SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " climate " 1,632 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
A Climate Supercomputer Is Getting New Bosses. It’s Not Clear Who.
The National Science Foundation said management of the machine, used by researchers for forecasts, disaster warnings and pure science, would be transferred to a “third-party operator.”
Women in Science: Climate Scientist Gisela Winckler
Winckler focuses on the history and causes of past, present and future climate variability, as well as the ocean’s role in the climate system and the carbon cycle.
Trump calls climate change threat to public health "a scam" but scientific findings show otherwise
The decision from the administration on Thursday reverses a 2009 finding that says warming endangers Americans' lives and health.
U.S. EPA repeals landmark finding that underpins public health and climate regulations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its unlawful repeal of the endangerment finding.
The Blind Spot at the Top of the World
Slashing Arctic climate science will limit how clearly the U.S. can understand the region.
Climate, Energy, & “Wrecking Ball Politics” | Council on Foreign Relations
This is a limited excerpt from the Climate Realism Initiative Newsletter. Sign up to receive monthly insights from the initiative’s fellows and staff, including articles, videos, podcasts, events, and more. Demolition Man Bankruptcy, wrote Ernest Hemingway, finds you two ways: “Gradually, then suddenly.” Small decisions, omissions, and mistakes compound over time, at first imperceptibly, then inescapably, until […]
Trump sidelines climate contrarians in science rollback
The president has mocked global warming as a “hoax,” but his administration avoided testing that claim in court as it targeted the endangerment finding.
Trump’s repeal of landmark climate ruling ‘un-American’ and ‘Orwellian’, says John Kerry
Former secretary of state condemns to decision revoke ruling that underpins ability to limit climate-heating pollution
Nobody asked: Trump’s DOJ steps up uninvited recommendations at Supreme Court
President Donald Trump’s administration is stepping into high-profile appeals at the Supreme Court without invitation at an unprecedented pace, supporting conservative groups in cases dealing with guns, religion and climate change.
Trump news at a glance: White House rejects climate science and opens door to more pollution
Administration revokes bedrock scientific determination that removes government’s ability to limit pollution from cars and trucks
Obama says US 'less safe' after Trump erases power to fight climate change
Barack Obama said the U.S. is "less safe" after President Donald Trump repealed the legal basis for federal regulations targeting climate change.
Scientific studies calculate climate change as health danger, while Trump calls it a ‘scam’
The Trump administration has revoked a scientific finding that climate change is a danger to public health, an idea that President Donald Trump called “a scam.”.
Scientific studies calculate climate change as health danger, while Trump calls it a 'scam'
The Trump administration has revoked a scientific finding that climate change is a danger to public health, an idea that President Donald Trump called “a scam.”
Scientific studies calculate climate change as health danger, while Trump calls it a 'scam'
The Trump administration on Thursday revoked a scientific finding that climate change is a danger to public health, an idea that President Donald Trump called “a scam.” The Environmental Protection A...
Scientific studies calculate climate change as health danger, while Trump calls it a 'scam'
The Trump administration has revoked a scientific finding that climate change is a danger to public health, an idea that President Donald Trump called “a scam.”.
Women in Science: Paleoceanographer Apollonia Arellano
Arellano uses geochemical analyses to reconstruct deep ocean circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Women in Science: Geochemist Terry Plank
Award-winning geochemist and volcanologist Terry Plank studies the phenomena shaping the Earth’s crust and how they affect the world’s volcanoes.
Trump says climate change doesn’t endanger public health – evidence shows it does, from extreme heat to mosquito-borne illnesses
Climate change is making people sicker and more vulnerable to disease. Erasing the federal endangerment finding increases the risk.
Trump drops key US climate rule, swaps health for cheap cars
The US has revoked what's known as the endangerment finding, a scientific finding central to US climate actions, to boost cheaper, gas-powered cars. Experts say the shift comes at a fragile point for the warming planet.
Rejecting science, Trump reverses conclusion that climate change is harming Americans
The 2009 endangerment finding affirms that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases pose a threat to human health and welfare. Its repeal marks one of the most significant deregulatory actions in U.S. history.
WATCH LIVE: Trump, Zeldin to announce end of scientific basis for U.S. action on climate change
Burns & McDonnell Earns Three 2025 Business Achievement Awards for Innovation, Workforce Development and Climate Leadership
Burns & McDonnell Earns Three 2025 Business Achievement Awards for Innovation, Workforce Development and Climate Leadership
Climate change squeeze winter sports
A big part of the Winter Olympics is the winter weather. New data shows rising temperatures are complicating that. WRAL News looks at how sports are surviving the warmer weather.
