Articles by Zahra Hirji

If US Inflation Reflected Rising Home Insurance Costs, It’d Be Even Higher

If the rising price of homeowners insurance were factored into the US Consumer Price Index — a key metric of inflation — it could have added 80 basis points, or about 0.8%, to last year’s CPI increase of 3.4%, according …

Texas Fires Have Emitted a Near-Record Amount of Carbon

Texas fires released roughly 3.4 million metric ton of carbon dioxide in January and February, according to a new analysis. In January, Texas fires pumped out 440,400 tons of CO2 emissions, according to Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service data shared with …

SEC Scales Back New Pollution-Disclosure Rules for Companies

The Securities and Exchange Commission will force companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions for the first time, but watered down a key requirement after heavy lobbying from industry groups. After receiving thousands of comment letters and numerous litigation threats, …

Canada’s Explosive Wildfires Damage Forest Set Aside for Carbon Offset Project

Canada’s explosive wildfire season has already pumped millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Some of that carbon is coming from vegetation burned at a carbon offset project, highlighting the fragility of a tool the world is relying …

East Palestine Community Struggles to Trust Authorities and Norfolk Southern After Train Disaster

The Norfolk Southern Corp. train was on fire when it passed Jessica Conard’s backyard in East Palestine, Ohio. Conard was lying in bed, blinds closed, unaware of the catastrophe barreling into her hometown. “My first realization that something was up …