Environment
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.
Ticks are migrating, but scant surveillance may leave doctors in the dark on patient treatment
Health departments struggle to adequately survey for ticks to warn doctors about new species and the diseases they carry.
Businesses face ‘chaos’ as EPA aims to repeal its authority over climate pollution
A lot of companies want the EPA in charge of setting national climate regulations because it helps shield them from lawsuits and creates a predictable environment in which to make investments.
Washington’s hydropower has created a data center boom. Some are concerned about its future.
In small town Washington — where hydropower is plentiful — data centers are creating jobs and funding amenities. But water and energy aren't unlimited — and some worry about long-term sustainability.
After a freeze, Trump administration reluctantly agrees to fund EV chargers
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he doesn't agree with federal subsidies for high-speed EV chargers, but that his department "will respect Congress' will" and release the funds.
‘Who’s running the show?’ is a key question in ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ challenge
A lawsuit challenging construction and operations of an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as 'Alligator Alley' has wrapped up with several key questions unanswered.
The strange-but-true origin story of the humble potato
Scientists have long wondered about how the potato's genetic lineage came to be. Now they know: The plants are a cross between tomatoes and a plant known as Etuberosum.
In Alabama, a dredging project in Mobile Bay brings together unlikely allies
Dredging waterways for navigation is a centuries-old practice, but this project is controversial because the mud being dug out of the channel is put into other parts of Mobile Bay.
Colorado wildfires burn more than 120,000 acres as firefighters await better weather
In western Colorado, firefighters are up against windy, hot weather as they try to protect homes and infrastructure from a pair of lightning-caused wildfires.
Far more environmental data is being deleted in Trump’s second term than before
The second Trump administration has removed more climate and environmental data from websites in the first 100 days than the first administration, according to a new report
Federal judge halts construction at Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
The 14-day stoppage comes as a federal judge considers whether additional construction of the immigration detention facility in south Florida's Everglades is detrimental to the environment.
New Orleans musicians feel the heat of rising temperatures: ‘You can hear it in the music’
Data from climate scientists show that the heat is turning up in New Orleans, and the rate that it’s increasing is getting faster. Here’s why.
Why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose
The Trump administration has asked NASA staffers to draw up plans to end at least two satellite missions that measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to current and former NASA employees.
