All Environment
- From coral sperm banks to climate action: What's best to save reefs?
Scientists have developed a technique to cryopreserve the reproductive cells of fish, and hope to use it to preserve the diversity of imperiled coral reefs. But not everyone agrees that species-focused conservation is worth the effort in the face of global threats.
- Antarctica’s big break: What role for climate change?
Sometime between Monday and Wednesday this week, a trillion-ton iceberg broke away from the Antarctic Peninsula. It’s a fascinating geological phenomenon to watch, but the causes and implications are often misunderstood.
- First LookImmense iceberg finally splits from Antarctic ice shelf
After a wait that lasted longer than expected, scientists report a trillion-ton iceberg has separated from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica.
- First LookMali hires dogs to sniff out ivory trade
Hoping to slow and ultimately halt the illegal ivory trade in West Africa's Mali, an anti-poaching team recently brought three Dutch spaniels into its ranks to locate smuggler hideouts.
- First LookFire crews report better containment in California, Western US blazes
Cooler temperatures and reduced winds on Monday helped firefighters gain ground on some California wildfires following a record-setting heat wave, although others rage on. Containment of several other US-based fires also increased.
- Extreme botany: How far should we go to save a plant species?
Self-described extreme botanist Steve Perlman goes where no man – nor goat – has gone before to find and save the rarest plants in Hawaii.
- In Ethiopia, drought shoves the ordinary – even marriage – just out of reach
Failed rains have disrupted life here in ways seismic enough to register – if barely – on the Richter scale of global disasters. The government estimates that nearly 8 million people are in urgent need of assistance. But at close range, drought does even more than leave people hungry or far from home.
- Women take southern India's drought into their own hands – one shovel at a time
Three years of drought have driven many farmers to desperation. But thousands of women in Karnataka state are desilting lakes to deepen them, helping them retain water when the rains one day come again.
- FocusChina spent $100 billion on reforestation. So why does it have 'green deserts'?
Beijing's Grain-for-Green program has helped blanket the country's hillsides with trees, undoing damage from decades of blistering development. But fostering biodiversity remains a challenge, conservationists say.
- First LookUtah representative claims logging could have lessened forest fire damage
Representative Noel attacked 'tree huggers' and poor federal management for the fire at Brian Head, sparking controversy among forestry experts and conservation groups.
- First LookSpain forest fire encroaches on renowned national park, threatening endangered species
Firefighters are focusing their efforts on containing the fire where it has entered Donana National Park's perimeter, a park famous for its biodiversity.
- First LookExcitement for solar eclipse builds, but are small towns in prime viewing locations ready for the crowds?
The upcoming total solar eclipse – the first of its kind in 99 years – is expected to attract droves of eclipse chasers to otherwise sleepy towns that lie along the path of total darkness, such as in Madras, Ore.
- First LookCanadian oil sands industry faces innovation or bust
With high costs of extraction and an exodus of large oil companies, the Canadian oil sands industry demands innovation to succeed. Can determined entrepreneurs find new, cheaper methods to keep up with the US shale industry?
- First LookHeat waves expected to increase, says study: Can adaptation outpace climate changes?
What constitutes 'deadly heat,' and who might be affected by it the most? A new study explores these questions, while the lead author acknowledges the superior ability of developed countries to adapt to extreme weather.
- First LookGlobal religious and indigenous leaders warn against deforestation
Representatives from around the world attended the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative in Oslo on June 19, calling for protections to forests for their cultural, environmental, and religious significance.
- Boston's bid for zero waste: when less really is more
Mayor Marty Walsh's push to eliminate the Boston's net trash output is a key component of the city's goal to become carbon neutral by 2050.
- Bears Ears rift reveals monumental federal-county chasm
Opposing philosophies of land ownership and conservation in Utah keep San Juan county officials and federal agencies from seeing eye-to-eye.
- FocusKiwis take front line in global war against invasive species
New Zealand is home to one of the highest proportions of threatened species in the world. Desperate to save its beloved wildlife, the archipelago nation is seizing on a drastic and controversial strategy: kill all the predators.
- First LookIn Zimbabwe, benefits of forgotten farming method realized during drought
As the effects of climate change become more apparent in Zimbabwe, traditional farming methods, like no-till farming, which is proving, in some cases, to increase productivity and save money, gain a rekindled reputation.
- First LookUN chief tackles issue of global clean water shortage
Access to clean water is a growing global issue. The UN considers preventive diplomacy to ensure clean water doesn't become a source for global conflict, too.