In hardest slam since Katrina, New Orleans’s levees stand firm
Hurricane Ida leaves the Big Easy dark but not flooded.
A tiny fish once at the center of an Endangered Species Act controversy has been saved from extinction
The recovery of the snail darter represents a rare win for conservationists when nearly 1 million other species risk extinction worldwide.
The race to rescue Florida’s diseased corals
Several years ago, a mysterious coral disease began decimating the Florida Reef. The only way to save the animals from extinction? An unprecedented mission to relocate them to facilities across the country.
China’s covid lockdown led to an earlier, greener spring, a new study suggests
"I take comfort from a natural experiment like this that we can change the world," one author said.
Pakistan’s mission to plant 10 billion trees across the country, in photos
A province in Pakistan first pledged to plant 1 billion trees in 2015. The initiative was so successful that the country is now in the midst of a “Ten Billion Tree Tsunami” to fight climate change.
- Climate Curious
- Perspective
Why we shouldn’t give in to climate despair
Earth is on a dangerous trajectory, the latest U.N. climate report says, but humanity still has time to change course.
The professor who assigns value to nature — then persuades world leaders to save it
Gretchen Daily is a pioneer in the field known as “natural capital.” Using science and software, she shows stakeholders why it benefits everyone to prioritize conservation.
Sales of hybrid cars are surging. That’s a good sign for the future of electric vehicles, experts say.
Hybrid sales have grown faster than electric-vehicle sales for two years, according to data. Many think that’s a step in the right direction for the Biden administration’s ambitious auto goals.
Climate Curious
How to cool your home without relying on air conditioning
In a summer of deadly heat, passive cooling can keep people safe and curb carbon emissions. Here are the simple steps you can take.
Can you answer these 10 questions about our warming planet?
Take this quiz to test your knowledge on this summer’s heat waves, which have shown the devastating toll of climate change.
Capping methane-spewing oil wells, one hole at a time
Across the United States, abandoned wells are belching the powerful greenhouse gas. This group aims to plug them to fight global warming.
The scientists fighting to save the ocean’s most important carbon capture system
The fate of the world’s kelp forests may depend on controlling its sworn enemy – sea urchins -- and the Nature Conservancy, an Arlington-based environmental group, says it has a plan.
Ditching grass could help your backyard thrive
Lawns are ecological “dead space." Experts explain how ditching grass can make your backyard thrive.
Climate Quiz
Heat pumps, E. coli and plastic waste
Take our reader quiz and test your knowledge about the ways the climate is changing — and what we can do about it. Questions like, what percentage of U.S. electricity goes toward pumping and treating water and wastewater?
Do you understand climate change: Rain bombs, carbon pricing and mass electrification
Test your knowledge about the ways the climate is changing — and what we can do about it.
Lawn care is going electric. And the revolution is here to stay.
From conservative Alabama to crunchy California, electric lawn equipment is quietly sweeping the nation.
A harvest for the world: A Black family farm is fighting racism in agriculture and climate change
Leah Penniman is teaching people of color to work the land without tilling and pesticides that harm the land and air. Hundreds are on a waiting list to learn.
Companies bet carbon labels can help the climate. Will consumers catch on?
Carbon labels are cropping up on a variety of consumer goods, making visible the carbon footprints of products and services that people use every day.
What lurks beneath: A new answer to more intense storms
Stormwater systems are the soft underbelly of American infrastructure and they’re increasingly vulnerable as climate change drives “rain bombs” that dump inches of water on cities in hours,
Nobel winner’s evolution from ‘dark realist’ to just plain realist on climate change
Nordhaus is attempting to frame the problems of climate change — taxes, individual ethics, corporate responsibility — and coming up with solutions.
'Cool’ roofs, cooler designs as the building industry embraces energy sustainability
Despite its still-big carbon footprint, advocates think the nation’s building sector could reach a net-zero-emissions future within a generation.
