California moves to protect vehicle emissions standards
On Thursday June 12, President Donald Trump signed a measure to block California from enforcing a first-in-the-nation ban on new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. The move was met almost immediately by a complaint from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 10 other states that follow California’s emissions rules. For more than 50 years, the Golden State has requested waivers from the EPA to set stricter tailpipe emissions regulations than the rest of the country due to the state’s historically high air pollution and smog, and the ban on gas-powered cars is no different: The Biden administration granted California three such waivers to get the job done. The complaint charges that the federal government unlawfully used the Congressional Review Act (CRA)—a tool that allows Congress to overturn rules issued by federal agencies—to block the ban. According to the complaint, waivers aren’t subject to the CRA because they aren’t considered proper rules. This complaint isn’t the only tactic on the table; Senator Alex Padilla said he would place a blanket hold on EPA nominations “until Republicans allow California to protect the health of its residents,” and Governor Gavin Newsom has directed the air board to develop new mandates.
Behind the scenes at a zero-waste restaurant
You won’t find a single trash can at Baldío, Mexico City’s first-ever zero-waste restaurant. Recently awarded a Michelin Green Star—an honor recognizing restaurants around the world that demonstrate an unwavering commitment to environmental responsibility—the eatery only sources local ingredients grown using regenerative agriculture and the ancient chinampa system, a floating garden technique developed by the Aztecs and still practiced by Indigenous farmers in nearby Xochimilco. As reported in The Guardian, Baldío was founded by brothers Lucio and Pablo Usobiaga in collaboration with chef Doug McMaster, who started London’s acclaimed zero-waste restaurant Silo. Both Baldío’s food and spirits programs rely on advanced fermentation and other food preservation techniques to eliminate waste, transforming everything from rinds and peels to fish offal into star menu components.
Trump administration to ‘phase out’ FEMA
Experts have estimated that the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which started this month, is likely to be above normal due to warmer-than-average ocean temperatures, among other factors. It’s also the last hurricane season that will have disaster relief support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). President Trump said last week that he plans to phase out the agency at the end of the season, instead shifting responsibility to states. “This is a complete misunderstanding of the role of the federal government in emergency management and disaster response and recovery, and it’s an abdication of that role when a state is overwhelmed,” a FEMA leader told CNN. So far, around a quarter of full-time staff members have left since the beginning of the Trump administration, including the top official at FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center, who departed Wednesday.
The EU is here to fill a U.S.–sized hole in climate action
Europe is stepping up to fill the void in climate regulation leadership as the Trump administration continues to bulldoze environmental legislation. As reported in Bloomberg, the European Union’s climate policies are convincing companies to shift business practices for the better. One recent example: The EU plans to do away with customs exceptions for low-value imports, a move that would help eliminate the invasion of cheaply made online goods. The regulatory framework has already forced Shein, fast fashion’s biggest polluter, to adapt its operations, including a promise to launch a €200 million “circularity fund” to support businesses developing textile recycling technologies. Despite some opposition on green policies, the EU, per Bloomberg, “is pushing ahead with green rules—and anyone wanting to do business with Europe is finding they need to align with this goal.”