U.S. intel chief warns of devastating cyber threat to U.S. infrastructure.

U.S. intel chief warns of devastating cyber threat to U.S. infrastructure.

How are cyber security and environmental health linked? Just look at the health mess – still! – in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria leveled the grid.

While at first glance this story would appear unrelated to environmental health, it actually covers a story of vital importance to the environment, health, and climate change.


Cybersecurity attacks could take down parts or all of the utility grid, or other important components of a country's infrastructure, including in the United States. A few days without grid would be tolerable, but some plausible scenarios involve weeks or months—or longer—down times. Check out Ted Koppel's book "Lights Out."

A few weeks without a functioning grid would be devastating. Consider what the Hurricane Maria did to health, water supply, food security and more on Puerto Rico.

From the Reuters story:

Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are launching daily cyber strikes on the computer networks of federal, state and local government agencies, U.S. corporations, and academic institutions, said Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

Of the four, "Russia has been the most aggressive foreign actor, no question," he said.

Read the full Reuters story here.

several rows of solar panels on a roof

Climate activist Bill McKibben to Houston: It’s solar’s time to shine

Speaking in the heart of the oil industry, climate activist Bill McKibben said solar power has become the cheapest and fastest-growing energy source, offering Texas a path to lead the clean energy transition.

landscape photography of trees and mountains with melting snow in the foreground

New Hampshire snowpack decline reveals hidden impacts on forests and water

New England residents know that snow is disappearing from our landscape, and scientists have proven that climate change is to blame. But the effects of snowpack decline go far beyond what’s visible.
a couple of people walking across a dry field

Syria's worst drought in decades pushes millions to the brink

A devastating drought has slashed Syria’s wheat harvests by 40%, pushing millions closer to food insecurity as bread prices soar and farmers abandon their land.

A man sitting at a desk with a laptop and computer printouts

Trump's call to end quarterly reports gets unlikely support from climate-conscious investors

A call by Donald Trump to ditch quarterly corporate reporting has received cautious support from an unlikely source: international investors pushing business to do more on longer-term sustainability issues, many lambasted by the U.S. president.
An aerial view of a rail yard with tracks and trains

Effort to curb Southern California rail yard pollution stalls under Trump

A landmark rule to cut toxic emissions from Southern California’s rail yards has been blocked under the Trump administration, leaving communities in the Inland Empire pushing state officials to take action.

Marching for climate with sign:  "There Is No Planet B"
Photo by Li-An Lim on Unsplash

It isn’t just the U.S. The whole world has soured on climate politics.

How do we think about the climate future, now that the era marked by the Paris Agreement has so utterly disappeared?
An old oil pump jack in a dry field

New Mexico’s billion-dollar oilfield orphans

A recent report warns that bankrupt oil companies could leave New Mexico with up to $1.6 billion in cleanup costs, as orphaned wells and leaking tank batteries pile up.

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.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.