President Biden wrapped up his virtual climate change summit on Friday, focusing on technological innovation, jobs and international cooperation.The event, which gathered together 40 world leaders, along with business executives, labor union heads and academics, underscored what appears to be the Biden administration’s strategy: Try to convince the political middle that Biden can deliver economic benefits with an agenda of creating jobs tied to combating climate change, and hope the rest of the world will go along with him.On Friday, Biden repeatedly sought to persuade participants from...…President Biden wrapped up his virtual climate change summit on Friday, focusing on technological innovation, jobs and international cooperation.The event, which gathered together 40 world leaders, along with business executives, labor union heads and academics, underscored what appears to be the Biden administration’s strategy: Try to convince the political middle that Biden can deliver economic benefits with an agenda of creating jobs tied to combating climate change, and hope the rest of the world will go along with him.On Friday, Biden repeatedly sought to persuade participants from...WW…

When one of the world’s largest container ships became wedged in the Suez Canal last week, it raised questions about impacts to global supply chains, the dangers of a globalized economy of goods and how to dislodge a 200,000 ton ship that doesn’t seem to want to budge.But for Russia, the misadventures of the Ever Given provided a rare chance to pitch what it’s framing as a golden marketing opportunity: shipping via the Northern Sea Route rather than the crowded Suez Canal. Successfully convincing other countries that this route is viable could yield a financial windfall for Russia.“The...…When one of the world’s largest container ships became wedged in the Suez Canal last week, it raised questions about impacts to global supply chains, the dangers of a globalized economy of goods and how to dislodge a 200,000 ton ship that doesn’t seem to want to budge.But for Russia, the misadventures of the Ever Given provided a rare chance to pitch what it’s framing as a golden marketing opportunity: shipping via the Northern Sea Route rather than the crowded Suez Canal. Successfully convincing other countries that this route is viable could yield a financial windfall for Russia.“The...WW…

The plummeting price of electricity from solar panels is one of the driving forces aiding the transition to clean energy.Government policies and scientific innovation around the world have helped to reduce the average cost of utility-scale solar power by more than 80 percent since 2010, making it the least expensive power source in many, if not most, places.Now the Department of Energy of reducing the cost by more than half again by 2030, to an unsubsidized average of 2 cents per kilowatt-hour. That cost, which takes into account the price of construction and operation, would have seemed...…The plummeting price of electricity from solar panels is one of the driving forces aiding the transition to clean energy.Government policies and scientific innovation around the world have helped to reduce the average cost of utility-scale solar power by more than 80 percent since 2010, making it the least expensive power source in many, if not most, places.Now the Department of Energy of reducing the cost by more than half again by 2030, to an unsubsidized average of 2 cents per kilowatt-hour. That cost, which takes into account the price of construction and operation, would have seemed...WW…

Top U.S. meat and dairy companies, along with livestock and agricultural lobbying groups, have spent millions campaigning against climate action and sowing doubt about the links between animal agriculture and climate change, according to new research from New York University.The study, published this week in the journal Climatic Change, also said the world’s biggest meat and dairy companies aren’t doing enough to curb their greenhouse gas emissions, with only a handful making pledges to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.“These companies are some of the world’s biggest contributors to climate...…Top U.S. meat and dairy companies, along with livestock and agricultural lobbying groups, have spent millions campaigning against climate action and sowing doubt about the links between animal agriculture and climate change, according to new research from New York University.The study, published this week in the journal Climatic Change, also said the world’s biggest meat and dairy companies aren’t doing enough to curb their greenhouse gas emissions, with only a handful making pledges to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.“These companies are some of the world’s biggest contributors to climate...WW…

This article is the result of a partnership between Inside Climate News and The Seattle Times.EAST WENATCHEE, Washington—On warm spring days, when the Columbia River is swollen with snowmelt, hydropower generation soars at times when demand may be weak. Markets tank, and sending water through dam turbines can be a money-losing proposition.In a quest to end these red-ink power sales, the Douglas County Public Utility District is making a $20 million investment in a new, clean energy business.In an old apple orchard now cleared of trees, a small portion of the electricity from the district’s...…This article is the result of a partnership between Inside Climate News and The Seattle Times.EAST WENATCHEE, Washington—On warm spring days, when the Columbia River is swollen with snowmelt, hydropower generation soars at times when demand may be weak. Markets tank, and sending water through dam turbines can be a money-losing proposition.In a quest to end these red-ink power sales, the Douglas County Public Utility District is making a $20 million investment in a new, clean energy business.In an old apple orchard now cleared of trees, a small portion of the electricity from the district’s...WW…

