Mosquitoes are a growing public health threat, reversing years of progress

Don't miss this compelling global health series by The New York Times: The fight against mosquitos has never been more urgent as climate change and the rapid evolution of the insect have thwarted efforts to combat devastating diseases like malaria and dengue. Scientists are innovating, reports Stephanie Nolen, pursuing new strategies to protect public health.

Nolen traveled to five countries in Africa and Latin America to cover multiple aspects of this growing global challenge:

Mosquitoes are a growing public health threat, reversing years of progress

Climate change and the rapid evolution of the insect have helped drive up malaria deaths and brought dengue and other mosquito-borne viruses to places that never had to worry about them.

An invasive mosquito threatens catastrophe in Africa

A malaria-carrying species that thrives in urban areas and resists all insecticides is causing outbreaks in places that have rarely faced the disease.

The gamble: Can genetically-modified mosquitos end disease?

Working on a remote island, scientists think they can use genetic engineering to block a malaria-carrying species of mosquito from spreading the disease — and do it in just a few months. But governments are wary.

One village, two houses and a new tactic to win the war on mosquitos

A different way of thinking about mosquito-borne diseases could save billions of dollars and end them for good, some health experts believe.

Unleashing a new weapon on the mosquito: a mosquito

What if, instead of killing the mosquitoes, you could disarm them? Even if you couldn’t keep them from biting people, what if you could block them from passing on disease? What if you could use one infectious microbe to stop another?

Insecticides can't stop the mosquitos. Now what?

Old weapons like bed nets and insecticides don't work well anymore: Mosquitos have evolved to resist and evade them. The world needs to ways to fight mosquitos.

several rows of solar panels on a roof

Climate activist Bill McKibben to Houston: It’s solar’s time to shine

Speaking in the heart of the oil industry, climate activist Bill McKibben said solar power has become the cheapest and fastest-growing energy source, offering Texas a path to lead the clean energy transition.

landscape photography of trees and mountains with melting snow in the foreground

New Hampshire snowpack decline reveals hidden impacts on forests and water

New England residents know that snow is disappearing from our landscape, and scientists have proven that climate change is to blame. But the effects of snowpack decline go far beyond what’s visible.
a couple of people walking across a dry field

Syria's worst drought in decades pushes millions to the brink

A devastating drought has slashed Syria’s wheat harvests by 40%, pushing millions closer to food insecurity as bread prices soar and farmers abandon their land.

A man sitting at a desk with a laptop and computer printouts

Trump's call to end quarterly reports gets unlikely support from climate-conscious investors

A call by Donald Trump to ditch quarterly corporate reporting has received cautious support from an unlikely source: international investors pushing business to do more on longer-term sustainability issues, many lambasted by the U.S. president.
An aerial view of a rail yard with tracks and trains

Effort to curb Southern California rail yard pollution stalls under Trump

A landmark rule to cut toxic emissions from Southern California’s rail yards has been blocked under the Trump administration, leaving communities in the Inland Empire pushing state officials to take action.

Marching for climate with sign:  "There Is No Planet B"
Photo by Li-An Lim on Unsplash

It isn’t just the U.S. The whole world has soured on climate politics.

How do we think about the climate future, now that the era marked by the Paris Agreement has so utterly disappeared?
An old oil pump jack in a dry field

New Mexico’s billion-dollar oilfield orphans

A recent report warns that bankrupt oil companies could leave New Mexico with up to $1.6 billion in cleanup costs, as orphaned wells and leaking tank batteries pile up.

From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

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

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

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.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

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

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