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Keeping It Green

Atmospheric CO2 Levels

(Monthly Averages)

May 26, 2026: 432.5 ppm
10 years ago: 396 ppm
Pre-industrial base: 280
Safe level: 350 ppm

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Page Updated:
June 30, 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

• • Delhi Plans To Ban Petrol Rickshaws
  and Scooters in Effort To Cut Toxic Fumes

  Government Hopes For 30% of City’s Fleet to Be Electric by 2030

  

  June 30, 2026 -The unruly chaos of Delhi’s roads would be unrecognisable without the rickshaws and scooters that zip through India’s capital in their millions, emitting toxic fumes in their wake. But now, ambitious policies aim to give the city’s most recognisable vehicles an environmental makeover.

  On Monday, Delhi’s government announced plans to eventually ban petrol scooters, motorbikes and autorickshaws in favour of those running on electricity, in an attempt to bring down dangerously high pollution levels in the city by the end of the decade.

• • A Visual Guide to the Venezuela Earthquakes

  CNN is Tracking Developments, With Maps and Satellite Imagery
  
  {CNN World}

  June 29, 2026 -Two major back-to-back earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, June 24. At least 1,700 people have died and more than 5,000 were injured, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said Monday.

  Nearly 59,000 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed across the country, according to an analysis by of satellite imagery by Oregon State University. La Guaira state, just north of Caracas, was declared a disaster zone. Among the hardest-hit regions in the state were the areas surrounding the international airport and the town of Caraballeda.

• • Offshore Oil and Gas Rush Threatens
  Whale Corridors and Coral Reefs

  Global Plans to Drill and Expand Fossil Fuel Projects Overlap With Marine Protected Areas and Important Fishing Grounds

  

  June 29, 2026 -From coral reefs in Kenya to Caribbean seagrass meadows and whale migration corridors in the Arctic, a surge in offshore oil, gas and liquefied natural gas development is spreading into some of the world’s most ecologically important marine habitats, according to a new analysis.

  In many cases, researchers from Earth Insight—a nonprofit that maps fossil fuel, mining and other industrial threats to ecosystems and local communities—found planned and active offshore oil and gas projects overlap with areas meant to safeguard critical ecosystems.

• • 3 Firefighters Killed, 2 Injured While Tackling
  Wildfires On the Colorado-Utah Border

  The U.S. Wildland Fire Service Reported Sunday
  
  {WCVB55abc}

  June 28, 2026 - The agency — created earlier this year to streamline firefighting and fire reduction across public lands — said the firefighters had been part of an interagency response to the Knowles and Gore fires on Saturday.

  "The U.S. Wildland Fire Service stands united with the USDA Forest Service in grief and in our unwavering support for the loved ones left behind. Their bravery, dedication, and sacrifice will never be forgotten," it said in a statement on Facebook.

• • This Rare Tick-Borne Disease is On the Rise in the U.S.

  Cases of Powassan Virus Have Hit the News in Recent Months Because of the Potentially Life-Altering, Sometimes Fatal, Symptoms.

  

  June 28, 2026 - If a tick latches onto your skin — an increasingly common occurrence in much of the United States this time of year — your first concern might be Lyme disease, the most frequently transmitted tick-borne illness. But the same ticks that carry Lyme, deer ticks, are also vectors for other pathogens, one of which can pose an even more serious threat: Powassan virus.

  Cases of Powassan virus disease in New Jersey and New Hampshire have made national headlines in recent months because of the potential severity of the symptoms, which can include neurological problems such as memory loss, difficulty speaking and seizures. That’s because Powassan can enter the central nervous system and cause encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain, or meningitis, which is inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain...

• • Hidden Virus May Have Infected 9.4 Million People

  Scientists Say We’ve Missed Most Cases
  
  {SciTechDaily}

  June 27, 2026 -New research indicates the Oropouche virus has spread far more widely than reported, exposing major gaps in disease surveillance.

  Until recently, few people had heard of the Oropouche virus. But after a massive 2023 outbreak swept across Brazil, infecting tens of thousands of people, causing the country’s first confirmed death, and spreading far beyond its traditional Amazonian range, the virus quickly became an international concern.

• • 4 Are Dead in Kentucky Flooding, Governor Says

  Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky Said Emergency Crews Rescued People From Flooded Homes and Vehicles

  

  June 27, 2026 -Heavy rains in parts of Kentucky on Saturday caused flooding that left four people dead and prompted evacuations, the authorities said.

  Gov. Andy Beshear said that officials had received reports of three deaths in Madison County, near Lexington, and one death in Jackson County, including “at least one motorist swept away and killed by flash flooding.”

• • Jellyfish Stings Spark Warnings at Curley Beach in South Boston

  Several People Were Stung by Jellyfish Wednesday at Curley Beach in South Boston
  
  {WCVB5}

  June 26, 2026 -Lifeguards are on duty at the beach, but visitors are reminded to enter at their own risk following the stings reported yesterday.

  Lion’s Mane jellyfish, commonly seen in New England during the summer, have been spotted at the edge of the shore. Lifeguards are scooping up and burying jellyfish that wash ashore, but some swimmers are still entering the water.

• • Sewage Spill Kills 44,000 Fish In Chattahoochee River

  The Dead Fish Are Being Valued at nearly $840,000 by the State
  
  {DAILY CALLER

  June 26, 2026 -Taking place in the Chattahoochee River, a fish kill was triggered by an oxygen-depleted water overflow from the combined sewer system in Atlanta, reads a Georgia Department of Natural Resources report.

  Approximately 44,500 fish were killed by low oxygen levels throughout a span of nearly 16 river miles, stretching from South Fulton to Peachtree Creek, read the agency’s Wildlife Resources Division report. The incident happened in the evening hours May 20, which was the exact day when metro Atlanta experienced three inches of rainfall in one hour’s time, per the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.

• • Wildfire Incinerates a ‘Hidden Gem’ in Utah’s Mountains

  The Cottonwood Fire Has Grown to 92,000 Acres As of Saturday Morning...

  

  June 26, 2026 -Trent Owen, a home builder and volunteer firefighter in the mountains of southern Utah, was bracing for a brutal fire season. After a nearly snowless winter and a scorching spring, his six-person fire crew met every week to drill and discuss the wildfire threat looming over the tinder-dry Tushar Mountains.

  Then, on Monday afternoon, Mr. Owen, 42, knocked off work to take his 8-year-old daughter to a soccer game, and saw what he had been dreading: A cloud of wildfire smoke was billowing up the canyon — “coming straight toward us,” he said.

• • ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ In
  Utah, Forecasters Warn, As Fire Rages

  Elevated-to-critical fire weather risk extends across the West

  

  June 26, 2026 -Meteorologists have issued a rare and historic fire weather warning for parts of Utah as the state battles ones of the largest blazes in its history.

  A “particularly dangerous situation” red-flag warning is in effect for southern portions of the state through Friday, a result of fire weather risk levels that the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City described as extreme — the highest level on the scale.

• • Venezuela Is Desperately Searching for
  50,000 Missing After Earthquakes

  Four Days Later, Hope is Fading for Families and Teams Looking for Signs of Life
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  June 26, 2026 -The government-built high-rise where Alberto Sánchez’s girlfriend lived toppled into a mass of concrete and steel when twin earthquakes hit this Caribbean coastal city last week. He spent four days digging through rubble for her and her family—and found no one.

  “Today I feel like I have no energy left,” Sánchez said on Sunday, his face weary as he took a break, blowing dust off his gloves and examining the holes in his sneakers.

• • Greece Bets On Space Technology to Contain Wildfires

  It's a Global First

  

  June 26, 2026 - In the searing Mediterranean summer, wildfires turn dangerous in minutes.

  Greece has learned that at a terrible cost. In 2018, a blaze east of Athens moved with ferocious speed, killing more than 100 people. Five years later, a massive fire tore through a remote nature reserve; it was the largest wildfire ever recorded in the European Union.

  Greece is looking to the heavens for help, with a dedicated satellite constellation that monitors for fires. It’s a model for the continent as Europe races toward broader independence in space technology.

• Hail Batters Colorado's Eastern Plains

Leaving Damage to Cars and Homes

{DENVER7}

June 25, 2026 -Residents on Colorado's eastern plains are cleaning up after monster hailstorms left a trail of damage across the region, battering cars and homes with baseball-sized hail.

Hilary Hancock, who has lived in Wiggins since 2019, described the storm that hit Tuesday night as sounding like someone throwing baseballs at her house. The hail shattered her minivan's windshield, blew out her home's windows and punched holes through her kids' backyard slide.

• • Colorado's Eastern Plains Hit With More Severe Weather

  Also, Damage From Hail
  
  {CBS NEWS}

  June 25, 2026 -Colorado's Eastern Plains were once again hit by severe weather overnight Wednesday into Thursday. For the second night in a row, severe storms targeted the northeast corner of the state, hitting Morgan County especially hard.

  Residents in Fort Morgan spent Thursday cleaning up after a powerful hailstorm swept through the community, damaging homes, vehicles, and public property.

• • Delayed Rains Bring Water Shortages to
  Cities and Uncertainty to Farms Across India

  A Cause For Worry

  

  June 25, 2026 - The late arrival of India’s monsoon season and below-average rainfall have caused problems ranging from planting delays for farmers to water restrictions for construction sites in its largest business hub, Mumbai.

  Water shortages have been reported around the country due to the late start of the rainy season, which typically begins in June but has grown erratic in recent years. Climate experts said the El Nino, a warming of the Pacific that affects weather around the globe, combined with an already heating planet, will likely result in weak, scattered rainfall across the country.

• • North Carolina Assails Administration’s PFAS Pollution Deal

  The Settlement Addresses the Dumping of PFAS “Forever Chemicals,”

  

  June 25, 2026 -The Trump administration is moving to settle a landmark case with the chemical giant Chemours over its yearslong illegal dumping of PFAS “forever chemicals” across three states. The $480 million settlement would be the first by the federal government to resolve pollution claims against a maker of the chemicals, which have been linked to cancer and other health risks.

  The proposed deal, released Wednesday, immediately came under attack from North Carolina, which said it did nothing to clean up water contaminated by the chemicals. Several environmental groups also called the deal inadequate.

• • A Pipeline Company Says It Will Protect
  the Environment in North Carolina

  Its Record in Tennessee Says Otherwise

  

  June 25, 2026 - An 85-year-old widow stood before a panel of Enbridge Gas representatives perched above her on a stage at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center. She had fire in her eyes.

  “I’m usually a courteous person but you bring out the worst in me,” she said. “I’m going to fight you to the death.”

• • US Funding Uncertainties Threaten to Sink
  Key Global Oceanography Projects

  The U.S. Has Led the World in Observing the Oceans — But Cuts and Threats of Cuts Have Researchers Worried It is No Longer a Reliable Partner
  
  {nature}

  June 25, 2026 -As the RV Marcus G. Langseth sails across the Pacific Ocean this month, researchers are dropping robotic ‘floats’ into the sea to measure chlorophyll levels and other biogeochemical properties of the water. With a powerful El Niño weather system set to unfold later this year, such observations are crucial for understanding how the ocean will change. But these high-tech floats face an uncertain fate.

  The devices, which are part of a global flotilla called Argo, were paid for by the US National Science Foundation (NSF). Their funding expires in four months, and NSF officials have so far been silent about future support to keep the devices up and running.

• • At Least 164 People Dead
  After Twin Quakes in Venezuela

  More than 900 People Have Been Injured, But the Complete Death Toll is Feared to Be Much Higher
  
  {CNN Weather}

  June 25, 2026 -Deadly quakes: At least 164 people have been killed and 971 injured after Venezuela’s most powerful earthquake in more than a century, according to the country’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez. The 7.5 magnitude quake struck 39 seconds after a 7.2 magnitude foreshock. Track what we know in maps and charts.

  • Capital in crisis: A resident who survived a quake that hit Caracas in 1967 said the disaster was unlike anything he had experienced. Another resident who escaped a damaged building said “the scene was like a horror movie.”

• • EU, UK Lead Push for Electrification as
  “Powerful Weapon” Against Fossil Fuels

  A Group of Dozens of Countries Seeks to Build Momentum for a COP31 Pledge to Electrify 35% of Global Energy Use By 2035
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  June 24, 2026 -Dozens of governments led by the EU and the UK have pledged to throw their political weight behind a rapid electrification of the world's economy, billed as a "powerful weapon" for cutting reliance on planet-heating fossil fuels.

  At a high-level summit in London's Mansion House on Tuesday, energy ministers and business leaders were joined by UN secretary-general António Guterres in calling for faster action to curb demand for oil, coal and gas by powering homes, industry and transport with clean electricity.

• • CDC Ends Hantavirus Response as U.S. Outbreak Risk Diminishes

  Move Comes After End of 42-day Quarantine at Nebraska Facility for Exposed American Cruise-Ship Passengers
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  June 24, 2026 -The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday formally ended its hantavirus response, nearly two months after an outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic triggered an international effort to contain a rare strain that left three people dead and infected several others.

  “Protecting Americans is our highest responsibility. CDC’s hantavirus response officially concludes June 24, 2026,” acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya said in a statement.

• • EPA Announce $9 Million in Grants to Clean
  Up, Redevelop Polluted Sites Across Colorado

  The EPA Announced Over $9 Million in Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Grants
  
  {KTV11}

  June 24, 2026 -The US Environmental Agency (EPA) announced over $9 million in Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup grants to clean up polluted sites across Colorado, including local communities in southern Colorado.

  EPA officials said that with these funds, they are investing directly in communities to clean up and redevelop ruined properties.

  A cleanup grant will go to La Puente Home, Inc. in Alamosa, according to officials. A $1.8 million cleanup grant will be used to clean up arsenic and lead in soils at the Railroad Plaza. Once it is cleaned up, the proposed redevelopment will create a multi-use commercial space and indoor and outdoor public gathering spaces.

• • Highway 6 Back Open in Colorado's
  Clear Creek Canyon After Rockslide

  The Biggest Rockslide Stretched 175 Feet Long and Three Feet Deep West of Tunnel 3
  
  {CBS NEWS}

  June 24, 2026 -Multiple rockslides closed both directions of Highway 6 in Clear Creek Canyon early Thursday morning. The highway was closed all through the morning from Highway 58 in Golden to Highway 119 at the Clear Creek County junction and began reopening in the early afternoon.

  The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said there were multiple rockslides blocking the road. The highway partially opened with alternating lanes and was fully opened later in the day.

• • Wind-Driven Wildfire Burns Two Structures in Rifle Colorado

  Forces Evacuations
  
  {THGE COLORADO SUN}

  June 24, 2026 -Awind-driven wildfire near Rifle along the Western Slope has destroyed two structures and forced people to leave their homes as firefighters continue to battle the flames Wednesday.

  The Dry Creek fire has burned about 315 acres, after igniting Tuesday afternoon south of Rifle, fire officials with the Colorado River Fire Rescue said. Crews worked through the night to protect threatened structures after a home and an outbuilding were lost in the fire Tuesday.

• • Why You Should Actually Turn Off Fans When It Gets Too Hot

  But When Do They Start Making Heat Worse?
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 24, 2026 -During a hot summer day, it’s very tempting to turn on a fan. After all, it’s so simple: you plug it in, feel the air move, and the heat becomes tolerable. But that’s not always true. If it’s too hot outside, a fan can make things much worse, effectively making you feel hotter.

  Such may be the case during the kind of heat now gripping Europe. As western Europe sweats through a record-breaking “Omega” heatwave, France has recorded 44.3°C in Pissos, Italy has put major cities under maximum heat alerts, Britain has issued a rare extreme-heat warning, and many deaths from heatstroke have already been reported, according to Reuters. In France, dozens of people have drowned while trying to escape the heat in water.

• • Western Wildfire Risk This Week is
  the Highest It’s Been So Far This Year

  Critical Conditions Are Expected Through the Weekend Across Utah, Arizona, Nevada and Elsewhere

  

  June 24, 2026 -Large parts of the Western United States are expected to face their most critical wildfire risk so far this season over the next few days.

  Utah, where multiple fires were already burning on Wednesday and filling skies with smoke, was at the center of an area where forecasters were most concerned about the potential for large wildfires to expand. But the threat is widespread, extending into Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, with fire watches and red flag warnings in place to alert people that fires could spark more easily than usual and spread more quickly once they start.

• • Pentagon Restores Mandatory Flu Shots For All
  Recruits As Boot Camp Outbreak Sickens Nearly 300

  Pete Hegseth Gave the Order

  

  June 24, 2026 -The Pentagon said Wednesday that boot camps for all the military services are once again requiring the flu vaccination for all recruits after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the shot optional for the military at the end of April.

