in Richmond.

• • California Adopts New Limits to Rein in Dairy Manure
  Pollution and Its ‘Outsized’ Groundwater Impacts

  Central Valley Dairies Are Long Overdue to Face Stricter Regulations Over Their Nitrate Pollution...

  

  Sept. 18, 2026 -The California valley with the most dairy farms in the state will follow stricter water pollution requirements following years of advocacy and a marathon six-hour meeting this week.

  The State Water Resources Control Board unanimously agreed to adopt the regulations under what several environmental groups call a long overdue dairy order.

• • New Membrane Removes Nearly 100%
  of Ammonia From Wastewater in Minutes

  A New Electrically Powered Filter Can Strip Nearly All Ammonia Nitrogen From Wastewater in Just Over a Minute While Also Breaking Down Carbon-Based Pollution
  
  {SciTechDaily}

  Sept. 18, 2026 -Researchers have developed an electro-filtration process that uses chlorine oxide radicals (·ClO) generated inside a specialized membrane to remove nitrogen and organic contaminants simultaneously. Reported in Engineering, the technology could provide a faster and more efficient way to treat complex wastewater without adding chemical precursors.

  Wastewater treatment plants often rely on separate biological, chemical, and physical steps to control different pollutants. Ammonia can damage aquatic ecosystems by consuming oxygen and promoting excessive algal growth, while organic contaminants contribute to the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of discharged water.

• • Foreign Actors’ Briefly Hacked Two Small
  Colorado Water Utilities Last Month

  Governor’s Office Says It’s Unclear Who Was Involved, But Iran-Backed Group Was Linked to Similar Attacks
  
  {Denver Post}

  Sept. 18, 2026 -Foreign actors gained access to two small water utility systems in Colorado late last month, state officials confirmed, just weeks after hackers with suspected links to Iran had attempted to access similar systems elsewhere in the United States.

  It’s unclear who the actors were or if the attempted interference was related to the July hacking attempts that affected at least seven states. Gov. Jared Polis’ office told The Denver Post that the computer systems for two Colorado utilities — both of which are private and serve fewer than 200 people — were targeted in late August.

• • Magnetic Textile Dyes Promise Cleaner Fashion Future

  A French Startup’s Innovative Dyes Slash Water and Energy Use in Fashion
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  Sept. 18, 2026 -Hope is blooming in the fashion world thanks to a clever new dyeing method that could dramatically cut pollution from one of the industry’s dirtiest steps.

  The French startup EverDye has developed a line of non-toxic textile dyes that attach to fabric through magnetism instead of harsh chemicals or extreme heat.

• • Senators Not Keen On Banning AI From Surpassing Humans

  Despite Alarm Bells
  
  {DAILY CALLER}

  Sept. 18, 2026 -Senators wouldn’t commit Thursday to supporting possible legislation that would ban artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that could someday surpass human intelligence and act independently.

  Tech engineers and prominent AI researchers resigned from major labs and warned that AI development must be slowed to prevent the technology from killing humanity. Senators wouldn’t commit to banning AI superintelligence outright when asked by the Daily Caller News Foundation despite warnings from researchers and prominent Big Tech CEOs.

• • Fight Intensifies Over the Fate
  of Homes Falling Into The Sea

  California Homeowners Are Building a Costly Rock Wall to Hold Back the Ocean, Escalating a Battle Over Private Property and What to Do About Years-Long Beach Erosion Amid Storm Damage and Higher Tide

  

  Sept. 18, 2026 -Natalie Driessen drove down Beach Road on a mission, past neighbors whose houses fell into the sea and others now scrambling to prevent their property from collapsing next.

  She had a video she wanted everyone to see and spotted an Orange County supervisor outside what was left of one mangled kitchen and living room. Driessen pulled out her phone to play a March 2026 clip of the California Coastal Commission — the powerful state agency tasked with preserving beaches — discussing a home in her gated community.

• • Is Beef the Next Internal-Combustion Engine?

  Americans, Faced With Rising Prices and Another Climate Warning, Might Want Something Else For Dinner

  

  Sept.17, 2026 -Until recently, beef was considered aggressively normal. In 1992, after all, when the National Live Stock and Meat Board launched an advertising campaign, the slogan it chose was “Beef: It’s What for Dinner,” which is a bit like the Council of Fashion Designers of America proclaiming, “Clothes: They Cover Your Body,” or the National Association of Home Builders announcing, “Roofs: They’re What Keeps Rain from Falling on You While You Sleep.” All of a sudden, though, this particular protein is a star: our nation’s chief health officer, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., put a fatty cut of beef near the top of the newly revised, inverted food pyramid, and told an interviewer that he usually eats beef twice daily; his preferred cut is a grass-fed strip steak.

• • Locals Call It the World’s Largest Cesspool

  And Blame It for Surging Cancer

  

  Sept.17, 2026 -Yury Uribe traced an invisible map of death in her neighborhood, pointing to house after house, nearly all of them touched by cancer, she said.

  On that corner lived Doña Agustina, claimed by cancer in her stomach just like Coco, her neighbor across the street. Farther down was Eva, whose death from a ruptured throat tumor left her autistic son on his own. Colon cancer took Doña Juanita, who went to the hospital on a Friday and died the following Monday. And Estela lived over there until about two years ago, when lung cancer spread through her body.

• • Colorado Agencies Call For Removal of Roan
  Plateau Parcels From Federal Oil and Gas Lease Sale

  The Bureau of Land Management Has Proposed Leasing Four Parcels On Top of the Roan Plateau, Which Advocates Have Long Fought to Keep Free From Energy Development
  
  {THE ASPEN TIMES}

  Sept. 17, 2026 -Two Colorado agencies are asking the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to reconsider offering several parcels — including several atop the Roan Plateau — for oil and gas leasing in December, citing concerns about potential impacts on wildlife and water quality.

  The BLM has proposed leasing 114 parcels for oil and gas development during its fourth-quarter sale in December . The parcels cover 126,744 acres in Garfield, Rio Blanco, Gunnison, Weld, Arapahoe, Archuleta, La Plata and Las Animas counties.

• • Rivers Are Delivering a Staggering
  Amount of Microplastics Into the Ocean

  Nearly All of the Pollution Comes From Rivers In Developing Countries

  

  Sept. 17, 2026 -Up to a quarter of all plastic flowing from rivers into the ocean are microplastics — delivering more than 260,000 metric tons in 2022, according to a new study published last week in Science. The staggering amount suggested there was more plastic pollution carried by rivers than previously estimated, researchers said.

  Almost all — 96 percent — of the pollution was from rivers in developing countries, with more than half it coming from Southeast and East Asia, according to the study. The Yangtze River in China, for example, is the largest contributor, releasing an estimated 43,000 tons of microplastic per year, despite contributing only 2 percent of global freshwater discharge.

• • Texas Coastline Under Alert Following
  Detection of Toxic Red Tide

  State Authorities Are Warning Beachgoers Along The Texas Shoreline After Detecting an Algal Bloom Known As Red Tide
  
  {DAILY CALLER}

  Sept. 16, 2026 -According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, red tide is a naturally occurring surge of microscopic algae capable of harming marine wildlife and causing respiratory irritation in humans.

  Department personnel are currently taking water samples and tracking reports of dead fish across an area stretching from Crystal Beach and the Bolivar Peninsula down to the north jetty at Bolivar Roads.

• • Another Black Bear Encounter Injures 2 Near Lake Whatcom

  The Agency Sent Out an Alert About the Incident Tuesday

  

  Sept. 16, 2026 -A man and a child Sunday evening were injured in an encounter with a black bear in Whatcom County — the second incident in about a month on the outskirts of Bellingham.

  The incident happened on the property of a home north of Lake Whatcom, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. The agency received a report around 11:30 a.m. Monday, learning both a man and child were treated at a hospital for injuries in the encounter.

• • Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills At Least 82 People

  With Many More Missing
  
  {NBC NEWS}

  Sept. 16, 2026 -The death toll from the collapse of an informal gold mine in a remote area of Sudan has risen to 82, according to local officials and activists, as rescuers struggled on Wednesday to search for the missing with limited equipment.

  It’s the latest tragedy in a nation mired in a devastating war.

• • Texas Coastline Under Alert Following
  Detection Of Toxic Red Tide

  State Authorities Are Warning Beachgoers Along After Detecting an Algal Bloom Known As Red Tide, Which Can Trigger Severe Breathing Issues
  
  {DAILY CALLER}

  Sept. 16, 2026 -According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, red tide is a naturally occurring surge of microscopic algae capable of harming marine wildlife and causing respiratory irritation in humans.

  Department personnel are currently taking water samples and tracking reports of dead fish across an area stretching from Crystal Beach and the Bolivar Peninsula down to the north jetty at Bolivar Roads.

• • Squirrel Causes Power Outage Affecting
  Thousands of Customers in Colorado

  There Was a Nuttier Reason For the Lights Going Out in Castle Rock
  
  {9NEWS}

  Sept. 16, 2026 -Power outages aren't unusual; they can pop up during severe weather or equipment failures – but, Tuesday, there was a nuttier reason for the lights going out in Castle Rock.

  The town soon learned the culprit responsible for the substation explosion over the scanner – Castle Rock resident Clair Whitehead heard the call come in.

  "We first heard about an explosion, that's how it came in over the radio," she said. "Something about a squirrel."

• • States Delayed in Getting Covid Shots
  For Children’s Immunization Program

  CDC Hasn’t Opened Up Ordering Process, Raising Concerns About Delays As Vaccination Programs Kick Off
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  Sept. 16, 2026 -States haven’t yet been able to obtain Covid-19 shots from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, delaying their distribution to millions of children through federal programs, according to people familiar with the matter.

  The em>CDC hasn’t initiated the process states use to place orders for the Vaccines for Children program, which covers around half of the country’s youths, the people said, causing a delay in the typical fall immunization schedule for Covid.

• • Trump EPA’s Arguments For Letting Power
  Plants Spew Unlimited Pollution ‘Dead Wrong’

  Claims That Dismantling Pollution Rules Will Lower Energy Bills and Have Little Climate Impact Are Far From Convincing

  

  Sept. 16, 2026 -In allowing US power plants to emit any amount of planet-heating pollution they wish to, the Trump administration made two striking claims – that this will cut Americans’ electricity bills and that the pollution itself doesn’t really matter anyway. Both claims struggle to stand up to even basic scrutiny.

  On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it would erase any limits on emissions from coal and gas plants that are dangerously heating up our planet. This move, which follows a similar dismantling of pollution limits from cars ands trucks, is part of a broader push to eliminate the longstanding legal authority of this, or any future, US administration to deal with the climate crisis.

• • Air Pollution Spiked After the Trump
  Administration Stopped Embassy Monitoring

  Heard on All Things Considered
  
  {npr}

  Sept. 15, 2026 -Growing up in Shanghai in the early 1990s, Eric Zou remembers the air.

  "I lived a couple of miles next to a chemical plant and it was just really bad, really foggy," he says. "It's the middle of the day, but you can't see the sun."

  Intensive industrial activity blanketed many cities in China during the 1990s and 2000s with extremely hazardous air. But Zou, now an environmental economist at the University of Michigan, says that many people didn't really understand this smog as air pollution, or something that could harm them.

• • Denver Water Can Finish and Fill Gross
  Reservoir, US Appeals Court Rules

  10th Circuit Court Lifts an Injunction Barring the Filling of the Expensive, Controversial Dam Expansion in Western Boulder County
  
  {THE COLORADO SUN}

  Sept. 15, 2026 -Denver Water can finish its Gross Dam expansion and fill the controversial reservoir in western Boulder County, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday, lifting an injunction by a lower court judge and confirming the dam’s permits as sound.

  The appeals court said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had acted responsibly in issuing construction permits for the $600 million expansion, which is largely complete and will be filled using water rights Denver holds in the Colorado River basin on the western side of the Continental Divide.

• • Suspected Sabotage Triggers a Major
  Dutch Rail Outage During Rush Hour

  A 'Rail' Problem to Deal With

  

  Sept. 15, 2026, -A major outage hit parts of the Dutch railway system Tuesday and the company that maintains the nation’s rail infrastructure said it was treating the cause as possible sabotage. Police launched an investigation but had no immediate comment on possible suspects or motives.

  Hundreds of thousands of passengers use the Dutch train network each day. The stoppages on Tuesday affected thousands of passengers mainly in the central and eastern areas of the Netherlands, but the problem also affected some services in the busiest western regions of the country.

