Environment

Environment

Watching For Change After Activist Hedge Fund Wins 2 Seats On ExxonMobil Board

6:52am May 31, 2021

NPR's Noel King talks with shareholder adviser Nell Minow about the implications of a small, activist hedge fund winning two seats on ExxonMobil's board in a push to reshape the company.

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A sandstorm moves the Gobi desert in Mongolia.

Buried Alive In Mongolia's Worst Sandstorms In A Decade

9:13am May 30, 2021

Even the rescue teams could not go forward during one of the fiercest of many sandstorms this spring. Herders have lost their herds — an estimated 1.6 million livestock — and their lives.

Environment

Historic Dam On Watauga River Demolished

2:52pm May 28, 2021

by Keri Brown

A historic dam on the Watauga River is no longer standing. Environmentalists say the removal will increase the overall health of the waterway.

Environment

Big Oil Companies Take Some Big Hits On Climate Change

10:13am May 27, 2021

by Camila Domonoske

A hedge fund invests its way onto the board of ExxonMobil in order to push the firm toward cleaner energy. At the same time, a Dutch court ordered Royal Dutch Shell to cut its carbon emissions faster.

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Scientists expect increasing marine heat waves to cause coral bleaching, which can result in reefs dying off.

Fearing Their Kids Will Inherit Dead Coral Reefs, Scientists Are Urging Bold Action

9:49am May 27, 2021

by Lauren Sommer

Hotter oceans are putting coral reefs in peril worldwide. Scientists are warning that to save them, heat-trapping emissions must fall, and reefs will need more protection and restoration.

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News Brief: COVID Origin Probe, The Future Of Oil, Calif. Mass Shooting

6:12am May 27, 2021

Biden asks intelligence agencies to push for stronger conclusion to COVID-19 origins. Big oil firms face seismic shifts in how they do business. Shooter kills eight people at San Jose rail yard.

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Pictures of plaintiffs fly outside the court in The Hague, Netherlands, before Wednesday's ruling ordering Royal Dutch Shell to rein in its carbon emissions. Thousands of citizens joined the suit charging that Shell's fossil fuel investments endanger live

In A Landmark Case, A Dutch Court Orders Shell To Cut Its Carbon Emissions Faster

3:56pm May 26, 2021

by Jeff Brady

Thousands of Dutch citizens joined environmental groups to charge the oil giant with endangering lives. The first of its kind decision could pressure other companies to take aggressive climate action.

Josh Pulliam and other researchers from Jake Socha's lab at Virginia Tech drove from Blacksburg, Va., to the northern part of the state and spent days collecting and studying Brood X cicadas.

Brood X Cicadas Are Busy And So Are The Scientists Who Study Them

6:43am May 26, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

When a critter spends 17 years underground, it's not easy to study. So as Brood X cicadas break out, they're followed closely by researchers who must cram a lot of work in about six weeks.

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The Biden administration is opening the West Coast to offshore wind. Companies have largely focused on the East Coast, such as this wind farm off Block Island, R.I.

Biden Administration Strikes A Deal To Bring Offshore Wind To California

5:21pm May 25, 2021

by Lauren Sommer

For years, the Navy has objected to offshore wind farms on the California coast. The Biden administration announced a deal for new projects, crucial to achieving its climate change policy.

Cryptocurrency Has Raised Environmental Concerns — Local Governments Are Stepping In

4:44pm May 25, 2021

by Megan Myscofski

Even before Elon Musk got woke to how much dirty power Bitcoin consumes, local governments were moving to regulate crypto miners. Public pushback will be likely as crypto is branded carbon-intensive.