Western Europe Had Its Hottest June on Record

9 July 2026 at 03:00

An unusually early heat wave smashed records across France, Britain and Spain. Temperatures in some areas are starting to soar again.

Riding a hot train in London on June 24. Average temperatures across Western Europe last month were 3.05 degrees Celsius, or 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit, above the mean from recent decades.

Oil Market Calm Shattered by Fresh Hostilities Between US and Iran

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Rebecca F. Elliott and Lisa Friedman

8 July 2026 at 19:45

Oil prices are likely to remain volatile as long as the United States and Iran are unable to resolve the status of the Strait of Hormuz.

New Rules Require Election Changes for States to Get Terrorism Grants

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Scott Dance · Nick Corasaniti and Hilary Howard

8 July 2026 at 15:56

Federal officials said they would withhold some money unless states pursue paper ballot systems, verify citizenship and conduct costly audits.

Courts have already blocked similar efforts by the administration to withhold funding, saying the Constitution does not grant the executive branch power over elections.

Heat Waves Are Taking a Big Toll on Chickens

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Chico Harlan and Léontine Gallois

7 July 2026 at 11:33

The birds are particularly vulnerable to high temperatures, and France’s torrid June took a heavy toll.

To Reduce Electrical Grid Strain Amid Heat Wave, Data Centers Are Ordered to Use Backup Power

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Ivan Penn and Hilary Howard

7 July 2026 at 06:36

As triple-digit temperatures engulf much of the United States, the Trump administration wants grid managers to require the use of backup power that often goes unused.

The energy secretary has asked grid managers to require data centers to use backup power when electrical systems are under strain during the heat wave.

Bill Frist Wants to Take Politics Out of Climate Change

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Cara Buckley

7 July 2026 at 00:12

Bill Frist, a surgeon who also served as Senate majority leader, has emerged as an outspoken advocate for environmental health. “A healthier planet means healthier people,” he said.

U.S. to Overhaul Radiation Safety Rules to Spur Nuclear Expansion

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Brad Plumer

3 July 2026 at 01:04

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans to end longstanding guidance that radiation exposure be “as low as reasonably achievable.”

The proposed rule changes could make it cheaper and easier to build and operate new nuclear power plants in the United States.

Another Trump Administration Payment to Stop Offshore Wind Farm

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Maxine Joselow

29 June 2026 at 23:41

It was the fourth such deal struck by the administration to get companies to forfeit their offshore wind leases.

Duke Energy is one of the nation’s largest utilities. Here, a Duke Energy wind farm project in Rolling Hills, Wyoming.

Oil Prices Return to Prewar Levels After Four Months

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Gregory Schmidt · Rebecca F. Elliott and Lisa Friedman

26 June 2026 at 22:23

The cost of crude has become a real-time barometer of the Iran war’s toll on the global economy.

In Europe, Tesla Sales Are Rising Despite Views on Elon Musk

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Jack Ewing

26 June 2026 at 19:05

Price cuts and low-interest-rate loans are luring buyers, including people offended by the company’s chief executive.

A Tesla Supercharger station in Germany. Tesla’s sales have rebounded sharply in Europe alongside sales of all electric cars.

Gregg Phillips Leaving FEMA

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Brad Plumer and Scott Dance

26 June 2026 at 18:20

Gregg Phillips was in charge of the emergency response agency’s largest division and had come under scrutiny for a series of bizarre claims.

Gregg Phillips was appointed to lead FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, with 1,000 employees and a budget of nearly $300 million.

Oil Industry Lawyers Fight a $50 Billion Climate Case in Oregon

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Karen Zraick

26 June 2026 at 18:02

The lawsuit aims to hold fossil fuel companies responsible for a heat wave in Portland five years ago. The industry says the case should be thrown out.

Richard Schechter, a lawyer for Multnomah County in Oregon, addressing the judge in court on Wednesday.

How a Jet Fuel Refinery Is Scrambling After the Iran War Oil Shock

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: John Yoon and Chang W. Lee

26 June 2026 at 10:40

For a mega-refinery in Ulsan, South Korea, a top exporter of jet fuel to the West Coast of the United States and other places, weaning off Middle Eastern oil is no small feat.

Climate Change Fueling Europe’s Ferocious Heat Wave, Scientists Find

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Raymond Zhong

26 June 2026 at 05:01

A scientific analysis concluded that such high temperatures, across so much of the continent, would “not have been possible” without global warming.

A shady passageway on Tuesday in Bordeaux, France, where temperatures reached 108 degrees Fahrenheit, or roughly 42 Celsius.

Global Warming Upends London Climate Week

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: David Gelles

25 June 2026 at 20:18

The extreme heat smothering Europe has upended Climate Week in London.

Trump Administration Forms Partnership to Bank DNA From Imperiled Species

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Carl Zimmer and Catrin Einhorn

25 June 2026 at 19:24

The government is teaming up with Colossal Biosciences, a private company that claims to have revived extinct dire wolves, to store samples from at-risk animals and plants.

The Frozen Zoo in San Diego, which has been preserving cells for over 50 years. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a partnership with Colossal Biosciences for a similar effort.

Chemours to Pay $450M in First Federal PFAS Settlement

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Hiroko Tabuchi

25 June 2026 at 17:45

The settlement addresses the dumping of PFAS “forever chemicals,” which have been linked to cancer and other risks, by Chemours in several states.

A Chemours plant in Fayetteville, N.C. Under a proposed settlement, Chemours would pay fines for discharging PFAS from plants in North Carolina, New Jersey and West Virginia.

Why Is Europe the Fastest-Warming Continent

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Raymond Zhong

24 June 2026 at 18:59

The burning of fossil fuels is raising temperatures worldwide, but local factors, on land and at sea, determine which regions warm most rapidly.

Morning commuters on the London Bridge on Wednesday, where temperatures reached 96 degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest recorded June day in the United Kingdom.

Your Home Could Help Solve AI’s Growing Power Demand

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Ivan Penn

24 June 2026 at 10:02

Tesla, Sunrun and Renew Home plan to tap solar panels, batteries, thermostats and other devices installed in millions of homes to meet the energy demands of artificial intelligence.

Installation of a Sunrun solar panel on a roof in California. Sunrun is working with Tesla and Renew Home to use home energy devices to help data centers get online faster.

An Influx of Climate Cash

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: David Gelles

23 June 2026 at 21:18

Many philanthropists are backing away from climate giving. But one is writing very big checks.

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