A monkey sits atop a hillside roof with an expansive view of a city and mountains behind him.

Credit: Cyril Gros/Flickr

Electric vehicles are helping Nepal clean up its deadly air

As Kathmandu fights to breathe through some of the world’s worst air pollution, Nepal’s rapid embrace of electric vehicles is bringing cleaner skies and contributing to greater longevity.

Pete Pattisson reports for The Guardian.

In short:

Nepal now imports more electric passenger vehicles than gas-powered ones, a huge leap from just a few years ago, thanks to tax breaks, cheap electricity, and new financing options.
Kathmandu’s deadly air pollution — caused in large part by vehicle emissions — contributes to nearly a fifth of the country’s deaths, and experts say reducing fine particles could add over two years to the average lifespan.
While small EVs are booming, electric buses and trucks are slower to take off due to high costs, weak infrastructure, and a chaotic public transit system, though some co-ops and individuals are trying to change that.

Key quote:

“Motorists switching to EVs is an important part of getting towards cleaner skies and improved health.”

— David Sislen, World Bank country director for Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka

Why this matters:

For years, Kathmandu's streets have doubled as corridors of toxic exhaust, with diesel-belching buses and cars choking the valley in a thick, gray soup. But now, something remarkable is happening. In a country better known for its Himalayan peaks than its tech revolutions, Nepal is pulling off an electric vehicle shift that’s putting many wealthier nations to shame.

www.theguardian.com

Credit: Douglas Fischer

One lawyer's groundbreaking work in shaping climate law

As governments stall and emissions climb, human rights lawyers like Monica Feria-Tinta are turning to the courts to force climate action — one tree, island, or river at a time.

Samira Shackle reports for The Guardian.

In short:

Feria-Tinta is pioneering legal strategies that argue climate inaction violates human rights, helping Indigenous and vulnerable communities take their cases to global courts.
Her work includes landmark victories like the Torres Strait case, where the United Nations ruled Australia failed to protect islanders from climate harm, and Ecuador’s Los Cedros forest, which won legal rights as a living entity.
While legal wins are often slow and hard-fought, they’re shifting the global legal landscape, transforming courts into battlegrounds where climate justice and biodiversity now have a voice.

Key quote:

“Whether it’s a single tree, or a whole community depending on a river, what is at stake is the future of humanity.”

— Monica Feria-Tinta

Why this matters:

As heat, floods, and displacement intensify, the courtroom has become a potent line of defense. Climate litigation can hold powerful players accountable, push policy change, and help protect the ecosystems our health depends on — even when other systems fail. These legal wins are slow, complex, and anything but guaranteed. But they’re a signal that the courtroom is becoming one of the last places where the planet still stands a fighting chance.

Read the Full Article on

www.ehn.org

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.

Electric vehicles are helping Nepal clean up its deadly air

One lawyer's groundbreaking work in shaping climate law

California tribes rekindle ancient fire traditions to heal the land and themselves

EPA stalls civil rights enforcement as pollution complaints pile up

Trump moves to block state climate rules and lawsuits tied to fossil fuel emissions

EPA move to end climate emissions tracking leaves public in the dark

Trump’s pick for EPA general counsel lacks regulatory and courtroom experience but moves ahead in Senate vote

U.S. pauses weather alerts translation, leaving non-English speakers at risk during disasters

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.