  The development, confirmed to The Associated Press by a Pentagon official, comes amid a growing, weekslong, flu outbreak at the U.S. Air Force’s boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base that has sickened nearly 300 people. However, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not cleared for public release, maintained that the permission to mandate the vaccinations was unrelated to the outbreak

• • Scientists Turn Wet Coffee Grounds Into
  Coal-Like Fuel in Just 90 Seconds

  A New Process Skips Energy-Intensive Drying For Recycling Coffee Waste
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 24, 2026 -Each year, the world discards more than 10 million tons of spent coffee grounds, and most go to landfills or incinerators, even though they still contain usable energy.

  Now, researchers in South Korea have found a way to transform those soggy leftovers into high-quality biochar—a carbon-rich solid fuel—in just 90 seconds. The technique works without drying the coffee grounds first, overcoming one of the biggest obstacles that has long made recycling this waste expensive and energy-intensive.

• • Why Trump’s Algae Problem is Much
  Bigger Than the Reflecting Pool

  In His Battle to Clear Algae from the Water by the Lincoln Memorial, Trump Has Overlooked the Real Causes of Unsightly — and Often Dangerous — Algal Blooms

  

  June 24, 2026 -In his battle to clean the murky waters of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, President Trump has tried draining, painting, hydrogen peroxide and what the <Interior Department describes as “high-tech nanobubble ozone technology.” But he has seemingly overlooked two of the most important factors that experts say are driving unsightly — and sometimes dangerous — profusions of algae: pollution and climate change.

  Algae thrive in warm, still waters, causing populations to explode as global temperatures rise, said environmental engineer Steve Chapra, an emeritus professor at Tufts University.

• • Multiple Agencies Respond to Reeder Mesa Fire

  Evacuation Ordered
  
  {WesternSlopeNowc}

  June 23, 2026 -The Grand Junction Fire Department (GJPD), alongside multiple other agencies, is responding to an active fire at 7803 Reeder Mesa Road near Whitewater, which has involved several structures and is reportedly spreading

  According to a social media post by the GJPD at 1:16 p.m. on Tuesday, an evacuation notice was sent to residents within a one-mile radius of the address. Those in the evacuation area are asked to leave immediately and follow instructions given by emergency personnel.

• • The 5 Mosquito-Borne Diseases You’re
  Most Likely to Get in the U.S.

  These Diseases Usually Cause Mild Symptoms (Or None At All), But They Can Have More Serious Complications in Certain People

  

  June 23, 2026 -Mosquito bites are usually an itchy, swollen nuisance before healing within a few days (longer if you scratch). But occasionally, they can cause bigger problems. Certain mosquito species in the United States can spread infectious organisms when feeding on humans, and those viruses or parasites may make you sick.

  These diseases usually cause mild symptoms (or none at all), but they can have more serious complications in certain people. Worldwide, vector-borne diseases, such as those spread by mosquitos and ticks, are responsible for 700,000 deaths a year, according to the World Health Organization.

• • What to Know About a Cold
  Storage Warehouse Fire in Los Angeles

  Firefighters Fight a Warehouse Fire in the Boyle Heights Neighborhood of Los Angeles
  
  {NPR}

  June 23, 2026 -Six days into a firefight at a massive frozen-food storage facility near downtown Los Angeles, firefighters have yet to enter the building and have begun moving parts of the exterior walls to try to gain access.

  Smoke is billowing from the warehouse, which is roughly 500,000-square-foot (46,451-square-meter), covered in solar panels and insulated like a freezer. It's located across the street from homes in Boyle Heights, a working-class neighborhood east of downtown, and city officials on Monday warned people to stay inside or wear masks due to smoke pollution.

• • California’s Faults Are Under the Biggest Stress in 1000 years

  Is a “Big One” on the Way?
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 22, 2026 -In the mountains North of Los Angeles, the San Andreas meets the San Jacinto fault system. To commuters, the pass is a route through rugged country. To seismologists, it’s appears to be a key junction where earthquakes either fade out or cause a larger disaster.

  A new study concludes that this pass (called Cajon Pass) is a kind of mechanical gate. Sometimes, in the geologic past, earthquakes appear to have stopped there. At least once, in 1812, a rupture may have broken through, linking strands of the San Andreas and San Jacinto systems in a broader event.

  The difference, the researchers argue, may come down to stress; and right now, there’s more stress than at any time in the past millennium.

• • Justice Department Makes It Easier to
  Bypass Pollution Controls on Pickups

  It Has Stopped Criminal Prosecutions of People Who Install “Defeat Devices,” Which Make Diesel Trucks Faster and More Efficient But Also Dirtier

  

  June 22, 2026 -It was one of the easiest ways to make a diesel truck faster, more powerful and more reliable: Pay a local shop to quietly gut the emissions controls with an illegal “defeat device.”

  Now the federal government has largely stopped prosecuting the people who sell and install them.

• • How a Tiny Texas River Agency Plans to Build
  the Largest Desalination Plant in the Country

  Officials From the Nueces River Authority Collected Millions From Cities and Utility Districts Near San Antonio and Austin Before Partnering With an Israeli Desalination Giant

  

  June 22, 2026 -Something moved John Byrum. He believed he could succeed where others had not.

  The executive director of the Nueces River Authority (NRA)—a small, rural agency based 200 miles from the coast—decided to take up the banner, in 2024, of a desalination plant on Corpus Christi Bay.

  Plans to build seawater desalination plants had floundered for years near Corpus Christi, which provides water to a major complex of chemical plants and refineries, and the likelihood of water shortages was growing.

• • Two Killed and Several Injured As
  Tornado Rips Through Southern Illinois

  Sarita Kimble, 62, and Delores Shelton, 83, Killed in Mount Vernon As Several Buildings Destroyed

  

  June 22, 2026 -Authorities in Illinois say that two older residents were killed and at least five other people were injured in a tornado that ripped through a rural county and destroyed several buildings on Sunday evening.

  The fatalities occurred in Mount Vernon, Sheriff Jeff Bullard of Jefferson county said on Monday. He identified the victims as Sarita Kimble, 62, and Delores Shelton, 83, who were inside separate structures leveled by the tornado.

• • People’s Park Invites Wildlife After Years of Industrial Remediation

  The Price For River Pollution

  

  June 22, 2026 -AMID AN OTHERWISE SERENE soundscape, birds are rustling, chirping and calling in every direction. Here, at the eastern edge of South Park on the upper reach of the Duwamish River, a wide paved path leads past a riot of greenery, a shoreline marsh, small boat moorage and river life. At a lookout at the end of the path, an osprey pair attends to their nest atop a wood post jutting out high above the riverbank edge.

  Fourteen-acre Duwamish River People’s Park and Shoreline Habitat has all the touchpoints of Seattle’s many urban parks: nature, trails, art and waterside views, all just a short walk from a neighborhood core of small businesses. But it’s also the remarkable result of a community moving a mountain of industrial inertia.

• • Data Centers’ Water Consumption Problem is “Solved,”

  This, According to NVIDIA
  
  {energy central}

  June 22, 2026 -Nvidia claims its latest AI servers can cool off with liquid warmer than most hot tubs. This would cut down reliance on additional chilling equipment, slashing energy and water use. But Nvidia’s system would likely take years to scale—and in the meantime, many facilities will likely continue running on less efficient tech.

• • 'Flesh-Rotting' Bacteria Could Spread
  On Europe's Beaches As Seas Warm

  Warmer Seas Are Bringing a Little-Known But Potentially Dangerous Bacterium Closer to European Beaches
  
  {euro news}

  June 22, 2026 -Now that summer has officially begun, millions of tourists are eagerly looking forward to their holidays and, in many cases, heading for the coast to enjoy the beach.

  However, this year a long shadow hangs over the tourism sector because of the proliferation of bacteria in the sea.

  In recent years, various parts of Europe’s coastline have experienced episodes of pollution and health alerts that have led to restrictions on access to the sea, against a backdrop of ever-warmer water temperatures and mounting tourism pressure.

• • Deadly Bird Flu Reaches Australia

  Now on Every Continent for the First Time
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 22, 2026 -On a remote beach near Esperance, Western Australia, two sick seabirds have brought the bird flu crisis to Australia.

  Testing has confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in a brown skua and a giant petrel. Both are species of seabirds commonly found in the Southern Ocean.

  H5N1 is a type of avian influenza, or bird flu, caused by an influenza A virus. The strain has been confirmed as HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, a globally circulating strain that can spread rapidly. Over the past five years, this strain of the virus has killed millions of wild animals and poultry.

• • Apex Park Closed After First Reported
  Bear Attack in Colorado This Year

  Too Tough to 'Bear'?
  
  {CBS NEWS}

  June 22, 2026 -A popular park in Jefferson County was closed on Monday after a bear attack was reported by a hiker on Sunday evening. Apex Park was temporarily closed on Monday to protect visitors while Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers monitored conditions.

  According to CPW, a woman hiking in the park around 5:20 p.m. Sunday encountered the bear approaching humans and following hikers, what she described as habituated behavior. She told CPW officers that the bear grabbed her backpack and made contact with her leg. Then she said the bear continued to follow her down the trail for more than 30 minutes. During this time, she said she tried to haze the bear with sticks, rocks and loud noises.

• • Dozens Injured, 18 Missing After Blast
  During Restart at Giant Qatar LNG Site

  Emergency Response Teams Were Deployed and the Fire Has Since Been Brought Under Control
  
  {CNBC}

  June 22, 2026 -Fifty-four people were injured and 18 are missing after an explosion at Qatar’s massive Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex, which occurred as workers were restarting operations halted after an Iranian attack in March.

  Authorities said a ‘technical accident’ occurred at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening and that there was no threat to public safety.

  The blast rattled windows and was felt across central Doha, panicking residents more than 70 kilometres from Ras Laffan.

• • California Needs Water and Clean Power

  It Might Have a Fix for Both

  

  June 22, 2026 -In California, a sprawling 4,000-mile network of canals winds through citrus orchards and fields of tree nuts, delivering irrigation and drinking water to homes and farms across the state.

  The canals are critical in an increasingly arid part of the country. But what if they could help fulfill another urgent need: renewable energy?

• • Hot Weather Can Make These 9 Health Conditions Worse

  Sweltering Days Can Trigger Flare-Ups Or, In Some Cases, Even More Severe Complications

  

  June 22, 2026 -Super hot, sticky days can be unpleasant for anyone. But for those with certain health conditions, they can pose a more serious threat.

  Several studies show that people with chronic diseases — for instance, cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic and neurological conditions — are more likely to visit the emergency department or die during a heat wave.

• • Scientists Discover Stunning Silver
  Lining Hidden in Thawing Permafrost

  You’ll Want to Hear This
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 21, 2026 -Thawing permafrost doesn’t just release carbon—it actually pulls greenhouse gases back out of the atmosphere too.

  Landmark research reveals nature’s built-in balancing act we never knew existed.

  This beautiful discovery offers genuine hope in our changing climate story.

  When scientists talk about thawing permafrost, it usually sounds like a one-way ticket to climate doom. But hold onto your hat—a groundbreaking new study just flipped that narrative on its head, and the findings are genuinely heartwarming.

  Yes, permafrost releases ancient carbon as it thaws. That part we knew. But here’s the uplifting twist: that same thawing process also triggers a natural absorption of emissions from the atmosphere.

• • Wildland Fire in Pueblo County Burns Seven Houses to the Ground

  People living in the Applewood Estates Mobile Homes in Colorado City Have Been Evacuated
  
  {KOAA News5}

  June 21, 2026 -The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office reports that all residents of the Applewood Estates mobile home community in Colorado City have been evacuated after a wildland fire broke out Sunday evening. As of 11 p.m. on Sunday, the sheriff's office announced the fire was under control.

  In an update on Monday, the Pueblo County Emergency Management Coordinator says that a total of seven homes burned completely in the blaze, and two others were damaged.

• • A Cyclone Killed 7% of the World’s Rarest Great Ape

  Extreme Rain and Landslides Pushed Tapanuli Orangutans Closer to Extinction
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 21, 2026 -Thawing permafrost doesn’t just release carbon—it actually pulls greenhouse gases back out of the atmosphere too.

  Landmark research reveals nature’s built-in balancing act we never knew existed.

  This beautiful discovery offers genuine hope in our changing climate story.

  When scientists talk about thawing permafrost, it usually sounds like a one-way ticket to climate doom. But hold onto your hat—a groundbreaking new study just flipped that narrative on its head, and the findings are genuinely heartwarming.

  Yes, permafrost releases ancient carbon as it thaws. That part we knew. But here’s the uplifting twist: that same thawing process also triggers a natural absorption of emissions from the atmosphere.

• • Marshall Fire Victims Traveling to Washington D.C.
  to Advocate for Better Disaster Recovery Assistance

  A Long But Necessary Trip
  
  {FOX31}

  June 21, 2026 -More than four years after the Marshall Fire, many are still in recovery after losing everything. This week, three survivors are heading to Washington, D.C., to advocate for better help for people who experience wildfires or any other natural disaster.

  Thirty-year Superior resident Daryl McCool has been helping her community since the early days after the Marshall Fire. Part of that help came in the form of an art piece done after the fire, hearts displayed throughout town as a reminder to victims that you are loved.

• • Some Beach Advisories Lifted After West Seattle Sewage Overflow

  Welcome Relief For Beachgoers

  

  June 21, 2026 -Seattle & King County has lifted beach advisories for the areas near Constellation Park and Charles Richey Sr. Viewpoint after a sewage overflow in June closed those and other West Seattle beaches.

  On June 17, wastewater crews responded to what the health department described as “a brief sewer overflow” at the 63rd Avenue Pump Station. That station is located near Constellation Park at the 3500 block of Beach Drive Southwest.

• • Evacuation Warning Lifted Northeast of Deckers, Colorado

  Firefighters Nearing Containment of Wildfire
  
  {CBS NEWS}

  June 20, 2026 -Firefighters are nearing containment of a wildfire that sparked northeast of Deckers, Colorado, and prompted officials to issue an evacuation warning to nearby residents.

  According to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, the Log Jumper Fire broke out near Jackson Creek Road and Rampart Range Road on Saturday evening. Officials issued an evacuation warning covering a three-mile radius around the fire, including the Devil's Head Recreation Area. That warning was lifted around 7 p.m. as fire crews continued making progress towards containment.

• • A Spate of Shark Bites Has Australian Ocean Lovers on Edge

  People Want to Know Why They’re Rising

  

  June 20, 2026 -Rob Harcourt is heading back from a “beautiful surf” at Bondi on a warm and sunny winter’s morning in Sydney.

  But for him and many of his surfing mates, the compelling pull of the city’s world-famous surf breaks has been neutered by tragedy, fear and uncertainty.

  “A lot of my surfer friends are not going in,” says Harcourt who, at 65, mixes his retirement and daily swims and surfs with ongoing research as an emeritus professor and the leader of Macquarie University’s marine predator research group. “A lot of people are very nervous – they’re traumatised.”

• • Heartwarming Relief Effort Sends
  Life-Saving Supplies to Ebola Frontline Workers

  You’ll Want to Hug Someone After This
  
  {HEATHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 20, 2026 -California relief group ships over 250,000 N95 respirators to protect health heroes battling Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo.

  3M donates critical protective equipment including eye shields and coveralls to support overwhelmed healthcare workers.

  Largest single aid shipment announced brings hope and safety to frontline medical teams risking their lives daily.

  In a powerful display of global compassion, a California-based humanitarian organization is delivering more than a quarter million N95 respirators to health workers courageously fighting the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The massive aid package represents hope and protection for medical professionals working tirelessly under incredibly difficult conditions.

• • Some Colorado Campgrounds Without Water
  Until Further Notice Due to Drought

  Campers at Lowry Campground Near Dillon Reservoir Are Dealing With No Water Access and Fire Concerns Amid Ongoing Drought Conditions in Colorado
  
  {DENVER7}

  June 20, 2026 -Colorado's drought is continuing to have an impact on the state, the latest example is certain campgrounds being without water.

  Since May 15, campers at five campgrounds in the Dillon Ranger District — Prospector, Windy Point Group, Lowry, Marvine and East Marvine — have not had water available to them.

• • Lawhead Fire 80% Contained

  Mop-Up Operations Continue
  
  {Western Slope Now}

  June 20, 2026 -On Saturday, firefighters continued to work on mop-up operations on the Lawhead Fire, which is 80% contained, according to the Hotchkiss Fire District.

  Fire crews have been experiencing more wind than in the previous days, which is “posing a little bit of a challenge,” according to the district. It advises that it may look like there is more smoke in the area; however, it is instead the wind kicking up ash.

• • Thousands of Adorable Flamingo Chicks Bring
  Hope After Near-Disaster at Salt Lake

  Nature’s Comeback Will Warm Your Heart
  
  {HEATHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 20, 2026 -Thousands of fluffy flamingo chicks have successfully hatched at Lake Tuz in Turkiye after the breeding ground nearly disappeared five years ago.

  The salt lake that once almost dried up completely is now thriving again with new life.

  This miraculous recovery shows nature’s incredible resilience and gives hope for wildlife conservation worldwide.

