All Environment
- First LookWatch as warm temperatures chew into old Arctic ice
The old Arctic sea ice serves as a 'bulwark' against further melting, even as newer ice melts and refreezes from year to year.
- A way forward on western water
Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter, as the Monitor's Inhabit section features journalism that brings clarity, hope, and humanity to the story of environmental issues including climate change.
- Puget Sound orcas: Would removing dams save the whales?
After the death of a young female orca and her calf, researchers say that removing dams could mean more fish for whales to eat. But what does that mean for the area?
- First LookWhy Spain could be a desert by 2100, say climate researchers
Spain a desert? A new study offers a glimpse at Spain's future under four different carbon emissions scenarios. Researchers found that Mediterranean vegetation could change dramatically as the climate warms.
- First LookHow Antarctica's Ross Sea became world's largest marine reserve
World's largest marine reserve: The Ross Sea will become off-limits for any kind of wildlife or mineral extraction, after five years of negotiations.
- Flint effect? Environmentalism shifts to racial justice, inclusion.
The EPA releases new environmental-justice initiatives against the backdrop of a wider trend: Black and Latino Americans are increasingly active on green issues.
- Federal-lands rule pits green groups against wind, solar firms
Renewable energy firms have been flocking to sites on federal lands. Now pricing by the Bureau of Land Management is about to change toward competitive bidding similar to the system for oil and gas companies.
- Podcast: Manufacturing a sustainable future
The world faces challenges as human populations rise and lifestyles put growing demands on resources. A key task for business is to drive sustainability through innovation.
- How a president Trump could scuttle US role in climate accord
Several options might allow Donald Trump, if elected, to follow through on his call for the US to back away from greenhouse-gas reductions pledged in Paris.
- First LookHow global warming could actually make winters colder for some people
Arctic warming could be shifting the jet stream, leading to more frigid winters in the United States and Britain.
- First LookCaptured orangutans return to wild in Borneo
The Borneo Orangutan Survival foundation has been rehabilitating orangutans for decades. Last week's release marked the 25th anniversary of the group's conservation efforts.
- First LookWhere has all the wildlife gone? New report shows huge drop in populations.
Wildlife populations have declined an average of 58 percent from 1970 levels worldwide, according to the conservation group WWF.
- First LookNortheast United States will have new national wildlife refuge
The Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge will span New York and five New England states. It will be the 18th refuge created under President Obama.
- First LookElk spotted in South Carolina for the first time since the 1700s
Conservationists are warning observers to stay back from the elk, which could swing its antlers at anyone that gets too close.
- First LookWill global pressure help the 'world's saddest' polar bear?
More than a million people from China and abroad have signed a petition urging organizers of China’s Grandview Shopping Mall to close its zoo.
- US negotiator: 'severe' damage without more climate action
Nations will meet in Morocco to put flesh on the bones of last year's Paris climate agreement. The State Department's Jonathan Pershing says the parties should put ambitious mid-century targets in their sights.
- Whaling nations harpoon Brazil’s bid for South Atlantic sanctuary
Brazil first proposed creating a whale sanctuary in South Atlantic in 1998, but it hasn't been able to get past an international vote because of opposition from whaling nations.
- First LookHow tree cover can offer shortcut to estimating biodiversity
Current methods of measuring biodiversity require labor-intensive field research, but a study published Monday suggests there may be a simpler way.
- First LookWith an eye on climate change, court gives bearded seals endangered status
A federal appeals court ruled that a certain population of bearded seals can be granted endangered species status even if it is not currently facing extinction.
- CO2 levels hit 400 ppm milestone: A prompt to turn Paris deal into action?
The UN World Meteorological Organization has said the world has passed 400 p.p.m., a symbolic carbon dioxide threshold. The UN announcement comes two weeks before a climate change summit in Morocco.