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Science & Environment | Exploring the intersection of urban life, science and the environment

Humans are warming climate, government researchers say

The U.S. government's most comprehensive climate report to date is at odds with the statements made by President Trump and his Cabinet. Christopher Joyce | NPR
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Recent Environment & Science coverage

It's Not Just Texas. The Entire Energy Grid Needs An Upgrade For Extreme Weather

Jeff Brady | NPR |

The Texas blackout is a reminder that climate-driven extreme weather stresses the U.S.'s power system in many ways. Much is needed to harden the grid for the future as the number of outages increase.

Audio

Search For Coyote Continues After Several Attacks In The San Francisco Bay Area

Eric Westervelt | NPR |

At least five people have reported being bitten. The unusual behavior has residents worried and wildlife authorities working overtime to capture the animal.

Colette Pichon Battle: How Can We Prepare For The Next Hurricane Katrina?

NPR/TED Staff | NPR |

Sea level rise will displace millions by 2100 — and the Louisiana bayous, where Colette Pichon Battle lives, may disappear entirely. She describes how we can avert the worst when disaster strikes.

Audio

Interior Nominee Deb Haaland Faces Tough Questions On Climate Goals

Nathan Rott | NPR |

Despite Biden's ambitious climate plan, Haaland told lawmakers the country would not abandon fossil fuels "overnight." If confirmed, she would be the first Native American Cabinet secretary.

Pillagers Of Tropical Forests Can't Hide Behind Clouds Anymore

Dan Charles | NPR |

Environmental watchdogs now can detect deforestation even when it's hidden from sight by rain and clouds. They're using data from radar on a European satellite.

Audio

Could We Pay Back The Earth For What It Provides? A New Report Offers A Roadmap

Eric McDaniel | NPR |

The landmark report commissioned by the British government calls on countries to quantify the cost of environmental degradation. It frames nature as a financial asset that benefits humanity.

Biden To 'Pause' Oil And Gas Leasing On Public Lands And Waters

Nathan Rott and Scott Detrow | NPR |

The move is one of his more controversial campaign promises, and industry groups say they will sue. But it won't have much immediate impact on driving down climate-warming emissions.

More Environment & Science

Biden To Move Quickly On Climate Change, Reversing Trump Rollbacks

Lauren Sommer | NPR |

President Biden has set his sights on more than 100 Trump administration environmental rollbacks as well as plans to rejoin the international climate accord.

Biden Order Blocks Keystone XL Pipeline

Jeff Brady | NPR |

This likely means the end of the $8 billion pipeline, a years-long project that would have carried oil sands crude from Alberta, Canada, to the American Gulf Coast.

Pandemic Causes Historic — But Fleeting— Drop In U.S. Climate Emissions

Lauren Sommer | NPR |

As Americans stayed home during the pandemic, cars and planes produced less heat-trapping emissions. But the effect is only temporary.

U.S. Implementing 1st-Ever Airplane Emission Rules; Critics Say They're Ineffective

Reese Oxner | NPR |

The Environmental Protection Agency said the new rules will not result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalists are calling for more stringent measures.

UN Report: In The Age Of Humans, 'The Dominant Risk To Our Survival Is Ourselves'

Laurel Wamsley | NPR |

On the United Nations' new Planetary pressures-adjusted Human Development Index, the United States drops 45 places from its overall ranking, a reflection of the country's outsize environmental impact.

Trump Rushes To Lock In Oil Drilling In Arctic Wildlife Refuge Before Biden's Term

Tegan Hanlon | NPR |

The Jan. 6 auction was set before the end of the comment and nominations period. If leases are finalized before Joe Biden takes office, they could be difficult to revoke.

Climate Case Against Shell Begins In The Netherlands

Laurel Wamsley | NPR |

The case was brought by a group of environmental organizations and more than 17,000 Dutch citizens. They demand that Shell be forced to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 45% by 2030.

Army Corps of Engineers Denies Permit To Controversial Alaska Gold Mine

Laurel Wamsley and Liz Ruskin | NPR |

Fishermen and tribes have been fighting the mine proposal for a decade, fearing it would harm the wild sockeye salmon at the heart of the area's economy and culture.

Climate Justice Fund Counters 'Centuries Of Underinvestment'

Cassandra Profita | NPR |

Portland, Oregon, will fund clean energy in communities that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. That's an idea that's part of President-elect Joe Biden's sweeping climate plan.