  In a beautiful triumph for nature lovers everywhere, thousands of precious flamingo chicks have hatched at one of the world’s most important flamingo breeding grounds. Lake Tuz in Turkiye had faced a heartbreaking crisis just five years ago when it nearly dried up completely.

• • Mombasa Ocean Summit Drives Progress on Marine Protection

  But Threats Persist
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  June 19, 2026 -Governments at the annual oceans summit reaffirmed commitments to protect key marine ecosystems including the high seas and coral reefs, but observers said funding barriers and polluting projects are hampering progress on putting them into practice.

  At the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa this week, some 3,000 delegates - including government officials, scientists, business representatives and activists - gathered to discuss ocean protection and push for marine issues to move from the margins to the centre of global climate diplomacy.

• • Colorado Parks and Wildlife to Direct $11 Million Toward
  Protecting Wildlife, Public Access On Private Property

  The Colorado Wildlife Habitat Program Offers Funding to Private Landowners Who Want to Protect Wildlife Habitat, Recreational Access or Sell Property to the State Wildlife Agency
  
  {STEAMBOATPILOT&TODAY}

  June 18, 2026 -Colorado Parks and Wildlife has $11 million to help private landowners protect wildlife habitat or provide public access for recreation.

  The state agency announced on Tuesday, June 16, that it is now accepting applications for the 2026 funding cycle of its Colorado Wildlife Habitat Program.

  The program started 20 years ago and has invested over $213 million to protect almost 350,000 acres of wildlife habitat, nearly 200,000 acres of wildlife-related public access for hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing, and has added 393 miles of new stream frontage for anglers, according to a May presentation by Amanda Nims, who manages Parks and Wildlife’s habitat program. .

• • Massive Fire Destroys Resort In Dominican Republic

  Forces Evacuation of Almost 1,700 Tourists

  

  June 20, 2026 - A large fire almost completely destroyed a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic on Friday, forcing the evacuation of almost 1,700 tourists, authorities said.

  Local media reported an Italian tourist died in the fire and several other tourists required medical assistance.

  The Viva Dominicus Beach by Wyndham resort is located in Bayahibe, a popular destination for U.S. and international tourists on the Dominican Republic’s southeastern coast.

• • Flesh-Eating Maggot Outbreak Puts
  Trump Administration Response Under Scrutiny

  The New World Screwworm Spread From Southern Mexico to Texas In Two Years When the Administration Cut Staff and Funding

  

  June 19, 2026 -When health authorities found New World screwworm in a Maryland resident last August, alarmed beef industry leaders rushed to assess how to limit the market impact of a flesh-eating parasite best known for infesting cattle and other livestock, emails obtained by The Washington Post show — conversations that began six days before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) publicly disclosed the case.

  Now that the U.S. has 12 confirmed cases in cattle, goats, sheep and a dog in Texas and New Mexico, alarmed ranchers and local officials are questioning whether USDA is being transparent about the scale of the outbreak and doing everything possible to contain it.

• • Neighbors Barricade Windows With Mattresses, Plexiglass
  To Escape Virginia Data Center’s High-Pitched Whine

  Not All Neighbors Are Friendly
  
  {DAILY CALLER}

  June 19, 2026 -Some Virginia residents said they faced constant noise from a local data center with a few reportedly barricading their windows with mattresses and plexiglass in a bid to keep the sound out.

  Residents in Sterling said the Vantage Data Centers site has become a nuisance due to the noise, NewsNation reported Thursday. A whining sound can be heard in footage obtained by the outlet. At least one neighbor deployed a mattress to muffle the sound, according to NewsNation’s Brian Entin. Another showed how he used plexiglass and monitored the noise with a sound decibel. Locals expressed concerns about property values and quality of life.

• • A New Study Found Microplastics in Pet
  Food From 16 Out of 19 Brands Tested

  New Research Suggests Pets May Help Move Microplastics Into Soil and Wildlife
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 19, 2026 -Researchers from the University of Sussex and the University of Exeter tested 38 products sold in the United Kingdom: 14 cat foods, 16 dog foods, and eight hedgehog foods. They bought six separate units of each product, using different batches to avoid relying on a single possibly contaminated package. In all, they analyzed 228 one-gram samples.

  Microplastics are plastic pieces typically smaller than 5 millimeters. The team chemically broke down the food, filtered what remained, and used infrared spectroscopy—a method that reads a material’s chemical fingerprint—to identify the particles.

• • Datacenters Driving US Clean Energy
  Growth While Still Threatening Climate

  As Datacenters’ Connections to Electric Grids Are Held Up, Big Tech Is Forced to Throw Money At Producing Its Own Power

  

  June 19, 2026 -Datacenters are driving unprecedented growth in the US clean energy industry, paradoxically boosting a sector that was sputtering before the artificial intelligence boom even as AI’s rollout creates immense environmental challenges.

  However, observers caution that while the centers are propelling wind, solar, and other clean energy companies, datacenters remain a climate nightmare.

  Utilities across the US are racing to build new fossil-fuel plants to accommodate the facilities, or are keeping ageing gas and coal plants online to meet the staggering demands of datacenters. In Michigan and other states, the centers have effectively derailed the grids’ planned transitions to renewable energy.

• • Heat Waves and Drought Imperil Data Center Operations

  Many Data Centers Are in Areas Where Power Outages and Water Restrictions Could Force Shutdowns
  
  {CLIMATEWIRE}

  June 18, 2026 -More than half of data centers worldwide are in areas facing extreme heat or drought, making them vulnerable to periodic shutdowns from power outages or water restrictions, according to a new report.

  Data centers require enormous amounts of electricity and water for operations and cooling. But the analysis — released early Thursday by First Street climate modelers — found that 54 percent of all data centers are located in areas facing “chronic stress conditions such as extreme heat or water scarcity.”

• • Scientists Map Earth’s Vast Hidden Fungal Network for the First Time

  Among the Study’s Key Findings
  
  {Sci Tech Daily}

  June 18, 2026 -The first global map of underground fungal networks reveals a hidden 68 quadrillion-mile superhighway that helps sustain life on Earth and store carbon in the soil.

  Beneath forests, grasslands, wetlands, and even many agricultural fields lies a vast underground fungal network that supports plant life and plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. Scientists have now created the first global maps showing where these networks are located and how much of them exist across the planet.

• • Flu Sickens Some 160 Troops At Lackland Air Force Base In Texas

  The Outbreak Comes Less Than Two Months After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Said American Troops Would No Longer Be Required to Get An Annual Flu Shot

  

  June 18, 2026 -More than 150 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have been infected with influenza over the past three weeks — a major outbreak less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated against the flu.

  The Air Force said in a statement Thursday that the 37th Training Wing, which is at Lackland, “has been managing a localized influenza outbreak among trainees at Basic Military Training.”

• • Trump Administration Reverses Rule
  Protecting Bison Grazing On Public Land

  Putting Hundreds of Montana Bison—and Broader Indigenous and Ecological Restoration Efforts—At Risk
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 18, 2026 -Trump’s administration recently repealed the 2024 Public Lands Rule, which established that conservation should have equal priority with industry when it comes to accessing leases for U.S. public land.

  That shift in priorities will apply to 245 million acres (99 million hectares) of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). That’s roughly 10% of U.S. land that the agency leases for a multitude of private uses including grazing, mining, energy development and, until recently, conservation.

• • Trump Administration Backs Off Plan to End Ocean Monitoring

  The Reversal Comes After the Senate Passed a Bipartisan Bill On Wednesday to Block the Removal of Deep-Sea Monitoring Instruments

  

  June 18, 2026 -The Trump administration is abandoning its plan to dismantle a $368 million ocean monitoring system critical to understanding climate change and marine ecosystems, bowing to a bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill.

  The National Science Foundation had said in May that it would begin removing hundreds of underwater instruments this month that collect data on coastal flooding, marine heat waves and other climate and weather events.

• • Anthropic, Google, Other Tech Companies
  Commit $915 Million to Pull Carbon Out of the Sky

  The Commitment Comes Through Buying Group Frontier, Which Aims to Scale Up the Carbon Removal Sector
  
  {THE WALL STREET JORNAL}

  June 17, 2026 -A group of mostly tech companies are committing $915 million to buy carbon-removal credits, despite worries over dwindling venture-capital funding and government support, particularly in the U.S.

  The new commitment from the Frontier group that includes Stripe, Google, Salesforce and newly joined Anthropic comes on top of $1 billion it previously pledged to buy removal credits backing technologies that take carbon out of the atmosphere. These include direct air capture, enhanced rock weathering and bio-energy production combined with carbon capture and storage.

• • EU Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rose In 2025

  The Bloc’s Pollution-Slashing Efforts Have Been Stagnating In Recent Years
  
  {POLITICO}

  June 17, 2026 -The European Union did not manage to reduce its planet-warming emissions last year, with preliminary data showing a slight increase in pollution levels compared to 2024.

  The bloc released 3.34 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent last year, according to early estimates published by Eurostat on Tuesday.

  That marks a 1 percent increase from 2024, when the EU emitted 3.31 billion tons.

• • Science ‘Under Attack’ From Fossil Fuel Interests at UN Climate Talks

  A Coalition of Some Rich Nations and the World’s Most Vulnerable Have Vowed to Protect Climate Science In UN Negotiations
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  June 17, 2026 -Dozens of countries have called out growing “coordinated attacks” by fossil fuel interests aimed at undermining the role of climate science in the UN negotiations at the mid-year talks in Bonn.

  Under the banner of ‘Friends of Science’, in an overflowing press conference room lined with negotiators and civil society supporters, diplomats from Fiji, Nepal, the European Union, Switzerland, Sierra Leone and Panama vowed to ensure that decision-making in the UN climate process remains based on the “best available science”. That includes reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN's climate science body, they said.

• • Water Samples Taken in Cañon City Show Some is Unsafe to Drink

  But What Contaminated the Water Collected From Taps and Wells Isn’t Immediately Evident
  
  {THE COLORADO SUN}

  June 17, 2026 -The first round of free water testing for area residents brought reassurance for most people living near a contaminated Superfund site but left unanswered questions about more than a dozen samples that were deemed unsafe to drink.

  In testing for uranium, 14 of the 249 samples exceeded the 30 micrograms per liter that is the maximum contaminant level for drinking water, with one of them testing at 117 MCL. Thirteen samples were high for molybdenum, nine were high for lead and nine were high for arsenic. The samples also were tested for cadmium, antimony and thallium, but none exceeded safe levels.

• • Inside the Massive Response to an Early-Season Wildfire Near Spokane

  Possible Human Remains Found In Home Near Spokane Burned By Wildfire

  

  June 17, 2026 -The fast-moving fire fueled by strong winds that tore through a neighborhood near Spokane this week triggered an all-out response from hundreds of firefighters and other personnel, early on in the state’s wildfire season.

  Officials on Wednesday described a rapidly developing situation on the ground and in the air as swaths of residential areas near Camp Sekani were painted red with tanker-dropped fire retardant.

• • This Tiny Island Just Got 30,000 New Trees

  The Results Will Leave You Smiling
  
  {HEATHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 17, 2026 -Volunteers planted 30,000 trees on the Isle of Man, exceeding their original goal by 30 acres.

  The restored Celtic rainforest now covers 100 acres instead of the planned 70.

  The ambitious reforestation project finished ahead of schedule, breathing new life into Creg y Cowin.

  Three years ago, a remarkable vision took root on the Isle of Man. AUK land trust announced plans to restore a 70-acre Celtic rainforest in an area called Creg y Cowin. Fast forward to today, and that dream has blossomed into something even more beautiful than anyone imagined.

• • Fast-Moving Wildfire Races Through Neighborhood Outside Spokane

  No Injuries Were Reported

  

  June 17, 2026 -Beacon Hill homes burned as a fast-moving blaze raced through trees and into the Northwood neighborhood near Spokane Valley on Tuesday.

  The wildfire torched over 250 acres with no containment as strong winds continued to push it east during the afternoon.

  Spokane County Fire District 9 Chief Matthew Vinci said nearly 12,000 residents were under evacuation orders and more than 2,300 structures were threatened. He did not have an estimate for how many buildings were lost at a 6 p.m. news conference.

• • Ebola Continues To Surge At Outbreak’s Epicenter

  Ebola is Tearing Through Eastern Congo Faster Than Health Teams Can Contain It
  
  {DAILY CALLER}

  June 16, 2026 -Congo’s Health Ministry has logged 808 confirmed cases and 192 confirmed deaths, with 363 patients held in isolation as of June 15, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Ituri province carries the heaviest load, with 738 confirmed cases spread across 20 health zones, the agency reported. North Kivu has recorded 67 cases and South Kivu three.

  The danger that crowds pose to containment played out in Bunia, where Congolese security forces fired warning shots to scatter people attempting to seize the body of an Ebola victim from health workers, according to CBS News. The workers were removing the corpse to protect the community, since the dead remain highly infectious.

• • Grand Junction City Council Reviews
  Draft Master Plan For River Corridor

  Plan Aims to Guide Wildlife Protection, Recreation and Development Along Colorado and Gunnison Rivers
  
  {KJCT NEWS}

  June 16, 2026 -The Grand Junction City Council was presented with a draft master plan that focuses on preserving rivers while looking toward future development.

  The Grand Valley River Corridor Master Plan addresses how to support natural areas along the Colorado and Gunnison rivers while accommodating growth in the Grand Valley.

  The plan focuses on protecting wildlife, promoting recreation and supporting economic and developmental growth.

• • WA Mountain Access Faces Long Road
  to Recovery as Summer Hiking Season Begins

  Last Year Packed a Wallop For Washington’s Mountains

  

  June 16, 2026 -Six months after historic flooding from a series of atmospheric rivers and windstorms — and on the heels of major fires in both the Olympics and Cascades — land managers and recreation organizations are still tallying up the damage. Many washed-out forest roads still have not been repaired, hampering the ability of crews to assess the state of trails. On trails that have been scoped out, the number of downed trees is staggering.

  The repair bill will easily stretch into the tens of millions of dollars, according to Forest Service officials, and the money is not readily available. With peak summer hiking season about to get underway, the state’s forest roads and mountain trails still face a long path to recovery.

• • Why the Stress Building On California’s
  Faults Could Result In a Major Quake

  Tectonic Stress Has Reached Peak Levels In Key Areas Near Los Angeles

  

  June 16, 2026 -California is no stranger to earthquakes, but the Los Angeles area may be at an increased risk of a more substantial quake in the years ahead.

  A recent study in the journal Advancing Earth and Space Sciences found seismic stress is accumulating on key faults near the greater Los Angeles metro area, in some sections reaching peak levels. And the findings reveal what researchers are calling an “earthquake gate” lurking just northeast of the city.

• • Half of World’s Children Exposed to At Least Three Climate Hazards

  Almost Every Child, Including Those From High-Income Countries, is Now Exposed to At Least One Hazard

  

  June 16, 2026 -Half of the world’s children are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards threatening their health, education and survival, according to a Unicef report.

  Globally, children face increasing threats from heatwaves, storms, floods and droughts as the climate crisis worsens, with more than one billion facing at least three of these at once.

• • The Climate Friendly City is a Bullseye

  Urban Planners Have Been Asking the Wrong Question. It's Not How Dense a City Is—It's How Close

  

  June 16, 2026 -Urban planners can now pinpoint exactly where in a city increased housing density will make the biggest difference on shortening car commutes. That’s the promise of a new study in which researchers used urban big data and AI to hone densification strategies for six cities around the world.

  It’s pretty well established that the best way to get city dwellers to drive less is to change characteristics of the built environment such as city shape, size, and density, rather than simply hectoring them to reduce their carbon emissions. But past studies have been unable to establish causal relationships between specific aspects of urban form and car travel. They also miss the smaller picture—neighborhood-level differences—and the bigger one—how these patterns differ across various regions of the world.

• • Antibacterial Soap May Be Breeding Superbugs

  The Dirty Secret In Your Soap

  

  June 16, 2026 -Modern medicine is wildly successful at stopping infections that breach the body’s defenses. But far more lives have probably been saved by basic hygiene and clean water that prevent them in the first place.

  Good hygiene has virtually eliminated once-feared diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery in the developed world by breaking the chain of disease transmission. If the rest of the world had greater access to it, the World Health Organization estimates 1.4 million deaths could be prevented each year. That’s why readers of BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal, voted the “sanitary revolution” the greatest medical advance since 1840, ahead of antibiotics and anesthesia.

• • Vultures Are Stinking Up This North Carolina Town

  Locals Want Justice
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  June 16, 2026 -These days, you have to watch where you step in parts of this picturesque hamlet.

  Those white splashes on the sidewalk aren’t fresh paint. They’re vulture poop. Lots of it.

  Large groups of black vultures have taken up residence in town, covering the quaint historic district in feathers and foul-smelling excrement. Poop was so thick beneath one tree that people slipped on the sidewalk when it rained. When public-works crews went to hose down the area, they couldn’t complete the job. The smell was so overwhelming that workers started retching.

