Environment

Australia has added 750 new species of plants, animals, fungi and other organisms to its official list of species living on the continent.

(Image credit: Lisa Maree Williams)

The next time you shop for a cooking stove, the gas versions might show a health warning label similar to those on tobacco products.

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Three wildfires are burning in southern California, threatening tens of thousands of structures, prompting evacuations and degrading air quality.

Across the Gulf South, small Black-owned farms are finding ways to use climate-friendly practices to grow crops while also addressing long-standing injustices.

(Image credit: Leslie Gamboni)

Australia has added 750 new species of plants, animals and other organisms to its official list of species living on the continent.

Vice President Harris said the economic costs of climate change are already clear, with homeowners facing skyrocketing insurance prices.

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A massive project headed by Elon Musk in Memphis, Tenn., to power AI has moved at breakneck speed. But it's stirring controversy around pollution emissions. The EPA says it’s looking into it.

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Governments and industries are pouring billions of dollars into so-called “regenerative agriculture.” But while scientists say some of these farming practices do reduce planet heating pollution, for others the science is less clear.

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After a 16-year prohibition, a group of Virginia watermen voted to reinstate winter crab dredging. Many argue the decision puts the blue crab’s fragile population in jeopardy.

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Idaho is having its worst summer for wildfire smoke in 25 years and has been America's top smoke producer since June. One megafire will likely only stop when snows arrive.

A year after the worst coral bleaching ever recorded, Florida's reefs are slowly recovering. Despite elevated ocean temperatures, scientists say this summer they didn’t see significant bleaching.

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The mother of the alleged shooter at Apalachee High School warned officials the morning of the shooting. Here's how administrators responded. And, Venezuela's opposition leader has fled the country.

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Bold cabernet sauvignon wines made Napa Valley famous. Now, hotter temperatures are starting to damage the grapes, so some wineries are starting to experiment.

(Image credit: Ryan Kellman)

In California's Napa Valley, the nation's unofficial wine capital, one varietal reigns supreme: cabernet sauvignon. But climate change is threatening the small blue-black grapes for which cabernet sauvignon is named. Increasingly severe heat waves are taking a toll on the grape variety, especially in late summer during ripening.

To kick off NPR's Climate Solutions Week, climate correspondent Lauren Sommer joins host Regina G. Barber for a deep dive into the innovations wineries are actualizing — and the ways that cabernet farmers and fans alike could learn to adapt.

Climate change is affecting our food, and our food is affecting the climate. NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about the search for solutions.

Read more of Lauren's reporting on how climate change is affecting wine.

Interested in hearing more climate solutions? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

(Image credit: Ryan Kellman)

In recent years, there have been lots of proposals for new carbon dioxide pipelines tied to a technology called carbon capture and storage. It's an effort to blunt the impact of climate change. A proposed pipeline in the Midwest would be one of the country's largest designated for carbon capture.

The goal is to save money, cut back on overconsumption and be more mindful of wasteful and unsustainable shopping habits. This guide can help you start a challenge of your own.

After a 16-year prohibition, a group of Virginia watermen have voted to reinstate winter crab dredging. Many argue the decision puts the health of the crab population and the Chesapeake Bay at risk.

Short Wave producer Hannah Chinn has adult-onset eczema. They're not the only one. Up to ten percent of people in the United States have it, according to the National Eczema Association — and its prevalence is increasing. Despite its ubiquity, a lot about this skin condition remains a mystery.
So today, Hannah's getting answers. They sat down with Raj Fadadu, a dermatologist at UC San Diego, to ask: What is eczema? What triggers it in the first place? And might climate change make it worse sometimes?

If you liked this episode, check out our episode on the science of itchiness. Also, follow us! That way you never miss another Short Wave episode.

Interested in hearing more about climate change and human health? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear your feedback!

(Image credit: Brittany Hosea-Small)

High tide floods – when water collects in streets or even seeps into buildings on days without rain – are increasingly common in coastal areas as sea levels rise, a new report warns.

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Corn sweat is real. Corn draws in water, then releases it into the air through evaporation. And all that moisture produced by more than 90 million acres of corn nationwide can make it more humid.