The United Nations reports that the world is on track to exceed the 1.5°C warming target, with devastating impacts expected unless countries implement promised climate policies.
Current global emissions put the planet on a path to reach 3.1°C warming by 2100, far beyond the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement.
Even if all nations meet their climate pledges, warming could still reach 2.6°C, threatening extreme weather and resource scarcity.
The UN urges countries, especially major emitters, to take immediate, large-scale actions to reduce carbon emissions and meet climate goals.
Key quote:
“We’re playing with fire, but there can be no more playing for time.”
— Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
Why this matters:
If countries fail to curb emissions drastically, the world could face severe climate impacts by mid-century, including more frequent and intense storms, wildfires and droughts. These changes threaten ecosystems, infrastructure and global public health, making climate action urgent.
As climate-driven disasters intensify, cities face a cycle where infrastructure, insurance and financial challenges compound, potentially triggering economic crises across urban America.
Increasingly severe climate events, like hurricanes and wildfires, are driving insurance companies to raise rates or withdraw coverage, destabilizing city finances.
Without affordable insurance, homeowners and businesses face foreclosure and asset devaluation, reducing local tax revenues and undermining critical municipal services.
Smaller and mid-sized cities, especially those with outdated infrastructure, are particularly vulnerable to “death spirals” as climate impacts erode their resilience and financing options.
Key quote:
“Climate risk makes things uninsurable. No insurance makes things un-mortgageable. No mortgages crashes the property markets.”
— Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)
Why this matters:
As insurance companies withdraw from high-risk areas, U.S. cities may see cascading financial failures that undercut their resilience against disasters. Without systemic policy changes and investment, cities risk entering a cycle of economic decline, leaving behind vulnerable residents unable to relocate or recover.
The United States has rapidly added large-scale battery storage to stabilize its power grid amid increasing reliance on renewable energy and the impacts of climate change.
The U.S. has added 20 GW of battery storage in the last four years, providing crucial backup power for renewables like wind and solar.
California and Texas lead in battery usage to manage power supply and prevent outages, particularly during extreme weather events.
Batteries offer a flexible energy source, but full reliance on renewables will also require significant upgrades to transmission infrastructure.
Key quote:
“We can leverage that stored energy and dispatch it when we need it.”
— Patti Poppe, CEO of PG&E
Why this matters:
Expanding battery storage helps make renewable energy more reliable, allowing the grid to balance supply even when wind or solar production dips. As the climate crisis intensifies, these systems can prevent blackouts during severe weather, though broader grid updates are essential for a fully resilient energy transition.
Canadian scientists are scrambling to save the nation’s largest public fungi biobank, which holds thousands of fungal strains vital for disease research and drug development but faces imminent shutdown without new funding.
The UAMH Centre for Global Microfungal Biodiversity at the University of Toronto holds 12,000 fungi strains essential for studying diseases, including those emerging due to climate change.
A lack of funding may lead to the collection being transferred abroad, which would restrict Canadian researchers’ access due to logistical and regulatory challenges.
The collection includes unique and irreplaceable samples that scientists use to develop treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections and animal diseases.
Key quote:
“We absolutely are seeing climate change-driven increases in certain diseases that stand to wipe out populations of certain animals.”
— James Scott, director of the UAMH Centre for Global Microfungal Biodiversity
Why this matters:
Fungi are a critical but often overlooked component of ecosystems and medicine. This biobank supports research on treatments for fungal infections and the impacts of climate change. Its closure could hinder Canada’s ability to respond to rising health threats.
Global conservation efforts show that restoring damaged ecosystems can effectively halt biodiversity loss and support struggling species, with proven successes across oceans, wetlands and forests.
Protected ocean areas, like those in the Azores and Seychelles, demonstrate increased biodiversity, including the return of endangered species such as whales.
Removing invasive species, as seen on Palmyra Island, helps native plants and animals thrive and prevents ecosystem collapse.
Restoring habitats like wetlands and forests enhances biodiversity, provides carbon storage and strengthens community connections to nature.
Key quote:
"Our hope is that our action will not only benefit our people and wildlife in the Azores, but inspire the rest of the world."
— Luis Bernardo Brito e Abreu, Azores government advisor
Why this matters:
As climate change accelerates, protecting diverse ecosystems is crucial to preserving water sources, curbing carbon emissions and supporting local livelihoods. Conservation success stories underscore the urgent need for worldwide commitments to restore and protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030.
The Biden administration has approved a large lithium-boron mine in Nevada, dismissing concerns from environmentalists who fear it could threaten a rare wildflower species.
The Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project, approved by the Bureau of Land Management, will supply lithium for EV batteries while protecting critical wildflower habitat.
Environmental groups plan to challenge the permit, citing threats to Tiehm’s buckwheat, an endangered wildflower found only in Nevada.
The mine is expected to create hundreds of jobs and help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign lithium, supporting the clean energy transition.
Key quote:
“The Endangered Species Act does not have carve-outs if we really, really want the minerals that are going to drive a species extinct.”
— Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity
Why this matters:
Balancing renewable energy needs with biodiversity protection raises critical questions about environmental laws and their resilience amid the shift to cleaner technologies. As the U.S. ramps up lithium production, managing resources sustainably will be key to avoiding irreversible ecological impacts.
Saudi Arabia’s Neom project, a purported eco-city, relies on Western PR firms to market sustainability claims that critics say mask human rights abuses and ongoing fossil fuel dependence.
Western PR and consulting firms are profiting from contracts with Neom, promoting it as a model of sustainability despite Saudi Arabia’s major economic reliance on oil.
Neom’s construction displaces local tribes, with reports of forced evictions and severe legal repercussions for opposition, raising human rights concerns.
The Saudi government uses the Neom project to shape its global image as a green leader while obstructing climate action and increasing fossil fuel exports.
Key quote:
“Everyone [is] accepting Saudi money in exchange for silence.”
— Lina Alhathloul, head of monitoring and advocacy for ALQST for Human Rights
Why this matters:
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, is using Neom’s green branding to deflect attention from its environmental and human rights issues. With billions invested in Neom’s image, the campaign underscores the growing influence of fossil-fuel-dependent states on global narratives about sustainability.
Groups are choosing to repair broken lines of communication and visualize the transition for its true potential to mitigate climate change – the common enemy.
Environmental activists are struggling with paranoia, panic attacks, and depression. Now, a growing network of mental health shelters in South America hopes to fill a void in care.
