GRIST

MAY 1. 2026

Two months in, the Iran war has changed the global energy system forever

The conflict may be the beginning of the end of fossil fuel dominance.

While Zach Galifianakis finds peace in gardening, I’m at war with raccoons

Take it from the comedian and actor: “We should all know how to garden. It’s a better hobby than jetskiing. ”

Can a carbon price lower power bills? Virginia is betting yes.

The state is straining to cope with electricity demand from data centers. Governor Abigail Spanberger thinks rejoining RGGI will help.

APRIL 30. 2026

The SEC tried to silence activist investors. Now they’re fighting back.

Small investors, shut out of an SEC communication platform called EDGAR, built their own. They call it POE and say it will increase transparency.

Trump’s plan for ultra-fast meat processing would be a disaster for workers and the environment

Labor organizers, environmental advocates, and economists agree: This is a bad idea.

APRIL 29. 2026

One night a year, humans command this march of frogs and salamanders

The first warm, wet spring night draws amphibians from the woods, bearing evidence of threats from warming winters, drying pools, and traffic.

Indigenous peoples bear the brunt of climate change — and get almost none of the money to fight it

Billion-dollar climate funds have structural barriers that keep Indigenous peoples from accessing them. Advocates say that's not a bug, it's a feature.

Illinois is feuding with itself over endangered species protections

The state Department of Transportation has sidestepped endangered species protections in 11 cases, according to public records.

APRIL 28. 2026

He’s the only lead tester in this contaminated neighborhood. He graduates next month.

The lack of inexpensive and comprehensive toxics testing has created a fragile public safety net in polluted towns across the country.

This Supreme Court ‘victory’ for oil giants is not what it seems

A recent ruling puts $745 million to restore Louisiana's coastline in doubt. But the effort to get Chevron to pay is far from over.

APRIL 27. 2026

Nearly two decades after landmark Indigenous rights declaration, countries still aren’t complying

At the UN, global leaders say governments must stop talking and start implementing protections they adopted.

The world is getting too hot to feed itself

A new UN report maps how extreme heat is tearing through every layer of the global food system — and mostly overlooks the people at the heart of it

The huge, untapped potential of planting rooftop gardens in cities

To adapt to a rapidly warming world, metropolises are looking to green roofs, which boost biodiversity and reduce temperatures and flooding.

Michigan wins key legal battle over Line 5 pipeline

Michigan’s decades-long fight to shut down the Line 5 pipeline will be heard in state court after the U. S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the dispute belongs there, clearing the way for judges to weigh whether the aging oil pipeline can continue crossing the Straits of Mackinac.