"EPA Administrator Michael Regan and White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi arrived at international climate negotiations in the United Arab Emirates late last year with a big announcement: The Biden team had finalized a major climate rule aimed at slashing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. But nearly three months later, the rule hasn’t been officially printed by the government."
"Home builders have used their political muscle to prevent states and cities from adopting the latest code, which would lower the climate impact of new houses".
"American liquefied natural gas exports surged from basically nothing just eight years ago to a formidable force reshaping domestic and global politics. Now, thanks to the Biden administration’s recent pause on approvals of new LNG projects, it’s become the hottest topic in U.S. energy news. It’s also one of the most confusing."
"Aid for victims of climate change is in danger of being delayed as wealthy countries brawl over who gets to sit on the board of a new global fund."
"Many of the world’s biggest financial firms spent the past several years burnishing their environmental images by pledging to use their financial muscle to fight climate change. Now, Wall Street has flip-flopped."
When Inside Story co-editor Rocky Kistner reviewed video statements from first-place winners of the Society of Environmental Journalists 2023 reporting awards, he found a series of striking insights into the work of environmental journalism. From environment as a true crime story and going beyond the headlines, to covering communities at risk and through powerful interests, a look at nine highly effective approaches to telling environmental stories.
"Wearing a lab coat, Eve Vitale asked a chemistry class at Warren Mott High School if anyone had heard anything bad about plastics. Hands shot up. It doesn’t degrade, said one student. It hurts the environment, said another. But “that’s not really the plastic’s fault,” said Vitale, chief executive of the Society of Plastics Engineers Foundation, a group of industry professionals. “That’s the fault of humanity.”"
"After a year of record-breaking air pollution from wildfire smoke, real estate brokerage Redfin has begun publishing air quality data in its home listings. Now, buyers can see how many days a year on average a particular area will experience poor air quality, and whether that number is projected to increase over time."
"Climate activists led the charge against LNG exports, but they’re not the only ones celebrating Biden’s pause."
"As states across the country roll back how much they pay rooftop-solar owners for the surplus electricity they send back to the grid, Puerto Rico is bucking the trend, protecting its generous solar credits until at least the end of the decade."