Snowball Earth was not completely frozen, new study reveals
Even when Earth was locked in its most extreme deep freeze, the planet’s climate may not have been as silent and still as once believed. New research from ancient Scottish rocks reveals that during Snowball Earth — when ice sheets reached the tropics and the planet resembled a giant snowball from space — climate rhythms similar to today’s seasons, solar cycles, and even El Niño–like patterns were still pulsing beneath the ice.
White House withholds NASA science funds
It affects climate-related efforts and key programs that study the Earth and other planets in the universe.
Women in Science: Climate Impact Researcher Sanketa Kadam
In honor of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re featuring Kadam, who researches compound extreme events in India and their impacts on crops and farmland.
Opinion | Affordability and the ‘Epstein Class’ Will Define American Politics
The fight over inequality will define the 21st century.
Scientists See Growing Risk of 'Hothouse Earth' as Warming Gains Pace
Warming is accelerating, threatening a cascade of tipping points that destabilize the climate. In a new paper, scientists say the risk of "hothouse Earth" is greater than once believed.
Accelerated Global Warming Could Lock Earth Into a Hothouse Future
Scientists say warming is increasing faster than at any time in at least 3 million years. There is no guide for what comes next.
It isn't partisan politics to admit that stakeholder capitalism went too far, too fast
The quiet corporate governance revolution recognizes climate change isn't an immediate, existential risk that justifies radical change in everyday life.
Celebrating the 2026 International Day of Women and Girls in Science
In honor of this year’s theme, “Synergizing AI, Social Science, STEM and Finance: Building Inclusive Futures for Women and Girls,” we're highlighting just some of the exceptional women researchers from the Columbia Climate School.
Federal Regulators Finally Get Out of the Climate Business
Consumers and businesses will be freer when the EPA no longer treats greenhouse gas emissions as a public danger.
Greenlandic Olympian: Climate Change Puts Winter Sports at Risk
If the Olympics want a future, writes Ukaleq Slettemark, they must drop fossil fuel sponsors.
Scientists in Reading for workshops say climate change is here
Reading Uni hosts the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Met Office to discuss weather.
EPA to repeal its own conclusion that greenhouse gases warm the planet and threaten health
Known as the endangerment finding, the decision is the legal framework that allows the EPA to regulate emissions. Its reversal could upend many climate change policies.
Climate Change Is Erased From a Manual for Federal Judges
After Republican criticism, a group that offers professional resources to judges withdrew a climate science chapter from its Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence.
Moving beyond money to measure the true value of Earth science information
They're all around us: sensors and satellites, radars and drones. These tools form vast remote sensing networks that collect data on the climate, the ground, the air, and the water. This information is ...
US court agency pulls climate change from science advisory document
Meant to help judges handle scientific issues, document is now climate-free.
Trailblazing Atmospheric Scientist Was ‘a Titan in the Scientific World’
Harvard University researcher Michael McElroy made groundbreaking contributions to climate science and helped shape global environmental policy.
RealClimate: The Climate Science reference they don’t want Judges to read
RealClimate: For the first time, the Federal Judicial Center (FJC) commissioned a chapter on climate science for the manual they put out (with the NASEM) for judges, the Reference on Scientific Evidence (4th Edition). This week, a month after it was published, they pulled the chapter out after being pressured by 27 Republican Attorneys General. You
African climate science-policy has a serious blind spot: the slowing Atlantic circulation
An important ocean circulation system is slowing down faster than expected.
E&E News: Climate science removed from judicial manual after GOP complaints
Republican attorneys general argued the new chapter would put judges “firmly on one side” of climate lawsuits against the fossil fuel industry.
