All Environment
- The fight over water in Florida has had some surprising winners
Business interests often trump environmental concerns about Florida’s groundwater. But grassroots conservationists are fighting back – and winning.
- FocusRebuild or relocate? Storms leave Louisiana city facing tough choices.
The people of Lake Charles, Louisiana, have experienced two hurricanes plus a severe winter storm in the space of a year.
- ‘This isn’t just weeds’: Native gardens are repairing local ecosystems
Native and wildlife gardens are on the rise in the U.S. Conservationists say that trend could help fix the food web.
- Silver bullets: Can cloud seeding ease the drought in the West?
The value of cloud seeding as a way to create rain is debatable. But parts of the drought-ridden western U.S. are giving it a try.
- ‘I consider them friends’: Anglers sacrifice to save trout
In Colorado, love of rivers looks like restraint. Facing chronic drought, fly fishers pause short-term interests with the hope of long-term payoffs.
- FocusWater shortage spans the Southwest – but so does water progress
Today’s declaration of a Lake Mead shortage signals the scale of drought in the Southwest. It also reflects the power of cooperative planning.
- Canada gets serious about water woes. Will Indigenous voices be heard?
Even resource-rich Canada faces threats to its water – and many say a stronger voice for Indigenous people is a key to better governance.
- How pandemic relocations are snarling in-demand suburbs
Reacting to the pandemic, people left cities but stayed within 150 miles. Now, suburban traffic congestion is up, and public transit ridership down.
- Climate report: Hope is not lost, but ‘we need to move faster’
Dire predictions don’t have to lead to dire outcomes. That’s a key message in an alarming report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
- First LookEarth hits 'code red' on climate change. Can disaster be averted?
In a new report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, researchers found that human-caused climate change is accelerating at a quicker rate than expected, with emissions to pass a key threshold set out in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
- To protect legacy and livelihoods, ranchers battle drought
Ranchers drill for water and downsize while waiting for rain. Droughts across the West and Midwest prompt more well-drilling and cattle sales.
- First LookDuty or dirty deal? States put cost of package waste on companies.
New initiatives requiring producers to pay for the recycling of their packaging are gaining traction across the United States. Proponents say the bills will discourage excessive packaging and improve recycling, but critics worry about the rising costs of doing business.
- First LookUS firefighters turn to AI to battle the blazes
As wildfires continue to burn across the Western United States, firefighters are using data analytics to aid in fighting the flames. Statistical models predict how fires spread, which helps make sure firefighters are deployed to where they are most needed.
- Sewage equity? In Alabama, trust is as important as pipes.
Some in low-income, rural areas have sewage flowing into their yards – evidence of infrastructure inequities. An Alabama program may have a solution.
- First LookHazy skies blanket East Coast as wildfire smoke blows from West
With wildfires continuing to rage in the American West, strong winds have blown smoke and ash all across the United States, obscuring the skies more than 2,500 miles away in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
- Cover StoryFlorida brought back its panthers. Can people live with them?
The big cats’ revival in Florida is a conservation success story. But can they coexist with Florida’s booming population?
- First Flint, then Jackson. Is America ready to fix its water supply?
A water system failure in Jackson, Mississippi, is a sign of wider challenges – with what you could call the basic plumbing of society.
- First LookPlanned fires reduced damage of Oregon wildfire, analysis shows
Years of forest management have made Oregon’s massive Bootleg wildfire more manageable, an evaluation suggests. The findings point to the benefits of planned fires – allowing some naturally occurring fires to clear out plants that fuel wildfires, instead of putting them out.
- First LookSeas are rising. Will California's 'managed retreat' ease fears?
As rising seas encroach upon coastal communities in California, cities are preparing to buy up vulnerable property and encourage residents to move inland in a “managed retreat.” It’s one of the state’s many initiatives to mitigate the effects of climate change.
- First Look'Unprecedented' Europe floods fuel urgent calls to cut emissions
Extreme weather events, such as the deadly floods in Europe, are likely to be more common, scientists say, stressing the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and make cities and infrastructure more resilient to climate change.