An inventor wants to stop global warming by electrifying everything
The 47-year-old, who won the MacArthur “genius” award in 2007 for his prodigious inventions “in the global public interest,” has spent the past decade working to solve climate change through technology.
Joanne Chory is using plants to save the planet
Plants are Earth's original carbon capture machines. Can they be engineered to stop climate change?
It’s wrong to blame ‘overpopulation’ for climate change
People don't warm the planet -- fossil fuels do.
Facing rising temperatures, Miami appoints chief heat officer
Jane Gilbert, the city’s new chief heat officer, says she will put together a task force of experts to address the problem.
Scientists say this E. coli won’t make you sick and could be good for the planet
Scientists say they have created a possible alternative to plastic using a bacteria better known for turning stomachs. They call it “aquaplastic.”
Bamboo bicycles, solar power and kelp forests
Test your knowledge about the ways the climate is changing — and what we can do about it
How to start tackling your home’s water — and climate — footprint
Every time we turn on the tap, we run up not only a water bill, but also climate emissions.
Humanity’s greatest ally against climate change is Earth itself
Ecosystems can draw down carbon and buffer us from the worst effects of climate change — but only if we protect them.
Solar cars, wind farms and cactus in trouble
Test your knowledge about the ways the climate is changing — and what we can do about it.
Thinking of buying an electric vehicle? Read this first.
Switching from combustion engines to electric cars is only half the battle; the U.S. must also make clean transportation accessible to all.
Saving the West’s most iconic cactus from climate change
A warming world means the invasive buffelgrass — a danger to the cactus — is thriving.
Biden administration backs nation’s biggest wind farm off Martha’s Vineyard
The Biden administration took a crucial step Monday toward approving the nation’s biggest offshore wind energy project, which officials say signals the start to the massive clean power expansion in the fight against climate change.
It looks like the Batmobile, works on solar energy, and could be the future of cars
After decades of dreaming, a California start-up says it will roll out the first mass-produced solar cars this year.
How protecting the ocean can save species and fight climate change
By over-exploiting fisheries and mining and drilling the sea floor, humanity is risking not just the ocean’s health but our own, a new report shows.
A lesson in electric school buses
School board seals deal to bring 300 electric school buses to Montgomery County. The buses will recharge at night and run during the day. During the hot summers, the buses and charging stations can help store needed energy for local businesses.
This Austrian ski resort is preparing for a snowless future
St. Corona, a small village at the foot of the Alps, has long relied on skiers to support the local economy. But in a changing climate, where it can no longer count on snowy winters, the village is transitioning to a warm-weather economy.
A third of all food in the U.S. gets wasted. Fixing that could help fight climate change.
Food waste creates more greenhouse gases than the airline industry. But there are several ways to fix that, starting with your shopping habits.
The avocado in your Super Bowl guacamole is bad for the environment. You can make it better.
Avocado farms are bad for the environment and are frequently mired in economic and social problems, particularly in Mexico. But through sustainability certification, U.S. consumers can help make improvements.
The Empire State Building and its related buildings are now powered by wind
The Empire State Building and its 13 related properties are buying wind power, making it the nation's largest real estate portfolio to go green.
Reusing, recycling, rethinking
Disturbed by the amount of trash their family of four was generating, Justin and Anna Marino adopted a "zero waste" lifestyle. Then they took it a step further, opening the first zero-waste store in the Washington area.
(Gabriella Demczuk/For The Washington Post)
Planting crops — and carbon, too
President Biden says farmers can adopt agricultural methods that help fight climate change. Maryland farmer Trey Hill has been trying.
How to stop your house’s expensive drafts — and save the planet
Weatherization can cut carbon, reduce your energy bills and make your home more comfortable -- and you might even be able to get the government to help pay for it.
United Airlines aims to suck carbon dioxide from the friendly skies
When it comes to cutting greenhouse gases that are driving up global temperatures and threatening the planet, there are few ways to reduce the pollution caused by air travel.
