environmental-health
Newsletter
Interior secretary tilts energy policy toward fossil fuels, sidelining renewables
A push for fossil fuel dominance is reshaping U.S. energy policy under Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, leaving wind, solar, and carbon capture outside fast-tracked development plans.
In short:
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, once an advocate for carbon neutrality and renewables as North Dakota’s governor, is now backing policies that favor fossil fuel expansion under President Trump.
- A new emergency permitting plan speeds up approval for oil, gas, and mineral projects while excluding wind, solar, and carbon capture — moves critics say reflect bias and will invite legal challenges.
- Environmental groups argue that the administration is favoring wealthy fossil fuel corporations over rural communities, while industry groups praise efforts to accelerate permitting for traditional energy sources.
Key quote:
“The country is producing far more oil and gas than it can use while experiencing a clean energy boom. It is clear that the administration is pandering to fossil fuel corporations already flush with tremendous wealth while denying Americans [a voice] — especially farmers, ranchers, and other rural Americans throughout the West most affected by fossil energy projects.”
— Barbara Vasquez, board chair, Western Organization of Resource Councils
Why this matters:
The shift away from an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy signals a dramatic federal turn toward fossil fuels at a time when global climate impacts and energy transition efforts are accelerating. Excluding wind, solar, and carbon capture technologies from fast-track permitting processes could suppress investment in renewables, hinder emissions reduction goals, and stall innovation just as extreme weather events, droughts, and air quality issues intensify across the country. Interior’s influence over public lands also means that vast swaths of American territory may be opened to fossil fuel extraction without comprehensive environmental reviews to consider impacts on resources like water and biodiversity.
Related: Trump’s push to sway Europe on fossil fuels clashes with clean energy momentum
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Credit: Max Böttinger/Unsplash
Pacific island nations demand faster climate action from wealthy countries ahead of Cop30
Pacific island states are urging wealthy nations to deliver ambitious, detailed climate plans before September to prevent global temperatures from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In short:
- Pacific island states warned that delays by wealthy countries in submitting climate action plans are increasing the risk to vulnerable nations.
- The United Nations asked all countries to submit new nationally determined contributions (NDCs) by September after most missed the February deadline.
- Several island nations are pursuing legal action to hold rich countries accountable for their insufficient climate efforts under international law.
Key quote:
“We have voiced again and again the reality that we face: our islands’ safety depends on your collective commitments to take decisive action. The only question now is: what will you do with that knowledge?”
— Pacific island states, in a letter to developed nations
Why this matters:
The climate crisis is already hitting Pacific island nations hard, as rising seas, stronger storms, and dwindling freshwater supplies reshape daily life. Small island nations contribute little to global emissions but stand on the frontlines of climate change, facing threats to their economies, cultures, and even physical existence. Rich countries, responsible for the bulk of historical greenhouse gas emissions, have pledged to limit warming and fund adaptation efforts but often fall short. The failure to meet climate finance targets or to submit serious emissions reduction plans endangers not only island nations but global systems of food, trade, and security. Scientists warn that surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius could tip natural systems into collapse, creating feedback loops of destruction and forcing millions to migrate.
Related: Tiny island nation challenges the world’s climate failure in court
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Credit: Tarpan 74/Big Stock Photo
Alaska’s St. Paul Island struggles to survive as warming seas erase ice and upend life
On St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea, rising temperatures and disappearing sea ice have shattered the local economy, unraveled the community, and left residents fighting to preserve their way of life.
Joshua Partlow and Carolyn Van Houten report for The Washington Post.
In short:
- Warmer waters around St. Paul Island led to the collapse of crab populations, the shutdown of the island’s major crab processing plant, and severe municipal budget cuts.
- The absence of winter sea ice has accelerated coastal erosion, destroyed traditional hunting grounds, and threatened historic sites such as the island cemetery.
- Scientists warn that continued climate-driven disruptions could erase decades of fisheries research and further imperil the island’s fragile ecosystem.
Key quote:
“We’re not freezing in the winter like we used to be.”
— Aaron Lestenkof, environmental monitor and Aleut resident of St. Paul Island
Why this matters:
The rapid warming of the Bering Sea and its devastating effects on St. Paul Island offer a stark glimpse into how climate change can dismantle a community’s fabric without warning. The collapse of snow crab populations, loss of sea ice, and crumbling infrastructure show how environmental changes hit hardest in isolated, Indigenous communities that depend directly on natural resources for survival. The environmental shifts also reverberate beyond the island, destabilizing fisheries that supply food across the United States and undermining decades of scientific understanding.
Learn more: Rising ocean temperatures signal potential global disruptions
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Credit: Steven Cordes/Unsplash
Montana Republicans move to weaken environmental protections after youth climate lawsuit victory
After Montana’s Supreme Court upheld a landmark youth-led climate lawsuit, state Republican lawmakers launched a wave of legislation aimed at curbing environmental regulations and reshaping the judiciary.
In short:
- Following the Held v. Montana decision affirming a constitutional right to a stable climate, Republican lawmakers proposed bills to limit the scope of environmental reviews and restrict state air quality standards.
- Efforts to politicize Montana’s judiciary system, including making judicial elections partisan and creating a governor-appointed court, failed during the legislative session but could resurface.
- Conservation groups, citizens, and health organizations voiced strong opposition, warning that the new legislation ignores the health and environmental realities of climate change and weakens Montanans' constitutional protections.
Key quote:
“They’ll complain about droughts, they’ll complain about wildfires, they will complain about all of the impacts either caused or exacerbated by climate change… but they won’t admit what the problem is and they refuse to do anything about it.”
— Anne Hedges, Montana Environmental Information Center
Why this matters:
Montana’s legislative actions reveal a broader national trend of political resistance against climate accountability, even as environmental impacts intensify. Climate change isn’t a distant threat; it worsens wildfires, droughts, and air quality right now, with serious health and economic costs. Rolling back environmental protections endangers clean water, breathable air, and public health, especially in a state already scarred by decades of extractive industries.
For more: Montana lawmakers debate changes to environmental review law
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Credit: Pilar Flores/Unsplash
NOAA scaled back major CO2 report as Earth’s carbon sinks weaken
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.
In short:
- 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.
Learn more: Record CO2 levels in 2023 add pressure to climate targets
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Credit: Frederic Köberl/Unsplash
At UN forum, Indigenous women call for climate justice as U.S. touts economic policies
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.
In short:
- 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.
Related: Environmental defenders in rural areas face deadly threats with little protection
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Credit: digitalista/Big Stock Photo
Trump administration’s shutdown of USAID devastates global conservation efforts
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.
In short:
- 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.
Read more: USAID cancels thousands of contracts, cutting climate and energy programs
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