Environment

Delegates To Debate Watered-Down Plan For Antarctic Marine Preserve

7:57pm October 23, 2013

by Richard Harris

Diplomats are again meeting to consider setting aside a protected zone in the pristine waters around Antarctica, though their previous negotiations ended in failure. A scaled-back plan on the table this week would still create the largest marine preserve in the world.

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The Chinese border town of Suifenhe is a port of entry for almost all of the hardwood coming from the Russian Far East. Russia is the world's largest exporter of timber, but illegal logging is a growing problem.

World News

In Russia's Vast Far East, Timber Thieves Thrive

8:11am October 23, 2013

by Corey Flintoff

The demand for Russia's high-value timber is fueling organized crime, government corruption and illegal logging. The hardwood often ends up as flooring and furniture in the United States, Europe, Japan and China.

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The long arms of pivot irrigation rigs deliver water from the Ogallala Aquifer to circular fields of corn in northwestern Kansas.

Kansas Farmers Commit To Taking Less Water From The Ground

12:38pm October 22, 2013

by Dan Charles

Water from the Ogallala Aquifer is withdrawn about six times faster than rain or rivers can recharge it. Now, a group of farmers in one part of northwestern Kansas has agreed to pump 20 percent less water out of the aquifer over the next five years.

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Most people associate the Nile with Egypt, but the river also flows through South Sudan, where much of it is bordered by jungle. That makes it a excellent destination for rafting and wildlife enthusiasts, says travel guide author Max Lovell-Hoare.

For The Ultimate Getaway, Why Not South Sudan?

8:02pm October 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

You may not find South Sudan at the top of most dream destination lists, but the authors of a new travel guide say the young country, long isolated by a violent civil war, has much to offer tourists in search of wildlife, culture and natural beauty.

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Workers stand inside the gold mine in Greenland's Nulanaq mountain in 2009. The Danish territory's underground wealth was at the forefront of elections in March. Now, Greenland faces another dilemma: whether to end a zero-tolerance policy on uranium extra

As Greenland Seeks Economic Development, Is Uranium The Way?

6:39pm October 16, 2013

by Sidsel Overgaard

The debate over lifting a ban on uranium extraction pits the Danish territory's lawmakers against environmentalists. It would be a controversial move and one with consequences for Greenland's economic development as well as its political status.

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At more than 400 square miles, the Rim Fire is the largest Sierra Nevada fire in recorded history.

Fuel In The Fire: Burn Wood For Power Or Leave It To Nature

12:59pm October 16, 2013

by Lauren Sommer

The record-breaking wildfire in Yosemite National Park is calling attention to a problem found across the West: Forests are overloaded with fuel after a century of putting out fires. What to do about that is fueling its own heated debate.

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Mechanical harvesters cut sugar cane on U.S. Sugar Corp. land in Clewiston, Fla., in 2008, the same year the state struck a deal to buy most of the company's Everglades holdings.

Whatever Happened To The Deal To Save The Everglades?

11:49am October 10, 2013

by Greg Allen

In 2008, Florida announced the largest land sale in the state's history — to buy hundreds of miles of Everglades land owned by U.S. Sugar. But only a small fraction was acquired. Now, environmental groups are lobbying for the deal's revival before a contract giving the state an exclusive option to buy expires.

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President Obama speaks at the southern site of the Keystone XL pipeline in Cushing, Okla., in March 2012.

One Thing Obama Can Do: Decide The Fate Of The Keystone Pipeline

3:58pm October 09, 2013

The president alone can approve or reject construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which is designed to take crude oil extracted from Alberta, Canada, through America's heartland to refineries on the Gulf Coast. New Yorker journalist Ryan Lizza says Obama could use the decision as a "symbolic turning point in the kind of energy future he wants America to have."

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Flooding brought down a house in Jamestown, Colo., on Sept. 18.

Flood Forensics: Why Colorado's Floods Were So Destructive

10:25am October 09, 2013

by Christopher Joyce

Nearly a year's worth of rain was dumped on parts of the state in four days this fall. The downpour from the heavens created a slurry on the mountainsides that scrubbed away soil, trees, boulders and buildings. Scientists say the flooding may have been a once-in-a-thousand-years event.

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Phase 2 Of BP Trial Focuses On Amount Of Spilled Oil

12:48pm October 08, 2013

by Jeff Brady

Both the U.S. government and BP have estimates on just how much oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon explosion in 2010. The problem: They reached two different numbers. At stake is up to $18 billion in fines and penalties under federal environmental laws.

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