The week in climate
Trump’s data center pollution problem, some good news for conservation and more climate news.
Climate Forward
August 9, 2026

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

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The New York Times

Trump’s Vision for A.I. Dominance Comes With Major Air Pollution →

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Salwan Georges for The New York Times

How the Reflecting Pool Came to Mirror Trump’s Washington →

Reddish rock formations sit against a blue sky.

Alex Goodlett for The New York Times

Documents Undercut Trump’s Claims About Utah National Monument →

Photo of an Amazon logo hanging on a green wall that reads “AWS.”

Danielle Villasana/Reuters

New Amazon Data Center Stokes Worry It Would Be the Most Polluting Power Plant in the U.S. →

Various Sesame Street characters, including Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Elmo, look out the window on a rainy day.

Netflix

Extreme Weather Brings Fierce Winds, and Gentle Hugs, to Sesame Street →

Dozens of wind turbines on a vast plain on a cloudless day.

Nick Oxford/Reuters

Federal Judge Orders Pentagon to Lift Freeze on Wind Power →

A photo illustration of 16 creatures including birds, reptiles, mammals and fish, arranged in a grid against a black background.

Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark

100 Animals and Plants Just Got Some Much-Needed Help →

Wind turbines stand in the ocean.

Joshua A. Bickel/Associated Press

Trump Administration to Pay German Firm $1.2 Billion to Cancel Wind Leases →

Photos of President Trump and Vice President Vance hang in the doorway of an entrance at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Eric Lee for The New York Times

Appeals Court Says E.P.A. Cannot Block Billions in Climate Grants →

CLIMATE FORWARD

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

A person wearing gloves and a scarf over their mouth writes on a piece of paper while examining dead birds on a beach.

Birds Are Dying. Clues Point to El Niño.

A die-off of seabirds has some experts thinking an El Niño weather pattern is to blame, a look at data centers and pollution, and more climate news.

By Catrin Einhorn

Workers shovel piles of green-yellow seaweed.

Mexico Declares War on Stinky Seaweed

A changing climate is helping to fuel the growth of a gigantic blob of foul-smelling seaweed that has washed up in some coastal communities. Mexico is fighting back.

By Claire Brown

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