As California farmers work to curb methane emissions from the state’s sprawling dairy farms, they’ve found a convenient solution that helps control costs—and happens to offer benefits for the climate.By feeding leftover nut shells from nearby almond orchards, dairy farmers not only support their neighboring farmers, they divert waste that would otherwise go into landfills where it generates methane. These leftovers also provide nutrition for the animals, replacing traditional forage like alfalfa that requires big swathes of farmland and copious amounts of water to...…As California farmers work to curb methane emissions from the state’s sprawling dairy farms, they’ve found a convenient solution that helps control costs—and happens to offer benefits for the climate.By feeding leftover nut shells from nearby almond orchards, dairy farmers not only support their neighboring farmers, they divert waste that would otherwise go into landfills where it generates methane. These leftovers also provide nutrition for the animals, replacing traditional forage like alfalfa that requires big swathes of farmland and copious amounts of water to...WW…

Texas lawmakers are pushing legislation aimed at what they see as the culprit in the massive power outages and more than 100 deaths during February’s winter storm: wind and solar power.The bills would make wind and solar power plant owners pay for replacement power that would be ready if their plants underperformed, along with services that maintain balance on the grid. The proposals would saddle the plant owners with potentially huge costs that other types of power plants don’t need to cover.Hostility to wind and solar power is not new in a state at the epicenter of the U.S. oil and gas...…Texas lawmakers are pushing legislation aimed at what they see as the culprit in the massive power outages and more than 100 deaths during February’s winter storm: wind and solar power.The bills would make wind and solar power plant owners pay for replacement power that would be ready if their plants underperformed, along with services that maintain balance on the grid. The proposals would saddle the plant owners with potentially huge costs that other types of power plants don’t need to cover.Hostility to wind and solar power is not new in a state at the epicenter of the U.S. oil and gas...WW…

This article is part of a produced in partnership with NBC News and , a non-profit, editorially independent digital magazine exploring the intersection of science and society.In 1948, after Nazi Germany exterminated millions of Jews and other minorities during World War II, the United Nations adopted a convention establishing a new crime so heinous it demanded collective action. Genocide, the nations declared, was “condemned by the civilized world” and justified intervention in the affairs of sovereign states. Now, a small but growing number of world leaders including Pope Francis...…This article is part of a produced in partnership with NBC News and , a non-profit, editorially independent digital magazine exploring the intersection of science and society.In 1948, after Nazi Germany exterminated millions of Jews and other minorities during World War II, the United Nations adopted a convention establishing a new crime so heinous it demanded collective action. Genocide, the nations declared, was “condemned by the civilized world” and justified intervention in the affairs of sovereign states. Now, a small but growing number of world leaders including Pope Francis...WW…

As the Biden administration begins the daunting job of rebuilding U.S. climate policy, it has gotten help from an unexpected, and perhaps unlikely, source—the federal courts.In Biden’s first few weeks in office, federal judges scrapped the Trump administration’s weak power plant pollution regulation, its rule limiting science in environmental decision-making and a decision opening vast areas of the West to new mining.The rulings show that although President Donald Trump left his mark on the federal courts with his record-breaking pace of judicial appointments, his influence has not been...…As the Biden administration begins the daunting job of rebuilding U.S. climate policy, it has gotten help from an unexpected, and perhaps unlikely, source—the federal courts.In Biden’s first few weeks in office, federal judges scrapped the Trump administration’s weak power plant pollution regulation, its rule limiting science in environmental decision-making and a decision opening vast areas of the West to new mining.The rulings show that although President Donald Trump left his mark on the federal courts with his record-breaking pace of judicial appointments, his influence has not been...WW…

In a year of pandemic illness and chaotic politics, there also was a major milestone in the transition to clean energy: U.S. renewable energy sources for the first time generated more electricity than coal.The continuing rise of wind and solar power, combined with the steady performance of hydroelectric power, was enough for renewable energy sources to surge ahead of coal, according to 2020 figures released this week by the Energy Information Administration.  “It’s very significant that renewables have overtaken coal,” said Robbie Orvis, director of energy policy design at the...…In a year of pandemic illness and chaotic politics, there also was a major milestone in the transition to clean energy: U.S. renewable energy sources for the first time generated more electricity than coal.The continuing rise of wind and solar power, combined with the steady performance of hydroelectric power, was enough for renewable energy sources to surge ahead of coal, according to 2020 figures released this week by the Energy Information Administration.  “It’s very significant that renewables have overtaken coal,” said Robbie Orvis, director of energy policy design at the...WW…