• • The Tick Situation Is Getting Worse. Here’s How to Protect Yourself

  As Temperatures Rise, Ticks of Several Kinds Are Flourishing In Ways That Threaten People’s Health

  

  June 16, 2026 -Lately, Shannon LaDeau and her colleagues have had unwelcome visitors at their office in New York’s Hudson Valley: ticks, crawling up the building and trying to get through doors.

  “Which is kind of alarming,” said Dr. LaDeau, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies who studies the arachnids and the pathogens they carry.

• • Months After a Jet Fuel Leak, No Agency
  Tested Waters Downstream of Piscataway Creek

  So Community Groups
  Are Doing It Themselves

  

  June 16, 2026 -In the five months after jet fuel started leaking from Joint Base Andrews into Piscataway Creek, no agency tested the water or sediment some 20 miles downstream, where the creek empties into the Potomac River and the shoreline community and anglers gather to fish and boat along the riverbank.

  The leak was detected on Dec. 11 at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County. Of an estimated 32,000 gallons that spilled into the headwaters of the creek, only 10,000 gallons were recovered, while the remaining 22,000 entered the environment. Environmental leaders and activists have criticized the base for waiting more than three months before notifying state regulators.

• • Reformed Fisherman’s Underwater Mission
  Will Restore Your Faith in Second Chances

  And the Story Will Warm Your Heart
  
  {HEATHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 15, 2026 -Former litterer transforms into ocean cleanup hero, diving daily to remove trash from Canadian harbors.

  Pulls countless car tires and debris from seafloor, undoing years of environmental damage.

  Proof that anyone can turn their life around and make a real difference for our planet.

  A heartwarming tale of redemption is unfolding beneath the waves of Canada’s harbors, where one man’s journey from polluter to protector is cleaning up our oceans one dive at a time.

  Sean Bath once contributed to the problem, carelessly discarding waste during his days as a sea urchin fisherman. Today, he’s become an unlikely environmental champion, dedicating his life to removing the very kind of trash he once left behind.

• • This Continent Just Added a Full Decade to Life Expectancy

  And the Story Will Warm Your Heart
  
  {HEATHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 15, 2026 -African life expectancy soared by 10 full years since 2000, proving hope and progress are alive and well.

  WHO’s 2026 report shows incredible health wins across the continent despite ongoing challenges.

  Major advances in healthcare access, disease prevention, and medical innovation are changing millions of lives for the better.

  When it comes to measuring real human progress, nothing quite compares to the gift of time—time with loved ones, time to pursue dreams, and time to make memories that last. The latest World Health Organization report for 2026 just delivered a stunning piece of good news that deserves celebration: the African continent has gained an incredible 10 years of life expectancy since the turn of the millennium.

• • Switzerland Is Voting On Whether to Cap Its Population At 10 Million

  Here's What to Know
  
  {MSN}

  June 15, 2026 -Switzerland, a wealthy country that has historically embraced free movement and foreign investment, is about to vote on whether to cap its population — and restrict immigration measures to do so.

  Sunday's referendum comes after the country's population increased 10% in the 10 years up to the end of 2025, when it stood at just over 9.1 million. For the first time, the country had more people over 65 than under 20. Net migration and the birth rate fell last year.

• • The World Cup Is One Wildfire Away From an Air Quality Disaster

  FIFA Says It's Prepared For "Climate-Related Risks" But Doesn't Appear to Have a Plan For Wildfire Smoke, Which Can Be Harmful to Players and Fans
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 15, 2026 -Last month, nearly a dozen wildfires erupted across southern California, sending plumes of smoke and particulate matter into the air. Public health officials in Los Angeles issued a multiday air quality advisory for the county, warning of “potential direct smoke impact” and advising everyone who could see or smell smoke to “avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure and to limit physical exertion.”

  The red zone on the map included Los Angeles Stadium — also known as SoFi Stadium — one of the venues for the World Cup, soccer’s marquee event, which begins on Thursday. Between June 12 and July 10, Los Angeles will host eight games and is expected to draw tens of thousands of fans and scores of players.

• • Crews Make Progress On Lightning-Caused Fires In Montrose County

  Officials Say Dry Thunderstorms Are the Biggest Concern Over the Weekend as Crews Continue to Fight the Fires
  
  {DENVER7}

  June 15, 2026 -Crews are making progress on two lightning-caused fires in Montrose County, according to Saturday morning updates.

  The Beehive Fire and the Paradox Trail Fire both sparked Monday near Paradox, Colorado.

  The Beehive Fire had burned 336 acres and was 30% contained, as of a Saturday morning update. Federal fire officials said the fire didn't grow Friday, and crews are working to strengthen containment lines and reduce the potential for fire spread.

• • Inside Ebola Country: NPR Reports From
  Eastern DR Congo's Outbreak Zone

  The Raising Awareness Challenge
  
  {NPR}

  June 15, 2026 -Democratic Republic of Congo — Eliezer Kasongo thought the Ebola epidemic would blow over in a few weeks.

  Then the crisis began to unfold before his eyes.

  "We started to see people die in the neighbourhood and we began to understand," said Kasongo, a community volunteer in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

  Despite once being a doubter, the 25-year-old now spends his days going door to door to try to raise awareness about the disease.

• • The Californication of Middle-Class Chinese Diets

  China Wants More Healthy, Clean and Even Foreign Food
  
  {The Economist}

  June 14, 2026 -DAI JIANJUN, an organic restaurateur in the eastern city of Hangzhou, was ahead of his time. For more than 20 years his buyers have obsessively sourced ingredients, paying farmers in Zhejiang province above-market rates not to use chemical fertilisers or pesticides. The trouble paid off: his Dragon Well Manor restaurant has a Michelin star. His grandmother believed that the first rich generation buys homes, the second knows how to dress and the third knows how to eat.

  As China’s almost 500m-strong middle class—with at least $15,000 in annual disposable income—grows richer and larger, its members are changing what they put into their shopping baskets. They want to eat more healthily, safely and simply. China’s food system is trying to keep up with their developing tastes. Farms are producing more proteins and fruit familiar in Western countries, grocers are selling more organic produce and restaurants are compiling healthier menus.

• • Vote On a Population Cap Sets Up Potential Collision With EU

  Switzerland’s ‘Brexit Moment’
  
  {CNN}

  June 14, 2026 -Switzerland was voting in a referendum Sunday on limiting its population size – a proposal driven by divisions over immigration that could, if approved, set the country on a collision course with the European Union.

  The Swiss electorate is being asked a simple question: Should Switzerland’s population be capped at 10 million? If a majority vote yes, it would be the first nation in Europe to set a population limit.

• • Maine Assistant Fire Chief Dies Weeks After
  Suffering Injuries In Lumber Mill Explosion

  The Assistant Chief of the Searsmont Fire Department has Died In the Hospital, Weeks After He Was Injured In the Fire and Explosion at Robbins Lumber in Maine
  
  {WCVB5}

  June 14, 2026 -Wayne Woodbury, 76, died Sunday morning at Maine Medical Center in Portland, according to the State Fire Marshal's Office.

  Woodbury was among 12 people who were injured in the May 15 fire and explosion at the family-owned lumber mill, which killed Morrill Firefighter Andrew Cross. Six other firefighters were injured in the fire, as well as two members of Searsmont Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Two co-owners of Robbins Lumber and an employee of the mill were also injured.

• • Pre-Evacuation Notice Issued For Area
  North of Hayden, Colorado Due to Wildfire

  Racing to Solve the Problem
  
  {CBS NEWS}

  June 13, 2026 -The County Road 80 fire broke out approximately 2 miles north of U.S. Highway 80, north of the Town of Hayden, prompting officials to warn nearby residents to be ready to evacuate if needed. The notice applies to all residences in the area of County Road 80 and County Road 70.

  In an update Friday night, the Bureau of Land Management said a multi-mission aircraft mapped the fire at approximately 50 acres. They said the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and U.S. Forest Service are assisting firefighters as they work to bring the wildfire under control, adding that aircraft were called in to drop retardant on the fire's northern and western edges and assist with bucket operations.

• • U.S. Poised to Lose Measles Elimination
  Status as Utah Outbreak Nears One-Year Mark

  Spread of the Highly Contagious Disease Persists At Levels Not Sseen in U.S. Since Early 1990s
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  June 13, 2026 -A relentless measles outbreak in Utah has been spreading for nearly a year, putting the U.S. on a path to losing the measles-elimination status it earned more than two decades ago.

  Fueling the nearly 12-month outbreak: more parents opting not to vaccinate their children for school; infections hitting communities statewide; and lenient public-health policies on quarantining exposed students.

• • Bear Fire Burning in Las Animas County 100% Contained

  The Fire Burned 128 Acres and Prompted Evacuations For Residents On Both Sides of County Road 78.9 and Bear Springs Road.
  
  {KKTV11}

  June 13, 2026 -According to Emergency Manager Darren Kolakowski, the Bear fire burning in Las Animas County is officially 100% contained.

  The fire burned 128 acres and prompted evacuations for residents on both sides of County Road 78.9 and Bear Springs Road.

  They said they have a line around the fire, but it is not completely controlled. Crews remain on scene to continue extinguishing the fire.

• • Some Quarantined Cruise Ship Passengers Push to Return Home

  Some of the 18 Cruise Ship Passengers In Quarantine After a Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak Have Had a Tough Time In Isolation
  
  {NPR}

  June 13, 2026 -The Trump administration has imposed some controversial restrictions to keep Ebola and the hantavirus out of the U.S. NPR health correspondent Rob Stein reports on how that's affected some passengers from the cruise ship hit by the deadly hantavirus outbreak.

  ROB STEIN, BYLINE: It's been more than a month since the U.S. government evacuated Angela Perryman and 17 other Americans from the cruise ship to the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha. Three cruise passengers who weren't from the U.S. died from hantavirus. When Perryman and another passenger tried to leave the Omaha facility, the CDC imposed federal mandatory quarantine orders.

• • Researchers Find Dramatic Restoration On
  Land and Sea After Island Rat Removal

  When Invasive Rats Are Removed From Islands, the Ecological Benefits Can Ripple Across Both Land and Sea More Quickly Than Scientists Expected
  
  {MONGABAY}

  June 13, 2026 -Scientists have long assumed that meaningful recovery after the predators are eradicated would take decades. However, researchers with the U.S.-based em>NGO Island Conservation conducted a rat-removal experiment on Ulong Island in Palau, which provides the first experimental evidence that ecosystems can rebound far more quickly than previously expected.

  Until recently, rats, which are typically nocturnal, were so abundant on Ulong Island that they were regularly seen during the day. They were a nuisance to campers and deadly for wildlife.

  As opportunistic omnivores, rats readily prey upon seabird eggs and chicks, devastating nesting colonies on tropical islands. As a result, there were “very few nesting seabirds that we would find,” Coral Wolf, the conservation science program manager at Island Conservation, told Mongabay in a video call.

• • ‘Fast-track’ Regulation Could Expose Britons to Harmful Chemicals

  Fighting Dirty Taking Legal Action Against Government Over Proposal It Says Could Import Weaker Standards

  

  June 13, 2026 -An environmental campaign group is taking legal action against the government over proposals that it claims could fast-track chemical hazard classifications from other countries with lower standards into UK law.

  Fighting Dirty claims proposals to change the classification and labelling of potentially hazardous chemicals could result in the UK weakening standards on cancer-causing substances

• • How is Drought Affecting You?

  This Week's Drought Summary
  
  {U.S. Drought Monitor}

  June 13, 2026 -Summer thunderstorms, with their hit-or-miss nature, dominated precipitation patterns across the U.S. this week. The greatest departures from normal precipitation occurred across portions of the central and southern Plains, West Texas, New Mexico, and the Midwest. Areas of southern Louisiana, northern Alabama, and western Kentucky also recorded well-above-normal precipitation. The East Coast remained dry, with the exception of Florida’s Atlantic coast. Much of the West also remained dry, with only portions of the Pacific Northwest and southern California recording near- to above-normal precipitation.

• • About 300 Children And Teachers Evacuated Or
  Rescued After Fire Breaks Out At a Tokyo School

  Firefighters Rescued One Teacher and Three Schoolchildren Out of the Building With Non-Life-Threatening Injuries

  

  June 12, 2026 - A fire broke out at an elementary school in downtown Tokyo Friday, but all of about 300 students and teachers were evacuated or rescued, officials said.

  They said several people were injured while fleeing, mostly from inhaling smoke, and that the exact number of injured is being finalized.

  The Tokyo Fire Department said the fire at the Takinogawa No. 3 Elementary School broke out near a music room on the top floor of the four-story building late morning Friday.

• • El Niño and the Iran War May Spark
  Hunger Crisis For More Than 100 Million

  Expected Extreme Weather Combined With High Fuel and Fertilizer Prices Triggered By the war Could Cause Severe Food Shortages Around the World This Year

  

  June 12, 2026 -In Somalia’s Bay region — once the country’s breadbasket — sorghum and corn fields are withering from lack of rain. Prices for imported rice have surged amid shipping disruptions caused by the conflict in Iran. Farmers are selling off livestock, equipment, even furniture just to afford food. Children are getting as little as half their required calories, a deficit that weakens their immune systems and stunts their growth.

  Now meteorologists have declared the arrival of an El Niño event, a climate pattern often accompanied by soaring temperatures and more extreme weather that imperil agriculture in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

• • Trump is Taking Aim At Forest and Wildfire Research

  Just As the West is Poised to Burn
  
  {NPR}

  June 12, 2026 -Few public universities get more federal research funding than the University of Washington.

  So, as President Trump has already canceled or suspended about a quarter of all funding for the National Science Foundation and <National Institutes for Health, the atmosphere on this leafy Seattle campus is tense.

• • Britain Says Full Import Ban On Russian
  Diesel, Jet Fuel Will Happen By 2027

  The Government Said Existing Sanctions Were Not ?Being Lifted, But New Sanctions Were Being Phased In

  

  June 12, 2026 -Britain on Friday said that a full ban on diesel and jet fuel made in Russia would happen by 2027 as it set out its timeline to end a temporary licence for Russian oil products.

  Britain last ?month said it would continue to allow imports of diesel and jet fuel refined from Russian crude in third countries, deferring a previously announced ban, citing supply issues caused by the Iran war.

• • Trump Opens Protected Pacific Waters to Commercial Fishing

  The President Has Now Signed Orders to Eliminate Commercial Fishing Bans In All Five National Marine Monuments
  
  {GREENWIRE}

  June 12, 2026 -The Trump administration struck down prohibitions on commercial fishing Thursday across more than 500,000 square miles of marine national monuments in the Pacific Ocean, as environmental groups vowed to challenge the action in federal court.

  Trump signed an executive order to open the Mariana Trench, Papah?naumoku?kea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments to commercial fisherman, removing restrictions put in place under the George W. Bush and Obama administrations.

• • Britain Brings In Some Innovative Engineering to Tackle Flooding

  London's Mayor Praised the Beavers, Who Are Already Having a Noticeable Impact
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 12, 2026 -The Greenfield subway station (which Londoners proudly call “The Tube”) used to get flooded a lot. When heavy rain hit this part of west London, water could overwhelm the local drainage system and leave the area around the Tube station a soggy mess. Sandbags and conventional flood measures helped, but only so much.

  Then, in October 2023, a family of five Eurasian beavers was released into Paradise Fields, a 20-acre nature reserve near the station. Within weeks, they had dammed a creek, spread water into new channels and helped turn a former golf course into a wetland. Where the golf course did little for the environment, the wetland stores water, shelters wildlife, and importantly, acts like a buffer against flooding.

• • Trump Opens Protected Pacific Waters to Commercial Fishing

  The President Has Now Signed Orders to Eliminate Commercial Fishing Bans In All Five National Marine Monuments
  
  {E&E NEWS}

  June 12, 2026 -The Trump administration struck down prohibitions on commercial fishing Thursday across more than 500,000 square miles of marine national monuments in the Pacific Ocean, as environmental groups vowed to challenge the action in federal court.

  President Donald Trump signed an executive order to open the Mariana Trench, Papahanaumokuakea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments to commercial fisherman, removing restrictions put in place under the George W. Bush and Obama administrations.

• • A Famous Arizona Fishing Lake Has Been
  Closed Indefinitely After Almost Every Fish Died

  San Carlos Lake’s Collapse Shows How Fast Stressed Reservoirs Can Turn Lethal
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 12, 2026 -There is a lake in eastern Arizona where the fish once drew anglers from across the state. Now the shoreline of San Carlos Lake is covered with their bodies, and it seems they all died in a single wave.

  Along the receding shoreline of the eastern Arizona reservoir, dead largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, and catfish now rot in the desert heat. Officials closed the lake indefinitely on June 5 after what they described as a near-total collapse of its fish population.

