The Department of Agriculture on Tuesday unveiled a 10-year plan to combat the kind of catastrophic wildfires that have devastated parts of the West in recent years.
Driving the news: Climate change, as well as overgrown forests and an increasing number of homes in areas where nature and urban life meet, have led to a "full-blown wildfire and forest health crisis," the strategy document notes.
Eastman said it's investing up to $1 billion to build a French plant capable of recycling up to 160,000 metric tons annually of "hard-to-recycle plastic waste that is currently being incinerated."
Driving the news: The chemicals giant, in Monday's announcement, said that huge companies, including Estée Lauder and Procter & Gamble, have signed letters of intent to use the plant.
Fossil fuel-related government revenues are slated to plummet if the U.S. deeply cuts greenhouse gas emissions, and policy tools to make up the shortfall face hurdles, a new paper finds.
Why it matters: The analysis from the nonpartisan Resources for the Future is a rare holistic look at revenue flows across levels of government — federal, state, tribal and local.
The Jan. 15 explosion of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano in Tonga caught climate scientists' attention since major eruptions throughout history have temporarily cooled the globe.
Why it matters: Large volcanic eruptions are one of the main natural control knobs that can slow the pace of human-caused global warming. Studies have shown that tropical volcanoes, such as in Tonga, tend to be particularly effective at injecting sunlight-reflecting material.
ExxonMobil on Tuesday announced a target to achieve "net-zero" emissions by 2050, a pledge that arrives as the oil industry faces activist and investor pressure to act more aggressively on climate change.
Why it matters: The non-binding target, which follows a net-zero goal set last fall by U.S. rival Chevron, marks a reversal of sorts for one of the world's most powerful multinational oil-and-gas companies.
A major winter storm lashed much of the East Coast Sunday and Monday, causing widespread power outages and disrupting travel over the holiday weekend.
The latest: Authorities in North Carolina confirmed that two people died in a car crash and that they responded 600 vehicle accidents during the storm on Sunday, per the Washington Post.
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Ikea were among over 70 brands on Monday to issue a joint statement calling for a global treaty to fight plastic pollution that would include reducing production of the material.
Why it matters: The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2) that begins next month will see government officials gather to begin talks next month on a treaty on plastic pollution — "a key growth area for the oil industry," per Reuters.
Significant damage has been reported in Tonga following an undersea volcanic eruption on Saturday, which covered the Pacific nation in ash and cut off communication lines.
