"Northern Indiana Public Service Co. says the spinoff is needed to meet surging power demand. Others say it’s an excuse to bypass regulations that protect consumers."

"South America's vulnerable Amazon rainforest region is a rising frontier for oil and gas drilling."

"As the world's thirst for coffee shows no signs of slowing down, widely used practices to ramp up the crop's production have become self-defeating, according to a nonprofit watchdog group."

"Dozens of nations have failed to strengthen their climate targets — a requirement of the Paris Agreement — as they race toward global negotiations next month with planet-warming pollution on the rise."

"Hurricane Melissa made landfall in eastern Cuba near the city of Chivirico early Wednesday as a Category 3 storm after pummeling Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said."

"Republican attorneys general, GOP lawmakers, industry groups and the president himself are all maneuvering to foreclose the ability of cities and states to hold the fossil fuel industry liable for damages linked to climate change."

"The oil giant said requirements that companies calculate new details about greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks violate Exxon’s free speech rights."

"Lawmakers are girding for a fight against President Donald Trump’s apparent plans to open up the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines to offshore drilling." "Most coastal Republicans and Democrats said they wouldn’t back drilling off their states’ shores."

"The Environmental Protection Agency is promising to erase a scientific finding that underpins climate regulations nationwide. But some business leaders said they are wary that the move could lead to a costly legal quagmire." "Some carmakers and energy executives say the plan would trigger costly litigation and spur individual states to create a patchwork of tighter rules."

"The warming of the world’s oceans caused by climate change helped double Hurricane Melissa’s wind speed in less than 24 hours over the weekend, climate scientists said Monday. Melissa is currently a Category 5 storm, the highest category, with sustained wind speeds of over 157 mph (252 kph). Melissa is forecast to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday before crossing Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday."