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Held up as a case study for successfully transitioning away from fossil fuels, Uruguay now generates up to 98% of its electricity from renewable energy. The country offers lessons in energy sovereignty and the importance of community engagement in lowering greenhouse gas emissions. — Generating 98% of its electricity from renewable sources, Uruguay’s rapid adoption and expansion of sustainable sources of energy has been lauded internationally as a model for transitioning national power sys

This weekly round-up brings you key climate news from the past seven days, including new data on the rapid growth of renewables and a controversial panel’s vote to facilitate the Trump administration’s expansion of drilling activity in the Gulf of Mexico. — Listen to Earth.Org’s new podcast, Earth Radio. Join our host Rebekah Hendricks every week for a 5-minute, ad-free roundup of the world’s most important climate stories. New episodes available every Saturday at 8

Spring break in Hawaii took a dangerous turn when consecutive Kona low storms struck the state last month, triggering widespread flooding and emergency alerts.  — Over 400 homes destroyed with total damages exceeding $1 billion, thousands of people evacuated, and hundreds rescued from rising floodwaters. These numbers represent the tragic aftermath of the recent flooding in the US state of Hawaii.  What was intended to be a relaxing spring break for students, families, and tourists

“By the end of 2025, renewables accounted for 49% of global installed power capacity, and comprised 85.6% of annual global power additions, largely due to significant growth in solar and wind power,” said Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency. — Renewable energy accounted for nearly half of global power capacity by the end of 2025, according to new data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Last year saw the larg

As the world looks to the ocean to solve the dual crises of energy security and climate change, the “blue economy” has moved from a niche economic theory to a US$2.3 trillion global imperative. In the first of a three-part series, Earth.Org maps the frameworks and policies attempting to balance industrial growth with the urgent need for marine restoration. — The blue economy has emerged as one of the most critical frontiers for sustainable development in the 21st century. Ocean

The vote to delay the closure of Italy’s coal-fired power plants came in response to the global energy crunch unleashed by the recent US-Israeli attacks on Iran. — Italy is set to postpone the shutdown of its remaining coal-fired power plants until 2038, 13 years later than originally planned, as the global energy crisis unleashed by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran intensifies. On Tuesday, the lower house of parliament voted to extend the life of the country’s four remaining

The Endangered Species Committee, comprised of six federal officials including the Interior Secretary, approved a Pentagon’s request for an exemption from the Endangered Species Act for all oil and gas exploration and development activities in the Gulf of Mexico after a 20-minute, closed-door meeting. — A panel comprised of Trump Administration officials on Tuesday approved an exemption from the Endangered Species Act for expanded oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. 

The US EPA has proposed reversing Clean Water Act protections for millions of acres of wetlands and miles of streams to align with a Supreme Court’s 2023 decision, which removed federal safeguards for wetlands that lack a continuous surface connection to larger navigable waters. — In late 2025, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to revise the 2015 Clean Water Rule, which clarifies water resource management in the country under a provision of the Clean Water Act.

The lawsuit challenges the Trump administration’s recent repeal of the Biden-era amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for power plants, which effectively allows coal-fired power plants to emit more brain-damaging mercury and other harmful heavy metals such as nickel, arsenic, and lead. — A coalition of US-based health and environmental groups is taking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to court over its recent repeal of standards that limit brain-damaging mercu

The Interior Department is convening the Endangered Species Committee on Tuesday to negotiate an exemption from the Endangered Species Act for all oil and gas drilling activities in the Gulf of Mexico. — As the US war on Iran continues to shake global energy markets, the Trump administration is citing energy security concerns as it seeks to expand oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The Interior Department is set to convene the Endangered Species Committee, also known as the Ex

Last year, a municipality in Peru granted Amazon stingless bees legal rights, the first time in the world that insects have been recognized as legal subjects. Earth.Org spoke with biologists and lawyers to understand why these tiny pollinators matter so much, and what could change for these bees, both within their immediate surroundings and globally.  — In October 2025, a municipality in Peru made legal history. The municipal government of Satipo granted Amazon stingless bees the stat

This weekly round-up brings you key climate news from the past seven days, including a new UN report on the state of the climate and a controversial $1 billion deal between the Trump administrator and oil giant TotalEnergies. — Listen to Earth.Org’s new podcast, Earth Radio. Join our host Rebekah Hendricks every week for a 5-minute, ad-free roundup of the world’s most important climate stories. New episodes available every Saturday at 8am ET | 1pm GMT | 8pm HKT⁠. Subscribe here

As global emission reduction targets lag behind schedule, the pressure is mounting to actively remove planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While new engineered techniques are emerging to supplement traditional nature-based methods, they are plagued by concerns that they provide heavy polluters a “get out of jail free” card – allowing them to emit now and bank on unproven future removals. — Living things and geological processes have been taking carbon dioxide (CO2

“[The Environmental Protection Agency’s] foremost purpose is to protect human health and the environment. With Administrator Lee Zeldin at the helm, EPA has abandoned its mission, creating damage that will take decades to address,” the open letter, signed by more than 160 US-based environmental and health groups, read. — The US Environmental Protection Agency‘s Administrator Lee Zeldin has “betrayed” the agency’s core mission and set a “dang

Researchers at the Climate Impact Lab said future temperature-related mortality will ultimately depend both on the direct impacts of a warming climate and on the investments in climate adaptation measures, including air conditioning and cooling centers. — Poorer nations will see a far higher deathtoll from extreme heat than rich nations as human-caused climate change continues to raise temperatures globally, a new report has warned. Heatwaves are the deadliest type of extreme weather. E

Following recent US-Israeli airstrikes on oil facilities near Tehran, Iran’s capital, black rain blanketed the city. Earth.Org looks at what it is and the threats it poses.   — As part of a coordinated attack on Iran by the US and Israel, which began on February 28, at least four oil facilities around the Iranian capital of Tehran have reportedly been targeted. The release of chemicals from these facilities, resulting from the incomplete combustion of oil, has led to the emission of soot p

As part of the deal announced Monday, the French energy company will abandon its plans to build wind farms off the US East Coast. — As the widening conflict in the Middle East drives up global oil and gas prices, the US has announced it will pay French energy giant TotalEnergies nearly $1 billion to drop two offshore wind projects in the country. In an unusual move, the Interior Department announced on Monday that it will reimburse TotalEnergies $928 million, the sum the multinational p

In the aftermath of one of the world’s most severe nuclear disasters 15 years ago, Japan shut down all 54 of its operational nuclear reactors in the country. But energy security concerns and a decarbonization target have led the government to restart operations at 15 nuclear plants, with at least 10 more currently waiting for restart approval. — In Japan, 2011 is defined by the “Triple Disaster” of March 11, as the nation was hit by a powerful earthquake, followed by a tsunami

“Humanity has just endured the eleven hottest years on record. When history repeats itself eleven times, it is no longer a coincidence. It is a call to act,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. — The Earth is “being pushed beyond its limits” as ever-rising greenhouse gas concentrations continue to drive temperatures upwards, warm oceans, and melt ice, the UN warned on Monday. A new World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report found that the Earth’s climate is more

With the first 14 days of conflict in the Middle East unleashing emissions exceeding the annual footprint of Iceland, the race is on to understand the short- and long-term climate impact of this latest chapter in modern warfare. — “World leaders do this, while I’m expected to save the planet by drinking from a soggy paper straw? Life’s not fair,” reads a meme accompanied by an image of explosions and warplanes, highlighting the disconnect between everyday conservationism and the profligacy