I stopped listening to Bill Gates talk about climate change a long time ago. You should stop too.

Through the first six months of 2025, disasters across the United States caused more than $100 billion in damage -- the most expensive start to any year on record. Fourteen disasters each caused at least $1 billion in damage through the first half of the year.

The Trump administration stopped updating a federal database that tracked the cost of extreme weather disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires and other events, that each caused at least $1 billion in damage. A group of scientists has revived it. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/c...

Donald Trump is scrapping a 2001 rule that protects 58m acres of the most prized forests in the US "so we are allowed to take down trees and make a lot of money." I went to the forest where the roadless rule was unveiled to find out what's at stake www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Breaking News: Jane Goodall, one of the world’s most revered conservationists, died at 91. Her discoveries in the 1960s about how chimpanzees behaved in the wild broke new ground and represented what was called “one of the Western world’s great scientific achievements.” nyti.ms/42kpGxt

The banned words list applies to all work done at the largest federal funder of clean energy technology. n.pr/4nQ9sEq

"On the windswept prairie of South Dakota, a tribal public radio station is selling off its old records to pay the bills.” The federal funding cuts to public broadcasting are reshaping the airwaves in rural and tribal communities across America. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/13/u...

A rule granting the Bureau of Land Management authority to set aside public lands for conservation took effect less than a year ago. The Trump administration is moving to dismantle it.

Kudos to @earthsight.bsky.social and @mightyearth.org for the research behind this NYT exposé showing how global demand—like for RVs—is fuelling deforestation in Borneo. It's a stark reminder of all that is at stake if we don't demand better supply-chain rules and transparency

This depressing news dropping on World Orangutan Day 🦧 #Indonesia #deforestation #orangutans

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Breaking news: The Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to rescind the landmark legal opinion that underpins virtually all of its regulations to curb climate change.

Its been 60 years since our leaders knew climate change was approaching. My latest reflections on the tragedy in Texas... fighting off the numbness of these repetitive disasters now coming faster than I can tally them, and trying to keep the big picture in focus. www.propublica.org/article/texa...

Run, don't walk, to buy an EV. “Long story short, the credits under the current legislation are only going to be on the books through the end of September,” @coreybcantor.bsky.social warns. Read the full story from @zeitlin.bsky.social ⬇️

There are way too many things to be upset about these days, but I believe the destruction of public lands should be near the top of the list: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

In a country flooded by a never-ending wave of talking heads, pundits and fiery social media posts, two bipartisan former governors said the solution to America’s political gridlock may be more talking. via @darrellehrlick.bsky.social www.newsfromthestates.com/article/form...

Excellent conversation with former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock on bipartisanship and how federal cuts from the Trump administration are impacting states. Hosted by @pewtrusts.org & @statesnewsroom.com

Sigh: Trump administration plans to roll back protections for nearly 59 million roadless acres of the National Forest System. "If the rollback survives court challenges, it will open up vast swaths of largely untouched land to logging and roadbuilding." www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

More than 250 million acres of public lands are eligible for sale in the Senate reconciliation bill, including local recreation areas, wilderness study areas, roadless areas, critical wildlife habitat and big game migration corridors.

There are so many horrific things underway in the Trump administration that it's difficult to prioritize. But the sell-off of millions of acres of public lands would be a huge step backward for our nation, and it would be irrecoverable.

77% of Americans say stricter building standards are a good idea for communities at high risk of extreme weather. And 64% think it is a good idea for government to provide financial assistance for people in these communities to rebuild in the wake of extreme weather events.

Public lands are the inheritance we will leave to our children and grandchildren. Selling them off to build vacation homes or to pay for a tax cut for billionaires will forever impoverish those who come after us. Let’s keep public lands in public hands.

NEW: NOAA retires its widely cited billion-dollar weather and climate database amid staff cuts. Unique database had been tallying disaster costs for 45 years. www.cnn.com/2025/05/08/c...

Made it to Friday

St. Paul Island recently completed its longest winter stretch in recorded history with above-freezing temperatures — 343 consecutive hours, or 14 days. The drastic climate change has forced residents to consider how long they can last there.

