It might be tempting to shrug at the scorching weather across large swaths of the West. This just in: It gets hot in the summer. But this record-setting heat wave's remarkable power, size and unusually early appearance is giving meteorologists and climate experts yet more cause for concern about the routinization of extreme weather in an era of climate change. Read More
The company behind the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline said Wednesday it's officially terminating the project. TC Energy already had suspended construction in January when President Biden revoked a key cross-border presidential permit. The announcement ends a more than decade-long battle that came to signify the debate over whether fossil fuels should be left in the Read More
A secret cache of clean energy is lurking in sewers, and there are growing efforts to put it to work in the battle against climate change. Continue Reading How Your Hot Showers And Toilet Flushes Can Help The ClimateRead More
Gov. Jay Inslee signed the Climate Commitment Act, environmental justice legislation, a clean fuels standard and bills related to reducing Washington’s single-use plastic waste and hydrofluorocarbon pollution. Continue Read More
Last year, Wyoming and Montana — another major coal state — asked the Supreme Court to override a decision by Washington state to deny a permit to build a coal export dock on the Columbia River. The interstate lawsuit followed years of unsuccessful attempts by the dock’s developer, Utah-based Lighthouse Resources, to contest the permit denial in federal court. Read More
The state’s new fuel standards will slowly lower the amount of heat-trapping greenhouse gasses coming out of vehicle tailpipes through 2035. That means cleaner technologies biodiesel or renewable natural gas will get a boost over gasoline and diesel. Read More
Next week, President Biden will announce a number that could shape the rest of his presidency: a new goal to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The announcement marks the country's renewed commitment to the Paris accord, the international climate change agreement that former President Trump withdrew from. Read More
New research out of the University of Washington finds a correlation between warmer ocean waters and mass strandings of By-the-wind sailor jellyfish over the past two decades. The brief, widespread beachings of "gazillions" of purplish-blue jellies along the Pacific Northwest coast create a memorable sight for those who chance to be in the right place at the right time. Read More
Smaller, faster-melting snowpack could deplete water supplies, increase wildfire risk and invite invasive species. The Cascades might reach that point earlier. Continue Reading Cascade Snowpack More Vulnerable To Climate Read More
Congresswoman Deb Haaland would be not just the first Native American Interior Secretary, but also the first in a presidential cabinet. She faced tough — and, at times, misguided — questioning from Republican lawmakers worried about the president's climate goals. Read More
The United States on Friday officially rejoined the Paris Agreement on climate change designed to limit global warming and avoid its potentially catastrophic impacts. Continue Reading U.S. Officially Rejoins Paris Agreement On Climate ChangeRead More
Warmer winter weather, more rainfall and less snow will contribute to significantly increased flooding in the Columbia River Basin this century due to climate change, new research says. Continue Reading Study: Warmer Weather Read More
You may be used to hearing a pushy car salesperson ask the timeless question, "What can I do to get you in this car?" But one big thing could be different in Washington state a decade from now. Proposals introduced this winter in the Washington Legislature would end sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2030. Read More
The U.S. officially withdrew from the accord to limit climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions late last year, after President Donald Trump began the process in 2017. It is the only country of the nearly 200 signatories that has withdrawn. Biden vowed to sign on Inauguration Day the documents needed to rejoin the agreement. Read More
The U.S. is regulating greenhouse gas emissions from commercial aircraft for the first time. But critics are saying the rules will be ineffective. The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday the rules are being finalized after first being made public in July. Read More
Several big farm groups, traditionally hostile to environmental regulations, are now working with environmental advocates in support of farmer-friendly actions to reduce carbon emissions. Continue Reading Farmers Are Warming Up To The Fight Against Read More
Officials hope to auction off leases before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. He has pledged to protect the pristine landscape that's home to polar bears and migrating caribou. Continue Reading Trump Administration Read More
New research suggests that a U.S. Forest Service proposal to allow the cutting of larger trees on public lands east of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington will have an outsized impact on forest carbon storage in the Pacific Northwest. Read More
The move, long threatened by President Donald Trump and triggered by his administration a year ago, further isolates Washington in the world but has no immediate impact on international efforts to curb global warming. Continue Read More
The fires in Washington are largely under control now, but the state has been experiencing dangerous, even deadly, wildfires for years, something Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee says are only made worse by climate change. Continue Reading Gov. Read More
There's only been one other year – 2005 – that Greek names have been needed. The National Hurricane Center on Friday announced storms called Alpha and Beta have formed in the Atlantic. Continue Reading So 2020: New Storm Forms, Named Alpha Read More
On the other side of the country Joe Biden also addressed the fires, linking them to climate change. Continue Reading ‘I Don’t Think Science Knows’: Visiting Fires, President Trump Denies Climate ChangeRead More
David Legates, a professor whose research has been supported by fossil fuel companies, has been hired for a top position at the federal agency that oversees weather and climate forecasting. Continue Reading Professor And Longtime Read More