• • Colorado Adopts Emergency Rule to
  Prevent Spread of New World Screwworm

  Colorado is Responding to Detections of the Flesh-Eating New World Screwworm In Nearby States With an Emergency Rule to Try and Curb the Spread Northward
  
  {FOX31}

  June 12, 2026 -The 2026 Tesla Model 3 RWD did more than beat its EPA range estimate in the Edmunds EV Range Test — it also became the most efficient EV we've tested that is currently in production.

  Tesla's rear-wheel-drive Model 3 has an EPA range estimate of 363 miles, but our test car traveled 393 miles on a full charge. That's 30 miles farther than its official figure, or an 8.3% improvement. It's not the biggest percentage gain we've seen from an EV, but the final number is hard to ignore. Nearly 400 miles of real-world driving range puts the Model 3 RWD close to the top of our range chart.

  The more impressive figure is how little energy it used to get there. The EPA rates the Model 3 RWD at 25 kWh per 100 miles, or 4 miles per kWh. In our testing, it returned 21.7 kWh per 100 miles, or 4.61 mi/kWh, making it 13.2% more efficient than its EPA estimate. Lower consumption is obviously better, as it means the car uses less electricity to travel the same distance.

• • European, Island States Seek Clear Future
  For Global Roadmap to Cut Fossil Fuels

  Some European, Small Island and Other Nations Argue the Forthcoming Roadmap Should Be Part of UN Climate Talks, While Russia has Resisted This Idea
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  June 12, 2026 -The global roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels now being developed should be a “continuing conversation” which is part of UN climate talks, not just a one-off report, several governments told the Brazilian COP30 Presidency on Friday in Bonn.

  During a 90-minute exchange of views at the annual mid-year climate talks in Germany, several European governments and the Marshall Islands said the roadmap that Brazil is due to finish by November should be incorporated into the official negotiations.

• • Ballard Warehouse Catches Fire

  Firefighters Were Forced to Retreat From a Warehouse Fire Thursday Evening In Seattle’s Ballard Neighborhood

  

  June 12, 2026 -The plume of smoke rose above the Ship Canal shortly after 5 p.m. and could be seen from all over the city. Firefighters and vehicles surrounded the building on Northwest 42nd Street, dousing it with water. Due to the smoke, residents within a half-mile radius were cautioned to close their windows and doors.

  Seattle Fire Department spokesperson David Cuerpo said the incident at Consolidated Supply Co., a plumbing supply business, was upgraded to a three-alarm fire, meaning it posed a danger for those in the building and responding firefighters. Such large fires are rare in Seattle.

• • Planned Forest Fires Have Wider Benefits Than Previously Thought

  Managing Low-Severity Fires Across 1 Million Acres a Year Could Reduce the Amount of Land That Burned From Severe Fires By About 25 Percent

  

  June 11, 2026 -Setting intentional forest fires and letting other low-severity ones burn can significantly lower the chances of extreme blazes torching those same areas in the future, according to a new study released Thursday, while reducing toxic smoke over time.

  Those controlled blazes, known as prescribed burns, can offer fire protection for more than a decade, the researchers found in a paper published in the journal Science. The findings are the latest in a robust body of research showing how managed fires can reduce the chances of megafires.

• • Here’s How Utilities Are Preparing For Wildfire Season

  Where Some Might Get Caught Off-Guard
  
  {energy central}

  June 11, 2026 -The forecast: Out West, low snowpack plus earlier-than-usual heat are bringing prime conditions for major blazes. This season could start earlier and last longer than average, a PG&E representative told Energy Central.

  The new normal: It isn’t just Western states on high watch—wildfire dangers are also intensifying in the South and Midwest. But in states that didn’t historically face high risks, some organizations have made slow progress. In parts of the Midwest, for example, utilities have said they're “just not that worried,” Skye Perry of FNN, a lightning-detection tech developer, told Energy Central. “But I think they will be worried within the next couple years.”

• • In Longview, Some Workers Back
  to Work at Paper Mill Where 11 Died

  Nippon Dynawave, Which is Owned By Tokyo-Based Nippon Paper Industries, has Agreed to Pay Idled Workers “At Least” Through Aug. 8.

  

  June 11, 2026 -More than two weeks after an accident killed 11 at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging mill in Longview, most of its idled workforce is still waiting to learn when they’ll be back at the damaged plant.

  Nippon Dynawave hasn’t said when it will fully restart its liquid packaging mill, where more than 500 people made material for paper cups and other products before the May 26 spill of highly caustic liquid shut the facility down.

• • An Old Well Gushed Waste, Not Oil, in a Small West Texas Town

  The Railroad Commission of Texas Shut Down Injection Wells to Control a Leak In a Church Parking Lot. But...

  

  June 11, 2026 -An old oil well sprang back to life under the parking lot of the First Baptist Church of Grandfalls in April.

  Over the next eight days, more than 1.5 million gallons of toxic wastewater flowed out of the earth, according to state records. The state regulator, the Railroad Commission, spent $1.49 million plugging the leak and another $1.16 million disposing of the wastewater back underground. By early June, crews had stopped the flow and plugged the wellbore.

• • Inside the Campaign to Discredit a Key Climate Science Report

  Billions of Dollars Are At Stake
  
  {POLITICO}

  June 11, 2026 -Oil industry allies are quietly targeting a field of climate research that could cost fossil fuel companies billions of dollars.

  In the crosshairs is a forthcoming report from the em>National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that will examine research into the ways corporate climate pollution is intensifying natural disasters.

• • WHO Issues New Guidance On Heat-
  Health Action Plans, as El Niño Sets In

  Amid Warnings of “Unprecedented” Weather Extremes This Year, The World Health Organization Urges Governments to Strengthen Protections For Vulnerable Groups
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  June 11, 2026 -The World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled new guidance for governments seeking to protect people from extreme heat, a growing priority as climate change pushes temperatures higher worldwide and intensifies heatwaves and related health risks.

  The launch came as the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Thursday that El Niño has developed in the tropical Pacific. The climate phenomenon – which occurs naturally every few years - is predicted to intensify to a moderate or strong level this autumn, the service said.

• • Switzerland’s Radical Proposal on Immigration

  Cap the Population
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  June 11, 2026 -This Alpine nation has long relied on its geography to keep the world at bay. But with its valleys filling up, some here are pushing to replace natural barriers with something even more unyielding: a population cap.

  Disgruntled by rising living costs and disillusioned by unfulfilled economic and social promises, the Swiss are at the vanguard of industrialized countries questioning the benefits of immigration, even the high-skilled workers many vie to attract. On Sunday, they will vote in a referendum to put a hard ceiling on the country’s population.

• • Pentagon Gives All-Clear After Lockdown Over Air Quality Alarm

  “Response Teams Are In Place and Ready to Support Building Occupants”
  
  {THE HILL}

  June 11, 2026 -The Pentagon went into lockdown Thursday over an air quality issue, prompting the department to execute a shelter-in-place order for the affected area.

  Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said at 1:31 p.m. EDT: “Subsequent testing confirmed no hazard exists, and normal operations have resumed.”

  Parnell said two hours earlier that the Pentagon was executing “standard protection protocols” in issuing a shelter-in-place order for the affected area.

• • This Game-Changing Home Device Is Stopping
  Tons of Pollution Before It Reaches Our Oceans

  English Inventor Partners With Bosch to Create World’s First Home Laundry Filter That Captures Microplastic Fibers
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 11, 2026 -An inspiring breakthrough is giving homeowners the power to make a real difference in fighting microplastic pollution — and it starts right in the laundry room.

  English inventor Adam Root has teamed up with home appliance giant Bosch to bring his revolutionary microfiber laundry filter to households worldwide. The innovative device tackles what scientists say is the world’s most significant source of microplastic pollution: synthetic fibers from our clothes.

  Every time we wash synthetic clothing made from polyester, nylon, or acrylic, thousands of tiny plastic fibers break off and flow down the drain. These microfibers eventually make their way into rivers, lakes, and oceans, where they harm marine life and contaminate ecosystems.

• • Scientists Have Made Jet Fuel From Plastic Waste

  A New Process Converts Hard-to-Recycle Styrofoam Waste Into Valuable Jet Fuel at a Cost Competitive With Petroleum-Based Fuels

  

  June 11, 2026 -While fuel shortages due to the Iran war made some countries double down on electrification, they also highlighted one industry that could be quite literally grounded without fossil fuels: aviation. Flying relies on fossil-based jet fuels and is extremely hard to decarbonize.

  Researchers in China now report a process that could help bring down flying’s carbon emissions while also tackling the plastic waste crisis. The two-step process converts plastic waste into high-quality jet fuel more efficiently and at much less cost than other methods researchers have reported in the past to convert plastic waste to fuels.

• • Why Unchecked Growth Threatens
  to Collapse Our Marine Ecosystems

  The Ocean Economy is Expanding at a Breakneck Pace, But Failing to Respect Natural Boundaries Puts Million of Jobs And Vital Habitats at Immediate Risk
  
  {EARTH.ORG}

  June 10, 2026 -The blue economy refers to the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and ecosystem health. It relies on the ocean’s ability to provide goods and services to humanity and on the skills of economic agents to extract and harness these services.

  If the ocean economy were a country, it would rank as the world’s fifth-largest economy. Yet, the scale of economic value underscores a critical truth: oceans, like all ecosystems, have limits. When the pursuit of growth ignores these natural boundaries, unchecked extraction and exploitation push marine systems beyond their carrying capacity, eroding biodiversity, magnifying pollution and intensifying climate risks.

• • Mangroves Are Making a Comeback

  It’s a Rare Climate Success Story

  

  June 10, 2026 -There’s some good news growing along the coasts of countries around the world.

  Mangrove forests, the imperiled ecosystems championed for their ability to store carbon and protect land from storm-driven flooding, are bouncing back.

  These woodlands that thrive at the soggy boundary between land and sea suffered alarming declines through much of the 20th century, chopped down chiefly to make way for fish ponds, rice paddies and other kinds of agriculture. But in the last decade, mangroves have been gaining ground, erasing nearly all of the losses since 1980, according to research recently published in Science.

• • Bycatch Has ‘Shocking’ Toll On British Marine Life

  Conservationists Say Cherished Creatures Such as Whales, Dolphins and Seabirds Are Being Killed In Large Numbers By Fishing Tackle

  

  June 10, 2026 -Thousands of Britain’s most charismatic and protected marine wildlife, including whales, porpoises, dolphins, seals and seabirds are being killed as “collateral damage” by fishing vessels every year, according to the first-ever analysis of bycatch data.

  The analysis, by the Wildlife and Countryside Link, a coalition of voluntary conservation groups, reveals the devastating toll bycatch, the accidental capture and killing of non-target species by fishing vessels, is having on marine species.

• • Data Centers Are Landing In Drought Zones

  Facing More Political Pushback
  
  {energy central}

  June 10, 2026 -June 10, 2026 -The numbers: Around two-thirds of 809 planned data centers are headed for some of the country’s driest areas…where they would require loads of water to operate. That’s roughly equivalent to the ratio of data centers already operating in drought-stricken areas.

  These include parts of Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott has outlined a plan to rein in the hyperscalers flocking to his state. His recommendations for Texas officials: 1) require developers to add generation and pay for electric infrastructure 2) repeal sales tax exemptions and 3) mandate annual electricity and water use reporting.

• • US power Consumption Is On Track to Keep Smashing Records

  Seattle Just Passed a One-Year Freeze On New Data Centers Over 20Mw In Order to Gauge Local Impacts
  
  {energy central}

  June 10, 2026 -June 10, 2026 -The drivers? You guessed it—AI and data centers. For 2027, the EIA forecasts a whopping 4,397B kWh in demand (up from a record 4,195B kWh in 2025). Renewables are set to meet an increasing chunk of that skyrocketing demand (reaching 27% in 2027), while coal use could continue to drop.

  Plus, a spending surge: Equipment price inflation has propelled global grid capex to more than double since 2020, per a Rystad Energy white paper. This year, it's projected to exceed $650B. Prices and delays will likely remain high for the time being, with two- to three-year lead times for transformers and high-voltage circuit breakers.

• • China Is Propping Up the World Economy by Importing a Lot Less Oil

  Beijing Plugs a Three-Million-Barrel Hole With Little Visible Disruption, But Analysts Aren’t Sure How Long It Can Keep Going
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  June 10, 2026 -A sharp fall in China’s crude oil imports during the Iran war has been instrumental in holding down oil prices and keeping the global economy humming.

  Clues are emerging in the mystery of the missing three million barrels—the oil that China would normally be importing but isn’t now. Chinese people are driving fewer gasoline-powered cars and taking trains instead of planes. The country is dialing back operations at the plants that turn crude oil into feedstock for materials such as plastics. And Beijing is beginning to draw down reserves.

• • Scientists Found Bacteria Thriving Inside Fog and Eating Air Pollution

  Scientists Find Fog Droplets Host Growing Bacteria That May Help Clean Polluted Air
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 10, 2026 -Stephen King’s The Mist got a memorable Frank Darabont adaptation in 2007. Nearly two decades later, the premise feels oddly prescient — but in a much smaller and far less terrifying way.

  Fog itself is not alive, of course. But new research suggests some fog droplets can briefly become tiny floating habitats, packed with bacteria that grow, divide, and alter the chemistry of the air around them.

  In a new study, researchers at Arizona State University and Susquehanna University found that fog water can host dense microbial communities, including bacteria that break down formaldehyde, a common air pollutant.

• • Deadly Indonesia Floods Wiped Out
  At Least 7% of Rare Orangutan Population

  At Least 58 Tapanuli Orangutans, Which Are Endemic to an Area Around North Sumatra's Batang Toru Forest, Were Killed In the Floods

  

  June 10, 2026 -Deadly floods and landslides in Indonesia's Sumatra last year have wiped out at least 7% of the total population of the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan, a new report released on Wednesday showed.

  The cyclone-induced floods and landslides killed at least 1,200 people and damaged around 300,000 homes, with environmental groups blaming the extent of the damage on the rapid deforestation of Sumatra island.

• • This LA Neighborhood is Choked By Smog

  The Solution: a Network of Sensors On Offices, Homes and Bags

  

  June 9, 2026 -Jose Luis Salas looks up at the ladder. “Are you ready?” he asks Shance Taylor, an environmental project manager who’s holding a white container, about the size of a shoebox, covered with wires and numbers.

  Taylor nods and climbs up to reach the side of Salas’s tidy house in Pacoima, a neighborhood in Los Angeles’s north-east San Fernando valley. The curious box in their hands is known as Aeroqual sensor – part of a community air-quality monitoring program run by Pacoima Beautiful, a local environmental group.

• • Europe’s Energy Crisis Has a Silver Lining

  It Just Made Going Green a Lot Cheaper

  

  June 9, 2026 -Energy price increases such as those triggered by the war in Ukraine make faster decarbonization more cost effective, according to a new analysis of the EU energy system. The net benefits could amount to roughly 3% of the bloc’s projected GDP in 2050, the study suggests.

  In the past, the EU has been highly dependent on imported oil and gas. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 caused fossil fuel prices to spike and prompted EU leadership to reduce or eliminate imports of Russian natural gas.

• • Colorado Officials Reopen I-70 Near Glenwood Springs

  Paradise Creek Fire Forced Extended Closure
  
  {CBS NEWSl}

  June 9, 2026 -A 28 mile stretch of I-70 was shut down for much of Tuesday afternoon and evening in western Colorado due to a small wildfire burning next to the interstate in steep and rocky terrain.

  After the Paradise Creek Fire ignited on Tuesday afternoon west of Glenwood Springs, emergency officials closed both directions of Interstate 70. The closure lasted until after 8 p.m.

• • Stellantis Recalls Vehicles Over Concern They Could Burst Into Flames

  Stellantis Alerted the NHTSA of the Recall
  
  {DAILY CALLER}

  June 9, 2026 -Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, announced a recall of over 1 million Jeep vehicles for potential fire safety concerns on Tuesday.

  According to the recall, Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators between model years 2021 and 2025 “may have an electrical connection issue in the electric hydraulic power steering pump wiring.” Combustible materials can overheat and possibly start a vehicle fire, even if the vehicle is turned off, according to a press release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The statement warned Jeep owners to “park their vehicles outside and away from other vehicles and buildings” until repairs have been made.

• • Severe Weather Could Impact More Than 90 Million

  Storms Threaten Multiple States
  
  {CBS NEWS}

  June 9, 2026 -Severe weather could impact more than 90 million people across the middle of the country this week, forecasts show, as storms continue to threaten multiple U.S. states in the Midwest and northern Plains.

  Up to 4 inches of rain may fall in some areas on Tuesday, and the region remains at risk of flash flooding as well as storms causing large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. This comes after more than half a foot of rain struck the region on Monday, resulting in 65 flash flood reports out of Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, Nolan said.

