Satellite images collected over the past two decades show that more than 75% of the Amazon rainforest is likely struggling to recover from wildfires, droughts and human-caused disturbances, including logging, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Why it matters: Researchers behind the study warn that because parts the Amazon are increasingly losing resilience, they risk eventually transforming into dry savannah.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday proposed new limits on smog- and soot-forming nitrogen oxide emissions from heavy-duty vehicles like buses, vans and trucks.
Why it matters: This is the first update to tailpipe standards for the largest heavy-duty vehicles in more than 20 years, per the New York Times. It would apply to large 18-wheeler trucks and many school buses, moving trucks and delivery vans by model year 2027.
The risk of deaths due to extreme temperatures could rise significantly under a warming scenario of more than 2°C, according to a study published Monday in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
Why it matters: As Axios' Andrew Freedman reported recently, peer-reviewed research the world is already on course for at least 3°C (5.4°F) of warming above preindustrial levels — and running out of time to do something about it.
Top European leaders said Monday that they recognize the need to reduce the continent's dependence on Russian energy but stressed that an immediate embargo would not be feasible.
Why it matters: Under pressure from Congress and the Ukrainian government, the Biden administration may move to ban Russian oil imports on a unilateral basis if the U.S. cannot immediately bring along its European allies.
In a memo provided first to Axios, Evergreen Action is pushing back against the argument that boosting domestic oil and gas drilling is the best way to free the U.S. from Russian oil imports.
Driving the news: The environmental group is calling for a major boost in clean energy deployment instead.
The average regular U.S. gasoline price climbed to $4.07 per gallon Monday, per AAA. That's a roughly 45-cent increase over the last week alone, it reports.
Why it matters: The increase means gas prices are now pennies away from the all-time high set in 2008 when the average price hit $4.11 a gallon. The record, which isn't adjusted for inflation, could fall in the coming days.
HOUSTON — A premier energy industry gathering is back in-person after a two-year COVID hiatus, but discussions that will dominate many sessions and closed-door meetings are different than anyone would have imagined before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Driving the news: CERAWeek by S&P Global draws Big Oil CEOs, Cabinet officials, foreign energy ministers, tech and power giants and everything in between.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is calling for the expansion of nuclear power in Europe and greater oil production in the U.S. as Russia's invasion of Ukraine spikes prices and lays bare the EU's energy vulnerabilities.
Driving the news: He tweeted Sunday that it's "extremely obvious that Europe should restart dormant nuclear power stations and increase power output of existing ones," calling it "critical" to national and international security.
A comprehensive new United Nations-sponsored assessment of climate change finds that global warming is reshaping the world more rapidly and severely than was known several years ago.
Why it matters: The report finds that climate change is affecting every person's physical and mental health, and classifies nearly half of the global population as being "highly vulnerable" to climate impacts.
The U.S. is working with its European allies to look into the possibility of banning Russian oil imports, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.
Why it matters: Momentum had grown in Congress for the U.S. to cut off imports of oil from Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. But the White House had been reluctant to take action against the world's No. 2 oil producer.
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