Inside Climate News
Water-Use Restrictions Follow Snow Drought and Heat Wave in the Western U.S.
A brutal combination of record-low winter snowpack and an early-season heat wave has pushed Western U.S. water officials to impose usage restrictions across the region. Snowpack is a critical freshwater source, slowly releasing supply through spring and summer — and this year's historic deficit left little margin before temperatures spiked. Communities now face a long, dry season with significantly reduced reserves heading into peak demand months.
Read article →Inside Climate News
The Trump Administration’s New Biofuels Targets Threaten Carbon-Rich Rainforests
The Trump administration has set record-high mandates for crop-based biofuels in the U.S. fuel supply, framed as a win for American farmers. Critics warn the policy could accelerate deforestation in tropical regions, as surging demand for biofuel crops drives land conversion in carbon-rich rainforests. The move reignites a long-standing debate over whether biofuels deliver genuine climate benefits or simply shift environmental costs elsewhere.
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Mongabay
‘Sharing is off the table’ as drought reshapes the lives of Ethiopia’s pastoralists
Drought has fractured the communal grazing traditions that have sustained Ethiopia's Somali pastoralists for generations, forcing communities to hoard scarce resources rather than share them. In Kebribeyah district, shrinking pastureland and failing rains are dismantling social bonds that once helped herders survive hard seasons collectively. The shift signals not just an environmental crisis, but the unraveling of an entire way of life.
Read article →Guardian Environment
Asia ramps up use of dirty fuels to cover energy shortfall triggered by Iran war
Asian governments are turning to coal to plug energy gaps created by supply disruptions stemming from the US-Israel conflict with Iran. South Korea is postponing coal plant shutdowns while the Philippines moves to increase output from its existing coal infrastructure. Climate experts warn the backslide undermines decarbonization commitments and argue the crisis should accelerate investment in renewables rather than entrench dependence on fossil fuels.
Read article →Grist
Trump’s ‘God Squad’ blocks endangered species protections in the Gulf of Mexico
The Trump administration has invoked a rare national security exemption — typically reserved for wartime emergencies — to waive endangered species protections for oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The move, tied to energy production priorities framed around the Iran conflict, green-lights activities likely to harm the critically endangered Rice's whale. Environmental groups warn the decision sets a dangerous precedent for bypassing wildlife law under the cover of geopolitical justification.
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