Inside Climate News

Nearly three-quarters of Americans tell pollsters these days they think climate change is real and 61% say that humans are the cause, through our burning of fossil fuels. But there's a countertrend: Renewed energy among climate deniers to spread climate disinformation.

North Carolina gubernatorial candidate — and front-runner for the Republican nomination — Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson isn't leaving anyone to guess where he stands on climate change: He calls it "junk science."

The American Lung Association says in a new report that the elimination of tailpipe emissions coupled with a switch to clean energy to charge EVs could prevent a cumulative 89,300 premature deaths, 2.2 million asthma attacks and $978 billion in public health costs nationwide between 2020 and 2050.

Advocates for changing the way electricity is managed and delivered in North Carolina are hoping that a bill filed in the state House of Representatives last week will give a boost to the idea. But don't hold your breath: The state's big utility, Duke Energy, opposes it and has a lot of influence at the General Assembly.

As North Carolina addresses the causes of climate change, much of the focus has been on switching from fossil-fuel power plants to renewable energy, such as wind and solar. We hear less about another important tactic — energy efficiency.

When it comes to fighting climate change, shifting electricity production away from fossil fuels is a critical part of the battle. The energy sector is the second-largest source of the heat-trapping pollution that causes global warming. As we close coal-fired plants, and eventually get rid of gas-fired power plants, too, the question is what will replace them.

The Charlotte Area Transit System is tapping the brakes on plans to convert to 100% electric buses by 2030. And the slowdown is raising concerns among council members and environmentalists that Charlotte might not be able to meet the city's climate goals.

Like hundreds of other cities, Louisville, Kentucky, is searching for a path to address climate change. Mayor Greg Fischer has declared a climate…

With the federal government's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, state and local governments in North Carolina have set their own ambitious…