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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.

Energy & Environment

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Exxon shareholders, bucking company management, voted to install at least two new members to the oil giant's board in a push to make Exxon more aggressive on addressing climate change and more disciplined in its oil investments.

Why it matters: Exxon management campaigned strongly against the entire slate of four people nominated by Engine No. 1, the activist investment group whose campaign was backed by several major pension funds.

The election of two of the four would avoid what could have been a categorical rebuke of the oil giant's strategy, but it still represents significant investor dissent.

The vote in favor of the two new board members shows that many investors see Exxon, which has had a rocky financial performance in recent years, as poorly positioned for the future. 

Driving the news: Shareholders voted to add Gregory Goff and Kaisa Hietala at the oil giant's annual meeting Wednesday, Exxon said at the conclusion of voting. Tabulations on other candidates are still pending, though one of the Engine No. 1 candidates was voted down, Exxon stated in a press release. It's possible that one other activist candidate will still prevail.

Hietala is a a former renewables executive with the refining company Neste and Goff is the former CEO of the refiner Andeavor.

What they're saying: Charlie Penner, one of Engine No. 1's leaders, told shareholders at the meeting that Exxon management is "determined to fight off the future for as long as possible," but added: "change is coming."

The big picture: The battle over replacing members of Exxon's 13-person board comes amid increasing pressure on oil majors to do more on climate change.

European-based multinational giants are diversifying more widely and vowing long-term transformations to "net-zero" emissions companies by 2050.

Engine No. 1 also says Exxon lacks "any serious diversification efforts" that will prepare it to thrive in a low-carbon world. The group says Exxon needs a more cautious investment approach around oil and gas.

Engine No. 1's candidates won the backing of some of the company's largest shareholders, including BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street.

Yes, but: Exxon says it's in step with the evolving energy mix, citing growing emphasis on carbon capture and large market opportunities there, and efforts on hydrogen and biofuels.

Exxon also argues its adjusted capital strategy will deliver strong returns in oil and gas, which it notes will remain huge markets for decades despite low-carbon energy growth.

The company recently set new near- and medium-term targets to cut emissions intensity (that is, emissions per unit of output), but has eschewed the long-term carbon neutrality vows of its European peers.

“ExxonMobil is in a strong position to create differentiating value throughout the energy transition,” CEO Darren Woods said, touting Exxon's oil-and-gas portfolio and its investment in climate technologies.

"We welcome the new directors Gregory Goff in Kaisha Hietala to the board and look forward to working with them constructively and collectively on behalf of all shareholders," Woods said.

Go deeper: The intensifying battle for Exxon's future

In blow to Exxon management, climate activists install two new board members

The board election is a major victory for climate activists and a stinging defeat for Exxon.

Photo Illustration: Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Energy

Climate change

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

In a precedent-setting ruling, a Dutch court ruled Wednesday in favor of environmentalists and more than 17,000 residents of the Netherlands, by ordering Royal Dutch Shell to cut its emissions of greenhouse gases. 

Why it matters: It’s the first court ruling that orders a major oil company to make its emissions plans more consistent with Paris Climate Agreement targets, and it could spur legal action against other oil and gas firms.

Driving the news: The case was brought in April 2019 by Dutch citizens who alleged that Shell's continued oil and gas exploration threatens their human rights by robbing them of a more stable climate. Environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth also participated in the lawsuit. 

Details: The Dutch district court in the Hague ordered Shell to cut its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 relative to 2019 levels. The court ruled that the energy company's existing emissions reduction plans, calling for a reduction of emissions intensity of 20% by 2030, were insufficient, and could result in human rights violations. 

The ruling includes so-called Scope 3 emissions, which are the greenhouse gases released when Shell's oil and gas is burned for generating energy.

While many court cases have been brought in the U.S. and elsewhere against governments for not acting to rein in planet-warming greenhouse gases, the Shell ruling is part of a wave of challenges from climate activists that target oil and gas companies. 

