Ukraine Russia attack

Ukraine, war and our world

Waking up to a world at war

It is hard to think about the environment when lives are being torn asunder by war.


I woke up this morning yearning for peace, mourning the harm and loss Ukrainians are experiencing, and hoping for better collective wisdom to guide us through this insanity.

At the top of my inbox this morning was a note from Katelyn Jetelina, a University of Texas epidemiologist who publishes the newsletter "Your Local Epidemiologist."

Posting on a global pandemic feels "insensitive without addressing a different kind of pain and suffering and tragedy that millions will soon face," she said. I concur.

Her wisdom is worth sharing:

"Just like the pandemic, many will also fall victim to mis and disinformation—a new tool that enemies have found to work swimmingly well in a time of anxiety and confusion. Please be sure to find (and share) only solid sources; preferably ones with a reporter on the ground in Ukraine. There are such things as disaster epidemiologists, so I hope they come to the forefront, too, ... to share the public health perspective of war or, more accurately, the devastating interaction between war and pandemic."

War and energy

With Russia serving as Europe's largest energy producer, early reporting has focused on how the global response is hindered by the EU's need for Russian natural gas.

But Russia is also a major provider of nickel, copper, cobalt – all necessary materials for alternative energy sources necessary in the transition away from fossil fuels.

Two stories of note:

Could Russian sanctions hobble U.S. clean energy push?

Norilsk Nickel Russia

Hans Olav Lien/Wikimedia Commons

Politico's Jael Holzman explores the metals market—and how reliant clean energy technologies are on exports from autocratic countries like Russia and China.

Key quote:

“Our concern is that our energy markets are so tied up with nations that do not share our values.”

Worth your time...

The Coming Energy Shock

Gasoline shortage florida 2021

CWMc/flickr

The Atlantic looks at the global energy market, Russia's immunity from foreign sanctions, and the havoc Russia could inflict on world markets.

"Any Russian retreat from world oil markets will jolt prices in ways that will be felt at gas pumps around the world."

Keep reading...

Some good news

In dark times I often turn back to Gary Snyder's short poem, "For the Children."

I need this today, and his advice at the end is worth carrying forward:

stay together
learn the flowers
go light

I'm grateful to our researcher, Autumn Spanne, who found this morsel of good news on the website Reasons to be Cheerful:

More women than ever are contributing to the next IPCC climate report

Women's Science March San Francisco

Matthew Roth/flickr

“Things are changing,” Miriam Gay-Antaki, an assistant professor of geography & environmental studies told reporter Jessica Kutz.

“People are realizing that attending to gender is not a nuisance but something that a lot of people actually want.”

Read the good news...

Smoke rising from power plant in the distance with a grassy field flanked by trees in foreground.

EPA moves to weaken climate rules despite US power plants ranking among top global polluters

US power plants emit so much carbon that, if they were a country, they would rank sixth globally in greenhouse gas emissions — yet the Trump administration plans to end climate regulations for them.

Oliver Milman and Dharna Noor report for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
The columns of the Supreme Court viewed from below.

US Supreme Court weighs limits on nationwide court orders affecting climate and energy policy

A pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling could reshape the power of federal judges to block government actions nationwide, potentially altering how future climate and energy programs are challenged in court.

Niina H. Farah and Lesley Clark report for E&E News.

Keep reading...Show less
A power plant emitting pollution is silhouetted against a setting sun alongisde a plane and city skyline.

EPA plans to relax limits on power plant mercury emissions, document shows

The Trump administration plans to weaken regulations that limit mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants, potentially putting vulnerable communities at greater risk.

Lisa Friedman reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
White coral against a black background.

Global effort to protect international waters nears milestone as more countries back UN ocean treaty

Eighteen more nations signed onto a United Nations treaty to protect biodiversity in international waters, leaving the agreement just 11 ratifications short of taking effect.

Annika Hammerschlag reports for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
An urban street with debris from a flood.

Valencia flood disaster sparks criminal probe into government response

Flash floods killed more than 200 people in Valencia last fall, and now Spain is investigating whether delayed emergency alerts and poor crisis leadership contributed to avoidable deaths.

Chico Harlan, Michael Robinson Chávez and Roser Toll Pifarré report for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
Men silhouetted in boats on a river with the sun setting in the background and reflecting orange on the water.
Credit: Ton W/Pixabay

Extreme heat grips northern India as power demand and health risks surge

A punishing heat wave pushed temperatures past 117 degrees Fahrenheit across parts of northern India this week, disrupting daily life and overwhelming the region’s fragile power and health infrastructure.

BiswaJeet Banerjee and Rajesh Roy report for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
Hands hold an electronic device with various icons and logos including a recyclig logo.

Trump’s policies cast uncertainty over U.S. battery recycling expansion

The Biden-era battery recycling boom faces major uncertainty as President Trump rolls back clean energy policies and shakes up trade rules, leaving recyclers navigating a volatile political and economic landscape.

Maddie Stone reports for Grist.

Keep reading...Show less
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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