Michael Copley
Michael Copley is a correspondent on NPR's Climate Desk. He covers what corporations are and are not doing in response to climate change, and how they're being impacted by rising temperatures.
Before joining NPR, Copley was a reporter at S&P Global, where he covered the energy industry and green investing. He was the first reporter to reveal the solar industry's links to China's Xinjiang region, where Beijing is accused of persecuting Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.
Copley was part of a team at S&P Global that was a finalist for a Dateline Award in 2020 for a series of stories that documented how a building spree of natural gas infrastructure threatens to leave American energy consumers holding the bill for stranded fossil fuel assets. He also investigated the auto industry's failure to disclose the risk of human rights abuses in the supply chains for electric vehicles. The work was named enterprise story of the year in 2019 by the American Society of Business Publication Editors. [Copyright 2025 NPR]
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Without congressionally approved funding, public media stations say communities will be left with aging infrastructure amid growing risks from extreme weather. -
The Revolution Wind farm was slated to start sending power to homes and businesses in Rhode Island and Connecticut starting next year. -
A lot of companies want the EPA in charge of setting national climate regulations because it helps shield them from lawsuits and creates a predictable environment in which to make investments. -
In states without policies to drive renewable energy, power prices could surge as federal tax incentives for clean energy disappear, according to Energy Innovation, a think tank. -
Climate change is increasing the risk of dangerous floods. But people often balk at the cost of flood insurance, especially since many doubt they need protection. -
Abruptly ending tax incentives that encourage solar developers to buy American could upend a booming manufacturing sector. -
Insurance costs are soaring, and coverage is hard to find in some parts of the United States. Communities say insurers are ignoring their efforts to confront the problem. -
Julie Leon died of hyperthermia in Seattle on June 28, 2021 — the hottest day in the city's history. A lawsuit claims she was a victim of oil companies' "misrepresentations" about climate change. -
While tornadoes can obliterate communities, hailstorms cause damage across much larger areas. -
For community groups to allege violations of environmental rules, a state law says groups have to use federally-approved testing equipment, and it sets restrictions for analyzing and sharing the data.