A surge in green financing boosts climate businesses
As the cost of renewable energy plummets and climate change awareness grows, investment in projects linked to climate change are becoming mainstream. Despite economic uncertainty in 2020, the amount of money invested in green or sustainable bonds doubled compared with 2019.
An island nation’s audacious effort to save its unique wildlife
New Zealand is seeking to go "predator-free" by 2050. Few countries have waged a battle like this on such a major scale, and what is learned here could offer lessons for others.
Climate News quiz: Zero waste and clam gardens
Test your knowledge of climate change news with this Post quiz.
Female scientists focus on a secret weapon to fight climate change: Moms
“One of the most powerful ways for us to connect over climate change is … this fundamental value that we share,” said scientist Katharine Hayhoe, who is helping to lead a $10 million campaign to educate mothers around ways to combat climate change. “We want to ensure a better and safer future for our child.”
Battling America’s ‘dirty secret’
Climate change raises the risk from failing sewage systems. So Catherine Coleman Flowers is working for a new way to deal with waste.
The District, three states sign agreement to curb transportation emissions
The group, which could be joined by other states, set a goal of reducing vehicle pollution by 26 percent in the next decade.
Biden wants the U.S. to stop contributing to climate change by 2050. Here’s what that would actually take.
A new Princeton report details exactly what it would take to no longer add carbon dioxide to the air.
Covid-19 sparked a run on outdoor heaters and fire pits. Which is better for the planet?
The long answer requires measuring each fuel's relative burn efficiency and performing a life cycle analysis of each device. The short answer? Just get a blanket.
An ancient people with a modern climate plan
A native American tribe living on an island off the coast of Washington long ago recognized the threat of climate change. They implemented a climate action plan in 2010, melding traditional practices with science. Now, 50 other native tribes across the country have similar strategies, way ahead of U.S. communities.
An unusual snack for cows, a powerful fix for climate
Scientists have discovered that feeding seaweed to cows significantly reduces the amount of methane they produce, while also helping them produce more milk and grow bigger.
How climate change is complicating a Thanksgiving staple
Heat waves, drought, warmer winters and erratic rainfall are creating challenges for cranberry growers who have farmed the red fruit for hundreds of years.
After a tornado nearly destroyed it, this town built back green
A tornado nearly destroyed tiny Greensburg, Kansas. The city harnessed that wind and rebuilt itself as an energy efficient wonder powered by 100 percent wind energy.
Trying to shop sustainably? Here’s what you need to consider.
To determine whether a product is truly “green,” you’ll have to look deeper than its earth-toned packaging.
A new era in maritime travel: Electric boats
Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls has launched North America’s first all-electric tour, zero-emissions tour boats.
Bezos makes first donations from Earth Fund for fighting climate change
The Amazon chief executive unveiled the first $791 million in donations from his $10 billion Earth Fund devoted to slowing down climate change.
Wind Energy
Three states — Maryland, Virginia, N. Carolina — to collaborate on offshore wind projects
Three governors declare region can be a hub for energy from ocean breezes.
Bringing the chill of the cosmos to a warming planet
Scientists are tapping into a law of physics to create cooling systems that work without special fuel or electricity.
How investors are coming up with the green to save the ocean blue
Environmental threats to oceans around the world are prompting innovative new approaches and deals to raise money for rescue efforts.
The link between weather disasters and climate change
Our Climate Curious columnist answers a question about whether recent wildfires, hurricanes and other weather disasters are connected to climate change
Technology
Philanthropies flow funds to climate technologies
Several new funds are taking on “tough tech” — unsexy but important efforts to mitigate global warming.
Climate Solutions
They edited a book about the climate crisis. Here’s what they learned.
In the new anthology “All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis," 41 writers, poets and activist reflect on what it takes to keep fighting for climate action.
Climate news quiz: Green aviation and wild prairie grass
Test your knowledge about ways the climate is changing. Our seventh installment on our quiz.
