Environment

Officials announced Thursday plans to return Lolita — an orca that has lived in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium for more than 50 years — to its home waters in the Pacific Northwest. Here, trainer Marcia Hinton pets Lolita, a captive orca whale, during a performance at the Miami Seaquarium in Miami, March 9, 1995.

After 50 years, a Florida aquarium plans to return Lolita the orca to her home waters

5:00am March 31, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

The 57-year-old orca was captured over 50 years ago at the age of 4 from the Pacific coast near Seattle. She retired last spring from performing in exhibition shows.

In this photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, swimmers swim after spinner dolphins in Honanau Bay, Hawaii, March 26, 2023. Hawaii authorities say they have referred 33 people to U.S. law enforcement after the group allegedly harassed a pod of wild dolphins in waters off the Big Island.

Authorities are investigating 33 swimmers for allegedly harassing dolphins in Hawaii

3:13am March 31, 2023

by Ayana Archie

The Marine Mammal Protection Act was amended in 2021 to prohibit people from being within 50 feet of spinner dolphins in Hawaii.

Krishna Lal stands in front of her house. The town of Chamba is on the hill behind her.

'Ghost villages' of the Himalayas foreshadow a changing India

2:21pm March 30, 2023

by Raksha Kumar

Parts of the Himalayas in India are seeing people leave for cities that offer more jobs. Those left behind feel forgotten as the government looks to use the land for resources for the growing cities.

Electric cars charge at a hub in downtown Milan on March 23. Starting in 2035, all cars sold in the European Union will be zero-emission vehicles.

All new cars in the EU will be zero-emission by 2035. Here's where the U.S. stands

10:09am March 30, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

European Union states agreed to a plan after adding an exemption for cars that run on e-fuels. In the U.S., efforts to phase out gas-powered cars include future bans in several states.

A map highlights areas where thousands of blocks of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico were offered up in an oil and gas auction Wednesday.

The Biden administration sells oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico

4:43pm March 29, 2023

Energy companies secured access to 1.6 million acres of waters offered at auction. It's the second time this month that the administration has opened federal territory for new fossil fuel drilling.

Three barges are jammed up against the McAlpine Dam on the Ohio River, just off the shore in Louisville, Ky. Officials say a barge carrying 1,400 tons of methanol is partially submerged.

A barge carrying methanol broke free in the Ohio River

9:52am March 29, 2023

by Bill Chappell

"There is currently zero evidence of a tank breach or any leaks, and air and water monitoring resources are in place," according to Louisville Metro Emergency Services in Kentucky.

This May 21, 2020, photo provided by Victor Gensini shows a tornado in Moscow, Kan. A new study says warming will fuel more supercells or tornados in the United States and that those storms will move eastward from their current range.

Environment

Warming-fueled supercells will hit the southern U.S. more often, a study warns

3:27am March 28, 2023

by The Associated Press

America will probably get more killer tornado- and hail-spawning supercells as the world warms, according to a new study that also warns the lethal storms will edge eastward to strike more frequently.

Philadelphia is seen across the Delaware River. Officials say the water is safe to drink — at least through Tuesday afternoon — after a latex finishing solution spilled into a Delaware River tributary late Friday.

Philadelphia's water 'safe to drink' through Tuesday afternoon after chemical spill

7:12pm March 27, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

City officials assured residents on Monday that the water was safe to drink throughout the day, but added that they are continuing to test the water supply.

Deforestation of tropical rainforests is causing droughts

5:41pm March 27, 2023

by Lauren Sommer

The world's tropical rainforests are still getting hit hard by deforestation. Now, scientists are finding that's having an expected impact: causing droughts.

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An aerial view of neighborhood in Rolling Fork, Miss., destroyed by Friday night's tornado.

The exact link between tornadoes and climate change is hard to draw. Here's why

11:24am March 27, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Western Mississippi is turning to recovery after being hit by a long-track tornado on Friday. Here's what made it so destructive — and why the impact of climate change on tornadoes is still unclear.