Pipes Feed Preview: Climate Change

1. 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 …

2. 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 …

3. Trump to ease rule on climate super pollutants, says move will cut costs

   Thu, 21 May 2026 16:02:24 -0000

   Industry trade groups reject the administration's claims, saying the rollback of the Biden-era regulations would actually drive up prices. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday a rollback of two Biden-era regulations on refrigerants that are potent drivers of climate change, as the White …

4. 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 …

5. We’re ‘green chemists’ – why we think this emerging science can transform the way the world uses its resources

   Thu, 21 May 2026 14:15:06 -0000

   Society depends on chemistry far more than we consciously realise, from medicines to energy to electronics. However, chemistry is viewed with as much …

6. Trump eases curbs on planet-warming gases used in refrigerants

   Thu, 21 May 2026 18:33:30 -0000

   US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the easing of curbs on a group of powerful greenhouse gases that drive climate change and are …

7. 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 …

8. Climate tech companies are pivoting to critical minerals

   Thu, 21 May 2026 10:00:00 -0000

   Less focus on decarbonization, more on supply chains. We’re over a year into the second Trump administration here in the US, and support for climate …

9. Coal plants are dimming the world’s solar panels

   Thu, 21 May 2026 12:00:48 -0000

   Solar power is on the rise around the world as the cost of solar panels goes down and societal acceptance of the technology rises. The world added …

10. Older AC and fridge chemicals amp up climate change. Trump just rolled back limits on them

    Thu, 21 May 2026 17:35:49 -0000

    President Trump on Thursday announced that grocery stories and air conditioning companies will be allowed to keep using high-polluting refrigerants for longer than they would have under a law he signed during his first administration. “This was a tremendous burden, a tremendous cost,” said Trump, …

11. 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 …

12. Oil Prices Drop After Two China-Bound Tankers Cross the Strait of Hormuz

    Thu, 21 May 2026 12:00:02 -0000

    On Penn Station, Boston Metal, and a fixing solar panels Current conditions: The Northeast heatwave is breaking, with temperatures set to crash by as …

13. 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 …

14. 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 …

15. 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 …

16. At the G7, the US wants no mention of the words 'climate change'

    Wed, 20 May 2026 15:58:21 -0000

    France has commissioned a study on the economic consequences of extreme weather events from the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), a …

17. 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 …

18. The “American Amazon” needs protecting too, and this photography book explores its disappearing biodiversity

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

    While everyone knows about the South American Amazon, which covers a staggering 40% of the continent and crosses the borders of nine nations, few …

19. Why are there so many Salmonella outbreaks? 4 reasons for the nonstop food recalls, sicknesses, and safety warnings this year

    Thu, 21 May 2026 16:35:00 -0000

    From salty snacks to backyard ducks, it seems like the bacteria is showing up everywhere lately. You’re not just imagining it. More than 30 states across the country have had at least one case of someone sick with Salmonella so far in 2026. Many of those cases are believed to be caused by contact …

20. 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 …

21. The EU is getting worse | Pieter Cleppe | The Critic Magazine

    Thu, 21 May 2026 01:00:26 -0000

    Recently, there has been growing criticism of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Not only did former European Council President …

22. Decarbonising everything is impossible – here’s why

    Thu, 21 May 2026 12:06:22 -0000

    Walk into any supermarket and you are surrounded by carbon. Not the kind measured in parts per million in climate reports, but carbon in its most …

23. There is only one way Labour can win the North Sea oil and gas debate

    Thu, 21 May 2026 15:20:47 -0000

    When ministers go out to bat for the government’s position banning new drilling in the North Sea, there are two arguments that tend to be the focus. …

24. 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 …

25. In school cafeterias, kids fight Michigan’s food waste problems

    Thu, 21 May 2026 19:27:25 -0000

    Michigan schools are increasingly adopting composting programs that divert food waste from the landfill while teaching students sustainability.

26. What 476,000 Years of Building Reveals About Humanity

    Thu, 21 May 2026 12:43:16 -0000

    Below, Stefan Al shares five key insights from his new book, Dwelling on Earth: The Past and Future of the Places We Call Home. Stefan is an architect …

27. AI data centers are gobbling up the world's electricity — here are 5 startups trying to stop them from breaking the grid

    Thu, 21 May 2026 16:27:52 -0000

    An exceptionally hot summer may be on the way, and investors are betting billions that startups specializing in climate-friendly technologies can …

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

    Thu, 21 May 2026 19:00:00 -0000

    DETROIT (AP) — Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Thursday that he is suspending his campaign for Michigan governor citing an increasingly “toxic” …

29. The Indiana City Saying ‘Tech Yeah!’ to Data Centers

    Thu, 21 May 2026 17:47:15 -0000

    Plus the week’s biggest development fights. 1. LaPorte County, Indiana — If you’re wondering where data centers are still being embraced in the U.S., …

30. 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 …