Making science more visible
As he enters a laboratory with saltwater pools full of fish, Luka Žuvić explains how climate change is affecting the feeding ecology and reproductive biology of Atlantic bluefin tuna, and how the species is adapting.It is a topic that may seem remote to many people. But in a country where fishing and aquaculture are important to the economy and national identity, Žuvić’s research is at the intersection of science and society. “In Croatia, marine and environmental science are closely connected to people’s lives because fisheries, aquaculture, tourism and coastal development are a big part of our lives,” explains Žuvić, a doctoral student working at the Croatian Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in the Adriatic coastal city of Split. He also serves as one of Croatia’s ambassadors to Science Comes to Town (SCTT), a European Commission-funded project that aims to make scientific research more accessible, while inspiring young people to study the sciences. The project kicked off in Spilt on 20 January with a conference attended by partner institutions, community representatives, policymakers and scientists. Along with Split, Brest (in France) and Kiel (in Germany) will host a year of activities connecting scientists with the public.Žuvić, 31, is part of the Young Researchers' Career Development Project, a doctoral programme funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. His research on Atlantic bluefin tuna builds on a foundation-backed project focusing on the reproductive potential of farmed tuna, including their sexual maturation and spontaneous spawning in captivity, which has implications for the restoration of the Adriatic Sea's natural tuna populations. He also studies the tuna's feeding ecology through stomach-content analysis, using DNA metabarcoding and morphological approaches, and employs geometric morphometrics to improve the identification of juvenile tuna and related species. The research aims to enhance understanding of the tuna farming ecology, improve fish farm management and contribute to sustainable aquaculture and fisheries research.Engaging with local communitiesConnecting with the community is crucial for Žuvić’s research. Conversations with fishermen help him better understand the bluefin tuna's habits and how marine pollution affects the fish. “They are also curious about the biology and ecology of bluefin tuna,” he says of local fishermen, adding that sharing research with non-scientists benefits everyone. “Sometimes scientific research is invisible,” he explains. “That's why we as researchers need to go out from our institutions and labs to the public so that we can show them what we are working on. This helps create more trust in the scientists and their research.”Engaging the public also raises awareness about the anthropogenic changes to the marine environment resulting from human activities and pollution. Žuvić helps remove plastic and other rubbish from the Adriatic Sea that pose a direct threat to marine species. Predators, such as bluefin tuna, are especially vulnerable to ingesting waste churned up by fishing trawlers. “They are very opportunistic fish that follow trawlers and ingest everything,” he notes. To illustrate the impact, he has shown students the contents of bluefin tuna stomachs. “Finding a plastic bottle cap in the stomach of a bluefin tuna is concerning,” he says. "Science can be a powerful way to turn curiosity into practical solutions,” Žuvić adds, and sharing research outcomes “helps increase public awareness and improve understanding of human impacts on the marine environment.”The research also has implications for Croatia's economy. The Atlantic bluefin tuna’s rich, flavourful meat is highly valued for sushi and other raw fish dishes. However, overfishing nearly brought its population to collapse by the early 2000s. Although the species has made a comeback in the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions, catches continue to be managed through agreements with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. Croatia was a pioneer in developing commercial aquaculture as an alternative to open-sea fishing and accounts for about 10% of the EU’s farmed production of the bluefin tuna, with Japan being a key export market.A history of European collaborationCroatia has participated in Europe’s framework programmes for research and innovation since 2007, six years before officially joining the EU. Žuvić believes that EU funding and collaboration with other European researchers is vital for Croatian science. As part of the SCTT opening conference, the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, the University of Split and other local institutions were part of a science fair to showcase research on topics, such as robotics and an EU LIFE project on the protection of sharks and rays in the Mediterranean. “I hope that Science Comes to Town will help increase scientific literacy and curiosity among citizens, particularly students, and show that science is not something that is distant or abstract, but something that directly affects everyday life,” Žuvić concludes. “Ultimately, I hope that projects like it contribute to building a society that values knowledge and critical thinking, and that we can think about long-term sustainability using knowledge from science.”Science|Business, which connects policymakers, academics and industry through its news reporting, analysis and events, is an SCTT partner.
Trump cut science funding. Small businesses are paying the price.
Some federal contractors are feeling the squeeze after the president slashed support for climate programs and other research efforts.
Trump cut science funding. Small businesses are paying the price.
Some federal contractors are feeling the squeeze after the president slashed support for climate programs and other research efforts.
In Focus Maine: State Sen. Jill Duson
Today on #InFocus, State Sen. Jill Duson talks about the nation’s current political climate. She stresses the need to better understand our nation’s history to address the challenges of today. @breedriscoll @mainedems
There may be no turning back this climate crisis
As warming breaches a critical threshold, scientists fear cascading consequences.
Scientists warn climate models are missing a key ocean player
Tiny marine plankton that build calcium carbonate shells play an outsized role in regulating Earth’s climate, quietly pulling carbon from the atmosphere and helping lock it away in the deep ocean. New research shows these microscopic engineers are largely missing from the climate models used to forecast our planet’s future, meaning scientists may be underestimating how the ocean responds to climate change.
An urgent need to build climate and health intervention trial capacity
Nature Medicine - An urgent need to build climate and health intervention trial capacity
Biodiversity science and policy need more model intercomparisons
Nature Reviews Biodiversity - Climate model intercomparison projects have been essential in identifying mechanisms of human-caused climate change, but similar efforts in biodiversity science have...
