Climate Change
Want government money for a heat pump? Time might be running out
The Biden administration introduced new consumer tax credits for climate-friendly heat pumps. What does a Trump administration and GOP-led congress mean for that money?
2024 will be the hottest year on record, even hotter than expected
It's looking like 2024 will be the hottest year since record-keeping began, unseating 2023 for the top spot. Climate change is playing a role, and scientists say it was even hotter than expected.
Undocumented people are among most vulnerable to climate-infused disasters
Many undocumented people are not eligible for federal financial disaster aid and several remain fearful even when help is offered.
College students get emotional about climate change. Some are finding help in class
A recent survey finds that more than half of young people aged 16-25 are highly worried about climate change. Some universities are now trying to help them navigate those emotions in class.
Watch: A satellite time-lapse shows the world’s biggest iceberg is on the move again
About the size of Rhode Island, the iceberg known as A23a got stuck in an ocean vortex this summer, spinning in place for months. Now, it's free, and heading back into open Antarctic waters.
Arctic tundra now emits planet-warming pollution, federal report finds
Arctic tundra is releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as hotter temperatures melt frozen ground and wildfires increase.
Young people are dying of heat and their risks could grow, study finds
Scientists have pointed out that extreme heat is particularly dangerous for older people. A new study shows that young, healthy people are also dying too often in extreme weather.
A landmark climate change case will open at the top U.N. court
The hearings come after years of lobbying by island nations who fear they could simply disappear under rising sea waters,
Disappointed by this year’s climate talks, Indigenous advocates look to Brazil in 2025
Indigenous advocates called the final agreement in Azerbaijan "drastically insufficient." Now they're focusing on next year's global climate summit in Brazil where Indigenous participation is expected to be historic.
Atmospheric rivers aren’t new. Why does it feel like we’re hearing about them more?
In recent years, "atmospheric river" has become used much more frequently in scientific papers and in media coverage. According to experts who study climate and weather, a few reasons may explain why.
For the first time ever, Taliban reps were invited to the big U.N. climate conference
Since the Taliban took power 2021, Afghanistan has not been invited to big climate conferences. And money for projects addressing climate-related issues has been frozen. Are things about to change?
How will China impact the future of climate change? You might be surprised
As a new Trump administration signals a retreat on climate action, China is stepping up. China is the biggest producer of climate technologies like electric vehicles and solar panels.
Countries agreed to try to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Is that still possible?
In the 2015 Paris Agreement, most countries agreed to try hard to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Delay and inaction mean that goal is becoming harder to achieve by the day.
When will greenhouse gas emissions finally peak? Could be soon
Fossil fuel emissions have increased steadily for almost two centuries. Now, the world may soon reach an important turning point for climate change.
Trump’s reelection casts a shadow over the start of global climate negotiations
Trump’s return to the White House raises questions about whether the country will continue working on global climate initiatives.
‘This ain’t the same sun’: Extreme heat is changing summertime for kids in the South
Driven by climate change, extreme temperatures are forcing parents and camp counselors to change their summer routines to keep kids safe.
Meet the Alabama woman who is turning her farm into an indigenous food forest
As the climate changes, some Gulf South producers are focusing on ways to preserve the land.
What did Alabama students think of the climate change quip in the presidential debate?
Two University of Alabama students, a conservative and a progressive, said they’re hoping for a more nuanced conversation on the environment.
Place, Erased: A virtual listening session with the Gulf States Newsroom; watch replay
Watch a replay of the Gulf States Newsroom's listening session for its recent series about towns transformed by major environmental shifts.
Why trees are an environmental and health Swiss army knife
Cool Green Trees plants trees in under-resourced communities in the Birmingham area to help mitigate climate change and advance environmental justice initiatives.
An Alabama coal plant again named the nation’s worst greenhouse gas polluter
In West Jefferson, everything happens in the shadow of Alabama Power. Just across the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River from West Jefferson, towering over the relatively rural Alabama landscape, is the coal-fired James H. Miller Jr. Electric Generating Plant
Q&A: Why New Orleans’ unhoused people face increased danger from relentless heat
Delaney Nolan discusses her report for The Guardian that revealed a spike in heat-related illness calls among New Orleans’ unhoused people this summer.
A ‘catastrophic’ loss: Severe heat puts a heavy strain on rural farmers in the Gulf South
For one family of farmers in Louisiana, this year’s record-breaking extreme heat is taking a toll on both their crops and their health.
Alabama’s John Christy may be the country’s best known and most criticized climate change skeptic
Alabama’s State Climatologist John Christy is no stranger to controversy and doesn’t shy away from the spotlight. His critics say his work has been plagued by errors and many of his conclusions dismissed.
The connection is growing between climate change and big storms
The connection between climate change, hurricanes and tornadoes is not so clear. But data is beginning to show some relationship. That's the topic of the latest story in our series "Alabama's Hot Topic: What Climate Change Could Bring."
Heat is the top weather-related killer. In Alabama, it may just be getting started
Heat kills more people than any other type of weather. Human-caused climate change stands to make that worse. Alabama is one of the few places where temperatures have not increased. But that appears to be changing. It's the latest in our series, “Alabama’s Hot Topic: What Climate Change Could Bring.”
Meet the Alabama scientists connecting soaring global temperatures to carbon dioxide
Two Alabama researchers study ice cores and fossil records from Antarctica, helping connect an alarming increase in the earth’s temperature to rising levels of carbon dioxide.
Alabama has escaped the worst of climate change. Is our luck about to run out?
This summer, headlines have screamed climate change. Globally, July was the hottest month on record. Smoke from forest fires choked many parts of the U.S., and the Gulf of Mexico hit a record high for average weekly sea surface temperatures. Here in Alabama, we’ve been spared many of the effects of climate change, but that appears to be changing. We take a look in a new series on climate change called “ Alabama's Hot Topic.”
Elder Black farmers in Mississippi seek a new generation to continue their legacy
Black farmers in Mississippi are aging. Now, they’re connecting with next-gen farmers to keep their ancestral practices of sustainable farming alive.
As ‘overwhelming’ heat dome settles over the Gulf South, unhoused residents seek refuge
The Fourth of July holiday brought sweltering temperatures to the Gulf South. Here’s how some of the people most vulnerable to the heat are dealing with it.
As the US invests more in climate-smart ag, these Louisiana farmers could serve as a model
Climate-smart agriculture is getting a “once-in-a-generation” investment of $20 billion. Louisiana farmers show what a successful rollout could look like.
What came together to make a deadly Alabama tornado
Experts say a natural La Nina weather pattern, unusually warm moist air juiced by climate change, and long-term shift in where tornadoes hit all are factors in Thursday's devastating tornado in Alabama.
