The Next Threat to L.A.? Rainfall That Could Cause Landslides

By: Austyn Gaffney

16 January 2025 at 22:09

While firefighters begin containing the Los Angeles wildfires, the land left behind is at a higher risk of floods and debris flows.

Damage from the Eaton fire to Altadena, Calif., on Tuesday.

NYT > Climate and Environment

Trump’s Inauguration Day is Likely One of the Coldest in Decades

By: Judson Jones and Erin McCann

17 January 2025 at 12:51

An arctic chill is headed to Washington, D.C., (and much of the United States) on Monday.

President Ronald Reagan’s second swearing-in ceremony in 1985 was moved indoors, and the parade was canceled, because of the bitter cold.

NYT > Climate and Environment

Fire Breaks Out at a Huge Battery Site in California

By: Brad Plumer

17 January 2025 at 13:55

The fire at the Moss Landing plant, which stores electricity for the power grid, was unrelated to wildfires in Los Angeles.

The Moss Landing Power Plant burning in Monterey County, Calif., on Thursday.

NYT > Climate and Environment

Trump Targeted Scientists in His First Term. This Time, They’re Prepared.

By: Coral Davenport

17 January 2025 at 11:46

Agencies and unions have put in place new guardrails designed to limit political interference in government research.

NYT > Climate and Environment

L.A. Fires Revive Calls for a ‘Climate Superfund’ Law in California

By: Karen Zraick

17 January 2025 at 05:01

New York and Vermont recently passed laws like these, which require energy companies to pay climate damages and will likely face fierce challenges.

A destroyed gas station in Altadena, Calif., on Sunday.

NYT > Climate and Environment

Biden Administration Creates Final Limits for Oil Drillers in Alaska

By: Lisa Friedman

16 January 2025 at 20:52

Republicans said they were seeking ways to quickly reverse the restrictions in the state’s North Slope region.

Caribou on the North Slope of Alaska. The area is an important nesting site for migratory birds, and home to grizzly bears, wolverines and polar bears.

NYT > Climate and Environment

How Do You Convince Consumers to Eat Plant-Based Meat?

By: Cara Buckley

16 January 2025 at 15:00

The imitation meat industry is facing an identity crisis, and the challenge of convincing American consumers to make more planet-friendly choices.

NYT > Climate and Environment

L.A. Wildfire Victims Need Cash More Than Used Clothes: How to Help

By: Steven Kurutz

16 January 2025 at 13:53

After natural disasters, relief organizations are overwhelmed by clothing donations. Aid groups in Southern California say money is more helpful.

A makeshift donation center in Altadena, Calif., on Monday.

NYT > Climate and Environment

Toyota Truck Unit Will Pay $1.6 Billion to Settle Emissions Fraud Case

By: Jack Ewing

16 January 2025 at 11:36

Hino Motors, a Toyota subsidiary, will plead guilty to conspiracy charges and pay penalties for deceiving regulators about its diesel engines, the E.P.A. said.

Hino Motors trucks bound for shipment at a port in Yokohama, Japan, in 2022.

NYT > Climate and Environment

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

By: Cara Buckley

16 January 2025 at 05:00

After being targeted by the meat industry, swept up in the culture wars and pummeled in sales, two plant based meat companies are reinventing themselves.

Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods enjoyed a meteoric rise before they were characterized by rivals and critics as chemically-laden, ultraprocessed foods.

NYT > Climate and Environment

Energy Dept. Offers Utilities $22 Billion to Reshape U.S. Power Grids

By: Brad Plumer

16 January 2025 at 08:05

The loan guarantees are one of the final attempts by the outgoing Biden administration to encourage power companies to cut emissions while trying to keep rates down.

D.T.E. Electric and D.T.E. Gas in Michigan would receive loan guarantees totaling nearly $9 billion to install thousands of megawatts of solar, wind and batteries in the state and to replace existing gas pipelines.

NYT > Climate and Environment

Lee Zeldin, Trump’s E.P.A. Nominee, Is Short on Environmental Experience

By: Coral Davenport

16 January 2025 at 12:04

Mr. Zeldin, a Trump loyalist, would be charged with dismantling climate rules and perhaps the agency itself. He faced questions from the Senate Thursday.

Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator nominee, at his confirmation hearing on Thursday.

NYT > Climate and Environment

Doug Burgum, Trump’s Choice for Interior, Aims for ‘Energy Dominance’

By: Lisa Friedman

16 January 2025 at 14:19

The former North Dakota governor told senators at his confirmation hearing that he saw limits on energy production as a national security threat.

Doug Burgum, picked by President-elect Donald J. Trump to be interior secretary, on Thursday at his Senate confirmation hearing.

NYT > Climate and Environment

What to Know About the E.V. Tax Credit That Trump Might Repeal

By: Neal E. Boudette

16 January 2025 at 05:01

Rules for a $7,500 tax break for electric vehicle purchases and leases recently changed, but more far-reaching changes are expected when President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office.

A $7,500 federal tax credit has made electric vehicles more affordable to buy and lease.

NYT > Climate and Environment

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

By: Cara Buckley

16 January 2025 at 05:00

After being targeted by the meat industry, swept up in the culture wars and pummeled in sales, two plant based meat companies are reinventing themselves.

NYT > Climate and Environment

He Saved His Home From Fire. But Toxic Dangers Still Lurk.

By: Hiroko Tabuchi

16 January 2025 at 09:13

Health hazards from soot and smoke blown indoors onto furniture and walls can linger for months, researchers say: “Wind will get through every crack.”

NYT > Climate and Environment

California Wildfire Victims Can Apply for a One-Time $770 FEMA Payment

By: Christopher Flavelle

15 January 2025 at 16:12

The agency offers different types of financial assistance after disasters. The fastest is a one-time payment of $770.

A FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Pasadena, Calif., on Tuesday.

NYT > Climate and Environment

Biden’s Presidential Legacy: An Era of Change, Forever Marked by Trump

By: Peter Baker

15 January 2025 at 19:10

Biden’s disastrous debate performance highlighted age concerns.

After four years in office, President Biden has a long list of accomplishments he takes pride in. But he struggled with inflation, illegal immigration and his own advancing age.

NYT > Climate and Environment

Monterey Bay Aquarium Director Julie Packard to Retire

By: Franz Lidz

15 January 2025 at 12:57

Julie Packard discusses highlights of her four decades with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which she has led since it opened. She’s now stepping back from the role.

NYT > Climate and Environment

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

By: Max Bearak

15 January 2025 at 10:30

When it comes to gas exports and competition with China, the two administrations share a similar vision, the top U.S. energy diplomat says.

Geoffrey Pyatt, assistant secretary of state for energy resources, said fossil fuels are “a strategic asset” and “a national security attribute.”

NYT > Climate and Environment

Energy Secretary Pick, Chris Wright, Has Been an Evangelist for Fossil Fuels

By: Brad Plumer

15 January 2025 at 15:12

Wright, the founder of a fracking firm, testified that he would back all forms of low-carbon energy as well as gas, oil and coal.

Chris Wright, chief executive of Liberty Energy and the nominee for secretary of energy, before the Senate energy committee on Wednesday.

NYT > Climate and Environment

California Withdraws Some Requests for Tighter Climate Rules

By: Coral Davenport

14 January 2025 at 17:01

State regulators said the measures would probably have been rejected by the Trump administration and that they would focus on homegrown legal strategies instead.

The waiver requests would have let the state require zero-emissions vehicles in commercial truck fleets, locomotives and short-run ferry services.

NYT > Climate and Environment

Economic Toll of Los Angeles Fires Goes Far Beyond Destroyed Homes

By: Lydia DePillis

15 January 2025 at 11:42

The ongoing disaster will affect residents’ health, local industries, public budgets and the cost of housing for years to come.

A commercial strip devastated by the Eaton fire in Altadena, Calif. About 12,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed so far in the Los Angeles area.

NYT > Climate and Environment

What to Know About ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Sludge Fertilizer

By: Hiroko Tabuchi

14 January 2025 at 16:52

How to understand the E.P.A.’s new warning about PFAS levels in sewage sludge.

NYT > Climate and Environment

California’s Insurance System Faces Crucial Test as Wildfire Losses Mount

By: Christopher Flavelle

14 January 2025 at 16:17

The California FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort, had just $377 million available last week to pay claims that could reach billions, officials said.

Reading view