11-4: Five quick things for your Saturday

Winter's coming. We all have chores to do. Let's make this simple: Five quick hits to keep you up to date on our environment and health.



Gov't climate report at odds with Trump and his team

Coverage of the federal climate assessment takes Trump to task:

AP's Seth Borenstein:

As President Donald Trump touts new oil pipelines and pledges to revive the nation's struggling coal mines, federal scientists are warning that burning fossil fuels is already driving a steep increase in the United States of heat waves, droughts and floods.

Our new look and feedback

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It's time to be loud: We deliver news that drives the discussion on environmental health and climate change.

Drop us a line at feedback@ehn.org ("Attaboys" always welcome).

Three top stories for Saturday

  1. New Jersey sets new PFOA level below Vermont standard. New Jersey last week set its safe drinking water standard for the chemical PFOA at 14 parts per trillion, 30 percent lower than Vermont's standard. (Vermont Public Radio)
  2. Louisville neighborhoods use trees to fend off heart disease. The poets were right all along: Trees are a drug, in ways marvelous and often misunderstood. We underestimate at our peril the powers of a walk in the woods. (USA Today) (thanks to Univ. of Louisville's Alex Carll for pointing us to that story)
  3. Will the bird that dodged a bullet pay the price of peace? "Armed conflict is good for preventing deforestation." (Mike Shanahan, Under the Banyan)

One must-read opinion

As ice shelves crumble and the Twitter president threatens to pull out of the Paris accord, author Jonathan Franzen reflects on the role of the writer in time of crisis (The Guardian)

One beautiful thing

Those are my kids (and dog), at 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday. Eleven inches of snow fell overnight in Bozeman, Montana.

It's ski swap weekend here, and people are already to find a sweet deal on winter gear. I told my kids we weren't moving the car until the driveway was clear.

Amazing how much energy a motivated kid has.

Today's gift in Bozeman is reminder for us all: Get outside and enjoy the weather. It's beautiful out there.

A large truck driving through a flooded street

Are Canadians more afraid of floods — or flood maps?

Canada’s outdated flood maps put people at risk. In Montreal, a battle over updating them highlights a nationwide worry over home values and insurance costs
A herd of cows in a green field looking at the camera

In Denmark, sick cows and a lot of questions

Farmers blame a food additive required by the Danish government to cut methane emissions, but the source is unclear.
A deforested area with green forest behind it

Major Brazilian grain traders quit Amazon conservation pact

Several of Brazil’s largest grain traders are withdrawing from a nearly two-decade-old agreement that restricts soy purchases linked to Amazon deforestation.

A refinery at night in front of a water source

What Trump’s Venezuela strategy means for Black communities

Environmental justice advocates warn that refining Venezuelan oil will concentrate more pollution and cancer risk in majority-Black communities along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast.

An illustration of a turtle with plastic in its mouth, surrounded by plastic bottles

Microplastics are undermining the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon

Research reveals microplastics may impair the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, weakening a natural buffer against climate change.
A view of solar panels and wind turbines with mountains in the background

A year of clean energy milestones

Even as the Trump administration rolled back support for renewable energy in the U.S., wind, solar, and electric vehicles made huge strides globally in 2025.

A Greenland glacier receding from a brown and gray valley
Credit: Visit Greenland/Unsplash

Scientists just got some ancient clues about future sea-level rise — and it’s bad news

Rock samples collected from the Greenland ice sheet’s Prudhoe Dome show it completely melted in the past 10,000 years — and could vanish again amid climate change.
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

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