The week in climate
‘Forever chemicals’ and drinking water, clean hydrogen underground and a new ‘super pollutant’ rule.
Climate Forward
May 24, 2026

Here is some of our best climate reporting from the week.

A historical engraving of an emaciated man and child beside a dying ox, with the skeleton of another ox visible in the distance.

Dea/Biblioteca Ambrosiana, via Getty Images

A Powerful El Niño Is Forming. If History Is a Guide, It Could Hit Hard. →

Lee Zeldin, in a light blue jacket and red tie, speaking into a microphone.

Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

E.P.A. to End Some Limits on ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water →

A wide view of a drilling site surrounded by trees.

The Quest for an Elusive Clean Fuel Is Moving Underground →

Article Image

Diana Cervantes for The New York Times

A Very Lonely Caterpillar, Possibly the Last of Its Kind, Has Died →

A green field, divided by white stripes, stretches toward a row of low hills in the distance.

Julie Ingwersen/Reuters

Fish and Wildlife Service Clears a Weedkiller, Saying It Won’t Cause Extinctions →

Solar panels and wind turbines under a mostly clear sky. The sun is low on the horizon.

Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Scientists Tweaked the Global Warming Outlook. So Trump Weighed In. →

A black, spotted insect with long, black, spotted antennas chews a tree branch.

Yiyi Dong

How ‘Sentinel Gardens’ Help Spot Dangerous Bugs Abroad →

A technician kneels by the exposed innards of an air conditioning unit on the side of a home.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Trump Eases Restrictions on Climate ‘Super Pollutants’ →

CLIMATE FORWARD

This week’s newsletter editions featuring news and analysis for a warming world.

A person carrying a fishing net walks along cracked soil beside a nearly dry riverbed.

A Strong El Niño Could Be Coming. Countries Are Already Preparing.

Experts say a powerful El Niño weather pattern could be forming, which could put serious strain on a planet that is already dangerously heating up.

By David Gelles

A few dozen people standing onstage clapping with NASDAQ and Fervo signs visible.

The New ‘Gold Rush’ of Geothermal Energy

A new wave of start-ups are trying to harvest emissions-free energy from inside the Earth, but the industry still faces significant challenges.

By David Gelles

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