Climate Economics
All Stories
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![Electrical power lines are seen strung across the countryside near Houston.]()
![Electrical power lines are seen strung across the countryside near Houston.]()
The US doesn’t need to generate as much new electricity as you think
Load shifting and improving energy efficiency could reduce the need for new power plants, but utilities often profit more from building than saving power.
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![a dead end sign near a house in a residential area with greenery]()
![a dead end sign near a house in a residential area with greenery]()
The biomass industry promised these Southern towns prosperity. So why are they still dying?
States gave Drax millions in tax breaks in the hopes of boosting jobs.
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![A wind turbine generates electricity at the Block Island Wind Farm, the first commercial wind farm in the United States.]()
![A wind turbine generates electricity at the Block Island Wind Farm, the first commercial wind farm in the United States.]()
Trump destroyed offshore wind. The Northeast can’t live without it.
To keep the lights on, states like New York and Massachusetts will need to build projects that are currently “impossible.”
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Trump is trying to kill clean energy. The market has other plans.
The administration has done real damage to climate action, experts say. But in many ways, renewables are unstoppable.
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![An American flag stands on a cliff overlooking a Pacific Palisades neighborhood one year after the fires that ravaged Los Angeles.]()
![An American flag stands on a cliff overlooking a Pacific Palisades neighborhood one year after the fires that ravaged Los Angeles.]()
In 2025, the US suffered a billion-dollar disaster every 10 days
A new analysis finds that in 2025 major catastrophes took 276 lives and caused $115 billion in damages. It could have been much worse.
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![Collage including photo of home being rebuilt after wildfires and dollar bills]()
![Collage including photo of home being rebuilt after wildfires and dollar bills]()
What happens when disaster recovery becomes a luxury good
As federal services deteriorate, a patchwork of private companies is taking their place — for better or for worse.
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The year the US doubled down on critical minerals
In 2025, the list of metals became a top priority under Trump. But what even are they?
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![A rancher moves a herd of cattle between pastures in Colorado.]()
![A rancher moves a herd of cattle between pastures in Colorado.]()
The wealthy profit from public lands, and taxpayers pick up the tab
Roughly two-thirds of grazing on Bureau of Land Management land is controlled by just 10 percent of permit holders.
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![collage of a small farmer, a food scientist, a woman picking up food from a food bank, and a woman grocery shopping with the US capitol building in front of them and bright red stripes in the background]()
![collage of a small farmer, a food scientist, a woman picking up food from a food bank, and a woman grocery shopping with the US capitol building in front of them and bright red stripes in the background]()
How the shutdown broke America’s food chain — and what happens next
Cash-strapped farmers, gaps in the public safety net, and food inspection backlogs could reshape who eats what in the years to come.
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![A middle-aged man in a mariokart t-shirt stands in front of a house with a severely damaged facade covered in torn construction tarp and mesh. Near the house, a small green plastic worm toy stands propped up next to a sidewalk]()
![A middle-aged man in a mariokart t-shirt stands in front of a house with a severely damaged facade covered in torn construction tarp and mesh. Near the house, a small green plastic worm toy stands propped up next to a sidewalk]()
They survived the hurricane. Their insurance company didn’t.
Hurricane Ida revealed a fragile insurance industry ill-prepared for the consequences of climate change. More than four years later, what's changed?
