Pipes Feed Preview: Climate Change

1. Trump rolls back Biden-era environmental rule on cooling units

   Thu, 21 May 2026 21:25:08 -0000

   An executive order signed by President Trump on Thursday loosens a federal rule requiring grocery stores and air conditioning companies to reduce …

2. Why a decades-old forest planting practice from Japan is gaining traction in the U.S.

   Thu, 21 May 2026 20:22:13 -0000

   Across the U.S., communities are planting fast-growing Miyawaki forests to help neighborhoods cool down and adapt to the longer, hotter summers predicted as the climate changes. WBUR's Bianca Garcia begins this story on the East Coast and then hands the microphone to Northwest Public Radio's …

3. Scientists bet on AI to save gray whales from ship strikes off California coast

   Thu, 21 May 2026 21:03:26 -0000

   The leading killer of gray whales is not natural causes, disease or predators but human-made ship strikes. Last year, 21 gray whales were found dead around San Francisco Bay and 40% of those were from ship collisions. This year, seven whales have already died during whale season, which peaks this …

4. Trump eases restrictions on super-pollutants used in air-conditioning and refrigeration

   Thu, 21 May 2026 21:54:26 -0000

   Announcing the easing of curbs on hydrofluorocarbons, the US president said the move would reduce the cost of living for US consumers. His approval …

5. Handyman adapts Barbie Dream Camper to handle soaring gas prices

   Thu, 21 May 2026 21:15:19 -0000

   Absurd? Worrisome? Genius? Yes. There are over 283 million cars cruising the United States, and over 90 percent of them are still guzzling gas. Apart from the obvious environmental problems, fuel prices also continue to skyrocket thanks to the ongoing war in Iran. The average price for gas is …

6. A First Among Major Nations, India Is Industrializing With Solar

   Thu, 21 May 2026 09:37:08 -0000

   A sea of solar panels is rapidly engulfing one of the world’s largest salt deserts. By 2029, nearly 60 million panels will cover 280 square miles of …

7. The US Constitution and laws do not protect oil companies from being sued over the harm they cause to the climate

   Thu, 21 May 2026 12:28:09 -0000

   In recent years, at least two dozen local and state governments have sued petroleum companies to recover the billions in costs they have incurred …

8. Homeowners insurance in Florida increased at double the national rate, report says

   Thu, 21 May 2026 20:57:44 -0000

   A new report found that Florida homeowners’ insurance premiums rose nearly double the national average between 2021 and 2025. Across the United …

9. A Very Lonely Caterpillar, Possibly the Last of Its Kind, Has Died

   Thu, 21 May 2026 18:24:00 -0000

   The Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly hasn’t been seen in the wild since 2022. The caterpillar was the last individual in human care. The last known caterpillar of its kind has died. The insect, the critically endangered Sacramento Mountains checkerspot, was in human care at the ABQ BioPark …

10. Trump punts climate rule in hopes of lowering food prices

    Thu, 21 May 2026 20:38:40 -0000

    The president and his EPA chief on Thursday postponed requirements that grocery stores and frozen foods companies buy more climate-friendly refrigeration systems beginning this year — claiming the move would cut consumer food prices. Speaking from the Oval Office flanked by grocery industry …

11. A guide to converting your lawn into a wildlife friendly garden

    Thu, 21 May 2026 09:00:00 -0000

    NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about how communities are moving forward on climate solutions despite significant political headwinds. As the federal government halts plans to address climate change, states, cities, regions, and even neighborhoods are trying to fill the gap by …

12. How Denmark’s wind and solar investments shield it from global energy turmoil

    Wed, 20 May 2026 22:25:41 -0000

    The European Union’s climate commissioner has told the 27-country bloc that the only way out of energy crises fueled by the wars in Iran and Ukraine …

13. Trump rolls back Biden-era refrigerant rules in push to lower grocery costs

    Thu, 21 May 2026 09:10:56 -0000

    WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on May 21 overhauled two Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency rules for refrigerants in a push the White House claims will lower grocery costs for consumers. One action, reported first by USA TODAY, delays deadlines for groceries and other companies to …

14. A Powerful El Niño Is Forming. If History Is a Guide, It Could Hit Hard.

    Thu, 21 May 2026 07:19:37 -0000

    The biggest episodes of the past have altered the course of human events, according to researchers. An emerging one is drawing historic comparisons. Well before it was understood, the El Niño phenomenon was leaving its marks on humanity. El Niño is the name given to powerful shifts in Pacific Ocean …

