fossil fuels

Harvard University has had the largest academic endowment since 1986.

As Harvard's endowment abandons fossil fuels, oil-rich University of Texas catches up

David Gura

Royalties on oil and natural gas, along with lease payments on millions of acres of land, are helping the University of Texas, which is in second place, narrow the gap with Harvard.

A line of petrochemical facilities in St. Charles Parish, La., in 2018. Many people who live near industrial sites, and who are exposed to dangerous pollution, fear that the Inflation Reduction Act will deepen existing environmental inequalities.

The spending bill will cut emissions, but marginalized groups feel they were sold out

Rebecca Hersher

The Inflation Reduction Act is the biggest ever investment to tackle climate change. But there are signs that it could reinforce existing environmental inequalities.

Solar and wind power projects have been booming in California, like the Pine Tree Wind Farm and Solar Power Plant in the Tehachapi Mountains, but that doesn't mean fossil fuels are fading away quickly.

California just ran on 100% renewable energy, but fossil fuels aren't fading away yet

Lauren Sommer

California broke its record for renewable energy when solar and wind provided enough to meet all consumer demand. At the time, natural gas power plants were still on, a necessity for the grid.

A man and a boy walk across the almost dried up bed of river Yamuna following hot weather in New Delhi, India, May 2, 2022.

Scientists give Earth a 50-50 chance of hitting key warming mark by 2026

The Associated Press

The latest estimate from various forecast centers around the world say the planet is approaching a warming threshold international agreements are trying to prevent.

A U.S. Postal Service employee works outside a post office in Wheeling, Ill., on Dec. 3, 2021.

States sue the U.S. Postal Service over its decision to buy gas-powered trucks

The Associated Press

The lawsuits contend that purchases of thousands of fossil fuel-powered delivery vehicles will cause environmental harm for decades to come. The Postal Service says it conducted a thorough review.

A customer prepares to pump gas into her car at a Shell station on Nov. 17 in San Rafael, Calif. A surge in gas prices this year is leaving the Biden administration looking for options to do something about it. One that's getting recent attention is tapping the country's emergency oil stockpile.

The U.S. emergency oil stash is in the spotlight as gas prices surge. What to know

Camila Domonoske

President Biden is looking at options to bring down high prices. One possibility attracting a lot of attention is releasing crude oil from the country's emergency reserves.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres speaks during the opening ceremony of the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit, in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday.

The U.N. chief warns that reliance on fossil fuels is pushing the world to the brink

Scott Neuman

At the opening of a United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, António Guterres says the world is "digging our own grave" by not acting more aggressively to mitigate climate change.

These 4 charts explain why the stakes are so high at the U.N. climate summit

Lauren Sommer

How hot will the planet get? What nations negotiate at the international climate summit will help determine that. Here are 4 things to know about what's being decided.

Puerto Rico's main power source comes from imported fossil fuels.

Power To Puerto Rico: The Stakes Of Clean Energy

Sophia Alvarez Boyd

Billions of dollars in funding for renewable energy is on the table for the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico.

Gas prices in Florida are about to hit their highest levels of the year

Carl Lisciandrello

AAA reports crude and gasoline futures prices have risen to their highest levels of the year, and that spike will produce gas prices above $3.20 a gallon.

Pictured are pumps at an Exxon gas station in Charlotte, N.C. A tiny fund got two board members elected to the oil giant's board, delivering a historic defeat to ExxonMobil.

A Tiny Fund Has Scored A Historic Win Against ExxonMobil Over The Future Of Oil

Camila Domonoske

A brand-new hedge fund wants ExxonMobil to take climate change more seriously. And despite Exxon's intense opposition, it managed to fill at least two seats on the oil giant's board of directors.

Fuel tanks are seen at a Colonial Pipeline Co. delivery point Monday in Baltimore. The company's pipeline was hit with a major ransomware attack last week.

What We Know About The Ransomware Attack On A Critical U.S. Pipeline

Scott Neuman

The massive pipeline, which supplies 45% of the East Coast's gasoline and jet fuel, was forced to shut down over the weekend. The company says it has one line operating under manual control.