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How Is the World Doing on Climate Change? Not Great

Summary

A new United Nations Environment Programme report warns that global efforts to reduce emissions remain insufficient to meet the targets set by the Paris Agreement. Global greenhouse gas emissions reached record levels in 2023, putting the world on a path to 3.1 degrees Celsius (5.5 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming by 2100—far above the 1.5-degree target needed to avoid the most devastating climate impacts. The report calls for emissions reductions of 42% by 2030 to maintain the 1.5-degree goal. While renewable energy use is growing, demand for energy in sectors like aviation and data centers has kept emissions high, with upcoming COP29 talks in Baku expected to focus on strengthening global commitments.

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October 22, 2026

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...

October 9, 2026

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...

October 1, 2026

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...

September 24, 2026

At a UN General Assembly meeting, world leaders from vulnerable nations issued urgent calls for coordinated global action against climate change, highlighting severe threats...

September 4, 2026

Underserved communities are again asking federal courts to restore $3 billion in environmental justice grants that the Trump administration canceled, arguing that delays...

August 14, 2026

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...

August 7, 2026

Two federal court rulings dealt major setbacks to the Trump administration by determining that the Environmental Protection Agency unlawfully terminated billions of dollars...

July 31, 2026

his press release highlights a global report examining how nations are translating "Just Transition" commitments into concrete laws, environmental rule of law policies...

July 24, 2026

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...

June 12, 2026

Federal grant cuts are significantly impacting environmental justice and public health efforts in Houston, with tens of millions of dollars eliminated from local programs...

June 5, 2026

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..

May 29, 2026

America’s rapidly expanding data center industry is carrying a steep hidden environmental and public health cost, estimated at nearly $25 billion annually...

May 22, 2026

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...