Environment

Rising Sea Levels Threaten Tiny Islands Home To Indigenous Panamanians

4:25pm November 12, 2015

by Jacob McCleland

Sea rise is threatening the way of life for a Panamanian indigenous group that lives on islands off the Caribbean coast. They're now pondering moving back to the mainland and abandoning their way of life.

NPR Amazon Reporting Team Tries To Offset Its Carbon Footprint

1:57pm November 12, 2015

by Stacey Vanek Smith

When we drive, fly or walk, we contribute to carbon emissions that cause global warming. One solution often cited is to pay to heal the harm by underwriting the cost of planting a tree.

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Mike Owen, park biologist at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve in Florida, documents an orchid growing on a cypress tree.

Scientists Work With Cuba To Bring Lost Orchids Back To Florida State Park

7:23am November 11, 2015

by Greg Allen

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve is home to more than 40 native species of orchids; many more were lost to poaching and habitat destruction. Some of those blooms can still be found in Cuba and may return.

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Ivo Cassol is a prominent Brazilian senator from the western state of Rondonia in the Amazon. He made his fortune in timber and cattle ranching. Environmentalists say these activities are responsible for much of the deforestation in the rain forest.

The Amazon, As It Looks To A Man Who Made His Fortune There

3:29pm November 10, 2015

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Ivo Cassol is a prominent Brazilian politician who made his money in cattle ranching and logging in the Amazon. He says the world should pay Brazil a lot more if it wants to preserve the rain forest.

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Rich Nations Should Pay To Preserve Rainforest, Brazilian Politician Says

6:21am November 10, 2015

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Representatives will meet soon in Paris to try to hammer out a climate change agreement, and what happens in one small Brazilian state in the Amazon can effect that global deal.

Sunset colors cut through the smoky haze in the Brazilian Amazon.

Scientists Say The Amazon Is Still Teaching Us New Lessons

7:04pm November 09, 2015

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Recent scientific discoveries show the Amazon might control the climate for much of South America. The theory could point to potentially disastrous ramifications if deforestation continues.

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Coal Offers Hope For Montana Tribe

4:35pm November 09, 2015

by Amy Martin

The Crow Tribe doesn't have adequate housing, jobs or educational opportunities. But it does have 9 billion tons of coal. Tribal leaders want to use it to better the community. But others worry about climate change and wonder if a proposed coal mine will pay off in the long run.

Coal Giant Peabody Accused Of Misleading Investors About Climate Change Risks

11:31am November 09, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

As part of an agreement with the New York state attorney general's office, the company will revise the statements it makes about the impact of regulation.

Environment

How The Climate Can Shape The Way We Speak

8:10am November 08, 2015

The English language bursts with consonants. But other languages are more vowel heavy. A new study says it may have to do with geography.

Freshly cooked Dungeness crab sits on a pot of boiling water at Nick's Lighthouse Restaurant in San Francisco, Nov. 5, 2015.

Why A Neurotoxin Is Closing Crab Season In California

9:39am November 07, 2015

by Lauren Sommer

State officials have closed recreational and commercial fishing for Dungeness and rock crab on the California coast, due to a large algae bloom that's making the crab unsafe for consumption.