Energy

People work at a landfill in India that's full of plastic bags. Members of the United Nations are negotiating a treaty that's aimed at cutting plastic pollution globally.

The world is awash in plastic. Oil producers want a say in how it's cleaned up

5:00am November 13, 2023

Groups connected to the fossil fuel industry are trying to shape an international treaty to cut plastic pollution. And oil- and gas-producing nations are at the negotiating table.

Burying power lines could help prevent Californian wildfires. Who should pay for it?

4:28pm November 01, 2023

by Kevin Stark / KQED

Pacific Gas & Electric — whose equipment started some of California's deadliest wildfires — has proposed burying power lines in some at-risk areas. Local regulators have pushed back, citing costs.

World News

Israel's war with Gaza is putting global energy markets at risk

8:17am October 29, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with Karen Young of the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University about the energy implications of Israel's war against Hamas.

Wind turbines turn behind a solar farm in Rapshagen, Germany in 2021. The International Energy Agency projects demand for fossil fuels will peak before 2030 as renewable energy continues to grow.

Global shift to clean energy means fossil fuel demand will peak soon, IEA says

12:01am October 24, 2023

by Jeff Brady

Fossil fuel demand will peak and renewable energy will grow rapidly in coming years, according to an International Energy Agency report.

Hundreds of active oil wells sit in densely populated and mostly low-income neighborhoods in Los Angeles. A new report details why equity should be central to climate and energy policy in the U.S. to address historical practices.

Major U.S. science group lays out a path to smooth the energy transition

5:26pm October 17, 2023

by Alejandra Borunda

The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine says putting equity at the center of climate and energy policy will help speed along necessary fossil fuel emission cuts

A 1992 analysis by Duke University and EPA researchers found that children in a home with a gas stove have about a 20% increased risk of developing respiratory illness. A 2022 analysis showed 12.7% of childhood asthma cases in the U.S. can be attributed to gas stove use in homes.

How gas utilities used tobacco tactics to avoid gas stove regulations

10:21am October 17, 2023

by Jeff Brady

Gas stoves emit potentially harmful pollutants, but utilities and their trade group avoided regulation with tactics perfected by the tobacco industry to cast doubt on science showing health problems.

Economy

These 5 big purchases can save energy — and money — at home

5:28pm October 15, 2023

by Jeff Brady

To live a more climate-friendly life, invest in home appliances that run on electricity, not fossil fuels, say sustainability experts. NPR's Life Kit offers a few energy-saving solutions to consider.

President Joe Biden speaks about his Bidenomics agenda at Tioga Marine Terminal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 13, 2023.

National

To rein in climate change, Biden pledges $7 billion to regional 'hydrogen hubs'

7:13pm October 13, 2023

by Susan Phillips

President Joe Biden announced billions of federal dollars for the creation of regional hydrogen hubs across the country. Hydrogen could be a climate-friendly alternative to fossil fuels.

A historic agreement aims to pave the way for large scale solar farms

4:43pm October 13, 2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Dan Reicher of Stanford University's Woods Institute for the Environment about a historic agreement addressing land-use for large scale solar projects.

ExxonMobil makes a $60 billion oil deal, doubling down on fossil fuels

5:08am October 12, 2023

by Julia Simon

As climate researchers say the world must transition away from new oil and gas production, ExxonMobil is acquiring a major U.S. shale oil company with one of the country's biggest oil fields.