Energy Policy

People participate in a demonstration in front of the main entrance of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, on November 10, 2025.

Backsliding in Belém Backsliding in Belém

Petrostates at COP30 quash fossil fuel and deforestation phaseouts.

Nov 24, 2025 / Mark Hertsgaard

A power plant in Colstrip, Montana.

Trump Promised to Bring Back Coal. This Town Listened. Trump Promised to Bring Back Coal. This Town Listened.

Through executive orders, Congress, and a loyalist cabinet, the Trump administration has delivered big for enclaves of coal country like Colstrip, Montana. But how long can it las...

Nov 20, 2025 / StudentNation / Ezra Graham

A photovoltaic power station in Binzhou City, Shandong province, on November 18, 2025.

China Is Now the World’s Climate Champion China Is Now the World’s Climate Champion

The news out of COP30 does not engender much hope, but China’s embrace of renewable energy shows that climate protection makes smart economic sense.

Nov 18, 2025 / Paul Hockenos

Smoke streams out of coal power plant in Kentucky.

The Rise, Reign, and Fall of American Coal The Rise, Reign, and Fall of American Coal

What drives Trump’s politics is nostalgia for the age of coal, when dirty fuel and no environmental regulations created his version of a great America.

Oct 21, 2025 / Erik Loomis

The Problem of Green Capitalism

The Problem of Green Capitalism The Problem of Green Capitalism

A conversation with Thea Riofrancos about her new book Extraction and the hidden cost and obscured history of the capitalist push to monetize the energy transition.

Sep 23, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

Jim Grech, president and chief executive officer of Peabody Energy Corp, speaks during the 2023 CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston, Texas, on Thursday, March 9, 2023.

Meet the “Coal-igarch” Jim Grech, CEO of Peabody Energy Meet the “Coal-igarch” Jim Grech, CEO of Peabody Energy

Fossil fuel oligarchs are getting their payback for helping electing Trump.

Sep 4, 2025 / Chuck Collins

The Southwest Chief passes through mountains near Trinidad, Colorado.

Is Amtrak the End of the Line for US Public Transit? Is Amtrak the End of the Line for US Public Transit?

The railroad once represented the American dream of expansion—and exploitation. But is train travel becoming a thing of the past?

Aug 28, 2025 / Feature / Julian Epp

A pro-Trump protester outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, where Trump was given an unconditional discharge in January 2025.

MAGA Conservatives Are Terrified of the Future MAGA Conservatives Are Terrified of the Future

Trump and his followers don’t just want to halt progress. They want to turn back the clock.

Aug 18, 2025 / Column / Chris Lehmann

Can Solar Energy Save Us?

Can Solar Energy Save Us? Can Solar Energy Save Us?

Bill McKibben’s new book argues that sun power can displace fossil fuels.

Aug 7, 2025 / Mark Hertsgaard

Protesters from Fossil Free London demonstrate outside Barclays Canary Wharf to disrupt the Energy Intelligence Forum (EIF) summit.

How Fossil Fuel Mad Men Have Aided and Abetted the Industry’s Climate Denial How Fossil Fuel Mad Men Have Aided and Abetted the Industry’s Climate Denial

But even the ad world isn’t immune to the groundswell of climate organizing.

Jul 31, 2025 / Harrison Stetler

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