BERLIN — Humanity still has a chance, close to the last, to prevent the worst future harms of climate change, a top United Nations panel of scientists said Monday. ...Read moreU.N. climate report gives stark warning: The world is on 'thin ice'
Want to get a state rebate for your electric vehicle? You’ll have to buy or lease one by April 30. ...Read moreOregon to suspend electric vehicle rebates as money runs out
Phillip Meintzer was hours away by car from the largest fires raging in the forests of British Columbia and Alberta in summer of 2021, but the air was still thick with smoke from the Canadian infernos. ...Read moreCarbon emissions from fires in northern forests rose in 2021, study shows
Over the past four years of drought, Jefferson County dairy farmer Jos Poland has watched as many of his friends and fellow farmers left the industry to seek a livelihood elsewhere. Doing business in agriculture without sufficient water threatens their farms and way of life. ...Read moreFour years of drought taking a toll on weary Central Oregon farmers
When it comes to snow, most people come to Bend to ski or snowboard on it. ...Read moreInternational snow science symposium will draw the world's top snow scientists to Bend
Winter storms have hammered much of the Pacific Northwest this month with snow and freezing rain. But looking back at historical numbers, this year’s weather is just average for the region and not enough to declare an end to the three-year drought that has parched Central Oregon. ...Read moreWinter storms pack a punch, but Central Oregon snowpack, rainfall remain average
Central Oregon has endured an unusually long cold weather snap over the past week, with temperatures falling into the single digits on Friday. Those who enjoy the cooler weather will have to savor it while it lasts. ...Read moreCentral Oregon cold weather snap bucks trend for recent Decembers
RENO, Nev. — U.S. wildlife officials declared a Nevada wildflower endangered on Wednesday at the only place it's known to exist — on a high-desert ridge where a lithium mine is planned to help meet growing demand for electric car batteries. ...Read moreNevada flower listed as endangered at lithium mine site
PORTLAND — Eastern Oregon and Washington could become a regional hub for producing hydrogen fuel under a proposal recently submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy. ...Read morePortland company proposes building hydrogen hub in the Northwest
SEATTLE — As the driest summer in Seattle’s record books ended, trees across the city were sounding silent alarms. ...Read moreAs climate change progresses, trees in cities struggle
Climate change is unleashing “far-reaching and worsening” calamities in every region of the United States, and the economic and human toll will only increase unless humans move faster to slow the planet’s warming, according to a sprawling new federal report released Monday. ...Read moreClimate change threatening 'things Americans value most,' U.S. report says
AURORA — Growing crops and harnessing solar energy need not be mutually exclusive. ...Read moreConstruction begins on project to demonstrate how solar panels, farms can co-exist
RENO, Nev. — The unusual circumstances that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on the Endangered Species Act in 1978 have not surfaced much since then. ...Read moreFight over rare Nevada toad echoes landmark ruling in animal-protection case
After electric cars, here come the battery trucks. ...Read moreElectric big rigs face uphill trip from shows to highways
Oregon and Washington have teamed up to go after billions of federal dollars to make the Northwest a hub of green hydrogen energy. ...Read moreOregon, Washington want the Northwest to lead in hydrogen energy
RENO, Nev. — Conservationists are seeking Endangered Species Act protection for a tiny snail half the size of a pea that is known to exist only in high-desert springs near a huge lithium mine planned in Nevada along the Oregon state line. ...Read moreEndangered status sought for snail near Nevada lithium mine
Greenland’s rapidly melting ice sheet will eventually raise global sea level by at least 10.6 inches — more than twice as much as previously forecast — according to a study published Monday. ...Read moreZombie ice from Greenland will raise sea level 10 inches
The demise of the gas-powered car is about to be put in high gear. ...Read moreCalifornia to ban sales of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035
KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Every June, Tony Caprio and his wife Linda hike into the Sugarbowl — a cluster of giant sequoias high in the Sierra Nevada — to admire the profusion of wildflowers and walk among some of the oldest and tallest trees on the planet. ...Read moreCalifornia's giant sequoias are burning up. Will logging save them?
