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INTO THE RED

Climate and the fight of our lives

The climate crisis is now an emergency. We believe solutions must begin here, in our communities, state, and region. Globe journalism will shine light on obstacles to decisive action, illuminate paths toward solutions, and hold to account elected leaders responsible for guiding us to a better future.

Latest climate stories

Harnessing the same forces as lightning, new technology extracts electricity from humidity

“Throughout history, we haven’t been able to find any means to capture the electricity in the air. It’s dangerous. It’s unpredictable. But I think this technology essentially turns that dream into reality,” said Jun Yao, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering at UMass Amherst.

Eversource exits offshore development, with a big loss

The utility expects to write off more than $200 million in losses from its joint venture to build wind farms off the Massachusetts coast.
RI COURTS

R.I. sues manufacturers for PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ contamination

“The burden of this enormous cost should be borne by the companies who made, marketed, and sold these products at great profit, while hiding their true dangers,” said Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.

Supreme Court limits federal power over wetlands, boosts property rights over clean water

The Supreme Court on Thursday made it harder for the federal government to police water pollution in a decision that strips protections from wetlands that are isolated from larger bodies of water.

Cities need better public transit, less driving, new international report says. That makes Mass. a laggard, not a leader.

Urban areas will have to look more like Leipzig, Germany, where cars are a rare sight in the city center, and electric trams whisk people from here to there.

Featured projects

As Earth’s temperature rises, Massachusetts residents’ sense of urgency on climate change declines

Despite increasingly urgent international warnings, fewer Massachusetts residents see the climate crisis as a very serious concern than they did in 2019, a new poll from MassINC and the Boston Globe shows.
The Lobster Trap: Part 1

The lobster trap

The plentiful catch that brought wealth to fishing families is at risk, as climate change warms the Gulf of Maine. A way of life is on the line, but lobstermen can't, or won't, imagine another.
Climate change on Cape Cod

At the edge of a warming world

The flexed arm of Cape Cod has challenged the power of the sea for centuries, but the contest has escalated. Climate change is altering our vacation paradise in myriad ways, perhaps forever. The message in the sand is clear — if only we will look.

Accountability

RI COURTS

R.I. sues manufacturers for PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ contamination

“The burden of this enormous cost should be borne by the companies who made, marketed, and sold these products at great profit, while hiding their true dangers,” said Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.
GLOBE NH | MORNING REPORT

Portsmouth, N.H., is putting together its own climate action plan

The climate plan is meant to be the foundation for all climate projects and goals for the next 50 years, according to the city.
ADDRESS

Area colleges are knee-deep in composting — and they like it

Schools educate students on the importance of a green lifestyle, set up bins in dining and residence halls.
INNOVATOR Q&A

A R.I. startup diverts 1 ton of waste each month from landfills. They’re trying to get businesses to do the same.

Tess Feigenbaum co-founded Epic Renewal, which looks to provide low-cost composting services for homes, businesses, and events.

Climate Science

COMMENTARY | Matt Stein and John Gage
How to move beyond climate disinformation in the N.H. State House
Two climate action proponents call for ending counterproductive debates over long-settled science.

To mitigate climate change, Brown launches initiative to develop new sustainable energy solutions

‘Like being in the presence of a dinosaur’: Right whales’ extended stay in Cape Cod Bay could be tied to climate change, scientists say

Politics and Policy

RI COURTS

R.I. sues manufacturers for PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ contamination

“The burden of this enormous cost should be borne by the companies who made, marketed, and sold these products at great profit, while hiding their true dangers,” said Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.

Cities need better public transit, less driving, new international report says. That makes Mass. a laggard, not a leader.

Urban areas will have to look more like Leipzig, Germany, where cars are a rare sight in the city center, and electric trams whisk people from here to there.

US greenlights major transmission line for renewable energy in Western states

The project comes about a year after an environmental review was completed as part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to meet climate goals and shore up the nation’s power grid.
GLOBE NH | MORNING REPORT

Portsmouth, N.H., is putting together its own climate action plan

The climate plan is meant to be the foundation for all climate projects and goals for the next 50 years, according to the city.

An interactive look into climate change

How Massachusetts feels about climate change in 12 graphics

The percentage of Massachusetts residents who believe climate change is as a very serious concern has decreased since 2019. That’s just one finding from a new poll conducted by MassINC Polling Group for the Boston Globe.

Maps: These parts of Boston, Revere, and Quincy are vulnerable to rising sea levels

One measure of a warming planet and human-caused climate change is rising sea levels, which Massachusetts’ coastal towns are increasingly grappling with.

Boston’s ‘heat islands’ turn lower-income neighborhoods from hot to insufferable

In a recent city report, officials noted that temperatures in leafier neighborhoods are often significantly lower than in more densely populated areas.

Into the Red: How the Globe will cover climate change

To report on the most pressing issue of our time, the Globe’s climate team is expanding and rethinking its coverage.

The Globe's climate team wants to hear from you

Share your thoughts and questions about the impact of climate change in your community.

How-Tos

No Mow May: What to know about the campaign to help your garden become a pollinator’s paradise

ADDRESS

Area colleges are knee-deep in composting — and they like it

Difficulty measuring methane slows plan to slash emissions

More Climate stories

Healey administration seeks $250 million in federal funds to boost grid for offshore wind

The money would help fund $1 billion in upgrades to handle power coming from waters south of Massachusetts.

France and Germany show no sign of agreement on role of nuclear in clean energy

France and Germany are showing no sign of nearing a compromise on the role of nuclear energy in the European Union’s transition to cleaner energy, highlighting the challenge faced in reaching a deal in the coming weeks to push ahead with the bloc’s Green Deal package.

Why are skies hazy in Mass.? Blame smoke from Canadian wildfires, experts say.

Hazy skies and a reddish sunrise can be traced back to heavy smoke from wildfires sweeping through parts of Alberta, said Kyle Pederson, a meteorologist with National Weather Service in Norton.

Germany rejects criticism it watered down language on gas at G7 summit

The German government is rejecting criticism that it pushed to weaken existing commitments for phasing out natural gas at a summit of leaders from the Group of Seven major industrialized democracies.

CHESTO MEANS BUSINESS

As Everett power plant shutters, some worry LNG terminal will be next to go

The LNG terminal’s fate could become the latest flashpoint in New England’s seemingly endless debate about shifting away from fossil fuels.

Plan to expand hangar space for private jets at Hanscom sparks concerns about a surge in climate pollution

Private jets are among the most polluting forms of transportation on the planet, catering mainly to the wealthy and powerful, and in recent years, their use has soared at airports such as Hanscom Field.

Shorebird species along the Atlantic are in decline, study finds, telling the story of a planet in peril

Some species experienced more than 50 percent losses since 1980, according to researchers from the United States and Canada who analyzed nearly four decades of observations.

Global temperatures will likely soar to record levels in next five years, new analysis says

Temperatures are likely to soar to record highs over the next five years, driven by human-caused warming and a climate pattern known as El Niño, forecasters at the World Meteorological Organization said Wednesday.

Opinion

IDEAS | JENNIFER NASH

A flock of birds gripped my hand — and pulled me back into the fight against climate change

After devoting my career to the environment, I began to hide from bad news about it. I had to learn to feel all over again.
Leila Philip

Let beavers get busy fighting fires — and climate change

Carroll Muffett

The world can’t recycle its way out of the plastics crisis

Michael E. Mann and Wanjira Mathai

UN IPCC report can lead governments to the climate action door, but they must walk through

Bill McKibben

Heat pumps could help ease the climate crisis — and the war in Ukraine