Environment

People hike on the Byron Glacier on Thursday in Girdwood, Alaska, southeast of Anchorage. Many cities set heat records amid unusually hot and dry conditions in the area.

It Was A Balmy 90 Degrees Yesterday In Anchorage — For The First Time On Record

1:50pm July 05, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

The Alaskan city just had its hottest and driest June ever, with average daily temperatures 5 degrees above normal. Crews are also battling wildfires across the state.

Charred items sit in front of a home that caught fire in Ridgecrest, Calif., after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake Thursday.

6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Southern California, Rattling Large Swath Of State

10:30pm July 04, 2019

by Bobby Allyn

Officials did not immediately report any deaths or major injuries in connection with the earthquake.

David Smith Jr. is the second tribal chief of Arctic Village, and continues to fight drilling in the national refuge despite Congress's legalization of it. "I believe everything is going to come out on top for us," he says.

As Oil Drilling Nears In Arctic Refuge, 2 Alaska Villages See Different Futures

4:53pm July 03, 2019

The Trump administration will soon let oil companies bid on land to drill in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Some Alaska Natives fear harm to migrating caribou, others see opportunity.

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Locals Support Trump's Decision To Allow Drilling In Alaska's Arctic Refuge

4:33pm July 03, 2019

by Nat Herz

The Trump administration will soon let oil companies bid on land to drill in Alaska's Arctic Refuge. Despite decades of opposition, many in the refuge's one small village think it will bring opportunity.

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Homeowners Tom Carroll and Hermine Carroll held a ceremonial planting of vegetables in their garden on Monday. The Village of Miami Shores had prohibited front-yard gardens, but the Florida legislature passed a law that assures such gardens' legality.

After 6-Year Battle, Florida Couple Wins The Right To Plant Veggies In Front Yard

6:22pm July 02, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

A 2013 zoning ordinance threatened Hermine Ricketts with a $50 fine each day for the garden she had tended for years. So she pulled it up — and got a lawyer.

A kid tries to beat the heat in New Delhi on June 15. The changing climate is especially brutal in India. Temperatures are soaring. Asphalt roads are melting. People are dying.

Temps Have Topped 120 In India. How Are They Coping With The Heat Wave?

5:07pm July 02, 2019

by Lauren Frayer

The changing climate is especially brutal in India. Temperatures are soaring. Asphalt roads are melting. People are dying.

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Environment

Google Sets Goal To Use Clean Energy 24/7

5:57pm July 01, 2019

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Jennifer Layke, global director of the energy program at World Resources Institute, about Google's aspirations to power all its operations with carbon-free energy.

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A Jaguar I-Pace, the first electric vehicle from the premium carmaker, charges during an event in Barcelona, Spain, in May.

Environment

Tesla Led The Charge, But More Premium Electric Vehicles Are Arriving

12:51pm June 30, 2019

by Camila Domonoske

With new offerings from Audi, Jaguar and Porsche, Tesla is no longer the only game in town for people looking to drop big bucks on a high-performance electric vehicle.

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Emissions rise from the Duke Energy coal-fired Asheville Power Plant ahead of Hurricane Florence in Arden, N.C., in September 2018. Regulators are supposed to make sure Duke Energy delivers reliable power at the lowest possible cost — and that's always

North Carolina Tries To Clean Up Its Electricity

8:49am June 29, 2019

by Dan Charles

North Carolina's governor is promising to quickly cut greenhouse emissions but will need to convince Duke Energy, the state's dominant utility, to abandon coal and gas in favor of solar and wind.

A boy jumps into the water of the Trocadero Fountain in Paris on Friday, to find relief from the heat wave.

France Suffers Through Hottest Day In Its History — 113 Fahrenheit

8:36pm June 28, 2019

by Sasha Ingber

It comes as much of Europe, including Spain and Germany, sees record-breaking temperatures.