All Environment
- First LookA summer like fall: Major US wildfires torch Western forests
The destructive Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon grew on Sunday to more than 476 square miles, an area about the size of Los Angeles.
- First LookGOP group aims to educate fellow Republicans on climate change
Not all conservatives deny global warming is a serious threat. Through an ad campaign that targets Republican voters and a Conservative Climate Caucus, some lawmakers are using carefully crafted messages to change minds about the environment.
- First LookMexico lifts boat ban. Will endangered porpoises survive?
The Mexican government has lifted a boat ban in an area where endangered porpoises swim, switching to a 60-boat tolerance policy. Conservationists say the move leaves the marine mammals, of which about 10 remain, vulnerable to fishing nets.
- FocusHow a river town relocated, with climate lessons for today
Now perched 400 feet higher than in 1993, the Illinois town of Valmeyer is a model of perseverance – but with cautionary lessons for our times.
- First LookHow Audubon societies are grappling with a racist past
Audubon societies across the United States are reckoning with the racist views of their society’s name sake, John James Audubon. Many environmental groups are working to become more inclusive and improve diversity among their staffs.
- First LookSecond bout of high temperatures triggers Western wildfires
Although scientists say wildfires brought by a climate change-fueled megadrought continue to rage across the U.S. West, there is hope that the worst is already over as fire agencies report new progress in controlling the flames.
- First LookTrash talk: Are waste-to-energy plants a sustainable solution?
An increase in residential garbage production over the past year is sparking debate about the merits of waste-to-energy plants. Some say burning trash carries environmental and health risks, while others consider it a viable alternative to landfill disposal.
- First LookThe Great Salt Lake is drying. Here's why that matters.
One of the largest natural lakes in the U.S. is set to hit a 170-year low this year, and drought will only make matters worse. As the Great Salt Lake shrivels, it's taking a toll on local wildlife, businesses, and air quality.
- ‘Creation care’: How churches aim to save a warming planet
In Canada, a “wild church” movement symbolizes growing urgency around climate change. In the U.S., too, many faith communities embrace the issue.
- Letter from a heat-parched West: How times and temps have changed
Before summer even officially started, new temperature records were baked into the books in places like Salt Lake City and Sacramento, California.
- First LookPrescribed burns reduce wildfire risk but landowners remain wary
As wildfire season intensifies each year, prescribed burns, first introduced on the West Coast in the 1950s, are increasingly being recognized as a way to control forest undergrowth. Yet, the risks of harm and financial liability when a burn goes wrong slow adoption.
- First LookNot so great: UNESCO adds Australia's reef to endangered sites
In a controversial effort to bolster Australia’s climate change response, the U.N. World Heritage Committee intends to downgrade the Great Barrier Reef’s World Heritage status. Australia, while acknowledging climate change, said the claim is overblown.
- First LookWetlands and hot sauce: Tabasco company stems erosion with grass
McIlhenny Co. brews Tabasco sauce on Avery Island, Louisiana. Sinking land has been a problem throughout southern Louisiana, but Avery Island is slowly rising, thanks to the grass-planting efforts of the company in order to protect its factory.
- Climate conundrum: Tax on emissions is pragmatic but unpopular
Joe Biden is seeking an unprecedented level of U.S. reductions in greenhouse gas emissions – yet shying away from one major tool for doing that.
- First LookIf Jamaica wants more tourists, do more trees have to go?
On the coast of Jamaica, developers are building a $550 million resort, which they say will create 3,500 jobs. They have also promised to replant the mangroves, seagrass, and coral they will displace – but critics worry it won’t be enough to preserve the local ecosystem.
- First LookSolar geoengineering? Not in our skies, say Indigenous groups.
Harvard researchers are studying whether partially blocking the sun using particles high in the atmosphere can reverse global warming. Indigenous peoples and environmental activists are urging the scientists to scrap what they see as an unproductive and risky project.
- First LookWhere do birds fly? Tracking backpacks hold the answer.
With new technological advances, including smaller, lighter tracking chips, scientists can tag a larger variety of bird species. The data from these tags, which can be retrieved without re-capture, may solve mysteries about migratory patterns and population decline.
- First LookIn Minnesota, pipeline protestors prepare for 'summer of resistance'
In northern Minnesota, protesters have pledged a “summer of resistance” as a Canadian energy company prepares to rebuild an oil pipeline across the region. The resistance to energy pipelines comes with growing awareness of environmental inequality.
- First LookBiden aims to secure species protections revoked by Trump
The Biden administration is pushing to restore regulations protecting vulnerable species that the Trump administration previously scrapped. Many Republican lawmakers worry the protections are a hindrance to economic development.
- First LookDeforestation isn't helping farmers in Brazil. So what might?
A new study shows that deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon has led to less rainfall, and therefore less income, for farmers. But researchers are hopeful that new crops and farming methods can keep agriculture profitable while also protecting forests.