International science cooperation must go on, say research leaders
Science leaders in Europe and Canada say international cooperation must go on amid geopolitical turmoil. At the same time, Europe and like-minded countries should continue to enhance and diversify international partnerships, a Science|Business conference hears. Hugh Brady, president of Imperial College London, told delegates that Europe’s response to the current geopolitical climate should be to “diversify in terms of research partnerships and build resilience and scale into our own system.”A first priority should be for the EU to sort out the scope of the upcoming European Competitiveness Fund and ensure that, together with the next iteration of Horizon Europe, it can drive the development and scale up of new technologies. The EU and the countries associated to the Horizon Europe programme represent “the world's most successful research innovation ecosystem,” Brady said. In order to mitigate the negative effects of shifting geopolitics, the EU together with the UK, Switzerland, Canada, South Korea and others should talk about “building resilience” and address their own “regional needs,” he added. Responding to TrumpUnder Donald Trump’s leadership, the US government has slashed science budgets and shut down international research programmes. Nearly 8,000 grants at the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation have been frozen or terminated. Courts have overturned most of these cancellations, but the disruption caused remains significant. While Europe may persuade a few thousand disgruntled scientists to move across the ocean to work on topics that have been de-funded in the US, it’s unclear what should happen next with transatlantic scientific cooperation more broadly.“Now is the time for us to show [US researchers] our support as much as we can,” Brady said.The European Research Council (ERC), the EU’s basic science funder, has seen a surge in applicants from the US. According its latest data, US-based researchers submitted 347 proposals to the last three big funding rounds, up from 158 in the previous set of calls. The European Commission has also launched a €22.5 million pilot call in 2025 for the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions, the EU’s researcher training scheme. It plans to extend this support with a €51.25 million call in 2027 as part of the Choose Europe initiative, which is intended to make the continent a more attractive place to pursue a career in research. Related articlesData corner: US researchers are choosing EuropeEU-India deal highlights growing alignment on technology policyMeanwhile, in the private non-profit sector, the Volkswagen Foundation is experimenting with a new type of grant that would allow US researchers to split their time between the US and Germany. While these schemes are useful, Europe should not bet on an exodus of scientists from the US. “The idea that we might all see them flocking over to Europe is naïve and counterproductive,” said Maria Leptin, president of the ERC, also speaking at the Science|Business conference on February 5. “We need research in the US to be as healthy as possible. I really admire those who are staying there with a will to fight and an optimism that the world will turn into a better place again,” Leptin said. Preserving dataDespite political disruption, academics have found ways to continue cooperating and sharing research data. Leslie Weir, president of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and Canada’s national librarian, said the US cuts have raised concerns about research data security, after ideologically sensitive databases were limited or deleted by the Trump administration. But international organisations teamed up to ensure that the data is not lost. “It's interesting to see that researchers and libraries across North America are collaborating to make sure that data at risk is duplicated elsewhere outside [the US],” Weir said.
Trump cut science funding. Small businesses are paying the price.
Some federal contractors are feeling the squeeze after the president slashed support for climate programs and other research efforts.
Hochul, state legislature poised to spar over climate goals
Gov. Kathy Hochul this week sent the strongest signals yet that changes to the state’s 2019 climate law could be coming.
AI to track icebergs adrift at sea in boon for science
British scientists said Thursday that a world-first AI tool to catalogue and track icebergs as they break apart into smaller chunks could fill a "major blind spot" in predicting climate change.But scientists have long struggled to keep track of these floating behemoths once they break into thousands of smaller chunks, their fate and impact on the climate largely lost to the seas.
Carney’s government is cutting hundreds of environment and science jobs. Here’s what that means for Canadians
Scientists and labour leaders are warning that cuts to Environment and Climate Change Canada could significantly impact the health and safety of Canada's wildlife, environment and people.
Most Christian leaders accept climate science
But many aren’t talking about it with their congregations.
Opinion | How Trump can buy some global climate sanity for less than $2 million
The IPCC’s rigor keeps a lid on alarmism. The U.S. is needed to make sure that doesn’t change.
How Two Teens in Niagara Falls Are Confronting Pollution and a Mental Health Crisis
Finding hope and resilience in a city burdened with environmental pollution and generational trauma.
This Breakthrough Lets Scientists See Arctic Ice Loss Coming
Scientists have unveiled a powerful new method for predicting Arctic sea ice months in advance, just as climate change drives rapid ice loss.
Rising Temperatures Are Taking a Toll on Sleep Health
As nights get hotter around the globe due to climate change, the prevalence of sleep apnea is expected to increase by as much as threefold.
Joint statement on the renewed Quadripartite Memorandum of Understanding regarding cooperation on One Health until 2030
Through the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on One Health, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) reaffirm their shared commitment to advancing the implementation of the One Health approach.
Climate enters the overshoot era—science and policy need to react
The International Court of Justice reiterated in 2025 that the 1.5°C limit is the countries' primary agreed target under the Paris Agreement. With record-high global temperatures in recent years, the ...
4 The Record: Business Climate in Greenville
Greenville Chamber President Carlos Phillips previews upcoming annual Chamber meeting
The 3 Big Unknowns About the EPA’s Biggest Climate Science Rollback Ever
What to watch for when the agency releases its final decision on the greenhouse gas endangerment finding.
