2 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Environment Archive

Archives for May 2025

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Teens are asking ChatGPT for sustainability tips.

Teen Vogue points out the irony of turning to water-intensive and energy-hungry generative AI in a recent op-ed. The rush to build massive new AI data centers is driving up electricity demand, prolonging the use of fossil fuels, and hitting nearby communities with more pollution.

How Donald Trump blew the offshore wind industry off course

New wind farms are still being built, but they’ll have to weather the storm of the Trump administration.

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Republicans could kill renewable energy projects in their own districts as Congress weighs spending cuts.

House Republicans proposed cutting crucial Biden-era tax credits for wind, solar, and geothermal energy even though Republican districts have the most to gain from investments in renewables.

Indigenous scientists are fighting to protect their data — and their culture

The Trump administration’s war on DEI is spurring scientists and researchers from Indigenous communities to seek new protections for their data. 

Yessenia Funes
What lies beneath: filming gators in the Florida springs

This wildlife filmmaker documents the unseen beauty of freshwater ecosystems.

Cath Virginia
Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Federal officials will stop tallying the number of billion dollar disasters in the US.

The Trump administration announced its decision Thursday to retire the database of billion dollar weather and climate disasters, part of an ongoing purge of federal scientific data. The number of billion dollar disasters hitting the US has increased over the years as climate change fuels stronger storms, floods, and fires — a trend the US is no longer tracking.

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
The EPA has reportedly stopped going after major polluters.

We saw this coming with President Trump and Elon Musk pummeling federal agencies including the EPA with budget and staffing cuts. DOGE kneecapped the agency after it cracked down on Musk’s companies, we reported last month. Health and environmental advocates are fighting the deregulatory spree at the EPA.

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Google is scouting locations for advanced nuclear reactors.

The company announced a new agreement with project developer Elementl Power to prepare three different sites for next-generation nuclear power plants. Google and other tech giants are putting their faith — and capital— in new nuclear technologies they hope can provide enough electricity for AI data centers.

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Your weather forecast depends on federal research.

More than 90 percent of Americans rely on federal science information, from weather forecasts to food safety warnings, according to a recent poll by the Association of Science and Technology Centers. Many of those resources are in jeopardy now as the Trump administration slashes the federal workforce and funding for health and science research.

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Google’s spending $10 million to train electricians.

The company announced the grant last week, which is supposed to support an effort to train 100,000 electrical workers and 30,000 apprentices across the US. A shortage of electricians has hampered efforts to add new, clean energy to power grids. And Google and other tech giants need more electricity for energy-hungry AI data centers.

In April, Google shared plans to use AI to speed up the process of connecting new power sources to the grid.

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Is this the end of Energy Star?

The Trump administration reportedly plans to shutter the program that certifies products for energy efficiency and slaps the recognizable blue Energy Star label on refrigerators, washers, dryers, LED bulbs, and more. CNN and E&E News report that Energy Star is on the chopping block as part of a “reorganization” planned at the Environmental Protection Agency that would end key initiatives on climate change.