Climate

President Joe Biden listens during a meeting with Pacific Islands Forum leaders during the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Summit in the East Room of the White House on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, in Washington.

Biden tells Pacific islands leaders he'll act on their warnings about climate change

9:20pm September 25, 2023

by The Associated Press

Biden said his administration is requesting Congress approve $200 million in new assistance for the region, including financing to help the islands prepare for climate and natural hazards.

Siblings Sofia Oliveira, 18, and Andre Oliveira, 15, pose for a picture at the beach in Costa da Caparica, south of Lisbon, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023.

Young climate activists challenging 32 governments will get their day in court

4:34am September 25, 2023

by The Associated Press

Six young activists are due Wednesday at the European Court of Human Rights, where they're accusing 32 governments of violating their human rights for failing to adequately address climate change.

Health & Safety

New research finds building evidence for the long-term health effects of wildfire smoke

8:23am September 24, 2023

Wildfire smoke has plagued much of the country this summer causing short-term impacts like increasing asthma. But researchers learning that wildfire smoke can have far-lasting implications.

Surfers ride the waves Saturday as the ocean is whipped up by Tropical Storm Ophelia at Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington, N.C. The cyclone weakened to a tropical depression by evening.

National

Ophelia weakens to a tropical depression as it churns across Virginia

10:03pm September 23, 2023

by Juliana Kim

Ophelia could bring up to 5 inches of rain across the Mid-Atlantic region into Sunday. Threats of storm surges have dissipated, but flooding risk remains, even as Ophelia is on track to weaken.

Horseshoe crabs are bled alive at a facility in Charleston, S.C., in June 2014.

Environment

Vaccines are still tested with horseshoe crab blood. The industry is finally changing

11:00am September 23, 2023

by Chiara Eisner

The horseshoe crab bleeding industry is in transition. One biomedical company agreed to more oversight, and a regulatory group is paving the way for drug companies to use animal-free alternatives.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell (left) along with NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson (right) signed an agreement this week outlining ways in which the two organizations will work together to center equity in disaster preparedness and response efforts.

NAACP signs agreement with FEMA to advance equity in disaster resilience

2:46pm September 22, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

As part of the collaborative effort, the NAACP's Emergency Management Task Force will regularly meet with FEMA to advance its progress on equity within disaster preparedness.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits Writtle University College, an agricultural college in Writtle, United Kingdom, a day after making his announcement about changes to Britain's climate policies.

World News

Rishi Sunak defends U.K. climate policy U-turn amid international criticism

10:22am September 22, 2023

by Fatima Al-Kassab

The British prime minister watered down key climate policies, and critics including Al Gore are slamming the changes. Analysts say with elections coming up next year, the pivot is politically driven.

Guterres tells world leaders to fight climate change by stop using fossil fuels

5:13am September 21, 2023

by Lauren Sommer

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls on countries to step up their climate commitments. Meanwhile, the U.K. plans to backtrack.

President Biden promised to create the Climate Corps during his first week in office. It's a program meant to appeal to young climate activists.

Biden is unveiling the American Climate Corps, a program with echoes of the New Deal

8:55pm September 20, 2023

by Eric McDaniel

The White House says the program will provide paid training to 20,000 Americans in its first year. It's much smaller than its New Deal predecessor, but targets a more diverse group of young people.

Smoky haze from wildfires in Canada obscures New York City's Empire State Building this year. The air in the U.S. has improved over the past 50 years, but smoke pollution from growing wildfires erodes much of that progress.

How wildfire smoke is erasing years of progress toward cleaning up America's air

8:45pm September 20, 2023

by Alejandra Borunda

A new study finds that smoke from massive wildfires has eroded about a quarter of the air quality gains from the last few decades.