Human-caused climate change is creating a new different kind of high: a sugar high. Data in Nature Climate Change shows that Americans consume more sugary drinks and frozen treats when the mercury climbs. The researchers compared 16 years of Nielsen data on shopping habits with the temperature, and found that consumption of treats and drinks with added sugar escalated in lockstep with heat up to 86 degrees F, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Though the per-person-per-day uptick in consumption could only be a few grams, the authors warn the trend portends an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and other diseases. The findings also highlight how addictive sweetened drinks can be and how scarce safe drinking water is in some parts of the country, Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, told The Washington Post.
Greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. in the first half of 2025 have already set back global climate progress. That’s according to a new report from independent think tank Rhodium Group. While U.S. emissions will decrease by anywhere from 26% to 35% by 2035 (yay!), the abrupt policy swings implemented by the Trump administration have slashed potential progress (boo!). Rhodium forecasted a 36% to 56% drop in planet-warming gases last year when Biden-era energy and emissions policies were in place. That means the U.S., the world’s largest historic emitter, will also hinder broader efforts to curb global temperature rise. “The emissions trajectory is now a lot worse because of this policy whiplash,” Ben King, a director at Rhodium, told The Guardian.
If giving up meat entirely for the sake of the climate isn’t an appetizing proposition, would you consider going halfsies? A new startup called Carnéa Meat Co. hopes so. Staffed by former executives from mock meat powerhouses Impossible and Beyond, the Houston-based company is planning part-meat-part-plant products like bacon-and-artichoke sausages, brisket cut with jackfruit, and a beef, shallot, and shitake burger. The company has earned high praise for its goods: The sausage, it says, beat out a 100% pork offering at a taste test in the Lone Star State. Products aren’t in stores just yet, but founder Parendi Birdie told Green Queen they expect to match or even undercut the prices of their pure-meat counterparts. Until then, you can experiment with so-called “blended meat” at home with dishes like these pork and lentil meatballs.
EVs are the lowest-carbon passenger vehicle for anyone anywhere in the U.S., according to a first-of-its-kind analysis in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. The researchers looked at the entire lifecycle—including manufacturing, use, and disposal—of a range of vehicles and cross-referenced that with county-by-county data to factor in local weather and energy sources (i.e. fossil fuels versus renewables). EVs emerged victorious in every scenario, with emissions up to 36% lower than a plug-in hybrid, up to 65% less than a conventional hybrid, and up to 73% below a gas-powered car. Curious about making the EV switch but have some concerns? We’ve got you covered.
The oil and gas industry is on pace to spend less money on lobbying this year than it did in 2024. While that might sound like a good thing, experts warn the dip is a worrying indicator of the sector’s embedded influence in Washington, which includes enlisting people like former industry executive and climate disinformation mouthpiece Chris Wright to run the Department of Energy. OIl and gas interests have spent about $72 million so far this year, according to analysis from nonprofit watchdog OpenSecrets. This puts them on pace to dip below the $150 million they shelled out last year. “They had to spend more when you had bipartisan, shared control over government, and you didn’t have a rubber stamp in the Oval Office. Now they do,” Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program, commented to Inside Climate News.