Shell "fully intends to appeal the ruling," the company stated.

Between the lines: Shell has established a more aggressive emissions reduction strategy than many other major oil and gas companies, with the goal of reaching net zero "absolute emissions" in 2050. 

What they're saying: "This is a monumental victory for our planet, for our children, and is a stop towards a livable future for everyone," said Donald Pols, director of Friends of the Earth Netherlands, in a statement.

“Urgent action is needed on climate change which is why we have accelerated our efforts to become a net-zero emissions energy company by 2050, in step with society, with short-term targets to track our progress," Shell said in a statement.

We are investing billions of dollars in low-carbon energy, including electric vehicle charging, hydrogen, renewables and biofuels. We want to grow demand for these products and scale up our new energy businesses even more quickly. We will continue to focus on these efforts and fully expect to appeal today’s disappointing court decision,” the company stated.

Go deeper:  Shell CEO: You need us on climate change

Dutch court orders Shell to cut its emissions in landmark ruling

The ruling is the first to go against a multinational oil and gas company.

Sign saying "Shell" in front of an oil refinery.

A Royal Dutch Shell Plc logo on a fence at the Shell Pernis refinery in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. Shell reports first quarter earnings on April 29. (Peter Boer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Ford announced Wednesday plans to invest $30 billion in vehicle electrification efforts by 2025, and the company said it anticipates that 40% of its global sales by 2030 will be fully electric vehicles, per a news release.

Why it matters: Ford CEO Jim Farley said the new initiative — called "Ford+" — is the company's largest opportunity for growth since "Henry Ford started to scale the Model T," signaling just how lucrative Ford leaders think the electric vehicle market will become.

As part of the initiative, Ford plans to invest in battery technology and infrastructure that would allow it to manufacture its own batteries.

It would include the creation of Ford Ion Park, "a global center of battery excellence comprising more than 150 experts in battery chemistries, testing, manufacturing and value-chain management who will boost battery range and lower costs to customers and Ford," the company said.

Context: Ford previously announced that it would invest $22 billion in electrification efforts by 2025.

What they're saying: “I’m excited about what Ford+ means for our customers, who will get new and better experiences by pairing our iconic, world-class vehicles with connected technology that constantly gets better over time,” Ford CEO  said.

“We will deliver lower costs, stronger loyalty and greater returns across all our customers. This is our biggest opportunity for growth and value creation since Henry Ford started to scale the Model T, and we’re grabbing it with both hands," he added.

The big picture: The announcement comes a week after the company unveiled the Ford F-150 Lightning, an all-electric version of America's most popular vehicle model, the Ford F-series pickup truck.

The company said it expects the bulk of its electric vehicle sales by 2030 will come from the F-150 Lightning, the Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit commercial vans.

Go deeper: Ford's electric F-150 reveal is a pivotal EV moment

Ford says it will invest $30 billion in electric vehicles by 2025

"This is our biggest opportunity for growth and value creation since Henry Ford started to scale the Model T."

Ford's new electric F-150 Lightning outside of its headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan on May 19.

Ford's new electric F-150 Lightning outside of its headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan on May 19. Photo: Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images

Ford Motor Company

Electric vehicles

Bills aimed at trapping industrial carbon emissions or pulling CO2 directly from the atmosphere are piling up in Congress  — and instead of the usual gridlock, some of them may actually gain momentum.

Why it matters: Scientists say that these emerging technologies, neither of which is economically available at scale, are going to be needed in potentially large amounts in order for the U.S. to go from the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, to a nation that absorbs more carbon than it releases. 

Driving the news: Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio)  introduced on Wednesday morning the Carbon Capture Improvement Act to help power plants and industrial facilities to finance carbon capture and storage equipment as well as more unproven direct air capture projects. 

How it works: The bill would permit businesses to use private activity bonds, which local and state governments currently have access to, in order to finance a carbon capture project. 

