Axios

A judge in Montana ruled on Monday that the state violated the state constitutional rights of 16 young people by promoting the use of fossil fuels and ignoring the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global warming and climate change.

Why it matters: The ruling, a historic first in the U.S. for environmental law, could influence thousands of other pending climate change lawsuits in the country.

The year since passage of the big climate law has brought over $100 billion in U.S. solar and storage company investments.

Why it matters: New data from the Solar Energy Industries Association — a major industry trade group — on private investment suggests the law's subsidies for manufacturing and generation are significantly boosting industry activity levels.

Oil giants are increasingly testing the waters in the nascent direct air capture (DAC) industry.

Driving the news: Chevron will receive up to $3 million to help explore feasibility of a DAC project in California, the Energy Department revealed Friday.

The devastating wildfires in Hawai'i this week killed more than 90 people and decimated the historic town of Lahaina on Maui Island.

The big picture: The fires are "likely the largest natural disaster in Hawai'i's state history," according to Hawai'i Gov. Josh Green.

A climate science debate is simmering over how much of 2023's record warmth is due to human-caused factors, chiefly the burning of fossil fuels, and the role of other influences.

Why it matters: It's critical to gaining a better understanding of what is driving the sudden spike in global average surface temperatures, accompanied by scorching and deadly heat waves, wildfires and flooding.

E-bike incentive programs have been rolled out or proposed in about two dozen states nationwide, helping to bring down out-of-pocket costs — especially for lower-income buyers.

• That's according to data collected by PlanRVA, which promotes cooperation on regional planning issues among Richmond, Virginia-area communities.

Canada's military was deployed to help fight massive wildfires in the country's Far North — where evacuation orders were issued for hundreds of people due to 233 blazes burning across 5.2 million acres in the region Sunday.

The big picture: Four firefighters have died responding to wildfires in Canada this year, which have razed some 33.4 million acres in the country's worst-ever fire season.

The millions of Americans who migrated to the Sunbelt over the past decade are now stuck in the middle of this summer's brutal and record-breaking heat wave.

Why it matters: The country's fastest-growing region is enduring some of the highest temperatures in the U.S., threatening the health of some of America's most vulnerable people and billions in economic activity.