Brian Kahn, Author at Gizmodo

Red States Are Leading the Wind Energy Charge

Republicans may be lukewarm on climate policy, but they’re all about that wind energy, according to a report on the state of wind power in the U.S. released Tuesday by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Overall, Texas is the largest wind producer in the country. The five states that got the largest share of…

Energy Brian Kahn

Scientists Need Your Help Spotting Seals in Antarctica

Michelle LaRue has a problem: She only has one set of eyes. That’s a big issue when you’re an ecologist who uses satellite imagery to understand what’s going on with Weddell Seals, the southernmost mammal on the planet. The seals can help us unlock secrets about how coastal ecosystems and fisheries function in Antarctica, as…

Conservation Brian Kahn

New Jersey’s New Climate Plan Includes More Nuclear Power

Move over, California, there’s a new climate heartthrob state in town. After years of backward climate policies under Chris Christie’s leadership, the Garden State’s new governor Phil Murphy is overseeing a rapid transformation. The latest example of this? Two bills passed by wide margins on Thursday that include sweeping renewable energy goals, enhanced energy efficiency,…

Energy Brian Kahn

Zinke Abandons Plan to Make National Parks Outrageously Expensive

Another wildly unpopular Ryan Zinke proposal bites the dust. Last November, the Department of Interior floated the idea of major fee hikes at some of the most popular parks in the national park system during the high season. The public spoke during a comment period, and it was not happy. On Thursday, in a rare…

Conservation Brian Kahn

Hurricane Maria Caused the Second-Longest Blackout Ever

As the sun came up on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria, it was clear life would be forever different. Weak, old electric grids reliant on outdated infrastructure were basically wiped out by Category 4 winds, and the replacement process dragged on to the point that it became the worst blackout…

Environmental Justice Brian Kahn

Satellites Show How Major Reservoirs Are Drying Up Around the World

Climate change could make drought a way of life in certain parts of the world. Though the prospect of “Day Zero” in Cape Town is being staved off, it’s far from the only city to suffer through a water crisis right now. In a new report, the World Resources Institute (WRI) highlighted four other regions…

Climate Change Brian Kahn

So, About Apple’s 100 Percent Renewable Energy Announcement

Apple made some huge waves this week when it announced the company is now powered 100 percent renewably. Good, great. Now your iPhone doubles as a virtue signal. Except there’s just one little issue. Apple the company runs on 100 percent renewable energy. The subcontractors Apple works with throughout its supply chain do not. This…

Energy Brian Kahn

Even the EPA Can’t Defend Scott Pruitt’s Expensive Travel and Security

Turns out Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt may not have needed to travel in luxury to escape threats, according to, uh, the EPA. This is awkward! Two Senate Democrats released a letter on Tuesday contradicting the EPA administrator’s claim that he needed round-the-clock security and first class seats because he had received death threats,…

Environmental Justice Brian Kahn

Just How Big Is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is greater than we ever thought. And by greater, I mean worse. According to research published last month, it’s “increasing exponentially and at a faster rate than in surrounding waters.” The slurry of trash and seawater loosely held together by Pacific currents spans 617,762 square miles, roughly twice the size…

Conservation Brian Kahn

Activists Score a Victory as Canada’s Biggest Pipeline Project Goes on Hold

After weeks of intense opposition, Kinder Morgan announced it was halting all non-essential work on its Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion on Sunday. The move throws one of Canada’s biggest fossil fuel infrastructure projects into doubt, with the company setting May 31 as a deadline to resolve issues around the project. If that deadline isn’t met,…

Environmental Justice Brian Kahn

Millennials Can’t Buy Homes, But Can They Buy That the Earth Is Flat?

Hey, there’s another reason to shake our collective heads at everyone’s favorite generational punching bag. A recently-published YouGov poll that surveyed 8,215 adults online found that a only two-thirds of young millennials, aged 18-24, are totally sure the Earth is round. Look, I love shitting on millennials to compensate for my fear of growing old…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

Let’s Meet Scott Pruitt’s Potential Replacements

Scott Pruitt has racked up an immense number of scandals in his tenure leading the Environmental Protection Agency. But they exploded like a supernova this week, leading to questions of if he will keep his job. While he’s certainly in better standing than other administration officials canned in recent weeks, Pruitt has also done himself…

Climate Change Brian Kahn

It Could Snow Again This Weekend

The eastern U.S. is now living in a state of permanent Smarch while the West has fast-forwarded through spring. Temperatures are expected to plunge on Friday to well below normal, and cold weather records could fall in the Midwest. The cold air will also reach the East Coast, trailing a storm, which could create the…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

A Running List of Wild Shit Scott Pruitt Hasn’t Been Fired For (Yet) [Update: He’s Finished]

