The Atlantic18 hours agoSomething Big Just Happened at COPverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Zoë SchlangerWealthy countries might finally pay for the climate change they caused. Today, on the opening day of COP28, the United Nations climate summit in Dubai, the host country pushed through a decision that wasn’t expected to happen until the last possible minute of the two-week gathering: the creation and …
The Atlantic2 days agoHydrogen Is Just Another Hole for Natural Gas to Fillverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Zoë SchlangerOne of Joe Biden’s big climate bets follows an old familiar logic. In a way, the story of American natural gas is a particularly American story, one of entrepreneurial hustle, booms and busts, and a will to find opportunity where nobody’s looked. Of resourceful self-preservation for the sake of …
The Atlantic2023 Just Notched Its Most Ominous Climate Record Yetverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Zoë SchlangerWe all just lived through our first 2-degree Celsius day. On Friday, November 17, 2023, the Earth appeared to have crossed a threshold into new climatic territory. That day was the first that the average air temperature near the surface of the Earth was 2 degrees Celsius warmer than preindustrial …
The AtlanticPlastic Has Changed Sea Turtles Foreververified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Katherine J. WuEven if plastic pollution stopped tomorrow, turtles would be dealing with the repercussions for centuries—at least. As recently as the 1960s, perhaps later—within the life span of Tom Hanks, and within a few years of when the world was using its very first ATMs and contraceptive pills—nearly all of …
The AtlanticOne Huge Contradiction Is Undoing Our Best Climate Effortsverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Zoë SchlangerThe math isn’t adding up. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the fight against climate change is finally going well. The clean-energy revolution is well under way and exceeding expectations. Solar is set to become the cheapest form of energy in most places by 2030, and the remarkable efficiency of …
The AtlanticTiny Climate Crises Are Adding Up to One Big Disasterverified_publisherThe Atlantic - By Nancy WaleckiBillion-dollar disasters are breaking records, but the accumulation of small disasters can be devastating too. The Louisiana wildfire that upended Katie Henderson’s life was barely a blip on this year’s string of catastrophes. On August 24, just after she’d brought her 7-year-old son home from …