A new study puts some hard numbers on the climate impacts of California's worsening wildfires, finding that the state's 2020 blazes overwhelmed its recent emissions cuts.
Driving the news: The study, published in Environmental Pollution, is among the first to quantify the carbon emissions from California's fires and the damage they are causing.
Record early cold air for early fall has enveloped a region from the Upper Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico, sending temperatures plunging to record lows.
The big picture: Freeze warnings are in effect for at least 46 million people, according to the National Weather Service. The cold will continue for several days.
Huge privately held companies trail shareholder-owned counterparts by a "disturbing distance" in setting climate targets and plans to meet them, a new analysis finds.
Driving the news: A joint report from Net Zero Tracker examined the 100 largest public and private companies by revenue.
The Treasury Department is launching a first-of-its-kind initiative to uncover climate-related risks to private insurance markets.
The big picture: Property insurance is becoming harder to find and more expensive in states like California that have been hard hit by climate change-related extreme weather events.
Though natural gas prices have fallen recently, this year's spike related to Russia's war on Ukraine will still mean higher household heating bills for Americans this winter.
The big picture: The Energy Information Administration forecasts that households that use natural gas as their primary home heating fuel — nearly half of all households — will see their average winter heating costs rise 28% this year to $931.
The killer app for hurricane prediction? It could be lightweight drones that explore some of the fiercest parts of a hurricane and send back real-time data — or new satellite tech that gives forecasters a better look at storms from above.
Why it matters: Seesawing forecasts and delayed evacuations for Hurricane Ian may have contributed to deaths in Florida — and have spurred soul-searching about how to do better.
Australia's east coast was facing the threat of more heavy rains as floodwaters inundated the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania on Monday.
The big picture: Widespread flooding in Australia this year has killed more than 20 people, with two deaths confirmed in the latest deluge that's forced thousands of people to evacuate.
