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IN TODAY’S RADIO REPORT: International Energy Agency pledges to release strategic oil reserves in attempt to calm soaring global prices; Now you see it, now you don’t — California’s snowpack rapidly melting; PLUS: Study finds simultaneous heat waves and droughts have increased significantly, thanks to man-made global warming… All that and more in today’s Green News Report!
Green News Report
with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen
3/12/2026
‘Green News Report’ – March 12, 2026 | With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen... · · · · · ‘Green News Report’ – March 12, 2026 | With Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...
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IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): How would the Iran crisis play out in a world powered by renewables not fossil fuels?; What does the Iran war mean for the energy transition and climate action?; Mapped: How extreme weather is destroying crops around the world; Air pollution spikes as Trump doubles down on coal power; Trump’s BLM is going all-in on resource extraction … PLUS: FCC deciding whether to allow startup to launch huge mirror satellite to blast sunlight on cities at nighttime … and much, MUCH more! …
STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…
- IEA countries pledge to release 400 million barrels from strategic oil reserves:
- Iran strikes neutralise record IEA reserves release as oil tops $100 (Euronews):
Brent futures rose sharply on Thursday, spiking above $100 before easing slightly but remaining higher than levels seen earlier in the week as markets stay incredibly volatile. This comes despite an unprecedented decision by the 32-member International Energy Agency (IEA) on Wednesday to release a record 400 million barrels to calm markets, more than double the volume released after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
- Oil could hit $150 amid Gulf shutdown, Wood Mackenzie says (Reuters)
- Shares skid, oil surges above $100 a barrel as Iran attacks Gulf shipping (Reuters)
- US to release 172 million barrels of oil from strategic reserve to combat energy price hike (Politico):
Trump, who spent years attacking the Biden administration for tapping the SPR in 2022, touted the IEA effort at a rally in Kentucky on Wednesday, saying it will “substantially reduce the oil prices as we end this threat to America and this threat to the world.”
- AUDIO: Countries agree to a historic release of stockpiled oil to ease global disruption (NPR)
- VIDEO: Oil prices are falling “” gas prices aren’t. Here’s why. (CBS News)
- With the war in Iran, experts predict even higher gas prices before they can come down (Northeastern Univ.)
- Crude prices make record jump as Trump’s measures fail to calm markets (Politico):
The Trump administration has yet to solve the fundamental issue of getting oil and gas tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz again, analysts said.
- Trump Administration’s contradictory statements exacerbate global market volatility:
- Actuarial Warfare: How Seven Insurance Letters Closed the World’s Most Critical Chokepoint and Why Markets Are Mispricing Duration by 300% (Shanaka Anslem Perera/Substack)
- How Trump and His Advisers Miscalculated Iran’s Response to War (NY Times):
In the lead-up to the U.S.-Israeli attack, President Trump downplayed the risks to the energy markets as a short-term concern that should not overshadow the mission to decapitate the Iranian regime.
- Energy Sec Chris Wright’s accidental post causes chaos in the market (Raw Story)
- US Navy tells shipping industry Hormuz escorts not possible for now (Reuters)
- Trump/Republicans block green policies that would help Americans today:
- AUDIO: Prof. David Faris, Roosevelt Univ: Iran War’s ‘Short-Term Pain for Long-Term Gain’? What Long Term-Gain?! (‘BradCast’ 3/11/2026)
- ‘GOP mutiny’ reported as rising gas prices send Republicans into midterm panic (Raw Story)
- Surviving on Trump’s Dangerous Planet: Yet another war, and yet another argument for an end to oil (Bill McKibben, The Crucial Years)
- Central US sees more turbulent weather – even a blizzard:
- Extreme Temperature Diary- Wednesday March 11th, 2026/Main Topic: First Life Threatening Heat Wave For 2026- During Winter No Less (Guy Walton/Guy on Climate)
- Severe weather threat lingers for parts of U.S. after deadly tornadoes tear across Midwest (NBC News)
- Rain, snow and ‘damaging’ winds coming to Chicago area after tornadoes destroyed homes (NBC)
- Back-to-back winter storms target millions across Midwest, New England with blizzard conditions, feet of snow (MSN)
- Potentially historic heat wave strikes Southwestern US:
- Record Heat Set to Roast Los Angeles and the Southwest (Bloomberg):
The high temperatures will cut into California’s snowpack, raising the risk that drought will return.
- Fire officials bracing for a wild wildfire season (Arizona Sonoran News)
- Colorado lawmakers call for U.S. Forest Service to ‘accelerate’ wildfire mitigation projects amid historically poor snowpack (Aspen Times)
- California’s snowpack melting rapidly:
- Satellite photos show California’s sudden snowpack meltdown: Now you see it, now you don’t (LA Times)
- California to see unprecedented heat wave in coming days (SF Chronicle)
- Experts issue warning as major US region braces for intense wildfire season: ‘Not that much time left for things to turn around’ (The Cool Down)
- Simultaneous heat waves and droughts are striking more frequently:
- Heat waves that spark damaging droughts are happening more frequently, study finds (AP):
Heat waves that lead to sudden and damaging drought are spreading across the globe at an accelerating rate, highlighting how climate change-fueled extremes can build dangerously off each other, a new study found.
‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (Stuff we didn’t have time for in today’s audio report)…
For a comprehensive roundup of daily environmental news you can trust, see the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Daily Headlines page
- How would the Iran crisis play out in a world powered by renewables not fossil fuels? (The Conversation)
- Q&A: What does the Iran war mean for the energy transition and climate action? (Carbon Brief)
- Mapped: How extreme weather is destroying crops around the world (Carbon Brief)
- FCC deciding whether to allow startup to launch huge mirror satellite to blast sunlight on cities at nighttime (Futurism)
- Air pollution spikes as Trump doubles down on coal power (E&E News)
- Trump’s BLM is going all-in on resource extraction (High Country News)
- Justice Dept. says Trump can overrule California and approve oil pipeline (NY Times)
- Yes, Climate Still Matters. Here’s How It Connects to Every Other Crisis in the World Today. (Drilled)
- What Are The Biggest Climate Polluters Near You? (Yale Climate Connections)
- Climate change is accelerating, scientists find in ‘grim’ report (Yale Climate Connections)
- How Trump’s War on Climate Science impacts all Americans (Bloomberg)
- Solar Is Liberation (Rolling Stone)
- Governments legally required to address climate change, global court says (Inside Climate News)
- David Attenborough’s ‘Ocean’ is a brutal, beautiful wake-up call from the sea (AP)
- Wall Street Journal: Clean energy transition is unstoppable (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Can we avoid the enshittification of clean-energy tech? (David Roberts, Volts)
- Stop emissions, stop warming: A climate reality check (Dr. Andrew Dessler, Climate Brink)
- Who Will Care for Americans Left Behind by Climate Migration? (Pro Publica)
- Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point? (The Oceanography Society)
- How Oil Companies Manipulate Journalists (Drilled)
- How To Spot 5 Of The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Biggest Disinformation Tactics (Guardian)
- The Oceans We Knew Are Already Gone (The Atlantic)
- How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
- Complete Series: Farmers Under Attack for Supporting Clean Energy (This Is Not Cool blog)
- Feeling Overwhelmed About Going All-Electric at Home? Here’s How to Get Started (Inside Climate News)
- Feeling Hopeless About the Climate? Try Our 30-Day Action Plan (The Revelator)
- Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Pro Publica)
- Exxon’s Snake Oil: 100 years of deception (Columbia Journalism Review)
- Project Drawdown: 100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming (Drawdown.org)
What climate problems?
(How broadcast TV networks covered climate change in 2025).