Environment

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has approved a plan to use phosphogypsum, a radioactive waste material, in "demonstration projects." Here, signs block a roadway in Boca Raton during a construction project in 2021.

Florida moves forward on radioactive road paving plan as Gov. DeSantis signs new law

1:23pm June 30, 2023

by Bill Chappell

Conservation groups had urged the governor to veto the bill, saying phosphogypsum would hurt water quality and put road construction crews at a higher risk of cancer.

The heat is making squirrels 'sploot' — a goofy act that signals something serious

3:49pm June 29, 2023

by Kai McNamee

As climate change is making extreme heat events more common, these bright-eyed and bushy-tailed critters are "splooting" to cope.

Queue Listen Now

Poor air quality triggered orange, red and purple alerts over a large chunk of the U.S. on Thursday, as seen in this map published by the federal air quality site AirNow at 7 a.m. ET.

A big swath of the U.S. is under red and purple air quality alerts from Canada's smoke

3:04pm June 29, 2023

by Bill Chappell

In Madison, Wis., the air quality was measured at 242 Thursday morning— a "very unhealthy" purple alert rating that many other communities shared, particularly in the Midwest.

Activists protested what would be the country's largest lithium mine outside federal court in Pasadena, Calif. Tuesday.

Western tribes' last ditch effort to stall a large lithium mine in Nevada

6:13pm June 28, 2023

by Kirk Siegler

Western tribes are making a last ditch effort to thwart a large lithium mine in a federal appeals court.

An audio postcard to future generations: Volunteers document bird sounds of Acadia

4:57pm June 28, 2023

by Murray Carpenter

A researcher is documenting all the bird species at Acadia National Park, creating a baseline for changing populations.

How purple came to be a scarier color than red on the Air Quality Index

4:28pm June 28, 2023

by Neda Ulaby

Millions of Americas affected by wildfire smoke are focusing on the colors red, purple and maroon on the Air Quality Index charts. Red used to be the scariest color. Why did that change?

Outdoor workers are vulnerable to prolonged heat waves like the one hitting Texas, which climate scientists warn are becoming more common.

Environment

Global heat waves show climate change and El Niño are a bad combo

1:18pm June 28, 2023

by Lauren Sommer

Scientists say worsening heat waves have a clear link to climate change. This year, a seasonal El Niño pattern will also be adding fuel to the fire.

Haze from Canadian wildfires blankets the Chicago skyline as seen from the city's South Loop neighborhood on Wednesday.

Air quality plummets as Canadian wildfire smoke stretches across the Midwest

1:01pm June 28, 2023

Chicago saw its air quality plummet, while other cities including Detroit, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh were experiencing unhealthy air quality levels.

A plume of smoke stretches from North America across more than 2,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean in the latest international impact from Canada's large and persistent wildfires.

Smoke from Canada's wildfires darkens Europe's skies

10:11pm June 27, 2023

by Bill Chappell

A plume of smoke and soot stretches for thousands of miles from the province of Quebec province across the Atlantic Ocean, as seen in satellite images from NASA.

March 1944: A cloud of ash hangs over Vesuvius during its worst eruption in more than 70 years. In the foreground is the city of Naples. The nearby towns of Massa and San Sebastiano were destroyed by the flow of lava. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

The Second Biggest Disaster at Mount Vesuvius

6:30am June 27, 2023

by Greg Rosalsky

Like an increasing number of national parks in the United States, Mount Vesuvius has begun rationing access with a quota system. The system has had some problems.