Why it matters: Ominous forecasts about the impact of climate change serve as the backdrop for the world — led by U.S. lawmakers and companies — to debate big action on the problem, which could upend energy systems and our way of life.
A glacier in Norway's Svalbard Archipelago. Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
2020 is on pace to be among the hottest years on record, and last month was tied with 2016 for the second-warmest July, per NOAA data.
Why it matters: It shows the march of human-induced global warming.
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
EPA's decision to cut regulation of methane is laying bare an oil-and-gas industry divide and setting the stage for political battles this fall and beyond.
Why it matters: Methane is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas and the industry is a key emissions source.
Climate isn't top of mind for the electorate in the 2020 presidential race, but Pew Research Center polling also signals how the topic is likely to surface in the months ahead.
Why it matters: Joe Biden has tethered his proposed low-carbon energy and infrastructure investments to his wider economic recovery message.