Image of college classroom with wooden seats and a blackboard.

UMass commits to climate leadership as states counter federal inaction

Facing federal rollbacks under President Trump, the University of Massachusetts system is expanding its climate tech and sustainability efforts across its five campuses.

Dennis Pillion reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

UMass President Marty Meehan announced a "whole-university" strategy to align with Massachusetts’ $1.4 billion climate tech development plan, emphasizing education, research, and economic partnerships.
Despite federal threats to diversity initiatives and energy policy reversals, UMass leaders plan to continue pushing clean energy, resilience projects, and climate justice initiatives at state and international levels.
UMass campuses are launching programs such as the Clean Energy and Environmental Legacy Transition at UMass Lowell, climate change curriculum at its medical school, and nature-based resiliency projects at UMass Boston, while planning major infrastructure upgrades funded by the state’s Bright Act.

Key quote:

"While forces seem determined to drag us backward, UMass and Team Massachusetts are going to continue to work together to move ourselves forward."

— Marty Meehan, president of the University of Massachusetts

Why this matters:

The University of Massachusetts’s aggressive pivot toward climate action highlights a broader trend: As the federal government retreats from environmental leadership, states and institutions are stepping up. Climate tech and sustainability efforts at major research universities can have cascading effects — training a workforce ready for green industries, driving regional innovation, and laying the foundation for community resilience. Energy-efficient building upgrades, climate-focused medical education, and projects like Boston Harbor’s living sea walls also have direct implications for public health and environmental justice, especially as vulnerable populations face disproportionate risks from extreme weather and pollution. Without coordinated federal support, these local and state efforts may become the front line in the fight to slow climate change and protect ecosystems that sustain human life.

insideclimatenews.org

Credit: Antonio Garcia/Unsplash

California mining company turns to solar heat but can’t quit coal just yet

In California’s Mojave Desert, a mining plant is turning to solar thermal energy to replace one of its coal-fired generators, but a second unit may run for years due to the intense heat and 24-hour power it needs.

Ivan Penn reports for The New York Times.

In short:

Searles Valley Minerals, a mining company in Trona, Calif., is replacing one of its two coal plants with a solar thermal system but says the other may need to stay online for the foreseeable future due to operational demands.
The company will use a concentrating solar power system from start-up GlassPoint, which uses mirrors to generate high heat, a solution that works well in hot, sunny areas but requires a large land footprint and remains rare in the U.S.
Despite California’s push to phase out coal and President Trump’s efforts to revive it, economic and geographic constraints continue to complicate full industrial transitions away from fossil fuels.

Key quote:

“We just think coal is going to be a problem. We’re going to have a hard time sourcing it. We need to be ready to pivot.”

— Dennis Cruise, president of Searles Valley Minerals

Why this matters:

Industrial heat — the kind used in mining, chemical production, and heavy manufacturing — accounts for about half of global energy use, yet it’s rarely mentioned in public climate debates. Unlike home heating or car travel, generating this level of heat without fossil fuels is still tough. Most renewable energy technologies don’t deliver the extreme, continuous heat these facilities need. That leaves industries like the one in Trona stuck with coal, even as it becomes harder to source and politically unpopular. As the U.S. attempts to decarbonize, industrial energy needs present one of the biggest hurdles.

Read the Full Article on

www.nytimes.com

UMass commits to climate leadership as states counter federal inaction

Steelmaker retreats from clean energy plans as hydrogen costs and politics shift

California mining company turns to solar heat but can’t quit coal just yet

New gas plant approved in Newark despite community objections over health and pollution

New research links stalled jet stream to rising summer weather extremes

Brazil moves to auction vast oil blocks despite climate and Indigenous concerns

South African coal town struggles to see benefits of clean energy shift

World climate talks resume without U.S. as global negotiators assess new path forward

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.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

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

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

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.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

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