Climate Politics
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One word sums up climate politics in 2025: Greenlash
In a year shaped by Trump's return to the White House, the new administration touted "energy dominance" and protesters threw eggs at "swasticars."
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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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![Robert F. Kennedy Jr. looking at Donald Tr*mp during a cabinet meeting]()
![Robert F. Kennedy Jr. looking at Donald Tr*mp during a cabinet meeting]()
How Trump’s Big Ag bailout is alienating his MAHA base
The administration’s pro-industry tilt — across three executive agencies — is feeding the MAHA movement’s growing discontent.
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![a hot sun with heat blur over a landscape also blurred]()
![a hot sun with heat blur over a landscape also blurred]()
How the planet fared in 2025 — the good, the bad, and the ugly
From winter wildfires in Los Angeles to the unchecked growth of data centers, here are the big climate stories we covered in 2025.
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![U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright visits the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) campus in Golden, Colorado, on April 3, 2025]()
![U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright visits the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) campus in Golden, Colorado, on April 3, 2025]()
Under Trump, the National Renewable Energy Lab is losing ‘renewable’ from its name
The lab has spurred major solar, wind, and storage breakthroughs. Its new remit is a "broader vision" for energy research.
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![Side-by-side photos of Trump turned away and a group photo of smiling representatives at COP30]()
![Side-by-side photos of Trump turned away and a group photo of smiling representatives at COP30]()
2025: The year the US gave up on climate, and the world gave up on us
While the U.S. sits in self-imposed isolation, the rest of the world, led by China, raced ahead to invest in renewables and commit to climate action.
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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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![A man in a blue suit stands in front of a shipyard]()
![A man in a blue suit stands in front of a shipyard]()
Pennsylvania bailed on a carbon market to appease Republicans
Governor Josh Shapiro pulled out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in exchange for a budget. Critics say he “got rolled.”
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![A huge white cruise ship sits in turquoise blue waters off the shore]()
![A huge white cruise ship sits in turquoise blue waters off the shore]()
Hawaiʻi’s green fee is the latest climate effort challenged by Trump
The Department of Justice wants to join the cruise ship industry’s lawsuit against the state over a new tax on passengers visiting the islands.
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![A photograph of the glass-paneled headquarters of FEMA.]()
![A photograph of the glass-paneled headquarters of FEMA.]()
FEMA’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year
Internal turmoil and delayed aid expose the agency's fragility under Trump.
