A new study from the Houston Advanced Research Center is warning that the rapid growth of data centers could erase much of Texas’ air-quality progress over the past two decades...
A fiscal crisis is looming for many US cities
Summary
U.S. cities, including Chicago, San Francisco, and Houston, face mounting fiscal crises due to climate disasters, declining downtown economies, underfunded pensions, and the loss of federal COVID-19 relief funds. Houston, for example, is struggling with a $330 million budget deficit, worsened by a court-mandated $100 million investment in street repairs and drainage after years of severe flooding. Climate-related disasters are straining municipal budgets nationwide, forcing cities to spend on costly infrastructure upgrades while property tax revenues decline. The downturn in commercial real estate further reduces tax income, while rising pension costs add to financial pressures. With pandemic-era federal aid drying up, cities have fewer resources to cover shortfalls. The Trump administration’s opposition to aiding Democrat-led cities suggests federal support is unlikely. Experts warn that without new revenue strategies or spending cuts, cities may face service reductions, credit downgrades, or even municipal bankruptcies in the coming years.
Hurricane Isaias has strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane as it approaches Florida and the northern Gulf Coast, bringing threats of devastating winds, life-threatening storm...
The Supreme Court is opening its 2026 term with a major climate case that could determine whether local governments can hold fossil fuel companies financially responsible...
At a UN General Assembly meeting, world leaders from vulnerable nations issued urgent calls for coordinated global action against climate change, highlighting severe threats...
Underserved communities are again asking federal courts to restore $3 billion in environmental justice grants that the Trump administration canceled, arguing that delays...
Local opposition to AI data centers is adopting the same organizing tactics, legal strategies, and community-level pushback over rising utility costs and water usage...
Two federal court rulings dealt major setbacks to the Trump administration by determining that the Environmental Protection Agency unlawfully terminated billions of dollars...
his press release highlights a global report examining how nations are translating "Just Transition" commitments into concrete laws, environmental rule of law policies...
A federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to resume distributing $2.8 billion in environmental and climate justice grants designed to address health...
June 26, 2026
Energy Justice
Energy Justice
Driven by the sudden demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure, Texas is facing an influx of at least 248 planned data center projects, primarily targeting rural...
Federal grant cuts are significantly impacting environmental justice and public health efforts in Houston, with tens of millions of dollars eliminated from local programs...
Representative Christian Menefee is working to elevate environmental justice as a key priority within the Democratic Party, emphasizing the need to address pollution and climate..
America’s rapidly expanding data center industry is carrying a steep hidden environmental and public health cost, estimated at nearly $25 billion annually...
A recent Newsweek analysis highlights how accelerating sea level rise, driven in part by the potential collapse of Antarctica’s Thwaites “doomsday” glacier, could reshape U.S...
May 15, 2026
Human Health
Human Health
A new study found that "forever chemicals" (PFAS) are present in 98.8% of over 10,000 human blood samples tested. Most individuals carry a complex mixture of at least five...