Keep Informed
Explore local news, plus state, national, and global environmental developments—including scientific research and good news.
After decades of hard work by our people and supportive partners, I am honored to share the news of an important milestone for our Tribe and for the sacred landscape of Juristac. Today, our partners at Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) announced the purchase and permanent protection of 2,284 acres of Sargent Ranch, bringing their total ownership to more than 6,100 conserved acres…
As the United States retreats from climate policy, China signaled its rising intent to lead a transition away from fossil fuels and toward Chinese-made renewable energy technologies in remarks to world leaders on (January 20). Speaking to world leaders at Davos, He Lifeng invited other countries to “embrace the opportunities” of Chinese-made renewable energy technologies…
In a major win for environmental justice groups, a state appellate court gave the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection the green light to implement its landmark environmental justice law. The 2020 law was written to protect overburdened communities from further pollution, but it wasn’t until 2023 that New Jersey finalized rules that gave the law teeth.
Norway has hit the brakes on its controversial plans to mine the deep ocean floor, announcing it will not issue any deep-sea mining licenses until at least 2029. The decision, confirmed in early December 2025, marks a significant shift in momentum for the fledgling industry and offers breathing room for environmental advocates who have long warned of the irreversible risks…
We’re thrilled to announce a rare chance to acquire 200 acres of stunning redwood forest in a strategic Sonoma County location — directly adjacent to Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve. In 2018, Save the Redwoods League acquired the 730-acre Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve, home to hundreds of old-growth coast redwoods more than 300 feet tall.
Last year, the National Marine Sanctuary System faced massive, proposed budget cuts, endangering our marine wildlife and coastal communities……. More than fourteen thousand messages were shared with lawmakers, creating an undeniable tidal wave of support for our marine sanctuaries and the communities that depend on them…
The French fast fashion law passed the Senate with 337 votes in favour with only one opposed, targeting companies like Shein and Temu with environmental penalties up to 50 percent of product prices. France moved closer to becoming the first European country to regulate ultra-fast fashion companies like Shein and Temu.
Offshore wind developers are back to building three major U.S. projects nearly a month after the Trump administration ordered them to pause construction. Ørsted, Equinor, and Dominion Energy all got the green light from federal judges last week to resume work on their massive, multibillion-dollar wind farms off America’s east coast….
Biochar water purification works more powerfully than scientists realized, with new research showing the material actively destroys pollutants rather than simply trapping them. Biochar water purification has long been understood as a filtration process….
California lawmakers are considering two bills that would slash red tape for households looking to add certain types of clean tech. Earlier this month, state Sen. Scott Wiener (D), whose district includes San Francisco, introduced legislation that would make it easier for individuals to adopt all-electric, super-efficient heat pumps (SB 222) and plug-in solar panels (SB 868).
Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences described 72 new animal, plant, and fungi species in 2025, enriching scientists’ understanding of Earth’s biodiversity and propelling our mission to regenerate the natural world. The new species include 15 beetles, 12 bush crickets, 11 sea slugs, seven fishes….
Several annual international climate reports released Tuesday indicate that relentless human-caused warming continued in 2025, especially in the oceans and at the poles. For the third year in a row, Earth’s average temperature ran close to 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than the climate that sustained human civilizations…
Jan 12 - The New York Times reported that the Environmental Protection Agency would cease to calculate the negative health impacts of air pollution in its future rule-making process and only consider industry costs. On the EPA’s website, the mission of the agency is to “protect human health and the environment.” Between 1999 and 2020, air pollution…
Last year, Mexico, Guatemala and Belize announced plans to create a huge reserve of tropical forest spanning across the three countries. The nature reserve was named the Great Mayan Jungle Biocultural Corridor and will stretch across jungle areas of southern Mexico and northern parts of the two Central American nations, encompassing more than 14 million acres (5.7 million hectares).
Westlands Water District approved 21 gigawatts of solar and batteries on water-parched fields in the Central Valley, giving farmers a way to profit from fallow land. “The real benefit to us is that it gives our growers another crop to grow, which is the sun,” she said.
