Follow and stream @GreenNewsReport!…



(Or use “Click here to listen…” link below.)

Green News Report with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen 5/21/2026

‘Green News Report’ – May 21, 2026  |  With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen   · · · · ·   ‘Green News Report’ – May 21, 2026  |  With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen

30s 30s

0:00 0:00

Download Episode Link to this page Embed on your site! Subscribe RSS/Podcast

Got comments, tips, love letters, hate mail? Drop us a line at GreenNews@BradBlog.com or right here at the comments link below. All GNRs are always archived at GreenNews.BradBlog.com.

IN ‘GREEN NEWS EXTRA’ (see links below): Iran energy shock supports boom in renewables and electrification; Salmon are at risk with federal plans to give farmers more water from Shasta Lake, critics warn; Interior Dept. decided on its $1B oil bribe to stop wind power before it had a reason; Feds renew order to keep Michigan coal plant open; Hit by weather and costs, Kansas wheat crop could be worst since 1972 … PLUS: There’s a solar boom in rural America. Can agriculture and renewable energy share the land? … and much, MUCH more! …

STORIES DISCUSSED ON TODAY’S ‘GREEN NEWS REPORT’…

• VIDEO Snark: Fertilizer shortage makes s*** more valuable (Daily Show/Youtube)
• China’s Xi rejects Putin’s bid for new Russian natural gas pipeline:
• Putin, Xi signal unity but fail to reach deal on pipeline sought by Russia (Washington Post):
  Amid the elaborate ceremony of a visit to Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday failed once again to persuade Chinese leader Xi Jinping to sign off on a major new gas pipeline, underscoring once again the importance – and limitations – of Russia’s growing dependency on China for energy sales.
• Rosenberg: Putin enjoys Xi’s Chinese welcome but heads home without pipeline deal (BBC)
• The 2,600km gas pipeline from Russia to China that Putin hopes will rescue a stalling economy (UK Independent)
• Multiple wildfires breaking out across Southern California
• Multiple wildfires trigger unhealthy air quality alert in Southern California (LA Times/MSN)
• Containment grows on Sandy fire, other SoCal blazes. But shifting winds pose challenge (LA Times)
• Southern California’s Sandy Fire in Simi Valley reaches 2,100 acres with 22% containment; evacuation orders remain (CBS-LA)
• Fire tearing through Santa Rosa Island reaches critically endangered trees (LA Times/Yahoo News):
  The critically endangered Torrey pine tree only grows naturally two places in the world — a state park near San Diego and on Santa Rosa Island — and one of those places is on fire. A wildfire sparked by a flare from a shipwrecked sailor has burned through nearly one-third of Santa Rosa Island, including the Torrey pine grove on the east side of the island, according to the National Park Service. The extent of damage done to the nation’s rarest pine tree species remains unclear. But there is reason for hope.
• Fire crews battle massive fire near Ruidoso, New Mexico:
• Capitan rallies as Seven Cabins Fire crews battle flames and rough terrain (KOB-TV Albuquerque)
• Seven Cabins Fire: 7% contained, mop-up operations continue (KTSM-TV El Paso)
• One year later: Ruidoso still recovering from fires, floods (Organ Mountain News, 6/19/2025)
• Denver, CO develops first-ever urban fire evacuation plan:
• After a historically dry winter, Denver officials draft a mass evacuation plan (Rocky Mountain PBS):
  The office is drafting a mass evacuation plan, which Mueller said is a first for the city because it takes into account wildfire threats. While previous plans included evacuation protocols in the event of a hazardous materials disaster or a failure at Cherry Creek Dam, wildfires were a blind spot. “We have not had a plan for something like that in Denver because we have frankly, historically not had wildfire risks,” said Mueller. “In the city of Denver, that’s not something we’ve had to deal with before.”
• Oil industry experts increasingly alarmed over Iran War’s oil and gas supply shock:
• Oil market clock is ticking as supply crunch looms (Reuters)
• Iran war rapidly wiping out the world’s oil stockpile cushion (Economic Times)
• Auto industry braces for motor oil shortage (CNN)
• VIDEO: When Oil Tanks hit Bottom, All Bets are Off (This Is Not Cool)
• VIDEO: We’re going towards a cliff on oil says Hochstein (Bloomberg)
• VIDEO: Oil Off a Cliff in June, the Rise of China (This Is Not Cool)
• Trump’s Iran War has cost Americans $45 billion so far:
• War for Oil Siphoning from Middle Class to Rich (This Is Not Cool)
“The question is, of course, who is the U.S.?” said Isabella Weber, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. “If we look at the different income groups in the United States, it’s really the richest of the rich who benefit from this. The majority of people hardly have any benefit from it and are in fact carrying a much larger cost burden.”
• As electric bills rise, some states are focusing on the growing profits of utilities (AP)
• Mexico moves to decrease dependence on U.S. natural gas:
• VIDEO: Mexico Will Cut Cord to Texas Gas (This Is Not Cool)
• Sheinbaum targets natural gas production as next step in energy sovereignty push (Mexico News Daily)
• Mexico’s Sheinbaum defends energy shift to cut reliance on U.S. gas (UPI)
• Electric vehicles now make up 25% of global vehicle sales:
• IEA: Global EV sales headed for another record year despite the early stumble (Electrek):
  According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) new Global EV Outlook, electric car sales are expected to hit 23 million in 2026, making up nearly 30% of all new cars sold worldwide. That comes after EV sales topped 20 million in 2025, up 20% year over year, with 1 in 4 new cars sold globally now electric.
• IEA: Oil Shock Sparks Surge in EV Sales (Oil Price International)

‘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

• Iran energy shock supports boom in renewables and electrification (Bloomberg, no paywall)
• Salmon are at risk with federal plans to give farmers more water from Shasta Lake, critics warn (LA Times)
• Interior Dept. decided on its $1B oil bribe to stop wind power before it had a reason (Electrek)
• Feds renew order to keep Michigan coal plant open (MIchigan Public Radio)
• There’s a solar boom in rural America. Can agriculture and renewable energy share the land? (NPR)
• Wet weather in Argentina helped fuel cruise ship hantavirus outbreak (Wired)
• Scientists accuse livestock industry of downplaying its climate emissions (Inside Climate News)
• Hit by weather and costs, Kansas wheat crop could be worst since 1972 (AP)
• In Coal Country, black lung surges as federal protections stall (Yale e360)
• Trump officials, billionaires, and the quiet reshaping of America’s public lands (Floodlight)
• Sign of the times: NextEra-Dominion merger would create a utility giant (E&E News)
• Black dust covers Oklahoma town as residents face renewed pollution fears (KOCO-TV Oklahoma City)
• US-Mexico border wall is desecrating sacred sites, Indigenous leaders say (AP)
• The worst climate future is less likely, but the best one is slipping away (AP)
• Trump Administration Fails to Protect Endangered Wildlife From Atrazine (Center for Biological Diversity)
• The dawn of 24/7 solar power (with battery storage (Ghost Archive: Financial Times, no paywall)
• It’s the Age of Electricity and America isn’t ready (NY Times)
• Stop emissions, stop warming: A climate reality check (Dr. Andrew Dessler, Climate Brink)
• How to electrify your life when you rent (The Verge)
• 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)