Climate Solutions

The Environmental Protection Agency rule finalized Tuesday could eliminate a toxic threat to U.S. children and is projected to cost tens of billions of dollars.

In landmark move, EPA requires removal of all U.S. lead pipes in a decade

By Amudalat Ajasa and Silvia Foster-Frau

Letter from the Editor

Climate Solutions spotlights the work of people confronting the challenge of climate change and helps readers understand how they can make a difference as individuals.

By Matt Murray

Climate LeapA series examining the next batch of cutting-edge technologies to displace the world’s biggest sources of global warming emissions.

How water could be the future of fuel

A new generation of fuels could power planes and ships without warming the planet.

By Nicolás Rivero, Emily Wright and Mark Felix

Scientists may have found a radical solution for making your hamburger less bad for the planet

Scientists are studying how to genetically modify the makeup of cows’ gut microbiomes to prevent their planet-warming methane emissions.

By Shannon Osaka and Emily Wright

Editors’ picks

Should you worry about evacuating in an EV?

Electric vehicles have come a long way, but there are still steps you can take to be prepared to evacuate in one in an emergency.

Utilities are tapping into customers’ solar panels, home batteries and smart thermostats to avoid blackouts in a program establishing “virtual power plants.”

Why millions of Americans give up control of their thermostats

By Nicolás Rivero and Niko Kommenda

Three in four crop varieties have gone extinct. You can save the rest in your garden.

A citizen science project gives gardeners the chance to preserve heirloom crops that could be resistant to disease, pests and climate change.

While a key first step is trying to get less mail, here’s what to know about what can and can’t go into your recycling bin.

How to recycle your mail

It can be a sustainable option if you follow these tips.

Rental clothing seems like an environmental win. Is it?

How the AquaFence protected Tampa’s hospital during Helene

Should you worry about evacuating in an EV?

Architects are experimenting with a greener way to build.

A cheap, low-tech solution for storing carbon may be sitting in the dirt

By Dino Grandoni

Why millions of Americans give up control of their thermostats

By Nicolás Rivero and Niko Kommenda

Green SpacesBlueprints for a more resilient planet

This old-school building material could take over city skylines

By William Booth

An architect has found a way to build flood-proof homes

A star architect is building swaths of flood-resistant homes out of bamboo. What makes the material so “marvelous”?

By Nick Aspinwall

Uncharted TerritoryA look at the new frontier of ocean exploration, and ways to harness the sea's power for regeneration.

The high-tech hunt for one of the world’s most elusive sharks

Armed with new DNA tools, scientists are tracking animals’ genetic trail, helping us understand the breadth of life on Earth like never before.

By Dino Grandoni and Photos and videos by Greg Lecoeur

Alaska’s newest gold rush: Seaweed

In Alaska, ocean farming could chart a different path from the sort of extraction that’s defined it for more than two centuries.

By Juliet Eilperin

The race to map the world’s seagrass — before it disappears

Seagrasses are one of the world’s most productive underwater ecosystems, but they've long been overlooked.

Utilities are tapping into customers’ solar panels, home batteries and smart thermostats to avoid blackouts in a program establishing “virtual power plants.”

Why millions of Americans give up control of their thermostats

By Nicolás Rivero and Niko Kommenda

Three in four crop varieties have gone extinct. You can save the rest in your garden.

A citizen science project gives gardeners the chance to preserve heirloom crops that could be resistant to disease, pests and climate change.

While a key first step is trying to get less mail, here’s what to know about what can and can’t go into your recycling bin.

How to recycle your mail

Norway leads the world in EV adoption thanks in part to government incentives funded by oil and gas sales.

This country is now the world’s first to have more EVs than gas-powered cars

Climate Solutions spotlights the work of people confronting the challenge of climate change and helps readers understand how they can make a difference as individuals.

(Dan Koeck/For The Washington Post)

Letter from the Editor

By Matt Murray

Don’t throw away your old baby supplies. Here’s how to give them a new life.

Here’s how to give baby clothes, toys and strollers new life once they are no longer needed.

As extreme heat worsens, schools nationwide are increasingly replacing asphalt playgrounds with green, cooler spaces.

Why schools are ripping up playgrounds across the U.S.

By Anna Phillips

These states tried, and failed, to cut food waste. One succeeded.

A study of five states’ food waste bans found that most had no effect — except Massachusetts.

By Anna Phillips

How ancient healing hot springs could fuel a clean energy future

One hot spring town shows how Japan could turn its underground cauldron of geothermal heat into clean energy, without risking its centuries-old onsen tradition.

By Nicolás Rivero and Julia Mio Inuma

Does a slushy really help you cool down on a hot day?

Whether it’s a Slurpee, Frappuccino or frozen margarita, a slushy drink can bring your body temperature down fast on a hot day.

Scientists are studying how to genetically modify the makeup of cows’ gut microbiomes to prevent their planet-warming methane emissions.

Scientists may have found a radical solution for making your hamburger less bad for the planet

By Shannon Osaka and Emily Wright

How to give your old sneakers a second life

More than 300 million pairs of shoes end up in U.S. landfills each year. Your worn-out sneakers could have more value than you think.

In many parts of the world, on many days, a ceiling fan is all you’ll need.

Perspective

This appliance might be all you need to ditch your AC this summer

By Samanth Subramanian

Can rooftop solar panels survive hurricanes?

Rooftop solar panels are surprisingly resilient in the face of extreme weather, but wind and hail damage may not be covered under your home insurance policy.

Why 100% cotton, 100% linen and even 100% polyester can be better for the planet than blended fabrics.

The one thing you should look for on clothing labels when you go shopping

By Anna Kramer

Your phone’s emoji library is incomplete. Here’s what’s missing.

Many of Earth’s plants, animals and organisms aren’t in your phone’s emoji library. We’ve created 8 emojis to help compensate.

By Hailey Haymond, Dino Grandoni, Kasha Patel and Emily Sabens

(Shutterstock)

How to stop stains and keep your clothes out of the landfill

(Marijan Mura/DPA/Picture-Alliance/Getty Images)

This is the future of lawn mowers

A basic window unit is typically cheaper than other models and relatively easy to install, but they guzzle energy and can contribute to emissions.

Why you shouldn’t buy a basic window AC unit