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Climate

Extreme Heat Is Becoming More Dangerous for Farmworkers

Sweltering temperatures and humidity threaten the health of outdoor laborers, and there are few standards to protect them from working when it’s too hot.

Plant-Based Burgers Aren’t Denting People’s Beef Addiction

Alternative proteins were meant to reduce the carbon footprint of our diets. But it doesn’t look like consumers are switching ... yet.

Striking Graphs That Show Humanity’s Domination of the Earth

An easy-to-use database quantifies our shake-up of the planet, from fossil fuels to farming to plastics. But there are a few bright spots.

Regulations and Solutions

Data Centers Are Facing a Climate Crisis

Companies are racing to cool down their servers as energy prices and temperatures soar. And the worst is yet to come.

After Going Solar, I Felt the Bliss of Sudden Abundance

My rooftop panels showed me that a world powered by renewables would be an overflowing horn of plenty, with fast, sporty cars and comfy homes.

How to Prevent Another European Transport Meltdown

This summer’s heat wave knocked roads, railways, and runways out of action. But existing solutions could help shore up critical infrastructure.

The Case for Making Public Transit Free Everywhere

From Spain to Germany and Luxembourg to Estonia, more and more countries are experimenting with fare-free transportation.

Oceans and Waterways

As Waters Warm, Alaska Experiences Salmon Booms and Busts

Chaotic returns leave some communities with an abundance of fish, and others with none.

The Controversial Plan to Unleash the Mississippi River

A long history of constraining the river through levees has led to massive land loss in its delta. Can people engineer a way out? 

What Humans Can Learn From the Sea Cucumber’s Toxic Arsenal

Sea cucumbers are squishy and soft. They also employ lethal strategies to protect themselves.

Secrets of the Moon’s Permanent Shadows Are Coming to Light

Robots will venture into the sunless depths of lunar craters to find ancient water ice, while studies find hints about how water arrives on rocky worlds.

Extreme Heat

Wildfire Smoke Is Terrible for You. But What Does It Do to Cows?

As climate change supercharges blazes, livestock and wildlife are suffering from smoke inhalation.

Europe Has Descended Into the Age of Fire

Climate change has primed the landscape to burn. But human migration has made Europe’s wildfires increasingly catastrophic.

How Landsat Chronicled 50 Years on a Changing, Fiery Planet

The pioneering satellite program has provided the longest continuous document of how fire, global warming, and humanity are remaking our world.

Some Scientists Coined a New Name for Summer: ‘Danger Season’

Hurricanes, heat, fires, smoke, drought. Is it time to stop making the hottest part of the year seem cool?
Hot Work

How Siestas Might Help Europe Survive Deadly Heat Waves

The snooze is optional. But as climate change intensifies, Northern European countries are seeing the appeal of Spain’s controversial midday break.
green revolution

The New Climate Bill’s Secret Weapon? Tax Credits

The Inflation Reduction Act would provide billions for Americans to modernize their homes. It’s a way to encourage mass climate action.
Unfriendly Skies

Carbon Offsets Alone Won’t Make Flying Climate-Friendly

Carbon dioxide emissions aren’t the only way aviation warms the planet. Exhaust contains a host of polluting particles, from soot to nitrogen oxides.
Ship Tracks

How Do You Know a Cargo Ship Is Polluting? It Makes Clouds

Big vessels spew sulfur, which brightens clouds to produce long “ship tracks.” These emissions cause environmental damage—but also help cool the planet.
Climate Change

A Deadly Glacier Collapse Sends a Dire Climate Warning

After 11 people were killed and eight hospitalized by a glacier in early July, Italian scientists are asking how future tragedies can be avoided.
Heat Advisory

Why the Arctic Is Warming 4 Times as Fast as the Rest of Earth

The loss of sea ice is exposing darker waters, which absorb more of the sun’s energy. It’s a devastating feedback loop with major consequences for the planet.
Hot Topic

Texas’ Precarious Power Grid Exposes a Nasty Feedback Loop

Air conditioning saves lives. But as the planet warms, more AC use stresses the grid and drives up emissions, accelerating climate change.
Mental Health

The Climate Anxiety Discussion Has a Whiteness Problem

Marginalized groups often think about the mental impact of the climate crisis in different terms—meaning they end up crowded out of the conversation.
WIRED Q&A;

The Infamous 1972 Report That Warned of Civilization's Collapse

The Limits to Growth argued that rampant pollution and resource extraction were pushing Earth to the brink. How does it hold up 50 years later?
Fish Tale

130-Year-Old Menus Show How Climate Change Affects What We Eat

By studying the so-called mean temperature of restaurant seafood, scientists have shown how the species that fill our plates have changed with time.
Blow by Blow

The Race to Build Wind Farms That Float on the Open Sea

There’s huge potential to generate renewable energy far out in the ocean. But designing turbines that can survive rough waters isn’t exactly a breeze.
Climate Change

The Supreme Court Is Jeopardizing Federal Climate Action

The court’s decision in West Virginia v. EPA doesn’t go as far as some climate activists feared it might. But it’s a road map for future challenges.
Electric Dream

The World Can’t Wean Itself Off Chinese Lithium

China dominates the global supply chain for lithium-ion batteries. Now rival countries are scrambling for more control over “white oil.”
The Downlink

Spotting Objects From Space Is Easy. This Challenge Is Harder

A battle royale called the Smart program has charged teams with a daunting first task: Identify construction sites on Earth using only data from orbiters.
Low Point

A Warming Climate Takes a Toll on the Vanishing Rio Grande

Rising temperatures and an unprecedented drought pose a grave and growing peril to the river and its ecosystems.
Geoengineering

The Nightmare Politics and Sticky Science of Hacking the Climate

Spraying aerosols and sucking carbon out of the air would bring down temperatures, yes. But the unintended consequences of geoengineering could be enormous.
The Downlink

These Satellites See Through the Clouds to Track Flooding

Remote sensing systems can struggle to spot high waters, especially in stormy weather or at night. Synthetic aperture radar offers a shot in the dark.
Hot Take

This Year’s Extreme Weather Is Just Getting Started

Climate change and natural variability are making 2022 a year of big weather events—so get ready for more heat waves, droughts, and hurricanes.
How Exhausting

The Black Carbon Cost of Rocket Launches

Researchers say that the rising number of space launches around the world will warm parts of the atmosphere and thin the ozone layer.
Gas Giant

The US Can Halve Its Emissions by 2030—if It Wants To

The economics are clear: Renewables are cheap enough for the country to rapidly decarbonize. Less evident is the political will to pull it off.