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Choking Global Trade

Low rainfall and shrinking rivers are causing shipping bottlenecks, and higher prices, around the world.

© Ina Fassbender/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The Rhine River near Düsseldorf, Germany, last month.
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The Iran War Is Pushing Global Coal Use to Record Highs

Five years after virtually every world leader agreed to “phase down” the burning of coal for climate reasons, the fuel is more widely used than ever.

© Ahmad Mulia Panjaitan/Associated Press

Coal barges in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, last month.
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August Ties for Hottest Month on Record

Sweltering summer temperatures put last month on par with July 2023 for global warmth, scientists said. More records could be broken in the months ahead.

© Yonhap News Agency, via Reuters

A vendor cooled off with a frozen water bottle in a market in Seoul on Aug. 6.
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Toxic PFAS Cleanups at Military Sites Face Decades of Delay

The Pentagon has again postponed PFAS cleanups at hundreds of military sites, in some cases up to 19 years, prompting bipartisan anger in Congress.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

An email from the Pentagon to members of Congress said PFAS cleanups at nearly 243 military sites had been delayed.
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U.S. to Lend $1.9 Billion to Restart a Shuttered Nuclear Plant in Iowa

No company in the United States has ever restarted a reactor that was seemingly closed for good, but there are now three major efforts underway to do so.

© Nick Rohlman/The Gazette, via Associated Press

The Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo, Iowa, in January 2025.
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California’s Ambitious Plan for Textile Waste

A recycling law coming into force now could change fashion.

© Jonathan Nackstrand/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A recycling center in Stockholm. California is trying to build a network for textile waste from scratch.
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The U.S. Wants the Oil From These 17 Venezuelan Fields

A private oil company has struck a deal with the Trump administration to develop 17 areas in Venezuela, an effort that experts say will take years and billions of dollars.

© The New York Times

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Patagonia Sues Trump Over Reduction of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah

The outdoor apparel maker joined environmental and Native American groups in challenging President Trump’s reduction of Bears Ears National Monument.

© George Frey/Getty Images

Tourists at Muley Point, looking out on Monument Valley, in Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.
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In Nepal and Tibet, Pollution on Glaciers Could Fuel More Flood Disasters

Darkened by soot from vehicles and factories, the region’s glaciers are absorbing more heat and melting at dangerous rates.

© Jason Gulley for The New York Times

A meltwater lake on the Ngozumpa Glacier in Nepal in 2025.
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Chevron Expansion in Venezuela Extends U.S. Influence Over Oil Riches

The U.S. energy giant, which stayed in the country after other Western companies left, will invest $7 billion in the country to more than double its production there.

© Maryorin Mendez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Oil infrastructure in Cabimas, Venezuela. Chevron’s expansion is separate from President Trump’s deal for control of oil reserves in the country.
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Missouri Voters Appear to Recall City Councilman Over Data Center Support

Initial results showed that residents of Independence, Mo., voted overwhelmingly to recall an official who backed billions of dollars in tax breaks for a data center.

© Clayton Steward for The New York Times

Organizers of the recall vote said the councilman, John Perkins, had failed to engage the public while the city negotiated with the developer of a data center project.
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New York Climate ‘Superfund’ Law Falls in Court

The court said the measure, which required energy companies to pay $75 billion to the state, conflicted with federal law.

© Cindy Schultz for The New York Times

Kathy Hochul, New York’s governor, signed the law in 2024 and several other states have considered similar measures.
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Trump’s Venezuelan Oil Deal Relies on a Powerful and Divisive Partner

The administration will work with a private Venezuelan oil company that has close ties to the country’s government.

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

Venezuela is believed to have one of the world’s largest reserves of oil but it produces very little oil because of mismanagement, corruption and U.S. sanctions.
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Coral Reefs Are Running Out of Time to Recover, Research Finds

Rising sea temperatures mean reefs don’t have enough time to bounce back between intense heat waves, a new report warns.

© Jason Gulley for The New York Times

Bleaching corals at Looe Key Reef off Florida in 2023.
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Trump Says U.S. Struck Deal for Control of More Than 65 Billion Barrels of Venezuela’s Oil

The president said an agreement between the countries covered more than 65 billion barrels of reserves. A U.S. official said it would involve a partnership with a private company.

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

An oil refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, in 2021. Venezuela’s president, Delcy Rodríguez, said a U.S. oil deal would have a “significant impact on our nation’s revival.”
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