Guardian Environment
Trump taps climate skeptic to run US government’s flagship climate report
Matthew Wielicki, a former geochemist who openly rejects mainstream climate science and has produced content for conservative outlet PragerU, has been appointed to lead the U.S. Global Change Research Program. The program coordinates federal climate research across thirteen agencies and produces the National Climate Assessment, the government's definitive report on climate impacts. The appointment signals the administration's intent to reshape how the federal government studies and communicates climate change.
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‘Death sentence’: Trump’s EPA to open habitats of endangered species to logging and mining
The Trump administration has finalized a rule stripping a key provision of the Endangered Species Act that, for 50 years, protected critical wildlife habitats from logging, mining, and development. The change narrows the legal definition of "harm," meaning industries can now destroy habitats without being held liable for threatening protected species. Conservation scientists warn the move amounts to a death sentence for vulnerable wildlife, given that habitat destruction is the single greatest driver of species extinction.
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Datacentres drive up carbon emissions of Microsoft, Amazon and Google to a third of those of France
The combined carbon emissions of Microsoft, Amazon, and Google surged nearly 20% last year to 119 million metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent — roughly a third of France's total national output — as a datacentre construction boom drives soaring energy demand. The figures expose a deepening tension between Big Tech's net-zero pledges and the infrastructure requirements of the AI race. All three companies maintain their climate commitments remain intact, though none has outlined concrete plans to reconcile the gap.
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How to build homes that can survive extreme heat
Passive cooling design is emerging as a critical tool for homebuilders as climate-driven heat waves push power grids to their breaking point. Techniques like strategic shading, thermal mass, and improved ventilation can keep indoor temperatures livable even during outages. In an era where air conditioning failures can turn deadly, building smarter from the ground up may be the most reliable defense.
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Datacentres drive up big tech’s carbon emissions to a third of those of France
The carbon footprint of Microsoft, Amazon, and Google has surged nearly 20% in a single year, with the three companies now collectively emitting 119 million metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent — roughly a third of France's total national emissions. The culprit is a datacentre construction boom fuelled by soaring AI infrastructure demand. All three companies maintain they remain committed to net zero targets, though the gap between those pledges and their emissions trajectories is widening fast.
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