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Undersea Internet Cables Are Becoming the Front Line of Climate Monitoring (Environment Policy Brief #163)

Undersea Internet Cables Are Becoming the Front Line of Climate Monitoring (Environment Policy Brief #163)

Scientists are exploring ways to turn the world’s submarine internet cables into climate-monitoring infrastructure. The infrastructure will be capable of detecting changes in ocean temperature, earthquakes, and deep-sea pressure shifts linked to climate change. The use of existing global infrastructure gives this idea added potential but also raises security concerns when modifying critical internet systems.

The First Global Rules for Carbon Removal Credits Are Being Written Right Now (Environment Policy Brief #191)

The First Global Rules for Carbon Removal Credits Are Being Written Right Now (Environment Policy Brief #191)

Governments and climate regulators are currently trying to determine how engineered carbon removal technologies should qualify for international carbon credit markets. Currently, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is developing and updating the technical standards to align with GHG reporting and climate management. The publication of the revised ISO 14001:2026 standard is planned for April 2026 with a transition period of three years. 

Blue States Initiate Legal Pushback After Administration Overturns Endangerment Finding (Environment Policy Brief #190)

Blue States Initiate Legal Pushback After Administration Overturns Endangerment Finding (Environment Policy Brief #190)

Federal climate regulation is at risk as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rescinded the 2009 “endangerment finding” on February 12, 2026. The EPA called the engagement finding “the single largest deregulatory action in U.S. history.” States like California and Wisconsin, as well as several organizations, are preparing for a legal battle that could eventually reach the Supreme Court, which could take years. They argue that the U.S. could be left with far less ability to regulate emissions at a national level.

Watching their home go up in smoke: the indigenous of the Amazon ( Environment Policy Brief #187)

Watching their home go up in smoke: the indigenous of the Amazon ( Environment Policy Brief #187)

The Amazon rainforest is rapidly degrading. The ecological functions of the rainforest such as absorbing greenhouse gases and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere are diminishing as the size of the rainforest shrinks. Global precipitation patterns depend upon the Amazon’s unique location on the planet. The diversity of plant life in the Amazon constitutes about a quarter of the globe’s stock of carbon biomass. There are 80,000 species of plants.

Montana Youth Return to Court to Block Laws Weakening Climate Protections (Environment Policy Brief #186)

Montana Youth Return to Court to Block Laws Weakening Climate Protections (Environment Policy Brief #186)

A group of young activists from the landmark Held v. Montana case filed a new challenge against recent state laws. The filed petition challenges several statutes passed by Republicans that threaten the activist group’s victory in the Montana Supreme Court in 2024. According to the group, the new changes are violations of the state’s guarantee of a “clean and healthful environment.” The youth plaintiffs are preparing for a renewed legal fight and highlighting that climate harms are a constitutional issue.

A Congressional Bill to Improve the Nation’s Water Infrastructure (Environment Policy Brief #185)

A Congressional Bill to Improve the Nation’s Water Infrastructure (Environment Policy Brief #185)

The official Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report states that about 240,000 water main breaks occur each year in the United States. This highlights the urgent state of the nation’s water infrastructure. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., introduced the Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Act (H.R. 5566) on Sept. 26, 2025. Rep. Carbajal, introduced the bill to modernize the aging water systems across the nation.The bill seeks to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Coal Revival in the Age of Climate Emergency: Inside Trump’s New Energy Gamble (Environmental Policy Brief #183)

Coal Revival in the Age of Climate Emergency: Inside Trump’s New Energy Gamble (Environmental Policy Brief #183)

In a move that has startled climate scientists and energy economists alike, the Trump administration recently unveiled a sweeping new initiative aimed at reviving America’s coalindustry—a sector long regarded as both an economic relic and a climate catastrophe. The plan, a mix of subsidies, deregulation, and export promotion, represents a dramatic reversal of the Biden-era shift toward renewable energy and the most significant policy intervention in favor of coal since the early 2000s.

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