Hurricane Laura rapidly intensified before it made landfall. Abnormally hot water in the Gulf of Mexico helped it gain power. Continue Reading Hurricanes Like Laura Are More Likely Because Of Climate ChangeRead More
Climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are not part of the $3 trillion in U.S. relief packages passed so far — despite a long history of funding energy programs after economic crises. Continue Reading Absent Read More
Deforestation, climate change and the disturbances it can exacerbate – like wildfires, extreme droughts and insect outbreaks – are decimating old growth forests across the globe. That means forests worldwide are filling in with younger and shorter trees, according to a new study. Read More
In a study recently published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, WSU scientists found that lynx only occupy about 20% of potential habitat in Washington. Continue Reading Big Study Finds Small Territory Usage For Washington’s Read More
As the climate warms, fire seasons will get worse – that’s especially true for low-elevation ponderosa pine forests east of the Cascades. According to a University of Washington study published in the journal Fire Ecology, wildfires there will be larger and more frequent. Read More
Will the current lull in activity make a difference in the air we breathe or the future of climate change? Continue Reading As Many People Stay Home, Will The Environment Improve — At Least Temporarily?Read More
The wildflower season at Mount Rainier National Park was short in 2015. Some of the lupines stopped flowering and didn’t make seeds like they normally do. The shorter season also meant fewer people saw peak blooms. A new study looks at how winter changes may affect tourist season at Washington's iconic park. Read More
Climate change isn’t a new topic for progressive churches like Shalom United Church of Christ in Richland. But it is perhaps tinged with new urgency. Survey results from the Pew Research Center show that congregations are delving into environmental awareness recently. And so are farmers. Read More
JPMorgan Chase is the latest investor to say it won't finance drilling in Alaska's Arctic. Some welcome the move, but there's also concern in a state that depends heavily on oil revenue. Continue Reading Alaska Feels The Brunt As Read More
For many parts of the United States this winter has been one of the warmest on record. People around the country are feeling the effects of it. Continue Reading From Allergies To Declining Business, Warming Winters Affect Everyday Read More
Winters are warming faster than summers in many places, and colder parts of the U.S. are warming faster than hotter ones. The warming winter climate has year-round consequences across the country. Continue Reading How Warming Winters Are Affecting EverythingRead More
Amazon, the company Bezos founded and heads, has come under increasing scrutiny for its own carbon footprint. Continue Reading Jeff Bezos Pledges $10 Billion To Fight Climate ChangeRead More
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday the young plaintiffs had "made a compelling case that action is needed," but they did not have legal standing to bring the case. Continue Reading Read More
By 2050, the tech giant pledges it will "remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975." Continue Reading Microsoft Pledges To Remove Read More
The Australian bushfires are emitting huge amounts of climate warming carbon into the atmosphere. Normally, new vegetation that grows back would recapture it, but that may be changing. Continue Reading Australia’s Wildfires Are Releasing Vast Read More
As the climate warms, recent winters in Anchorage, Alaska, have seen more ice. The trend is leading to safety concerns and new measures to cope in this city where winter is defined by snow. Continue Reading More Ice And Less Snow Gets A Chilly Read More
Researchers at Oregon State University and the University of California-Berkeley looked at which forests in the Western United States should be prioritized for preservation under climate change scenarios. Continue Reading Not Logging Read More
The talks showed deep divisions, as small countries highly vulnerable to rising seas and powerful storms were at odds with wealthy, high-emitting countries like the United States. Continue Reading U.N. Climate Summit Goes To Read More
In a three-week trial, New York state prosecutors argued that the oil company had downplayed the financial risks it faces from possible climate regulation. Attorney General Letitia James said doing so made Exxon's assets appear more secure than they really were, which in turn affected its share price and defrauded investors. Read More
Carbon emissions from global air travel are rising fast, and U.S. passengers make up the largest share. But some are vowing not to fly at all, motivated by guilt and concern for the environment. Continue Reading Choosing Not To Fly Home For The Read More
Carbon capture technology is slowly being integrated into energy and industrial facilities across the globe. Typically set up to collect carbon from an exhaust stream, this technology sops up greenhouse gases before they spread into Earth’s airways. Read More
Companies are trying to figure out the risks to their profits from a warming planet. Some of them are turning to high-tech tools of climate science. Continue Reading As The Climate Warms, Companies Scramble To Calculate The Risk Read More
As the climate warms, many U.S. lakes are seeing more algal blooms, low oxygen levels and stressed out fish species. One team in Oregon hopes that pumping oxygen into the water can help. Continue Reading Pumping Oxygen In A Lake To Try To Read More
The study found that across North America, 389 species, or nearly two-thirds of the continent’s birds, are vulnerable to the heat waves, rising seas, increased fires and storms and other disruptions that 3 °C of climate change could bring. Read More
An ambitious Arctic expedition has reached a milestone. Researchers have found a floe to freeze into, where they'll construct an observatory and study Arctic systems from a ship. Continue Reading Researchers Are Freezing Their Ship Read More
10 countries account for approximately 70 percent of the world’s emissions, and all except one — India — are not on pace to meet the climate goals needed to prevent 2 degrees Celsius of warming. Continue Reading Only 2 Read More
Humanity is not on track to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. Delegations from nearly 200 countries are meeting to discuss promises they made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Continue Reading U.N. Climate Summit Sets Read More