• • How the End of USAID Eroded Global Environmental Goals

  An Analysis Finds the Cancellation of $1 Billion In Annual Funding Weakened Protections Around The World And Undermined U.S. Interests.

  

  Sept. 15, 2026 -Before its abrupt dismantling last year, the U.S. Agency for International Development was one of the world’s largest funders of conservation, climate resilience and other environmental programs. The money aimed to curb deforestation in the tropics, help farmers and communities cope with extreme weather, increase clean energy development and more.

  Now, a year and a half after its shuttering by the Trump administration, few if any funders are filling the gap. Deforestation and illicit activity have spiked.

• • Lead You Absorbed As a Child
  May Cause Dementia As You Age

  Americans Born Between 1951 and 1980 Are Invisibly Scarred By Lead Exposure That Embedded the Toxic Metal Into Their Bones

  

  Sept. 15, 2026, by Michael J. Coren and Aaron Steckelberg -When I was a child, a speck of lead escaped the tailpipe of a passing car, drifted through the air and lodged deep in my lungs. There it dissolved across a tissue-thin membrane into my bloodstream. Then the toxic metal atoms became microscopic wrecking balls in my body.

  Some, hitching a ride on red blood cells, slipped past the blood-brain barrier, tangling neural switches and repaving neurons. Others lodged deep inside my kidneys, liver and heart, leaving behind injured cells and blood vessels. But the vast majority, masquerading as calcium, were entombed in the mineral lattice of my growing skeleton.

• • EPA Finalizes Repeal of 2024 Power Plant Regulations

  Proposes Repeal of All Remaining Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Power Plants
  
  {U.S. EPA}

  Sept. 14, 2026 -At the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial today in Houston, Texas, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the repeal of the majority of the Biden administration's greenhouse gas requirements for U.S. power plants, an action the agency projects will save $310 billion, and proposed rescinding every remaining greenhouse gas standard for the power sector. If finalized, the new proposal would save an additional $370 million in direct compliance costs, in addition to the billions more American families and businesses can expect to see saved across the economy.

• • US ‘Super-Emitters’ Of Planet Heating
  Methane Identified By Satellite Analysis

  Energy Transfer, Whose CEO is a Major Trump Donor, Named As Biggest Single Methane Producer in New Rankings

  

  Sept. 14, 2026 -Down a short gravel track in a largely nondescript corner of Louisiana sits a gas processing facility, operated by a company whose chief executive is a major donor to Donald Trump. It may be the largest emitter of methane in the US.

  The Energy Transfer site, located near the city of Shreveport, is named as the biggest single “super-emitter” in new rankings of US oil and gas operations for the largest releases of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that is rapidly overheating our planet, according to a new UCLA study, which is based on satellite data.

• • The Incredible Journey of a Migratory Shorebird

  Godwits Make the Longest Non-Stop Migration in the Bird World

  

  Sept. 14, 2026,By Rivka Galchen -On a sunny June morning, in a bog outside Beluga, Alaska, I met a Hudsonian godwit. She had inky eyes and a long, slightly upturned beak that was pinkish-orange at its base and brownish-black at its tip. The feathers on her back were of mottled sepia tones, and those on her belly were rusty brown and painterly white. Her legs reminded me of the slender inserts of spring-loaded ballpoint pens, and her feet were refined pterodactyl claws. Her name (among humans) was A34, and she was about the size of a city pigeon. She was in the hands of Nathan Senner, a conservation biologist, who removed and replaced her geotag; measured her head, beak, wing, and leg; weighed her; and took two tail feathers and a sample of her blood. From that small number of data points, he can deduce where she’s been, how her feathers have grown, what genetic subgroup she belongs to, and her degree of exposure to mercury.

• • Tiny Nation’s Health Victory Just Freed
  2 Billion People From Blinding Disease

  Timor-Leste Just Became Officially Trachoma-Free, Completing Southeast Asia’s Incredible Health Milestone
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  Sept. 14, 2026 -The World Health Organization just delivered news that will restore your faith in global cooperation and human progress. Timor-Leste has been officially certified as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem—and with this achievement, the entire Southeast Asian region is now free from the leading infectious cause of blindness.

  This isn’t just a victory for one small island nation. It’s a triumph that protects over 2 billion people across Southeast Asia from a disease that once robbed countless individuals of their sight and independence.

• • Trump Administration Removes Climate
  Pollution Limits On Power Plants

  The Announcement Was Made Monday at a Meeting of G20 Energy Ministers In Houston, Texas.
  
  {CNN Climate}

  Sept. 14, 2026, - The Trump administration has finalized the repeal of regulations that limit the amount of planet-heating pollution coal and gas-fired power plants are allowed to produce, the latest step in a sweeping effort to dismantle climate and clean air protections.

  “For over 15 years, the Obama and Biden administrations implemented a war on coal to destroy reliable and affordable energy. The Trump Administration has come in to protect American energy and to make sure you can afford to keep the lights on,” said Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

• • Trump Says AI Doesn’t Need More
  Guardrails and Calls Safety Fears a Hoax

  President Alleges That a Conspiracy is Undermining Support For AI and Data Centers As Industry Leaders Raise Alarms About the Technology’s Risks
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  Sept. 14, 2026 -President Trump pushed back on the need for tighter federal regulations on artificial intelligence and dismissed safety concerns as a hoax that would leave the industry in financial ruin and hand China a competitive edge.

  The president’s forceful messaging on AI comes as industry leaders sound increasingly urgent warnings about the need for regulation to guard against potential dangers from their own technology, while public backlash builds to the construction of the data centers needed to power it.

• • The EPA is Reversing Biden-Era Limits
  On Coal and Gas Plant Emissions

  The Rule Was Predicted to Prevent 1.2K Premature Deaths In 2035 Alone, and Rack Up $120B in Health Benefits Through 2047
  
  {energy central}

  Sept. 14, 2026, -The EPA said it’s scrapping a requirement for existing coal and new natural gas plants to cut or sequester 90% of their carbon emissions by 2032 (using tech like carbon capture). The 2024 rule recently sparked criticism from electric co-ops facing mounting power demand.

  Plus: The agency is also looking to strip its own power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from generators, a shift that would affect future administrations.

  The impacts: The EPA said repealing the Biden-era rule would save the energy industry more than $300B (which would trickle down to utility customers).

• • EPA Eliminates Rule That Limits Planet-Warming
  Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Power Plants

  A Fundamental Shift From Efforts By Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama to Address Climate Change and Regulate Carbon Dioxide and Other Heat-Trapping Greenhouse Gases

  

  Sept.14, 2026 -The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it is repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas and announced it is taking a separate but related step to prevent future administrations from regulating climate pollution from power plants.

• • Athens’ Abandoned Airport Becomes a Green Paradise

  This Inspiring Transformation Will Make You Believe in Urban Renewal
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  Sept. 14, 2026 -In a heartwarming display of urban renewal, Athens is breathing new life into its former airport site with one of Europe’s most ambitious greening projects. The transformation promises to deliver not just beauty, but hope and respite to a city in need of shade and natural spaces.

  The Ellinikon Park will stretch across an impressive 400 acres, creating an unforgettable green sanctuary in the birthplace of democracy. For residents of Europe’s hottest city, this isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about quality of life and community well-being.

• • Aurora City Council Approves Data Center Regulation

  The Council Unanimously Passed an Ordinance That Prohibits Permits For Evaporative Cooling Systems In Future Commercial, Industrial and Multifamily Buildings
  
  {9NEWS}

  Sept. 14, 2026, -Aurora City Council unanimously approved an ordinance banning evaporative cooling systems for new industrial, commercial and multifamily developments. This would impact future data centers as city leaders seek to reduce water consumption amid ongoing drought concerns.

  The ordinance applies to future projects and is not retroactive. Aurora officials said all new data centers are already required to use closed-loop cooling under the city's large water user guide and the measure reinforces those standards.

• • Southern California Hit With Over 70 Earthquakes

  Experts Warn ‘Big One’ May Strike Sooner Than Previously Thought
  
  {DAILY CALLER}

  Sept. 14, 2026, -A swarm of earthquakes rattled Southern California Saturday, with much of the seismic activity centered directly beneath South Los Angeles.

  The flurry included a 2.7-magnitude earthquake that hit Westmont at approximately 2:30 a.m. Saturday, and then around 14 hours later at roughly 4:30 p.m., the same area endured a 2.6-magnitude quake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

• • Indonesia Intensifies Search Effort For 129
  People Missing After Ferry Capsized in Java Sea

  The Virgo Transport 8 Was Carrying More Than 240 People When Its Captain Issued a Distress Call On Sunday

  

  Sept. 14, 2026 -The search for survivors of a capsized ferry in Indonesia intensified Monday as 17 ships and aircraft from the military, police and other agencies were deployed to join the search for 129 missing after a ferry overturned in the Java Sea on Sunday.

  The bodies of six passengers and 108 were rescued Sunday by search teams, which increased to 655 personnel on Monday, National Search and Rescue Agency chief Mohammad Syafii said.

• • Nevada’s First Wastewater-to-Drinking-
  WaterPlant Breaks Ground In Reno

  By the Early 2030s, Water That Once Went Down a Drain In North Valleys Could Be Flowing Back Out of a Kitchen Tap

  

  Sept. 14, 2026, -The City of Reno and Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) broke ground last week on an Advanced Purified Water Facility, a plant that will treat roughly 2 million gallons of wastewater a day to make it compliant with drinking-water standards and send it into a groundwater aquifer near Stead Airport, a first for Nevada.

  The groundbreaking capped more than 15 years of research, testing and planning, and once complete, officials say the facility will reduce the region’s reliance on the Truckee River and provide a locally controlled water source for residents. Construction is expected to continue through the fall of 2029, and an on-site education center is planned to open alongside the plant.

• • The Trump Administration is Set to
  Eliminate a Rule Curbing Greenhouse
  Gas Emissions From Power Plants

  The Administration Also Stalled a Survey of PFAS In Wastewater
  
  {PBS NEWS}

  Sept. 14, 2026 -The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to repeal rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas, an action that Administrator Lee Zeldin has said would remove billions of dollars in costs for the industry and help "unleash" American energy.

  The rule change, proposed last year, could be announced as soon as Monday, according to two people familiar with the proposal, and represents a fundamental shift from efforts by Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama to address climate change and clean up industrial pollution, often in low-income and majority Black or Hispanic communities.

• • Wasps Are Chasing Midwesterners
  Indoors. What’s Behind the Surge?

  Pest-Control Companies Have Been Flooded This Year With Requests to Remove Nests

  

  Sept. 13, 2026 -Wasps are known to crash Midwestern summer barbecues. But this year, there are so many buzzing around that picnickers are being forced indoors or left doing the dance of the distressed, furiously swatting at the stinging insects.

  Known colloquially as yellow jackets, the wasps this year showed up earlier in the region — and they’re sticking around longer, too.

• • Along Himalayan Floods’ Path, Wiped
  Out Towns and Mounting Grief

  Survivors Tell the Stories of the People and Places Buried Under the Mud After a Disaster In Nepal

  

  Sept. 13, 2026 -Taking a break from the noisy work of leading a school of over 500 students, Madhav Lamichhane would ride his motorbike down to the riverside Betrawati Bazaar every week. The principal skipped the busy shops around the town’s clock tower, preferring a quiet moment by the Ram temple to take in the “very beautiful flow” of the Trishuli River.

  But on Aug. 26, as he was in school preparing for the first morning bell, the river below suddenly became a violent torrent that obliterated much of the town of Betrawati, erasing its square from the map. It left no trace of the temple, the market or the concrete bridges, and only fragments of the hundreds of homes that dotted either side of the river.

  Mr. Lamichhane and the school, up on a hillside, escaped its wrath.

• • More Than 30 Missing From Ferry That Sank in Vanuatu

  Vanuatu is an Archipelago of 83 Islands in the South Pacific Ocean

  

  Sept. 13, 2026 -A search in waters off the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu continued Monday for more than 30 people who officials said were missing after a passenger ferry sank.

  The ferry MV Matui was traveling between the islands of Ambae and Santo with 47 people on board when it sank Friday, local news outlets reported. Searchers in boats pulled 15 survivors from the water over the weekend, a statement Sunday from the prime minister’s office said.

• • At Least 6 Dead, More Than 100
  Missing After Indonesian Ferry Capsizes

  The Ferry Was Carrying 243 People Between Java and Borneo.
  