The plan to beam Australia’s Outback sun onto Asia’s power grids
Australian entrepreneurs envisage harnessing the power of the Outback sun and transmitting the energy to Asia.
How trucking eels is reviving a river
Some scientists say assisted migration could help more species survive the warming planet.
Big Oil’s green makeover
Can BP master new disruptive technologies or will it go the way of typewriter makers?
When Fashion is Fungal
Textiles have a big carbon footprint and then clog landfills when discarded. Could biodegradable clothes be a solution?
Cooling off without air-conditioning
A “Cold Tube” pavilion offers relief outdoors from heat and humidity.
Storing carbon in the prairie grass
Plans would pay landowners to keep the ecosystem in a natural state to fight climate change.
What the coronavirus can teach us about fighting climate change
The pandemic "provides feedback on a daily basis of what happens when you ignore science,” said atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe. Will that make people more willing to heed climate experts?
Climate change is bad news for your beach vacation
There is no going back to the beaches we once knew. The only question is, how do we want them to change?
America’s great outdoors is showing its age. Congress is proposing a facelift.
A bill that would provide billions of dollars to the National Park Service, the Forest Service and the Land and Water Conservation Fund has been called one of the most important environmental proposals in decades.
Can airplanes go green?
Val Miftakhov flew Europe’s largest commercial-grade all electric passenger plane last month.
Climate news quiz: Rock dust and heat-ready cities
Test your knowledge about ways the climate is changing.
How America’s hottest city will survive climate change
On a warming planet, heat hurts communities of color more. But Phoenix is finding ways to cool down.
Spreading rock dust on the ground could pull carbon from the air, researchers say
"Enhanced rock weatherization" could store CO2 while also fertilizing farms
Can India chart a low-carbon future? The world might depend on it.
An electric rickshaw revolution is a small battle in climate war.
Climate news quiz: Electric rickshaws and vampire energy
Test your knowledge about ways the climate is changing.
Climate change is also a racial justice problem
You can’t build an equitable society on a planet that’s been destabilized by human activities, scientists and activists say.
Turning manure into money
Utilities and farmers are turning cow manure into power — removing methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere in the process. But is burning methane a climate solution or just a step on the way to green energy?
New Jersey aims to lead nation in offshore wind. So it’s building the biggest turbine port in the country.
New Jersey wants to be an economic engine for offshore wind.
Capturing the green energy of the deep blue sea
Off the coast of Florida, a test is being conducted on whether the Gulf Stream can produce carbon-free electricity.
(Biz Herman/For The Washington Post)
Empire State of Green
New York’s most famous skyscraper shrank its planet-warming emissions by 40 percent. Can the rest of the city do the same?
Hoovering the ocean
A nonprofit group is trying to help solve one of the planet’s most daunting problems: oceans littered with plastic.
Climate news quiz: Cycling lanes and ocean plastic
Test your knowledge about ways the climate is changing.
Why some spots on the planet are heating up faster than others
In some parts of the world, warming has been catastrophic.
- Climate Solutions
- Perspective
Eating our way to a healthier planet
The new Food for Climate League aims to promote foods that are delicious, accessible and good for health and the climate
Europe’s cities allowing more space for bikes because of coronavirus
European cities are already reclaiming portions of busy thoroughfares to install new bike lanes.
In fast-warming Minnesota, scientists are trying to plant the forests of the future
Climate change is already causing "zombie forests" where trees can’t regenerate
In an Alps emptied by coronavirus, a lifelong mountaineer finds surprises
The ski resorts in Austria have been quiet, the hiking trails vacant. And that’s invited the return of elk, mountain goats and deer.
As a warming climate delivers more rain, one city is trying a green solution
More frequent flooding is overwhelming city drainage systems, sending raw sewage into rivers and streams. But Philadelphia is trying an innovative fix — capturing rainwater before flows into city drains.