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats on Sunday passed a sweeping health care, tax and climate change bill that will allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug costs — a significant political win as the party tries to send a message before the midterm election that it is delivering on its promises. ...Read moreSenate Democrats pass sweeping health care, tax and climate bill
Republican officials across the country, tearing a page from the ongoing culture wars, are launching a broad assault on the movement by big financial firms to use their economic power to curb climate change and address other politically sensitive national issues. ...Read moreRepublicans threaten Wall Street over climate positions
WASHINGTON — In a startling turnabout, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin announced an expansive agreement Wednesday that had eluded them for months addressing health care and climate, raising taxes on high earners and large corporations and reducing federal debt. ...Read moreManchin, Schumer in surprise deal on health, energy, taxes
Automakers have announced a whopping $526 billion collective investment in electric vehicles through 2026, more than double the amount they mapped out over a similar forward time frame a couple years ago. ...Read moreCarmakers start to starve combustion models out of existence
Big fish sightings appear to have spiked around the world: In the last year-and-a-half, there have been reports of a 661-pound, record-breaking stingray in Cambodia, a 240-pound lake sturgeon outside Detroit and a 100-pound opah fish on the Oregon Coast. ...Read moreBig fish sightings are spiking, and climate change may be the cause
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Companies selling shampoo, food and other products wrapped in plastic have a decade to cut down on their use of the polluting material if they want their wares on California store shelves. ...Read moreCalifornia sets nation's toughest plastics reduction rules
In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court has limited how the nation’s main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. By a 6-3 vote Thursday, with conservatives in the majority, the court said that the Clean Air Act does n… ...Read moreSupreme Court limits EPA in curbing power plant emissions
There’s a deep divide in the effort to reduce climate change — and it’s in the kitchen. ...Read moreCooking with gas? Climate change may force a break up with your beloved range
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened Monday to impose mandatory water restrictions if residents don’t use less on their own as a drought drags on and the hotter summer months approach. ...Read moreCalifornians could see mandatory water cuts amid drought
Americans are recycling far less plastic as rates fell below 6% in 2021, according to a new analysis published Wednesday, with waste ballooning despite global efforts to curb pollution. ...Read moreUS plastics recycling rate slumps below 6%, analysis finds
In a stopgap measure to help struggling spring- and winter-run Chinook salmon spawn in the face of rising water temperatures and lower water levels due to climate change, state and federal wildlife officials in Northern California have begun trucking adult fish to cooler waters. ...Read moreWildlife officials truck Chinook salmon to cooler waters in emergency move to help them spawn
A new study blames pollution of all types for 9 million deaths a year globally, with the death toll attributed to dirty air from cars, trucks and industry rising 55% since 2000. ...Read moreGlobal pollution kills 9 million people a year, study finds
A new report says there's nearly a 50-50 chance that world will hit a key warming threshold in the next five years. Monday's World Meteorological Organization forecast says there's a 48% chance that globe will temporarily hit 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times by the end of… ...Read moreEarth given 50-50 chance of hitting key warming mark by 2026
Drought-prone cities in the U.S. West are mapping snow by plane to refine their water forecasts. It's one way water managers are adjusting as climate change disrupts weather patterns and makes forecasting trickier. Western states for decades primarily measured snow through remote sensing sit… ...Read moreLooking for new ways to refine water forecasts
A barrel containing human remains was discovered in Nevada’s Lake Mead over the weekend as a historic drought grips the West. ...Read moreHuman remains found in barrel as Lake Mead drops to historic low amid drought
Offshore wind energy on the Pacific Ocean has long been dismissed as a pipe dream due to the abrupt drop-off along the edges of its continental shelf. ...Read moreSeattle developer pushes for Washington's first floating offshore wind farm
SEATTLE — Washington state has launched a new program to save 10,000 acres of forest land as a carbon reserve. ...Read moreWashington to preserve 10,000 forest acres as carbon reserve
Global atmospheric levels of the potent but short-lived greenhouse gas methane increased a record amount last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday, worrying scientists because of the large role methane has in climate change. ...Read moreNOAA: Potent heat-trapping methane increases at record pace
BERLIN — Temperatures on Earth will shoot past a key danger point unless greenhouse gas emissions fall faster than countries have committed, the world’s top body of climate scientists said Monday, warning of the consequences of inaction but also noting hopeful signs of progress. ...Read moreUN warns Earth 'firmly on track toward an unlivable world'
Preparing for drought has become just another part of the growing season for Jefferson County cattle rancher JoHanna Symons. ...Read moreFarmers prep for another dry year as three Central Oregon counties declare drought
Dams in the Deschutes River, along with the canals that siphon water away from it, have sent Oregon spotted frog numbers in decline for decades. Now scientists worry that Oregon’s megadrought could be making things worse for the frog. ...Read moreClimate change becomes latest threat to embattled Oregon spotted frog
Drought, coupled with last year's heat waves, have weakened the health of forests across Oregon. ...Read moreHeat and ongoing drought hurt health of Oregon forests
The U.S. trucking industry is set to be transformed by a handful of states adopting zero-emission vehicle requirements. ...Read moreOregon, five other states could transform the U.S. trucking industry
The ice shelf was cracking up. Surveys showed warm ocean water eroding its underbelly. Satellite imagery revealed long, parallel fissures in the frozen expanse, like scratches from some clawed monster. One fracture grew so big, so fast, scientists took to calling it “the dagger.” ...Read moreClimate change has destabilized the Arctic, Antarctic
Oregon saw a number of weather records fall in 2021, and none of them were good. ...Read moreA year of record-breaking weather in Oregon as climate change leaves its mark on 2021
