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In Barbuda, locals ask: Do the costs of luxury developments outweigh the benefits?

Jan 23, 2024
Luxury residences, a golf course and international airport have harmful environmental impacts, some locals argue. But they're also big job creators in a tourism-driven economy.
Above, an areal view of Dickenson Bay in Antigua and Barbuda. Tourism is hugely important to the island nation of and accounts for 60% of GDP.
cdwheatley/Getty Images

Mexico's massive new Tren Maya rail network raises environmental concerns

Jan 8, 2024
The cost of Mexico's 1,500-kilometer train line has ballooned to more than $28 billion.
An aerial view of the construction of part of the Tren Maya in Uman, Mexico, in August.
Rodrigo Oropeza/AFP via Getty Images

The hefty costs of heavier cars

The trend of bigger, weightier vehicles — known as car bloat — has contributed to road fatalities and environmental contamination.
Over 80% of new vehicles these days are SUVs and pickup trucks, said David Zipper of the MIT Mobility Initiative. Bigger vehicles have bigger impacts on safety and the environment.
Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images

Midwest's pollution is spurring a reverse Great Migration

Dec 28, 2023
Thousands of Black families have left industrial cities like Detroit and Chicago due to environmental conditions. Many head to the South.
Adam Mahoney traveled through the Midwest visiting cities where blight and pollution are driving Black families away from the region.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Higher tariffs may be bad for trade, but good for the environment

Oct 16, 2023
Recent research finds that higher tariffs on dirtier imports could reduce carbon emissions.
Steel production in the U.S. is a lot cleaner now than before the 1970s, thanks to the use of more energy-efficient electric arc furnaces. Above, a steel plant in Pennsylvania.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The United Nations has a new fundraising strategy: you

May 10, 2023
The intergovernmental group’s crowdfunding campaign aims to avert a potential environmental disaster in the Red Sea.
The United Nations logo. The organization hopes the public will provide part of the $129 million it needs to avert a potential environmental disaster in the Red Sea.
Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images

Lead smelters provide a crucial service, but what of the health effects?

Mar 29, 2023
A secondary lead smelter near Los Angeles is planning to expand, distressing residents concerned about potential illness.
The Quemetco secondary lead smelter, one of the last remaining facilities in the country, is planning to expand. People living nearby aren't happy. Above, a lead and silver smelting plant in operation.
Aizar Raldes/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

A new UN treaty looks to govern maritime resources on the high seas

Mar 24, 2023
The newly-signed UN High Seas treaty seeks to regulate resource usage and environmental protection in international waters.
Nikolay Doychinov/AFP via Getty Images

In his first veto, President Biden defends Labor Department's ESG rule

Mar 20, 2023
Critics say ESG investments allocate money based on political agendas rather than on earning the best returns for savers.
It's unlikely that Republicans have enough votes in Congress to reach the two-thirds majority required in each chamber to override Biden's veto.
Leon Neal/Getty Images

One big bank halts new fossil fuel investments. Will others follow?

Dec 29, 2022
HSBC said it will stop investing in new oil and gas fields. Climate activist Bill McKibben calls it a welcome first step.
Matt Cardy/Getty Images