The third United Nations Ocean Conference wrapped up last week in Nice, France, with mixed success. The biggest takeaways? A group of 19 countries signed onto the UN High Seas Treaty, bringing the total signatories up to 50. The treaty, which covers international waters covering up 60% of the world’s oceans, would require countries to collaborate on the creation of marine protective areas as well as the regulation of human activities like fishing. The agreement needs 60 countries before it goes into action.
Brace yourself for some hot, muggy weather: Southerly winds and unusually warm temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic are cranking up the humidity across nearly 40 states over the next two weeks. Those same overheated waters helped fuel the deadly downpours in Virginia––and they’re now setting the stage for more severe storms across the Plains and the Midwest.
Plant-based eaters can now duck into Denny’s for breakfast. After a limited March debut, the Plant-Based Pancake Slam—which features multigrain pancakes, fruit, and crispy hashbrowns—is now available across 1,311 locations. The addition marks a milestone in chain’s multi-year shift to expand its plant-based offerings, beginning with the addition of Beyond Burgers in 2020 and a trail with popular grocery-store vegan brand Dr. Praeger in 2023.
Big banks handed more than $869 billion to fossil fuel firms last year, according to a new report from the Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, and other organizations. This brings their total post–Paris Agreement financing to $6.9 trillion. Despite pledges to reach net-zero by 2050 through initiatives like the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), cracks are showing: Six of the biggest banks in North America pulled out of the NZBA in late 2024 following President Trump’s re-election, despite growing evidence of the financial risks of worsening climate change.
Older companies are often more sustainable than younger brands, according to a new study in Frontiers in Organizational Psychology. The authors looked at hundreds of firms of a range of ages and found that businesses that have been around for decades, especially those founded before 1850, tend to be more sustainable—possibly due to many years under the public eye. They aren’t off the hook though: The authors say policymakers should encourage mature companies to adopt more cutting-edge technologies while guiding younger ones towards sustainability strategies.