• • Driven by Steel Production, China’s Belt
  and Road Construction Carries a Heavy Climate Cost

  Strong Regulations And Incentives Are Needed to Curb Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Chinese Manufacturing

  

  June 9, 2026 -China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the world’s largest ongoing infrastructure program, has a substantial climate impact. More than half its emissions stem from steel, the majority of which was produced in China.

  Cutting the emissions will require stronger environmental policies and major investment in cleaner manufacturing technologies, two new studies concluded.

• • Mystery Malodor, Rat Problem Closes Seattle Library Branch For Weeks

  Those Closures Came Amid a Weekslong Mystery That is Laid Out In a Timeline Provided By the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority

  

  June 9, 2026 -After cutting through walls in search of dead rodents, installing air filters and fans and getting into an inaccessible crawl space, officials are hopeful an unwanted odor in the Chinatown International District’s public library is diminishing.

  That mystery odor was bad enough to cause the library branch’s closure for a week between March 31 and April 5, and again on May 2, and again on May 5, according to The Seattle Public Library. The branch has been closed continuously since May 11.

• • New US Dietary Guidelines Would
  Worsen Carbon Emissions and Land Use

  Updated Federal Dietary Guidelines Finally Take On Ultra-Processed Junk Food—But the Push For More Animal Protein Quietly Erases Every Environmental Gain

  

  June 8, 2026 -The most recent US dietary guidelines have taken a sudden U-turn, suggesting that there should be doubling of animal protein intake in the country. In a recent analysis, scientists warn that the new diet—which also recommends reducing the intake of ultraprocessed foods—would more than offset any benefits of that move with the suggested spike in animal proteins, triggering rising greenhouse gas emissions, land, and fertilizer use.

  The guidelines result from the work of a scientific panel called the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), which meets every five years to review and update dietary recommendations for the United States. Those are usually adopted into the official guidelines: these were the focus of the current PNAS research.

• • Hail Larger Than a Quarter In Denver Area Monday Afternoon

  Afternoon Thunderstorms Brought Hail On Monday Afternoon, Larger Than a Quarter In Some Areas
  
  {FOX31}

  June 8, 2026 - A line of Monday storms with hail moved down from the Colorado foothills in the afternoon, then across the Front Range and out to the Eastern Plains.

  As of 5 p.m., the largest hail report was 2.75 inches in Simla, in Elbert County.

  Closer to Denver, Arvada and The Pinery both had reports of 1.5-inch hail.

  A Pinpoint Weather Alert Day was issued for Monday, and the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch until 9 p.m. for parts of northeast Colorado, including Denver.

• • The Philippines Earthquake is Massive, But It Could’ve Been Bigger

  Here’s the Reason Why

  

  June 8, 2026 -A magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck offshore of Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines, at 7:37 A.M. local time is the largest earthquake to hit anywhere in the world so far this year, according to U.S. Geological Survey records. But the temblor, which has killed at least 35 individuals and injured scores of people, was actually on the smaller side for the type of fault it occurred at, seismologist Lucy Jones says.

  An earthquake’s size is determined by the area of the fault rupture—the larger the area, the larger the quake. The highest magnitudes only happen at plate boundaries, Jones says, “because that’s the only place you have a big enough fault.” For context, there is around one earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or higher somewhere in the world and some dozen in the range of magnitude 7.0 to 7.9 each year on average; this year there have been six of the latter so far.

• • Increase In Wildfire-Driven Ozone Linked
  to Premature Deaths Across the U.S.

  Smog From Wildfires is Getting Worse Across Much of the U.S., According to a NASA-Funded Study

  

  June 8, 2026 -Smog linked to wildfires is getting worse across much of the U.S., playing a role in more than 300 additional premature deaths every year since 2013, researchers say.

  The main ingredient in smog is ozone, which is a gas molecule made of three oxygen atoms that, depending on where it forms, can be either helpful or harmful. In the layer of the upper atmosphere called the stratosphere, the gas creates a protective layer that shields Earthlings from harmful ultraviolet rays. But ozone is dangerous when inhaled. So on the ground, the gas can lead to respiratory issues, particularly in people with asthma or other breathing conditions.

• • Forests Once Dying Are Coming Back

  This Recovery Will Make Your Heart Soar
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 8, 2026 -Sometimes nature gives us exactly the good news we need to hear. After decades of watching precious coastal forests disappear, scientists have discovered something beautiful: mangrove forests are coming back stronger than ever.

  A groundbreaking study reveals that the destruction of these vital coastal ecosystems hasn’t just slowed—it’s actually reversed. The world now has more mangrove forest than it did at the turn of the century, and it’s thriving.

  But here’s where it gets even better: the mangroves that remain aren’t just surviving, they’re flourishing. Researchers found that “closed canopy” forests—the mature, dense, and healthy kind—are expanding across the globe.

• • The Fight to Break China’s Rare-Earth
  Dominance Moves to a New Front in Brazil

  Brazil Holds the World’s Second-Largest Reserves and Wants to Become a Processor of Critical Minerals, But It Refuses to Choose Sides Between Washington and Beijing
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  June 8, 2026 -Western companies are pouring money into Brazil’s rare-earth industry, hoping the South American nation can help loosen China’s grip on the minerals used in electric vehicles, wind turbines and advanced weapons.

  Miners are racing to develop deposits across Brazil, which holds the world’s second-largest rare-earth reserves after China. But their ambitions extend beyond digging up ore. Companies and government officials say they want to build processing plants that can separate rare earths, produce metals and eventually manufacture magnets.

• • ‘Odd’ Gulf of Mexico Earthquake Rattles Florida and Cuba

  This Earthquake May Be Among the Biggest In the Gulf of Mexico’s History

  

  June 8, 2026 -A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Cuba in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, with “reports of shaking across Southwestern Florida,” according to a social media post from the National Weather Service’s (NWS’s) Miami office.

  The quake occurred 104 kilometers (about 65 miles) northwest of Mantua, Cuba, says Robert Garcia, a warning coordination meteorologist at the NWS Miami office. It occurred at about 2 P.M. EDT and at a depth of 26 kilometers (around 16 miles) below the surface. “We have not heard any reports of damage in South Florida,” Garcia says. There is no threat of a tsunami from the earthquake at this time.

• • How to Stop a Killer Asteroid From Ending Civilization

  From High-Speed Battering Rams to Gravity Tractors, the Technology Exists to Protect the Planet...
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 8, 2026 -Late last month, in broad daylight, residents across Massachusetts and beyond saw a brilliant flash in the sky, followed by two sonic booms that rattled windows, shook houses, and prompted a flood of 911 calls. Some people thought they had just experienced an earthquake. Others thought it was thunder, an explosion, or a military flyover.

  But the true source of all the commotion was out of this world — literally. A small meteoroid, about five feet wide and as heavy as an elephant, had entered the atmosphere at a blinding 42,000 miles per hour before disintegrating dozens of miles above the ground. The midair explosion released a pressure wave equivalent to 230–300 tons of TNT, and any surviving fragments likely fell into Cape Cod Bay.

• • Where Strong Tornadoes and Hail Could
  Hit Swaths of the Central U.S. This Week

  Each of the Next Five Days Features the Potential For Locally Higher-End Severe Weather In Parts of the Central United States

  

  June 9, 2026 -A multi-day stretch of significant severe weather, including the potential for destructive hurricane-force winds and a few tornadoes, kicked off Monday across the central United States, with storms Tuesday expected to be more widespread. Those will creep north into Canada, and by Wednesday storms will inch toward populous cities such as Minneapolis and Chicago.

  Storms on Monday afternoon battered eastern Colorado with hail up to the size of apples. Stones up to 3.4 inches in diameter were found near Cedar Point, Colorado. Teacup-sized hail, about 3 inches in diameter, was found 10 miles south of Burlington, Colorado.

• • The World Cup is One Wildfire Away From an Air Quality Disaster

  FIFA Says It's Prepared For "Climate-Related Risks" But Doesn't Appear to Have a plan For Wildfire Smoke, Which Can Be Harmful to Players and Fans

  

  June 9, 2026 -Last month, nearly a dozen wildfires erupted across southern California, sending plumes of smoke and particulate matter into the air. Public health officials in Los Angeles issued a multiday air quality advisory for the county, warning of “potential direct smoke impact” and advising everyone who could see or smell smoke to “avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure and to limit physical exertion.”

  The red zone on the map included Los Angeles Stadium — also known as SoFi Stadium — one of the venues for the World Cup, soccer’s marquee event, which begins on Thursday. Between June 12 and July 10, Los Angeles will host eight games and is expected to draw tens of thousands of fans and scores of players.

• • Powerful Earthquake Kills at Least 35 in Southern Philippines

  7.8-Magnitude Quake Struck Off Coast of Island of Mindanao, More Than 140 Injuredd
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  June 8, 2026 -A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed at least 35 people and injured more than 140 in the southern Philippines on Monday as tremors collapsed buildings and ripped through roads.

  The quake struck off the coast of the island of Mindanao at 7:37 a.m. local time, just as children across the country were getting ready for their first day of school. Many of the deaths were in the coastal city of General Santos, which has a population of more than 700,000.

• • What It’s Like to Chase a Tornado That’s Wrapped In Rain

  Suddenly, There Was a Razor-Sharp Divide Between White Curtains of Rain and Clear-Blue Sky

  

  June 8, 2026, By Matthew Cappucci -A storm chase in South Dakota last week featured a taste of everything — a rain-wrapped tornado, spinning supercell structure and a parade of photogenic microbursts.

  My Wednesday began in Walworth County, South Dakota. Overnight storms in central South Dakota had cooled the air, but bright sunshine was heating up the lower atmosphere once again. It was slightly warmer and more humid near the Nebraska border, so I headed in that direction.

• • A Water Crisis Has The ‘Poster Boys’
  of Iowa Farming Ready to Talk Regulation

  More Than a Decade of Voluntary Farm Conservation Programs Hasn’t Gotten the State Far Enough On Water Quality

  

  June 7, 2026 -James Hepp is sick of excuses.

  The 36-year-old farmer manages about 1,600 acres of corn, soy and small grains in northern Iowa. He keeps a close eye on his bottom line and says he wants to build a business that his three young children would be foolish not to join. For Hepp, a first-generation farmer, that means doing things differently from his neighbors.

  In an effort to preserve soil health, he tills only narrow strips of land, leaving much of his field undisturbed. Hepp also avoids applying nitrogen fertilizer when he’s not growing crops.

• • States Are Hitting the Brakes On the Data Center Rollout

  S-c-r-e-e-c-h
  
  {energy central}

  June 7, 2026 -New York officials just passed what could become the country’s first state data center ban—but the bill still needs Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature. This one-year pause would give lawmakers time to regulate data centers. The bill also orders the state environmental agency to measure how much electricity, water, and land these facilities gobble up.

  The move has broad support: Heatmap polling found that a majority of US voters—both Democrats and Republicans—back a national AI data center moratorium (which has been proposed by Senate Democrats).

• • The U.S. Fought the Flesh-Eating Screwworm For Decades

  Now It Must Begin Again
  
  {NBC NEWS}

  June 7, 2026 -The United States spent more than half a century and hundreds of millions of dollars driving the flesh-eating New World screwworm as far from its borders as possible. Now, it’s back.

  The species can eat the tissue of any warm-blooded animal, but it’s a particular threat to livestock and is often fatal for cattle. Some environmentally minded bioethicists have openly debated whether it would be moral to deliberately drive the screwworm into extinction.

• • Leaking Chemicals Found At Another WA Mill, Records Show

  WA Industrial Spill Leaves Hundreds More Fish Dead

  

  June 7, 2026 -Toxic and highly corrosive chemicals — similar to those spilled in the fatal disaster at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging mill late last month — are leaking out of another pulp mill some 90 miles to the northwest, federal records show.

  This second mill, Cosmo Specialty Fibers, has been closed and degrading for years, accumulating millions of dollars in fines from state and federal agencies. The mill has a longer and more severe history of environmental violations than the Nippon Dynawave facility.

• • Colorado River States Suggest Mediation As Water Supplies Near Crisis

  Federal and State Authorities Said There's Hope For New Supplies In the Future
  
  {Yahoo!News}

  June 6, 2026 -Negotiators for some of the seven states competing for dwindling Colorado River water supplies say they're disappointed in a federal plan to adopt only short-term fixes in coming years, and they think going to mediation could help reach a longer-lasting agreement.

  The Trump administration's Bureau of Reclamation has said that, lacking a seven-state agreement to guide operations and cutbacks to arrest the loss of reservoir storage, it intends to create a 10-year "framework" with new rules to be imposed every two years. The lead negotiators for Colorado and Nevada appeared on stage at a June 5 conference and both said such a plan lacks the certainty that their water users need when deciding on investments.

• • Screwworm Flies and Drought Spell
  Tougher Times for Cattle Ranchers

  Some Texans Fear “the Nightmares and the Horrors” of a Potential Screwworm Outbreak

  

  June 6, 2026 -The discovery of the New World screwworm fly in the United States this week is threatening to further disrupt an already strained cattle business at a moment when many ranchers are also contending with a severe drought.

  The United States herd is at its smallest level in 75 years, even as consumer demand for beef continues to grow. That has driven live cattle prices — and beef prices — higher, which normally would encourage ranchers to begin rebuilding their herds or prompt new ranchers to enter the business. Drought conditions across several states have led to a shortage of grass for grazing, forcing ranchers to sell some of their animals sooner.

• • Ebola Spread In Central Africa Could
  Match 2014 Record Outbreak, US Health Officials Say

  Modelling From US CDC Shows Ebola Spread Could Be On ‘Dangerous Trajectory’

  

  June 6, 2026 -Central Africa’s Ebola outbreak could spread to be similar in scale to the worst outbreak in history, west Africa’s 2014-2016 outbreak that killed more than 11,000 people, according to a new analysis by US health officials.

  The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday published a range of scenarios generated by computer models, from 10,000 cases to more than 20,000. In the west Africa outbreak, more than 28,000 cases were reported.

• • River’s Miraculous Comeback Will
  Restore Your Faith in Nature’s Healing Power

  Mother Nature Proves She’s the Ultimate Comeback Queen With This Jaw-Dropping Recovery
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 6, 2026 -Sometimes nature gets knocked down, but she always gets back up — and this incredible transformation proves it. Breathtaking before-and-after photos from Herefordshire, England, show how the River Lugg has made a miraculous recovery after suffering devastating damage.

  A local farmer had used an 18-ton digger to dredge a section of the river near Leominster, stripping every tree from a mile-long stretch of one of Britain’s most important salmon rivers. The destruction left conservationists heartbroken.

• • 12 Boats Destroyed In Fire At Cottage
  Park Yacht Club In Winthrop, Massachusetts

  The Fire Started Just After 2:30 a.m. at the Cottage Park Yacht Club On Orlando Avenue Near Boston's Logan International Airport
  
  {WCVB5}

  June 6, 2026 -Winthrop Fire Department Chief Stephen Calandra said the fire spread from one boat to another from gasoline that was on top of the water.

  "Twelve boats were lost — very expensive boats," Calandra said. "The challenge (was) the amount of hose line we had to get from the street to the furthest point of the marina. A lot of manpower dragging that line out there."

  Two of the boats that were on fire broke free from the marina.

• • The Scramble to Stockpile Critical Minerals
  Could Drive Up Energy Transition Costs

  Researchers warn that uncoordinated stockpiling could push up prices of minerals needed for clean energy technologies, Delaying Their Roll Out
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  June 5, 2026 -As competition for minerals needed to produce clean energy technologies intensifies, a growing number of countries have resorted to an age-old mechanism to cope with the threat of scarcity: stockpiling.

  The world’s biggest economies are racing to shore up reserves of cobalt, lithium, graphite and rare earths, which are needed to produce batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines and electric systems to wean the global economy off fossil fuels. The same minerals are also increasingly sought after to manufacture military hardware and chips for AI, adding further pressure on supplies.

• • NASA Captures Typhoon Jangmi’s Massive
  Eye in Stunning Nighttime Image

  Typhoon Jangmi Dazzled From Space With a Giant Swirling Eye While Drenching Parts of Japan With Heavy Rain
  
  {SciTechDaily}

  June 5, 2026 -From late May into early June 2026, Typhoon Jangmi slowly tracked north-northwest across the Philippine Sea on a path toward southern Japan. Although the storm moved at a relatively slow pace, it spread intense rainfall across a large area, raising concerns about flooding in several locations.

  A dramatic nighttime image (above) captured by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite shows the typhoon on May 30 at approximately 16:40 Universal Time (1:40 a.m. Japan Standard Time on May 31).

• • A ‘Reforestation Pipeline’ in New Mexico
  Trains Seedlings to Survive in Burn Scars

  Can Seeds From the Toughest Trees Grown In Boot Camp Nurseries Better Endure?

  

  June 5, 2026 -Four years after the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire burned 341,471 acres in northern New Mexico, the massive burn scar from the most destructive blaze in state history still holds vast stretches of leafless, barren and charred trees.