DOE scientists blasted climate report ordered up by boss
Secretary Chris Wright handpicked five climate contrarians to write about global warming. Department experts pushed back on the findings.
A Secret Panel to Question Climate Science Was Unlawful, Judge Rules
The researchers produced a report a that was central in a Trump administration effort to stop regulating climate pollution.
Plain Talk: 'Our business climate in North Dakota is eroded'
On this Plain Talk, Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, talks about the tough economic environment for the state's oil and gas developers.
New Perspectives on EU Climate Politics using Text-as-Data Methods
This Collection invites research on EU climate governance, climate communication, climate policy diffusion within and outside the EU, and climate policy ...
How Do Climate Scientists Use Artificial Intelligence?
The AI used in climate research right now is much less energy intensive than the large language models like ChatGPT.
The accidental climate scientist who uncovered an unexpected force of global warming
The Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences has awarded the Crafoord Prize to climate scientist Veerabhadran Ramanathan. He discovered a powerful force of global warming.
'Miracle on Ice' players discuss political climate heading into Winter Olympics
Mike Eruzione says the country needs a unifying moment: "We could use an '80 now."
Arctic scientists 'feel pretty uncomfortable' on Greenland
Science in the Arctic — and Greenland — is on the frontline of pressing challenges facing humanity, like climate change and genetics. Some researchers worry international collaboration is at risk.
Investment and Statecraft: The International Politics of Sovereign Wealth Funds - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
In 1953, Kuwait established the world’s first sovereign wealth fund to invest the country’s oil revenues and generate returns that would reduce its reliance on a single resource. Since then, over 100 separate funds have been created to preserve national wealth and ensure long-term fiscal sustainability. Today, they manage over $10 trillion in global assets. In this discussion with GJIA, political economist Kathryn Lavelle explains the increasingly novel dynamics that surround fund behavior and what the world can come to expect from their growing presence in international financial markets. GJIA: When it comes to the roles sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) play in global markets and politics, what would you say makes them unique? Kathryn Lavelle: Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) operate on behalf of governments as investors. That in itself is a strange relationship. Within them, a core contest takes place between the state’s interests (or sovereign) part of the dynamic, and the money interests (or wealth) part of it, and these two aspects are frequently in contradiction, serving fundamentally different goals. SWFs are also quite fascinating because when you talk to the people who manage these funds, they have an interest in convincing you that the decisions are made almost exclusively on a financial basis—they really will go to great lengths to differentiate their government owners and those who make the management decisions. At the same time, these people ultimately answer to someone in power. Therefore, for most SWFs, it remains deeply unclear who is actually making the investment decisions and for what purposes. Of course, it is not always clear how other vehicles, such as hedge funds and private equity make the decisions they do, but I think what a lot of people find particularly disconcerting about SWFs is that they seem to act on behalf of people who have a different identity from their own. People who could be trying to manipulate politics and markets in a way that would have a long-term effect on their own populations. Regular investors come and go at will, and they only share an interest in profit as far as most of us understand. However, SWFs have that extra “sovereign” part right behind them that obscures their true interest. GJIA: These funds can be found in countries all across the globe, in both authoritarian states and democracies. Would you say SWFs differ in their goals and structures between regime-type? KL: It is not necessarily regime type that makes the goals and structures of SWFs different. It has to do with their economies. Let’s look at a country like China. There’s going to be a debate about exactly how to characterize the regime, but it is a country with many different kinds of sovereign wealth funds, and a particularly opaque state connection to each. At one time, some of the state-owned Chinese oil companies created specialized investment vehicles listed outside Chinese markets that excluded parts of the firms that were more associated with human rights violations. At the same time, the China Investment Corporation (CIC)—China’s largest SWF—draws a lot of concern, not necessarily because of its investment activities, but because of the dynamics of global politics. So, I wouldn’t really tie differences to regime types themselves in a wholesale way, but rather to how such funds are perceived and how they are structured. Saudi Arabia’s SWF is getting all kinds of attention for its involvement in Hollywood, and this takes me right back to when I was a student in the 1980s, when people were concerned about Japanese investment entities buying assets in Hollywood. They aren’t quite the same in financial terms, but it’s the same kind of concern about foreign investment that drives people to be suspicious, and the whole idea that “foreigners are influencing Hollywood.” This holds true across industries, and it reflects where politics are in places like the United States right now. One metric we can try to look at is transparency, where all the funds will tell you, “we are transparent.” The problem you’ll keep running into with this approach is how you value things. When trying to do comparative studies of equity markets, you’ll find that every country doesn’t use Generally Accepted Accounting Principles like we do in the United States. A fund may appear opaque politically and not want people to show what they’re invested in or what their intent with that investment is, but they could also just not be able to report it because of the way it was purchased, or the kinds of shares they purchased. There are some assets out there that really are difficult to put a monetary value on. GJIA: To what extent do domestic politics shape SWF behavior in both the investing “home” country and the recipient “host” country? KL: This depends on the type of fund present and also on the extent to which voters’ political views are able to influence the fund. For example, in a democratic home state like Norway, the SWF doesn’t invest in nuclear weapons or tobacco because of social concerns, but there is a continuing debate over whether it should invest in oil, even though that’s where most of the money comes from. The degree to which Norway will continue to make those investments, and whether they contradict the government’s overall climate goals, is an open question in Norwegian politics. Because of the way the fund’s governance is structured, it may not be easy to resolve. On the other hand, some people consider pension funds, like the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) in Ohio, to be quasi-SWF. They have a very strict separation between the people who make up the management division and the fund owners. No teacher or professor would want to invest in things that may harm the future of their students. At the same time, a fund manager might see an opportunity in a diversified multinational corporation that offers a good return, despite it deriving part of its revenue from e-cigarettes. These contests are very apparent. Domestic politics can work in host countries too. A good example is Singapore’s SWF, Temasek, investing in Thailand’s telecommunications sector. If you study political economy, you already know that countries everywhere are uncomfortable with foreign ownership of their telecom sectors because a foreign entity could monitor or manipulate our communications with each other. In the case of Temasek, there was significant pushback from Thai citizens surrounding the deal, which went on to influence national political sentiment toward Singapore as a whole, underscoring the risks some SWFs may face with their investment choices. In this case, fund behavior led to the dissolution of the entire Thai government in 2006 and a subsequent coup d’état. GJIA: To address some of this unease, the Santiago Principles were established in 2009 to ostensibly promote trust and transparency. From your perspective, have these mechanisms actually changed fund behavior? KL: In international relations theory, we always like to have a clear set of norms and best practices—the orientation we want the proverbial ship to be going in. In that regard, the Santiago Principles at least got the discussion going about which direction SWFs should take at a time when people were very skittish about the growing size of these funds. Nobody wanted them to be out there and potentially destabilizing economies, so talks about disclosure, conditions for withdrawal, and the independence of managers were helpful when initiated. The biggest stumbling block was that there wasn’t exactly a good way to measure compliance with the Principles, let alone how to hold funds to them. If you read the Principles, they’re overall quite vague. In general, a fund doesn’t want to reveal how and why they make certain investment decisions because that information is proprietary—a fund makes money off of how and why it makes decisions—so how do you reconcile that with loosely-defined ideas of openness? Some decisions might have a political purpose. The bottom line is that trying to figure out and assign a score to compliance is not easy, and it is therefore the reason why the Santiago Principles never really got off the ground to the point where they could truly direct fund behavior. GJIA: Many emerging markets are looking to build their own SWFs from mineral and oil revenues. Historically, have funds shaped development trajectories in these countries? KL: I think the big story in international emerging markets investment is that the investment is increasingly no longer unidirectional. In the past multinational corporations of primarily Western background were the main form of foreign direct investment in a country. That has changed dramatically, to the point where you have companies from so-called “developing countries” taking over companies in the United States. Therefore, the landscape of international investment has changed, and I think SWFs are certainly a possibility to be the next step in the game. Historically, you didn’t need an entire financial vehicle to reinvest commodity revenues in your country, but as emerging markets get more financially sophisticated, their capacity to operate such funds has increased. SWFs would allow treasuries to move from relying on holding foreign exchange assets like cash or government bonds to having broader financial markets and targeted growth areas, while easing pressure on welfare expenditures. GJIA: With their increasing financial weight, do you see the presence of SWFs being a factor in the political choices leaders will have to make with regard to domestic and foreign policy? KL: It will depend on just how big the funds get. One of the reasons people are already apprehensive is because of their scale, and if certain SWFs in certain countries achieve a large-enough size, the presence will absolutely be cause for concern. The other factor political leaders will have to consider are their objectives. It’s not always clear how to define a SWF, or even where its activity is concentrated, but it is certainly a worry from the perspective of national security of opaque external investment. More than that, I think one of the most interesting questions going forward is whether the United States, the home to the world’s largest financial markets, will develop its own fund, for which the Trump administration announced a plan. There have also been several proposals in Congress. Were it to come into being, it would have tremendous weight. At the same time, one of the hallmarks of U.S. capitalism is a lack of government ownership of shares, so it would not be clear how such a fund would be received in domestic politics, or which direction it would take. Given how politically fragmented the country is, a