Carmakers that try to cheat vehicle emissions tests could face unlimited fines and criminal charges under proposals set out on Thursday by the British government.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) quietly released data showing a record-breaking surge in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels in 2024, raising fears that Earth's natural ability to absorb carbon is faltering.
NOAA recorded a 3.7 parts per million jump in atmospheric carbon dioxide in 2024, the largest increase on record, but minimized the announcement through low-profile social media posts instead of a public report.
Internal sources revealed the Trump administration pressured NOAA to downplay climate communications, aligning with broader efforts to dismantle the agency’s climate science programs.
Scientists warn the surge may indicate that ecosystems like forests and wetlands, historically carbon sinks, are degrading faster under the stress of climate change, drought, and wildfires.
Key quote:
“In my opinion, there is no reason to believe that this will not continue with further dry years in the future.”
— Philippe Ciais, climate scientist at France's Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace
Why this matters:
Forests, wetlands, and other ecosystems historically soaked up vast amounts of carbon, slowing the pace of climate change. But droughts, wildfires, and other climate-driven stresses are undermining these carbon sinks, allowing more greenhouse gases to build up in the atmosphere. Scientists fear this could create a dangerous feedback loop, where warming fuels more ecosystem collapse, which in turn accelerates warming. As fossil fuel emissions remain stubbornly high, the diminishing resilience of Earth’s natural systems threatens to push the planet past climate tipping points faster than predicted. This shift not only complicates efforts to meet international climate goals but also jeopardizes biodiversity, water supplies, and public health across the globe.
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The Trump administration’s attempt to position fossil fuels as Europe’s best bet for energy security landed flat at a major summit in London, where most leaders emphasized a future rooted in clean energy.
At an energy security summit in London, U.S. officials urged European leaders to view clean energy transitions as a strategic vulnerability to China, but their arguments were largely dismissed.
European leaders, including U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, affirmed their commitment to building clean energy industries domestically rather than increasing reliance on American fossil fuels.
Some European officials acknowledged the risks of depending on Chinese supply chains but stressed that energy security lies in growing homegrown cleantech rather than clinging to fossil fuels.
Key quote:
“It was ideology versus reality, and this time ideology seemed pretty quiet and out of place, fundamentally missing the point.”
— Pete Chalkley, director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit thinktank
Why this matters:
Europe’s clean energy pivot represents not only an environmental strategy but a geopolitical one: reducing reliance on both Russia’s gas and China’s manufacturing dominance. As the costs of renewable energy plummet and climate impacts intensify, Europe’s bet on cleantech could position it as a global leader in innovation and resilience. Meanwhile, clinging to fossil fuels carries environmental and economic risks, including price volatility, stranded assets, and pollution that worsens public health. The tension between fossil fuel expansion and clean energy investment reflects broader battles over sovereignty, job creation, and long-term prosperity in an increasingly unstable world.
As the planet warms, infectious diseases transmitted through air, water, and vectors like mosquitoes are expanding into new regions, complicating public health responses worldwide.
Warmer temperatures and extreme weather events are fueling the spread of respiratory, waterborne, and mosquito-borne diseases by creating favorable conditions for pathogens and vectors.
Urbanization, habitat disruption, and human migration are intensifying vulnerability to infectious diseases, especially in low-resource areas with fragile public health systems.
Community-driven actions like waste cleanup and larval source reduction, combined with climate-linked early warning systems, are emerging as critical strategies to fight disease outbreaks.
Key quote:
"You have this convergence of crises—the climate crisis overlapping with the pollution crisis."
— Angelle Desiree LaBeaud, physician-scientist, epidemiologist, and professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stanford University’s School of Medicine
Why this matters:
Infectious diseases no longer respect the seasonal and geographic boundaries that once shaped their spread. As the climate warms, mosquito-borne viruses like dengue and Zika are creeping into new territories, while bacteria flourish in floodwaters and heat-stricken soils. Rapid urbanization and conflict-driven displacement further accelerate the problem, exposing millions to new health threats with little warning. Public health systems, especially in the Global South, are often ill-equipped to adapt, lacking affordable diagnostics, treatments, or comprehensive surveillance. Meanwhile, plastic pollution compounds the crisis, offering breeding grounds for disease vectors and surfaces for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. The environmental and health consequences ripple outward, affecting ecosystems, economies, and human lives across borders.
Indigenous leaders at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues pushed for the recognition of traditional knowledge and land rights while a U.S. representative’s pro-Trump remarks were met with silence.
Indigenous women from around the world described their role as defenders of land and culture, calling for equal respect for traditional knowledge alongside scientific research.
U.S. representative Edward Heartney’s praise for former President Donald Trump’s economic initiatives for Indigenous women received no applause, contrasting with broader forum discussions focused on cultural preservation and justice.
Activists like Quannah ChasingHorse denounced U.S. oil and gas leasing policies, arguing they violate Indigenous rights and threaten critical ecosystems.
Key quote:
"We’re not complaining. We’re not begging. We’re acting."
— Tarcila Rivera Zea, Quechua activist and forum panelist
Why this matters:
Indigenous women sit at a vital intersection between environmental stewardship and human rights. Around the world, they hold generations of knowledge about how to live sustainably within fragile ecosystems, yet they often face violence, political marginalization, and economic displacement. Climate change accelerates the threats to their communities, lands, and ways of life. Development projects — often framed as economic opportunities — can mask environmental destruction and deepen colonial patterns of resource extraction. When policymakers prioritize short-term economic growth over cultural survival and biodiversity, it jeopardizes not just Indigenous communities but global environmental health.
After a sweeping dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, conservation projects protecting wildlife, forests, and ecosystems across dozens of countries are collapsing due to funding cuts.
USAID, once a major funder of international conservation, has been gutted by Trump’s executive actions, halting thousands of environmental projects.
Conservation organizations, from the Amazon to Southeast Asia, are shutting down or scrambling for funding as billions in U.S. aid vanish.
Former partners warn that broken trust with local communities and governments could have long-term effects on conservation and governance.
Key quote:
“All of that work was just stopped overnight. And the way it was done was impossible to plan for and very difficult to recover from.”
— Zeb Hogan, co-lead of the Wonders of the Mekong project
Why this matters:
USAID played a unique role in tying environmental protection to humanitarian development, a crucial bridge in countries with fragile ecosystems and governance. Its collapse leaves critical conservation areas — rainforests, rivers, savannahs — exposed to exploitation, and local communities without support for managing natural resources sustainably. The sudden withdrawal risks tipping vulnerable regions into greater instability, undermining years of trust-building with indigenous communities and conservation networks. Without stable funding, wildlife crime could spike, and natural carbon sinks like the Amazon and Congo Basin may be further degraded, accelerating global climate risks. Furthermore, the erosion of U.S. influence in conservation leaves space for illicit interests to fill the vacuum, threatening not just biodiversity but also local economies and health outcomes tied to intact environments.
As Belém prepares to host the Cop30 climate summit this November, critics warn that new development projects meant to welcome 50,000 visitors are deepening environmental and social divides in the Amazon’s gateway city.
Belém’s Cop30 preparations have led to widespread tree clearance and new road construction, alarming conservationists who fear a permanent loss of urban greenery.
State governor Helder Barbalho insists the infrastructure improvements will benefit residents long term and position Pará as a leader in Amazon reforestation and carbon credit generation.
Civil society groups plan to hold parallel protests and events, but concerns persist about police crackdowns and whether these efforts will meaningfully influence official negotiations.
Key quote:
“We are about to lose the battle of the 1.5C goal [of limiting global heating above preindustrial levels] of Paris, and the only consensus among the nations that claim to be leaders of humanity – the US, China, Russia and Europe – is to put more money into buying weapons.”
— Caetano Scannavino, coordinator of the Health and Happiness Project in the Amazon
Why this matters:
The Amazon rainforest plays a crucial role in regulating the planet’s climate, absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide and supporting an intricate web of biodiversity. Belém’s rapid development ahead of Cop30 highlights a painful paradox: Efforts to spotlight environmental action are themselves contributing to habitat destruction and social inequity. As new roads, airports and hotels rise, long-standing Indigenous and local communities face displacement and environmental degradation. Loss of tree cover in tropical cities also intensifies urban heat islands, strains public health, and diminishes resilience to climate change. Globally, this moment underscores how political and economic pressures often compromise even the most urgent climate initiatives.
President Donald Trump's latest push to revive the coal industry by loosening regulations and encouraging new mining projects has sparked hope among many West Virginians, though experts caution the industry's economic decline may be irreversible.
Trump issued executive orders this month to expand coal mining on federal land and weaken emissions standards, renewing hope among many in West Virginia's coal country.
Economists and energy experts argue that market forces — not regulations — are driving coal's decline, and that deregulation is unlikely to reverse the trend.
While coal remains central to West Virginia’s cultural identity, employment in the industry has dropped sharply from a peak of over 130,000 workers in the 1950s to just over 11,000 today.
Key quote:
"It’s not the EPA, it’s not Democrats that declared this war on coal. It was capitalism and natural gas. And being honest about the reasons for coal’s decline is the least we can do for coal-dependent communities instead of lying to them, which the Trump administration is doing."
— Tyson Slocum, energy program director at Public Citizen
Why this matters:
Coal shaped West Virginia’s economy and culture for generations, providing stable, often high-paying jobs in a region with historically high poverty rates. But shifts toward cheaper, cleaner energy sources like natural gas and renewables have gutted the industry. Despite political promises, coal's decline reflects long-term economic and technological trends, not just regulatory decisions. Clinging to coal may delay the urgent transition needed to safeguard public health and the environment, as burning coal remains a major source of deadly air pollution and greenhouse gases. Meanwhile, communities left behind face hard choices about how to preserve their way of life while adapting to a changing energy landscape. Understanding the limits of political action versus market realities is critical for shaping just and sustainable futures for regions like Appalachia.
