Environment

Chestnut trees began disappearing from eastern deciduous forests in the U.S. almost a century ago due to a nasty fungus. That has contributed to a vastly different eastern forest landscape today.

We look at local effort by kayakers to clean up the Anacostia River, which is polluted with trash and debris.

Three photojournalists have created an in-depth report on electronic waste — its negative and ... positive ... consequences.

(Image credit: Muntaka Chasant)

For six decades, coal has provided for — and polluted — the Navajo Nation. Demolition of a power plant brings mixed emotions.

(Image credit: Benjamin Hunter)

Lightning: It happens all the time, and yet the exact details of how it's made has long eluded scientists. That is, until now. New research out this week in the journal Nature holds new insights into the precursor to lightning. To figure it out, researchers flew a NASA ER-2 – essentially the research version of a spy plane – over several tropical thunderstorms. What they found: The same high energy radiation is found in places like neutron stars and around black holes.

Want to hear more stories about the science behind natural phenomena? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

(Image credit: Bashaar Tarabay)

The death toll reported from an average tropical cyclone is 24. But the true toll is maybe 300 times higher—and the losses stretch for years after the storm passes.

(Image credit: Melissa Sue Gerrits)

Over six million fungal species are believed to inhabit planet Earth. Outsmarting them is the work of Arturo Casadevall's lifetime. What If Fungi Win? is the question at the heart of Arturo's new book, co-authored with journalist Stephanie Desmon. In this episode, Emily and Regina take a trip to Arturo's lab at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and meet a group of scientists thinking about the fungal consequences of climate change, urban heat islands, and scooping up microbes with candy.

Curious about fungi? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

Tropical storm Helene has left western North Carolina with catastrophic damage from historic flooding to a loss of power for thousands. And, Lebanon mourning the loss of Hezbollah leader.

(Image credit: Mahmous Zayyat)

The worst floods that Bangladesh has seen in decades occurred in August, displacing millions. Many people are still struggling to rebuild their lives and find sources of income.

(Image credit: Fatima Tuj Johora)

Governors across the southeastern United States have declared statewide states of emergency as Hurricane Helene continues its ascent. After forming in the northwestern Caribbean Sea Tuesday, Helene escalated from a tropical storm, then to a cyclone, and finally to a Category 4 hurricane by the time it made landfall late Thursday night. We talk to hurricane climatologist Jill Trepanier about how a storm tropical storm system rapidly intensifies into a major hurricane, the impact of a changing climate on future storms — and why the devastation doesn't stop at the shore.

Follow local updates on Hurricane Helene.

Want to know more about the scientific underpinning of serious weather events? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we might cover it on a future episode!

A new study finds that more than 90 million acres of wetlands — nearly all that exist in the Lower 48 U.S. states — may have lost federal protections after the Supreme Court’s recent ruling.

California and other states — and some cities — have learned a lesson: Bans on plastic bags don’t always go as planned. In fact, California's original ban made things worse.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

California's lawsuit against Exxon Mobil throws plastic recycling into doubt. We look at what the consumer should do.

California’s lawsuit alleges that ExxonMobil has known for decades that recycling would not effectively stem the flow of plastic waste.

(Image credit: Mark Humphrey)

A hydrogen plant in Utah could offer a new path to slash fossil-fuel pollution. But federal funding that was critical for projects like this one could dry up if Donald Trump is reelected.

(Image credit: George Frey)

A new app is gaining popularity in Western states with major wildfire risk. It's staffed in part by volunteers who listen in on first responder radio frequencies.

The 60-year-old woman, who has not been named, was near the Old Faithful Geyser at the Wyoming national park this week when she stepped through a thin crust over scalding water, park officials said.

(Image credit: Matthew Brown)

Finding meals that are good for you, your wallet and the environment can be difficult. We've pulled together a few recipes to make sustainable choices even easier.

(Image credit: Donald Bowers)

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)