The Biden administration is raising vehicle mileage standards to significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, reversing a Trump-era rollback that loosened fuel efficiency standards. ...Read moreBiden raises fuel-economy standards
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California regulators on Monday proposed reducing the discounts people who install home solar panels and storage systems get on their energy bills, meaning it will take more time — a decade — to recoup the costs of installation. ...Read moreCalifornia proposes reducing incentives for rooftop solar
Three ocean drones were launched Thursday from Rhode Island and will travel along the Gulf Stream, collecting data in tough winter conditions that would be challenging for traditional ships with crews. ...Read moreOcean drones to gather climate data in North Atlantic
DAVIS, Calif. — Banana peels, chicken bones and leftover veggies won’t have a place in California trashcans under the nation’s largest mandatory residential food waste recycling program that’s set to take effect in January. ...Read moreCalifornia pushes composting to lower food waste emissions
How well forests recover from wildfire is linked to the amount of snow that falls over burned areas, a worrying discovery with snowpack in the Pacific Northwest declining. ...Read moreSnow cover crucial to revegetation after wildfires
Climate change isn’t what’s driving some U.S. coal-fired power plants to shut down. It’s the expense of stricter pollution controls on their wastewater. ...Read moreCoal-fired power plants to close after new wastewater rule
The series of rainstorms that blew through Central Oregon over the past month helped moisten the ground after a very dry summer, but climate experts say areas east of the Cascades are still a long way from escaping drought conditions. ...Read moreRecent rains help, but Central Oregon drought still far from over
A small city in the top U.S. coal-mining state of Wyoming will be home to a Bill Gates-backed experimental nuclear power project near a coal-fired power plant that will soon close, officials announced Tuesday. ...Read moreWyoming city picked for sodium nuke plant
GLASGOW, Scotland — The United Nations climate summit in Glasgow has made “some serious toddler steps” toward cutting emissions but far from the giant leaps needed to limit global warming to internationally accepted goals, two new analyses and top officials said Tuesday. ...Read moreLittle time, but 'mountain to climb' at UN climate talks
GLASGOW, Scotland - The top diplomat from the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu got his point across - as he addressed the U.N. climate summit wearing a suit and tie, standing at a lectern, in knee-deep seawater.The video clip, prerecorded in Tuvalu, went viral and illustrated the vulnera… ...Read moreSinking Tuvalu prompts the question: Are you still a country if you're underwater?
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden declared an aggressive target for lowering greenhouse emissions. Now Bend is reconsidering its own climate action goals to reduce its carbon footprint, a move that would help the city do its part to avert a climate catastrophe. ...Read moreBend to consider more aggressive climate targets
GLASGOW, Scotland - Speaking at a high-profile climate summit that attracted more than 100 world leaders, President Joe Biden apologized Monday for the Trump administration's inaction on climate, lending a personal note to his administration's efforts to sharply reverse the U.S. position on … ...Read moreBiden urges action at UN climate summit
The history of Napa Valley wine courses through Robin Lail's veins. Her great-granduncle, Gustave Niebaum, founded Inglenook Vineyards in 1879 and helped establish Napa Valley's reputation for quality wine. Her father, John Daniel Jr., expanded that reputation during Napa's second heyday, af… ...Read moreTo combat climate change, a California winemaker switches to carbon farming
DETROIT — Global automakers and tech companies are stepping up the pace when it comes to building factories and preparing for what many believe will be a fast-moving transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles. ...Read moreAutomakers step up pace on electric vehicle battery plants
Winter brought above-average snow to the Central Cascades. Then a summertime heat wave melted most of it away. ...Read moreCentral Oregon glaciers, snowpack feeling the heat of climate change
Editor’s note: This is the final in a series of four columns on climate change and potential legislation that may give readers information they can take action on in the effort to meet carbon emission reduction goals. ...Read moreClimate Change: Motivate the economy to work on it
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of four columns over the next two months on climate change and potential legislation that may give readers information they can take action on in the effort to meet carbon emission reduction goals. ...Read moreGuest Column: Climate changed: Getting carbon under control
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of four columns over the next two months on climate change and potential legislation that may give readers information they can take action on in the effort to meet carbon emission reduction goals. ...Read moreGuest column: Why is carbon so important to climate change?
The climate for the Northwest and most of the contiguous U.S. has become slightly warmer in the past decade, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Tuesday. ...Read moreNOAA: Northwest's 'normal' temps rising
If the oil majors are diversifying in a transition from fossil fuels to renewable power, then quantification of investments in clean energy instead of fossil fuels would be a believable indicator of change. ...Read moreCentral Oregon Crossroads: From oil to energy
Anders Carlson, president of the Oregon Glaciers Institute, will be giving a virtual lecture Thursday, April 1 on the state of Central Oregon’s glaciers. ...Read moreApril 1 event: virtual lecture on the state of Oregon's glaciers
Larry O’Neill always loved the weather. From preschool age, when other kids were watching the Cartoon Network, he asked his parents to put on the Weather Channel. As an adult, he’s turned that passion into a career. ...Read moreClimate change impact on Bend topic of OSU-Cascades Science Pub talk
Editor’s note: The following is part of an ongoing, twice a month series of columns regarding climate change and its ramifications for Central Oregon. ...Read moreCentral Oregon Crossroads: Are we moving fast enough to protect our waterways?
The publication, Livestock’s Long Shadow, shows how rapidly growing populations and incomes increase demand for livestock products. Livestock are important, accounting for 40% of agricultural gross domestic product and globally employing at least a billion people; however, livestock require … ...Read moreCentral Oregon Crossroads: Livestock, hay, water and climate change