15. Former Detroit Mayor Duggan cites toxic political climate, suspending his run for Michigan governor

    Thu, 21 May 2026 15:04:13 -0000

    DETROIT (AP) — Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Thursday that he is suspending his campaign for Michigan governor citing an increasingly “toxic” political climate due to President Donald Trump’s war with Iran and skyrocketing gas prices. Duggan, a longtime Democrat, was running as an …

16. Russia Joins U.S. and Iran in Voting Against UN Climate Change Resolution

    Thu, 21 May 2026 12:53:39 -0000

    The non-binding resolution backs a July 2025 International Court of Justice advisory opinion stating that it is “unlawful” for countries to neglect …

17. Trump set to ease climate requirements on food industry refrigeration

    Thu, 21 May 2026 14:37:17 -0000

    The Environmental Protection Agency is easing Biden-era rules for industries to manage and phase out powerful planet-warming gases used in air …

18. The Second Life of an EV Battery

    Thu, 21 May 2026 12:00:00 -0000

    Jayme Dyer’s 2012 Nissan Leaf still runs. The exterior is fine. The seats are adequate. The controls work. The only problem is the battery. It barely …

19. Rafe Pomerance, who helped sound the alarm on climate change, dies at 79

    Thu, 21 May 2026 17:51:41 -0000

    He pushed for the first congressional hearings on climate change and helped negotiate a landmark U.N. treaty, the Kyoto Protocol. Like most of humanity, Rafe Pomerance had never heard of climate change when he stumbled upon the phrase in a dense government document in the late 1970s. Mr. Pomerance …

20. The majority of Tuvalu has applied to relocate to Australia to escape climate change. What happens now?

    Wed, 20 May 2026 18:51:07 -0000

    A Pacific island nation on the front line of the climate change threat is building land to try to hold back rising sea levels. But as the majority of …

21. Trump eases refrigerant rule in a bid to address surging grocery costs

    Thu, 21 May 2026 13:58:23 -0000

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday loosened federal rules requiring grocery stores and air-conditioning companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cooling equipment, a step that President Donald Trump said would help lower grocery costs. Trump said at a White House …

22. France Floods Europe’s Grid With Solar, Pushing Prices Negative

    Thu, 21 May 2026 12:31:18 -0000

    French solar power surged on Thursday as a stretch of sunny weather boosted generation allowing the country to export huge volumes of electricity to …

23. UN endorses climate ruling despite US opposition

    Thu, 21 May 2026 15:01:38 -0000

    The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted 141-8, with 28 abstentions, to endorse a 2025 International Court of Justice opinion that …

24. Intensifying heat wave grips northern India as temperatures near 48°C

    Thu, 21 May 2026 13:51:35 -0000

    Authorities in the capital opened temporary cooling shelters equipped with fans, air coolers, drinking water and oral rehydration salts to help …

25. Maps Shows States With 'Extreme Drought'

    Thu, 21 May 2026 17:59:56 -0000

    A new U.S. Drought Monitor map shows large swaths of the country facing “extreme” to “exceptional” drought, with the most severe conditions …

26. Extreme Heat Worsens Gaza Displacement 27.

    Wed, 20 May 2026 14:12:42 -0000

    Gaza - May 17, 2026 Tents stand amid rubble and damaged buildings at a displacement camp in Gaza on May 17, 2026. Rising temperatures and ongoing water shortages are worsening conditions for families living in makeshift shelters amid the continuing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip after more than two and a half years of war.

27. How Donald's Trump’s New Refrigerant Climate Rule Will Impact Grocery Costs

    Thu, 21 May 2026 19:52:59 -0000

    As Americans continue to face high grocery bills, President Donald Trump said Friday he was rolling back environmental rules laid out by the Biden …

28. Extreme climate scenario fades, but warming continues

    Thu, 21 May 2026 09:51:11 -0000

    The rapid rollout of renewable energy is helping to shift emissions trends, but expected temperature rises remain high as the UN moves to tighten …

29. Women experience extreme heat differently to men. And they’re adapting to it in creative ways

    Wed, 20 May 2026 20:06:23 -0000

    Right now, an unusual April and May heatwave is scorching large parts of India. Temperatures have exceeded 46°C across the northwest and centre, …

30. ‘Colossal profits’: Christian leaders lambast fossil fuel giants as they demand EU windfall tax

    Thu, 21 May 2026 04:30:36 -0000

    “Europe holds a historic duty and opportunity to lead the transition to a new era away from fossil fuels”, say faith groups from across the EU. A …