A (non-comprehensive) list of interesting and relevant climate change, climate policy, and environmental justice stories.
World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target. Planet is headed for at least 2.5C of heating with disastrous results for humanity, poll of hundreds of scientists finds. (read the full story here)
G7 offers tepid response to appeal for “bolder” climate action. Climate and energy ministers from G7 nations agreed a coal exit deadline – with a caveat, but made little progress on other fossil fuels and finance. (read the full story here)
‘More than a number’: Global plastic talks need community experts. Frontline leaders who know the effects of plastic-related pollution want a global treaty that puts public health, human rights and the environment first. (read the full story here)
Hopes fade for production curbs in new global pact on plastic pollution. With no further talks scheduled on limiting plastic production before final negotiations in November, the treaty may focus instead on recycling. (read the full story here)
How Shadowy Corporations, Secret Deals and False Promises Keep Retired Coal Plants From Being Redeveloped. Communities across the Great Lakes are struggling to make use of massive properties that are too polluted to sell and too costly to clean. (read the full story here)
Twenty-Five Years After Maryland Deregulated Its Retail Energy Market, a Huge Win Looms For Energy Justice Advocates. Senate Bill 1 adds new consumer protections and regulatory oversight to Maryland’s retail electricity and gas markets to protect Marylanders, especially low-income residents, from being preyed on by energy vendors. (read the full story here)
Climate Change Is Pushing Animals Closer to Humans, With Potentially Catastrophic Consequences. As temperatures warm, some animals are expanding their geographic range—and overlapping with humans. (read the full story here)
Venezuela may be the first nation in modern history to lose all its glaciers after climate scientists downgraded its last one to an ice field. The International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), a scientific advocacy organization, said on X that the South American nation’s only remaining glacier – the Humboldt, or La Corona, in the Andes – had become “too small to be classed as a glacier”. (read the full story here)