These bonds have tax advantages over other financing mechanisms, and have previously been used for installing pollution control systems at power plants, according to a summary from the lawmakers. 

The bill would also allow facilities to use an existing tax credit, known as 45Q, for capturing industrial emissions. 

“Carbon capture and direct air capture are common-sense technologies that will allow states like Ohio to continue to utilize our natural resources while protecting our environment at the same time," Portman said in a statement.

State of play: In addition to these new technologies, climate resilience measures are also gaining bipartisan support. On Tuesday, Bennet introduced a bill called the "Shelter Act," along with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), that would create a disaster mitigation tax credit for Americans to help make their home or business more resilient to extreme weather events. 

Due to human-caused climate change, certain types of extreme events, such as heavy precipitation events, heat waves, wildfires and hurricanes are becoming more intense and destructive. 

In an interview with Axios Tuesday, Bennet said both bills are about "common sense." 

"I'm glad that it's bipartisan," he said of the Shelter Act. "But what's also interesting to me about it is how we how different the regions are here. Bill is doing it because he's freaked out about floods. And I'm doing it because I'm freaked out about fires." 

The big picture: Bennet says new technologies like direct air capture, which may include everything from synthetic trees to enhancing the ability of natural systems to soak up carbon, are drawing bipartisan interest because they address both climate change and jobs. 

"If you believe that climate change is real, that's a reason you want to address it," Bennet said. 

"And if you're worried about the potential dislocation of people" working in fossil fuel sectors, that's another reason you want to address it," he added.

Context: The Bennet-Portman bill joins a list of pending bills to remove impediments standing in the way of developing new technologies to capture and store carbon or encourage new technologies to enable direct air capture to work.

Also on Tuesday, a bipartisan group of House members introduced a bill known as the the Catch Act, which would make changes to the 45Q tax credits in order to make them available to new types of projects. The bill would also boost the credit levels available. 

Another bill with bipartisan backing is the Scale Act, introduced in March by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Cassidy and Reps. Marc Veasy (D-Texas) and David McKinley (R-W. Va.) — which would help support the buildout of more comprehensive carbon capture infrastructure, to include transporting carbon dioxide from where it is captured to where it could be stored or used in manufacturing. 

Be smart: Providing incentives for carbon capture has a recent track record, with 45Q in place since 2018. They also don't stir up the same GOP opposition as emissions mandates do.

Yes, but: Betting the under on the passage of any particular bipartisan climate legislation is usually a smart play, despite some recent action on super-greenhouse gases in late 2020 and 45Q.  

This time around, though, an infrastructure package could become a vehicle for moving some of these bills. 

Rare climate bipartisanship emerges on carbon storage, air capture

Tax credits for carbon capture and storage, "direct air capture," and climate resilience are all seeing gains.

 Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, arrive in the Capitol oDec. 4, 2014. 

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

More than a dozen Republican state treasurers are threatening to pull assets from large financial institutions if they agree to decarbonize their lending and investment portfolios, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The Biden administration — led by special presidential climate envoy John Kerry — has leaned on the banks to help reduce U.S. carbon emissions. That's prompted GOP lawmakers to criticize efforts to "de-bank" fossil fuel firms. The treasurers collectively control hundreds of billions worth of assets.

Fifteen of them, led by coal-heavy West Virginia, say they're prepared to use this financial muscle to push back.

The effort includes treasurers from other states with large energy industry presences such as North Dakota, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma.

What's happening: The state officials sent a letter on Tuesday to Kerry, who's leading the administration's efforts to enlist banks in its climate policy fight.

"We intend to put banks and financial institutions on notice of our position, as we urge them not to give in to pressure from the Biden administration to refuse to lend to or invest in coal, oil and natural gas companies," the officials wrote.

In an interview with Axios, West Virginia state Treasurer Riley Moore said he was prepared to terminate contracts with banks that pull back their fossil fuel industry lending in response to administration pressure.

