Environment

Officials said that at least 21 people died overnight in Kentucky and Missouri as a volatile weather pattern spawned a tornadoes across the Midwest and Great Lakes of the United States. Andy Beshear, Governor of Kentucky, stated that at least 14 people had been killed in Kentucky and that the death toll would likely rise. He declared an emergency in his own state earlier, just as Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe did. Beshear posted on social media that "we lost at least fourteen of our people last night" but the number will likely increase as more information is received. At least...

The Governor Andy Beshear announced on Saturday that at least 14 people died overnight in Kentucky as a result of severe storms. This is expected to increase, the governor said. NBC News had reported earlier that 16 people died as severe weather swept across parts of two states. It wasn't immediately clear if the deaths announced by Beshear on the social media platform X were included in total cited in NBC report. Beshear declared an emergency in his state following the storm system that destroyed mobile homes in Morganfield. This was reported by WLKY, a Louisville-based broadcaster. Officials said earlier...

Energy Secretary Chris Wright of the United States issued an order Friday allowing Puerto Rico's government-owned utility to fill in chronic electricity shortages on the island using electricity generated by oil-burning plants, without violating environmental laws. Why it Matters Puerto Rico has been plagued by frequent and widespread power outages for years due to the island’s crumbling infrastructure and the bankruptcy of Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority in 2017. This was followed by a series of devastating hurricanes. A month ago the island was blacked out, and this week 134,000 customers were affected by the power failure. CONTEXT In January,...

Forecasters warned residents to limit strenuous outdoor activity and stay hydrated as large swaths in central and south Texas were sweltered by a spring heat wave for the second consecutive day on Thursday. The National Weather Service issued heat advisories for 15 Texas counties spanning from the Rio Grande, Texas Hill Country and Gulf of Mexico. Temperatures were rising 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal (8 to 11 degrees Celsius), with readings in the upper 90s and triple digits Fahrenheit. Heat-index values were expected in central Texas, which includes San Antonio and Austin. The heat index in Laredo, on...

Democratic lawmakers harshly criticised the chief executives at BlackRock, JPMorgan, and other top financial companies for leaving global coalitions dedicated to combating climate changes. They urged them to maintain their previous commitments, and policy targets to reduce greenhouse gas emission. A letter sent to executives by members of Congress revealed that, in the face of increasingly severe weather and financial risks, their bosses "actively" decided to relinquish leadership over climate change. The letter sent on Thursday also requests records of any communications between the executives and the Trump administration about plans to reduce their environmental and social work. It said:...

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would audit grants of $15 billion awarded to projects involving the power grid, manufacturing supply chains and other infrastructure during the Biden Administration. Donald Trump has pushed for domestic oil, gas and coal production while also halting the construction of offshore wind farms and taking measures to relax regulations on fossil fuels. Last week, the Republican Trump administration proposed to cut billions of dollars from funding for renewable energy projects and electric car chargers. The DOE has been reviewing the billions that were rushed through the door in the last days of...

Solar panel companies say that a Republican budget bill passed by Congress this week will deal a major blow to their industry. It will eliminate a generous homeowner subsidy that has boosted the growth of the industry. Industry players say the bill would eliminate a 30% federal tax credit for taxpayers installing rooftop solar systems. This would stifle an industry which has grown by ten times in the past decade and now employs over 100,000 workers. Charlie Hadlow is the president of EnergySage - an online solar marketplace. He said, "It's a huge setback." I have solar installers within our...

On Wednesday, the second of a three-day annual tour in Kansas, crop scouts projected that the average yield of hard red winter grain in the southwest portion of the state would be 53.3 bushels/acre (bpa), an increase from 42.4 in 2024. The average yield for the same area in Kansas from 2019-2024, according to the Wheat Quality Council's tour, was 42.3 bushels/acre. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented the tour from taking place in 2020. Scouts sampled 211 Kansas fields between Colby, Kansas and Wichita. They reported that Kansas was on track for a more productive crop this year than previous years....

FEWS NET, a global hunger monitor backed by the US, provided crucial data FEWS NET is now operating with reduced capacity Early warning alerts from FEWS NET helped to direct targeted aid Nelson Renteria & Nita Bhalla Treminio, armed with the public bulletins as well as regular alerts on food security produced by the Famine-Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), would pass the crucial data to farmers. It was funded by USAID, the United States Agency for International Development. Since President Donald Trump's January order to freeze USAID spending, it has operated at a drastically reduced capacity. It's a vital...

After being sued by environmental and farm groups, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has restored some climate change related webpages it had removed since the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Trump's administration has frozen or canceled funding for climate-friendly farming, claiming that the work is not in line with its priorities. About 11% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to agriculture. According to a lawsuit filed by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York on February 24, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Working Group, a USDA official instructed staff to remove any pages focused on...

Adam Schiff, a Democratic Senator from California, urged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and acting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration secretary on Tuesday to restore a disaster database tracking U.S. disasters worth billions of dollars. He said that its removal prevented legislators, insurance companies and tax payers from seeing the rising cost of natural disasters as well as planning for future extreme events. NOAA announced that it would remove the "billion dollar weather and climate catastrophes" database "in line with evolving priorities", the latest example of how the agency has ended ongoing scientific datasets. Schiff, who represents California in the Senate,...

Colorado's highest Court rejected ExxonMobil’s and Suncor Energy’s attempts to dismiss a case filed by the City of Boulder to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate change. In a decision reached by a majority of 5-2, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that federal law does not prevent Boulder and the surrounding counties from claiming the energy companies have violated state laws by misleading the public regarding the dangers of fossil fuels. This was only the second instance in which a state's supreme court allowed one of many lawsuits brought by local and state governments against large energy companies regarding...

