Environment

Collette Williams and her son SaVaughn live a few blocks from the Clairton Coke Works. Pollutants from the plant exceed local limits, and Williams believes that exacerbates her son's severe asthma.

One Town's Decades Long Struggle For Cleaner Air

5:01am January 04, 2019

by Reid Frazier

The air has been getting dirtier around the country's largest coke fuel plant near Pittsburgh. The push to clean up pollution is complicated when residents depend on the industry that's causing it.

Scientists have re-engineered photosynthesis, the foundation of life on Earth, creating genetically modified plants that grow faster and bigger. Above, scientists measure how well modified tobacco plants photosynthesize compared to unmodified plants.

Scientists Have 'Hacked Photosynthesis' In Search Of More Productive Crops

10:51pm January 03, 2019

by Dan Charles

Scientists have re-engineered photosynthesis, a foundation of life on Earth, creating genetically modified plants that grow faster and bigger. They hope it leads to bigger harvests of food.

The farewell letter that former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke posted to Twitter was barely legible, although he did also type out his missive.

Zinke's Handwritten Resignation Note: A Bear To Read, A Bone To Critics

11:06am January 03, 2019

by Daniella Cheslow

The outgoing interior secretary wrote his resignation letter in thick red ink. Now critics are piling on for his handwriting and his policies.

David Bernhardt, a former oil-industry lobbyist and a polarizing figure, will lead the Department of the Interior for now as Ryan Zinke steps down.

Environment

The New Acting Interior Secretary Is An Agency Insider And Ex-Oil Lobbyist

2:23pm January 02, 2019

by Nate Hegyi

As Ryan Zinke steps down amid a string of ethics investigations, his deputy David Bernhardt — a former oil-industry lobbyist and a polarizing figure — will take over at the Department of the Interior.

Villagers in Canchayllo stand by a reconstructed canal.

Climate Change Is Bad For Peru's Pastures ... But There's A 1,200-Year-Old Fix

11:09am January 02, 2019

by Elda Cantú

Climate change has shrunk the wetlands in the Andes where livestock graze. Could reviving ancient water systems bring back the grass?

Environment

Public Meetings Set To Discuss Coal Ash Basin Closures For Belews Creek, Other Sites

6:00am January 02, 2019

by Keri Brown

The public will have a chance weigh in on new risk classifications and closure options for some Duke Energy coal ash sites.

Pittsburgh Struggles For Clean Air As Nearby Town's Pollution Worsens

6:01am January 01, 2019

by Reid Frazier

The air is getting dirtier around the country's largest coke fuel plant near Pittsburgh. But the push to clean up pollution is complicated when residents depend on the industry that's causing it.

House Democrats Form New 'Climate Crisis' Committee

5:41pm December 30, 2018

This past week Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi announced a new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. NPR's Don Gonyea speaks with Rep. Kathy Castor who will head up the committee in the new Congress.

In this photo from March, a North Atlantic right whale feeds off the coast of Massachusetts. A new North Atlantic right whale calf was just spotted — and it's the first calf sighting in over a year.

Endangered Species Observers Have Spotted The First Right Whale Calf Of The Season

4:51pm December 29, 2018

by Jenny Gathright

The sighting is a glimmer of hope for a species that has seen a hard few years: 19 right whales died in 2017 and 2018, and not a single North American right whale calf was seen last season.

Indonesian Navy personnel watch as Anak Krakatau spews volcanic materials into the waters of Indonesia's Sunda Strait this week.

Earthquake Off Philippine Coast Hits A Region Already On High Alert

4:11pm December 29, 2018

by Jenny Gathright

U.S. Geological Survey says it was magnitude 7.0. No casualties have been reported. On Dec. 22, a tsunami, likely caused by the volcano Anak Krakatau, hit Indonesia and killed about 430 people.