  {abc NEWS}

  Sept. 13, 2026 -A ferry carrying scores of people capsized in severe weather in the Java Sea on Sunday, leaving at least six people dead and about 129 others unaccounted for, local officials said.

  The ship, the Virgo Transport 8, was carrying 243 people between Java and Borneo when it lost contact, officials said. At least 108 of those on board had been safely evacuated, the National Search and Rescue Agency, BASARNAS, said in an update at 6 p.m. in Jakarta.

• • Fire at Nursing Home In Chile Kills 16 Elderly Residents

  The Facility Had Faced Fines and Enforcement Proceedings Over Regulatory Violations Since 2019
  
  {ALJAZEERA}

  Sept. 12, 2026 -A fire at a nursing home in southern Chile has killed 16 elderly residents and left others hospitalised.

  The blaze broke out late on Friday at the single-storey care home in Pitrufquen, in the Araucania region, about 640km (400 miles) south of the capital, Santiago.

• • Where Are All the Atlantic Hurricanes?
  Why This Year Is So Quiet

  There Hasn’t Been a Single One Yet

  

  Sept. 12, 2026 -Traditionally, this week is the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, the busiest time of year for storms to spin up and barrel west into North America.

  Instead, nearly four months into the season, and with two more to go, not a single hurricane has formed, a drought not seen in more than eight decades.

• • Why Chile’s 2,000-Year-Old Alerce Trees
  Have Become Magnets for Underground Fungi

  The Loss of One Ancient Alerce Tree Could Wipe Out Centuries of Fungal Diversity
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  Sept. 11, 2026 -A new study reveals that Chile’s biggest and oldest Alerce trees (Fitzroya cupressoides) act as biodiversity vaults and support far more fungi beneath their roots than younger, smaller trees.

  These hidden fungal communities help break down vast amounts of organic matter, cycle nutrients, and support numerous plants. This means that losing an Alerce tree could also mean losing a rich underground ecosystem it has supported for centuries.

• • India Is Building a Power Plant to
  Make Electricity Around the Clock

  India’s Lakshadweep Project Could Show Whether Ocean Heat Can Deliver Reliable Power and Fresh Water
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  Sept. 11, 2026 -On Kavaratti, an island in India’s Lakshadweep archipelago, engineers are building a power plant that will run on the temperature difference between warm surface water and the cold ocean below.

  The system will draw seawater from about 1,000 meters deep and use that contrast to generate 65 kilowatts of electricity while producing 100,000 liters of fresh water a day, according to India’s National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).

• • This Cleanup Will Restore Faith in Conservation

  Heartwarming Victory for Nature Lovers
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  Sept. 11, 2026 -The US Environmental Protection Agency has approved the very first permit under its new “Good Samaritan” law to remediate abandoned mine workings. This uplifting milestone marks a turning point in environmental restoration efforts across America.

  The permit has been issued to Trout Unlimited, a fishing and sportsmen-focused nonprofit that engages in riverine conservation all over the West. Their dedication to protecting and restoring our natural waterways has now been given the official green light to tackle one of Washington State’s longstanding environmental challenges.

• • Massive Cyclospora Outbreak Linked to Lettuce Declared Over

  The CDC Has Declared the Large Cyclospora Outbreak Linked to Iceberg Lettuce From Taylor Farms in Mexico to Be Over
  
  {USA TODAY}

  Sept. 11, 2026 -The outbreak at the center of the nation's largest known surge of the explosive diarrhea illness cyclosporiasis is over, officials say.

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the outbreak, linked directly to lettuce, as ended on Sept. 11, with a tally of 12,883 lab-confirmed cases across 21 states since May 1.

• • The Race Is On to Stop an Armored
  Invader on the West Coast

  Tribes and Scientists Are Mounting an Urgent Trapping Effort to Keep European Green Crabs From Devastating a Corner of Puget Sound

  

  Sept. 11, 2026 -They’re the thugs of the shoreline. European green crabs — aggressive, versatile and voracious — are one of the most destructive invasive species in the oceans. They hitched a ride to the East Coast on ships in the 1800s, and they’ve been devastating fisheries there ever since.

  Now, they’re a growing problem on the West Coast. And one Native American tribe in Washington that relies heavily on fishing and aquaculture is trying to get a budding invasion under control before it’s too late.

• • More Than Dozen Earthquakes In Span Of
  24 Hours Rattle Pacific Ring Of Fire

  A Sharp Surge Of Seismic Activity
  
  {DAILY CALLER}

  Sept. 11, 2026 -Between Tuesday and Thursday, 13 earthquakes rattled eight countries, while lighter tremors were recorded in the center of the iconic region, according to FOX Weather.

  In the South Pacific, three earthquakes struck near Isangel, Vanuatu, an island nation east of Australia.

  To the west, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake happened near Tonga, with the epicenter roughly 183 miles west-northwest of the village of Houma

• • Park Officials Pushed For a Grand
  Canyon Trail to Remain Closed

  Then the Floods Came

  

  Sept. 12, 2026 -Before a deadly flash flood tore through the Grand Canyon at the end of August, several National Park Service officials repeatedly pressed for parts of the fire-damaged trail to be closed, according to four current and former agency officials, calling out the heightened risk of runoff and rock slides that could endanger people.

  But leaders above them ultimately decided to reopen the North Kaibab Trail in time for peak tourist season, said two former National Park Service officials with knowledge of the situation, and one former and one current official briefed on the matter. Those decisions were made, they said, amid ongoing pressure from lawmakers to keep the park fully operational.

• • Buildings Are Sinking and Cracking In
  One Of Europe’s Largest Cities

  Global Warming's Latest Threat
  
  {CNN Climate}

  Sept. 11, 2026 - As blistering temperatures baked London this summer, people started to notice strange things happening to their houses: zig-zagging cracks suddenly appeared across walls, doors got stuck, windows warped.

  Extreme heat brings many problems for a country not built for it: Schools close, train tracks buckle and — it turns out — houses sink. .

• • Canada is Now More Than 20 Years Behind
  Its 2030 Target, With Net Zero Nowhere in Sight

  Analysis Shows That the Country’s Current Climate Policy Package Would Leave Emissions Stubbornly High Through Mid-Century
  
  {440 Megatonnes}

  Sept. 11, 2026 -According to the latest projections from 440 Megatonnes, Canada is poised to fall more than 20 years behind on its emissions targets. At the current rate, the country is far off track for its near-term climate goals and will be lucky to hit its 2030 target in 2050. The prospect of net zero emissions, which governments across the country have promised to reach by mid-century, is nowhere in sight.

  Higher emissions are a policy choice. The emissions data and the modeling both show that climate policies work—emissions are lower than they would have been without those policies—but governments have weakened, delayed, or cancelled measures that would have delivered more climate progress.

• • Two More Colorado Campgrounds Close
  Early Because They Have No Water

  A Well Near the Ruedi Reservoir is Not Producing Enough Water to Support the Areas Near Basalt
  
  {The Denver Post}

  Sept. 11, 2026 -Two campgrounds near Basalt are shuttering for the season early after running out of water.

  The Little Maud and Mollie B campgrounds at the Ruedi Reservoir closed Wednesday because the nearby water well is not producing enough water, officials with the White River National Forest announced. That may come as no surprise to recent visitors, as water levels in the reservoir have been so low that the boat ramp closed on Aug. 4.

  These campgrounds follow several others in Colorado that could not provide water to visitors during this summer’s drought. In White River National Forest, wells have also run dry at the Peak One, Lowry, Prospector, Windy Point and Marvine campgrounds. Those areas have not closed, but campers are required to bring their own water for drinking and washing their hands.

• • Building Codes Are Holding Back Low-Carbon Concrete

  A New Study Shows Why

  

  Sept. 10, 2026 -There are many ways to cut the carbon emissions of concrete. One is to mix conventional Portland cement with limestone or other similar materials. Another route is to blend cements with cementitious binding materials such as fly ash from coal-fired power plants and granulated blast furnace slag from iron and steel production. Yet other ways include using microorganisms orenzymes in concrete that soak up carbon dioxide.

  The problem is what these formulas do to durability. Low-carbon concrete absorbs more carbon dioxide from the air than conventional concrete, a process that lowers its internal alkalinity and leaves the steel reinforcement inside more vulnerable to rust.

• • Congress Is Suddenly Waking Up to the AI Doomsday Threat

  A Departing Anthropic Researcher’s Dire Warning That AI Models Could Destroy Civilization is Spurring a Rare Surge Of Legislative Urgency
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  Sept. 10, 2026 -A groundswell of urgency over artificial intelligence is surging in Congress amid growing fears that the technology could destroy civilization.

  After years of limited actions, dozens of lawmakers are now touting new proposals to regulate artificial-intelligence models that have stepped up their capabilities.

• • Choking Global Trade

  Low Rainfall and Shrinking Rivers Are Causing Shipping Bottlenecks, and Higher Prices, Around the World

  

  Sept. 10, 2026 -To get from Minnesota to China, a load of soybeans might meander down the Mississippi River on a barge, transferring around New Orleans to a ship that carries it through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific.

  But this summer, low water levels have throttled traffic moving through the canal and limited barge cargo on the river. In Europe, the Rhine and Danube rivers, both important shipping channels, also saw record-low water levels.

• • A.I. Boom Poses Growing Public Health Threat

  Air Pollution From Gas-Fired Power Plants to Run Data Centers is Expected to Add At Least $20 Billion In Annual Health Care Costs By 2028...

  

  Sept. 10, 2026 -A group representing more than 800 former employees of the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday sounded the alarm over the health consequences of data centers. It warned that Trump administration policies to weaken pollution safeguards and speed up approvals of the facilities threatened to exacerbate those health harms.

  In a report released Thursday, the nonprofit Environmental Protection Network examined pollution from power plants, gas turbines and diesel generators needed to meet data centers’ surging electricity demand. And it listed 30 federal actions taken by the Trump administration that it warned would increase pollution-related health risks as more data centers open across the country

• • At Least 29 Children Killed In School
  Fire In Rebel-Held DR Congo City

  Victims Of the Fire in AFC/M23-Held Bukavu Include Primary School Students
  
  {ALJAZEERA}

  Sept. 10, 2026 -A fire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) rebel-controlled city of Bukavu has killed at least 29 people, including students, according to local officials.

  The dead included 19 girls and five boys, Lawrence Kanyuka, a spokesperson for the AFC/M23 rebel movement now in charge of the city, said on Thursday.

• • Autumn Cold Front To Deliver Severe Weather,
  Lower Temperatures Throughout Northern US

  Throughout the Next Week, Numerous Fall Fronts Will Shift Along the U.S.’s Northern Tier
  
  {DAILY CALLER}

  Sept. 10, 2026 -September is when we see the transition from summer to autumn, and a cold front is showing up as scheduled to assist in the shift, delivering lower temperatures and scattered showers as summer begins to give way to the colder seasons ahead.

  Autumn-like air along the northern United States will push into the region, accompanied by thunderstorms. When mid-September arrives, the fall feel could be more widespread as temperature gradients strengthen and assist in fueling a stronger, more southerly jet stream, according to the FOX Forecast Center.

• • If Your Windshield Seems Cleaner Than
  It Used to Be, That Could
  Be a Very Bad Sign (For Insects)

  Insects Are Under Threat Partly Because Of Man-Made Climate Change, Heatwaves and Intensive Farming
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  Sept. 10, 2026 -This summer you may have wondered why you are seeing so few insects squished on your car’s windscreen, compared to a road trip several years ago.

  This is because insects are declining globally at an alarming rate.

  One extensive citizen science survey looked at insects numbers over several years by looking at insect deaths on car number plates. They asked people to clean their number plates before a journey and then photograph it afterwards, and count the number of bugs killed.

• • At Least 5 Dead and Dozens Missing
  After Ferry Fire in the Philippines

  The June Aster Was Sailing From Manila to Coron, a Popular Tourist Destination, When a Fire Broke Out

  

  Sept. 10, 2026 -At least five people died and more than 80 were missing after a fire on a passenger ferry in the western Philippines on Wednesday, the coast guard said.

  The June Aster was carrying 134 people, including 17 crew members, from Manila to Coron, an island in Palawan Province, said Capt. Noemi Cayabyab, a Philippine Coast Guard spokeswoman. The fire broke out around 6:45 p.m. near the village of Marcilla on Coron.