Democratic administration would likely be concerned about different sectors of the economy, such as healthcare, and want investment there, rather than a Republican administration, which might prefer defense industries. No investment vehicle could thrive under conditions of such instability. Moreover, it remains unclear where the money to fund a theoretical U.S. SWF would come from. It would be a fundamentally different entity depending on whether it is financed with debt, economic surplus, commodities, or the sale of state companies, as in the case of Singapore. If it is debt, or government borrowing of some form, then the fund would have to outperform whatever the cost of that debt is, which is not an easy thing to do. I think our political leaders have enough on their plate. Our system has worked well keeping political and investment functions generally separate. We have seen different forms of business rise and fall, and even the perception of different countries, all of which funds are tied to. Unless a major SWF either starts—like in the case of the United States—or collapses—an issue that concerns the Saudis, I don’t see any political tsunamis on the horizon. . . . Kathryn Lavelle is the Ellen and Dixon Long Professor of World Affairs at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Her research explores the exchange between domestic and international and political institutions with a particular emphasis on political economy and multilateralism. Dr. Lavelle’s first book, The Politics of Equity Finance in Emerging Markets, explored the political circumstances that surround large issues of stock in the developing world. After being granted tenure at Case Western, she was awarded an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship and named the William A. Steiger fellow, a designation given to the most promising political scientist in her class of fellows. While in Washington during 2006-2007, she worked on the staff of the House Committee on Financial Services on issues related to domestic and international monetary policy. Dr. Lavelle holds a PhD in political science from Northwestern University; an M.A. in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia; and a bachelor’s degree in international economics from Georgetown University. She is a permanent member of the New York Council on Foreign Relations. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length. Interview conducted by Sid Mehrotra. Image Credit: Jason Leung, Unsplash Content Licenses, via Unsplash
Trump’s Choice to Be Alabama’s Next Senator Finds an Odd Political Target: the Modern Gas Can
ENTERPRISE, Ala.—U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, a longtime political figure in this rural Alabama community, has his priorities. Among them? A reform effort aimed at the modern gas can. A congressman since 2021, the Republican may be headed toward one of the most powerful positions in Yellowhammer State politics, a seat in the U.S. Senate, given […]
An ousted energy regulator reflects on Georgia’s new power politics
Former utility commissioner Tim Echols talks climate change, the Republican party, and how the state will deal with rising power demand.
How scientists predict big winter storms : Short Wave
This past weekend, Winter Storm Fern struck the States. Sleet, snow and ice battered Americans all the way from New Mexico to New York. Scientists predicted its arrival in mid-January, and in anticipation of the storm, more than 20 state governors issued emergency declarations. But how did scientists know so much, so early, about the approaching storm? NPR climate reporter Rebecca Hersher says it has to do with our weather models… and the data we put into them. Which begs the question: Will we continue to invest in them?Interested in more science behind the weather? Check out our episodes on better storm prediction in the tropics and how the Santa Ana winds impact the fire season this time of year. Have a question we haven’t covered? Email us at shortwave@npr.org. We’d love to consider it for a future episode! Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by our showrunner Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones and Rebecca Hersher checked the facts. The audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez. News clips were from CBS Boston, Fox Weather, Fox 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, and PBS Newshour.
Trump Administration declares pristine Alaskan seafloor “open for business,” mocks environmental safeguards - Greenpeace
At a time of accelerating ocean, climate, and biodiversity crisis, the priority should be on protecting these ecosystems, not opening new frontiers of extraction.
Politics of the weather (Jan. 27, 2026)
On Tuesday's show: With the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society happening this week in Houston, we discuss how the current political climate is affecting how meteorologists do their jobs and the ramifications for our region.
The tricky science of forecasting extreme winter weather
It doesn't help that the Trump administration is decimating climate research.
How Climate Superfund Bills Use Science to Make Polluters Pay
This week, communities across the country are asking their state legislators for a common-sense solution—using a practice that's been around for decades—to make polluters pay. In 1980, following decades of high-profile disasters from toxic pollution, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmenta
Climate-risk scores shape billion-dollar decisions, and new study says science behind them needs to be more transparent
A new paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences argues that trustworthiness of climate-risk scores depends not just on the sophistication of the models used to produce the scores but also on whether the science behind them is open, reusable and transparent enough for others to examine, test and improve.
Scientists Push for More Ambitious Climate Targets
Researchers say a line has been crossed. For systems like coral reefs and ice sheets, the climate is already past safe.
Finding spiritual grounding in an unstable political climate
Four out of five first-year college students now report having an interest in spirituality, as modern day politics fail to provide stability.
