Billions of people around the world rely on seafood as a primary source of protein. As a result, 35 percent of global fish stocks are considered “overfished” by the United Nations. Fish farming, also known as aquaculture, is the practice of breeding and harvesting fish in captivity. The industry brings in $300 billion a year, and it is touted as a sustainable solution to wild-caught fish.

But all those farmed fish need something to eat: fish meal, which is made from other wild-caught fish. Fish meal contributes to overfishing and also produces a stench and toxic waste that is driving some communities to the point of revolt.

Inside Climate News partnered with the nonprofit journalism organization The Outlaw Ocean Project on a two-year investigation into the aquaculture supply chain to document how fishmeal—or food for feed—is impacting the world.

All of Inside Climate News’ reporting is free to read. Please consider donating to our newsroom to support nonprofit environmental journalism: insideclimatenews.org/support

China is the largest producer and exporter of cars in the world, but you won’t find its vehicles on U.S. streets, due to tariffs that have made them virtually impossible to import. Travel to places like Mexico, Argentina, and many European countries and you’ll quickly notice the prevalence of Chinese cars, especially electric vehicles. Now, Canada is the next destination: The country has significantly decreased tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles amid a souring relationship with the United States.

As America continues to engage in trade wars with allies, Beijing has been ramping up overseas investments to their highest levels ever. For years, China has been looking to partner with other countries to develop its “Belt and Road Initiative.” This economic strategy aims to fund and build massive overseas infrastructure projects like roads, railways and ports, opening up new markets for the country’s domestic industries. Even though some of these projects involve green technology, there have been environmental consequences. For example, a hydroelectric dam in Indonesia built and financed in part by Chinese state-owned corporations, threatens to eradicate one of the world’s most endangered species of orangutan in the Sumatra forest.

All of Inside Climate News’ reporting is made available free to our audience. Please consider donating to our newsroom to support nonprofit environmental journalism: insideclimatenews.org/support

As Climate Week NYC kicks off on Sept. 20, Inside Climate host Jake Bolster speaks to U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and asks why so many Democrats are leaning away from climate messaging at a time when the fossil fuel industry’s influence is dramatically reshaping federal policy. If Democrats regain control of the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, Whitehouse could take a leadership role on the Judiciary Committee and has strong opinions on how the Supreme Court should be reshaped. Finally, the senator shares his thoughts about the recent actions in Venezuela and whether bipartisan permitting reform can be achieved with this Congress.

All of Inside Climate News’ reporting and media is made available free to our audience. Please consider donating to our newsroom to support nonprofit environmental journalism: insideclimatenews.org/support