In an era of rapid globalization, economic growth has come with trade-offs. To make room for urban development or fossil fuel extraction, countries often clear forests, pollute water and decimate wildlife populations. But it wasn’t until fairly recently that experts formally started to catalogue the environment’s financial contributions …
Manufactured homes, also called mobile homes, are particularly lethal in extreme heat. During the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome, 20% of the 96 people who died in Oregon lived in such housing…. In Phoenix in 2024, a full quarter of heat-related deaths occurred in mobile home parks, trailers, and RVs, which make up only 5% of the Valley’s housing stock
The U.S. Postal Service has rolled out more than 2,600 electric vehicles for mail deliveries at 65 sites around the country, including in California, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, and New York. This is part of a historic decision in 2022 to electrify a majority of USPS mail trucks after sustained Earthjustice litigation and a wave of advocacy …
Jan 9 - Scientists warn the ocean’s accumulation of energy is fueling extreme weather patterns and destabilizing marine ecosystems. Global ocean heat content (OHC) increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2025, according to a report released Friday in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. The study—a collaboration involving more than 50 scientists from 31 international institutions..
A new biodegradable bamboo plastic could replace conventional plastics, offering a fully biodegradable alternative that is durable, recyclable, and easy to manufacture at scale. Chinese researchers have developed a biodegradable bamboo plastic that not only rivals but surpasses traditional petroleum-based plastics…
Matson, Inc., a Hawaii-based shipping company, has purchased and will deploy the AI-powered Whalespotter whale detection system developed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, making it the first container shipping company to adopt this marine protection technology. The WhaleSpotter system combines thermal imaging with artificial intelligence to detect whales up to three nautical miles away
Douglas County - Elk, pronghorn, mule deer, black bears, mountain lions and a variety of other species are now able to cross the I-25 Greenland Wildlife Overpass near Larkspur, which is North America’s largest wildlife overpass. The project was completed in less than a year, ahead of schedule and on budget. This overpass spans six lanes of interstate traffic…
Ahead of a Santa Cruz County hearing on Jan 13, County staff shared the latest version of proposed regulations for battery storage facilities, which would require ongoing soil and water monitoring, emergency access and insurance bonds for developers. The new draft ordinance requires developers to use the safest and latest technology available commercially…
The Trump administration has been working overtime to portray itself as the savior of America’s farms and food security when, in fact, it’s become our food system’s greatest threat. The Trump administration has caused or worsened the biggest problems our food system faces today. It has rolled back environmental regulations that safeguard clean water….
As climate change intensifies, we’re simultaneously seeing an incredible worldwide flowering of the technologies we need to fight it: heat pumps, EVs, wind turbines, batteries, and most importantly solar panels, all different ways of soaking up, storing, and using the incredible bounty of energy provided for free every day by our Sun. McKibben’s prose is scintillating as usual, providing…
As of January 1st, California, the fifth-largest economy in the world, officially banned the use of most polystyrene foam food containers. This move, part of the state’s broader fight against plastic pollution, targets items like clamshell containers and cups, commonly (and incorrectly) referred to as “Styrofoam.”
When rain falls, light showers can usually be handled by the complex network of sewer pipes that run beneath the NYC. But during heavy downpours, water can accumulate, posing a danger to the residents and their homes, especially if they live in basement apartments. Around 30 years ago, on Staten Island, the city tried something new to address flooding — "bluebelts"…
Diane Wilson, the prominent Gulf Coast environmentalist, filed a legal notice of intent on Wednesday to sue Dow for alleged large-scale discharges of plastic pellets from its 4,700-acre petrochemical complex outside Seadrift, Texas. Wilson, a 77-year-old former shrimper from Seadrift, sued another Gulf Coast petrochemical giant..
When the Vistra battery storage facility in Moss Landing caught fire on January 16 (and again on February 18), the AMLT Native Stewardship Corps and staff joined a coalition of local scientists to respond to the potential threats to sea life and environment. The fire burned for 3 days with a plume of smoke settling directly on "Locuyusta" (Elkhorn Slough), leaving behind a layer of ash leaden with heavy metals which canvassed the estuary habitats.
In response to a lawsuit by conservation groups, a federal court today struck down a U.S. Forest Service plan to log more than 16,500 acres of pine forests just outside Yellowstone National Park, in the Custer Gallatin National Forest. The court found that the agency violated the National Environmental Policy Act, National Forest Management Act and Endangered Species Act.