December 10, 2025

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula residents are fighting for dark sky protections to combat light pollution as the region is on the cusp of a mining industry boom. (Katrina Miller/The New York Times)

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An investigation finds automakers and their suppliers opted not to act and blocked efforts to stop lead battery recycling poisoning over nearly three decades. (Will Fitzgibbon/The Examination & The New York Times) 

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the use of new “forever chemical” pesticides on crops, alongside plans to relax rules requiring companies to report products containing PFAS. (Amudalat Ajasa/The Washington Post)

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A federal judge says Trump’s halt on approvals for wind power projects on federal lands and water violates federal law. (Maxine Joselow, Brad Plumer/The New York Times)

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The National Park Service is rolling out “America-first” entry policies raising fees for international tourists and reserving free days for American residents. (Hallie Golden, Matthew Daly/The Associated Press)

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Ukraine plans to seek nearly $44 billion in damages from Russia for emissions caused by war, the first time a country will claim damages for emissions caused by conflict. (Simmone Shah/TIME Magazine)

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The Trump administration announced plans to allow new oil and gas drilling across nearly 1.3 billion acres of water along U.S. coasts. (Maxine Joselow, Lisa Friedman/The New York Times)

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In a landmark move, 185 countries have adopted international protections for widely hunted sharks and rays commonly used in industries like skincare to ensure trade doesn’t harm their species survival. (Kasha Patel/The Washington Post)

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A University of Michigan study finds fish in Michigan lakes are getting smaller due to the warming climate. (Garrett Ellison/MLive)

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A new climate deal was created at the COP30 summit calling for the tripling of funding to help countries adapt to increasingly severe climate impacts - but countries failed to agree on a roadmap away from fossil fuels. (Laura Paddison, Andrew Freedman, Ella Nilsen/CNN)

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The United Nations (UN) chair of negotiations for the first global treaty to limit plastics resigned, continuing to reduce hope an agreement might be reached. (Katharine Sanderson/Nature)

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And then there’s this...

Dairy farmers are turning to “cow cuddling” as a new revenue source amid a decrease in dairy prices. (Kyle Melnick/The Washington Post)

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Threatened Planet will be taking the next few weeks off for the holidays. Watch for our newsletter when the new year begins.