Environment

Recycled plastic pellets are displayed at a facility in Ontario.

Big Oil Evaded Regulation And Plastic Pellets Kept Spilling

7:12pm December 22, 2020

by Laura Sullivan

Oil and gas companies make enough pellets each year to fill a stadium several times over. The oil industry has long known it has a pellet pollution problem, but that's not what it told the public.

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A skier was killed on Friday when he was buried in an avalanche in Colorado's Anthracite Range. The crown of the avalanche was on the right, below the rocky ridge. The debris washed through the trees below.

3 Skiers Killed In Colorado Avalanches As Authorities Warn Of Weak Snowpack

2:11pm December 22, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

"Colorado is the home of weak snow and avalanches are not uncommon. This year is worse," the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said Sunday. A snowmobiler in Wyoming also died on Friday.

Environment

How Climate Change Is Setting The Stage For Natural Disasters

6:13am December 22, 2020

by Lauren Sommer

This year had a relentless number of extreme wildfires and hurricanes. They were driven by climate change, and global temperatures that were among the hottest ever recorded.

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A Kupu Aina Corps work crew funded by CARES Act money uses chainsaws to clear invasive mangroves from the area around Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu.

Hawaii Reboots Depression-Era Conservation Corps Using Pandemic Assistance Funds

5:01am December 22, 2020

by Ryan Finnerty

Hawaii is using some of its CARES Act money to create a version of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The state is now trying to spend the last of the funds before the deadline later this month.

Lava cascades into the summit water lake at the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's big island. The eruption began late Sunday within the volcano's Halemaumau crater, at the summit of Kilauea.

Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Erupts On Big Island

8:21am December 21, 2020

by Jaclyn Diaz

The volcano last erupted in 2018, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands around Hawaii's Big Island.

Biden Announces Climate Team, Including First-Ever National Climate Advisor

9:07am December 20, 2020

by Jennifer Ludden

Former EPA chief Gina McCarthy is President-elect Joe Biden's pick for domestic climate advisor. She'll have a big role pushing for aggressive climate action across the government.

President-elect Joe Biden departs his plane before attending a drive-in rally for U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock.

Biden Unveils His Climate Team, Promising To Fight 'With The Urgency It Demands'

3:35pm December 19, 2020

by Alana Wise

Biden has vowed to make tackling the climate crisis a key component of his administration.

Flooding in Norfolk, Va., during heavy rainfall in November. Some residents worry that rising flood insurance rates will force them out of their homes.

'Millions Left On The Table': How Cities Can Help Trim Rising Flood Insurance Rates

3:05pm December 18, 2020

by Sam Turken

Increased flooding from climate change is making flood insurance so expensive that some worry they'll lose their homes. A federal program can cut costs if cities invest in flood protection.

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Then-Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy speaks during a 2015 signing ceremony for an air quality agreement as then-Secretary of State John Kerry looks on. The two will be back together working on climate issues in the Biden admini

With Biden's Boost, 2 Obama Veterans Are 'Ready To Run' Climate Efforts

11:41am December 18, 2020

by Scott Detrow

The Biden administration will view climate change as an urgent crisis, and two former Obama Cabinet officials from Massachusetts will be key to taking on the challenge.

A pedestrian uses an umbrella to get some relief from the sun as they walk past a sign displaying the temperature on June 20, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. As 2020 comes to a close so does the hottest recorded decade.

2020 May Be The Hottest Year On Record. Here's The Damage It Did

10:30am December 18, 2020

2020 and 2016 are virtually tied for the hottest year on record. That means more powerful hurricanes, more intense wildfires, less ice and longer heat waves.