Environment

President Obama addresses the opening ceremony of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) on Nov. 30.

Much Of The World Perplexed That Climate Debate Continues In U.S.

5:23pm December 09, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

The 20th century's biggest carbon emitter is also one of the few advanced democracies where climate change is not accepted as fact. This makes it hard for some to trust U.S. efforts on the issue.

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De Brum says that the long-term goal of the climate summit, keeping temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius, would still be a disaster for his country. Its slogan is "1.5 to stay alive." He's shown here at a 2013 climate meeting in the Marshall Isla

For The Marshall Islands, The Climate Goal Is '1.5 To Stay Alive'

5:22pm December 09, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

The islands have more to lose than most any country at the Paris climate summit. Some territory is already disappearing under rising seas. The foreign minister explains the predicament.

Environmentalists Sound Alarm On Proposed Drilling Near Florida Everglades

4:18pm December 09, 2015

by Greg Allen

The National Park Service is weighing a Texas company's proposal to do seismic oil testing in the Big Cypress National Preserve. But some worry it will open the door for fracking in the Everglades.

A coal mound stands outside a Kentucky Utilities Co. station.

India To U.S.: Cut Back On Your Consumption!

9:54am December 09, 2015

by Julie McCarthy

The Paris climate talks are said to be the best chance in 20 years to reach a global treaty. But India argues little will change unless fossil-fuel-reliant rich countries change their habits.

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The Sticking Point: U.N. Climate Delegates To Debate Financial Measures

9:37pm December 08, 2015

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Rachel Kyte, special envoy for climate change for the World Bank, who explains the push-pull between rich and poor countries over financing measures to stop climate change.

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Secretary Moniz Emphasizes 'Innovation Agenda' To Stop Climate Change

4:09pm December 08, 2015

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz about the U.N. climate summit in Paris.

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Young boys in Beijing check a smartphone in front of their home near a coal-fired power plant. As China's economy slowed in 2015, its industrial use of coal likely dropped, too, researchers say. That may be behind the slight drop in global CO2 emissions.

Small, Surprising Dip In World's Carbon Emissions Traced To China

3:46pm December 08, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Climate scientists say global emissions of carbon dioxide seem to have dipped a bit in 2015, though the world economy is still growing. China's reduced use of coal may be the main reason.

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At a brick kiln in India's rural state of Uttar Pradesh, workers use solar lanterns to illuminate their paths.

To Know the True Meaning Of Solar Energy, Ask A Powerless Rice Farmer

3:26pm December 08, 2015

by Michael Edison Hayden

Renewable energy is critical when it comes to climate change. But there's a life-altering benefit for the 1.1 billion who live without electricity.

Is This Congressman's 'Oversight' An Effort To Hobble Climate Science?

5:43pm December 07, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas is formally investigating a recent study on global warming. Smith calls the timing of the study's publication "suspicious," but many scientists call his tactics "bullying."

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Las Cañadas is an ecological cooperative in Veracruz, Mexico that's working to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change while producing food, materials, chemicals and energy.

Carbon Farming Gets A Nod At Paris Climate Conference

1:33pm December 07, 2015

by Alastair Bland

Using farmland to capture carbon rather than release it into the atmosphere is called carbon farming. The idea is taking off and countries and institutions have endorsed a new agenda promoting it.