Environment

How Human Rights Efforts And The Fight Against Climate Change Are Related

8:15am April 11, 2017

Rachel Martin talks to Mary Robinson, former Ireland president and ex-U.N. high commissioner for Human Rights, about issues that require multilateral cooperation at a time when nationalism is rising.

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NET Power has built carbon capture technology into its power plant outside Houston, which will generate electricity by burning natural gas. The demonstration project should be fully operational later this year, according to NET Power.

Natural Gas Plant Makes A Play For Coal's Market, Using 'Clean' Technology

5:52pm April 10, 2017

by Christopher Joyce

The idea behind "clean coal" is technology that would capture for reuse most of the carbon dioxide emitted by coal-burning power plants. Entrepreneurs aim to use similar tech to clean natural gas.

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A diver near Australia's Orpheus Island surveys bleached Great Barrier Reef coral in March 2017.

Great Barrier Reef Hit By Bleaching For The Second Year In A Row

12:20pm April 10, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

Scientists say severe bleaching events have happened three other times in the past 20 years — but never in consecutive years. They fear that prolonged stress could kill the corals.

Park Ranger Ibarra poses for a portrait.

PHOTOS: The Creamy, Sculpted Dunes Of White Sands National Monument

4:23pm April 09, 2017

There's no place like it on the planet: White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. It's the world's largest gypsum dunefield: miles and miles of stunning white landscape.

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For people with celiac disease gluten-free food is a must. A new study suggests that a common virus may trigger the onset of the disease.

When Gluten Is The Villain, Could A Common Virus Be The Trigger?

7:28am April 08, 2017

by Allison Aubrey

About 30 percent of Americans are predisposed to celiac disease, but only 1 percent get the disease. A new study finds that a common virus may play a role in determining who gets the disease.

Motorcyclists enter the Carrizo Plain National Monument near Taft, Calif., during a wildflower "super bloom" on Wednesday. After years of drought, an explosion of wildflowers in Southern and Central California is drawing record crowds.

Gov. Jerry Brown Lifts Drought Emergency For Most Of California

8:12pm April 07, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Still, the state will retain some rules it placed on water use during the years-long drought. "This drought emergency is over," Brown said Friday, "but the next drought could be around the corner."

A tart cherry orchard in Michigan. Warmer days in early spring and erratic spring weather have hurt yields in recent years. Still, cherry growers are reluctant discuss the role of climate change.

Michigan's Tart Cherry Orchards Struggle To Cope With Erratic Spring Weather

4:31pm April 07, 2017

by Peter Payette

An unpredictable spring this year unnerved tart cherry growers in Michigan, because these cherry trees are especially vulnerable to extreme weather shifts made more likely by climate change.

James E. Hansen at TED2012 in Long Beach, CA.

James Hansen: What Makes A Scientist Take A Stand?

8:59am April 07, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

When James Hansen spoke up about climate change in the 1980s, he risked the loss of his job and reputation. But, he says, it was worth it — because he could not be silent about something so important.

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A screenshot of the Bureau of Land Management's home page displays a photo of a "large coal seam at the Peabody North Antelope Rochelle Mine in Wyoming."

BLM Replaces Mountain Landscape Photo With Coal Seam On Home Page

8:37pm April 06, 2017

by Kirk Siegler

Critics were not kind to the Bureau of Land Management on social media. The agency says it plans to rotate photos showing various uses for federally managed lands.

Unsold cars, used and new, are unloaded from tractor-trailers into a parking lot south of Madrid. It's one of the biggest sales areas for used cars and scrap metal near the Spanish capital. Vendors say they're anticipating difficulty selling diesel cars,

In Madrid, A Plan To Fight Pollution By Shifting Away From Diesel-Run Cars

5:14pm April 06, 2017

by Lauren Frayer

Half of all cars in Europe run on diesel, compared to 3 percent in the U.S. But Madrid has vowed to ban diesel vehicles by 2025, to cut air pollution. Paris and Athens have made similar pledges.

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