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Climate

The Data Center Backlash Should Also Be a Climate Reckoning. It Isn’t Yet
Power Play

The Data Center Backlash Should Also Be a Climate Reckoning. It Isn’t Yet

Climate groups are latching onto the data center opposition movement, but it remains to be seen if they can get people to care about the facilities’ impact on the atmosphere.
Molly Taft
Comb Over

Tiny Hairs That Help Corals Breathe May Malfunction in Warming Oceans

Marlowe Starling
It Still Feels Like Summer in Parts of the US. Blame El Niño
Can’t Beat the Heat

It Still Feels Like Summer in Parts of the US. Blame El Niño

Dennis Mersereau

Regulations and Solutions

Plastic Is Melting Onto Corals

Plastic Is Melting Onto Corals

Scientists have found a new form of pollution, one where plastic and pieces of coral become irreversibly intertwined.
Ritsuko Kawai
Why This Weekend’s Nor’easter Is Like a Hurricane

Why This Weekend’s Nor’easter Is Like a Hurricane

Nor’easters are usually a winter phenomenon. But this week’s storm is arriving earlier than usual, and it could take on some characteristics more typical of tropical systems.
Dennis Mersereau
AI Agents Are Thirsty for Power

AI Agents Are Thirsty for Power

Silicon Valley is shifting away from chatbot queries toward a future filled with resource-intensive agentic AI—and it's driving the data center buildout.
Molly Taft
The Best Air Quality Monitors We’ve Tested Around Our Homes

The Best Air Quality Monitors We’ve Tested Around Our Homes

These WIRED-tested indoor and outdoor air quality monitors give you insights into your home’s air quality, warn of potentially harmful pollutant levels, and help keep tabs on your environment.
Molly Higgins

Oceans and Waterways

You Don’t Have a Right to Safe Drinking Water, Trump-Appointed Judge Rules

You Don’t Have a Right to Safe Drinking Water, Trump-Appointed Judge Rules

And if your tap water is undrinkable, you have no “constitutional right to truthful information” about it.
Sophie Hurwitz
The Best Water Leak Detectors I Trust in My Home

The Best Water Leak Detectors I Trust in My Home

Don’t let busted pipes or an overflowing washing machine dampen your day. These smart water sensors can help you catch problems quicker.
Simon Hill
How Rising Temperatures Likely Contributed to Nepal’s Deadly Flood

How Rising Temperatures Likely Contributed to Nepal’s Deadly Flood

Climate change is causing glaciers to retreat and become less stable, upping the odds of catastrophic collapses.
Molly Taft
Is Expensive Bottled Water Actually Better for You?

Is Expensive Bottled Water Actually Better for You?

Luxury water can contain different minerals and taste noticeably different. But a remote source, alkaline pH, and high price do not necessarily mean better hydration.
Megan Tomos

Extreme Heat

The Super El Niño Won’t Fix the West’s Water Crisis

The Super El Niño Won’t Fix the West’s Water Crisis

“People have talked about the Colorado River crisis for decades—we’re now in it,” says one expert. “Everyone you talk to is like, ‘Shit, man.’”
Molly Taft
Puerto Rico Is Rationing Water. It Could’ve Avoided It by Harvesting Rainwater

Puerto Rico Is Rationing Water. It Could’ve Avoided It by Harvesting Rainwater

The island could capture billions of gallons of water a year if it implemented systems to catch it as it falls from the sky.
Yessenia Funes
Spokane Shows What the New Era of Wildfires Looks Like

Spokane Shows What the New Era of Wildfires Looks Like

With rising temperatures and drier conditions, fires are more likely to explode. And with more people living next to forests, the results can be catastrophic.
Sachi Kitajima Mulkey
France Had Never Seen a ‘Fire Cloud’ Until This Month’s Record-Smashing Blazes

France Had Never Seen a ‘Fire Cloud’ Until This Month’s Record-Smashing Blazes

Extreme fire conditions on the ground have created unprecedented conditions in the atmosphere.
Brian Kahn