The Drain
Climate Journalism is “Breaking but Not Broken”
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
The 2026 Pulitzer Prize announcements happened this week and environmental reporting was in the mix though not central enough if you ask me. Here’s where it shined: The Breaking News Reporting category was dominated by journalism covering climate-fueled extreme weather. Finalists included staff of the Seattle Times for more than 100 stories covering catastrophic …
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CONTINUE READINGDoes Taking Oil Money Disqualify You from Being Governor?
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
UPDATE: At the time I published this article, Xavier Becerra had received the max contribution from Chevron of $39,200. Since publishing, Becerra has received much more support in the form of independent expenditures. As of May 21, Chevron had given $500,000 to an independent campaign committee supporting Becerra for governor. As of May 12, California …
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CONTINUE READINGBest Climate Anthem? Here’s Your Earth Day Playlist
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
Three years ago, I made the case that Taylor Swift should write a climate anthem because movements need their own music. It hasn’t happened yet. But if you dig a little deeper than the Billboard Hot 100, there are songwriters today who include environmental messages in their music and they follow in the footsteps of …
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CONTINUE READINGBig Oil Could Pay for Climate-Fueled Insurance Hikes
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
There are several ways to try to make polluters pay. California is considering a new one — empower the state Attorney General to sue oil and gas companies to recover costs on behalf of Californians specifically related to the housing insurance market. Survivors, taxpayers and policyholders — whose rates are skyrocketing as a result of …
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CONTINUE READINGBlow Your Mind on Space Pics to Save the World
NASA
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
Hope, optimism, humility and awe have been in short supply. This week, I felt all of these things not once but twice — first while sitting in the dark at the movies and again while watching the NASA livestream of Artemis II’s lunar flyby. There is nothing like space exploration to change your frame of …
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CONTINUE READINGDemocratic Governors and the A-word
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
The governors and legislative leaders of several blue states on the East Coast are obsessed with the A-word: affordability. So much so that several of them are looking to pull money away from state programs that boost renewable energy and energy efficiency, as a shortcut to try to lower electricity costs. In Maryland, Rhode Island, …
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CONTINUE READINGWe are Hitting a Major Methane Milestone
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
This year, we celebrate 250 years since its discovery. No, I don’t mean America (though plans are underway to celebrate the semiquincentennial this July.) I’m talking about methane — that colorless, odorless, flammable and short-lived but super potent greenhouse gas that is helping heat the planet faster than carbon dioxide. It was 250 years ago …
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CONTINUE READINGA Tour of BYD’s Factory in Lancaster, California
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
Next time you travel to Mexico, look out for seals, dolphins, and sharks. Not at the beach —when you’re driving. Those are names of a few of the EV models made by China’s BYD that are quickly proliferating in Mexico. The dolphin is a hatchback mini. The seal is a 4-door that looks a little …
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CONTINUE READINGAn “Unprecedented” Heat Wave is Just the Start
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
Dust off your fan or set the thermostat for your heat pump. A heat wave is in the forecast for the western U.S., bringing 90-plus degree heat to much of California and records are likely to fall. Temperatures that are 20-30 degrees above normal for this time of year are on tap starting today. It’s …
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CONTINUE READINGIs Climate Journalism Up to the Task in 2026?
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
We need strong climate journalism now more than ever and there’s some good news to report on that front. Important voices on the climate beat are cranking up the volume, especially via new digital platforms. But first, the bad news. We now know that 2025 was Earth’s third warmest year on record — featuring firestorms …
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