Search results

UNESCO Names 26 New Biosphere Reserves Amid Biodiversity, Climate Challenges

"An Indonesian archipelago that’s home to three-fourths of Earth’s coral species, a stretch of Icelandic coast with 70% of the country’s plant life and an area along Angola’s Atlantic coast featuring savannahs, forests and estuaries are among 26 new UNESCO-designated biosphere reserves. The United Nations cultural agency says the reserves — 785 sites in 142 countries, designated since 1971 — are home to some of the planet’s richest and most fragile ecosystems."

Source: AP, 09/29/2025

Is Duke Liable for Storm Damage After Funding Climate Denialist Campaigns?

"The state’s first climate deception case unfurled Thursday in North Carolina Business Court, where attorneys for the town of Carrboro and Duke Energy spent six hours sparring over legal arcana to answer a single question: Should a jury hear a case alleging that Duke Energy is responsible for lying about the link between climate change and extreme weather that has inflicted millions of dollars of property damage on the town? "

Source: Inside Climate News, 09/29/2025

Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene

"One Year After Helene: People who lost their homes turned to FEMA for aid. Some are still slogging through red tape. Wealthier Getting More: We found that in some North Carolina counties, homeowners with the highest incomes received two to three times as much FEMA housing assistance as lower-income ones."

"Slogging through a thick slop of mud and rock, Brian Hill passed the roof that Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters had just ripped off someone’s barn and dumped into his yard. Then he peered into the unrecognizable chaos inside what had been his family’s dream home.

Source: ProPublica/Assembly, 09/29/2025

Trump Officials Shut Off Funding For USGS Climate Adaptation Centers

"A third of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Climate Adaptation Science Centers are expected to drastically wind down and possibly close after Sept. 30." "Tracking bird populations after hurricanes. Mapping the risk of megafires across the Midwest. Identifying less expensive ways to battle invasive plants. Preparing communities’ stormwater drains against intense flooding."

Source: Washington Post, 09/29/2025

"National Weather Service At ‘Breaking Point’ As Storm Approaches"

"Staffing cuts under the Trump administration mean forecasters are struggling to maintain normal operations." "Some National Weather Service staffers are working double shifts to keep forecasting offices open. Others are operating under a “buddy system,” in which adjacent offices help monitor severe weather in understaffed regions."

Source: Washington Post, 09/29/2025

"Federal Workforce Girds For Mass Firings Amid Shutdown Threat"

"Federal workers across the government are bracing for possible cuts after the White House instructed agencies Wednesday night to consider widespread layoffs in the event of a shutdown." "The White House has directed federal agencies to consider handing out pink slips if the government shuts down."

Source: E&E News, 09/29/2025

Pages