Climate Quiz
Climate news quiz: Australian wildfires and garbage
All right: Time to see if you’ve been paying attention to The Post’s climate-related coverage. If you have, this quiz should be an easy A.
After decades of waterfront living, climate change is forcing communities to plan their retreat
With rising waters, stronger storms and more devastating flooding, the time to start pulling back is now, experts say.
(Michael Parkin for the Washington Post)
Climate news quiz: Carbon sinks and retreating glaciers
Have you been paying attention to The Post’s climate-related coverage? If so, this quiz should be an easy A.
Climate change affects everything — even the coronavirus
In a warmer world, disease outbreaks are more common and people are less able to fight them.
Virginia becomes the first Southern state with a goal of carbon-free energy
Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signs legislation to require utilities to switch to renewables by 2045.
Safe passages
Rocky Mountain animals will move as the climate warms. These corridors could give them an easier path.
A runaway greenhouse effect turned Venus into ‘hell.’ Could same happen here?
Story of Venus holds important lessons.
- Outlook
- Perspective
How peer pressure can help save the planet
Buying a hybrid car convinces other people to buy them ultimately — a dynamic that can save the planet well down the road.
The audacious effort to reforest the planet: How trees can fight climate change
Trees are carbon-sucking machines and tree planting offers a simple, accessible, low-tech idea with wide appeal.
The plug-in electric car is having its moment. But despite false starts, Toyota is still trying to make the fuel cell happen.
California drivers enthusiastically signed up for Toyota Mirai and Honda Clarity fuel cell vehicles. Three years later, they're on the fence about the technology.
(Adam Glanzman/For The Washington Post)
Retreat or adapt: A city that flourished by the ocean is now preparing for rising seas
Facing climate change the city must gird itself for an era of rising seas — or be inundated
A small Canadian airline using a 63-year-old seaplane is on the forefront of electric-powered flight
Harbour Air’s maiden flight ranks it alongside global aviation and tech giants in the search for quieter, cleaner planes.
Kentucky was devastated for decades by mountaintop removal. Now scientists have figured out a way to undo the damage — one tree at a time.
Patrick Angel spent decades overseeing the destruction of Kentucky's land. After a painful epiphany, he's devoting himself to making Appalachia green again.
Instead of releasing this greenhouse gas, beer brewers are selling it to pot growers
In a novel approach, Colorado brewers and marijuana growers are recycling carbon dioxide.
A new leaf on reforestation of tropical woods
These photographs show the leaves from seedlings grown at a remote nursery run by farmers in the village of Kawayanon.
(Michael Parkin for The Washington Post)
Want a green Valentine’s Day gift? Don’t buy chocolate. Or roses.
It takes quite a bit of carbon to get these traditional tokens of romance from farm fields into your sweetheart’s hands.
What does ‘dangerous’ climate change really mean?
A guide to the world's warming targets -- and what might happen if we don't meet them.
Forget the log cabin. Wood buildings are climbing skyward — with pluses for the planet.
"Mass timber” construction is gaining ground, although not all environmentalists agree on its potential for slowing climate change.
BlackRock makes climate change central to its investment strategy
The shift by the nation’s leading money manager is sure to be closely watched by its rivals and the rest of corporate America.
Climate Curious
Are my hamburgers hurting the planet?
Cow flatulence isn't that bad for the environment. Their burps are the real problem.
Amid shut-off woes, a beacon of energy
A Native American tribe has insulated itself from California’s blackouts by creating a microgrid utility.
Revolutionary recycling? A new technology turns everyday trash into plastic treasure.
UBQ Materials says its process can profitably help tackle the world’s huge waste problem.
Climate Curious
What’s the greenest way to travel?
To protect the planet, you may need to see less of it.
One city’s plan to combat climate change: Bulldoze homes
Charlotte has been demolishing flood-prone houses for years. But the floods are getting bigger.
Quiz: How much do you know about climate change?
Climate change can feel confusing, and big, and scary. Trust us: We get it. With this first quiz, we’ll start with some of the basics. Can you pass Climate Change 101?
