Environment
What we know about the devastating storm in Western Alaska
The remnant of Typhoon Halong slammed the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, an area in Western Alaska hundreds of miles from the U.S. road system. More than a thousand people are displaced.
As hundreds of millions of birds head south, the invisible danger is glass
It's the peak of the fall migration season. This is when bird deaths from window collisions tend to spike, even though simple solutions can prevent this.
Greetings from the Rhône Glacier, where a gash of pink highlights how it’s melting
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
Data centers are booming. But there are big energy and environmental risks
How tech companies and government officials handle local impacts will shape the industry's future in the U.S.
Renewable energy outpaces coal for electricity generation in historic first, report says
For the first time on record, renewable energy generated more electricity for the planet than coal, a new report says.
A tribe in Arizona planned to connect 600 homes to electricity. Then the funding was cut
The Hopi Tribe received a multimillion-dollar federal grant to install solar panels and battery storage systems for hundreds of homes. But the Trump administration has canceled the funding.
The mother of Colombian corals
Known as the mother of Colombian corals, at 70, marine biologist Elvira Alvarado is still diving — and pioneering "coral IVF" to help save endangered reefs.
National parks caught in the crosshairs of government shutdown
National parks across the country face conflicting demands and uncertainty as a result of the ongoing federal funding dispute.
Coalition raises concerns surrounding manufacturer’s environmental, labor practices in small Alabama town
The report from the Good Neighbors Alabama coalition concerns the Neptune Technology Group plant in Tallassee.
The Energy Department canceled billions in funding. Democrats say it’s retribution
Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said the funding was for projects in 16 states, all of which voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris.
The endangered cactus behind Mexico’s sweet secret
In Mexico, September means chiles en nogada season. But one key ingredient, a candied barrel cactus called biznaga, is now illegal because it's vanishing in the wild.
Southeast U.S. braces for heavy rains from a potential tropical storm
The National Hurricane Center said a tropical depression currently hovering over the Caribbean could intensify as it approaches the East Coast. South Carolina's governor declared a state of emergency.
Climate change is delaying peak fall foliage. Here’s what to expect this year
Leaves typically start to peak in northern states by early October, but projecting peak foliage isn't an exact science. Here are some things you can do to get the most out of fall's colors.
This small Virginia island could be underwater before the next century
Tangier Island in Virginia — one of the last inhabited islands in the Chesapeake Bay — is under threat from rising sea levels and climate change.
5 lessons from a house that generates more energy than it uses
With higher utility bills, a house that produces more energy than it uses may be appealing. In southern California, one such house has existed for more than a decade. NPR's Jeff Brady visited the "Green Idea House" in Hermosa Beach, California.
Ted Cruz claims without evidence that China is funding U.S. climate lawsuits
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz has said China is funding climate lawsuits against American oil and gas companies to weaken the U.S. He hasn't provided evidence to support the claim.
To save its unique and rare birds, New Zealand is turning to AI and genetic research
New Zealand is planning to eradicate millions of invasive animals that prey on the country's rare birds. The goal may not be possible, unless new technology can be developed to do it.
Movie star and visionary Robert Redford has died at age 89
A movie star to his core, Robert Redford has died after a visionary career in cinema, including founding the Sundance Institute that transformed the market for independent films.
Melting glaciers mean an uncertain future for Europe’s rivers
Europe is warming faster than any continent. That's speeding up glacial melt, which is already threatening Europe's largest rivers.
No soil required: New York program brings hydroponics to Birmingham students
The program aims to teach students about sustainable food practices and how to combat food deserts in their communities. It comes through a partnership with the New York-based non-profit New York Sun Works and Birmingham’s Jones Valley Teaching Farm.
By listening to these birds for decades, scientists track signs of a changing forest
Scientists tracking the birds in an experimental forest in New Hampshire have also tracked changes in the forest ecosystem over decades.
As opposition to an Alabama medical waste treatment facility boils over, a mysterious Facebook page weighs in
Dozens of residents opposed to Harvest Med Waste Disposal’s site in Remlap packed the Blount County courthouse to voice their concerns. Online, a paid campaign supporting the facility has been active, though its backers have remained anonymous.
The world’s oldest and largest iceberg will soon be no more
The iceberg, known as A23a, has been on a journey following the current into warmer waters for months. Now, it has begun the predicted and natural process of breaking apart, and eventually melting.
Sell it, donate it — recycle it? A beloved old minivan faces a fork in the road
After 20 years of service, an NPR reporter's beloved minivan is on the fritz. But what is its best and highest calling now: Pass it on to another family, or recycle it into parts?
The Trump administration wants to build more roads through national forests
The Trump administration argues that rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule will help wildland firefighters. Fire researchers warn that more roads could exacerbate the problem.
Public media stations in rural America say emergency-alert funding is in jeopardy
Without Congressionally-approved funding, public media stations say communities will be left with aging infrastructure amid growing risks from extreme weather.
These investigators patrol Las Vegas looking for one thing: water waste
The Southern Nevada Water Authority has investigators who patrol Las Vegas neighborhoods in search of wasted water.
Hurricane Katrina forced changes at FEMA. Trump is rolling them back
The government's colossal failure to respond after Hurricane Katrina led to major reforms at the nation's top disaster agency. Now, the Trump administration has reversed some of those changes.
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts again and shoots lava for 31st time since December
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano resumed erupting Friday by shooting an arc of lava 100 feet into the air and across a section of its summit crater floor.
The EV tax credit ends soon — but there’s a little bit of wiggle room for car buyers
A federal EV tax credit worth up to $7,500 ends Sept. 30. But the IRS has just clarified that shoppers don't need to actually have the keys in hand by the deadline to get the credit.
Wilsonville residents seek preemptive strike against massive data center project
“That’s going to be their legacy, to potentially destroy a small town,” said one resident of the landowner and developers of a proposed hyperscale data center.
New study raises questions about effectiveness of wolf hunting as a tool to help ranchers
One of the goals of controversial wolf hunts in the Western U.S. is to help reduce the burden on ranchers, who lose livestock to wolves every year. A new study finds that those hunts have had a measurable, but small effect on livestock depredations.
