Articles by Staff Writer Jake Bittle
Jake Bittle is a staff writer at Grist, covering climate change, energy, and natural disasters. He is the author of The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration. He is writing a book about Kern County, California, and is currently a New America fellow.
All Articles
-
![President Trump is joined by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and representatives from the coal industry as he signs an executive order to boost coal power.]()
![President Trump is joined by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and representatives from the coal industry as he signs an executive order to boost coal power.]()
Trump is keeping coal on life support. How long can it last?
In 2025, regulatory rollbacks and surging power demand helped buoy an industry in trouble.
-
![EPA administrator Lee Zeldin stands at podium with flags behind him]()
![EPA administrator Lee Zeldin stands at podium with flags behind him]()
Trump’s EPA is taking itself out of the regulation game
The agency has long tried to curb carbon emissions and protect human health. Critics say it’s giving up on both.
-
![President Donald Trump speaks during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, 2025, in New York City.]()
![President Donald Trump speaks during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, 2025, in New York City.]()
Trump just took his most dramatic step yet against global climate action
Unlike the Paris Agreement, Trump’s withdrawal from a bedrock U.N. climate treaty may be difficult to reverse.
-
![A man holds a placard showing President Donald Trump drinking from a barrel of oil during a protest outside the American embassy in Madrid. Trump has justified his abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by claiming the United States will help tap Venezuela's oil reserves.]()
![A man holds a placard showing President Donald Trump drinking from a barrel of oil during a protest outside the American embassy in Madrid. Trump has justified his abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by claiming the United States will help tap Venezuela's oil reserves.]()
Trump says he’ll unleash Venezuela’s oil. But who wants it?
As oil prices fall and demand nears a peak, exploiting Venezuela’s heavy crude reserves won’t be as easy as Trump thinks.
