A ballot measure written by a conservative nonprofit could amend the Colorado Constitution to enshrine fossil fuel companies’ right to sell methane gas and possibly force communities that have tried to eliminate gas appliances from new construction to back away from those efforts. Advance Colorado, which wrote the measure and led the effort to gather enough signatures to add the measure to…
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A new report on climate in Europe found that last month — which saw a series of heat waves — was the hottest June in the western portion of the continent on record. What’s more, the findings from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which partnered with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts to produce the report, noted that last month was also the second-hottest…
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This story originally appeared in Prism on June 29, 2026.
Across the country, politicians are starting to heed the public’s concerns about data centers.
Almost 75% of Americans across the political spectrum oppose constructing data centers near their homes, according to a recent Gallup poll. A majority—63%—are concerned by federal regulatory agencies’ practice of approving projects without first evaluating environmental and public health concerns.
These numbers not only paint a stark picture of the massive backlash to the rapid and rapacious buildout of data processing facilities (some of which consume enough energy to power a midsize city), but they’re also an indicator that the public feels very differently than the corporations pushing for their construction. The country has never been more divided, but on data centers, residents agree: It’s time to pump the brakes.
Communities that are already forced to contend with the consequences of data centers warn of their near-constant noise pollution, voracious consumption of water, and discharge of pollutants into local ecosystems. However, it’s not just environmental concerns that undergird the community-led protests against data center development. Many are also concerned about how data centers come to fruition—often through violations of democratic processes in the form of shadowy backroom deals and nondisclosure agreements. There’s also the continued rise in utility rates at a time when nearly half (49%) of American households don’t make enough money to cover expenses. Americans contend with issues of drought, fossil fuel dependence, and habitat loss. Generational farmland is being gobbled up to prop up acres of data warehouses. The list goes on.
Three years after OpenAI’s artificial intelligence (AI) tool Chat GPT forever changed the world’s orientation to computing, governments are responding
A heat wave is spreading across the U.S. this week that will affect over 250 million people from the Midwest to the East Coast. Last week, a heat dome covered much of Europe, causing over 1,300 excess deaths. This week, a new heat dome is bringing record-shattering heat to two thirds of the U.S. population, affecting areas that normally do not see such high temperatures.
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A recently published study finds that the current heat wave embroiling Europe would be “virtually impossible” were it not for human-made climate change. The study from World Weather Attribution notes that, over the regions of the continent they examined, this heat wave is the most severe that has ever been seen, with nearly half of the cities and geographical areas observed breaking heat…
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A new poll demonstrates that nearly two-thirds of registered voters across the U.S. believe the climate crisis is contributing to increases in their home utility bills. The survey, conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communications and published earlier this week, also notes that, ahead of the 2026 midterms, there is a strong preference among the American electorate for candidates…
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