• • ‘Tidal Wave’ Of Pfas Being Launched to Satisfy AI Industry

  Big Manufacturers Planning to Produce More Of the Forever Chemicals to Meet Demand From Datacentres

  

  Sept. 14, 2026 -Pfas companies are launching a “tidal wave” of forever chemicals production to meet demand from the AI industry, a campaign organisation has warned.

  Despite alarm over the chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, a survey of the 10 biggest manufacturers found most had plans to increase production.

• • Ribera Says EU Data Centers Should Build
  Their Own Clean Energy Supply

  Rising Power Demand For AI Risks Creating Fierce Competition For Energy and Driving Up Bills...
  
  {POLITICO}

  Sept. 9, 2026 -The European Union should force tech giants to invest in clean energy supply to meet the rising power needs of their data centers, the bloc’s green transition and competition chief told POLITICO.

  European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera warned that the electricity-hungry infrastructure that powers artificial intelligence is increasingly straining power grids, creating fierce competition for energy and threatening to drive up bills.

• • US Strikes Colorado River Deal With Mexico

  The Deal, Which Comes On the Heels of Big Water Cuts For Three Western States, Includes More Cuts For Mexico
  
  {THE COLORADO SUN}

  Sept. 9, 2026 -Officials from the United States and Mexico announced Wednesday a Colorado River water-sharing deal for next two years as the basin continues to be overstressed by prolonged drought.

  The short-term deal, formally known as Minute 334, calls for Mexico to cut 250,000 acre-feet, or more than 100,000 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of water, in both 2027 and 2028. It also establishes an environmental work group and a pilot program to manage the salinity of Colorado River water as it reaches Mexico.

• • Toxic ‘Forever Chemical’ Cleanups at
  Military Sites Face Years of Delay

  The Pentagon Has Again Postponed PFAS Cleanups At Hundreds Of Military Sites, In Some Cases Up to 19 years, Prompting Bipartisan Anger In Congress

  

  Sept. 9, 2026 -The email from the Pentagon to members of Congress, on the cleanup of toxic “forever chemicals” that have contaminated military installations across the country, opened on a decidedly upbeat tone.

  “Good morning!” the email dated Aug. 31 read. “The Department of War is committed to addressing our PFAS releases and we remain dedicated to confronting this national challenge.”

• • Foreign minister: Nepal Needs “Meaningful”
  International Support to Face Climate Threats

  Following Its Recent Himalayan Flooding Disaster, the South Asian Nation Seeks Urgent Help From a New UN Climate Fund, Appealing For “Stronger Global Solidarity
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  Sept. 9, 2026 -In the wake of the recent flash flood that swept down from the Himalayas, Nepal is seeking immediate aid from a UN fund for climate loss and damage to help vulnerable families displaced by the disaster and rebuild destroyed schools and hospitals, the country's foreign minister told Climate Home News.

  “This is exactly the kind of climate-driven catastrophe the Fund was created to address,” Shisir Khanal said in an interview. He added that “stronger global solidarity and meaningful international support” are needed for countries like Nepal, which are facing increasingly severe climate-related disasters.

• • Chinese Ship Takes Arctic Shortcut:
  Smart Business? Or a Political Flex?

  Melting Ice is Opening a Trade Route Through the Arctic. China's Begun the First Regular Service, Part Of Its Polar Ambitions

  

  Sept. 9, 2026 -For years, China has been talking a big game about the Arctic.

  The country lies far from the Arctic Circle — more than 800 miles — but still, it has declared itself a “near-Arctic state.”

  It has teamed up with Russia on coast guard patrols in the Arctic Ocean and explored a flurry of resource and technology projects in Arctic towns. (Most never materialized.)

• • Palawan Ferry Fire Death Toll Rises to 35

  53 Still Missing
  
  {philstar GLOBAL}

  Sept. 9, 2026 -The death toll from the ferry fire off Coron, Palawan has risen to 35, with 43 survivors and 53 people still missing, the Philippine Coast Guard said Saturday.

  The latest figures were provided during the PCG's September 12 press briefing, a day after authorities recovered 30 cadavers from the burned vessel.

• • Hurricane Lowell Expected to Pass Near One
  Hawaiian Island and Cause Major Rains Statewide

  See the Sattelite Image

  

  Sept. 8, 2026 -Hawaii Gov. Josh Green closed schools and government offices on the westernmost islands of Kauai and Niihau and on Oahu for Tuesday as Hurricane Lowell was expected to pass nearby, bringing damaging winds, mudslides, possible tornadoes, dangerous rip currents and as much as 24 inches (about 60 centimeters) of rain to some areas on Kauai.

  The closures, which include community colleges and state and county offices, were put into effect for Oahu and Kauai County, which was under a hurricane warning issued by the National Hurricane Center. Kauai County includes the major islands of Kauai, which has a population of over 73,000, and Niihau, where there are fewer than 100 residents.

• • China’s Industrial Engine Starts to Break Its Fossil Fuel Habit

  Despite a Rebound In Coal Generation This Year, Clean Energy From Wind and Solar is Gaining Ground On the Fossil Fuels That Have Powered Decades Of Industry Growth
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  Sept. 8, 2026 -Chinese industry is beginning to shift from fossil fuels to clean electricity, with wind, solar and batteries progressively displacing coal, oil and gas across the industrial sectors that made the country the world’s factory and largest carbon emitter, a new analysis shows.

  Clean electricity met all of China’s demand growth in 2025 and coal generation fell for the first time in a decade, even as electricity demand rose by 5%, the report found.

• • Researchers Calculated What an Extreme Solar
  Storm Would Do to the US Power Grid and Economy

  The Numbers Are Staggering
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  Sept. 8, 2026 -In 1967, a solar storm nearly triggered World War III by jamming early-warning radar systems in the United States, causing U.S. leaders to think the Soviet Union was responsible. Though society averted catastrophe thanks to some timely intel from solar forecasters, the threat from space weather remains real and present.

  Solar, or geomagnetic, storms form as the Sun expels plasma and magnetic field from its corona during coronal mass ejections. After traversing space and encountering Earth’s magnetic field, the energy can interact with conducting materials such as the crust or ocean and induce geoelectric fields. The currents destabilize electrical transmission as they flow over the extrahigh-voltage transformers that toggle electricity voltage in the grid.

• • Large, Fast-Burning Wildfires Are Making
  It Hard For Colorado Forests to Recover

  When Fires Burn Hot and Fast They Can Destroy Tens of Thousands of Acres in a Single Day
  
  {The Denver Post}

  Sept. 8, 2026 -Large, fast-moving wildfires are devastating Colorado’s forests and they may not be able to recover to become the dense, dark-green habitats that people are used to seeing in the mountains, according to a recently published study.

  Scientists at Colorado State University and Western Colorado University collected data from 3,500 wildfires that burned in conifer forests in the American West between 2012 and 2023 and found that fast fires — fueled by a hotter, drier climate — may cause long-term ecological damage. The study was published last month in the journal Science Advances.

• • Rescuers Look For Survivors After
  Delhi Hostel Collapse Kills 7

  Search and Rescue Teams Combed Through the Debris of a Collapsed Building in New Delhi on Monday as the Death Toll Climbed to Seven

  

  Sept. 7, 2026 -The five-story building, which housed a boys’ hostel, collapsed on Sunday in Satya Niketan, a densely populated neighborhood known for its private student accommodations near a Delhi University campus.

  Police, firefighters and crews from India’s disaster response agency continued their search for a second day as earthmovers cleared debris and sniffer dogs worked the site to help rescuers reach those still trapped inside.

• • Elevated Levels of Lead Surround Local Oregon Airports

  Airplane Fuel Used For Small Aircraft Continues to Pose a Risk to the Public

  

  Sept. 6, 2026 -For years health officials have held that there is no safe level of lead exposure for humans. Even low levels can cause irreversible cognitive decline in children. Yet despite the risk, leaded aviation fuel—whose particulates travel in the air and are inhaled or can settle in soil or other substrates—continues to be used in small airplanes and helicopters around the country.

  Researchers at Oregon State University and Portland State University found high levels of lead at test sites surrounding the Hillsboro and Troutdale airports in Portland, Oregon. The samples contained isotopes linking the lead to that used in single-piston engine aircraft, like helicopters, crop dusters or antique military planes.

• • These Wolves in Alaska Ate All the Deer

  Then, They Did Something Unexpected
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  Sept. 6, 2026 -Pleasant Island in Alaska is not exactly befitting of its name. The frigid, 20-square-mile island is uninhabited by humans, but it hosts a remarkably large and rich ecosystem that features deer, otters, red squirrels, and even brown bears. But in 2013, the island got a new addition: wolves.

  When wolves colonized the island in 2013, it set up a natural experiment.

  “This provided a great opportunity to study predator-prey dynamics of wolves and deer,” says Gretchen Roffler, a wildlife research biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

• • Storm Creates Huge Waves and Dangerous
  Currents At Southern California Beaches
  

  Surf Conditions Are Very Dangerous, Specifically the Rip Currents

  

  Sept. 6, 2026, -Hurricane Marie, well out in the Pacific, created flooding and dangerous conditions at some southern California beaches over Labor Day weekend, with strong currents and huge waves presenting a threat to swimmers and surfers.

  Rose Schoenfeld, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Sunday that Marie stirred up “life-threatening” conditions as it churned in the ocean hundreds of miles off California’s Pacific coast. Some south-facing beaches have seen surf up to 10 feet (3 meters) high, she said.

• • Vermont House Explosion Kills 2, Injures 3

  Preliminary Investigation Reveals the Fire is Not Suspicious, According to Police
  
  {WCVB5}

  Sept. 6, 2026 -Vermont State Police are investigating a house explosion in Granville that killed two people and injured three others.

  According to Vermont State Police, the explosion was reported at around 7:45 p.m. on Saturday. One man was pronounced dead at the scene, and a woman died after being taken to Gifford Medical Center, police said.

• • A Cloud-Seeding Company Claims It Added
  2 Billion Gallons of Water in Utah

  Experts Have Their Doubts
  
  {THE COLORADO SUN}

  Sept. 6, 2026, -Kevin Clyde’s mind is always in the clouds. As a water district board member in southeastern Utah, he’s constantly checking a patch of sky near the La Sal Mountains. He swears he’s seen more wisps of white near a new cloud seeding station in the area — one that, he hopes, has prompted more rain and snow in his region.

  “It may be just wishful thinking, but it looks to me like it’s working,” said Clyde, who serves on the board of the Grand County Water Conservancy District based in Moab.

• • Volcanic Island in Indonesia Erupts

  Forcing the Cancellation of Hundreds of Flights
  
  {PBS NEWS}

  Sept. 6, 2026, -A volcano erupted in Indonesia early Sunday, prompting the cancellation of all flights at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and disrupting other domestic airports as ash drifted across western parts of the country.

  The volcanic island of Anak Krakatau, located in Indonesia's Sunda Strait between the main Java and Sumatra islands, had showed signs of activity since Friday before erupting for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. Sunday and for 16 seconds about three hours later, Indonesia's Geological Agency said. Closed-circuit camera footage showed lava flares from the volcano.

• • Firefighters Work to Put Out Giant Blaze After
  Railroad Ties Catch Fire In Southern Colorado

  So Far It's Not Clear How Much Damage the Fire Has Done
  
  {CBS NEWS}

  Sept. 5, 2026 - Fire officials in southern Colorado sent out a warning to residents on Saturday after a large fire started in an industrial area in the city of Pueblo. Firefighters were working to try to put out a huge amount of burning railroad ties.

  No structures were threatened by the fire, according to the Pueblo Fire Department. A post on the agency's Facebook page in the early afternoon showed towering flames and dark black smoke, and firefighters spraying water on the fire.

• • Mudslide Kills 1 and Leaves 11 Missing in China

  This, After Heavy Rain Brought By Tropical Storm Saudel

  

  Sept. 5, 2026, -A mudslide on Saturday killed one person and left 11 others missing in eastern China, damaging a dozen houses following days of torrential rain brought by tropical cyclone Saudel, authorities said.

  The mudslide hit part of a village in Suichuan County in Jiangxi province in the early hours, prompting rescuers to rush to the scene and relocate residents to safer ground to prevent further danger, authorities said in a statement. One person pulled out was found dead, while two others were rescued alive and in good condition, it said.

• • Israel’s Bombing Has Left Gaza Vulnerable to Climate Change

  With Homes, Hospitals and Water Storage Destroyed, Palestine’s Government Says That Gazans Have Little Protection From Climate Impacts and Sets Conditional Emissions Targets
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  Sept. 4, 2026 -Israel’s bombardment of Gaza during the conflict that broke out in October 2023 has wrecked progress towards adapting the enclave to climate change and left two million Gazans vulnerable to heatwaves, drought and disease, the Palestinian Authority (PA) said in a new climate plan submitted to the United Nations.

