climate

World News

How island nations vulnerable to climate change need rich, polluting countries to act

4:39pm November 10, 2021

Low-lying islands and nations are among those most at risk from rising sea levels, and have been sounding the alarm on the need for action by wealthier nations to limit global warming for years.

From COP26: Pete Buttigieg describes how transportation factors into climate goals

4:37pm November 10, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg from COP26, as world leaders release a draft of their goals to cut emissions and avert disastrous climate change.

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Burning wood pellets isn't the 'clean energy' it claims to be, critics say

4:37pm November 10, 2021

by David Boraks

There's a big market sending U.S. wood pellets to Europe to burn as clean energy. But critics say they're not climate-friendly, and their production poses a health hazard for low-income communities.

Countries at the COP26 conference in Glasgow pledge to accelerate the transition to 100% new zero-emission vehicle sales.

World News

COP26 sees pledges to transition to electric vehicles, but key countries are mum

11:15am November 10, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

The agreements were hailed as a major step toward decarbonizing the auto industry, but the world's largest auto markets, including the U.S., and top carmakers failed to sign on.

A stacker-reclaimer next to a stockpile of coal at the Newcastle Coal Terminal in Newcastle, New South Wales. Australia is a major coal producer. A new draft agreement at the climate summit in Scotland calls for ending coal power.

World News

Draft agreement at the COP26 climate summit looks to rapidly speed up emissions cuts

11:10am November 10, 2021

The draft, circulated at the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, calls for an end to coal power and more rapid cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

Vanessa Nakate speaks during the climate strike march on October 1, 2021 in Milan, Italy.

Uganda's Vanessa Nakate says COP26 sidelines nations most affected by climate change

9:12am November 10, 2021

Nakate spoke with NPR about the role gender plays in climate activism, whether the COP26 summit feels inclusive and her advice for other youth who feel they can't affect change in the climate crisis.

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Extra-high tides offer a glimpse into the future as sea level rises

8:18am November 10, 2021

by Sofie Rudin

Coastal communities are experiencing more flooding at extreme high tides. Merchants in North Kingston, R.I., say it's going to cost a lot of money to keep the water at bay.

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A wind turbine in front of a steaming coal power plant in Gelsenkirchen, Germany in 2010. New reports find countries' latest promises to cut climate emissions are still not enough to avoid the worst impacts from warming.

Glasgow climate pledges are 'lip service' without far more aggressive plans

5:20pm November 09, 2021

by Jeff Brady

New analyses find countries' latest climate promises are still not enough to meet the goal set in the Paris climate agreement. And they warn few countries even have plans to carry out their pledges.

World News

Uganda's Vanessa Nakate says COP26 sidelines nations most affected by climate change

5:12pm November 09, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with climate activist Vanessa Nakate of Uganda about her goals in bringing the needs of the global south to the fore at the United Nations climate change conference, COP26.

What President Xi Jinping's absence from COP26 indicates for China's climate pledges

4:18pm November 09, 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping is not attending COP26 in person. Climate analysts and activists weigh in on what his absence means for the climate pledges made by one of the top carbon-emitting nations.

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