All Environment
- California Rocky Fire: why it fits a global trend
As California grapples with the fast-moving Rocky Fire and 21 total blazes, a new study shows that the area of landscapes affected by wildfires globally has more than doubled since 1979.
- Obama's climate plan: Who are the winners and losers?
The White House is set to unveil new rules mandating steep cuts in US power plant emissions. Who stands to gain?
- What’s new in final version of Obama’s climate change plan?
President Obama is set to release the final version of his Clean Power Plan on Monday.
- Lake Mead shrinks to unveil long-submerged historic town
The drought ravaging the West has caused the water level in Lake Mead to drop to an all-time low, creating some new hazards and revealing new scenery.
- How the US energy boom shapes the world
A growing chorus of lawmakers, analysts, and industry insiders are calling on the US to better leverage its newfound energy abundance as a diplomatic tool.
- First LookOne drop at a time: California surpasses water conservation target
Water use in the Golden State fell by 27 percent last month, despite it being the hottest June on record globally.
- Cheap oil helps India phase out fuel subsidies
The big question is whether that modest progress on removing fossil fuel subsidies can be locked in. If oil prices rise, there will be a lot of pressure to reinstitute support.
- First LookThat sinking feeling: Washington D.C.’s sea level problem
Researchers find the ground below Washington D.C. is rapidly sinking and urge action to alleviate threats to the city's infrastructure.
- If wind energy is ‘strong,’ why does it need subsidies?
The US Senate Finance Committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of continued tax policies that incentivize the building of more US wind farms, as construction and investment are spiking in the private sector.
- Northern white rhino: How scientists hope to save rare breed from extinction
Northern white rhino: Researchers are hoping that tissue samples taken from a recently deceased white rhino will help keep the species from disappearing.
- From 'Born Free' to Cecil the lion: Hollywood's impact on animal rights
Films and celebrities can serve both as change agents and as advocates for meaningful animal rights improvements, say experts.
- The coming lithium rush
Smart phones, tablets, laptops, and other consumer electronics demand more lithium. But the largest driver for future lithium use will be in electric vehicles and home batteries for solar panels. That has lithium on the verge a boom for which supply can no longer be taken for granted.
- First LookMilwaukee's mystery cat: Could there really be a lion in Wisconsin?
Reported sightings of a lion-like creature roaming the streets of Milwaukee have alarmed some residents, amused others, and intrigued all.
- First LookCecil the lion's killer denies guilt: When does hunting become poaching?
Walter Palmer, the man accused of killing Zimbabwe's beloved lion, Cecil, says he didn't know at the time that what he was doing was illegal.
- How a Minnesota dentist allegedly killed Zimbabwe's most beloved lion
Officials have named Walter Palmer, a dentist from the Minneapolis area, as Cecil the lion's killer.
- Low oil prices unnerve global markets
A renewed downturn in oil prices is sparking pessimism among traders. In recent weeks speculators have taken the most bearish position on oil in years.
- How California shops evade ban on elephant ivory sales
Most ivory dealers in California rely on intentional mislabeling to cover what wildlife groups say is the illegal sale of recently poached African elephants.
- Hillary Clinton has big plans for solar power. Are they achievable?
Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton rolled out an ambitious plan late Sunday to decarbonize the US power sector, the first of what her campaign says will be a series of energy and climate policy announcements.
- Bad news for Russia: Oil prices are falling again
Russia is facing a mounting fiscal crisis as the combination of low oil prices and western sanctions continue to take their toll.
- Obama and Africa's energy potential [Recharge]
President Obama visits Africa as energy shortages continue to challenge much of the continent; China makes a splash in the East China Sea; Shell gets a green light to drill in the Arctic. Catch up on global energy with the Monitor's Recharge.