Environment

How eastern US forests look almost a century after chestnut trees started disappearing

NPR News - Environment - Sun, 2024/10/06 - 5:10am

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.

Categories: Environment

Meet the kayakers cleaning up the historically polluted Anacostia River

NPR News - Environment - Sun, 2024/10/06 - 5:10am

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

Categories: Environment

Stunning photos of a vast e-waste dumping ground — and those who make a living off it

NPR News - Environment - Sat, 2024/10/05 - 10:32am

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

(Image credit: Muntaka Chasant)

Categories: Environment

A coal power plant demolition serves as a poignant historical moment for the Navajo

NPR News - Environment - Sat, 2024/10/05 - 2:00am

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

(Image credit: Benjamin Hunter)

Categories: Environment

How do scientists study lightning? With a spy plane and some big storms

NPR News - Environment - Fri, 2024/10/04 - 12:00am

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)

Categories: Environment

Hurricanes contribute to thousands of deaths each year in the U.S.—many times the reported number

NPR News - Environment - Wed, 2024/10/02 - 8:51am

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)

Categories: Environment

These scientists are trying to build a fungal-resistant future

NPR News - Environment - Tue, 2024/10/01 - 12:00am

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!

Categories: Environment

Historic flooding strands hundreds in North Carolina. And, Hezbollah leader mourned

NPR News - Environment - Mon, 2024/09/30 - 5:12am

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)

Categories: Environment

Severe floods causing health problems in south Bangladesh

NPR News - Environment - Fri, 2024/09/27 - 3:00am

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)

Categories: Environment

Here's how Hurricane Helene turned into a major storm

NPR News - Environment - Fri, 2024/09/27 - 12:00am

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!

Categories: Environment

A 2023 Supreme Court ruling could strip U.S. wetlands of federal protections

NPR News - Environment - Thu, 2024/09/26 - 2:23pm

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.

Categories: Environment

California’s first plastic bag ban made things worse. Now it’s trying again

NPR News - Environment - Wed, 2024/09/25 - 10:24am

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)

Categories: Environment

The importance of recycling plastic may be a myth

NPR News - Environment - Tue, 2024/09/24 - 1:31pm

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

Categories: Environment

California sues ExxonMobil for misleading public on plastic recycling

NPR News - Environment - Mon, 2024/09/23 - 11:27am

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)

Categories: Environment

Money for cutting-edge climate technology could dry up in a second Trump term

NPR News - Environment - Sun, 2024/09/22 - 4:00am

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)

Categories: Environment

Need to keep up with wildfire safety information? There's an app for that

NPR News - Environment - Sat, 2024/09/21 - 4:43am

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.

Categories: Environment

A woman sustains leg burns after straying from Yellowstone trail

NPR News - Environment - Thu, 2024/09/19 - 1:16pm

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)

Categories: Environment

Not sure what to make for dinner? Here are recipes to help you eat sustainably

NPR News - Environment - Sun, 2024/09/15 - 7:00am

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)

Categories: Environment

Australia, a biodiversity hotspot, recognizes 750 new species

NPR News - Environment - Fri, 2024/09/13 - 11:44am

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)

Categories: Environment
Syndicate content