  It’s one of many scorched landscapes across the state—the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) reports that wildland fires have burned more than 5.45 million acres over the past 20 years.

• • UN Report Exposes Unfathomable
  Footprint of Data Centers as AI Booms

  9.3 Trillion Liters of Water
  
  {EARTH.ORG}

  June 5, 2026 -Artificial intelligence (AI) is expanding at breakneck speed, used by hundreds of millions of users and processing billions of queries each day. AI is now one of the most significant drivers of that data center growth. But this growth comes at an unfathomable environmental toll that is at the center of a new eUnited Nations report.

  The report, compiled by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health and published on Wednesday, used primary data from a range of sources to quantify the carbon, water and land footprints of AI’s electricity use across the globe. The numbers are staggering.

• • Ebola Outbreak Could Rival the Worst On Record Unless World Acts

  Heard on All Things Considered
  
  {NPR}

  June 5, 2026 -The Ebola outbreak that's raging in Africa could rival the outbreak that hit West Africa a decade ago, resulting in upwards of 20,000 cases and 4,000 deaths within the next three months alone.

  These projections appear in new analyses from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which modeled just how widespread the current outbreak could get.

• • Polis Declares Statewide Drought
  Emergency as Colorado Enters Phase 3

  Gov. Polis said Colorado is Facing One of the Most Severe Droughts In Its Recorded History
  
  {DENVER7}

  June 5, 2026 - Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday declared a statewide drought emergency as he activated Phase 3 of the state’s drought response plan.

  Colorado’s record-low snowpack and the extreme warmth have triggered water restrictions across the state, including most parts of the Denver metro area, and conditions are only going to get worse as we enter the summer months, officials said.

• • A Goldilocks Moment For RGGI?

  Pressure’s Off?
  
  {POLITICO}

  June 5, 2026 -The Northeast’s cap-and-trade system just posted a record-high price for power plants to pollute.

  But many of the program’s supporters breathed a sigh of relief: They had worried the price might be even higher.

  The latest auction of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which covers electricity-sector emissions for 10 East Coast states, cleared at $35 per ton of carbon.

• • UN Report Exposes Unfathomable
  Footprint of Data Centers as AI Booms

  9.3 Trillion Liters of Water
  
  {EARTH.ORG}

  June 5, 2026 -Artificial intelligence (AI) is expanding at breakneck speed, used by hundreds of millions of users and processing billions of queries each day. AI is now one of the most significant drivers of that data center growth. But this growth comes at an unfathomable environmental toll that is at the center of a new United Nations report.

  The report, compiled by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health and published on Wednesday, used primary data from a range of sources to quantify the carbon, water and land footprints of AI’s electricity use across the globe. The numbers are staggering.

• • The Next Solar Storm Could Knock
  Out Power and Internet Worldwide

  It Could Cause Trillions of Dollars Worth Of Damage and Untold Chaos
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 5, 2026 -Geomagnetic storms occur when a large bubble of superheated gas called plasma is ejected from the surface of the Sun and hits the Earth. This bubble is known as a coronal mass ejection. The plasma of a coronal mass ejection consists of a cloud of protons and electrons, which are electrically charged particles. When these particles reach the Earth, they interact with the magnetic field that surrounds the planet. This interaction causes the magnetic field to distort and weaken, which in turn leads to the strange behavior of the aurora borealis and other natural phenomena.

  The May 2024 storm, rated G5 on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 1-to-5 Geomagnetic Storms scale, disrupted GPS communications enough to throw off tractor guidance, which requires centimeter-level precision.

• • 12 Boats Destroyed In Fire At Cottage
  Park Yacht Club In Winthrop, Massachusetts

  The Fire Started Just After 2:30 a.m. At the Cottage Park Yacht Club On Orlando Avenue Near Boston's Logan International Airport
  
  {WCVB5}

  June 5, 2026 -Winthrop Fire Department Chief Stephen Calandra said the fire spread from one boat to another from gasoline that was on top of the water.

  "Twelve boats were lost — very expensive boats," Calandra said. "The challenge (was) the amount of hose line we had to get from the street to the furthest point of the marina. A lot of manpower dragging that line out there."

  Two of the boats that were on fire broke free from the marina.

• • Tiny Island Nation Just Created Ocean Sanctuary Bigger Than England

  New Sanctuary Safeguards the Legendary Coral Triangle, Home to Earth’s Most Diverse Marine Life
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 4, 2026 -In a stunning victory for ocean conservation, Papua New Guinea has just established one of the world’s largest marine protected areas — a breathtaking 200,000 square kilometers of tropical seas now off-limits to fishing. That’s over 77,000 square miles, larger than the entire United Kingdom.

  The Western Manus Marine Protected Area sits in the legendary Coral Triangle, where the Pacific and Indian Oceans meet in a spectacular explosion of marine biodiversity. This region is home to more coral and fish species than anywhere else on Earth.

• • By 2030 AI Could Use 3% of All Global Electricity
  and More Water Than All Humans Need to Drink Every Year

  As AI models Become Cheaper and More Attractive, They Will Likely Encourage New Uses and Higher Volumes of Use
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 4, 2026 -One argument often used to quell concerns about the rising energy and resource demand of data centres is that artificial intelligence (AI) models will need less in the future as they improve and become more efficient.

  But this seemingly logical thinking is a trap, according to a new United Nations report that quantifies the environmental costs of AI.

  The report estimates that by 2030, AI’s energy use could double to consume 3% of the world’s electricity, produce emissions to equal the UK and deplete more water for cooling than the annual drinking water need of the global population.

• • Flesh-Eating Screwworm Found In Texas,
  Sparking Fears for U.S. Cattle

  The Parasite Was Found In a 3-Week-Old Calf Decades After It Was Largely Eradicated In the U.S.

  

  June 4, 2026 -A case of New World screwworm has been found in Texas six decades after the flesh-eating pest was largely eradicated in the United States, sparking an aggressive response amid fears about its potential impact on the livestock industry.

  The U.S. Agriculture Department confirmed the parasite was detected in the umbilical area of a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County. There have been no further cases detected, and efforts are underway to contain and eradicate it, the agency said in a statement Wednesday.

• • China’s CO2 Climbs 2% In Early
  2026 Due to ‘Wasted’ Wind and Solar

  China Used More Coal and Gas to Generate Electricity Than In the Same Quarter a Year Earlier...
  
  {CarbonBrief}

  June 4, 2026 -Other key findings for the first quarter of 2026 include:There was a 23% year-on-year rise in wind-power capacity and 33% for solar, also a sharp rise in the amount of wind and solar output being “wasted”.

  As a result, emissions in the power sector increased by 4% year-on-year.

  Emissions in other sectors of the economy grew by 1%.

• • Bright City Lights Might Be Making Your Allergies Worse

  Light Pollution Prompts Plants to Shed Pollen Longer and Stronger, According to New Research

  

  June 4, 2026 -If you live in a big, brightly lit city and you feel like allergy season just never ends, you might be right: New research shows that light pollution prompts plants to shed pollen longer, increases the growth of notoriously allergenic ragweed and makes our bodies more prone to allergic reactions, from runny noses to asthma.

  The study, published in the journal PNAS Nexus, focused on the U.S. Northeast and found that trees in cities like New York and Philadelphia start producing pollen earlier in the spring and finish later in the fall compared with places in the same region with low light pollution. The difference could add up to 130 days per year to the allergy season, the researchers found.

• • In First, California City Overwhelmingly
  Votes to Permanently Ban Datacenters

  While Many US City Councils Have Passed Moratoriums, Monterey Park is first where Residents Have Voted On a Ban

  

  June 3, 2026 -Residents in Monterey Park, California, became the first in the US to vote on a permanent ban on datacenters on Tuesday, and early results indicate a resounding victory for the prohibition.

  While many cities and counties have already passed temporary or indefinite moratoriums via their local governments, Monterey Park would be the first to do so through a ballot initiative.

• • Fire Near Sammamish Destroys 2 Buildings, 15 Cars

  The Cause of the Fire Has Yet to Be Determined

  

  June 3, 2026 -A two-alarm fire near Sammamish destroyed two buildings and about 15 cars, and closed down a stretch of Highway 202 in both directions Wednesday morning on the Eastside, authorities.

  Redmond-Fall City Road, or Highway 202, has reopened to traffic, the Washington State Department of Transportation said on X shortly after 10:20 a.m.

• • Arizona and Nevada Agree to Trade
  for Desalinated Pacific Ocean Water

  A Decade-Old Treatment Plant In San Diego County, Calif., Could Leave More Water In the Colorado River For States Facing Severe Shortages

  

  June 3, 2026 -San Diego could sell some of its rights to Colorado River water to Arizona and Nevada under a deal struck Wednesday that could help parched inland states fill a widening gap between water supply and demand.

  The San Diego County Water Authority now has a water surplus thanks to a desalination plant the utility opened a decade ago after facing shortages of its own. Water wouldn’t physically move inland, but the utility wouldn’t draw as much from the river as it’s entitled to.

• • After Longview Implosion, Deal
  Restores Chemical Safety Board Funding

  U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Speaks With Families Who Have Been Affected By the Blast After a Press Conference at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co.

  

  June 3, 2026 -Members of Congress struck an eleventh-hour deal to preserve funding for the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, the independent agency charged with determining what caused the catastrophic implosion at the Longview paper mill.

  A House budget bill had proposed slashing the Chemical Safety Board’s funding by more than 40% — a cut that The Seattle Times reported would have severely limited the agency’s ability to probe last week’s disaster and future industrial catastrophes across the nation.

• • This Jaw-Dropping African Wildlife
  Haven Just Hit a Miraculous Milestone

  It Will Fill Your Heart With Hope
  
  {HEALTHY HAPPY NEWS}

  June 3, 2026 -On Sunday, South African authorities and nature lovers around the world came together to celebrate an absolutely heartwarming milestone—the centenary of Kruger National Park. This breathtaking 7,500-square-mile paradise has been safeguarding African wildlife for an entire century, standing as a shining example of what’s possible when we commit to protecting our planet’s most precious creatures.

  Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment Willie Aucamp kicked off the joyful celebrations at Skukuza Rest Camp, right in the heart of this massive protected area.

• • Mining Triggers Extensive Additional
  Deforestation In Sub-Saharan Africa

  Demand For Minerals Sourced From Sub-Saharan Africa is Expanding Rapidly
  
  {nature}

  June 3, 2026 -If poorly managed, mining expansion poses a key threat to tropical forests across the continent6,7. Here we present a spatiotemporal assessment of mining-driven deforestation of dense forests across Africa, using continent-wide data on post-deforestation land uses and a robust difference-in-differences framework to assess 16,627 mines between 2001 and 2020.

  In total, we find 187,000 hectares of direct mining-driven deforestation, that is, deforestation due to features directly associated with mining operations, such as pits, tailing ponds and spoil heaps. We estimate that mining also triggers an additional 8.0 percentage points (pp; 95% confidence interval (CI): 7.2–8.9 pp) increase in deforestation within 1 km of a mine compared with unmined areas. Increased levels of deforestation (1.1 pp, 95% CI: 0.7–1.5) persist up to 20 km from mines even after ten years.

• • E.U. Steps Up Ocean Monitoring as
  Trump Administration Backs Away

  Days After the U.S. Said It Would Kill a Network of Ocean Monitors, European Officials Pledged to Invest More In Their Version, Calling It a “Necessity”

  

  June 3, 2026 -Days after the Trump administration vowed to dismantle a deep-ocean observation system, the European Union said it would bolster its own monitoring of the world’s oceans to improve climate forecasting and better anticipate changes to marine ecosystems.

  The European Union announcement was long in the works, and not a response to the U.S. pullback. Still, officials in Brussels highlighted the contrast.

• • Inside the Quest to Mine the Bottom of the Sea

  An Unusual Ship, the Hidden Gem, Set Sail In Late 2022 to Test a Daring Idea: How to Mine Valuable Minerals On the Ocean Floor

  

  June 3, 2026 -The Trump administration’s plan to issue mining permits in international waters is controversial. Most nations are cooperating on matters concerning international waters through a decades-old United Nations convention called the Law of the Sea. But the United States hasn’t ratified that treaty and says it has the right, under U.S. law, to issue mining permits outside of territorial waters.

  The United States has received more than a dozen applications from companies hoping to mine or explore the ocean for minerals. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently deemed The Metals Company’s application fit for consideration, paving the way for approval within a year.

• • Past Fire At Longview Mill Suggests Owner Cut Back On Maintenance

  Fire Officials Estimate That a 2023 Blaze at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Pulp and Paper Mill Caused $3.5 Million In Damage

  

  June 3, 2026 -Three years before a deadly tank rupture at a Longview pulp and paper mill, a fire lasting several days raised concerns that the owner had scaled back maintenance at the decades-old facility.

  Crews battled the flames for three days as the fire burned through wood chips — pulp’s core ingredient — and spread from a conveyor belt to a barge, a dock and a maintenance building at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant in July 2023.

• • An Iowa Town Spent $800,000 On a
  New Well. It Pumps Undrinkable Water

  After Shuttering Two Wells For Recurring Nitrate Contamination, the Riverside Community of Princeton May Face Yet Another Costly Fix

  

  June 3, 2026 -Late in 2022, an overly powerful pump caused eight months of costly water main breaks in Princeton, a town of nearly 1,000 residents on the banks of the silty Mississippi River.

  Installing a smaller motor seemed to fix that issue, but revealed a different, all-too-familiar problem: nitrate contamination.

  In 2009, Princeton had capped their 40-year-old auxiliary well after several years of racking up state violations for high nitrate levels.

• • Inside America’s Most Dysfunctional Zoo

  Louisiana Facility Beset By Escapes, Health Hazards and Otters Biting Visitors is Trying to Put Its Checkered Past Behind It
  
  {The Wall STREET JOURNAL}

  June 2, 2026 -There is a Nile crocodile loose somewhere in central Louisiana.

  It’s in good company.

  A private zoo here has also misplaced a Marabou stork, a lynx, two Indian crested porcupines, a family of capybaras, a mob of kangaroos, a flock of flightless Rheas, a herd of water buffalo and an entire safari exhibit of bison, zebras and antelope.

  Now even the founder wants out.

• • It Has the Highest Levels of Toxic Pfas In Drinking Water In Scotland

  But How Did This Remote Island Become Awash With Forever Chemicals?

  

  June 2, 2026 -When the wind picks up on Fair Isle, Britain’s most remote inhabited island, puffs of seafoam start to drift across fields like tumbleweed. The pale yellow blobs are ubiquitous enough to hold their own place in the island’s mythology: known as the butter churned by a local troll, Lukki Minni.

  “When the Atlantic gets going, foam covers the whole island,” says Tommy Hyndman, an artist who moved to the Fair Isle from upstate New York two decades ago. “Your windows get caked and your plants all die from the salt.”

• • New 3D Algorithm Reveals That Massive Snowfall In
  Antarctica Is Driven by Invisible Atmospheric Rivers

  A New Study Shows That Atmospheric Rivers May Be Responsible For Up to 90% of Antarctica’s Annual Precipitation
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 2, 2026 -Atmospheric rivers act like “rivers in the sky,” shuttling intense bands of warm, heavy moisture from lower to higher latitudes. When an atmospheric river encounters cold air or mountainous terrain, the moisture it carries condenses and falls as heavy rain or snow. In Antarctica, the arrival of an atmospheric river can help build surface ice mass. Much of Antarctica is very dry; an atmospheric river can bring the moisture needed to potentially offset some ice loss.

  Antarctica’s varied topography and dry conditions have made detecting atmospheric rivers over the continent challenging. Previous efforts to do so have suggested that atmospheric rivers contribute up to 30% of Antarctica’s total annual precipitation, but these methods may not be capturing the full picture of atmospheric river activity.

• • Drought Task Force Pushes to Advance State to Highest Stage

  Phase 3 - Here We Come
  
  {FOX21}

  June 2, 2026 -The Colorado Drought Task Force is urging Gov. Jared Polis to elevate the state’s drought plan to Phase Three, its highest level. This action is requested to address severe dry conditions, widespread water shortages, and potential major crop losses across Colorado.

  The push for Phase Three comes as state water officials indicate that recent rainfall was insufficient to alleviate the severity of drought in many areas. Implementing this advanced stage of the drought plan would grant Gov. Polis the authority to issue executive orders and could facilitate access to additional state and federal funding, including potentially asking President Donald Trump for a federal disaster declaration.

• • U.S. Chemical Safety Board Faces Steep Cuts During Longview Probe

  The May 26 Implosion Caused a Spill of a Highly Caustic Chemical, Killing 11 Workers at the Pulp and Paper Mill

  

  June 2, 2026 -As federal investigators descend on Longview to make sense of the catastrophic implosion at a pulp and paper mill, Congress is weighing a proposal to cut the investigating agency’s budget by more than 40%.

