What happens if Trump pulls out of the Paris Agreement on climate change?

May 29, 2017
The U.S. is obligated to remain in the pact until 2019, but its influence could decrease in the meantime.
President Trump doesn't need approval from the Senate to pull the U.S. from the Paris Agreement.
MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images

Do business groups have too much influence at Germany climate talks?

May 8, 2017
Climate talks are underway in Bonn, Germany, this week starting on Monday. There have been concerns that the new Trump administration may be overly friendly to energy companies at the cost of the environment. Some countries at the talks worry that business has too much influence over delegates, and they are calling for more transparency. Click […]

Massive snowfall brings reprieve for businesses that need it

May 4, 2017
California’s Sierra Nevada snowpack had been minimal during the historic drought. This winter dropped a frozen deluge.
Whitewater rafters exit the Kern River in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Jed Kim/Marketplace

Big Coal: an unlikely advocate to stay in the Paris climate agreement

Apr 18, 2017
Senior Trump administration officials cancelled a meeting today to talk about whether the U.S. will stay committed to its emissions targets under the Paris climate agreement. Trump has promised to take the U.S. out of agreement. A surprising group wants America to stay in: coal executives. The nation’s three biggest coal companies would rather the […]

Critics say HONEST Act undercuts EPA’s use of science

Apr 10, 2017
Email suggests the head of the EPA ignored staff objections to a measure that could restrict the agency's ability to use the best science
A view of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters on March 16, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Trump puts anti-global warming projects on chopping block

Mar 28, 2017
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday aimed at moving forward on his campaign pledge to unravel former President Barack Obama’s plan to curb global warming. The order will suspend, rescind or flag for review more than a half-dozen measures in an effort to boost domestic energy production […]
President Donald Trump signs one of five executive orders related to the oil pipeline industry in the Oval Office of the White House January 24, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Shawn Thew-Pool / Getty Images

Executive order will discount the cost of carbon pollution

Mar 28, 2017
The White House says it will try to roll back a host of climate initiatives from the Obama administration. These are rules that apply to power plants and coal mines, for instance. But also look out for a sweeping attempt to undercut the government’s way of measuring climate pollution. Right now, federal agencies have to […]

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Market forces help stabilize CO2 emissions for third year

Mar 17, 2017
The plateau in emissions comes amid global economic growth.
"The switch from coal to gas really happened because of the shale gas revolution and because of markets,” said Laura Cozzi of the International Energy Agency. Above, a coal power plant from American Electric Power in New Haven, West Virginia.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Big oil is seeking public trust

Mar 10, 2017
The corporate world seems on track to address the issue of climate change even as the Trump administration questions much of the research around its validity. Shell corporation says it’s not just boosting its renewable investments to $1 billion, it’s also tying board member pay to greenhouse gas emissions reductions. It’s not uncommon for fossil […]

As Trump talks coal revival, China seeks props on the fuel's decline

Feb 28, 2017
We now have three years of data points on where China’s coal and carbon emissions are heading: downward. It may have to do with China’s economy becoming less energy-intensive as it moves away from infrastructure and heavy industry. It may also have something to do with policy. Beijing has shuttered coal plants already in construction. […]