fb-pixelClimate - The Boston Globe
(Go: >> BACK << -|- >> HOME <<)
Skip to main content

Latest climate stories

Boston declares heat emergency, others cancel school ahead of anticipated heat wave
Temperatures are expected to reach the high 90s, and potentially triple digits, before the end of the week.
Less gas, quicker permits, and a lot more EV chargers — Massachusetts’ next climate law is taking shape
The measure would propose multiple solutions to speed up the pace of infrastructure decisions and ensure that new construction doesn’t overly burden local communities.
More than 160 whales spotted in waters off Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, NOAA reports
The "dazzling array of sightings" came during a recent aerial survey by researchers with NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
Woburn EV maker wants to crack the market with a van that costs less than $30,000
Indigo Technologies is putting motors inside the wheels of its vehicles to save space and lower battery costs.
What happens when sheep meet solar panels? A ‘beautiful symbiotic relationship.’
Agrivoltaics, or the practice of using land for both agriculture and renewable energy, is increasing in Massachusetts, making for some unexpected partnerships.
Featured projects
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.
The Lobster Trap: Part 1The 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.
Climate change on Cape CodAt 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
INNOVATOR Q&AFounded by Newport socialite Doris Duke, this organization is keeping history alive while addressing climate change
The Newport Restoration Foundation in Rhode Island is still focused on historic preservation of Colonial homes, but isn’t hiding the effects of climate change on the seaside city.
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?
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 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.’
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
‘Why can’t they work together more?’: In Rome, Healey and Wu partner on tackling climate change. At home, not as much.
Outside the speeches and appearances at Vatican City, Governor Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu are two different leaders who have different visions for the best way to tackle climate change.
CHESTO MEANS BUSINESSOn 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 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.’
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.
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.
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
PODCAST | SAY MORE WITH SHIRLEY LEUNGAs 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
FOOD & DINING NEWSLETTERCoffee has a serious carbon footprint. One R.I. brand is trying to do things differently.

More Climate stories

CHESTO MEANS BUSINESS

Climate bill could give boost to nuclear power in New England

Lawmakers are set to add nuclear power to the state-approved list of "clean energy" sources, enabling nuclear plants to compete for more contracts as Massachusetts tries to clean up its power grid.

Greater Boston’s last remaining salt marsh is in danger. Again.

The marsh is facing a dual threat: the impact of climate change and the lack of public awareness about the vital role this patch of nature plays.

There’s a secret for Mass. cities and towns to win big bucks from Washington: Invest in sustainability

But according to the data, it’s mostly wealthy communities taking advantage of federal sustainability grants.

Cow burps are a major source of methane emissions. A Boston startup is working on a vaccine to fix that.

The methane emitted by the world’s billion-plus belching cattle has roughly the same impact on the climate as all the passenger vehicles on the planet, says Colin South, chief executive of ArkeaBio.

UN weather agency predicts global temperatures likely to pass 1.5-degree Celsius target limit by 2028

The World Meteorological Organization said that there’s an 80 percent chance that average global temperatures will surpass the temperature target laid out in the landmark Paris climate accord within the next five years.

ENVIRONMENT

A NASA space grant is helping students learn about Rhode Island’s infamous history of trash

“We want to get students outside the classroom beyond the textbooks and internet articles they read about,” said Ralph Milliken, associate professor of Earth, environmental, and planetary sciences at Brown.

A gas utility and climate advocates in Framingham offer a vision for the future: cleaner, cheaper energy

Using geothermal energy — relying on the steady temperature below ground to heat and cool buildings — is nothing new. What’s new in Framingham is the fact that climate advocates and a utility company, Eversource, devised a plan for a neighborhood geothermal project together.

A new EV charging station in Weymouth found a hack around a two-year backlog

The fast-charging station uses lithium-ion batteries to charge cars at high speed without needing a high-voltage connection to the electrical grid.

Opinion
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.’
IDEAS | JENNIFER NASHA flock of birds gripped my hand — and pulled me back into the fight against climate change
Leila PhilipLet beavers get busy fighting fires — and climate change
Carroll MuffettThe world can’t recycle its way out of the plastics crisis
Michael E. Mann and Wanjira MathaiUN IPCC report can lead governments to the climate action door, but they must walk through