  The May 26 disaster at Nippon Dynawave Packaging killed 11, tainted the Columbia River and rocked the tight-knit, industrial Southwest Washington community. Gov. Bob Ferguson called it the deadliest industrial incident in modern state history. Within a day, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board launched an inquiry to determine what went wrong and whether similar tragedies could be prevented elsewhere.

• • Arizona and Nevada Agree to Trade
  For Desalinated Pacific Ocean Water

  A Decade-Old Treatment Plant In San Diego County, Calif., Could Leave More Water In the Colorado River For States Facing Severe Shortages

  

  June 2, 2026 -San Diego could sell some of its rights to Colorado River water to Arizona and Nevada under a deal struck Wednesday that could help parched inland states fill a widening gap between water supply and demand.

  The San Diego County Water Authority now has a water surplus thanks to a desalination plant the utility opened a decade ago after facing shortages of its own. Water wouldn’t physically move inland, but the utility wouldn’t draw as much from the river as it’s entitled to.

• • This Remote Island Nation Just Pulled Off
  a Miraculous 92% Drop in Malaria Deaths

  And It’ll Restore Your Faith in Public Health
  
  {HEALTHYHAPYNEWS}

  June 2, 2026 -In a stunning public health triumph that will warm your heart, Papua New Guinea has achieved what many thought impossible — reducing malaria deaths by an incredible 92% using only existing prevention, testing, and treatment methods.

  The remote Pacific island nation, which accounts for roughly 90% of all malaria cases in the entire Western Pacific region, has seen its malaria death rate plummet from 13 per 100,000 inhabitants to just 1.

  Lucy Dally, Papua New Guinea’s national malaria coordinator, presented this remarkable achievement that demonstrates how determined public health efforts can create miraculous, life-saving results even in the most challenging environments.

  The success story is particularly uplifting because it relied entirely on accessible, proven interventions rather than waiting for new vaccines or cutting-edge technology. Through dedicated use of mosquito nets, rapid testing, and timely treatment with existing medications, health workers across PNG’s remote villages and islands created a transformation that’s saving thousands of lives.

• • How England’s Largest Forest Went
  From Commodity to Conservation Haven

  Kielder in Northumberland is Balancing Commercial Production With Conserving Peatland and Rare Plants and Animals

  

  June 2, 2026 -Driving through part of Northumberland, you might look around at the tall Sitka spruce and imagine yourself in Canada’s evergreen forests, or perhaps, on a sunny day, in northern California. Instead, you are in England’s largest forest, Kielder, often heralded as a success story that balances commercial production with ambitious conservation.

  The first trees of this 60,000-hectare forest were planted 100 years ago with one aim: increasing Britain’s timber reserves. Much has changed since then. From a single-use plantation, Kielder Forest has been transformed into a haven for nature and an invaluable environmental asset.

• • Kenyan Court Extends Order Blocking
  U.S. Hospital For American Ebola Patients

  The Court Extended For Seven Days Its Order Stopping the Opening of the U.S. Field Hospital

  

  June 2, 2026 -Kenya’s High Court on Tuesday extended its order to halt a Trump administration plan to establish a field hospital for Americans exposed to or infected with Ebola.

  The facility, which was constructed by the U.S. military — with Kenyan government approval — on an air base on the outskirts of Nanyuki, a town in central Kenya, had been set to open on Friday but was blocked by an initial court decision.

  The facility, which was constructed by the U.S. military — with Kenyan government approval — on an air base on the outskirts of Nanyuki, a town in central Kenya, had been set to open on Friday but was blocked by an initial court decision.

• • Funnel Clouds Spotted Around Colorado
  During Severe Weather Monday

  One funnel Cloud Was Spotted in Douglas County Near Castle Rock Around 1:30 p.m. On Monday
  
  {energy central}

  June 1, 2026 -Monday has brought severe weather across Colorado, with golf-ball-sized hail hitting several areas, thunderstorms and strong winds all in play.

  Chief among the severe weather are funnel clouds, which have been spotted in different locations across the state, even leading to a tornado warning around Watkins, Strasburg and Bennett.

• • Emergency Fish Salvage In Place At
  Reservoir On Colorado's Eastern Plains

  Monday Marks the Start of an Emergency Fish Salvage Due to The Reservoir Drying Up
  
  {CBS NEWS}

  June 1, 2026 -Officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife are encouraging everyone with a valid Colorado fishing license to come and catch fish at Nee Noshe Reservoir in Kiowa County.

  CPW says they're making the move due to the ongoing drought and reduced reservoir operations. Jim Ramsay, CPW Aquatic Biologist, said the "reservoir is unlikely to refill in the foreseeable future."

• • Tiny Wildflowers Cleaning Up Toxic Mining
  Sites Will Restore Your Faith in the Planet

  Nature’s Miracle Workers
  
  {HEALTHYHAPYNEWS}

  June 1, 2026 -In what can only be described as nature’s own cleanup crew, a remarkable group of wildflowers is performing an environmental miracle across Europe’s former mining landscapes. These incredible plants, known as metallophytes, are thriving in soil that would kill most vegetation—and they’re actually making it clean again.

  Across the rolling hills and semi-mountainous terrain of northern England and other European regions scarred by centuries of lead and zinc mining, something beautiful is happening. Where toxic soil once rendered the land barren and lifeless, vibrant carpets of wildflowers now bloom in stunning abundance.

• • A Chemical Production Loophole Could Delay
  the Recovery of Earth’s Ozone Layer By Up to 11 Years

  If Left Unchecked, Unaccounted-For Emissions of Ozone-Harming Substances Could Delay the Layer’s Full Recovery By Almost a Decade
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 1, 2026 -A hole in the Montreal Protocol could delay the recovery of Earth’s ozone layer by about 7 years. New research found that the use of ozone-depleting substances used as feedstocks—chemicals used in the making of other chemicals—has not waned over time. In fact, their use has increased since the treaty’s adoption in 1987.

  “The Montreal Protocol is such a success story that these ozone-harming sources are becoming relevant. A few decades ago, they were drowned out,” said Luke Western, who researches greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Western is a coauthor of a new study on the findings published in Nature Communications.

• • Rocket Launches Are Turning the Upper
  Atmosphere Into an Accidental Climate Experiment

  Pollution From Satellite Megaconstellations Could Account For 42% of the Space Sector’s Climate Impact By 2029
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  June 1, 2026 -For most of the space age, rocket launches were rare. Their environmental impact was also negligible. A plume here, a plume there, nothing too damaging. The pollution they left behind was incomparably small compared with cars, power plants and heavy industry.

  That is changing fast.

  New study led by researchers at University College London (UCL) finds that pollution from satellite “megaconstellations” (vast networks of internet satellites launched in batches) is accumulating in the upper atmosphere. By 2029, these systems could account for 42% of the total climate impact from space-sector pollution, even though the megaconstellation boom is only a few years old.

• • Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Monitoring System

  The $368 Million Network of Instruments Collecting Data In Both the Atlantic and Pacific Has Been Critical to Climate and Ocean Research

  

  June 1, 2026 -The Trump administration is dismantling a $368 million deep-ocean observation system that was put in place a decade ago to monitor coastal environments, marine ecosystems and powerful currents that affect the global climate.

  The National Science Foundation said it would send ships in June to begin removing more than 900 deep-sea instruments anchored off Oregon, Washington State, Alaska, North Carolina, and an area between Greenland and Iceland known as the Irminger Sea.

• • The Fight to Protect Pollinators and People
  From the ‘Pesticides That Are Everywhere’

  Neonics Are Contaminating Ecosystems and Communities

  

  June 1, 2026 -Born and raised in Colorado, Cory Kreft began working on a honey farm at 15 years old. He returned to beekeeping after college, eventually buying the business from his former boss. But in 2021, his bees suddenly began dying. He lost 85 percent of his hives. The losses continued the next year, and the next. After extensive testing, he identified the culprit: a relatively new class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, often shortened to neonics.

  These chemicals are commonly used to coat crop seeds before planting, ostensibly to protect the plant from pests and insects during early growth. Thanks in part to a federal regulatory loophole, the use of neonic-treated seed has quietly exploded in recent years, with little regulation or oversight. Almost all conventional corn and more than half of soy seed in the U.S. is now treated with neonics.

• • Coral Reefs in French Polynesia Are Stuck Between Life and Death

  Scientists’ Discovery of Hollowed Coral Skeletons After a 2019 Bleaching Event Reveals a Reef That Isn’t Coming Back

  

  June 1, 2026 -On the island of Moorea, in French Polynesia, deep green volcanic mountains slope from high peaks down towards the sea. But they don’t stop at the shore. The ridgelines of ancient lava flows stretch underwater, providing the perfect rocky substrate for a coral reef.

  Between the ancient rock formations, blacktip reef sharks swish their tails over a sandy seabed. And on these underwater mountains, the reef once thrived.

  In the middle of the South Pacific, 2,700 miles south of Hawaii, Moorea is known within the coral science community as an incredibly resilient place. But a new study has uncovered a peculiar phenomenon never before seen in scientific literature: hollowed-out dead corals are being structurally maintained by an encrusting algae.

• • China Enters Its Flood Season; Heavy Rain Expected In the South

  China Has Officially Entered Its Flood Season, With the South of the Country Expected To See Heavy Rainfall in June

  

  June 1, 2026 -Rainfall in the northern part of north China, south China, and parts of southwest China is expected to be 10% to 20% above average, Xinhua said.

  However, southern parts of north China, parts of northwest China, and the basins of the Yellow, Yangtze, and Huai rivers will see 10% to 20% less rainfall than average. Rainfall in the rest of the country is expected ?to remain near normal, Xinhua said.

  Major rivers in the Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake systems in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the Xi and Han rivers in the Pearl River basin, the Qiantang River in Zhejiang province, and the Minjiang River in Fujian province could see flooding exceeding warning levels, Xinhua reported, citing the ministry.

• • 2025 Wildfires Were the Costliest Ever, Researchers Say

  Severe, Hard-To-Control Blazes In Densely Populated Areas Like Los Angeles Drove the Year’s Record Losses

  

  May 31, 2026 -Even though the total area burned was relatively small, 2025 was the most economically damaging wildfire year on record, according to a new analysis published on Sunday.

  The Los Angeles fires and a handful of severe blazes in other countries, including South Korea and Spain, drove up losses worldwide to at least $54 billion, the study estimates. It was the highest level of insured losses on record.

• • Iran War Forces Farmers to Seek Fertilizer
  Alternatives From Cow Dung to Compost

  Concerns Grow About Food Security

  

  May 31, 2026 -When Senegalese farmer Abou Sow first watched U.S. missiles strike Iran on social media, he had a sinking feeling it would soon affect agriculture in the West African nation. Since the war began on Feb. 28, fertilizer prices have risen by 40%.

  Sow was better prepared than most. Eight years ago, he gave up chemical fertilizers for organic compost and other natural sources. He now rallies farmers in Senegal to buy manure from local herders and gives advice on how to make a rich compost, picking out wriggling worms – a healthy sign.

• • Longview Dead Fish Count Nears 2,000 After Pulp Mill Disaster

  The Numbers Have Steadily Increased Day to Day

  

  May 31, 2026 -Response crews in Longview saw a major jump in the number of dead fish days after an implosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging pulp and paper mill released many gallons of harmful chemicals into the environment.

  Authorities stressed that the city of Longview continues to have safe drinking water and clean air, and that efforts to dilute Columbia River contamination have succeeded. The industrial disaster killed 11 workers Tuesday.

• • Meteor Caused Boom Heard Across Massachusetts and Northeast

  Before the Confirmation From the American Meteor Society, StormTeam 5 Said a Meteor Was Possible
  
  {WCVB5}

  May 30, 2026 -A boom that rattled Massachusetts and other states in the Northeast Saturday afternoon was caused by a 3-foot wide meteor entering the atmosphere near the Massachusetts and New Hampshire border, the American Meteor Society said.

  Multiple witnesses shared video of the sudden boom. All were recorded at approximately 2:11 p.m.

  At approximately that same time, NOAA's GOES-19 weather satellite Geostationary Lightning Mapper shows a burst over the Massachusetts coast.

• • Southern Colorado Air Quality Health Advisory In Efect

  The Department Warns That This Increases the Likelihood of Respiratory Symptoms and Breathing Discomfort In Active Children and Adults
  
  {KRDO}

  May 30, 2026 -The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for Saturday afternoon.

  The advisory impacts Teller, El Paso, Pueblo and eastern Fremont Counties. Locations include, but are not limited to, Cripple Creek, Colorado Springs, Canon City and Pueblo, according to CDPHE.

• • Southern Colorado Cities Lift Burn
  Restrictions, But Continue Urging Caution

  ‘We’re Definitely In Better Shape Than We Were’
  
  {KKTV11}

  May 30, 2026 -On Friday, both Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs lifted their burn restrictions.

  They both cited the recent rainfall, which created different conditions than what they had been prepared for.

  During winter, southern Colorado saw a warm and dry period, with experts predicting a warm and dry summer, setting the stage for skyrocketing fire danger.

  “And because of science, the fuel moisture, the weather lately, basically everybody has decided to move out of burn restrictions for now,” Lt. Michael Willie with the Manitou Springs Fire Department said.

• • Nobody Can Agree How to Keep the Sharks
  Out of South Africa’s New Club Med

  The Resort Opens In July, But Plans to Install a Net In the Indian Ocean Are In Limbo As Scientists Encourage Alternative Measures to Ease Fears
  
  {THE WALL STREET JOURNAL}

  May 30, 2026 -Club Med’s expansion into South Africa has run into a problem—and this one’s got teeth.

  The waters off the Indian Ocean coast where throngs of swimmers will soon congregate are home to the world’s three most-dangerous shark species.

  The local government has proposed an old tactic to keep high-paying guests at the luxury resort from becoming chum: Putting a shark net adjacent to the beach.

• • Air Monitors Used in California Tank
  Crisis Were Inadequate in the Past

  Leaving Returning Residents Uneasy

  

  May 30, 2026 -The day before his 41st birthday, Hernando Morales found himself hurrying his one-year-old into the backseat of his car when an industrial tank just over a mile away from his apartment threatened to explode and release toxic chemicals throughout the area.

  Five days later, local officials said it was safe and his family was allowed to return to Garden Grove.

• • Cancer and CAFOS

  Large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs, Can Contain Thousands of Animals In Tight Quarters to Maximize Production
  
  {living on earth}

  May 30, 2026 -Many people know smoking tobacco or spraying certain pesticides can elevate the risk of cancer, but few of us know that living in a county with a lot of large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs may also raise cancer risk.

  But that perception may be changing, thanks to experts at Yale University reporting in Environmental Research who examined cancer prevalence in three states, comparing counties with more of these massive operations to counties with less. CAFOs pack thousands of animals together to produce meat, dairy, and eggs, and large ones have more than a thousand cows, 2,500 pigs or 30,000 chickens, and supply most of the meat you buy at the grocery store. Critics have long raised ethical questions about CAFOs, the unpleasant odors and the climate costs of related methane emissions.

  This research showing an association between CAFOs and cancer prevalence does not provide conclusive proof, but it does ask questions about possible mechanisms such as air and water pollution.

• • All 11 Victims Recovered and Identified In Longview Implosion

  Eleven Employees of the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Mill Who Died When a Tank Imploded Tuesday Have Been Identified

  

  May 30, 2026 -At a news conference Saturday, Cowlitz County Coroner Dana Tucker confirmed nine victims had been recovered from the site of what she called “one of the most significant tragedies our community has experienced since the eruption of Mount St. Helens.”

  Two others had died after being rushed from the scene by ambulance. Of seven other workers who were injured, at least five had been discharged from hospitals.

• • Electrification Emerges as COP31 Priority

  The Turkish COP31 President Has Called For “a Truly Global Conversation” About Shifting the Global Energy System From Fossil Fuels to Electricity
  
  {CLIMATE HOME NEWS}

  May 20, 2026 -The Turkish and Australian COP31 host governments and the International Renewable Energy Agency have called for a stronger global push to run vehicles, industry and buildings on electricity rather than fossil fuels, ahead of this year's COP31 climate talks.

  COP31 President Murat Kurum told the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial on Wednesday that governments should be "decarbonising the way we generate electricity, but also expanding electrification into every sphere of life".

• • Rescuers Free 4 Men Who Had Been Trapped in a Flooded Laos Cave

  Searching For 2 Still Missing
  
  {WCVB5}

  May 30, 2026 -Rescue workers in Laos said Saturday they have safely evacuated four villagers trapped in a flooded cave for 10 days, the day after another one was successfully extracted. Two men remain missing.

  Lao and Thai rescue groups posted about the successful operation on social media, along with photos of the men lying on stretchers, wearing oxygen masks and being wrapped in foil blankets.

  The villagers had reportedly entered the cave last week to look for valuable minerals before being trapped by flash flooding that blocked their way out. One other villager escaped in time and alerted the authorities to the seven left behind.