  Palestine’s third nationally determined contribution (NDC), uploaded to the UN climate body's website this week, says that while “the aggression on the Gaza Strip did not make the climate worse”, “it removed the housing, water and sanitation systems, health facilities, energy networks, roads and livelihoods through which people absorb a climate they were already struggling with."

• • The Atlantic Ocean’s Hurricane-Free
  Streak is About to Set a Record

  See Why the Current Calm Shouldn’t Give Coastal Areas a False Sense Of Security

  

  Sept. 4, 2026 -As three hurricanes swirl simultaneously in the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean remains quiet — even as the peak of hurricane season approaches next week.

  In fact, it’s been so calm across the Atlantic that a record will probably soon be set.

  If a hurricane fails to form before Sept. 12, then 2026 will become the record holder for the latest first hurricane on record — if one forms at all — considering data since 1966.

• • World’s First Heat-Powered Cooling
  System Turns Waste Heat Into Cold

  Researchers Have Developed the World’s First Heat-Driven Elastocaloric Cooling System, Using Waste Heat And Solar Energy to Support Sustainable Cooling
  
  {SciTechDaily}

  Sept. 4, 2026, -A cooling system powered directly by heat rather than an electric motor has worked in laboratory tests, offering a possible way to turn waste heat or solar energy into cooling. The prototype, developed by researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Tsukuba, uses two ultrathin nickel-titanium films that convert heat first into mechanical motion and then into cold.

  The concept addresses a limitation of elastocaloric cooling, an emerging solid-state alternative to conventional refrigeration. Shape-memory alloys cool when a mechanical load applied to them is released, but existing elastocaloric systems still need electrically powered actuators to supply that force. The new design instead uses heat itself to drive the process.

• • Bird Flu Kills First Dolphin in Australia

  Raising Fears for Its Wildlife
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  Sept. 4, 2026 - The virus has moved quickly from seabirds into marine mammals across Australia’s southern coast.

  Australia spent years preparing for the highly contagious H5N1 to arrive. The virus mainly affects birds, causing a type of influenza that is extremely fatal. That moment finally came in June, when migratory seabirds along the country’s southern coast tested positive for the virus. In a little more than two months, H5N1 has already moved beyond birds, infecting fur seals, a fox, and now a dolphin.

• • CPW Investigating Bear Attack in Steamboat Springs

  The 8th This Year
  
  {FOX31}

  Sept. 4, 2026 -Just a day after Colorado Parks and Wildlife shared preliminary numbers for bear incidents thus far in 2026, the state has now seen its eighth bear attack of the year.

  According to CPW, this one occurred on Thursday in Steamboat Springs, when an adult was napping in a backyard patio chair, and they noticed a bear approaching.

• • The 17-Year-Old Who Wants to Clean
  Up Plastic by Making It Magnetic

  His Strange “Black Goo” and the Robot He Built Could Point Toward a Smarter Way to Clean Polluted Water
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  Sept. 4, 2026 - Most plastic-cleanup machines try to catch trash. But Moroti Adegboyega thought it about changing the trash instead.

  The 17-year-old Canadian student built an autonomous robot that finds plastic with artificial intelligence, coats it with a magnetic liquid, and then pulls it from the water with magnets. The prototype is still crude, and its best-known tests took place in a small, controlled pool. But the idea was compelling enough to win him the 2026 Stockholm Junior Water Prize, beating national winners from more than 40 countries.

• • Record Fuel Prices Pose Fresh Challenge
  For Trump Ahead of Midterms

  Diesel Hits an Average $5.85 a Gallon on Friday, an All-Time High That Surpasses the Previous Record From 2022
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  Sept. 4, 2026, -President Trump came into office pledging to lower energy prices for Americans. Instead, he is presiding over a historic run-up in fuel prices.

  Diesel prices hit an average $5.85 a gallon on Friday, according to OPIS, a Dow Jones company. It is a new record that surpasses the previous one from 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent energy markets into a tailspin.

• • Trump Administration Moves to Drop
  Protections for More Wetlands
  

  The Proposed Rule Could Strip Federal Protections From Most U.S. Wetlands, Many of Which Help Feed Drinking Water Systems

  

  Sept. 4, 2026, -The Trump administration on Friday took another step toward stripping federal protections from millions of acres of wetlands, which help filter drinking water for many communities and provide critical habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife.

  The proposed rule from the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would significantly narrow the definition of “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, that are protected from harmful pollution under the Clean Water Act of 1972.

• • New Mexico Bans Uranium Leasing on State Lands

  The Move to Block New Mining Projects Comes As the Trump Administration Seeks to Revive American Uranium Production

  

  Sept. 4, 2026 -Officials in New Mexico, the nation’s largest historic producer of uranium ore, banned new leasing of state lands for uranium mining on Friday.

  State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard signed the executive order at a press conference in Sante Fe as the Trump administration seeks to revive American uranium mining and rebuild a domestic supply chain for nuclear fuel.

• • Farmed Salmon May Not Be as Nutritious as It Once Was

  Reason? A shift in the Fish’s Diet, With Significant Downstream Impacts On the Environment and Climate

  

  Sept. 4, 2026 -Eat more fatty fish.

  That dietary advice has changed the way the world consumes salmon, pushing consumer demand ever upward and production to higher and higher levels. Most of that demand is being met with farmed salmon: Today, nearly 70 percent of the salmon consumed on the planet are raised in pens and cages.

  The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating at least 8 ounces of fish a week, and urges people to choose salmon or other species that are similarly high in “heart-healthy” Omega-3 fatty acids. But

• • Federal Disaster Funds Approved For
  Aspen Acres Fire, Flood Recovery Effort

  The Gold Mountain Fire Has Burned 39,744 Acres Northeast of Ouray. Crews Said the Fire is 92 Percent Containeds
  
  {KKTV11ALERT}

  Sept. 4, 2026, -The governor’s had initially requested three forms of FEMA support:

  Individual Assistance (IA) for Pueblo and Custer Counties: IA would provide direct support to eligible primary households for needs such as temporary housing, home repairs, and essential personal property. The request also includes crisis counseling, disaster care management, disaster unemployment assistance, and disaster legal services.

  Public Assistance (PA) for Pueblo, Custer, and Ouray Counties: PA would help state and local governments, public utilities, and certain nonprofit organizations cover eligible costs for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and repairs to roads, water systems, electric grids, and other critical public infrastructure. The request also seeks support for private-property debris removal in Pueblo and Custer Counties.

• • Nearly 300 Bears Euthanized Across
  Colorado As Sightings Spike Statewide

  Bear Sightings and Conflicts Have Increased Dramatically This Year As Drought Drives Bears Closer to Humans In Search of Food
  
  {The Denver Post}

  Sept. 4, 2026, -Colorado Parks and Wildlife has euthanized nearly 300 black bears this year, more than three times those euthanized in 2025, as bear sightings and conflicts spike across the state.

  The state wildlife agency announced Thursday that it had killed 294 bears and relocated 98 others from Jan. 1 through Aug. 31. That’s up from 83 euthanizations and 33 relocations during the same period last year.

• • Nine Days After Disaster, Two Pulled Alive
  From Nepal Hydropower Tunnel

  Floods Caused Nepal At Least $2.5 Billion in Losses, Disaster Authority Chief Says

  

  Sept. 4, 2026, - Rescuers pulled two survivors from a tunnel linked to a ?hydropower station on Nepal's Trishuli River on Friday, nine days after a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through its valley, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving over 5,600 missing.

  Officials and rescue workers say they believe the August 26 collapse of a glacier on the upper reaches of the river trapped at least 900 people in tunnels related to six hydropower projects.

• • Salmonella-Contaminated Broccoli
  Sprouts Sicken People in WA

  Two People Statewide Have Been Hospitalized

  

  Sept. 4, 2026, -The Washington state Department of Health is warning residents not to eat broccoli sprouts from Evergreen Fresh Sprouts, which are suspected in the salmonella illnesses of 13 people in the state.

  The state does not have a complete distribution list for the product, but cases are spread across the state. They include four cases in King County, three in Whatcom County, and one each in Skagit and Snohomish counties.

• • The Behind-The-Scenes Effort to Contain
  the Nation’s Worst Ongoing Measles Outbreak

  Public Health Workers Are Relying On Word of Mouth to Fight the Largest Ongoing Outbreak in the U.S.

  

  Sept. 4, 2026, -Pennsylvania health workers confronting the country’s largest ongoing measles outbreak have been trying a behind-the-scenes strategy: administering vaccines around a family’s kitchen table, inside the privacy of their own home.

  The approach is deliberate, doctors say, relying on word of mouth for some immunization clinics rather than advertising locations that may draw reporters or protesters. Pop-up clinics are happening inside fire stations, places of worship and on a neighbor’s front porch. The effort reflects the great lengths officials are taking to contain an outbreak flaring in a state where officials say two people who died, including a newborn, were infected with measles.

• • What Bedbug Bites Look Like

  And 4 Other Signs of an Infestation

  

  Sept. 3, 2026, -If you’re sleeping somewhere you normally don’t — a hotel, vacation home or even a dorm or other shared living space — waking up to a mysterious new bug bite could raise your concern about bedbugs.

  Small, reddish-brown parasites, bedbugs are similar to lice and fleas in that they feed on the skin’s outer surface. Bedbugs don’t fly and can’t crawl long distances, so they end up on your body in one of two ways: By catching a ride on clothing, luggage, furniture, bedding or similar items that you bring into your home, or possibly crawling through common walls, ceilings or shared pipes in large buildings, said Changlu Wang, an extension specialist in entomology at the Department of Entomology at Rutgers University.

• • Residents Urged to Kill the Invasive Spotted
  Lanternfly as the Pest Spreads Across Mass.

  Where To Report Lanternfly Sightings
  
  {WCVB5}

  Sept. 3, 2026, -Spotted lanternflies, an invasive pest first detected in Massachusetts in 2021, are spreading across the state, with sightings reported from Worcester to Natick, and residents are being urged to squash them to help curb their growing population.

  Tom Glenn of Natick has taken the call to action seriously.

  "Gotta be 200-300," Glenn said when asked how many he has killed.

• • Is Your City Prepared for Climate Disaster?

  A New Report Ranks the World’s Large Cities On How Well They Have Adapted to Face Climate Risk

  

  Sept. 3, 2026 -When it comes to the effects of hostile climates — flood, fire and more — what matters isn’t just inherent risk, but rather the ability of a place to withstand that risk.

  AlphaGeo, a geospatial A.I. company that analyzes and predicts location risk, ranked the resilience of 72 of the world’s largest cities. Some of those cities exhibit “a dangerous gap between their exposure and their capacity to cope,” the company stated in a report.

• • Bird Flu Kills First Dolphin in Australia

  Raising Fears for Its Wildlife
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  Sept. 2, 2026, -Australia spent years preparing for the highly contagious H5N1 to arrive. The virus mainly affects birds, causing a type of influenza that is extremely fatal. That moment finally came in June, when migratory seabirds along the country’s southern coast tested positive for the virus. In a little more than two months, H5N1 has already moved beyond birds, infecting fur seals, a fox, and now a dolphin.

  The common dolphin was found dead near Goolwa, about 70 kilometers south of Adelaide. Tests confirmed H5N1, making it Australia’s first documented case in a dolphin. The discovery is yet another warning that an outbreak that began in birds is becoming a broader wildlife problem.

• • Cities Are Full of Unknown RNA Viruses

  Many Are Even Unknown to Science
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  Sept. 2, 2026, -Cities are excellent at bringing people together. It turns out, they’re pretty good at collecting viruses, too.

  Scientists sampling subways, hospitals, streets, wastewater, soil, and other urban environments across 102 cities have assembled a catalog of 54,945 RNA viruses. Most of them (roughly 77%) had never been observed before..

• • What Will It Take to Fix Sloan’s Lake?

  $50 Million
  
  {THE COLORADO SUN}

  Sept. 2, 2026, -Denver officials have proposed a $50 million project to help Sloan’s Lake, a popular recreation spot in west Denver where toxic algae blooms have killed fish in recent years.

