Climate

Latest climate stories

A woman protected herself from the sun's rays with an umbrella along the shore in Quincy.

When temperatures spike, the risk of dying from stroke does, too

According to a new report, the risk of dying from an ischemic stroke, when blood flow to the brain is reduced, is 37 percent higher on a 90 degree day than it is when it is 75 degrees out.

This ‘doomsday’ glacier is more vulnerable than scientists once thought

A massive Antarctic glacier, which could raise global sea levels by up to two feet if it melts, is far more exposed to warm ocean water than previously believed, according to a study published Monday.

Hydrogen-powered boat drops anchor in Boston, offering a glimpse of what’s possible

Launched in 2017 in France, the Energy Observer operates as a mobile clean energy laboratory and as a demonstration of its onboard technologies.

Greentown Labs CEO Kevin Knobloch to step down after nine months

Knobloch took the top job at the nonprofit last September, following the departure of longtime leader Emily Reichert.

Much of Boston is built on artificial land. It’s vulnerable to sea level rise and hard to protect.

As climate change worsens and sea levels climb, the huge share of artificial land in Boston is not just an interesting factoid of history, but a significant engineering challenge.

Featured projects

Fewer than half of the poll's respondents, 48 percent, ranked climate in the highest category of concern, down from 53 percent in 2019. That's despite acknowledging the devastation from a series of weather-related events.

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.

An older lobsterman passed by Tanner Lazaro as he hauled up his traps in his boat, Used N Abused, on Aug. 24. During the summer Tanner hauled his own traps on whatever days his mentor Frankie Thompson or another lobsterman didn't need his help.

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.

Salome Verkoville, 10 from Boston sits on Nauset Beach

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

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 CHANGE

Providence wants all city buildings to become carbon neutral. It’s not yet clear how much it will cost.

Mayor Brett Smiley signed into law an ordinance that would require all city-owned buildings — including schools — go carbon-neutral by 2040. It’s an ambitious endeavor, but it’s not yet clear how much it might cost.

Climate Science

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.’

During a coastal flooding warning in January, cars traveled through flood waters along Atlantic Avenue.

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

The house on Sheep Pond Road recently sold for $600,000.

Its beach nearly gone, waterfront home on Nantucket sells for just $600k. What does the sale say about the island’s future?

Politics and Policy

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.’

Climate activists block traffic on Moakley Bridge during Earth Day demonstration

Climate activists blocked traffic heading into South Boston during the Monday evening rush hour as part of an Earth Day demonstration calling on state officials to halt “new fossil fuel infrastructure projects,” according to organizers.

New England climate advocates aim to accelerate clean energy buildout ahead of 2024 election

Even more urgent than stomping for President Joe Biden, several climate advocates said, is getting federal climate money out the door as quickly as possible.

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.

A woman and her dog walked along Wollaston Beach in Quincy in April.

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

SpaceX's Starship rocket launches from Starbase during its second test flight in Boca Chica, Texas, in November 2023. It was the second test launch of the largest rocket ever built, which Elon Musk hopes will one day colonize Mars. Environmental writer Elizabeth Kolbert says the solution to climate change more likely resides here on Earth.

PODCAST | SAY MORE WITH SHIRLEY LEUNG

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

The 1955 Cape-style home in Needham, which his family bought in 2000, was the “perfect candidate” for the transition, Mathew Tuttelman said.

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

Vincent Emery, 19-year-old co-founder of Lil’ Rhody Coffee Company, at his company headquarters in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

FOOD & DINING NEWSLETTER

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

After storms washed away the old boardwalk in Sandwich, a new, more resilient one to open this summer

Residents are ready to return to their beloved boardwalk. 4:46 p.m.

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, owner of about a 0.2 percent stake in Exxon, is considering whether to vote against the reelection of chief executive Darren Woods to the company’s board.

More investors assail Exxon’s climate conduct

Environment-focused investors say the company is falling far short of its climate-related commitments. 5:58 p.m.

Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren spoke to labor groups in Boston.

