Driving the news: The Department of Agriculture has responded by launching an extermination campaign against grasshoppers, the largest since the 1980s. Authorities have started to spray thousands of square miles with pesticide to kill immature grasshopper before they become adults.
The climate change the planet has seen so far, now that the world haswarmed by about 1.2°C (2.16°F) since the preindustrial era, is already resulting in unprecedented and destructive events worldwide.
Why it matters: In the past few decades alone, climate change has shifted from a far-off problem disconnected from our day-to-day lives to a crisis to be grappled with here and now.
President Biden is under intense pressure to deliver on his historic climate plans, with real danger that he’ll miss his window on major goals that allies had hoped were in their grasp.
Why it matters: Only six months into his presidency, Biden has a limited amount of time to tackle what he calls "the No. 1 issue facing humanity."
The much-anticipated sixth assessment report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will be rolled out on Aug. 9, generating a burst of climate coverage in the media and putting pressure on lawmakers to act.
Why it matters: The IPCC's reports are designed to be the most authoritative summaries of the latest knowledge regarding our changing climate.
Seven out of 10 Americans are aware of the scientific consensus that climate change is largely caused by people, and that the world isn't on track to reach the temperature reduction targets of the Paris climate agreement, according to an Ipsos poll shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: It's the latest in a series of polls that suggest Americans' understanding of climate change has increased in recent years, and particularly over the last five years.
Corporations and their K Street lobbyists are grappling with rising pressure for action on climate change from the White House and its Capitol Hill allies.
Why it matters: Democrats' ascendance is prompting powerful business and industrial interests to try and influence the new initiatives in their favor — or at least limit the fallout.
The most severe heat wave on record in the Pacific Northwest and southwestern Canada kicks into high gear Friday and will intensify throughout the weekend and into next week.
Why it matters: Heat waves like this one are significant public health threats, particularly in areas like the Northwest, where many people lack air conditioning.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday it will provide $50 million to help low-income and communities of color impacted by pollution, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why it matters: This move represents the Biden administration’s first major investment in environmental justice — a key element of his climate policy. The issue was largely dismissed by the Trump administration.
The House voted Friday to reverse a Trump-era rule that thwarted the Environmental Protection Agency's power to directly regulate methane emissions from the oil-and-gas sector, sending the measure to President Biden's desk for a signature.
Why it matters: Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, and wells, gas compressors and other industry equipment are a significant source.
Capitol Hill infrastructure negotiations have taken on a complexity that matches their planetary and political stakes.
Driving the news: President Biden and a bipartisan Senate group yesterday unveiled the bare bones of an eight-year, $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that includes energy and transit provisions.