Five people were killed and several others went missing in heavy rains that swept through southern China's Guangdong province and Guangxi Province over the weekend. Authorities had issued warnings about severe rain, mountain floods and geological disasters. The National Meteorological Centre of China issued multiple warnings of heavy rains from Sunday through Monday in the provinces of Jiangxi and Zhejiang as well as Fujian, Guangxi and Guangdong. Xinhua reported that a yellow alert had been issued for parts of Zhejiang and Fujian as well as Guangdong, Guangdong, and Guangxi. This indicates a high risk of flooding in the mountains. China...

China warned on Friday of a high-risk of hot, dry winds between Monday and Thursday, which could cause damage to winter wheat crops, especially in Henan, a major wheat-growing region known as "the granary" for the country. The China Meteorological Administration has predicted that temperatures will exceed 40 degrees Celsius during this period. CMA warns that extreme heat and wind could cause wheat to grow too quickly and disrupt the filling process. Henan will produce about 27% (or more) of China's total output of wheat in 2024. Harvesting usually begins around late May. China could increase its wheat imports if...

The European Parliament has cleared the way for a rapid approval of EU CO2 emission targets for cars and vans, which will give automakers more time and reduce potential fines. European automakers warned that failing to meet existing targets this year could lead to fines up to 15 billion euro ($17.0 billion), as the goals depend on selling more electric cars, a segment in which they are behind their Chinese and U.S. competitors. After heavy lobbying by automakers, the European Commission has proposed that they meet their targets using the average emissions for the period of 2025-2027 rather than this...

Scientists said that climate change made the worst wildfires ever seen in South Korea twice as likely. They also warned that such disasters may become more common if temperatures rise. The fires that raged in the southeast of the country lasted for almost a week. They killed 32 people and destroyed around 5,000 structures before being brought under control at the end of March. The fires spread over 104,000 hectares (257,00 acres), which is nearly four times as much land as South Korea's worst fire season of 25 years ago. After combining observations with climate models, a 15-member team from...

John Elkann, Chairman of Stellantis, said on Tuesday that the U.S. Tariffs and strict European Union emission standards put automakers in danger at a time they are facing increased competition from China. Elkann, at a shareholder's meeting, said that the American and European auto industries were at risk due to the current course of tariffs and regulations. He said: "That would be tragic as the car industry is a source for jobs, innovation, and strong communities." Elkann is leading the group as it searches for a new chief executive officer after Carlos Tavares departed late last year. He said that...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday that corn stocks in the United States will be lower than expected before the next harvest due to higher exports. Grain traders and farmers worry that tariff disputes between the U.S. president Donald Trump could harm demand for American farm product, even though corn exports are strong this year. Trump announced on Wednesday he will temporarily lower the hefty tariffs he just imposed against dozens of nations while increasing pressure on China. China is the largest soybean importer in the world, but it hasn't bought as much corn or wheat from America...

In the current term of the U.S. Supreme Court, there are cases that involve guns, gender affirming medical care for minors who identify as transgender, online pornography and religious rights, TikTok and preventive healthcare. There are also cases involving funding Planned Parenthood, job discrimination and federal regulatory powers over nuclear waste storage, vape products and voting rights. Take a look at the recent and upcoming cases that the justices will be deciding. 'GHOST GUN' On March 26, the court upheld a federal rule targeting "ghost guns", which are largely untraceable, imposed by former Democratic President Joe Biden in an effort...

According to a termsheet seen by, China has set final price guidance for green bonds with a three-year and five-year maturity to raise 825 million yuan. The term sheet stated that the price guidance for a three-year bond was 1.88%, and the price guide for a five-year tranche was 1.93%. The green bond issued by China's Ministry of Finance is the first of its type by China in an overseas market. The Chinese finance ministry was not immediately available for comment after regular business hours. According to a termsheet, the initial price guidance for Wednesday was that the bond would...

The bank announced on Wednesday that MUFG, a Japanese bank, has appointed its first Chief Sustainability Officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa to help clients become more sustainable. Stephen Jennings is a veteran energy and renewables financier with 24 years of experience. He will now be the chief sustainability officer for EMEA in addition to his existing roles as head of EMEA energy structured finance and head of EMEA sustainable business division. The appointment comes just weeks after MUFG resigned from a UN Climate Alliance that helped banks develop policies to reduce their carbon footprint. In recent months, the...

China will finalise the long-awaited global green sovereign bonds on Wednesday. This is expected to mark the beginning of a series that will increase its market share at a crucial time. The signal was sent to indicate that the vehicle was ready Last month Top Chinese Finance Ministry officials laid out the detail at a meeting in London with investors on Tuesday. The 6 billion yuan bond ($825 millions) is scheduled to be listed on the London Stock Exchange. Green bonds have grown to a market value of $3 trillion over the past few years. China's state-run firms have made...

The size of the wildfires raging across South Korea on Thursday doubled from the day before, with authorities calling the fires the worst natural disaster in the country. At least 26 people were killed and ancient temples destroyed. The largest fire that started in central Uiseong County has burned or is still burning more than 33,000 hectares (81,500 acres). This makes it the largest forest fire in South Korea history. The previous record for a fire in March 2000 was 24,000 ha (59,000 acres). Han Duck-soo, acting president of South Korea, told a government meeting that the rapid spread of...

Official data released in march showed that China's glacier areas have shrunk 26% due to global warming. 7,000 small glaciers have disappeared completely, and the glacial retreat has intensified in recent years. According to a UNESCO study, glaciers are disappearing more quickly than ever. The largest glacial mass losses on record occurred in the past three years. Environmental groups warn that the shrinking of important water towers will lead to a greater competition over water resources. The retreat of the glaciers also presents new disaster risks. China's glaciers can be found mainly in the north and west of the country....