People in Colorado rebuild homes destroyed by fire using earth bricks

After losing her house to a wildfire in 2021, a Colorado woman is rebuilding with fire-resistant earth blocks, joining a growing number of people in the region looking to better protect their homes.

Nick Aspinwall reports for BBC.

In short:

Melanie Glover's home was destroyed in a 2021 wildfire, prompting her to rebuild with earth blocks, a fire-resistant material.
Traditional adobe homes in the Southwest U.S. inspired her design, which also reduces energy use and environmental impact.
Research shows that earth blocks not only resist fire but can strengthen when exposed to extreme heat.

Key quote:

“I said to myself, dirt doesn't burn. We should build a house of dirt..”

— Melanie Glover, homeowner

Why this matters:

As climate change drives more severe wildfires, alternative building materials like earth blocks offer a safer, sustainable option. These structures, if widely adopted, could reduce fire risks and lower carbon emissions.

www.bbc.com

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.

People in Colorado rebuild homes destroyed by fire using earth bricks

Fracking billionaire aims to rewrite Constitution to advance far-right agenda

Biodiversity in protected areas is shrinking faster than in unprotected regions

Polar bears are increasingly exposed to diseases due to warming Arctic

Java stingaree declared extinct after 160 years out of sight

Cuba's slow solar energy expansion contributes to widespread blackouts

Electricity bills expected to rise as renewable energy projects face delays

Americans share how they are retrofitting their homes to adapt to extreme weather

Coal-based steelmaking in Pennsylvania causes up to 92 premature deaths and $1.4 billion in health costs every year: Report

Just three facilities near Pittsburgh cost the state $16 million in lost economic activity annually, according to a new report.

Pollution is one of the top drivers of biodiversity loss. Why is no one talking about it at COP16?

“Chemicals are really at the center of this triple planetary crisis of pollution, biodiversity and climate change.”

La contaminación es una de las principales amenazas de la biodiversidad. ¿Por qué nadie habla de ella en la COP16?

“Las sustancias químicas están realmente en el centro de esta triple crisis planetaria de contaminación, biodiversidad y cambio climático”.

Op-ed: Labor and environmental groups can both win in the clean energy transition. Here’s how.

Groups are choosing to repair broken lines of communication and visualize the transition for its true potential to mitigate climate change – the common enemy.

‘Living under this constant threat’: Environmental defenders face a mounting mental health crisis

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.

Opposing fracking cost one Colombian activist her mental health. She’s fighting to win it back.

"At some point, they will kill you and kill all of us," environmental leader Yuvelis Natalia Morales Blanco was told.