  Every year, Sloan’s Lake sees about 2 million visitors who come for everything from paddling to fishing and walking dogs around its 2.6-mile perimeter. But over the years, stormwater has carried more and more sediment into the urban lake, causing problems for water quality and the lake’s ecosystem.

• • Dirty Ice Could Be Fueling Himalayan Disasters

  Darkened By Soot From Vehicles and Factories, the Region’s Glaciers Are Absorbing More Heat and Melting At Dangerous Rates

  

  Sept. 2, 2026, -Himalayan glaciers, once blazingly white, are increasingly coated in pollution from car exhaust, coal plants and factories. As that black cover settles on glacier surfaces, it’s causing them to absorb more heat from the sun and melt faster, scientists warn.

  It’s especially true in high-mountain regions like Langtang in Nepal, where a recent glacier collapse triggered devastating flash floods. Despite the region’s picturesque setting, it sits downwind from some of the most heavily polluted corridors in South Asia.

• • Almost Half of World’s Farmers
  Poisoned By Pesticides Every Year

  Pesticide Poisoning Kills 11,000 People Each Year, With India Accounting For Nearly 60% of Fatalities

  

  Sept. 2, 2026, -Almost half of the world’s farmers are poisoned by pesticides every single year, a study has found.

  Using publicly available data from 2006-2023, the study, which was commissioned by Pesticide Action Network, found there to be an estimated 402-433m cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning of farmers and farm workers every year.

• • Explosion at Bolivia Military
  Base Kills at Least 2, 14 Missing
  

  The Blast Occurred At Around 2:30 p.m. In ?an Area Used to Store Pyrotechnic Material

  

  Sept. 1, 2026, -At least two people were killed and dozens injured on Friday after an explosion at a military barracks in the Bolivian municipality of Viacha, about 30 km (20 miles) from La Paz, Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano said.

  His ministry said in a statement that 14 people were ?missing.

• • The Collapse of a Mountainside Triggered Nepal’s
  Devastating Floods. As the Region’s Mountains Heat Up

  It Won’t Be the Last
  
  {THE CONVERSATION}

  Sept. 1, 2026, -On the morning of August 26, a section of mountain near Langtang Lirung peak in Nepal suddenly collapsed.

  A huge mass of rock, ice and debris plunged roughly 1,200 metres into the valley below, producing a hugely destructive flood on the Lhende Khola river. The flow travelled almost 100 kilometres downstream, washing villages and bridges away. Almost 1,000 people died and thousands more are still missing across the Nepal-China border.

• • The Trump EPA Is a Toothless Friend of Polluting Industries
  

  The EPA’s Retreat From Its Role Guarding Clean Air and Water Will Have Lasting Effects On Public Health

  

  Sept. 1, 2026, -By its own account, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is doing a fantastic job. In a March report on its performance in the last fiscal year, the agency boasted that it had concluded 2,127 civil enforcement cases, “the highest in nine years.”

  That number wasn’t wrong, but it was very misleading, an Inside Climate News analysis of EPA data reveals.

• • European River Cruises Upended as
  Drought and Low Water Take a Toll

  The Danube and Rhine Are At Record Lows This Summer, Disrupting Hundreds of Cruises...

  

  Aug. 28, 2026 -Ships running aground. Long bus rides. Canceled excursions. Europe’s scorching heat and widespread drought have drained water levels on the Danube and Rhine rivers to record lows this summer, upending hundreds of river cruise itineraries and ruining vacations.

  While low water levels are common on European waterways in late summer and early fall, the severe drought has drained several river basins simultaneously since July, wreaking havoc on an industry popular for its logistical ease and relaxed style of travel.

• • Northern Colorado Health Officials Confirm
  First West Nile Virus Case In Weld County

  Health Officials In Northern Colorado Confirmed the First Case of West Nile Virus Found In Weld County This Year
  
  {CBS NEWS}

  August 31, 2026, -The Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment says the first case of 2026 comes one month later than it did in 2025. Health officials said they investigated 35 cases of West Nile in Weld County last year.

  Fortunately, the number of trapped Culex mosquitoes responsible for transmitting the virus is at a five year low. However, approximately 80% of the ones captured have been in three zones which cover areas including:The Greeley, Evans, Kersey, LaSalle area,The Johnstown, Milliken and Platteville area, The Firestone, Dacono and Fort Lupton area

• • Flash Flooding Causes Major Damage to the
  Grand Canyon’s Critical Water Pipeline

  Not Over Till It's Over

  

  August 31, 2026 -The sole pipeline that supplies water for millions of Grand Canyon visitors was badly damaged by weekend flash flooding, setting up a tricky repair scenario and upending a yearslong construction project to upgrade the line laid over terrain so rugged helicopters are often required to make basic fixes.

  “We anticipate miles of the pipeline being destroyed,” Grand Canyon Deputy Superintendent Brian Drapeaux said, but a full survey of the devastation won’t be completed until Tuesday at the earliest.

• • Kids in This City Are Breathing Easier and Growing Stronger

  Wholesome Health Win
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  Sept. 1, 2026, -A Major City’s Air Quality Initiative is Delivering Heartwarming Results For Its Youngest Residents, with children experiencing noticeably healthier lung development. The positive health impact demonstrates how environmental improvements can create real, measurable benefits for families. .

  London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) has been connected to improved respiratory health in children across the city. Research findings reveal that youngsters are experiencing better lung growth since the implementation of stricter emissions standards designed to reduce harmful pollutants.

• • ‘They Take the Water, the Springs Dry Up’

  Fear As Guatemalan Goldmine Plan is Revived

  

  Sept. 1, 2026, -In the community of La Lima in Guatemala, Elda Dinora Ramírez, 58, looks towards a small well at the back of her home. Dusty wooden planks lie across the opening, concealing the faint gleam of water far below. “The well is drying up again,” she says.

  Ramírez’s home lies less than a mile from Era Dorada – a goldmining project acquired by the Canadian multinational Aura Minerals in January 2025. After years of inactivity, the project was reactivated this year when the Guatemalan government granted Aura a construction licence.

• • What the Floods Tell Us About
  the Future of India’s Himalayas

  As Families Await News of Missing Loved Ones, the Disaster is a Stark Reminder of How the Climate Crisis is Creating a Fast-Growing Threat

  

  Sept. 1, 2026, -It has been hard not to despair while watching the ruinous floods swallow parts of Nepal, and harder, still knowing that the agony compounds each passing day for dozens of Indian families whose members remain unaccounted for.

  Social media is awash with desperate pleas, photos and details of the young and old, men and women, from Mumbai to Kolkata, posted by families searching for traces of life. The disaster unfolded when a melting glacier slammed into the valley below, unleashing a deadly cascade of rock and ice down the Bhote Kashi River, which flows from Tibet into Nepal.

• • ‘Breakthrough’ As Turkmenistan Starts
  Fixing ‘Mindboggling’ Methane Mega-Leaks

  Secretive State Begins Repairs On Ageing Facilities After Being Revealed As Worst Country For Leaks of Potent Greenhouse Gas

  

  August 31, 2026, -Turkmenistan has started plugging the mega-leaks of methane that spew from its ageing oil and gas facilities, the latest UN data shows, in a move hailed as a breakthrough.

  Methane, also called natural or fossil gas, is a potent greenhouse gas. It traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide and causes 25% of global heating today. Stopping leaks can be quick and cheap and, because methane breaks down in the atmosphere far quicker than CO2, this has a rapid impact, with some experts calling it the climate “emergency brake”.

• • Power-Hungry Data Centers Are Expanding in Europe

  So is the Resistance
  
  {POLITICO}

  August 31, 2026 - One sleepy village nestled in the foothills of the Alps may soon devour more electricity than all the households of Vienna.

  It is all thanks to Google.

  The American tech giant is building Austria’s first hyperscale data center on the outskirts of tiny Kronstorf, a two-hour drive from the capital. The site could eventually consume the equivalent of 7 percent of the country’s current power demand.

• • How a South African Town Cleaned Up Its
  Polluted River Using Stones, Wood and Sand

  Scientists Say System to Treat Contaminated Wastewater Offers a Model For Ensuring Food Security in a Fast-Warming Climate

  

  August 31, 2026, -All it took to turn the murky, heavily polluted waters of South Africa’s Stiebeuel River into a resource clean enough for irrigating a community’s vegetable plots was a collection of stones, heat-treated wood and sand.

  Without chemicals and using renewable energy, researchers from the University of Cape Town are cleaning 36,000 litres of water, polluted by sewage, chemicals, and traces of drugs and medication, every day to make it usable for growing food in a fast-expanding informal settlement along the course of the river.

• • Teen In Critical Condition With Infection From
  Warm Freshwater 1 Week After 8-Year-Old
  Girl Died From Brain-Eating Amoeba

  Be Careful Where You Swim
  
  {DAILY CALLER}

  August 31, 2026 -A North Carolina teenager is critically ill after contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba found in warm freshwater, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) said in an Aug. 27 press release.

  The teenager, not identified, has been infected with Naegleria fowleri and is receiving medical care, according to the same press release. The brain-eating amoeba is typically found in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers, and hot springs, according to the NCDHHS’s website. It can also be found in poorly maintained swimming pools, splash pads, and tap water, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states.

• • At Least 1 Dead, More Than a Dozen Missing
  At Grand Canyon After Extreme Flash Flooding

  Authorities Are Searching For Hikers and Campers Who May Have Been Trapped in the Area
  
  {NBC NEWS}

  August 31, 2026 -At least one person is dead and more than a dozen others are missing or unaccounted for, park officials said, after flash floods overwhelmed a remote area of the Grand Canyon Sunday.

  Forecasters warned that more flash flooding was possible on Monday. The biggest threat of flash flooding on Monday is set to be just north of the Grand Canyon.

• • Nearly 20 People Still Missing After
  Ferry Capsizes Off Northern Cyprus

  Divers Join Search Teams Scouring Deep Waters For ?Any Survivors...

  

  August 31, 2026 -Nearly 20 people are still missing after a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus, killing at least eight, as divers join search teams scouring deep waters for ?any survivors.

  The bdouble-hulled ?ferry with 267 people onboard took in water and flipped over on Sunday just off the port city ?of Kyrenia, leaving survivors clinging to the upturned hull. They were rescued by passing vessels and members of the coastguard.

• • Japan is Using AI, Drones and
  Wolf Robots to Keep Bears At Bay

  The "Bear" "Facts
  
  {CNN World}

  AUG. 31, 2026, - Bear attacks in Japan have hit a record high, with 13 deaths and more than 220 injuries recorded between April 2025 and March 2026. It is a sharp increase from the same period the previous year, when three people died and 82 were hurt, and as fall approaches, the bears’ peak feeding season, authorities are on high alert.

  The rise in human-bear encounters in Japan can be traced back to shrinking rural communities following the World War II when millions of young people began moving to cities. “With the loss of farmland that once buffered settlements from bears, the boundary between towns and forests became more blurred for them,” explained Liam Adcock, a wildlife researcher at the Nagano-based Picchio Wildlife Research Center.

• • The Summer That Scorched French Grapes,
  English Gardens—and Europe’s Economy

  Record Heat Withered Crops, Strained Businesses and Upended Everyday Life
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  August 30, 2026 -For 700 years, Château Carbonnieux relied on rainwater to nourish its grapes, a tradition that preserved the vineyard’s connection to the local terroir.

  Then temperatures rose to a record-breaking 108 degrees Fahrenheit in June, and co-owner Philibert Perrin noticed the leaves of his Cabernet Sauvignon grapes turning yellow and shriveling, an ominous sign. So he did the unthinkable: He sent a tractor rigged with a water tank and hoses into the vineyard to hydrate his most vulnerable vines.

• • Nepal 'Intensifying' Efforts to Free Hundreds
  Believed Trapped in Hydropower Tunnels

  Hundreds of the 2,500 People Reported Missing Are Believed to Be Employees of Nepal's Hydropower Site
  
  {BBC NEWS}

  August 30, 2026 -Nepal says it is "intensifying" efforts to free hundreds of people trapped in a tunnel at the country's Trishuli-3A hydropower site following Wednesday's flash floods.

  Crews - including experts from China and India - have been attempting to make contact but have so far received no response from inside the tunnel, officials say.

• • North Carolina Wasted the Chance To Fix Hog Pollution
  

  A Pact Between the State and Smithfield Foods “Failed Miserably.”

  

  August 30, 2026, -Thousands of dead and bloated pigs floated down country roads, buoyed by floodwaters. Tens of millions of gallons of feces and urine spilled over the brims of lagoons and contaminated everything in their path, including rivers, streams and private drinking water wells.

