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Latest climate stories

The Mass. Senate passed aggressive environmental policy to curb plastic use. Will the House act in time?

The Massachusetts Senate recently passed bills to address a single-use plastic bag ban and an expansion of the state’s bottle recycling system with sweeping, near unanimous support. The House has not yet acted.

Tick-borne illnesses exploded in New England with climate change. Here’s how to protect yourself.

Climate change has brought new ticks to the region and allowed our native ticks to thrive.

Massachusetts’ climate and housing crises are intertwined. Some architects are looking to tackle both with green renovations.

Retrofitting existing buildings to make them more energy efficient provides both sustainability benefits and an opportunity for affordable housing.

Northern California wildfire does not grow but winds and hot weather could whip up flames

Crews made steady progress overnight against a Northern California wildfire that has thousands of people under evacuation orders, but wind gusts and continued hot temperatures Thursday could pose problems on a searing hot July Fourth, officials said.

Plans to redevelop pier on East Boston’s waterfront park scratched for now

The Trustees of Reservations is considering alternative sites for a green space in the neighborhood.

Featured projects

As Earth’s temperature rises, Massachusetts residents’ sense of urgency on climate change declines

Despite increasingly urgent international warnings, fewer Massachusetts residents see the climate crisis as a very serious concern than they did in 2019, a new poll from MassINC and the Boston Globe shows.
The Lobster Trap: Part 1

The lobster trap

The plentiful catch that brought wealth to fishing families is at risk, as climate change warms the Gulf of Maine. A way of life is on the line, but lobstermen can't, or won't, imagine another.
Climate change on Cape Cod

At the edge of a warming world

The flexed arm of Cape Cod has challenged the power of the sea for centuries, but the contest has escalated. Climate change is altering our vacation paradise in myriad ways, perhaps forever. The message in the sand is clear — if only we will look.

Accountability

INNOVATOR Q&A

Founded by Newport socialite Doris Duke, this organization is keeping history alive while addressing climate change

The Newport Restoration Foundation in Rhode Island is still focused on historic preservation of Colonial homes, but isn’t hiding the effects of climate change on the seaside city.
PODCAST | SAY MORE WITH SHIRLEY LEUNG

As Earth Week ends, here are five takeaways on the climate crisis from Elizabeth Kolbert

In her new book, the New Yorker environmental writer traces the history, present and future of climate change to get people to understand ‘it is coming for everyone.’

Boston’s defenses against rising seas lean on private development. What happens when the money dries up?

Several flood-protection projects like sea walls, berms, and elevated land are tangled up in large developments that now face slowdowns.

Massachusetts toughens rules on air pollution sources in communities of color

Facilities that want to acquire air pollution permits in environmental justice communities will face higher scrutiny from state regulators.

Climate Science

Tick-borne illnesses exploded in New England with climate change. Here’s how to protect yourself.
Climate change has brought new ticks to the region and allowed our native ticks to thrive.

MIT ice flow study takes 'big' step towards understanding sea level rise, scientists say

As Earth Week ends, here are five takeaways on the climate crisis from Elizabeth Kolbert

Politics and Policy

Plans to redevelop pier on East Boston’s waterfront park scratched for now

The Trustees of Reservations is considering alternative sites for a green space in the neighborhood.

‘Why can’t they work together more?’: In Rome, Healey and Wu partner on tackling climate change. At home, not as much.

Outside the speeches and appearances at Vatican City, Governor Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu are two different leaders who have different visions for the best way to tackle climate change.
CHESTO MEANS BUSINESS

On housing and energy, Healey’s big plans collide with local resistance

The governor is facing blowback from town officials on some of her top priorities, which could imperil their progress in the Legislature.
PODCAST | SAY MORE WITH SHIRLEY LEUNG

As Earth Week ends, here are five takeaways on the climate crisis from Elizabeth Kolbert

In her new book, the New Yorker environmental writer traces the history, present and future of climate change to get people to understand ‘it is coming for everyone.’

An interactive look into climate change

How Massachusetts feels about climate change in 12 graphics

The percentage of Massachusetts residents who believe climate change is as a very serious concern has decreased since 2019. That’s just one finding from a new poll conducted by MassINC Polling Group for the Boston Globe.

Maps: These parts of Boston, Revere, and Quincy are vulnerable to rising sea levels

One measure of a warming planet and human-caused climate change is rising sea levels, which Massachusetts’ coastal towns are increasingly grappling with.

Boston’s ‘heat islands’ turn lower-income neighborhoods from hot to insufferable

In a recent city report, officials noted that temperatures in leafier neighborhoods are often significantly lower than in more densely populated areas.

Into the Red: How the Globe will cover climate change

To report on the most pressing issue of our time, the Globe’s climate team is expanding and rethinking its coverage.

The Globe's climate team wants to hear from you

Share your thoughts and questions about the impact of climate change in your community.

How-Tos

PODCAST | SAY MORE WITH SHIRLEY LEUNG

As Earth Week ends, here are five takeaways on the climate crisis from Elizabeth Kolbert

How to convert your home into a small power plant, and make your money back doing it

FOOD & DINING NEWSLETTER

Coffee has a serious carbon footprint. One R.I. brand is trying to do things differently.

More Climate stories

With latest announcement, the Healey administration eyes how to move power plants past fossil fuels

A new Energy Transformation Advisory Board will help plan for the energy transition by focusing on top priorities.

In the Berkshires, an effort to corral climate change, one stream at a time

Thousands of roads crossing Massachusetts waterways are unprepared for climate change and at risk of rainstorm blowouts. Environmental groups in the Berkshires have a solution.

Hurricane Beryl grows to Category 5 strength as it razes southeast Caribbean islands

Hurricane Beryl strengthened to Category 5 status late Monday after it ripped doors, windows, and roofs off homes across the southeastern Caribbean with devastating winds and storm surge fueled by the Atlantic’s record warmth.

Dangerous Hurricane Beryl closes in on southeast Caribbean

Government officials late Sunday pleaded with people to take shelter from the dangerous Category 3 storm.

Facing unique climate challenges, Boston’s cultural centerpieces take key steps toward sustainability

A city mandate requires Boston’s largest buildings to slash their greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A nonprofit is helping cultural institutions take the first big steps.

What it means for the Supreme Court to throw out Chevron decision, undercutting federal regulators

Executive branch agencies will likely have more difficulty regulating the environment, public health, workplace safety, and other issues under a far-reaching decision by the Supreme Court.

Most water draining into rivers isn’t protected by federal pollution laws, UMass study finds

Last year, the Supreme Court dramatically narrowed what bodies of water the EPA can regulate. A new study finds that most rainfall trickling into our nation’s rivers doesn’t meet the definition.

Canada’s 2023 wildfires burned huge chunks of forest, spewing far more heat-trapping gas than planes

The fire spewed nearly four times the carbon emissions as airplanes do in a year, scientists said. It's about the same amount of carbon dioxide that 647 million cars put in the air in a year, based on federal data.

Opinion

PODCAST | SAY MORE WITH SHIRLEY LEUNG

As Earth Week ends, here are five takeaways on the climate crisis from Elizabeth Kolbert

In her new book, the New Yorker environmental writer traces the history, present and future of climate change to get people to understand ‘it is coming for everyone.’
IDEAS | JENNIFER NASH

A flock of birds gripped my hand — and pulled me back into the fight against climate change

Leila Philip

Let beavers get busy fighting fires — and climate change

Carroll Muffett

The world can’t recycle its way out of the plastics crisis

Michael E. Mann and Wanjira Mathai

UN IPCC report can lead governments to the climate action door, but they must walk through