Hurricane Ernesto, which was upgraded from a tropical storm at 11am ET on Wednesday, is beginning to pull away well to the north of Puerto Rico.
Threat level: Despite not making a direct hit on the island, flooding rains and high winds knocked out power to more than 700,000 customers on the island, illustrating the continued fragility of the grid there.
Climate change increased the likelihood and severity of record wildfires that devastated Canada, parts of the Amazon and Greece last year, according to a groundbreaking and comprehensive review of global wildfire activity.
Why it matters: Scientists are taking stock of increasingly extreme wildfire seasons and are also examining how reliably they can be predicted.
EVgo, one of the nation's largest charging networks, is rolling out efforts to diagnose equipment issues in real time as part of a broader plan to replace outdated chargers and improve customer service, the company tells Axios exclusively.
Why it matters: While the number of public chargers continues to grow, many networks still aren't reliable enough to ease the public's charging anxiety — a leading concern about EVs.
Tropical Storm Ernesto is intensifying as it moves across the northern Leeward Islands, toward the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Why it matters: Puerto Rico's electrical grid is still highly vulnerable to high winds and heavy rains, despite extensive rebuilding projects since 2017's devastating Hurricane Maria.
A deadly wildfire burning in an increasingly hot and arid Greece has expanded into suburbs ringing parts of Athens, as firefighters from multiple countries battle extreme heat and high winds to extinguish the flames.
July may have been the warmest such month on record globally, but sea surface temperatures were no longer record warm, according to NOAA. Instead, they came in second, ending a 15-month stretch of record-warm months.
Why it matters: The streak has been a key feature of the spike in global warming during 2023 and into 2024.
Elon Musk gently tried steering Donald Trump toward acknowledging climate risks and backing some kind of energy transition — and didn't get far.
Why it matters: The Tesla boss has endorsed Trump and has his ear. The pair chatted Monday night for two hours on X in an interview delayed by glitches.
