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INTO THE RED

Climate and the fight of our lives

The climate crisis is now an emergency. We believe solutions must begin here, in our communities, state, and region. Globe journalism will shine light on obstacles to decisive action, illuminate paths toward solutions, and hold to account elected leaders responsible for guiding us to a better future.

Latest climate stories

RI BUSINESS

R.I. sues solar company for unfair, deceptive trade practices

Smart Green Solar’s CEO was previously investigated by the FTC and even tried to illegally obtain credit reports of Presidents Trump and Obama.

EPA boosts use of biofuels but holds steady for corn-based ethanol production

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the final rule would reduce reliance on foreign sources of oil by up to 140,000 barrels per day and support continued growth of biofuels that produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional gasoline or diesel.

Healey administration unveils new permit system to address Cape water pollution

Cape Cod communities will have two years to opt into a new watershed permitting process intended to reverse nitrogen pollution and restore the region’s estuaries to their natural state, according to final regulations released Wednesday by the Healey administration.
THE FINE PRINT

The check is in the mail? You may be waiting awhile for that Mass Save rebate.

For many residents, appreciation of Mass Save — which offers lucrative rebates for energy efficient steps — is mixed with frustration over how the program is managed.

MassDOT removing six unreliable EV chargers along Mass. Pike

The agency has begun looking for a bidder to remove the old chargers and install modern units.

Featured projects

As Earth’s temperature rises, Massachusetts residents’ sense of urgency on climate change declines

Despite increasingly urgent international warnings, fewer Massachusetts residents see the climate crisis as a very serious concern than they did in 2019, a new poll from MassINC and the Boston Globe shows.
The Lobster Trap: Part 1

The lobster trap

The plentiful catch that brought wealth to fishing families is at risk, as climate change warms the Gulf of Maine. A way of life is on the line, but lobstermen can't, or won't, imagine another.
Climate change on Cape Cod

At the edge of a warming world

The flexed arm of Cape Cod has challenged the power of the sea for centuries, but the contest has escalated. Climate change is altering our vacation paradise in myriad ways, perhaps forever. The message in the sand is clear — if only we will look.

Accountability

RI BUSINESS

R.I. sues solar company for unfair, deceptive trade practices

Smart Green Solar’s CEO was previously investigated by the FTC and even tried to illegally obtain credit reports of Presidents Trump and Obama.

Mile-long oil slick reported in Buzzards Bay

A Coast Guard helicopter observed the sheen to be about 150 to 300 feet wide and a mile in length around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, an official said.
RI COURTS

R.I. sues manufacturers for PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ contamination

“The burden of this enormous cost should be borne by the companies who made, marketed, and sold these products at great profit, while hiding their true dangers,” said Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.
GLOBE NH | MORNING REPORT

Portsmouth, N.H., is putting together its own climate action plan

The climate plan is meant to be the foundation for all climate projects and goals for the next 50 years, according to the city.

Climate Science

Why sharks are at a much greater risk of going extinct than previously thought: ‘It’s absolutely jaw-dropping’
A massive new survey of nearly 400 coral reefs around the world reveals sharks once common in those waters are vanishing.

How to move beyond climate disinformation in the N.H. State House

To mitigate climate change, Brown launches initiative to develop new sustainable energy solutions

Politics and Policy

Healey announces a new green bank to fund climate-friendly affordable housing

The new Massachusetts Community Climate Bank will be the nation’s first green bank dedicated to affordable housing, according to the Healey administration, and it will be seeded with $50 million from the Department of Environmental Protection.

Ugly fight over climate bill exposes cracks in German coalition

In recent days, Germany's coalition government has engaged in an unusual level of public sniping over a wonkish bill with the seemingly humble aim of reducing fossil fuel emissions from heaters in homes and other buildings.
RI COURTS

R.I. sues manufacturers for PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ contamination

“The burden of this enormous cost should be borne by the companies who made, marketed, and sold these products at great profit, while hiding their true dangers,” said Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.

Cities need better public transit, less driving, new international report says. That makes Mass. a laggard, not a leader.

Urban areas will have to look more like Leipzig, Germany, where cars are a rare sight in the city center, and electric trams whisk people from here to there.

An interactive look into climate change

How Massachusetts feels about climate change in 12 graphics

The percentage of Massachusetts residents who believe climate change is as a very serious concern has decreased since 2019. That’s just one finding from a new poll conducted by MassINC Polling Group for the Boston Globe.

Maps: These parts of Boston, Revere, and Quincy are vulnerable to rising sea levels

One measure of a warming planet and human-caused climate change is rising sea levels, which Massachusetts’ coastal towns are increasingly grappling with.

Boston’s ‘heat islands’ turn lower-income neighborhoods from hot to insufferable

In a recent city report, officials noted that temperatures in leafier neighborhoods are often significantly lower than in more densely populated areas.

Into the Red: How the Globe will cover climate change

To report on the most pressing issue of our time, the Globe’s climate team is expanding and rethinking its coverage.

The Globe's climate team wants to hear from you

Share your thoughts and questions about the impact of climate change in your community.

How-Tos

No Mow May: What to know about the campaign to help your garden become a pollinator’s paradise

ADDRESS

Area colleges are knee-deep in composting — and they like it

Difficulty measuring methane slows plan to slash emissions

More Climate stories

Mile-long oil slick reported in Buzzards Bay

A Coast Guard helicopter observed the sheen to be about 150 to 300 feet wide and a mile in length around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, an official said.

Why sharks are at a much greater risk of going extinct than previously thought: ‘It’s absolutely jaw-dropping’

A massive new survey of nearly 400 coral reefs around the world reveals sharks once common in those waters are vanishing.

‘Nothing like this has ever happened before’: The world’s oceans are at record-high temps

While ocean temperatures have been rising for at least 70 years, new measurements taken from a network of satellites, ships, and buoys around the globe show an unexpected spike that began in March and appears to be climbing.

RI FOOD & DINING

What do Rhode Island consumers need to learn about local seafood? Actually, quite a bit.

A number of local organizations have set out to change how people perceive some of the plentiful seafood native to the state.

Attention, gardeners: Rabbits are everywhere. And they’re ever-hungry.

“They’re adorable,” said Jordan Takvorian, stewardship manager of the 56 community gardens across Boston owned by the Trustees of Reservations. “But they are kind of a menace.”

Climate protestors arrested at State House after disrupting Senate session, baring backsides

“You can look away if you like, but just like the climate crisis, we’ll get more inconvenient until proper action is taken,” one demonstrator said, according to a press release from Extinction Rebellion Boston.

The world just saw its hottest early June on record

Global temperatures during the first 11 days of June have hit the highest level on record for the time of the year.

World’s rice glut will be put to the test with El Niño’s return

The weather pattern usually brings hotter and drier conditions to Asia, which produces and consumes 90 percent of the global rice supply.

Opinion

IDEAS | JENNIFER NASH

A flock of birds gripped my hand — and pulled me back into the fight against climate change

After devoting my career to the environment, I began to hide from bad news about it. I had to learn to feel all over again.
Leila Philip

Let beavers get busy fighting fires — and climate change

Carroll Muffett

The world can’t recycle its way out of the plastics crisis

Michael E. Mann and Wanjira Mathai

UN IPCC report can lead governments to the climate action door, but they must walk through

Bill McKibben

Heat pumps could help ease the climate crisis — and the war in Ukraine