Natural Resources

"BHP Liable For 2015 Brazil Dam Collapse, UK Court Rules In Mammoth Lawsuit"

"BHP is liable for the 2015 collapse of a dam in southeastern Brazil, London's High Court ruled on Friday, in a lawsuit the claimants' lawyers previously valued at up to 36 billion pounds ($48 billion)."

Source: Reuters, 11/17/2025

"Does Nature Have Rights?"

"By now, we are accustomed to thinking of climate change in terms of human rights. What if we were to think as much about the rights of nature itself – of pets and backyard birds, coyotes and spruce trees, mountains and rivers, ecosystems and the climate, the air that surrounds us?"

Source: Yale Climate Connections, 11/14/2025

Trump DOI Repealing Protections For Key Swaths Of Alaska Petroleum Reserve

"The Trump administration said Thursday it is rescinding federal rules that were aimed at protecting from future oil and gas leasing vast swaths of a petroleum reserve in Alaska that provide key habitat for migrating birds, caribou and other wildlife."

Source: AP, 11/14/2025

Rise In Chinese Coal Plants In Indonesia Belies Pledge To End Fossil Aid

"A surge in the supply of Chinese-backed coal-fired power plants built to supply electricity to Indonesia’s fast-growing nickel mining and processing sector is undermining Beijing’s efforts to dial back support for fossil fuels, a study released Nov. 3 has found."

Source: Mongabay, 11/12/2025

At COP30, Amazon Rainforest Is Center Stage for Climate Catastrophe

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?

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Trump Country Coal Miners With Black Lung Say Government Is Suffocating Them

"Lisa Emery loves to talk about her “boys.” With each word, the respiratory therapist’s face softens and shines with pride. But keep her talking, and it doesn’t take long for that passion to switch to hurt. She knows the names, ages, families and the intimate stories of each one’s scarred lungs. She worries about a whole community of West Virginia coal miners — including a growing number in their 30s and 40s — who come to her for help while getting sicker and sicker from what used to be considered an old-timer’s disease: black lung."

Source: AP, 11/10/2025

Tapping Into COP30 To Cover Indigenous Issues

COP30 negotiators from around the world gather next week in Belém, Brazil, at the mouth of the Amazon River. Our Voices of Environmental Justice columnist Yessenia Funes says it’s a vital opportunity to engage with the Indigenous peoples who help protect the vast rainforest region — even for environmental reporters not there in person. Here’s how to tell their stories.

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