Fewer cars on the road during lockdowns was good news for frogs and salamanders
Fewer cars were on the road during pandemic lockdowns. And for Maine's frogs and salamanders, that translated to far fewer roadkill deaths.
Environment
With Biden's climate plan in jeopardy, can America lead on climate change?
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with environmental policy expert Leah Stokes about what the Democrats' spending plan can achieve on climate, with President Biden's clean electricity performance plan in limbo.
Satellites reveal the secrets of water-guzzling farms in California
California wants to limit the water that farmers can pump from depleted aquifers. To enforce those limits, regulators are turning to remote sensing satellites.
High Country fall foliage options abound
Fall foliage was on full display over the weekend drawing thousands of eager leaf watchers to the High Country.
Coast Guard says a ship's anchor dragged California oil pipeline that later leaked
Investigators believe a 1,200-foot cargo ship dragging anchor in rough seas caught an underwater oil pipeline and pulled it across the seafloor, months before a leak from the line.
How the Amazon rainforest is faring under climate change
NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks to climate scientist Antonio Nobre about how climate change is affecting the Amazon forest in Brazil.
To improve wildfire resistance, researchers look to beavers
Last year Colorado saw the two largest wildfires in it's history, destroying hundreds of homes and 600 square miles of forest. Largely unbothered, though, are beavers, whose wet habitats offer refuge.
La Niña is coming. Here's what that means for winter weather in the U.S.
The climate pattern known as La Niña generally brings winters that are drier and warmer than usual across the southern U.S. and cooler and wetter in the northern part of the country.
Flood insurance rates are spiking for many, to account for climate risk
FEMA says its new rates better reflect the risk from more intense and frequent rain and floods. The increase could make housing unaffordable for some in the most flood-prone areas.