Saturday, March 21, 2026

These are some climate stories that flew under the radar in 2020

“To put it simply, the state of the planet is broken.”

New state-of-the-art aluminum smelter to increase aluminum production and cut emissions

The Green Aluminum Smelter project, led by Century Aluminum Company, will have the ability to emit 75 percent less climate pollution than the existing aluminum production facilities.

Scientists warn the planet has crossed its first climate tipping point

Global heating has pushed warm-water reefs past a point of no return, scientists warn, with mass bleaching since 2023 affecting more than four-fifths of reefs and cascading risks for food security, coastal protection, and the global economy ahead of COP30.

New analysis warns Trump offshore drilling plan could trigger thousands of oil spills

Conservationists say increased drilling could threaten already endangered marine species with extinction.

Renewable energy surpasses 30% of global electricity supply for first time ever

According to Ember’s executive summary of the report, record solar and wind construction in 2023 means “a new era of falling fossil generation is imminent.”

California votes to protect mountain lions under the state Endangered Species Act

The vote secured the Southern California and Central Coast mountain lions as a distinct population segment (DPS) and listed both populations as threatened under CESA because of their vulnerability to these threats and becoming locally extinct.

Humanity on path to climate collapse as study warns 16 tipping points at risk

New research finds current climate policies put Earth on a collision course with multiple environmental tipping points, threatening irreversible damage to global systems.

World’s richest launch ​$1 billion ​fund to ​fight ​climate ​change, invest in clean tech

This week, a group of top tech executives from Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and more will reportedly meet with the president-elect.

Chicago becomes largest US city to power all municipal buildings with renewable energy

Chicago powers 411 city buildings with 100 percent renewable energy, setting a major climate milestone.

Algae growing under Arctic Sea ice found contaminated by microplastics

“Arctic biota are already under serious pressure from global heating, which progresses four times faster in the Arctic compared with the globe."