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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

See photos and videos of flash flooding in New York City

Heavy rainfall in New York City and the surrounding region Friday morning caused flash flooding, forcing subway lines to close, delaying flights, and turning major roadways into rivers.

Mosquitoes are a growing public health threat, reversing years of progress

Less than a decade ago, it was the humans who appeared to have gained the clear edge in the fight — more than a century old — against the mosquito. But over the past few years, that progress has not only stalled, it has reversed.

New EV chargers coming to Mass Pike rest stops soon

The state’s Department of Transportation said Thursday it has selected a contractor to remove six non-working fast chargers on the Pike and replace them with new equipment.
RI ENERGY

R.I. electric rates to increase 24% starting Oct. 1

On Tuesday, state regulators approved a pricing proposal from Rhode Island Energy, the state’s dominant electric utility, that will raise electric bills by 24 percent this winter.

Climate tech is buzzing in Boston. Here are six young workers leading the way.

With so much at stake in the climate crisis, the cleantech industry needs top minds to tackle its biggest problems. So who is going into this field and driving innovation locally?

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 ENERGY

R.I. electric rates to increase 24% starting Oct. 1

On Tuesday, state regulators approved a pricing proposal from Rhode Island Energy, the state’s dominant electric utility, that will raise electric bills by 24 percent this winter.

Amazon nations seek a common voice on climate change and urge action from the industrialized world

Eight Amazon nations have urged industrialized countries to do more to help preserve the world’s largest rainforest as their leaders meet at a major summit in Brazil to chart a common course on how to combat climate change.
RI COURTS

Greek oil tanker illegally dumped nearly 10k gallons of contaminants off R.I. coast

The tanker’s owner, Zeus Lines Management S.A., the vessel’s captain and its chief engineer also lied to the US Coast Guard, court documents show. Zeus is ordered to pay a $2.25 million penalty.

Antarctica risks ‘cascades of extreme events’ as Earth warms, study says

Extreme weather in Antarctica, including ocean heat waves and ice loss, is set to become more intense unless urgent policy action reduces the burning of fossil fuels, a new study has found - the latest to sound the alarm on the damage climate change is unleashing.

Climate Science

Could a wave ‘speed bump’ protect coastal communities from storm surge?
Alex Berkowitz's company, Coastal Protection Solutions, is working to build Wavebreakers, structures floating offshore that decrease the height and velocity of destructive waves.

Is cement the solution to storing renewable energy? Engineers at MIT think so.

In Pawtucket, a refill station for beauty and cleaning products helps the planet

Politics and Policy

RI ENERGY

R.I. electric rates to increase 24% starting Oct. 1

On Tuesday, state regulators approved a pricing proposal from Rhode Island Energy, the state’s dominant electric utility, that will raise electric bills by 24 percent this winter.

Twenty arrested after climate activists briefly halt traffic outside South Station during busy morning commute, police say

Around 7:50 a.m., demonstrators in neon safety vests stopped traffic at a busy intersection outside the train station, causing backups along Summer Street and several roads in the area.

Biden rules on clean cars face crucial test as Republican-led challenges go to appeals court

Efforts by the Biden administration to limit tailpipe pollution from automobiles — a major source of planet-warming emissions — face a crucial test as legal challenges brought by Republican-led states head to a federal appeals court.

New gas pipeline rules floated following 2018 blasts in Massachusetts

Federal regulators are proposing a series of rules changes aimed at toughening safety requirements for millions of miles of gas distribution pipelines nationwide following a string of gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018.

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

INNOVATOR Q&A

In Pawtucket, a refill station for beauty and cleaning products helps the planet

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

More Climate stories

Twenty arrested after climate activists briefly halt traffic outside South Station during busy morning commute, police say

Around 7:50 a.m., demonstrators in neon safety vests stopped traffic at a busy intersection outside the train station, causing backups along Summer Street and several roads in the area.

UN chief warns of ‘gates of hell’ in climate summit, but carbon polluting nations stay silent

Top international officials said the world’s leaders still aren’t doing nearly enough to curb pollution of heat-trapping gases. They pleaded with major emitting nations to do more.

Homeowners face rising insurance rates as climate change makes wildfires, storms more common

A report from First Street Foundation released Wednesday says states such as California, Florida, and Louisiana are likely to see the most dramatic increases in premiums.

‘Office’ star Rainn Wilson calls for community, industry response to climate change at Globe Summit

Rainn Wilson is best known for causing interpersonal conflict as Dwight Schrute on “The Office.” But during a Globe Summit talk Tuesday, he said it’s the community-focused values of a very different TV show he'd like to see people adopt.

innovation beat

Dorchester program aims to make EVs affordable

In a new pilot program at the Girls Latin apartment complex, a resident can rent an electric vehicle that will be subsidized by selling power from the car's battery back to the utility grid at times of high demand.

‘Spring tide’ ocean waves crash into buildings in South Africa, leaving 2 dead and injuring several

South African authorities say big ocean waves caused by a phenomenon known as “spring tide” crashed into coastal parts of the country over the weekend, leaving two people dead and injuring several others.

Massachusetts to ban state agencies from purchasing single-use plastic bottles, Healey announces

State agencies will be banned from purchasing single-use plastic bottles, Governor Maura Healey announced Monday.

Home insurance companies have pulled out of high climate-risk states. Could that happen in New England?

In the last year, multiple homeowners insurance companies stopped writing policies in states facing high risks of extreme weather events fueled by climate change. A dramatic exodus is unlikely in New England, but risks are rising.

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

Ko Barrett

Humans are responsible for climate change and humans have the capacity to solve it