Energy

To avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions need to be eliminated or offset by midcentury, according to the United Nations. To get there, activist investors say banks and insurance companies need to account for the emissions they contribute to by underwriting and investing in fossil fuel infrastructure like this natural gas plant in California.

Businesses face more and more pressure from investors to act on climate change

6:00am April 09, 2023

by Michael Copley

At annual meetings this spring, shareholders will be pushing publicly-traded companies for information about how they're contributing to climate change, and what they're doing about the problem.

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Emissions from a coal-fired power plant are silhouetted against the setting sun in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 1, 2021. The Environmental Protection Agency is tightening rules that limit emissions of mercury and other harmful pollutants from coal-fired power plants, updating standards imposed more than a decade ago.

The EPA proposes tighter limits on toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants

5:48pm April 05, 2023

by The Associated Press

The rules would lower emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants that can harm brain development of young children and contribute to heart attacks and other health problems in adults.

A person goes to the pump at a gas station in Arlington, Va., on July 29, 2022. Gas prices have come down significantly since peaking last year but they could rise again after Saudi Arabia and other countries said they would collectively cut oil production by more than one million barrels.

Economy

5 things to know about Saudi Arabia's stunning decision to cut oil production

6:30pm April 03, 2023

by Camila Domonoske

Oil prices surged after Saudi Arabia and some other oil producers announced they're reducing their oil output. That will send gas prices higher – and benefit energy companies in America.

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Gas prices are likely to rise as countries like Saudi Arabia cut oil production

5:44pm April 03, 2023

by Camila Domonoske

Saudi Arabia and a few other countries announced a surprise cut in oil production, roiling crude markets. The move is expected to push gasoline prices higher.

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James Tucker got an efficient heat pump for his home near Oakland, Calif., last year. Now homeowners can get new credits for heat pumps from federal climate legislation.

6 things to know about heat pumps, a climate solution in a box

9:55am April 01, 2023

by Julia Simon

Sales of super-efficient electric heat pumps are rising in the U.S. But what are heat pumps? And why do some call them a key climate solution?

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Krishna Lal stands in front of her house. The town of Chamba is on the hill behind her.

'Ghost villages' of the Himalayas foreshadow a changing India

2:21pm March 30, 2023

by Raksha Kumar

Parts of the Himalayas in India are seeing people leave for cities that offer more jobs. Those left behind feel forgotten as the government looks to use the land for resources for the growing cities.

Electric cars charge at a hub in downtown Milan on March 23. Starting in 2035, all cars sold in the European Union will be zero-emission vehicles.

All new cars in the EU will be zero-emission by 2035. Here's where the U.S. stands

10:09am March 30, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

European Union states agreed to a plan after adding an exemption for cars that run on e-fuels. In the U.S., efforts to phase out gas-powered cars include future bans in several states.

A map highlights areas where thousands of blocks of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico were offered up in an oil and gas auction Wednesday.

The Biden administration sells oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico

4:43pm March 29, 2023

Energy companies secured access to 1.6 million acres of waters offered at auction. It's the second time this month that the administration has opened federal territory for new fossil fuel drilling.

Markey calls Biden's decision to back the Willow Project 'an environmental injustice'

6:14pm March 16, 2023

The Biden administration approved a major oil extraction project in Alaska, a decision that has divided Democrats. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Sen. Ed Markey, who opposes the project.

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Activists spread misleading information to fight solar

6:14pm March 16, 2023

by Michael Copley

Citizens for Responsible Solar is part of a growing backlash against renewable energy in rural communities across the United States.

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