Why concrete is becoming a climate flashpoint for AI
The rapid expansion of U.S. data centers to support artificial intelligence is creating a new climate challenge—one that begins long before servers are powered on, Bloomberg writes. The massive facilities require enormous amounts of concrete, a carbon-intensive material that could generate nearly 2 million metric tons of CO2 through 2030 if built with traditional methods, […]
Ranking Member Lofgren Condems Climate Working Group Sham
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
The Cost of Ignoring Fossil Fuel Pollution’s Health Impacts
From our collaborating partner Living on Earth, public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by Steve Curwood with Dr. Vanessa Kerry at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Ever since the Six Cities study, led by Harvard University’s public health experts, first found in the 1990s that coal power plant smokestacks were […]
(Rescheduled from Jan 26) Behind the Science: Herbivores That Chewed Through Time: How Insects and Pathogens Responded to Earth’s Biggest Events
Announcing a new After-Hours series at the National Museum of Natural History: Behind the Science A monthly after-hours series featuring NMNH scientists and researchers Each month, join the National Museum of Natural History for the new series, Behind the Science, where NMNH researchers share insights into their latest discoveries and explore the fascinating questions driving their work—from the origins of life to the future of our planet. Come learn what’s happening behind the scenes and how science shapes our understanding of the natural world. Programs take place in Q?rius, the Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center. Topics and speakers announced on a rolling basis, but save the dates now! February 10 (RESCHEDULED FROM JAN 26): Conrad Labandeira, Paleobiology The leaves of plants are everywhere. They provide the primary documentation of insect and pathogen feeding styles – or herbivory – on plants in the modern and fossil records. Leaves also are the most abundant, macroscopic item in the fossil record during the past 400 or so million years. During the past 25 years, studies of insect and pathogen damage on fossil and modern leaves have addressed the response of herbivores to major events of the fossil record. These events include, in chronological order, the origin of herbivory itself, the appearance of seed plants, the profound ecological crisis at the end of the Paleozoic, the appearance of flowering plants, the profound ecological crisis at the end of the Mesozoic, and a major change in the global climate 56 million years ago. Let’s put damaged, fossil leaves to work in helping us to understand how insect and pathogen herbivores have historically transformed the world we live in. Upcoming Dates: Jan. 26: Feb. 10: Conrad Labandeira, Paleobiologist Mar. 10: Briana Pobiner, Anthropologist Apr. 14 May 11 Jun. 9 Jul. 14 Aug. 11 Sep. 15 Oct. 13 Nov. 10 Dec. 8
New Report: ‘Invest in MI Kids’ Undercuts State’s Business Climate, Hurts Small Business
Michigan’s business community could be facing a pivotal moment if the proposed graduated income tax ballot measure gains enough signatures to move forward for voter consideration.
'Just a start': Kotek, industry leaders inch closer to reforms for Oregon business climate
The 16 members of Kotek’s “Prosperity Council” represent different Oregon regions and sectors such as labor, technology and construction.
Australian summer is undergoing a 'total transformation,' scientists warn
Scientists say climate change made this summer's blistering heatwave five times more likely and cities need to adapt urgently.
MPH student takes an interdisciplinary approach to climate-related health inequities
Sanchita Gera, MPH ’26, is exploring how social and environmental factors outside the hospital walls affect some patients’ health more than others.
Video: Why Climate Isn’t a Top Business Priority at Davos
The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was once ground zero for an unofficial climate movement in the business community. David Gelles, a climate reporter for The Times, describes why climate is no longer a key focus in Davos today.
New York City’s climate chief tenders resignation
Aggarwala warned that the agency faces growing challenges tied to climate change.
Administration Censors Climate Science, Harms Visitor Experience at Historic Fort Sumter
To censor and erase sound science at this park, where the first shots of the American Civil War rang out, is a deep insult to the Park Service’s hard work and legislative mandate.
Guest post: 10 key climate science ‘insights’ from 2025
Annual “10 new insights in climate science” report offers a snapshot of key advances in the scientific understanding of the climate system
Students Across New England Contribute to Climate Science Through NASA’s GLOBE Green Down
In fall 2025, more than 50 educators and over 1,500 young people across Maine and New Hampshire participated in NASA’s Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Green Down, a citizen science (also known as participatory science or community science) initiative that engages students and volunteers in tracking seasonal changes in plant life. By observing and documenting leaf color change and leaf drop, participants contributed valuable data used by scientists studying how ecosystems respond to a changing climate.
TV Talk: Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson pitches city as business refuge
The Republican mayor credits Dallas’ policing and business climate for attracting companies from Democratic-run cities, a link others say oversimplifies...
Science for Alaska talks and events announced
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute will host free public science talks over the next few weeks, highlighting new climate research technology, an Alaska earthquake mystery solution, tidewater glaciers in Alaska and Greenland and a recent Bering Sea journey aboard the research