Yale e360

The UN biodiversity conference now meeting in Montreal is considering a proposal to commit to putting 30 percent of land and sea under protection by 2030. Some ecologists warn that focusing too much on the size of protected areas risks missing what most needs…

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs will grant three tribes $25 million each to relocate homes, schools, and critical infrastructure threatened by sea-level rise, flooding, and erosion. These are the first grants distributed under a program aimed at helping…

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Friday to ban all new oil and gas drilling within the city and to phase out existing wells over the next 20 years. Read more on E360 →

Following a summer marked by devastating heat waves, the UK, Germany, and France are on track for their hottest year on record, weather officials say.Read more on E360 →

Tucked into quintessential suburbia, the Hempstead Plains Preserve is a small sliver of the grassland that once covered a vast area of Long Island. New research shows that thoughtfully planted yards and gardens can bolster the biodiversity in such urban…

For decades, 1960s research for the American Petroleum Institute warning of the risks of burning fossil fuels had been forgotten. But two papers discovered in libraries are now playing a key role in lawsuits aimed at holding oil companies accountable for…

Over the last four decades, the area covered by lakes globally has grown by close to 18,000 square miles, an expanse nearly twice the size of Lake Erie. Read more on E360 →

When pandemic-related lockdowns grounded planes and brought car traffic to a near standstill in early 2020, transport emissions plummeted, leading to a drop in levels of a short-lived gas that scrubs methane from the atmosphere. The slump in travel helped fuel…

U.S.-based conservation group the Nature Conservancy has taken out a $2 million insurance policy for Hawaii's coral reefs. It is the first policy to cover a natural structure in the U.S., according to the group.Read more on E360 →

As cities around the world look to rid their waterways of remaining pollution, researchers are installing artificial islands brimming with grasses and sedges. The islands’ surfaces attract wildlife, while the underwater plant roots absorb contaminants and…

Brinkmanship worked at the UN climate conference. And for once, developing nations won. Read more on E360 →

The U.S. EV fleet will be 20 percent larger in 2030 than previously forecasted thanks to new tax credits for electric vehicles, an analysis finds.Read more on E360 →

Two decades after the advent of fracking, a growing number of studies are pointing to a link between gas wells and health problems, particularly among children and the elderly. Researchers are now calling for new regulations restricting where wells can be…

Amid a rising tide of nationalism, walls and fortified fences are proliferating around the world. These barriers pose a growing threat to wildlife — blocking animal migrations and threatening millions of species that will need to move to keep up with a…

Scientists have identified a population of endangered oceanic manta rays off the coast of Ecuador that is 10 times larger than any other known population. The discovery offers hope for the future of the species, experts say.Read more on E360 →

The French Senate has passed legislation requiring parking lots with at least 80 spaces be covered in solar panels. Read more on E360 →

The UN is establishing a new system that uses satellite data to root out of sources of methane, a potent heat-trapping gas, and notify governments and businesses, it announced Friday.Read more on E360 →

European emissions of carbon dioxide from energy use over the past three months are down 5 percent from the previous year as the energy crisis drives up the price of fossil fuels. But Europe's efforts to shore up supplies of natural gas could lock in a new…

With his return as Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is promising to reverse the alarming rate of deforestation in the Amazon. But as he heads to key UN climate talks, his ambitious plans to achieve “zero deforestation” will need to find…

Austria has joined a small but growing list of wealthy nations committing funds for loss and damages wrought by climate disasters in the developing world, pledging 50 million euros over the next four years.Read more on E360 →

Blue whales, the largest creatures on Earth, are ingesting 10 million pieces of microplastic daily, scientists estimate. Read more on E360 →

Faced with mounting impacts from warming and a push for resource development, Indigenous communities in northern Canada are setting aside vast areas for protection. They are also partnering with scientists on research that can help conserve their lands and…

Not only do U.S. communities of color breathe more fine particulate pollution, they also breathe a form of particulate pollution that is richer in toxic, cancer-causing metals, new research finds.Read more on E360 →

Digital technology is enabling scientists to detect and interpret the sounds of species as diverse as honey bees, peacocks, and elephants. In an e360 interview, geographer Karen Bakker discusses the surprising and complex ways that animals and plants use sound…

In just 10 years, fires, drought, and insect infestations have devastated close to a third of forests in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, a new study finds.Read more on E360 →

To halt warming at 1.5 degrees C, countries must slash emissions from power plants, heavy industry, cars, trucks, agriculture, and forest loss, among other sectors. But in some key areas, according to a new report, the world is seeing emissions continue to…

Scientists have long warned that climate change and other threats will require relocating some endangered species outside their historic ranges. Now, U.S. officials are proposing rules that would enable them to use this new — and potentially controversial…

Greater daytime cloud cover may be shrinking the difference between daily high and low temperatures in parts of the world, new research suggests.Read more on E360 →

By tweeting real-time local pollution data in developing countries, U.S. embassies helped spur measurable improvements in air quality, a new study finds. Read more on E360 →

Global deforestation dropped by just 6.3 percent in 2021, leaving the world off track from its goals of ending forest loss by 2030 and limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C, according to a new report.Read more on E360 →