Climate Change

The government under Lula da Silva that returned to power in Brazil in 2023 stepped up enforcement against illegal deforestation with a crackdown on illicit clearing by miners, loggers, and farmers. It has been effective.

According to the year-end summary by the Alaska Climate Research Center, Alaska had one of its warmest years of the past 100 in 2025. The average temperature of 29.6 degrees Fahrenheit was the warmest year since 2019. Compared with the 1991-2020 averages, Alaska overall was 1.5 degrees warmer in 2025.

Forests are fundamental to life on Earth. They store carbon dioxide, regulate water cycles, stabilize soils, and provide habitat for countless species. Forests also supply people with food, wood, and shade that helps cool communities during hot weather.

Exposure to mercury is dangerous. In adults, high levels of mercury can cause heart disease as well as severe damage to the brain and central nervous system. For fetuses and babies, it can cause significant developmental delays and possibly lower I.Q. scores and impaired motor skills.

Almost all glaciers around the world are shrinking or retreating and many are disappearing entirely. As this goes on, glaciers are drawing more visitors than ever. The ten most visited glaciers now attract more than 14 million tourists each year. Glaciers have long been tourist attractions, but the impact of climate change has led to the growth of “last-chance tourism” where visitors are rushing to see glaciers before they vanish.

The University of Vermont and the University of Maine are collaborating on a new online course intended to help maple producers prepare for and adapt to climate change

Platinum is a key industrial catalyst because its electronic structure gives it an exceptional ability to accelerate oxidation and hydrogenation chemical reactions. Among its uses are in catalytic converters in automobiles and in fuel cells that generate electricity from hydrogen. Catalysts are also critical for methods of upcycling plastic waste and converting old plastics into high-quality new products.

A study by scientists at the Columbia University Climate School has found that the weather conditions driven by climate change that are increasing the occurrence of wildfires are playing a growing role in shaping summer air quality in both the United States and Canada. And the news isn’t good. The air is getting smokier and the impact on public health is not something that can be addressed by regulatory action, as was the case for fossil fuel pollution.

In early February, the Trump administration formally rejected the scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life and wellbeing. Known as the endangerment finding, the 2009 ruling empowered the Environmental Protection Agency to impose regulations that limit carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollution from oil and gas wells, tailpipes, smokestacks and other sources that burn fossil fuels.

Federal agencies are delaying approvals for renewable energy projects all across the country on both federal land and private property. Meanwhile, electricity demand continues to rise.