Environment

Shrinking Sea Ice Could Put Polar Bears In Grave Peril By 2100

6:39pm November 26, 2014

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A new study looks at the future of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and finds that by the end of this century, the region might be ice-free for 2 to 5 months, something that puts bears in grave peril.

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EPA Proposes New Rules To Curb Ozone Levels

1:49pm November 26, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

The rules would lower the threshold for ozone from 75 parts per billion to between 65 ppb and 70 ppb. They are likely to be opposed by industry groups as well as Republicans.

The Alabama gulf coast is heavily developed with condo and hotel properties. Now the state wants to use Gulf Coast restoration funds to build a new beach hotel and conference center.

Plan To Use Gulf Oil Spill Funds For Beach Hotel Sparks Lawsuit

5:04pm November 25, 2014

by Debbie Elliott

Environmentalists are suing to stop Alabama from using nearly $60 million in BP oil spill recovery funds to build a new hotel on the beach. The project is one of dozens underway across the region.

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Elizabeth Kolbert is a staff writer at The New Yorker and also the author of The Prophet of Love and Field Notes from a Catastrophe.

In The World's 'Sixth Extinction,' Are Humans The Asteroid?

3:30pm November 25, 2014

Scientists think an asteroid killed the dinosaurs. In today's extinction, humans are the culprit.

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Lightning strikes near Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville, Fla., in August. A new study says a rise in average global temperatures due to climate change will increase the frequency of lightning strikes.

Climate Change To Make Lightning More Common, Study Says

7:46pm November 23, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Researchers writing in the journal Science say that if the rate of global warming goes unchecked, the frequency of lightning strikes will increase by 50 percent.

What We Learn When Find Silence

11:21am November 22, 2014

From NPR's Guy Raz, host of the TED Radio Hour: the story of environmentalist John Francis, who took a 17-year vow of silence — and what he learned about the power of quiet.

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Starfish Illness Harms Other Sea Creatures

11:21am November 22, 2014

Starfish in the Pacific northwest are being decimated by what's called wasting disease. Researcher Drew Harvell tells NPR's Scott Simon that warming seas are making it worse.

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Shrinking Glaciers Could Squeeze Washington's Water Supply

6:36pm November 21, 2014

by Ashley Ahearn

Washington state is home to more glaciers than any other state in the lower 48. And they're receding faster than ever before.

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Pistachios, a possible energy source for a Turkish city.

Turkey Looks For Energy In An Abundant Resource: Pistachio Shells

1:13pm November 20, 2014

by Laura Secorun Palet

Converting the shells into biogas could provide most of the heat for a planned city of 200,000, engineers say. There's precedent in Australia, where macadamia nut shells are generating power.

California sheep rancher Dan Macon had to sell almost half of his herd because the drought left him without enough feed.

With Drought The New Normal, Calif. Farmers Find They Have To Change

11:37am November 20, 2014

by Kirk Siegler

Three years of severe drought in California is forcing farmers and ranchers to make some tough choices. In some cases, they're rethinking everything about their business and finding new opportunities.

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