NEW: A decade ago, Obama created the world’s largest protected marine reserve in the Pacific Now, Trump is about to open it up to commercial fishing www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

NEW: In a major move, the Trump administration is aiming to redefine what it means to "harm" an endangered species The regulatory rollback opens the door to more logging, mining, oil & gas drilling, home construction and other ecologically damaging ventures www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Springtime in DC

Anyway if you wanna know how this administration *actually* feels about carnivore conservation, you should probably read my recent @vox.com story about the potential torpedoing of the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. www.vox.com/down-to-eart...

The "dire puppies" are not about conservation. We don't even give a crap about conserving the carnivores we HAVE.

NEW: EPA is planning to eliminate requirements to report greenhouse gas emissions for thousands of facilities. “It would be a bit like unplugging the equipment that monitors the vital signs of a patient that is critically ill” @maibached.bsky.social told me www.propublica.org/article/trum...

So ridiculous. DC deserves statehood.

So…companies that invested in manufacturing American EV parts are now pulling back or canceling projects. One company is shifting new manufacturing from the U.S. to Mexico and China, calling the investment in China a “no-brainer” due to its rapidly growing EV market. wapo.st/42vCZvk

👋 Hello, Bluesky! Our bipartisan coalition of U.S. governors may have deep roots & big reach, but we’re brand new here. Follow us for the latest on state-led, high-impact #ClimateAction across the U.S. ➡️ usclimatealliance.org #ClimateSky #GreenSky

The Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program promised $350 million for animal passages—a bipartisan effort in a polarized country. But today its grants are "on hold," jeopardizing species & driver safety. For @vox.com, I covered the uncertain fate of a key program. #roadecology www.vox.com/down-to-eart...

Coming for our ecosystems.

Interested in the latest news and insights at the intersection of climate, energy, food, forests, water, ocean, & sustainable cities? Follow my colleagues at the World Resources Institute in this starter pack. And if you work at WRI and I didn't catch you, hit me up and I can add you to the list...

Thousands of abandoned mines are polluting the environment, exposing communities to chronic health issues and causing other harms across the United States. A new law supports nonprofits and community organizations working to clean up the mines. Learn more: www.wri.org/insights/us-...

#CleanEnergy development in the US presented both exciting developments & challenges in 2024. Some #renewables trends broke records, while others stalled due to issues related to grid access, siting, high interest rates, supply chain & more. Read our NEW article: www.wri.org/insights/cle...

The Trump administration began laying off thousands of public land managers last week. Read @jeva.bsky.social on what this means for our national parks ⬇️

Friday SCOOP: @vox.com has learned that USFWS has frozen its vast portfolio of international conservation grants. This is far beyond the scope of USAID-funded work and will inevitably harm wildlife internationally and in the US. @benjij.bsky.social has the story: www.vox.com/down-to-eart...

The pause on USAID funding has led to chaos in the conservation world reports @mongabay.bsky.social, with many groups unsure if they will ever get promised funding. This will not only injure wildlife populations, but the people who work close to wildlife. news.mongabay.com/2025/02/acro...

A Trump Administration memo today illegally ordered states to halt spending of previously allocated funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law dedicated to build EV charging infrastructure: www.wired.com/story/feds-h... 🔌💡 🔌🚗

The ocean’s alarm bells are ringing🌊🚨 🌡️Sea surface temperatures are at record highs due to climate change 🚯Marine pollution is pervasive 🐟Ecosystem decline and biodiversity loss are rife Find out 6 opportunities for ocean progress in 2025▶️ www.wri.org/insights/opp...

Love doing the delicate dance between “staying appropriately informed” and “melting my brain”

So much news today, but if you have a couple min -- this story on climate change impacts on US insurance and real estate value is fascinating and timely post-Calif. fires. (One city on the list of top insurance price increase projections may surprise you.) www.axios.com/2025/02/03/c...

President Trump’s order to pause all federal climate spending is delaying home repairs, factory construction and other projects — many in states that voted Republican. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/c...

Shoutout to the Los Angeles Times reporters who are doing essential journalism under very difficult circumstances. They’ve dropped their paywall, but their ongoing coverage is a good reminder of why local newsrooms need support — and what we lose when those outlets are hollowed out.