There isn't enough space for all of the trees companies want to plant

Nov 8, 2021
By one estimate, the pledges out there already would require a forest five times the size of India.
New research by Oxfam indicates that there may not be enough room to plant all the trees proposed in corporate climate pledges. Above, native birch trees grow next to a desert of volcanic sand in Iceland.
Sean Gallup via Getty Images

U.S., other countries cut funding for international fossil fuel projects

Nov 4, 2021
Instead, they'll put about $18 billion a year into renewable energy projects.
On Thursday, more than 20 countries pledged to redirect investments from fossil fuels to clean energy. Above, signage inside the COP26 United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.
Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images
World leaders at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on Tuesday. Among other issues, they have discussed the need for additional investment in climate resilience for developing countries.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Cutting emissions means costs and opportunities for China's businesses

Nov 3, 2021
The country is criticized for doing too little, too slowly, but efforts are already having an impact.
The rapid construction in Luoyang city and other urban centers across China is partly the reason the country is the world's biggest carbon emitter.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

Biden, G-7, want to counter China's financing for developing nations

Nov 2, 2021
President Joe Biden wants advanced economies to finance infrastructure development in the developing world and, in doing so, counter China's influence.
President Joe Biden addresses a press conference at COP26 in Glasgow on Nov. 2. At the conference, Biden said he wants to see advanced economies pay for environmentally friendly infrastructure in the developing world.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

If a carbon tax helps lower emissions, why doesn't the U.S. have one?

Oct 29, 2021
The tax has been a contentious topic among Washington lawmakers, but the U.S. is behind industrialized nations in not having one in place.
A carbon tax would provide information on how much consumers and companies are willing to pay to pollute. Above, a coal-fired plant releasing carbon emissions in Maidsville, West Virginia, in 2018.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Carbon offsets can be tough to get right

Oct 21, 2021
If you can't pollute less, pay someone else to pollute less for you. Carbon offsets sound simple but are complicated in practice.
According to the Ecosystem Marketplace, the global carbon offset market is worth around $750 million. Above, a pilot carbon dioxide capture plant in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Ida Guldbaek Arentsen/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

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Keeping the world's largest offshore wind farm on track

Oct 18, 2021
Ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, the BBC’s climate editor takes stock of one of the U.K.’s most promising green energies: wind.
Rough weather in the North Sea makes it a great place to install wind turbines.
BBC