Inside the Greenhouse is a monthly update on FCNL’s environmental advocacy and the climate crisis.
The Iran War’s Energy Consequences
Since February 28, 2026, over 1,270 people have been killed in Iran due to the war waged by the United States and Israel. This figure does not include the 486 deaths in Lebanon, as well as other civilian and military casualties in 11 countries across the Middle East.
In addition to the devastating loss of life and suffering brought on by the conflict, its impact has spilled over to many industries, including energy. The escalating conflict has rattled global energy markets, raising oil and natural gas prices in the United States and abroad. In response to the bombing campaign, Iran launched strikes affecting energy facilities.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, is a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies. Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) shipments transit the strait. According to S&P Global Energy, tanker traffic has dropped sharply: only five oil tankers passed through on March 1 compared with about 60 per day before hostilities began.
Longer interruptions could be the largest oil supply shock ever, driving prices sharply higher and impacting financial markets. Natural gas markets could prove even more vulnerable, since many countries maintain smaller reserves of gas than oil. The United States, currently the world’s largest natural gas producer and a net exporter, would be relatively less exposed.
Rising crude prices would still translate into higher gasoline costs for American consumers. Despite being a net oil exporter, the United States remains integrated with global markets because domestic refiners still rely on imported crude.
While many focus on the energy implications of war in the Middle East, let’s not forget the human impact. A conflict— which in less than two weeks has killed thousands of people— risks even greater human migration, displacement, and atrocity. Let this be a lesson that war is never the answer.
Judges’ Scientific Manual Faces Partisan Attacks
For more than three decades, judges have relied on the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence to navigate complicated scientific topics in court. The Federal Judicial Center created the publication, now more than 1,600 pages in its fourth edition, to serve as a research and educational tool for the federal judiciary.
On January 29, 2026, twenty-seven Republican state attorneys general asked the Federal Judicial Center to remove the climate science chapter from the newest edition. The group argued the chapter was biased and contained flawed methodology, alleging its authors were engaged in litigation against energy companies.
Eight days later, the Federal Judicial Center informed the attorneys general that the climate science section had been omitted.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers sent a letter urging the Federal Judicial Center to restore the chapter.
Many contributors to the manual condemned the decision, saying it allowed political pressure to influence a resource designed to present rigorously reviewed science. Its authors defended the content as reflecting findings from major scientific authorities, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Removing the chapter deprives judges of a neutral explanation of climate science and could allow political actors to challenge other scientific fields.
No Interest in Alaska Oil and Gas Leases
An offshore federal oil and gas lease auction at Alaska’s Cook Inlet ended without any bids. The outcome complicates the Trump administration’s push to expand domestic fossil fuel production, particularly in Alaska, where officials have proposed numerous additional lease sales in the coming years.
This auction was the first of six Cook Inlet sales required under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a Republican-backed budget measure passed in 2025. Under the law, the next lease sale must occur by March 2027.
Industry enthusiasm for Alaska drilling has weakened in recent years as U.S. oil production has reached record levels. Many energy companies have instead prioritized cheaper, easier-to-develop resources in the Lower 48 states.