The past year has brought a drumbeat of alarming news about the impact of climate change: shattered temperature records, deadly heat waves, accelerating sea level rise and more. Yet many people are working hard to turn things around, offering hope and inspiration. The Washington Post aims to give them the attention they deserve.
Divers re-emplanting corals on degraded reefs
Multiple approaches underway to try to repair portions of reef systems lost to warming water
(Ulf Svane/For The Washington Post)
What it takes to be carbon neutral — for a family, a city, a country
Amid mounting global concern about climate change, Denmark has turned into a buzzing hive of green experimentation.
The troubling ethics of fashion in the age of climate change
Is it possible to create beautiful clothing that doesn’t imperil the environment?
Climate change will spark a baby boom of blue crabs. Then predators will relocate from the south and eat them.
A new study promised a rare positive development from global warming for Maryland’s favorite crustacean. But bad news wasn’t far behind.
How you can reduce your carbon footprint when you travel
Your choices can make a difference. But your trip will have an environmental impact.
Scientists in historic Arctic expedition choose ice floe where they’ll spend the next year
After a rigorous search in a rapidly melting Arctic, researchers have finally found a suitable floe with which their vessel can drift across the North Pole.
The new plan to remove a trillion tons of carbon dioxide
The most prominent efforts to prevent that crisis involve reducing carbon emissions. But another idea is also starting to gain traction — sucking all that carbon out of the atmosphere and storing it underground.
What the Space Age taught us: Earth is the best of all possible worlds
Star Trekking put on hold as visionaries appreciate the home planet anew
The next money crop for farmers: Solar panels
In Illinois, a push for renewable energy could alter the state’s agricultural landscape.
Governments could take decades to save species. Here’s what you can do now.
Conservationists and authors of a United Nations report on biodiversity loss say individuals have the power to create meaningful change.
Britain pledges to reach net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050
The government said Britain would be the first “major economy” to enshrine net-zero carbon targets in law.
Europe’s flight-shame movement has travelers taking trains to save the planet
Young Europeans are digging out their parents’ yellowing Europe-by-rail guidebooks.
Earth’s population is skyrocketing. How do you feed 10 billion people sustainably?
A new study finds the current methods of producing, distributing and consuming food aren’t cutting it.
A climate change solution slowly gains ground
Companies leading the hunt for ways to skim carbon dioxide from the air are attracting interest from big deep-pocketed corporations — including oil companies.
To restore Internet access after a massive earthquake, the Peruvian government turned to balloons
When a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck remote parts of Peru’s Amazon region, Loon — an Internet-providing balloon service owned by Alphabet — dispatched a group of balloons to the impacted area.
As seas rise, the U.N. explores a bold plan: Floating cities
Buoyant platforms that can weather cyclones and climate change could provide room for crowded coastal cities to grow.
The London Marathon’s method for reducing plastic bottles: Edible seaweed pouches
At the London Marathon, participants received a new kind of refreshment: tiny pouches filled with a sports drink and made from seaweed. The squishy pods gave race organizers a chance to cut down on the flood of plastic waste that accompanies major sporting events.
The world is getting hotter. Can temperature-controlled clothing provide some relief?
Sony has introduced a new product called the Reon Pocket, which operates like a mobile air conditioner that fits inside clothing.
D.C.-area gas station shuts off the pumps and goes all-electric
RS Automotive will become the first service station in the nation to completely convert their equipment from offering gasoline to 100 percent electric power.
A field in D.C. will soon be home to 5,000 solar panels. It’s all because of local Catholic groups — and a message from the pope.
Churches say they are fulfilling God’s command — and the wishes of Francis in “Laudato Si” — by switching to renewable energy.
Sierra Club’s new guide to plug-in electric vehicles is out just in time for Earth Day
The Sierra Club's annual guide to buying plug-in electric vehicles provides a user-friendly quiz to help you identify possible vehicles to buy.