"Agribusiness companies enlisted an army of Brazilian social media influencers ahead of the United Nations climate summit, now underway in the Amazonian city of Belém, where the meat industry’s surging greenhouse gas emissions and role in deforestation are high on the agenda."
"The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday it is redefining the scope of the nation’s bedrock clean water law to significantly limit the wetlands it covers, building on a Supreme Court decision two years ago that removed federal protections for vast areas."
In “We Are Eating the Earth,” author Michael Grunwald explains masterfully how good intentions have led us astray over our food system and climate change, writes BookShelf editor Tom Henry. Whether it’s our obsession with meat, myths about biofuels and regenerative agriculture, or feel-good ideas based on bad science, Grunwald argues it’s time for a fundamental shift in values.
"Countries are betting big on biofuels, but critics say it could deepen food insecurity and fuel new climate risks."
"Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuels and cement will rise around 1.1% in 2025, reaching a record 38.1bn tonnes of CO2 (GtCO2), according to the latest figures from the Global Carbon Project."
"State negotiators failed to meet a Tuesday deadline to reach an initial agreement over future operations of the drought-stricken Colorado River, but the Trump administration indicated it will allow states to continue bargaining."
"The world’s biggest meat company, a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, is leading food-company efforts to engage in climate talks."
"In Guadeloupe and Martinique, where more than 90 percent of the population has chlordecone in their blood, residents continue to demand financial compensation from the French government."
"The Senate approved a three-bill spending package for fiscal 2026. Lawmakers also passed a stopgap for the rest of the government."
With the COP30 U.N. climate talks starting this week in Brazil, in the heart of the Amazon River basin, our Issue Backgrounder points out that now is a critical time to consider a central question: Is the mandate to save the immense Amazon rainforest as a way to combat climate change being irretrievably undermined by the vast, destructive forces bringing about the rainforest’s rapid destruction?
