Tag Archives: Global Warming

Lee Zeldin, Trump’s Pick to Head E.P.A., Faces Senate Confirmation Hearing

Lee Zeldin, Trump’s Pick to Head E.P.A., Faces Senate Confirmation Hearing

Of all the government agencies that President-elect Donald J. Trump has threatened to shrink or eliminate, perhaps none has been a greater target than the Environmental Protection Agency. During the first Trump administration, the nation’s top regulator of air and water pollution and industrial chemicals saw its budget slashed, leading to an exodus of employees and weakened enforcement of environmental …

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Fake Meat Is Processed. What Does That Mean for Its Health Benefits.

Fake Meat Is Processed. What Does That Mean for Its Health Benefits.

It’s not exactly the best moment to pitch ultraprocessed foods as healthy and delicious, but that’s exactly what two major producers of plant-based meat are trying to do. Beyond Meat wants to convince people that its vegan versions of meat products are good for you. So does its competitor, Impossible Foods, which recently changed its packaging colors from green to …

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Even Homes That Evade the Fire Face Toxic Ash Risk, Studies Show

Even Homes That Evade the Fire Face Toxic Ash Risk, Studies Show

Armed with two garden hoses hooked up to a sputtering tap, Matthew Craig battled fire and smoke to save his house from the onslaught of flames that devastated much of Altadena, a once leafy corner of Los Angeles County. The wind felt like dragon’s breath, he said, and “we were all eating smoke.” But even though his home is secure, …

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Are Biden and Trump at Odds on Global Energy Strategy? Maybe Not So Much.

Are Biden and Trump at Odds on Global Energy Strategy? Maybe Not So Much.

At their confirmation hearings on Wednesday, the two men in line to oversee the United States’ global energy policies, Senator Marco Rubio and the fossil fuel executive Chris Wright, are expected to assail President Biden as overly concerned with climate change. According to a spokeswoman, Mr. Wright, who was picked to lead the Department of Energy, will say that Mr. …

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Choice for Energy Secretary Has Been an Evangelist for Fossil Fuels

Choice for Energy Secretary Has Been an Evangelist for Fossil Fuels

Chris Wright, Donald J. Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Energy, landed the job during his first encounter with the past and future president. The founder and chief executive of Liberty Energy, a fracking services company based in Colorado, Mr. Wright was among about 20 oil and gas executives whom Mr. Trump gathered at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida …

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Economic Toll of Los Angeles Fires Goes Far Beyond Destroyed Homes

Economic Toll of Los Angeles Fires Goes Far Beyond Destroyed Homes

After decades of mounting damage from climate-fueled natural disasters, researchers have compiled many misery-filled data sets that trace the economic fallout over weeks, months and years. The fires still burning in Los Angeles are sure to rank among America’s most expensive — but there is no perfect analogue for them, making it difficult to forecast the ultimate cost. The main …

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The California FAIR Plan Faces Crucial Insurance Test

The California FAIR Plan Faces Crucial Insurance Test

It’s too soon to know how the Los Angeles fires will change life in California, but it may heavily depend on the answer to a single question: Will a once-obscure insurance program run out of money? That program, the California FAIR Plan, was created by state lawmakers in 1968 to cover people who couldn’t get standard home insurance for various …

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In a First, the E.P.A. Warns of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Fertilizer

In a First, the E.P.A. Warns of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Fertilizer

For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency has warned that “forever chemicals” present in sewage sludge that is used as fertilizer can pose human health risks, saying in a study on Tuesday that, in some cases, the risks could exceed the agency’s safety thresholds “sometimes by several orders of magnitude.” The agency maintained, however, that the general food supply …

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Far From the Fires, the Deadly Risks of Smoke Are Intensifying

Far From the Fires, the Deadly Risks of Smoke Are Intensifying

It kills more people each year than car crashes, war or drugs do. This invisible killer is the air pollution from sources like cars and trucks or factory smokestacks. But as wildfires intensify and grow more frequent in a warming world, the smoke from these fires is emerging as a new and deadly pollution source, health experts say. By some …

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Pink Fire Retardant, a Dramatic Wildfire Weapon, Poses Its Own Dangers

Pink Fire Retardant, a Dramatic Wildfire Weapon, Poses Its Own Dangers

From above the raging flames, these planes can unleash immense tankfuls of bright pink fire retardant in just 20 seconds. They have long been considered vital in the battle against wildfires. But emerging research has shown that the millions of gallons of retardant sprayed on the landscape to tame wildfires each year come with a toxic burden, because they contain …

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