Environment and science reporter in Seattle after a few years in Indonesia. Focused on extractive industries, land rights, climate action, and material science.
For Captured Carbon, Scientists Plot a Sub-Ocean Tomb
In 2010, as the Deepwater Horizon rig sank and millions of gallons of oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico, Kate Moran’s phone rang in Washington, D.C. At the time, she was assistant director in President Barack Obama’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, and government officials recognized that she brought years of ocean drilling experience. Within a matter of days, and guided by her understanding of deep ocean geochemistry, the government rapidly deployed resources and experts to manage t...
The Heavy Price of Next-Day Delivery
Tacoma approves a giant new “fulfillment center” complex despite impacts on water, climate, and community
Residents of Tacoma, Washington, planned a “green” remodel of their neighborhood’s groundwater district. The City of Tacoma had other priorities—like greasing the way to turn a hydrologically sensitive area into one of the region’s largest warehouse complexes.
The planned warehouses in Tacoma are among the largest developments in the city and part of a nationwide trend to use land in poor...
Indonesia turns traditional Indigenous land into nickel industrial zone
Indonesia supplies the EV industry with critical battery materials but the sector’s rapid expansion is infringing the rights of Indigenous peoples
Wading through weeds and puddles, Antero walked across the land where he once farmed tomatoes and chilli peppers. It has been a year since he last visited the highlands of Sulawesi island in Indonesia, where his indigenous Mopute ancestors have cultivated the densely forested hills and fertile valleys for generations.
Antero hadn’t expected that th...
Vast new MPAs are PNG’s first to be co-managed by Indigenous communities
On Nov. 12, the government of Papua New Guinea declared two large new marine protected areas totaling more than 16,000 square kilometers (6,200 square miles) that reportedly triple the country’s marine area under protection.
The announcement capped a six-year effort led by U.S.-based NGO Wildlife Conservation Society to consult with local communities about how to set up the MPAs to curtail the harvest of threatened species and restore the health of fisheries that people have depended on for g...
Rocky road for critical minerals
Energy security has remained a burning issue in Europe since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While some analysts fear that plans to scale back coal-fired and nuclear generation capacity will weaken the European economy, others believe that the energy transition is a chance to redesign energy rules, technology, and values.
Stay informed
pv magazine is the leading trade media platform covering the global solar photovoltaics industry. Log in or purchase a digital or print version of this issue to ...
Book Review: The Rainforest in Our Backyard
When most people think of rainforests, they conjure up images of the Amazon, the Congo, and Southeast Asia — vast verdant expanses of densely packed forests, dripping with moisture and rich with tropical life. But in fact, there’s a huge rainforest in North America, unheralded and underappreciated: the sprawling forested region that stretches some 2,500 miles along the Pacific Coast, from just north of San Francisco to Kodiak Island, Alaska.
Part of the problem, according to Oregon journalist...
The Superhero Buses of Boise
In a city designed for cars and a state run by public transportation skeptics, electric buses found a way to stand out
A new team of superheroes have taken over the cozy streets of Boise, Idaho. They’re led by the Chargin’ Champ, outfitted in a glowing orange. Others are the purple Pollution Solution, the deep-blue Silent Rider, and the Clean Green Machine in environmentalists’ classic shade. Every day, this league of electric buses take on the “congestion army,” but the evil forces of smog a...
Why US v China is failing the world
From the Magazine
While the energy transition has become another front on the geopolitical rivalry between the great powers, the rapid construction of supply chains needed to bring emissions-reduction to the whole world is a precarious business, as Ian Morse reports.
Inside the little-known group setting the corporate climate agenda
As thousands of companies trumpet their plans to cut carbon pollution, a small roundtable of sustainability consultants has emerged as the go-to arbiter of corporate climate action.
The Science Based Targets initiative, or SBTi, helps businesses develop a timetable for action to shrink their climate footprint through some combination of cutting greenhouse-gas pollution and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
For a fee, this team of several dozen analysts and technical experts will wo...
Gold miner faces global protests as it rekindles a mine with a violent legacy
Three years after the Papua New Guinea government refused to renew its license, the Porgera gold mine is now on track to reopen.
The mine will relaunch under joint ownership of the government and mine operator Barrick Gold.
Activists in PNG have joined global protests against Barrick, saying the new agreement does not address a legacy of violence and environmental damage, and drawing parallels between Porgera and Barrick’s mines in Tanzania and Pakistan.
Activists from Papua New Guinea, where...
Your ‘Recycled’ Grocery Bag Might Not Have Been Recycled
To jumpstart a paltry market for recycled plastic, governments across the globe are pushing companies to include recycled materials in their products. Last year, the United Kingdom introduced a tax on manufacturers that produce or import plastic packaging containing less than 30 percent recycled plastic. In 2024, New Jersey will begin enforcing similar rules, albeit with lower targets. California now requires that beverage containers be made of 15 percent recycled materials, and Washington wil...
Cultural heritage is an essential resource for climate change science, reports say
Four reports by the International Co-Sponsored Meeting on Culture, Heritage and Climate Change highlight that human cultural heritage has a wealth of knowledge to contribute to grapple with climate change.
The reports also say that this diverse human heritage is under threat from climate change, poverty, rapid urbanization, policy, and failure to recognize land rights or grant access to resources.
The authors share a list of cultural practices and knowledge systems that can mitigate and adapt...
Companies eye ‘carbon insetting’ as winning climate solution; critics wary
A tool that wields the techniques of carbon offsets is surging among companies claiming that it reduces their carbon footprints. The tool, known by some as “insetting,” had simmered for more than a decade on the fringes of climate action among brands that rely on agriculture, but is now expanding to other sectors.
Insetting is defined as company projects to reduce or remove emissions within their own internal supply chains. Proponents say it is valuable for agriculture-based firms struggling ...
Prabowo’s food estate ambitions crash into reality
Indonesia’s defence minister promotes cassava on the world stage, but in Borneo his pet project has failed
At this year’s G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia’s Minister of Defence Prabowo Subianto proposed a solution to the global food crisis. “Cassava will prove to be the saviour crop of the world,” he told a fringe meeting in November.
Prabowo has been talking up cassava since at least 2019, during his failed bid for Indonesia’s presidency. Since entering government, he has been pushing the crop ...
Bolivia looks to opaque methods, firms to build lithium powerhouse
As fossil fuel use aggravates climate breakdown, companies and governments are looking to lithium-ion batteries to replace carbon-intensive technologies. Lithium prices have hit all-time highs, pushing the market to seek more sources to meet forecasted demand.
To fill the gap, companies have turned to Bolivia, whose 2019 election was marred by turmoil exacerbated by allegations of foreign powers seeking its lithium that some called an attempted coup.
Six foreign firms expect a decision from t...