Environment

California Aims To Get Past The Yuck Factor Of Recycled Wastewater

1:45pm February 20, 2018

by Nathan Rott

With the potential of another drought looming, California is looking at recycled wastewater as a source for drinking. Recycled water is California's single largest source of new water supplies.

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Everywhere we've gone here, we see trees getting help ...

In Pyeongchang, Trees Get Help To Resist The Wind

11:43pm February 19, 2018

by Bill Chappell

The wind roared in from Siberia, toppling concession stands and security scanners. These huge gusts led NPR's team to realize why so many trees in the area have elaborate support systems.

Humpback whales are among the animals that could be affected by seismic surveys for oil and gas.

Seismic Surveys Planned Off U.S. Coast Pose Risk To Marine Life

4:49pm February 19, 2018

by Christopher Joyce

The Trump administration could give companies permission to set off sonic explosions to explore for oil and gas deposits. Scientists say this could seriously harm marine life.

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Snow-making has been called a Band-Aid to the bigger problem of warming temperatures.

Snow-Making For Skiing During Warm Winters Comes With Environmental Cost

5:23pm February 17, 2018

by Elizabeth Stewart-Severy

Professional skiers and resorts in Aspen face a problem this season: deal with patches of dirt caused by warmer temperatures or make the climate worse by making and moving artificial snow.

Smallpox virus, colorized and magnified in this micrograph 42,000 times, is the real concern for biologists working on a cousin virus — horsepox. They're hoping to develop a better vaccine against smallpox, should that human scourge ever be used as a bi

Did Pox Virus Research Put Potential Profits Ahead of Public Safety?

1:05pm February 17, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Privately funded scientists made a virus related to smallpox from scratch, hoping their version might lead to a better smallpox vaccine. But critics question the need — and worry about repercussions.

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The top science adviser to the EPA, Michael Honeycutt, has been the lead toxicologist for the state of Texas since 2003. Texas cities, including Houston, have struggled for decades with some of the worst air quality in the country.

Top EPA Science Adviser Has History Of Questioning Pollution Research

5:01pm February 16, 2018

by Rebecca Hersher

Michael Honeycutt, the top toxicologist for Texas, is the latest chair of the EPA's science advisory board. But some scientists warn his views align more with industry than with scientific consensus.

Staff at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute sluice juvenile white seabass into a cage at Santa Catalina Island, in Southern California, where they grow before being released into the ocean. Thirty-five years ago, the state launched the program to bolster w

$40 Million Later, A Pioneering Plan To Boost Wild Fish Stocks Shows Little Success

1:46pm February 15, 2018

by Clare Leschin-Hoar

A California program begun 35 years ago to boost waning white seabass populations became a model for other states. Now the first scientific review finds the program had a stunningly low success rate.

To meet EU air pollution targets, Germany may make public transit free in cities struggling with poor air quality. Here, a Munich traffic jam in 2007.

Could Free Transit Lure Germans From Their Cars?

9:39pm February 14, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

The proposed no-fare program would begin in five cities, as Germany endeavors to meet EU air pollution targets. But similar plans haven't always worked as hoped.

Ray Vester served on the Arkansas State Plant Board for 18 years. "It's self-governing, by the people, for the people," he says.

These Citizen-Regulators In Arkansas Defied Monsanto. Now They're Under Attack

3:10pm February 14, 2018

by Dan Charles

In Arkansas, a regulatory committee of farmers and small-business owners banned the latest weed-killing technology from the giant agrichemical company. Monsanto is taking them to court.

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Nutria were believed to have been eradicated in California but the swamp rodent is back. Wildlife officials want the public's feedback before devising a new plan to get rid of them.

California Officials Set Up Invasive Swamp Rodent Hotline

8:36pm February 12, 2018

by Vanessa Romo

Nutria can grow up to 2.5 feet, weigh 20 pounds and wreak destruction wherever they go. State authorities believed they were extinct but recent sightings have led to a call for the public to help.