International trade agreements open the door to claims that could slow progress on climate change.On his first day in office, President Joe Biden revoked the permit for the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have brought oil south from Canada across the Plains. The project’s owner, Calgary-based TC Energy, saw billions in future profits go up in smoke. So it turned to an arcane but potentially explosive tool to try to recoup the loss, filing a claim under the now-defunct North American Free Trade Agreement. The company is $15 billion.The case is known as an investor-state...…International trade agreements open the door to claims that could slow progress on climate change.On his first day in office, President Joe Biden revoked the permit for the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline, which would have brought oil south from Canada across the Plains. The project’s owner, Calgary-based TC Energy, saw billions in future profits go up in smoke. So it turned to an arcane but potentially explosive tool to try to recoup the loss, filing a claim under the now-defunct North American Free Trade Agreement. The company is $15 billion.The case is known as an investor-state...WW…

The state is on track to set a new and horrible record.The United States’ just keeps rolling. After floods in Yellowstone National Park, heat waves from Phoenix to Philadelphia, and drought-baked reservoirs dropping to near unusable levels, a potentially historic wildfire season in Alaska has emerged as the country’s latest climate disaster.Fire has always been part of Alaska’s environment, but hotter, drier summers are supercharging the seasons there just like they are in the American West. Grid spoke with Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks — where...…The state is on track to set a new and horrible record.The United States’ just keeps rolling. After floods in Yellowstone National Park, heat waves from Phoenix to Philadelphia, and drought-baked reservoirs dropping to near unusable levels, a potentially historic wildfire season in Alaska has emerged as the country’s latest climate disaster.Fire has always been part of Alaska’s environment, but hotter, drier summers are supercharging the seasons there just like they are in the American West. Grid spoke with Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks — where...WW…

Heat waves and wildfires are everywhere this summer, but the global average temperature can easily climb higher.Trains slowing to a crawl for fear of buckling railroad tracks. Wildfires licking the sides of a highway. Airport runways melting.Reports of all sorts of heat-related calamities sweated forth from the U.K. this week, as the country saw its all-time highest temperature record fall multiple times over the course of a scorching Tuesday. Elsewhere in Europe, the heat wave fueled wildfires in France, Spain, Portugal and Greece, while in Asia, China temperatures in the triple digits...…Heat waves and wildfires are everywhere this summer, but the global average temperature can easily climb higher.Trains slowing to a crawl for fear of buckling railroad tracks. Wildfires licking the sides of a highway. Airport runways melting.Reports of all sorts of heat-related calamities sweated forth from the U.K. this week, as the country saw its all-time highest temperature record fall multiple times over the course of a scorching Tuesday. Elsewhere in Europe, the heat wave fueled wildfires in France, Spain, Portugal and Greece, while in Asia, China temperatures in the triple digits...WW…

Mae Decena/Shea Lord360°How inflation became America’s greatest economic problem LENSESLLaborPPoliticsWWarCClimateCChinaThe last time inflation was this high, the Fed engineered a severe recession. Unfortunately, the problem is much more complex now. Can the off-ramp to spiking inflation go better this time?ContributorsWhat are 360s? Grid’s answer to stories that deserve a fuller view.LENSESInflation has hit its highest level since the early 1980s, with prices rising 8.3 percent in the last year.The last time inflation, defined as the change in consumer prices over time, was this high was...…Mae Decena/Shea Lord360°How inflation became America’s greatest economic problem LENSESLLaborPPoliticsWWarCClimateCChinaThe last time inflation was this high, the Fed engineered a severe recession. Unfortunately, the problem is much more complex now. Can the off-ramp to spiking inflation go better this time?ContributorsWhat are 360s? Grid’s answer to stories that deserve a fuller view.LENSESInflation has hit its highest level since the early 1980s, with prices rising 8.3 percent in the last year.The last time inflation, defined as the change in consumer prices over time, was this high was...WW…

Balloons, drones, radar and more: A huge science program in Houston is trying to tease out pollution’s effect on severe weather.HOUSTON — At a small municipal airport amid a sea of oil facilities and petrochemical plants east of downtown, prepared to release a weather balloon. A light rain fell as the Brookhaven National Laboratory research scientist let the large white balloon go, one of four sent up from the site every day — unless there are thunderstorms in the area, when several more are sent skyward.The balloon carried a radiosonde, a small device that collects data on temperature,...…Balloons, drones, radar and more: A huge science program in Houston is trying to tease out pollution’s effect on severe weather.HOUSTON — At a small municipal airport amid a sea of oil facilities and petrochemical plants east of downtown, prepared to release a weather balloon. A light rain fell as the Brookhaven National Laboratory research scientist let the large white balloon go, one of four sent up from the site every day — unless there are thunderstorms in the area, when several more are sent skyward.The balloon carried a radiosonde, a small device that collects data on temperature,...WW…

Mismanagement and warming are combining to cause a water catastrophe in the Southwest.The Colorado River is dying. The water source for 40 million people across seven states and part of Mexico is rapidly drying out, leaving the two biggest reservoirs in the U.S. thirstier and thirstier, and offering up what may be the first climate change impact that the country literally cannot ignore.“We really don’t have a choice to fail on this,” said , a senior water program manager with the Environmental Defense Fund. “We’ve got to come together and find a way to manage and govern the system...…Mismanagement and warming are combining to cause a water catastrophe in the Southwest.The Colorado River is dying. The water source for 40 million people across seven states and part of Mexico is rapidly drying out, leaving the two biggest reservoirs in the U.S. thirstier and thirstier, and offering up what may be the first climate change impact that the country literally cannot ignore.“We really don’t have a choice to fail on this,” said , a senior water program manager with the Environmental Defense Fund. “We’ve got to come together and find a way to manage and govern the system...WW…

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved the design of a new kind of reactor, known as a small modular reactor (SMR). The design, from the Portland, Ore.–based company NuScale Power, is intended to speed construction, lower cost and improve safety over traditional nuclear reactors, which are typically many times larger. Supporters of SMRs have long touted them as a way to help revive the country’s nuclear industry and widen the spread of low-carbon electricity. But some experts have expressed concerns over the potential expense and remaining safety issues that the industry...…The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved the design of a new kind of reactor, known as a small modular reactor (SMR). The design, from the Portland, Ore.–based company NuScale Power, is intended to speed construction, lower cost and improve safety over traditional nuclear reactors, which are typically many times larger. Supporters of SMRs have long touted them as a way to help revive the country’s nuclear industry and widen the spread of low-carbon electricity. But some experts have expressed concerns over the potential expense and remaining safety issues that the industry...WW…