All Environment
- First LookAround the globe, museums seek to solve climate change
Curators are planning a new wave of museums devoted to climate change. They are pushing city planners and experts to use museums to foster empathy in citizens on climate issues, which will also be used as platforms for scientists to have their voices heard.
- First LookBrazil plants chocolate forests to save the Amazon
Brazil's cattle ranchers are planting cocoa on their used-up pasture, with financial support from international environmental groups. Cocoa plantations can imitate natural forests by helping to restore native plant and wildlife species and absorb carbon dioxide.
- How Fukushima turned a nuclear advocate into an antinuclear champion
Naoto Kan, Japan's former prime minister, was devoted to the idea of nuclear power. But after his country's nuclear disaster in 2011, he turned into an improbable activist against atomic energy. Can he persuade the pro-nuke French?
- First LookConstruction of massive water tunnels wins approval in California
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California approved a plan to help fund two tunnels connecting the Sacramento River to drought-sensitive communities around the state, but the plan is criticized by environmentalists.
- First LookYouths take up activism to counter climate change
Youth-led climate organizations are springing up around the globe and pushing for measures to counter climate change. Drawing from personal experience, they are rallying to hold their governments accountable for failing to properly address problems.
- First LookFacebook's latest low mark: selling illegal and threatened animal parts
Facebook become one of the 20 technology companies that joined the Global Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online. But weeks after joining scores of internationally banned wildlife products were found for sale in public and private Facebook groups.
- Difference MakerAfter hurricane Maria, he's helping the ocean – and its fishers – recover
Hurricane Maria upended Puerto Rico, along with its fishing industry. Raimundo Espinoza Chirinos's project cleans up the storm's hidden damage on the ocean floor by tapping into local fishermen's skills.
- First LookMore people choosing to walk, instead of drive, in congested Nairobi
A growing number of the city’s workers are opting to walk to work to avoid the daily traffic scramble and to cut air pollution caused by vehicle emissions. But walkers still face a tough road ahead, including a lack of safe pedestrian pathways.
- Climate change goes to court
The judicial system is taking on a new role in the arc of America's climate narrative, as activists increasingly bring climate grievances to court.
- First LookHow Greece is fighting its plastic trash problem beneath the waves
Greece's poor waste-management system and addiction to single-use plastic is littering the country’s seabed. Volunteer divers are working as underwater garbage collectors to remove plastic debris threatening marine life.
- Are your Uber and Lyft accounts worsening traffic?
Companies like Uber and Lyft promised to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. But in many cities, it may be having the opposite effect. Is there an environmentally sustainable way forward for ride-hailing apps?
- First LookBowhead whales are jazz musicians of the Arctic, study finds
For the first time, scientists have recorded the improvised songs of bowhead whales. 'These guys are great mimics,' said the oceanographer.
- First LookAs right whales face extinction, activists buoy hope
North Atlantic right whales are facing the threat of extinction despite 80 years of conservation efforts. The movement to preserve them is trying to come up with new solutions by renewing public interest in their survival.
- First LookWith reusable plastic bag, Malaysian shoppers encouraged to limit waste
In effort to cut down on waste and single-use plastic, British supermarket group Tesco has launched reusable plastic bags with barcodes that give customers discounts on shopping every time they reuse the bag.
- First LookFarmers reshape land along Columbia River to bring salmon back
Land-based agriculture on the Columbia River has slowly left the region, leaving behind a tangle of broken levees. But for landowners, the decline of farming has allowed them to revert their fields into natural habitat for threatened but critical wildlife – including salmon.
- First LookFormer rodeo clown proposes reusing industry wastewater in Wyoming
Billions of barrels of water a year are wasted after passing through oil and gas fields in Wyoming. Marvin Nash believes that reusing this water for irrigation could solve this problem – if farmers, regulators, and the oil and gas industry can overcome various hangups.
- As more Texans 'Give a Whoop,' hope for saving iconic cranes – and coast
Conservationists hope that the iconic birds can encourage a rare, ecologically-friendly approach to coastal development in a time of mounting human and environmental pressure on coastlines around the world.
- First LookSkyline farms in Hong Kong reap happiness along with food
Tapping into the growing interest in organic food, a number of rooftop farms are popping up on Hong Kong's skyscrapers. The farms help overworked Hong Kongers relieve stress through interacting with friends and nature.
- In San Francisco, hotels welcome bees as honored guests
Urban beekeeping has been on the rise for the past decade and some hotels are taking part, using apiaries to promote sustainability to the public and to incorporate honey into their menus.
- First LookCongress pushes to protect funding for major waterways
Both the House and Senate approved a bill that would allocate nearly $448 million for EPA programs to protect regional bodies of water. The bill challenges President Trump's efforts to cut or eliminate federal funding for water restoration.