Divided over whether to stop making plastic, U.N. treaty talks collapse

Delegates from more than 170 countries huddled for a week of marathon negotiations but came up short on delivering a treaty.

By Andrew JeongDecember 1, 2024

A strange new climate era is beginning to take hold

The next 10 years will look very different for the story of climate change.

By Shannon Osaka, Maxine Joselow and Sarah KaplanNovember 27, 2024

Climate talks reach finance deal blasted as inadequate by developing nations

Negotiators from nearly 200 nations made a nonbinding commitment that wealthy nations would aim to provide $300 billion annually by 2035 to help poorer nations.

By Chico Harlan and Maxine JoselowNovember 23, 2024

Draft deal at COP29 calls for rich nations to give $250 billion a year by 2035

A draft deal at the U.N. Climate Change Conference calls for wealthy nations to give developing ones $250 billion a year starting in 2035.

By Chico Harlan and Maxine JoselowNovember 22, 2024

Plastic food packaging has become composters’ greatest challenge

Along with orange peels and eggshells, people are tossing cling wrap, foam trays and other plastic food packaging into their compost, contaminating it.

By Anna PhillipsNovember 22, 2024

AI’s hunger for electric power is threatening U.S. climate goals

The enormous electricity needs of artificial intelligence are driving plans for scores of new fossil fuel plants with decades of expected service life.

By Evan HalperNovember 21, 2024

‘A blank piece of paper’: Here’s why the U.N. climate talks are in trouble

A draft deal unveiled at the U.N. Climate Change Conference could disappoint many delegates from countries most vulnerable to the ravages of a warming world.

By Maxine Joselow and Chico HarlanNovember 21, 2024

12 big changes Trump could make to climate and environment policy

Clean energy tax breaks, pollution rules and America’s participation in the Paris climate agreement could all be on the chopping block once Donald Trump returns to office.

By Dino Grandoni, Evan Halper and Maxine JoselowNovember 19, 2024

Why hydropower is failing this nation — and could fail others

Warmer temperatures are fueling drought, making it harder for Zambia and other developing nations to generate hydropower.

By Chico HarlanNovember 17, 2024

Trump picks fracking firm CEO Chris Wright to be energy secretary

The executive has taken a defiant approach to fighting climate change by attacking policies that call for shifting away from fossil fuels.

By Evan Halper, Maxine Joselow, Maegan Vazquez and Josh DawseyNovember 16, 2024

Another Outer Banks home falls into the ocean. More are still at risk.

The home in Rodanthe, North Carolina, collapsed into the sea after a powerful coastal storm swept through the area Thursday night.

By Anna PhillipsNovember 15, 2024

Trump picks Burgum for ‘energy czar’ — and interior secretary

Trump taps North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as both interior secretary and “energy czar” to oversee efforts to gut climate rules and expand fossil fuel production.

By Evan Halper and Maxine JoselowNovember 15, 2024

Trump taps North Dakota Gov. Burgum to lead Interior Department

Burgum is an aggressive champion of the oil industry, but his views on climate policy may diverge from those of Trump.

By Maxine Joselow, Evan Halper and Dino GrandoniNovember 14, 2024

Argentina’s president considers exiting Paris agreement with Trump

Right-wing President Javier Milei is considering withdrawing Argentina from the Paris climate agreement. Donald Trump has pledged to also remove the United States.

By David Feliba, Samantha Schmidt, Maxine Joselow and Chico HarlanNovember 14, 2024

Biden backs controversial road through Alaska wildlife refuge

The question of whether to allow a road to be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, a vast wild area in southwest Alaska, has vexed policymakers for decades.

By Maxine JoselowNovember 13, 2024

Oil companies face a new fine for methane. Trump could scrap it.

The Environmental Protection Agency finalized the fee on methane during the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.

By Maxine JoselowNovember 12, 2024

Live Briefing: Greta Thunberg calls site of COP29 climate summit ‘beyond absurd’

The U.N. Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, enters a second day. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres warned of “climate destruction” in his address.

By Maxine Joselow and Chico HarlanNovember 12, 2024

At U.N. climate talks, many leaders take a pass on an ‘unmissable’ moment

The annual U.N. Climate Change Conference, or COP29, comes as Earth is on track to endure its hottest year on record, and many top leaders are not attending.

By Chico Harlan and Maxine JoselowNovember 11, 2024

Trump taps former New York congressman Lee Zeldin as EPA chief

Zeldin, a lawyer by trade, lacks an extensive background in environmental policy.

By Maxine Joselow and Mariana AlfaroNovember 11, 2024

Live Briefing: Nations gather for U.N. climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan

The U.N. Climate Change Conference begins a year after a deal to phase out fossil fuels. COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev opened the summit with a call for action.

By Chico Harlan and Maxine JoselowNovember 11, 2024