Environment

Steam blows from the RWE Niederaussem lignite-fired power station in Bergheim, Germany, in January 2020. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the concentration of greenhouse gases in 2020 was the highest on record.

Environment

Greenhouse Gas Levels Are The Highest Ever Seen — And That's Going Back 800,000 Years

3:24pm August 27, 2021

by Deepa Shivaram

Scientists said the concentration of carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change, is the highest in data going back 800,000 years, based on ice core records.

Destroyed houses are seen in Schuld, Germany, on July 15 after devastating floods hit the region.

Western Europe Can Expect More Heavy Rainfall And Fatal Floods As The Climate Warms

7:05am August 27, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

The World Weather Attribution initiative has issued a report that said July's historic flooding in Europe is more likely to happen today due to global warming.

Wells Are Running Dry After Farms And Homes In Oregon Compete For Water

6:07am August 27, 2021

by April Ehrlich

Farmers in southern Oregon are pumping groundwater onto fields. They're not getting lake water for irrigation because water levels there were too low. Now, homeowners' wells are running dry.

The West's Water Supply Is Low. Some Cities May Have To Cut Back On Water Use Soon

5:13pm August 26, 2021

by Alex Hager

The unprecedented declaration of a water shortage in the Colorado River system mostly means less water for Arizona farmers for now, but cutbacks to cities are likely coming soon.

Biden Promised Electric Cars, Which Need Lithium. A Proposed Mine Is On Sacred Land

5:13pm August 26, 2021

by Kirk Siegler

In Nevada, tribal opposition to a proposed lithium mine is testing the White House's pledge to electrify America's transportation system and give more of a voice to indigenous people in federal lands.

Fires Force The U.S. Forest Service To Close Minnesota Wilderness Area

6:11am August 26, 2021

by Dan Kraker

The U.S. Forest Service this week closed Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area along the Canadian border because of fires. It's the first time in nearly half a century they've had to close the area.

Climate Expert On Why People Outside Of Tennessee Should Be Worried About Its Storm

4:34pm August 24, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Janey Camp, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt University, about how storms like Tennessee's will become more common with climate change.

Adult Spotted Lanternflies outside the Berks County Services Building in Reading, PA Monday afternoon. The Spoted Lanternfly is an invasive species from Asia.

Agriculture Officials Really Want Those Spotted Lanternflies Gone, Gone, Gone

12:50pm August 24, 2021

by Jonathan Franklin

Pennsylvania officials are giving the following advice to those who encounter the pesky invasive insects: "Kill it! Squash it, smash it ... just get rid of it."

A worker cleans inside Four Boys Ice Cream store in Jamesburg, N.J., on Monday.

Cleanup Begins In Soggy Northeast As Henri Plods Back To Sea

6:31pm August 23, 2021

by The Associated Press

Residents across the waterlogged Northeast began cleaning up while remnants of Tropical Storm Henri threatened further flooding in New England as the system made a slow trek back to the sea.

Stumps from recently logged trees in the footprint of the deadly Camp Fire. Some 40,000 trees have now been removed around Paradise.

In Fire Scorched California, Town Aims To Buy The Highest At-Risk Properties

1:06pm August 23, 2021

by Kirk Siegler

Decimated by the deadly Camp Fire in 2018, Paradise, Calif., is now moving to acquire some high-risk properties and turn them into managed park land to buffer against future wildfires.