Record-Setting 4th of July Heatwave Had More to Do with Climate Change than El Niño

by Eric Halvarson

On Thursday July 2, 2026, Providence saw 99 degree heat—the highest temperature ever recorded in the city on that calendar date. The previous record was set in 1941 at 98 degrees.  Despite news headlines focused on a strong El Niño weather pattern developing in the [...]

Dreaming Big for the Port: Residents Co-Create a Climate-Resilient Future for Providence’s Vulnerable Shoreline

by Amber Ma

The Port of Providence is a bustling, gritty, and heavily industrialized waterfront that contains a dense concentration of major industrial tenants, scrap metal recycling, energy and petroleum infrastructure, and offshore wind projects. A stark contrast to its scenic sister shoreline India Point Park, the port’s [...]

Who Gets a Beach Day in the Ocean State? Providence Turns to Water Parks as URI Measures Inequitable Shore Access

by Eric Halvarson

Providence splash pads and pools opened up on Monday, June 29, offering places for neighbors to cool down from the summer heat. Christian, a 15-year-old visiting his father for summer break, was the first to jump in the water when city officials reopened the Joslin [...]

Recycling the Recycling Bins: Providence Replaces All Trash Bins to Clean Up Waste Program

by Eric Halvarson

Providence recycles 2.6% of the city’s waste—the lowest rate of all municipalities in Rhode Island. Truck drivers use cameras to inspect trucks and hoppers to see if a recycling load is contaminated with non-recyclables, and to avoid additional fees, bring their trucks holding plenty of [...]

Amid Energy Crisis, Smiley Budget Cuts City Spending on Utilities. How? Municipal Decarbonization.

by Eric Halvarson

Officials project that Providence’s municipal utility costs will fall by nearly $2 million dollars this year while, at the same time, cutting emissions. At a time when the Trump administration is fighting against renewables and energy prices are rising for consumers, how is the city [...]

Residents Most Impacted by Climate Injustice are Trained to Nurture and Restore the Urban Forest

by Amber Ma

Micah, one of the youngest in a group of “Forest Care Days” volunteers at the Woonasquatucket Greenway in early April, thinks finding and digging up invasive Japanese knotweed rhizomes from the soil is easy—with her shovel, she swiftly scoops out one, then two rhizomes with [...]

Let it Linger? A Slow Snowmelt Replenishes Local Watertables but Releases Pollution into Waterways

by Eric Halvarson

In Providence, only a few lingering snowbanks serve as reminders of the major storms this winter. As city residents say goodbye and good riddance to the snow, the snowmelt will continue to make a big impact on the local environment. The slow drip of the [...]

The Costs of Extreme Weather: Providence Spends Triple Amount Budgeted for Snow Cleanup in 2026

by Eric Halvarson

Last month’s blizzard dropped a record 37 inches of snow in the capital streets, and City leaders spent far beyond this year’s budget to clear the streets. The City of Providence paid $3.8 million dollars to handle the record-breaking Blizzard of 2026 in February, surpassing [...]

Oil Spilling Out of Pipe in South Providence Holds Up Public Street Park Funding

by Eric Halvarson

In South Providence, a stormwater pipe is leaking oil into the bay and draining momentum from efforts to clean up the neighborhood’s only public right-of-way to the shore, located on Public Street. “We were doing a cleanup down there and noticed that there was this [...]

A Recycling Crisis in Providence Drives 2026 Changes

by Emily Smith

In May 2024, The Providence Eye published a story addressing recycling in Providence and the City’s failure to achieve the State-mandated recycling rate of 35%. At that time, the City’s 2023 recycling data revealed that Providence recycled only 7.8% of its waste. With 2024 data [...]