CALEIGH WELLS

Climate choices reporter

Wells reports on how people’s choices impact the environment for The Associated Press. She is based in Cleveland.

A man holds up a child while walking in a park at sunset, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in Shawnee, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Anxiety over global warming is leading some young Americans to say they don’t want children

Younger generations of Americans are increasingly citing climate change as making them reticent to have children.

Shredded organic materials are piled up at a GreenWaste Renewable Energy Digestion Facility in San Jose, Calif., Oct. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

The food you toss costs you plenty and emits tons of pollution. We’ve got tips on how to cut down

Wasted food is a financial and environmental bummer. It costs the average person $728 per year, and it amounts to about the same planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions every year as 42 coal-fired power plants.

A traveler looks out at an airplane at Salt Lake City International Airport, in Salt Lake City, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Travelers bothered by their flight’s pollution can pay to reduce it elsewhere. Do offsets work?

Air travel results in a lot of planet-warming emissions, but it’s also sometimes necessary. That’s a quandary for people who may be concerned about their personal contribution to the problem of climate change.

Theodore Tanczuk, left, and Brayan Santos, right, of solar installer YellowLite, put panels on the roof of a home in Lakewood, Ohio, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Did you dawdle on installing solar panels or buying an EV? Better move fast to get those tax credits

Tax incentives that have saved U.S. residents thousands of dollars on home efficiency upgrades, clean energy installations and electric vehicles are expiring this year.

Eryn Murphy carries native plants Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Littleton, Colo. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)

Move over, green lawns. Drier, warmer climate boosts interest in low-water landscaping

America loves its green lawns. Roughly one-third of water used in U.S. homes is used outdoors, with much of that going to irrigate landscaping dominated by grass.

A woman looks at her phone while watching the sun set in Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Climate tracking apps measure your carbon footprint. Here’s how they work

This idea of a carbon footprint comes up a lot in news coverage about personal climate impact. The concept is simple.

A data center owned by Amazon Web Services, front right, is under construction next to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Berwick, Pa., on Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file)

As AI becomes part of everyday life, it brings a hidden climate cost

As AI becomes a part of everyday life, its massive energy and water needs are coming more into focus.

A person types on a keyboard on June 6, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

How to make climate-friendly and sustainable choices when shopping online

There’s clearly an appetite for shopping sustainably online. But it can be overwhelming to figure out how to find the certifications and companies that are actually making a difference.

A condenser sits on the roof during the installation of a heat pump on Jan. 20, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Thinking about a heat pump? Some things to know about choosing what’s best for you

Switching to a heat pump is often touted as a climate-friendly choice that can help your wallet, too.

A woman walks her dog along the beach as the sun rises in Port Aransas, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

People often miscalculate climate choices, a study says. One surprise is owning a dog

It turns out many Americans misjudge which personal behaviors contribute most to climate change.

A pharmacist prepares an underwear for periods next to other items at a pharmacy in Barcelona, Spain, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)

Why more women are switching to reusable menstrual products

Reusable menstrual products, including cups, discs and period underwear, have gained traction as a cost-effective, long-lasting, environmental alternative to single-use products.

Homes sit in Cranberry Township, Pa., on March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

A climate-friendly home starts with an energy assessment. Here’s how my 100-year-old house did

Our shelter accounts for one of our biggest personal climate impacts. How we heat and cool our homes, wash and dry our clothes, get our electricity and heat our water each has its own carbon footprint.

People sun tan in grass off the Lakefront Trail on the North Side as a haze of Canadian wildfire smoke blankets the Chicago area and creates poor air quality, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

How to protect yourself from the bad air caused by wildfires

When wildfires burn, the smoke can travel long distances and degrade air quality far away, which presents risks for those breathing it.

Food scraps sit inside a residential compost bin Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Composting helps the planet. This is how to do it, no matter where you live

Most of what goes into U.S. landfills is organic waste. It’s a problem because in that environment, organic waste produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Carole Smith walks through her flooded home on April 5, 2025, in Frankfort, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry, File)

Here are some things you can do to be better prepared for major flooding

Catastrophic floods often bring with them loss of power, cuts to key emergency communications and sudden hazardous situations that leave victims with only minutes or seconds to seek higher ground and stay safe.

Janelle Lowe prepares to charge her electric vehicle at a station May 22, 2025, in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

What to know about buying electric vehicles after the federal tax incentives end

The massive tax and spending cut bill that Congress passed Thursday ends federal tax incentives for electric vehicles.

If Energy Star goes away, finding energy efficient appliances will be harder. Here are some tips

The Environmental Protection Agency has hinted at plans to shut down its Energy Star offices. That means the sticker that serves as an energy efficiency seal-of-approval could become less reliable or go away.

Tony Berastegui Jr., right, and his sister Giselle Berastegui drink water, July 17, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

How to stay cool in a heat wave — even without air conditioning

Heat doesn’t just mean canceled events. It also poses a health risk. If you can’t afford to cool the whole house, make a “cool space” to sleep in.

An assortment of vegan, organic, locally sourced and wild caught food products sit in a shopping cart at a grocery store in New Orleans, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Peanuts or almonds? Rice or millet? Planet-friendly grocery shopping choices go beyond cutting meat

If you want to make diet choices that help the planet, the most common and effective advice is to eat fewer animals and more plants.

A person takes his dogs out for a quick break under billowing wildfire smoke off Highway 97 north of Buckinghorse River, British Columbia, May 30, 2025. (Nasuna Stuart-Ulin/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

How to protect yourself from the bad air caused by Canada’s wildfires

Plumes of smoke are blanketing large swaths of the U.S. and parts of Europe, presenting risks for those breathing it.