"Frankly, it is not fair for the people of West Virginia to allow a bank to handle our money when they're diametrically opposed to our way of life," Moore said.

What they're saying: Moore called the issue "a matter of life and death for my people."

He said coal and gas operators in his state have reported difficulties obtaining financing from banks blaming pressure from the Biden administration to try to "green" their portfolios.

"If you just cut these guys off at the knees — gas and coal in a state like West Virginia — and they can no longer conduct their business ... it is going to destroy us," Moore said. He cited the industries' heavy jobs footprint and contributions to the state's tax base.

"At no point has Secretary Kerry pressured financial institutions into making commitments," a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "On the contrary, many financial institutions have reached out to Secretary Kerry to initiate conversations regarding the financial risks and potential opportunities related to climate change."

Between the lines: The state officials signing the letter collectively manage more than $600 billion in assets in state treasuries, pension funds and other government accounts, according to publicly available financials and information provided by the state treasurer offices.

Those states work with large financial institutions to invest and grow those funds, to support state spending and retirement payments to former workers.

Even for sizable investment banks, such funds can be some of their largest accounts.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from the State Department.

Scoop: States warn banks — Drop coal, and we drop you

The Biden administration has leaned on the banks to help reduce U.S. carbon emissions.

Illustration of a business person's feet shackled to a large piece of coal

Coal

The Department of Energy announced Tuesday it will invest up to $14.5 million in research and development to help reduce single-use plastic waste and the energy needed to recycle such materials.

Why it matters: Single-use plastics, like plastic bags and cling film, make up the largest source of plastic in U.S. landfills and are some of the most difficult types of plastics to recycle, the department said.

What they're saying: “For years, single-use plastics have had a detrimental impact on the environment—clogging landfills and polluting our neighborhoods, parks, and beaches,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement.

"Innovation in plastics recycling technology is a triple win by cutting plastic waste we see in our everyday lives, reducing industrial energy use and resulting emissions, and creating clean manufacturing jobs for American workers," she added.

The big picture: Plastic production accounts for more than 3% of the country's total energy consumption annually, but less than 10% of plastics are recycled.

The department hopes to fund research that discovers ways to convert plastic films to more valuable materials and designs new plastics that are more recyclable and biodegradable.

Several cities have banned the use of types of single-use plastics, though the coronavirus pandemic also prevented some cities from fully implementing their bans last year.

Go deeper: A better way to recycle plastic

Energy Department to invest $14 million in plastics recycling research

Single-use plastics are some of the most difficult types of plastics to recycle.

A seagull amid garbage at a trash pit in San Francisco in April 2021.

A seagull amid garbage at a trash pit in San Francisco in April 2021. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Department of Energy (DOE)

The Interior and Defense Departments have identified a region off the California coast that can support major offshore wind development that's consistent with military testing and training in the area, the White House said.

Why it matters: The Biden administration is looking to spur large-scale offshore wind development as part of its wider goal of decarbonizing U.S. power generation.

Planned Atlantic Coast projects are much further along, but there are also strong wind resources off the West Coast that could generate large amounts of electricity.

Where it stands: Interior, working with Defense and California officials, have identified a roughly 400 square-mile area off California's central coast, northwest of Morro Bay, a White House summary notes.

The region can support up to 3 gigawatts of wind generating capacity, the White House said. 

The administration is also looking to spur development in a separate coastal region in Northern California called the Humboldt Call Area.

"These initial areas for offshore wind development in the Pacific Ocean could bring up to 4.6 GW of clean energy to the grid, enough to power 1.6 million American homes," the White House said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, on a call with reporters, said the state is backing offshore wind steps like funding to upgrade ports and steps to enable needed infrastructure.

He touted offshore wind as a way to help replace generation from the looming retirement of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in several years.

Catch up fast: The idea of wind energy development off California's coast is not new.

Large energy companies have previously expressed interest in projects there in recent years to the Interior Department.

Earlier this month the Interior Department approved Vineyard Wind, a project off the Massachusetts Coast that's slated to be the nation's first large-scale offshore wind facility.

In late March administration officials set a target of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind generating capacity operating in U.S. waters by 2030.

What they're saying: "Today’s announcement reflects months of active engagement and dedication between partners who are committed to advancing a clean energy future," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.

Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, said the Pentagon is "committed to working across the U.S. government" to support renewable energy in a way compatible with military operations.

“The Defense Department is satisfied that there’s not a tradeoff between the clean energy goals of this endeavor and our military readiness,” Kahl said.

What we're watching: Getting projects from planning to construction and operation will be a multi-year endeavor.

Haaland, on a call with reporters, did not provide specifics on the timing of lease auctions. But she said: "This is a priority for us." 

The White House noted that the deep Pacific Coast waters mean the efforts would bring deployment of floating offshore wind technology.

White House advances California offshore wind plans

The administration is looking to spur offshore wind development as part of its goal of decarbonizing U.S. power generation.

Morro Bay. Citizen of the Planet//Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Image

offshore wind

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it is teaming up with Github, Accenture and Thoughtworks to establish a nonprofit aimed at cutting emissions across the software industry. 

Why it matters: Software is an overlooked factor partly responsible for driving up carbon emissions from the tech sector. Companies that develop software used across the IT industry, including Microsoft, need to address this in order to fulfill their own ambitious climate goals. 

Microsoft, for example, is aiming to reach negative carbon emissions by 2030.

Driving the news: Microsoft announced the foundation Tuesday at its annual Build Developers Conference, noting that in coming years, data centers around the world are projected to account for 3% to 8% of global electricity demand. 

Software designed withs sustainability in mind could make data centers more efficient, Microsoft execs tell Axios.

The foundation, which is open for other companies to join, will aim to develop standards and best practices that teams can follow to make their software consume less energy. It will also look to create opportunities to collaborate across companies. 

The broader goal is for the foundation to help the technology sector meet a target of cutting its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. 

What they're saying: "No one company can do this alone. No one individual can do this alone," Jeff Sandquist, corporate VP of developer relations at Microsoft, tells Axios. "We have to do this a community. so that's why we're really coming together. "

Asim Hussain, who is the green cloud advocacy lead at Microsoft and will chair the Green Software Foundation, said the goal is to get sustainability incorporated into the decision-making framework that software developers use each day. 

"The vision statement for for the foundation is to change the culture of software engineering," he told Axios. "So sustainability becomes a core priority to software teams, because right now when you're building software, you're making 100 trade offs in your mind. You're like, well, I can make it a bit faster but that might actually reduce the security. You're playing these trade offs constantly in your mind," he said. 

At the end of the day, reducing emissions will depend on achieving cultural change within the software industry, down to the level of each individual  engineer, Hussain said. 

Go deeper: Microsoft backs direct air capture player Climeworks

Microsoft sets up nonprofit to cut software-related carbon emissions

The nonprofit's goal is to make sustainability one of the core values for software developers.

Illustration of the Microsoft logo splitting the earth into four sections

Microsoft

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

Exxon is pledging more board additions ahead of a showdown with activist investors pressing for more aggressive moves on climate change and capital discipline on oil development.

Why it matters: The move comes just ahead of Wednesday's annual meeting, when shareholders will vote on whether to approve four board members nominated by the investment group Engine No. 1.

 Driving the news: The company said that over the next 12 months it would add two new members, "one with energy industry experience and one with climate experience."

The May 23 shareholder communication was disclosed in this filing Monday.

The letter, which also touts recent board additions, says the company's capital allocation strategies, cost cuts and expanded climate efforts mean it's "positioned for success." 

The other side: "If ExxonMobil’s Board is sincere in its desire to add more relevant experience, then it can wait to see what the outcome of this election is," Engine No. 1 said in a statement.

