Consumer

"Demand for air conditioners is surging in markets where both incomes and temperatures are rising, populous places like India, China, Indonesia and the Philippines."

"Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin scrapped a planned vote on a prominent Department of Energy nominee Wednesday morning. The West Virginia Democrat pulled Jeff Marootian, nominee to lead the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, from a markup agenda because of the agency’s proposed rules on gas stoves."

"Residents of communities with bigger Black and Hispanic populations are more likely to be exposed to harmful levels of “forever chemicals” in their water supplies, a new study has found."

"A staple seafood species caught by East Coast fishers for centuries is experiencing overfishing, and regulators have cut catch quotas by more than 80% to prevent the fish’s population from collapse. Haddock are one of the most popular Atlantic fish, and a favorite for fish and chips and other New England seafood dishes."

"At a barbecue on campus last week, flames licked a set of sausage links as scientist Blake Foraker worked on the perfect grill marks. ...  With permission from the Food and Drug Administration, WSU researchers made them from pigs whose DNA has been changed."

"Global plastic pollution could be slashed by 80% by 2040, according to a report from the UN Environment Programme (Unep). The changes needed are major, but are also practical and affordable, the agency said."

"Adverts that claim products are carbon neutral using offsets are to be banned by the UK’s advertising watchdog unless companies can prove they really work, the Guardian can reveal, as Gucci becomes the latest company to struggle with a high-profile environmental commitment based on offsetting."

"In Sierra Leone, 99 percent of the population still uses polluting cooking methods."

"A federal flood insurance overhaul to adjust for rising climate change risks has left Americans facing eye-popping bills".