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.

Battle ships heading into the sunset

Water, power, and the future of conflict

Explore the rise of water as a geopolitical weapon influencing global security, economics, and environmental stability in 2026.
A view of the Salton Sea with mountains in the background

The clean energy transition at the Salton Sea

California holds vast stores of lithium, but mining projects stir debate over environmental costs and economic benefits.

A worker at a steel plant

Indonesia’s steel expansion risks a surge in greenhouse gas emissions

Indonesia’s steel industry is becoming one of the country’s fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, even as it receives far less public attention than other carbon-intensive sectors.

An oil pump jack in a dry field

New Mexico again debates greenhouse gas reductions as snow melts

Lawmakers table bill to expand the use of oilfield wastewater and shoot down another that would restrict drone use around “critical” infrastructure.

A gray warehouse type building on a brown field on a sunny day

Data centers are scrambling to power the AI boom with natural gas

As tech giants find creative ways to generate electricity, they’re building a glut of new fossil fuel projects.
U.S. Congressman Jim Jordan speaking at the 2015 Defending the American Dream Summit
Credit: Gage Skidmore/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/

Federal Judicial Center pulls climate change chapter from official manual for U.S. judges

The “Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence” — updated for the first time in 15 years — eliminates some 90 pages about climate science and comes just as numerous climate cases make their way through state and federal courts.
US Supreme Court roof and pillars in evening sun and shadow.

Trump EPA to take its biggest swing yet against climate change rules

With its plans to revoke the endangerment finding, the administration is gambling that the U.S. Supreme Court will allow it to completely avoid regulating the nation’s top greenhouse gas sources.

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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