We will update this post as more scandals surface. Update 7/5/18: Straight from the horse’s mouth, scandal magnet and oil shill Scott Pruitt is resigning. President Trump tweeted today that he has accepted Pruitt’s resignation and that Deputy Administration Andrew Wheeler will be stepping up to fill Pruitt’s shoes, which were presumably purchased by an…

Environmental Justice Brian Kahn

How First Nations Are Keeping Watch Over an Embattled Canadian Pipeline

BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA—At 6:30 a.m., workers started hacking away at blackberry bushes in a small clearing, wading through ankle-deep mud from the rains the day before. Just steps away, bright yellow signs staked into a berm warned of a high pressure pipeline buried beneath. Amid the whir of saws and clack of hammers, Will George…

Environmental Justice Brian Kahn

Scott Pruitt’s Clean Car Rollback Could Have Global Consequences

On Tuesday, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced his intent to weaken fuel economy standards with a bunch of auto industry reps there to cheer him on, because of course. The move, and the possibility that noted states right lover Pruitt could revoke California’s waiver that allows it set more stringent vehicle emissions standards,…

Climate Change Brian Kahn

Antarctica’s Ice Is Becoming Unhinged

The two most important words you need to know to understand the fate of our coastlines are “grounding line.” Those words describe where Antarctica’s voluminous ice shelves begin to float, holding back a wall of ice on land. A study published on Monday in Nature Geoscience is among the first to create a detailed snapshot…

Earth Science Brian Kahn

We Found Scott Pruitt Some Airbnbs

At this point, Scott Pruitt is a walking scandal with a law degree. The Environmental Protection Agency administrator’s latest foray into impropriety is the revelation that he spent much of 2017 shacking up at a Washington, D.C. apartment owned by the wife of an energy lobbyist. Stephen Hart, the lobbyist in question, told ABC News—who…

Environmental Justice Brian Kahn

Inside the Wild World of Shell Collecting

Picking up shells on the beach may seem like child’s play, but to elite shell collectors, it’s a hobby and a lifestyle. Unbeknownst to most non-shellers, there’s an entire culture of avid collectors who come together regularly to celebrate shells for their beauty and unlock secrets from the sea. Last month, Earther traveled to Sanibel Island,…

Conservation Brian Kahn

An Acoustic Ecologist Has Recreated the Sounds of John Muir’s World

Gordon Hempton is the type of person who gets into something and doesn’t let it go. As an acoustic ecologist, most of his obsessions are sounds. Specifically, natural ones. Hempton’s been on a crusade for years to highlight the sonic beauty of the natural world, and draw attention to the fact that we’re slowly letting…

Conservation Brian Kahn

Brian Kahn

Red States Are Leading the Wind Energy Charge

Scientists Need Your Help Spotting Seals in Antarctica

New Jersey’s New Climate Plan Includes More Nuclear Power

Zinke Abandons Plan to Make National Parks Outrageously Expensive

Hurricane Maria Caused the Second-Longest Blackout Ever

Satellites Show How Major Reservoirs Are Drying Up Around the World

So, About Apple’s 100 Percent Renewable Energy Announcement

Even the EPA Can’t Defend Scott Pruitt’s Expensive Travel and Security

Just How Big Is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

Activists Score a Victory as Canada’s Biggest Pipeline Project Goes on Hold

Millennials Can’t Buy Homes, But Can They Buy That the Earth Is Flat?

Let’s Meet Scott Pruitt’s Potential Replacements

It Could Snow Again This Weekend

A Running List of Wild Shit Scott Pruitt Hasn’t Been Fired For (Yet) [Update: He’s Finished]

How First Nations Are Keeping Watch Over an Embattled Canadian Pipeline

Scott Pruitt’s Clean Car Rollback Could Have Global Consequences

Antarctica’s Ice Is Becoming Unhinged

We Found Scott Pruitt Some Airbnbs

Inside the Wild World of Shell Collecting

An Acoustic Ecologist Has Recreated the Sounds of John Muir’s World

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Adds ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ Guy

Feds Sniffing Around Polymarket After Suspicious Bets

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Don’t Get Too Attached to Any AI App

‘Paradise’ Writer Teases What’s Coming in Season 3 After That Huge Twist

Trump’s New White House App Is Mildly Concerning and Weird for a Lot of Reasons

Bloodsucking Ticks Can Survive Inside Your Home Longer Than You Might Think

The Best New Toys of March 2026

Judge Denies Liking LinkedIn Post Critical of Elon Musk But Reassigns His Cases Anyway

Amazon Slashes 50% Off Keurig K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker, Now a Budget Alternative to Breville and Nespresso Espresso Machines

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets