Covid-19 lockdowns could drop carbon emissions to their lowest level since World War II. But the change may be temporary
Greta Thunberg isn't alone. Meet some other young activists who are leading the environmentalist fight
Parts of North America are in a megadrought -- with their driest years since the 1500s. It could get worse
Trump administration to roll back fuel efficiency standards, weakening efforts to combat climate crisis
Great Big Story
![A farmer works with its tractor in front of the Kusile Power Station located in eMalahleni , part of the Highveld region turned over to mines and power plants, on June 13, 2019. - South Africa has placed a heavy bet on coal for its development -- a fuel that is plentiful, cheap and locally-sourced. But campaign groups say health and climate costs are high. eMalahleni , which means "the place of coal", is among the worst places in the world for pollution by nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, according to Greenpeace. The NGOs contend that the government has failed to reduce deadly pollution levels in the area, just an hour and a half's drive from Johannesburg. (Photo by Wikus DE WET / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Wikus DE WET has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Kusile Power Station] instead of [Kendal Power Station]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by WIKUS DE WET/AFP via Getty Images)](http://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/200519212919-pba-hecho-del-dia-carbono-small-tease.jpg)
![A farmer works with its tractor in front of the Kusile Power Station located in eMalahleni , part of the Highveld region turned over to mines and power plants, on June 13, 2019. - South Africa has placed a heavy bet on coal for its development -- a fuel that is plentiful, cheap and locally-sourced. But campaign groups say health and climate costs are high. eMalahleni , which means "the place of coal", is among the worst places in the world for pollution by nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, according to Greenpeace. The NGOs contend that the government has failed to reduce deadly pollution levels in the area, just an hour and a half's drive from Johannesburg. (Photo by Wikus DE WET / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Wikus DE WET has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Kusile Power Station] instead of [Kendal Power Station]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by WIKUS DE WET/AFP via Getty Images)](http://swap.stanford.edu/was/20100322163935im_///cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/200519212919-pba-hecho-del-dia-carbono-large-tease.jpg)
