Climate change policy

An American Airlines plane lands at Logan International Airport, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, in Boston.Photo: Michael Dwyer (AP)The world emitted more carbon dioxide last year compared to any other year on record, according to data released Thursday from the International Energy Agency. And while the growth of emissions was slower last year than it had been in past years—thanks to an explosion of renewable energy around the world during the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine—the report finds thatemissions from…

George Soros may want to to hack the atmosphere to refreeze the Arctic.Unfortunately, that’s not a line from a shitty email sent by your MAGA aunt. And the Soros’s interest may signal renewed investment from powerful billionaires into a practice scientists have long been on the fence about.Geoengineering—a blanket term for various theoretical methods to hack the planet, but usually used to refer to methods involving aerosols that reduce how much sunlight hits Earth—is one of the most tiptoed-around topics in climate…

Most carbon credit schemes, where real-world pollution is traded for theoretical emissions reductions, are at least borderline bullshit. Through the language of carbon offsets, companies and governments can rely on shoddy calculations to make themselves look environmentally aware, while actively pumping more greenhouse gases into Earth’s atmosphere.Under the guise of ‘protecting forests elsewhere,’ polluters can trash their own backyards accountability-free. Then, when those faraway trees go up in smoke, there’s still no…

Mexico is cracking down on experiments in solar geoengineering. The controversial proposed climate solution, in which aerosol particles are released into the upper atmosphere to reflect the Sun’s heat, will no longer be allowed to take place in the country, the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) announced last week.Both large-scale and in-development projects involving solar engineering are to be halted, via coordination between the Mexican environment ministry and the country’s National…

For nearly 30 years, nations, nonprofits, researchers, industry representatives, and other stakeholders have gathered annually at the United Nations’ Conference of Parties—commonly known as COP—to talk through implementation of the U.N.’s climate change treaty. Though deeply imperfect, these summits are a critical focal point of global climate diplomacy and policy every year.But this year’s COP28 is set to be overshadowed by amassive conflict of interest: The president of the conference—charged with leading preparations,…

The Seattle skylinePhoto: Donald Miralle (Getty Images)This story was originally published by Grist. You can subscribe to its weekly newsletter here.Washington state rang in the New Year with the launch of its most ambitious plan to slash carbon pollution. The new “cap-and-invest” program is designed to follow in the footsteps of California, where a cap-and-trade system began in 2013, while trying to learn from its missteps.Signed into law by Washington Governor Jay Inslee in 2021, the Climate Commitment Act works by…

A startup says it has begun releasing sulfur particles into Earth’s atmosphere, in a controversial attempt to combat climate change by deflecting sunlight. Make Sunsets, a company that sells carbon offset “cooling credits” for $10 each, is banking on solar geoengineering to cool down the planet and fill its coffers. The startup claims it has already released two test balloons, each filled with about 10 grams of sulfur particles and intended for the stratosphere, according to the company’s website and first reported on by…

A protest in front of the Supreme Court in December.Photo: Andrew Harnik (AP)This past year was one of dire climate warnings, from bombshell IPCC reports to a summer of floods and fires to disturbing droughts across the world. And yet, entrenched interests were still working against climate action as hard as ever in 2022. The usual climate suspects were up to their decades-old tricks. (We’re looking at you, Big Oil, and you, GOP politicians.) But some notable—and unusual—parties joined in on the fun (Taylor Swift, alas).…

Screenshot: GizmodoRemember when Tucker Carlson claimed climate activists want to shrink America’s kids? Well, buckle up: The Fox News host aired another nonsense climate segment on his show on Monday evening, during which his guest mused that the Left could have “climate vaccines” and Carlson—surprisingly—pitched an idea that we have endorsed on this very website. Because I’m a saint, I watched it all so you don’t have to. Let’s get started!The segment starts with an old trope: private jet use by liberal politicians.…

A coal plant in Germany.Photo: Lukas Schulze (Getty Images)Big Oil has a fancy new piece of climate technology to sink money into. As Bloomberg reported on Monday, both Shell and Norwegian oil giant Equinor have helped a new Israeli direct air capture startup, called RepAir, raise a cool $10 million in funding—despite the company only having a shoebox-size prototype for a technology it says could one day suck tons of carbon from the sky.Direct air capture, or the process of removing carbon dioxide directly from the…