What they're saying: Andrew Logan, of the sustainable investment advocacy group Ceres, tells Reuters that Exxon's move is aimed at swaying major investors including BlackRock and Vanguard ahead of the vote.

Go deeper: The showdown over Exxon's climate future is here 

Exxon pledging to add directors ahead of showdown with activist investors

Investors are pressing for more aggressive moves on climate change.

Vehicles refueling at an Exxon Mobil Corp. gas station in Houston, Texas, in October 2020.

Vehicles refueling at an Exxon Mobil Corp. gas station in Houston, Texas, in October 2020.  Photo: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg via Getty Images

ExxonMobil

Oil companies

The world's growing efforts to limit climate change will have far-reaching impacts for financial markets, and the groundwork for that push is being laid right now.

Why it matters: As more governments implement climate change regulations, trillions of dollars are going to flow towards clean energy and climate-friendly technologies, affecting significant portions of the global financial industry.

Related trend: Governments and the private sector are increasingly crafting policies to force better disclosure of how climate change creates risks for the financial sector.

What's happening: A White House executive order issued last week is aimed at launching or expanding efforts to stitch climate-related financial risks into regulation and supervision.

That was followed by an announcement from the Bank of England signaling that it would shift purchases it makes in financial markets toward companies doing the most to fight climate change. 

The BOE's move is expected to be the start of a global effort by central banks to influence the financial services industry.

By the numbers: Major banks and asset managers are stepping up climate finance in response to both investor pressure and expanding market opportunities to commercialize increasingly competitive low-carbon products.

For instance last month JPMorgan Chase pledged to "finance and facilitate" $1 trillion worth of climate efforts over the next decade and Bank of America similarly set a target of $1 trillion in climate finance through 2030.

An International Energy Agency analysis last week suggests that to radically re-orient global energy systems on a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050 annual energy sector investment would have to "surge" to $5 trillion annually by 2030.

What we're hearing: "One of the things that we’re seeing is that the financial industry is organizing itself for net-zero [carbon emissions by 2050]," former Bank of England and Bank of Canada leader Mark Carney told Axios.

The big picture: Carney is a leading figure overseeing the transition from the financial industry's largely agnostic-about-climate past to its climate-priority future.

He's a United Nations special envoy on climate finance and an adviser on these topics to the government of the United Kingdom, which hosts a critical UN climate summit late this year in Glasgow, Scotland.

Carney's a key organizer of the recently launched Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, a wide-ranging network of banks, asset managers, investors and insurers with 160-plus members that organizers say are responsible for over $70 trillion in assets.

And Carney told Axios there remain "a number of major institutions and geographies" he's hoping sign on ahead of the UN summit.

What it means: "What we are looking to do is make sure that the plumbing of the financial system is ready and supportive of this transition," said Carney, who is also head of ESG at Brookfield Asset Management.

That means both growing investment in clean technology, but also financial sector policies that urge polluting companies they finance and invest in to take tangible steps to get cleaner.

"We want a system where it makes sense to invest in or lend to a company that has high emissions today but is investing in order to get those emissions down," Carney added.

"We don’t want binary system where it’s pure green or nothing."

The bottom line: "When society values a certain outcome — in this case addressing climate change, getting to net-zero, focusing on that, public policy is oriented in that way, consumers start to consume in a certain direction — that flips a risk into a huge opportunity," Carney said.

Fighting global warming means reshaping finance

The world's growing efforts to limit climate change will have far-reaching impacts for financial markets.

Illustration of a golden coin with an emboss of the Earth on it.  

Finance

The White House is providing fresh details of a major satellite program that administration officials call poised to reveal vital information about climate change and extreme weather events. 

NASA chief touts new Earth-observing satellites for climate

"I became more of an environmentalist when I went into space," NASA's Bill Nelson said.

Wednesday's energy & environment stories