Axios

State Department officials won't participate in next week's meeting of the top UN climate science panel, sources familiar with the matter told Axios.

Why it matters: A U.S. absence from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change meeting in Hangzhou, China, would leave the country out of conversations for the group's next influential reports.

President Trump has signed more than 75 executive orders, memos and proclamations during his first few weeks in office at a pace that surpasses his most recent predecessors'.

The big picture: The executive actions reflect much of Trump's rhetoric on the campaign trail: reducing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; cracking down on immigration; and formalizing "America First" foreign policy.

Heat waves can gum up hospitals enough to bring deadly consequences even beyond patients directly afflicted, a new study finds.

Why it matters: It's the first estimate of extreme heat that "unpacks the direct from the indirect effects that arise due to hospital congestion," it states.

Renewable power, efficiency and natural gas made significant gains in the U.S. power sector last year, setting several records, a new report finds.

Why it matters: The annual "Sustainable Energy in America Factbook" tells a story in which renewables, energy efficiency and natural gas are poised to grow in importance in the coming years.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered military officials to find $50 billion in budget cuts for fiscal year 2026 to be redirected to align with President Trump's priorities for the department, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Why it matters: The review to identify offsets from the Biden administration's FY26 budget is set to overhaul Defense Department priorities, with a Pentagon official noting its mandate is border security, ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and building Trump's planned Iron Dome missile defense shield.

An Arctic blast tied in part to the polar vortex is driving record frigid air south from the Northern Plains toward the Gulf Coast Wednesday in a cold snap that will last the entire week.

Threat level: This event is setting daily record cold temperatures and is forecast to bring for the coldest temperatures on record for this late in the season.

Energy heavyweight Invenergy on Wednesday will unveil 640 megawatts of virtual power purchase deals with Verizon via solar projects across four states.

Why it matters: It brings Verizon's procurement from Invenergy — the country's largest privately held clean energy developer — above 1 gigawatt as overall U.S. demand rises.

Cuts hit the National Science Foundation on Tuesday, the latest in a string of terminations at top U.S. science agencies that conduct or support climate research.

Why it matters: Fears are growing within the scientific community that arbitrary firings of government scientists will set back U.S. leadership in a slew of fields.