  It was September 1996, when Hurricane Fran pummeled eastern North Carolina and unleashed an environmental catastrophe, the first of several that would occur over the next two decades.

• • California Lawmakers Strike Wildfire Deal
  That Leaves Out Most of Newsom’s Big Demands

  Gov. Gavin Newsom Backed Off His Plans to Ease Costs For Utilities Following Wildfires They Cause, Striking a Narrower Deal With Democratic Lawmakers
  
  {CAL MATTERS}

  August 29, 2026, -Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday backed off his proposal to reduce costs for electrical utilities after their equipment sparks wildfires, agreeing instead to a narrower deal after homeowners, insurers and fire survivors argued his original plan would have shifted those costs onto them.

  Instead, the governor and Senate and Assembly leaders agreed on a package of policies that includes prohibiting private equity groups from investing in wildfire claims and denying utility CEO bonuses in the years their companies cause fatal fires.

• • Nepal-China Flood Survivors Reach Safe Areas
  as Families Await News of Nearly 3,000 Missing

  More Than 3,700 People have Been Rescued in Nepal So Far
  
  {WCVB5}

  August 29, 2026 -As rescue efforts in communities buried by catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal - China border entered their fourth day Saturday, authorities were still finding survivors and transporting them to safety.

  At relief centers, families of missing people waited anxiously for news of their loved ones as the death toll and the number of people unaccounted for continued to rise.

• • This 18-Year-Old Teenager Invented a Special
  Plastic That Can Help Eat Other Plastic

  An Irish Student Turned a School Water-Monitoring Project Into An Award-Winning Attempt to Solve the Biggest Problem With Plastic Pollution
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  August 28, 2026 -What if the plastic we throw away tomorrow could help clean up the plastic we threw away yesterday? That is the unusual idea behind Eco Purge, a plant-based biodegradable plastic developed by 18-year-old Arya Satheesh in Ireland.

  Unlike other plastic alternatives, this material does more than simply replace conventional plastic. After use, it breaks down and releases enzymes that can attack existing PET microplastics in soil and water.

• • Highway Reborn as Public Park

  The Four-Lane Great Highway Used to Run Along the Pacific Ocean on the West Side of San Francisco, Where It Was At Risk of Flooding From Sea Level Rise
  
  {LOE.ORG}

  August 28, 2026, - The four lane Great Highway used to run along the Pacific Ocean on the west side of San Francisco.

  But in April 2025, this pavement became a little slice of paradise. Now visitors to Sunset Dunes Park can bike, walk, skate, and play next to the water.

  Zach Lipton is a volunteer with the nonprofit Friends of Sunset Dunes and he joins us now to talk about this highway’s transformation.

• • 4.25 Million Gallons of Raw Sewage Taints
  Arkansas River After Pueblo City Accident

  A Repaired Waste Pipe Broke and Dumped Untreated Sewage Straight Into the Stream...
  
  {THE COLORADO SUN}

  August 28, 2026 -A failed Pueblo wastewater pipe spewed 4.25 million gallons of raw sewage directly into the Arkansas River, prompting state health warnings to farmers and recreators as far east as Las Animas to avoid using or coming into contact with stream water.

  Department of Agriculture officials are working with the melon and other produce farmers that make up the core of the Lower Arkansas Valley economy to find alternative sources and test their water while dangerous bacteria and other germs wash through southeastern Colorado.

• • European River Cruises Upended as
  Drought and Low Water Take a Toll

  The Danube and Rhine Are At Record Lows This Summer, Disrupting Hundreds of Cruises...

  

  Aug. 28, 2026 -Ships running aground. Long bus rides. Canceled excursions. Europe’s scorching heat and widespread drought have drained water levels on the Danube and Rhine rivers to record lows this summer, upending hundreds of river cruise itineraries and ruining vacations.

  While low water levels are common on European waterways in late summer and early fall, the severe drought has drained several river basins simultaneously since July, wreaking havoc on an industry popular for its logistical ease and relaxed style of travel.

• • Strava’s Heatmap Is Accidentally Becoming
  a Map of Where People Want to Live

  People Have Discovered An Unintended Use For Strava's Heatmap
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  August 28, 2026 -A map built to help runners find their next route is starting to become a way people decide which neighborhoods might be worth living in.

  This week, a Strava heatmap of Chicago went viral after one user called it “a giant proxy for class and wealth.” Then someone spotted the obvious second use: “Pro tip for moving to a new city: Use Strava as a proxy for where to live.”

• • More Columns Lacked Support
  in Troubled N.Y.C. Building

  Drawings Show Insufficient Reinforcements On Eight More Steel Columns Than Previously Known

  

  August 28, 2026 -The Midtown Manhattan high rise that became dangerously unstable last month had more columns that were missing reinforcements than was previously known, according to documents obtained by The New York Times, and reviewed by independent engineers.

  The city temporarily shut down the area around the building, the former headquarters of Pfizer on East 42nd Street, because of two columns that buckled on the 21st floor as the structure was being converted to apartments.

• • E-Bike and Scooters' Deadly Toll:
  18 Dead and 700 Injured After Battery Fires

  E-bikes and E-Scooters, Through Overheating Batteries, Have Been Behind More Than a Dozen Deaths in the UK and Hundreds of Injuries
  
  {Mirror}

  August 28, 2026 -New data has uncovered the deadly toll of e-bikes and e-scooters in the UK, with more than a dozen people killed in incidents with the bikes and several hundred injured.

  Recently obtained figures recorded by fire and rescue services show that 18 people have died and nearly 700 have been injured in fires caused by the vehicles. Among those deaths are people who have been trapped in their own homes like mum Gemma Germeney, 31, and her children Lilly Peden, eight, and Oliver Peden, four, who all died after a fire at a flat in Cambridge in March.

• • Washington Chemical Tank Was Called
  Unfit For Service Before Deadly Failure

  New Evidence From Longview Chemical Disaster Raises Maintenance Doubts

  

  August 28, 2026 -An inspection contractor found a chemical tank at a Washington state paper mill “not fit for continued service” 10 months before it failed in May, killing 11 in one of the deadliest U.S. workplace disasters in recent decades, according to a federal report released Friday.

  The U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s update about the May 26 failure in Longview, which expelled enough caustic liquid to blow out building walls, is part of an ongoing investigation. The federal agency said it is still determining the cause of the failure.

• • The World’s Mountains Are Ticking Time Bombs

  The Weather Phenomenon is Already Roiling Industries, From Shipping to Copper to Fish Feed
  
  {Bloomberg}

  August 27, 2026 -A warming planet is undermining the stability of mountains, leaving landslides, floods, and avalanches in its wake, as seen in the recent flash floods on the border between Nepal and China's Tibet region.

  The initial disaster may have left behind a fresh dam of material, which could prompt further flash flooding if it crumbles, and researchers must work fast to investigate the cause of the disaster.

• • The Circular Chemistry That Could
  Make Cement Carbon-Negative

  By Closing the Loop On the Same Reaction That Makes Cement, Researchers Say Plants Could Capture More CO2 Than They Release

  

  Ausust 27, 2026, -Cement is one of the most-used manmade materials in the world. And the kilns that produce this in-demand building material belch about 8 percent of the global carbon dioxide emissions.

  But a team from ETH Zurich and the US company Heirloom Carbon Technologies now propose a way to dramatically cut emissions from future cement factories. By employing established technologies, cement factories could not only capture their own emissions, the researchers write in the journal Chem Circularity, but also remove additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

• • Brilliant Innovation Turns Tree
  Scraps Into Eco-Friendly Material

  Will Restore Your Faith in Conservation
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  August 27, 2026 -A heartwarming environmental breakthrough is proving that one person’s trash truly can become another’s treasure. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed an ingenious solution that transforms low-value timber waste into a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging.

  The innovation, dubbed “wood foam,” takes scraps from one of the world’s largest timber industries and converts them into a biodegradable material that can replace polluting plastics. This feel-good story showcases human ingenuity at its finest, tackling two environmental challenges simultaneously.

• • Two Employees Die Of ‘Airport Malaria,’

  Officials Try To Calm Fears
  
  {DAILY CALLER}

  August 27, 2026 -Mosquitoes carried into Germany from a malaria region have killed two workers at the country’s busiest airport.

  Six Frankfurt Airport employees caught malaria on the job, according to German outlet Hessischer Rundfunk. The first of the two victims died in early July. The second death came in August. All four surviving patients have since left the hospital.

• • Third Human Case of West Nile
  Virus Identified in Massachusetts

  Boston Health Officials On Thursday Announced the State's Third Human Case of West Nile Virus This Year
  
  {WCVB55}

  August 27, 2026 -The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said the West Nile virus risk level in Boston is high based on ongoing evidence of mosquitoes carrying the virus in the city.

  Earlier in the week, state health officials said a man in his 60s who was exposed in Middlesex County tested positive. Last week, officials announced that a man in his 90s contracted the virus in Middlesex County.

• • Marmots Are Terrorizing California
  Hikers and Stealing Their Shoes

  The Cute But Destructive Rodents Are Criminal Masterminds, Easily Circumventing Humans’ Meager Defenses
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  August 27, 2026 -Andrew Reinhart was so tired after hiking up a mountain pass last month, he laid down for a nap—only to wake to a wet tongue on his ear. A marmot stared back.

  “It scared the s— out of me,” said the 28-year-old engineer from Livermore, Calif. “You don’t expect to get licked when you go to sleep in the woods.”

  Welcome to Sequoia National Park, also known as Marmot Country. Yellow-bellied marmots are stalking hikers and campers in a park more famous for its namesake giant trees. They snatch backpacks, swipe shoes and nibble on trekking poles. Some even chase humans.

• • The Terrifying Mechanics of the Nepali Flash Flood

  How a Glacial Avalanche Visits Devastation
  
  {The Economist}

  August 27, 2026 -One of earth’s peculiarities as a planet is that its surface temperatures hover near the melting point of water, meaning some parts of it are covered by that substance in its liquid form and some by it in its solid form, ice. One consequence is that life in the transition zone is precarious. Just how precarious, the inhabitants of the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli valleys in Nepal and Tibet discovered on August 26th, when an unheralded surge of water swept all before it. More than 1,300 people are missing.

  The explanation for this catastrophe seems to have been a phenomenon called a glacial avalanche. A 600-metre-wide section of a glacier in the Himalaya mountains broke free and dropped 1.2km into the valley below. The kinetic energy of the fall melted enough of the ice to create a slurry that gathered further material as it travelled, until it arrived at the bottom of the valley, which it blocked. Water then backed up behind this dam until its pressure overwhelmed the blockage, causing a surge.

• • Unapproved Antioxidant Administered to
  Firefighters Battling Wildfires Giving Relief

  The Glutathione Compound is Not Approved as a Detoxifying Agent By the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  
  {FIREHOUSE}

  Aug. 26, 2026 -Once the Old Trails fire broke out and raced east, ravaging forests and eventually neighborhoods, Spokane Fire Department spokesman Justin de Ruyter knew it would be a historically devastating day for Spokane.

  It was the type of day firefighters could die.

  But once night fell Aug. 1, and after hours of heroic firefighting, the winds started to soften, and de Ruyter, who had been on the front lines of the blaze, had a positive thought.

• • Battle Over Cleaning Up Shipping
  Set to Resume at London Talks

  The US and Saudi Arabia Want to Scrap Shipping’s Net-Zero Framework and Have Swung Behind a Far Less Ambitious Alternative
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  August 26, 2026 -The US is expected to resume its attempt to sink measures for a greener global shipping sector at closed-door talks between governments at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in early September.

  The US and oil-producing allies like Saudi Arabia want to weaken a proposed plan for cleaner fuels that aims to reduce planet-heating emissions from the industry, which relies heavily on dirty bunker fuels. Shipping currently represents 3% of global emissions.

• • FDA Approves Pancreatic Cancer
  Drug That Extends Patients’ Lives

  Revolution Medicines’ Daraxonrasib Nearly Doubled Average Survival Times For One of the Deadliest Cancers

  

  August 26, 2026 -The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new pancreatic cancer drug, a pill that nearly doubled patients’ average survival times for one of the deadliest cancers when taken instead of chemotherapy.

  Researchers have called the drug, known as Rasonque or daraxonrasib and taken daily, a “landmark” development. It has been one of the most closely watched experimental cancer treatments.

