Axios

Microsoft has signed a power purchase agreement with nuclear fusion energy startup Helion for at least 50 megawatts of electricity beginning in 2028, the companies announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: The agreement is being billed as the world’s first such deal for a fusion firm. It comes as money and interest pours into the much heralded, yet-to-be-realized clean energy source.

Air pollution from U.S. oil and natural gas production causes roughly $77 billion in health impacts nationwide every year, while also contributing to thousands of early deaths and health flare-ups, a new study finds.

Why it matters: It puts a price tag on one of the human costs of domestic oil and gas activity.

Scientists may be significantly underestimating the amount of melting yet to come from glaciers that end in the sea, according to a new study.

Why it matters: The study reveals that seawater is intruding deep into northwest Greenland's Petermann Glacier, thinning the ice from below.

With the formal end of World Health Organization and U.S. COVID emergency designations, let's revisit how the tragedy changed — and didn't change — global energy.

The big picture: Back in 2020, some analysts predicted global oil demand might never fully come back from COVID destruction, or would peak earlier than once believed.

• But see above — the world's consumption has proven resilient (though U.S. gasoline use may never come all the way back).