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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

Scientists tested the natural gas used in kitchen stoves around Boston. They found dangerous chemicals.

A study sheds new light on the full spectrum of chemicals that can leak into homes, finding 21 different chemicals designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as hazardous air pollutants.

The seas are rising. Are real estate developers Boston’s best hope for fending them off?

Climate-focused advocates are glad developers are taking the matter seriously. But they worry that a project-by-project approach, driven by new development, may not be enough to ward off disaster.

New England wind farm, environmentalists agree on ways to protect whales

The developers of an offshore wind farm and three environmental organizations announced Monday that they have reached an agreement to further protect rare North Atlantic right whales during construction and operation of the energy-generating project.

Biden administration tosses Trump definition of ‘habitat’ for endangered species

The Biden administration is throwing out the definition of “habitat” for endangered animals, returning to an understanding that existed before the government under President Donald Trump shrank the areas that could be protected for animals under threat of extinction.

Climate change is increasing the spread of illnesses like monkeypox

Worried about monkeypox? Amid the climate crisis, diseases spreading from animals to people will become all the more common.

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

McGovern calls on Biden to pardon embattled attorney Steven Donziger

A group of lawmakers is urging President Biden to pardon Steven Donziger, the embattled human rights lawyer who won a groundbreaking multibillion-dollar case against Chevron over pollution in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest.

MWRA fails to protect water quality in Boston Harbor, lawsuit alleges

The agency has failed to enforce requirements that industrial facilities pretreat waste water containing elevated levels of toxic substances that were ultimately discharged, the suit claims.

Municipal electric companies slow to incorporate clean energy, often rely on nuclear power

The state’s 40 municipal light plants make up 14 percent of the state’s energy grid. According to a new report from the Massachusetts Climate Action Network, they may represent some of the dirtiest energy in the state.

Biden restores parts of environmental protection law, reverses Trump policy

The Biden administration will announce Tuesday that it is restoring parts of a bedrock environmental law, once again requiring that climate impacts be considered and local communities have input before federal agencies approve highways, pipelines and other major projects.

Climate Science

Scientists tested the natural gas used in kitchen stoves around Boston. They found dangerous chemicals.
A study sheds new light on the full spectrum of chemicals that can leak into homes, finding 21 different chemicals designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as hazardous air pollutants.

Climate change is increasing the spread of illnesses like monkeypox

Senate passes bill that would clear the way for plastics-to-fuel plants in R.I.

Politics and Policy

Biden administration tosses Trump definition of ‘habitat’ for endangered species

The Biden administration is throwing out the definition of “habitat” for endangered animals, returning to an understanding that existed before the government under President Donald Trump shrank the areas that could be protected for animals under threat of extinction.

Biden team sees climate ‘emergency’ but powers are limited

With his climate legislation stalled and a Supreme Court case threatening his ability to regulate carbon, President Joe Biden has been leaning more heavily than ever on his own authority to tackle climate change and address what he has called an "existential threat."

As gas companies plan for a climate future, their vision: more gas

At a recent conference, gas industry representatives said they plan to expand the sector while cutting emissions.

Maine offshore wind contract could hike utility rates, official says

A Maine official who is responsible for representing the interests of utility consumers has voiced concerns that an offshore wind electricity supply contract could add to residents’ power bills.

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

ENVIRONMENT

DEM: ‘Substantial’ solid waste from Woonsocket sewage plant released into Blackstone River daily

As war rages, a struggle to balance energy crunch and climate crisis

Biden bill includes boost for union-made electric vehicles

More Climate stories

RI POLITICS

R.I. bans plastic bags at retailers statewide

“We have seen first-hand the damage that plastic bags do to our oceans and environment for many years now,” said Representative Carol Hagan McEntee, who sponsored the bill in the House.

Relentless heat wave to intensify in South this week

A stubborn and unrelenting dome of excessive heat and humidity is languishing over the Lower 48 for the third calendar week in a row, bringing record temperatures and heat index values pushing 110 degrees in spots. Heat advisories and excessive-heat warnings blanket the northern Plains, a prelude to even more intense heat pushing into the South and Southeast.

Biden team sees climate ‘emergency’ but powers are limited

With his climate legislation stalled and a Supreme Court case threatening his ability to regulate carbon, President Joe Biden has been leaning more heavily than ever on his own authority to tackle climate change and address what he has called an "existential threat."

Biden hosts climate meeting amid high gas price pressure

President Joe Biden, who has recently been focused on boosting oil production to reduce rising gasoline costs, turned his attention to climate change on Friday when he convened a virtual meeting of some of the world’s biggest economies.

As gas companies plan for a climate future, their vision: more gas

At a recent conference, gas industry representatives said they plan to expand the sector while cutting emissions.

INNOVATION BEAT

Somerville startup brings the EV charger to you

SparkCharge created a smartphone app that will summon an electric van stocked with vehicle chargers.

Floods leave Yellowstone landscape ‘dramatically changed’

In just days, heavy rain and rapid snowmelt caused a dramatic flood that may forever alter the human footprint on the park's terrain and the communities that have grown around it.

The SEC war on greenwashing has begun

There’s now little doubt that the US Securities and Exchange Commission actually means business in its bid to crackdown on misleading claims by managers of ESG funds.

Opinion

Michael E. Mann and Wanjira Mathai

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

We have the technology to achieve the necessary reductions in carbon emissions. The obstacles that remain aren’t technological, they’re political.
Ko Barrett

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

Bill McKibben

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

Tim Fitzgerald

We can eat our way out of climate change

Sharon E. Burke and Bram Govaerts

Multiple breadbasket failures: Nations must address looming food emergencies