• • At Least 14 Newborn Babies Die in Fire
  at Pakistan Hospital’s Maternity Ward

  15 Babies Were in the Ward When Fire Broke Out

  

  August 26, 2026 -At least 14 newborn babies have died in a fire that broke out in the maternity ward at one of Pakistan’s most prominent state hospitals.

  The blaze began in the early hours of Wednesday and engulfed the ward at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the biggest state hospital in Islamabad.

• • A Rift Over a Weed Killer is Dividing a Pro-Trump Alliance

  Influential MAHA Activists Are Channeling Their Anger Over Pesticides at Heidi Overton, a Top Aide the President Picked to Lead the FDA

  

  August 26, 2026 -The MAGA-MAHA alliance helped carry Donald Trump back to the White House. It handed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. control of the nation’s health agencies. Now, it may fracture over a widely used herbicide.

  Donald Trump’s decision that expanded domestic production of glyphosate earlier this year was a national security priority and not an endorsement of the use of the weed killer, White House officials have said — part of his Make America Great Again platform.

• • Nearly 1,400 Missing, Mostly Tourists,
  After Nepal-Tibet Flash Flood Kills at Least 356

  Entire Villages Swept Away After Glacial Collapse Triggers Flood in Mountainous Region Popular With Trekkers and Pilgrims

  

  August 27, 2026 -Rescuers are searching for nearly 1,400 people, most of them tourists, who are missing after a catastrophic flash flood hit Nepal and Tibet, thundering down valleys, obliterating entire villages and killing at least 356 people.

  Efforts to locate those missing – including hundreds of people from India, the US, UK, Australia and Canada – have been complicated by the destruction of dozens of bridges and almost 25 miles (40km) of roads in the mountainous region popular with trekkers and pilgrims.

• • What is "Good" Vs. "Bad" Ozone?

  Ground-level Ozone Basics
  
  {EPA}

  August 26, 2026 -Ozone is a gas composed of three atoms of oxygen. Ozone occurs both in the Earth's upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be good or bad, depending on where it is found.

  Called stratospheric ozone, good ozone occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere, where it forms a protective layer that shields us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. This beneficial ozone has been partially destroyed by manmade chemicals, causing what is sometimes called a "hole in the ozone." The good news is, this hole is diminishing. Learn more about stratospheric, or "good" ozone.

• • Two Planned Datacentres Will Have Higher
  UK Carbon Emissions Than ExxonMobi

  Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire Sites Predicted to Emit 4.5M Tonnes a Year When Fully Running

  

  August 25, 2026 -The carbon emissions from just two planned datacentres in England will exceed all of the fossil fuel company ExxonMobil’s UK emissions, analysis has revealed.

  Experts have said this demonstrates the “serious threat” datacentres pose to the UK’s legally binding climate goals.

• • Typhoon Saudel Heads West After Pounding
  Japan’s Southwestern Remote Islands, Injuring 2

  Some 150 Flights to and From Okinawa’s Naha Airport Have Been Canceled

  

  August 26, 2026 -A powerful typhoon headed west over the East China Sea on Wednesday after slamming Okinawa and other remote southwestern Japanese islands, causing blackouts, flight cancellations and threatening landslides. Two people were slightly injured.

  Typhoon Saudel was about 180 kilometers (112 miles) northwest of Okinoerabu island, packing winds of up to 144 kph (89 mph) as of late morning Wednesday as it headed toward China’s eastern coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

• • Scores Dead, Hundreds Missing In
  Flash Floods On Nepal-China Border

  An Avalanche Caused the Bhotekoshi River to Overflow, Sending Waves of Water and Mud That Swept Buildings and People Away

  

  August 26, 2026 -At least 160 people were killed in Nepal and China, and hundreds more were missing Wednesday as flash floods devastated the countries’ Himalayan border region.

  In Nepal, at least 157 were dead, according to the Nepali police, and 403 people, included 47 U.S. citizens, were among the missing, Nepali authorities said. In China, where the flood caused “severe casualties,” state media reported, at least three were reported dead and 265 missing.

• • A Tornado Tears Through a Village In Southern France

  Wrecking 300 Homes

  

  August 25, 2026 -A tornado ripped through a small village in southern France, damaging about 300 homes, destroying several cars and injuring dozens of people, authorities said Tuesday.

  The tornado struck Pomas, a village of about 1,000 people, on Monday and rescue teams continued their search through ruins on Tuesday, though no people were immediately reported missing.

• • 2 Measles-Related Deaths Reported in Pennsylvania

  The State’s First In 35 Years

  

  August 25, 2026 -Two Pennsylvania residents have died after contracting measles, according to the state health authorities, marking the first deaths related to the contagious disease in the state in 35 years and the first reported in the United States this year.

  Both people were unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County. The Pennsylvania Health Department said it is not releasing more information about the people and their families, citing privacy.

• • Gas Capacity Slated for US Data Centers
  Nearly Doubled in the First Half of 2026

  As of Mid-2026, Construction had Kicked Off On Just 14% of Proposed US Gas Projects
  
  {energy central}

  August 25, 2026 -Yes, you read that right: Planned on-site gas for these facilities leapt from 97 GW in 2025 to 189 GW in H1 2026, Global Energy Monitor found. Over that period, overall US gas development increased by 50% to 378 GW.

  The gassiest states: Texas now has more gas in development than any country (besides, well, the US). The Lone Star State upped its gas development >50% in H1 2026 to 122 GW—nearly a third of the US total. Ohio, PA, and WV also saw significant gas development boosts in the first half of the year.

• • Officials Played Down Risks in Ohio
  Train Disaster, Residents Now Say

  Newly Released Government Documents Raise Questions About What the Public Was Told About Health Risks After the 2023 Norfolk Southern Derailment
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  August 25, 2026 -Years after a Norfolk Southern train derailed and a chemical-laden black cloud hovered over this town of 4,700, new claims are emerging about risks residents faced then—and might still face now.

  The fiery Feb. 3, 2023, accident involved 20 cars carrying hazardous chemicals. Norfolk Southern advocated burning five tanker cars of vinyl chloride it said could explode, and the plan unfolded three days later.

• • Indonesia Chokes On Haze as Blazes
  Intensify Amid Super ‘El Niño’

  Fires Have Ravaged Tens of Thousands of Acres, With Suffocating Smoke Reaching Malaysia and Putting Singapore On Alert

  

  August 25, 2026 -Suwadi can barely see five metres in front of him when he steps outside his home in Indonesian Borneo.

  Each breath, he says, feels “like smoking a cigarette”.

  It has been like this for weeks in Kalimantan, the Indonesian side of Borneo island, where fires have raged across tens of thousands of acres of land, including ancient rainforest, triggering a trans-boundary haze now threatening Malaysia and Singapore.

• • Invisible Changes to White Light Made Rooms Feel
  Cooler and Could Cut AC Energy Use by Up to 11.4%

  A Novel Experiment Suggests Light Spectra Could Subtly Widen Thermostat Comfort Zones
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  August 25, 2026 -A room can feel cooler even when the thermostat has not moved. The trick, a new study suggests, may lie in changing parts of white light that people cannot consciously see.

  In a small laboratory experiment, people sitting under blue-enriched white light tolerated air about 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit (0.7 degrees Celsius) warmer before asking for relief than they did under red-enriched white light. Both lights looked the same to the human eye. It’s the first evidence that a light’s underlying spectrum — not merely its visible color — can affect how people respond to ambient temperature.

• • Norway Will Drill in Arctic Regardless of EU's Position

  This, According to Their Energy Minister

  

  August 26, 2026 -Norway will continue developing its oil and gas resources in the Barents Sea regardless of the European ?Union's support for a moratorium on Arctic hydrocarbon supplies, and no longer sees itself as Europe's "green battery", Energy Minister Terje Aasland told Reuters.

  Following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Norway has become Europe's largest supplier of natural gas, meeting around 30% of gas demand of both the European Union and Britain.

• • New Zealand Moves to Protect Business
  With Law Curtailing Climate Litigation

  A New Bill Prevents Corporations Being Sued For the Climate Damage Their Emissions Cause...
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  August 24, 2026 -New Zealand’s parliament has adopted a controversial new law blocking a whole avenue of climate litigation and shutting down its most advanced corporate lawsuit, which has been blamed by the government for shaking business confidence and investment.

  The Climate Change Response (Tort Liability) Amendment Bill, expected to take effect in the coming days after it is formally signed by the Governor-General, prevents all current and future civil claims for climate loss or harm under tort law.

• • Managing Forests For Washington’s
  Year-Round Wildfire Challenge

  “It'd Aready a Devastating Fire Season, and We’re Not Even in the Middle of It Yet

  

  August 24, 2026 -Washington’s 2026 fire season has already been devastating — for communities across the state and for Washington’s forests and environment. Acreage burned is more than 420% higher than at this point last year. On Aug. 1, Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide state of emergency, citing drought, unusual heat and high winds.

  More than 1,250 fire starts have been reported statewide, and more than 800,000 acres have burned this year — the worst over the last 10-year period, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

• • Mexico Resumes Limited Cattle Exports
  to US After Screwworm Pause

  Relieving Ranchers

  

  August 24, 2026 - Mexico resumed live cattle exports to the United States on Monday after they were halted for nearly two years by restrictions imposed by the Trump administration following a screwworm outbreak.

  Even under strict limitations, the reopening of the trade channel brought relief to Mexico’s ranching industry, which was dealt an economic blow by the controls. The flesh-eating worm is now present on both sides of the border.

• • Homes Submerged, Tens of Thousands Relocated
  in China's South As Flooding Intensifies

  Typhoon Narra Brings Flooding to Southern China's Guangxi

  

  August 24, 2026 - Widespread floods triggered by heavy rain from Typhoon ?Narra intensified on Tuesday across southern China, with homes and shops submerged and thousands of people relocated, while another storm system made its way towards Japan and Taiwan.

  Authorities in Chongzuo, in China's Guangxi region, famous for its giant waterfalls and karst limestone mountains, evacuated more than 15,000 people after water levels surpassed a record high set in 2008.

• • Fast-Moving Wildfire Forces Thousands
  of Evacuations Near Reno, Nevada

  As of Monday Afternoon, the Hawk Fire was 27% Contained...

  

  August 24, 2026 -A fast-moving wildfire burning with high intensity near Reno, Nevada, has forced thousands of residents to evacuate and injured at least seven people, with strong, unpredictable winds complicating firefighting efforts. The blaze was caused by human activity, officials said.

  The Hawk Fire was first reported Saturday morning and quickly was fueled by red-flag wind conditions, Chief Richard Edwards, of Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, said in a news conference Sunday. It spread to about 15,000 acres in about a day.

• • Landslide at Guinea Landfill Kills 30

  The Landslide Took Place at Around 2 a.m. (0200 ?GMT) in the Gbessia Commune of Conakry

  

  August 23, 2026 -A landslide at a landfill in Guinea's capital killed 30 people, ?the government said on Sunday, after heavy rains overnight prompted the collapse of a massive mound of waste that engulfed nearby tents and shacks.

  The incident occurred less than a week after the government announced plans to close the site and relocate the waste ?because of the threat it posed, especially during the ongoing rainy season, ?which causes landslides and fatal flash floods each year in crowded, ?underdeveloped cities across parts of West Africa.

• • Bigger, Hotter Fires Are Slowly
  Erasing America’s Great Forest

  Towering Woodlands in the West Are Being Permanently Replaced By Tracts of Spiky Shrubs

  

  August 24, 2026 -On a gentle slope on the western side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where a towering green canopy of ponderosa pines had stood for centuries, wildfires have transformed roughly 1,700 acres into brown, bare shrubland.

  That forest is gone for good, scientists say. Spiky shrubs and poison oak have replaced the majestic trees. All that is left of the pines are burned logs and dead branches.

• • Over 50 New Wildfires Reported in
  PNW After Weekend Lightning, Wind

  The Weekend Brought a “One-Two Punch” of Lightning Followed By Gusty Winds in the Pacific Northwest

  

  August 23, 2026 -More than 50 wildfires sparked in the Pacific Northwest this weekend, including the Colwash fire, which prompted evacuations and burned over 60 square miles near Sunnyside, according to the Northwest Coordination Center.

  Thunderstorms worked their way across Washington and Oregon on Saturday. There were 692 lightning strikes reported in Washington and 176 in Oregon in the 24-hour period beginning 8 a.m. Saturday. The lightning definitely had an impact, said Jodie Schiffman, a spokesperson with the coordination center.