Massachusetts Democrats pitch energy transition to union workers: ‘This is a huge construction project’

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey from Massachusetts joined state politicians and union leaders on Friday to rally support for federal and state climate investments that they promise will bring new union jobs. 4:30 p.m.

The Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline sat in a deep freeze in the wake of a catastrophic climatic shift in a scene from "The Day After Tomorrow."

Lights, camera ... climate? Report finds Hollywood is depicting a world without climate change.

“To learn that only 10 percent of the films over the last decade — over this critical period — are even including climate change in their story worlds ... it’s disappointing.” 4:49 p.m.

PODCAST

Rachel Slattery, the co-owner and lead farmer at Wild Harmony Farm in Rhode Island, checks on her herd of Red Devon cows.

Podcast: How sustainable are Rhode Island’s food systems?

On a special bonus episodes of the Rhode Island Report podcast, three of Rhode Island’s restaurant and agricultural leaders talk about the climate and business resiliency challenges facing the state’s food system, and experts discuss the state’s Blue Economy. 8:15 a.m.

A row of pilings that will hold offshore wind turbines in the waters south of Massachusetts.

As offshore wind struggles, are longer contracts the answer?

Rhode Island, and soon Connecticut, allows developers to sign 30-year deals for offshore wind power, lowering the monthly cost of the power they generate. Will Massachusetts do the same? 4:23 p.m.

Outside the Supreme Judicial Court, Sandra Nijjar, of GreenRoots, spoke to supporters and media regarding the final appeal of the East Boston Substation.

Critics of controversial East Boston substation make court appeal: ‘This is the last Hail Mary’

In a courtroom packed with advocates and residents opposing the project, a lawyer for the Conservation Law Foundation argued that the substation would violate a state law intended to protect communities like East Boston from the burden of industrial infrastructure. 4:33 p.m.

Flood barriers kept the water away from a building on Long Wharf during a winter storm along Boston’s waterfront. Due to increasing sea levels, many areas of the city will need additional flood protections by 2030.

As sea level rise accelerates, Boston is ‘deep into overtime’ to build coastal protections by 2030

In 2023, Boston’s sea level was higher than at any other point in recorded history. 5:20 p.m.

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

Latest climate stories

When temperatures spike, the risk of dying from stroke does, too

This ‘doomsday’ glacier is more vulnerable than scientists once thought

Hydrogen-powered boat drops anchor in Boston, offering a glimpse of what’s possible

Greentown Labs CEO Kevin Knobloch to step down after nine months

Much of Boston is built on artificial land. It’s vulnerable to sea level rise and hard to protect.

Featured projects

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

The lobster trap

At the edge of a warming world

Accountability

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

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

Massachusetts toughens rules on air pollution sources in communities of color

Providence wants all city buildings to become carbon neutral. It’s not yet clear how much it will cost.

Climate Science

PODCAST | SAY MORE WITH SHIRLEY LEUNGAs 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?

Its beach nearly gone, waterfront home on Nantucket sells for just $600k. What does the sale say about the island’s future?

Politics and Policy

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

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

Climate activists block traffic on Moakley Bridge during Earth Day demonstration

New England climate advocates aim to accelerate clean energy buildout ahead of 2024 election

An interactive look into climate change

How Massachusetts feels about climate change in 12 graphics

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

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

Into the Red: How the Globe will cover climate change

The Globe's climate team wants to hear from you

How-Tos

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

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

More Climate stories

After storms washed away the old boardwalk in Sandwich, a new, more resilient one to open this summer

More investors assail Exxon’s climate conduct

Massachusetts Democrats pitch energy transition to union workers: ‘This is a huge construction project’

Lights, camera ... climate? Report finds Hollywood is depicting a world without climate change.

Podcast: How sustainable are Rhode Island’s food systems?

As offshore wind struggles, are longer contracts the answer?

Critics of controversial East Boston substation make court appeal: ‘This is the last Hail Mary’

As sea level rise accelerates, Boston is ‘deep into overtime’ to build coastal protections by 2030

Opinion

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

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

Let beavers get busy fighting fires — and climate change

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

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

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.’