Environmental Defense Fund

08/29/2026

The chemicals industry would like us to believe that what they brand as "advanced recycling" is the solution to our growing plastic waste problem. In reality it's a process that essentially amounts to burning plastic and results in toxic waste more than anything else. We asked our senior director of chemicals policy — who spent 20 years leading chemical risk assessment programs at the EPA — to explain why this industry boondoggle is anything but a solution.

Read on at the link in comments 👇

08/29/2026

🌊 🐢 Four endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles were returned to the sea off Cape Cod on Wednesday evening, August 19, after months of specialized treatment.

The turtles washed up on the shores of Cape Cod in November and December 2025, suffering “a variety of life-threatening medical conditions including pneumonia, dehydration, and trauma,” New England Aquarium said in a press release.

Footage shows the four rehabilitated turtles, named Dumpling, Lucky, Jumble, and Old English, as staff saw them off on Wednesday evening from Truro, Wellfleet, and Eastham. The aquarium said it had officially rehabilitated 38 turtles in summer 2026.

08/28/2026

🐣 A zoo near Melbourne has welcomed the birth of four critically endangered plains-wanderer chicks following a successful program.

“We know that in the wild, plains-wanderer females can have multiple clutches of chicks throughout the year,” said life sciences manager Yvette Pauligk.

Since 2017, the zoo has bred around 60 of these chicks.

08/28/2026

"People in the industry increasingly tout the idea that future generations will never operate a gasoline-powered vehicle."

Stunning surge in EV bike markets reflects shifting energy & climate policies as developing nations pivot away from the rising costs and uncertainty of fossil fuels. Major fast-tracking of the EV transition benefits jobs, air quality, and human health, too.

With gas prices high, people in developing countries are lining up to buy battery-powered bikes. The Iran war has made Trump “salesman of the year,” one executive in Pakistan said.

08/27/2026

In a recent paper in the journal Science, climate experts—including two EDF scientists—argue that it’s time to include indirect greenhouse gases in the international agreements that shape what types of climate pollution countries measure, target and reduce.

This isn’t the first time EDF scientists have brought an undervalued source of climate pollution into the spotlight. In 2011, Chief Scientist Steven Hamburg and EDF put methane on the global agenda. The effort resulted in dozens of publications and an influential body of work that catalyzed policymakers around the world take action to drive down methane pollution.

For the important pollutants whose climate impact has been overlooked, like carbon monoxide and hydrogen, the next step is clear: Making sure climate policy reflects what scientists now understand about these indirect greenhouse gases. Read on at the link in comments!

08/27/2026

Satellite imagery from Tuesday, August 25 shows the fast-moving Ross Fire in Texas continuing to grow. By Wednesday, the wind-whipped fire had grown to 80,000 acres and was was 12 percent contained, two days after it first broke out.

The wildfire burned across Palo Pinto County and spread north into neighboring Jack County, west of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The Texas A&M Forest Service said the fire remained active and showed high resistance to control on Tuesday evening.

08/27/2026

So far this year, climate change fueled more than 49,000 wildfires that burned over 7.2 million acres in the U.S., and federal firefighters describe a workforce stretched to its limits. Behind those numbers are people working exhausting hours, missing time with their loved ones and facing greater danger on the front lines. It’s not just boots on the ground, there are fewer people available for specialized and leadership roles essential for fire management after the historic loss of federal personnel under the Trump administration.

The impacts reach beyond the fire line. When crews are facing critical shortages, there are fewer people available for landscape treatments like prescribed burns that can help protect communities before a wildfire starts.

This much is clear as wildfire seasons are getting longer, more dangerous and more destructive: We need to invest in the people protecting our communities from the growing risks of climate change.

Firefighters describe being pushed to limit by a brutal wildfire season, with key leadership roles going unfilled

08/26/2026

Every person has the power to make a difference. And when we act together, we can unlock the change needed to build a stronger, healthier future.

What if this is the moment you begin? 💚

08/26/2026

“This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another.”

Photos put into perspective the staggering climate impacts on Europe's three great rivers as the Seine, Rhine and Danube shrink to record lows & disrupt economies & ecosystems across the planet's fastest-warming continent. https://wapo.st/4qz1D8J